Darian thought for a long time and finally decided to go in and investigate.
On one hand, those ravager ships were spoils of war he had worked hard to seize; it would be a shame to lose them just like that.
On the other hand, as a player, he really couldn't suppress his heart that loved to court death... oh no, his heart that loved to explore; perhaps this could be some hidden level.
Darian no longer hesitated and stepped into the spatial rift before him.
In the next second, the scene before him shifted instantly, turning into a dim and lightless World.
Looking up, neither sun, moon, nor stars could be seen; there was only a lead-gray thick fog all around, wrapped in a bone-chilling cold that made one very uncomfortable.
What he stepped on wasn't soil, but large swathes of layered biological remains.
Most of them were humanoid skeletons, still wearing tattered armor. Some still tightly gripped longswords in their hands, with broken swords and shattered spears scattered everywhere. One could tell at a glance that an extremely brutal battle had once broken out here.
"Where the hell did this bring me?"
Darian looked around, unable to tell where this place was for the time being.
But being bold due to his high skill, he walked straight ahead over the skeletons, searching for those missing ravager ships.
As a result, he hadn't walked far before he saw the wreckage of the Ultron Robot he had sent in earlier. Its metallic body was already extensively damaged, and its entire head had a large hole pierced through it, clearly having suffered some kind of attack.
"No wonder it didn't come back; it turns out it was smashed to pieces."
Darian narrowed his eyes.
Given the Ultron Robot's capabilities, for an opponent to destroy it like this, they were definitely not simple.
Swish!
Just then, a sharp sound of breaking air suddenly attacked.
Fortunately, Darian was already on guard, and his figure quickly dodged back.
In the next instant, a strangely shaped black longsword was nailed fiercely into the spot where he had originally been.
"How many years has it been? Besides that old thing Odin, a living person has actually set foot in this place."
A playful voice came from not far away.
Darian looked toward the sound and saw a throne pieced together from white bones placed at the highest point of the bone pile.
A tall woman was sitting on the throne.
She wore a dark green tight-fitting combat suit, sat with her legs crossed, her chin slightly raised, her gaze sweeping down from above, her whole body exuding a queenly aura that looked down upon all living beings.
Unfortunately, the thick, unblendable smoky makeup on her eyes and her messy, withered long hair with split ends dragged down that domineering aura quite a bit.
[NPC: Hela Odinson]
[Codename: Goddess of Death]
[Affection: 0]
[Evaluation: Eldest daughter of the god Odin, elder sister of Thor and Loki, former owner of the Meow-Meow Hammer, Grand General of Asgard, a thousand-year-old shut-in]
[Status: Sealed]
This woman is actually Odin's daughter?
And the sister of Thor and Loki?
Darian was shocked; he had known Thor for so long but had never heard him mention having a sister.
Could it be that Odin had someone on the side behind the Queen's back, and this is an illegitimate daughter he hid away?
Darian's imagination suddenly ran wild, and he instantly conjured up a whole melodramatic family drama in his head.
Hela didn't know what Darian was thinking; seeing him stand still, she assumed he was stunned by her aura.
She pointed to the wreckage of the Ultron Robot nearby: "Is this tin man yours?"
"Yes."
Darian pulled back his wandering thoughts and nodded.
"A decent weapon, somewhat similar to Odin's Destroyer armor, but it's far behind in terms of strength."
Hela commented casually, then turned to look at Darian: "You don't look like an Asgardian. Who are you?"
Darian said cheerfully, "I am Doom, from Earth."
"Earth?"
"By your terms, that would be Midgard."
Hela's interest was piqued, and she raised an eyebrow, looking Darian up and down: "I remember Midgard only had a bunch of weak mortals. After all these years, someone as capable as you has actually appeared?"
In her eyes, Darian being able to dodge her sneak attack just now meant his strength already far exceeded her perception of mortals.
Darian waved his hand with a modest expression: "You might not have been to Earth for too long and don't know much about it. Earth is different now than it was in the past. Someone like me is at most average; there are plenty of big shots more powerful than me."
"Especially a bald big shot named the Ancient One, whose biggest hobby is chasing down Dimensional Demon Gods from various dimensions to fight."
Hearing this, Hela couldn't help but be startled.
Dimensional Demon Gods?
Those are existences that even Odin in his prime would be wary of.
A mere Midgardian can actually challenge such beings?
Has the outside World become this ridiculous during her imprisonment?
But Hela's expression didn't change; she said calmly, "It seems there have been quite a few changes in the outside World over these thousands of years. Let me ask you, how many children does Odin have now? And who is the crown prince of Asgard?"
Darian replied, "There are two, Thor and Loki. The two brothers have a very good relationship, being close since they were kids. As for the crown prince, it's basically the eldest prince, Thor."
"Oh? What achievements does he have to show for it?"
"Probably none."
Darian scratched his head; how would he know what glorious achievements Thor had in his early years?
"None?"
Hela immediately snorted, her tone full of disdain: "Then on what basis does he sit in the position of crown prince?"
"Based on the fact that he's Odin's biological son, while Loki was picked up."
Hela: "......."
What an impeccable reason; she actually couldn't refute it.
Hela sneered: "Prince Thor? It seems that old thing Odin has truly forgotten me completely. Did he forget who accompanied him across the Nine Realms, forging Asgard's illustrious reputation for him in a sea of corpses and blood?"
"Now it's just great; he's directly erased even me, the first-in-line heir, and his younger son has instead become the rightful eldest son!"
Holy crap?
There's such a shocking piece of gossip?
Darian's eyes lit up instantly, his gossiping soul ignited on the spot, and he asked curiously, "You say you're Odin's eldest daughter, so why are you in this place?"
Hela smiled coldly, her eyes showing a hint of sarcasm and hatred.
"Thousands of years ago, Asgard was not yet the head of the Nine Realms. That old thing Odin wanted the Nine Realms to submit, so he personally led Asgard's army to conquer them, and I was the sharpest sword in his hand."
"I followed him in his campaigns north and south, crushing one defiant kingdom after another. Every inch of the Nine Realms' territory was won by me, and Asgard's prestige was built by me upon a sea of blood and corpses."
"But what was the result?"
"Once he was secure in his seat as the God-King, he turned around and changed his face, actually turning from a tyrant into a benevolent ruler."
"He began to resent that there was too much blood on my hands, that my edge was too sharp, and that I was unruly. I wanted to continue conquering the Universe, but he blocked me in every way, fearing I would ruin the benevolent God-King persona he had worked so hard to establish."
"What I couldn't stand was that he actually gave back the territories I had worked so hard to conquer!"
"In the end, I really couldn't stand that hypocritical old man and directly launched a coup. Only I could lead Asgard to victory!"
"Unfortunately, that old thing had several tricks up his sleeve and banished me to this sunless Helheim, forbidding me from stepping a single foot out of here."
"And I've been locked up for thousands of years!"
Hela had no intention of hiding anything.
She wanted outsiders to see clearly exactly what kind of filthy face was hidden beneath Odin's mask of a God-King revered by ten thousand people.
Darian enjoyed this gossip immensely.
He really hadn't expected Odin to have such explosive dark history.
But on second thought, it seemed reasonable; how could the entire Nine Realms be made to bow and submit just by talking about benevolence and morality?
However, Hela's experience was indeed tragic enough.
It was clearly Odin himself who first intended to conquer the Nine Realms, yet he was the one who called it off in the end, and then turned around to seal the hero who helped him build his empire, locking her up for thousands of years.
Darian asked curiously, "In that case, why don't you escape from here? Don't tell me you haven't noticed the spatial rift here."
"If only it were that easy."
Hela gritted her teeth, her face full of hostility: "That old immortal Odin went so far as to divide a portion of his divine power to place a restriction on me. Unless he actively withdraws the power, or he dies and the power dissipates on its own, I can't escape this hellhole at all."
The more she spoke, the angrier she got, a string of censored words popping out of her mouth—things like 'old beast,' 'may his children be born without anuses'—repeatedly cursing eighteen generations of Odin's ancestors.
Darian: "..."
Good grief, this lady is a real ruthless one; she even curses herself.
After cursing for a long time, Hela finally managed to suppress her surging anger and stared sharply at Darian: "Midgardian, why did you come to Helheim?"
Darian didn't beat around the bush either and said straightforwardly, "To tell you the truth, I actually lost some things here. Have you seen a dozen or so ships?"
"Are you talking about these things?"
Hela raised an eyebrow and gave a light flick of her finger. The mountain of skeletons in the distance collapsed with a crash, revealing the ravager ships underneath.
Darian's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Yes, yes, these are the ships I lost. I thought I wouldn't find them again. Thanks, sister."
As he spoke, he raised his foot and was about to walk toward the ravager ships.
"Stop!"
Darian had only taken two steps when he was shouted to a halt by Hela.
He turned back with a look of surprise, only to see her cold face as she said, "Who said these are your things? Anything that falls into Helheim belongs to me."
The corners of Darian's mouth twitched.
No wonder you're Odin's biological daughter; this shameless personality is practically carved from the same mold.
And you have the nerve to curse your old man?
Darian was somewhat speechless: "What use do you have for these ships? You can't be planning to go for a joyride in this hellhole, can you?"
"That's none of your business."
Hela snorted, raising her chin even higher: "You can take these things back, but you must agree to a few of my conditions."
So that's the catch.
Darian burst out laughing: "Sister, I see you've been locked up for thousands of years and have gone a bit crazy; your brain isn't quite right from being shut in. I didn't want to bother too much with you, but you actually dare to set conditions with me?"
"Anything that falls into Helheim is yours, right?"
"Fine, then when I go back, I'll connect all the cesspools of the Nine Realms to this spatial rift, making Helheim the largest cesspool in the Nine Realms. From now on, you'll be the goddess in charge of the cesspool. Don't worry, I'll spread your name throughout the Nine Realms as the Goddess of the Cesspool."
Is this a joke? He, the dignified Fourth Calamity, could be manipulated by an NPC?
He's not some Cyber-loser.
He wanted to see exactly who could threaten whom.
After hearing Darian's words, Hela's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Back then, when she followed Odin on his campaigns to crush the Nine Realms, what kind of insidious and ruthless moves had she not seen?
But an underhanded trick as wicked as Darian's was truly a first for her.
At the thought of Helheim becoming the largest cesspool in the Nine Realms, Hela's scalp tingled just imagining the scene.
What was even more fatal was Darian's next sentence.
No matter how much she didn't care about others' opinions, if the title of Goddess of the Cesspool truly spread throughout the Nine Realms, she might as well hide in this hellhole for the rest of her life.
"Damned mortal! You dare insult me like this!?"
Hela's eyes were instantly filled with killing intent, and a terrifying aura of death surged from her body, causing the surrounding skeletons to rattle and tremble.
She had lived for thousands of years and campaigned across the Nine Realms for so long, yet she had never suffered such a humiliating disgrace.
Which kingdom's creatures back then didn't have their souls scared out of them upon seeing her?
Even that old bastard Odin wouldn't dare humiliate her like this!
Does he really think I, Hela, can't lift a blade anymore!?
As her voice fell, a sharp black blade instantly extended from Hela's hand. With a kick of her foot, she charged explosively toward Darian!
Her speed was ridiculously fast; in the blink of an eye, she reached Darian and swung the blade fiercely!
Clang!
A piercing sound of metal clashing suddenly exploded.
In Darian's hand, a cold-gleaming blade likewise appeared out of thin air, steadily blocking Hela's black blade.
The airwave kicked up by the clash of the two forces instantly exploded, sending the surrounding skeletons flying in all directions.
Hela's pupils constricted, her eyes filled with unbelievable surprise.
Although her current strength was far from her prime, even so, this strike was enough to tear apart Asgard's elite warriors.
Yet this Midgardian mortal before her had actually caught it so easily?
But Hela was, after all, the Grand General of Asgard who had crushed the Nine Realms with Odin. She regained her senses in an instant, and the black blade in her hand immediately changed moves, attacking Darian's vital points from tricky and ruthless angles.
Her swordsmanship had long since been honed to perfection in a sea of blood and corpses; every move was a lethal strike without any flashy fluff.
The black blade danced in her hand so tightly that not even air could pass, turning into a patch of cold black light that tightly enveloped Darian.
"This woman's strength is really something!"
Darian couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
But his movements were not slow in the least; the blade in his hand flipped and shifted, parrying Hela's frantic offensive.
When it came to swordsmanship, he had never feared anyone.
"Bang!"
A gunshot rang out, and fire suddenly flashed.
Hela jerked her head aside to dodge, but a shallow bloodstain was still grazed onto her cheek.
She instantly exploded, staring at Darian with wide, angry eyes: "Despicable coward! You actually used a gun to sneak attack me!"
Darian hid the handgun he had just fired behind his back and said solemnly, "What gun? This is clearly sword qi! For a master of swordsmanship, you can't even recognize sword qi?"
Hela's face turned green with rage: "Bullshit! I fucking saw the gun in your hand!"
Darian shook his head: "You saw wrong; this isn't a gun, it's just an unsharpened sword."
Hela: "....."
In all her years of living, she had never seen such a brazenly shameless mortal!