Odin is in his prime, his divine power still at its peak; he could rule Asgard for another thousand years without issue.
How could he suddenly...
"Father!" Mavuika blurted out almost without thinking, declining repeatedly.
"This... this is too sudden! I am not ready, and you..."
Odin interrupted her, his tone brooking no argument: "The leadership you have shown on the battlefield, the wisdom you have displayed in governance, the balance you maintain when dealing with enemies and subjects... everyone sees it, and Frigga fully agrees.
Mavuika, you are the most suitable candidate."
Mavuika smiled bitterly in her heart.
Having sat on the throne of the Fire God for so many years in her previous life, she had finally enjoyed a period of ease without the burden of her entire race's fate.
Was she really going to repeat that old path so soon?
She really did not want to sit on that heavy throne so quickly.
"Father, I believe this matter requires further deliberation..." she delayed tactfully.
"It's alright," Odin said with a smile.
"Prepare yourself well. This matter is indeed very important; we do not need to rush."
Mavuika breathed a slight sigh of relief and said softly, "...Yes, Father, I will consider it carefully."
Hela, standing to the side, watched this scene, unexpectedly showing no emotional fluctuation.
She was not repulsed by the idea of Mavuika succeeding the throne.
In her simple and direct value system: if her sister was stronger than her, then naturally her sister should succeed the throne.
As for herself?
When she truly surpassed her sister one day, she would just take the throne then.
She was only still brooding over Father's decision to "stop expansion."
This conversation ended unhappily.
When Hela turned to leave the council chamber, her back was stiff, and her steps were heavy.
She said nothing more, but everyone knew that this matter... was not over.
In the following half year, Asgard remained calm and prosperous on the surface.
Thor and Loki turned one year old, and the two little ones grew fast.
Thor could already clearly shout "Sister," "Mother," and even tried to take the Eternal Spear that Odin placed on the low table.
Loki appeared much quieter, learning to speak more slowly, but those ice-blue eyes were always full of observation and thought, occasionally speaking short, logically clear sentences that surprised even the adults.
Mavuika began to follow Odin to learn how to handle more core government affairs, contacting the true power network and secrets of Asgard.
As for Hela...
She was like a trapped beast, every day, besides training even more crazily, she repeatedly made suggestions to Odin, submitting one aggressive "Interstellar Exploration and Conquest Plan" after another.
Each time, it was rejected by Odin without hesitation.
"Father! Just give me three capital ships and five thousand elite troops, and I can take the mineral-rich belt of the Alpha Centauri system for you!"
"Rejected. We do not need the minerals there."
"Father! The Skrull Empire is in civil war; this is the perfect time for us to intervene, foster proxies, and expand our influence!"
"Rejected. Asgard does not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries."
"Father! The Kree Empire's border outpost defenses are empty; my Death Guard could take it in one raid..."
"Hela!" Odin finally rebuked her publicly at a morning meeting.
"How many times have I said it! What Asgard needs now is peace and development, not endless war!"
"Put your energy into reorganizing armaments, training soldiers, and consolidating the defenses of the Nine Realms!"
The morning meeting was silent.
All ministers and generals bowed their heads, not daring to look at the Goddess of Death's eyes, which were almost spitting fire.
Hela gripped mjolnir tightly, her knuckles turning white.
She looked at her majestic father on the throne, then at her sister sitting beside him with a calm expression, flipping through documents.
A feeling of unprecedented, mixed anger, unwillingness, grievance, and restlessness surged and accumulated in her chest like volcanic magma.
Why? Why didn't Father understand?
The glory of Asgard lies in conquest, in expansion, in carving fear and awe into the hearts of every life that looks up at the starry sky!
Stagnation is weakness, conservatism is death!
Her sister is clearly so strong, why is she content to be trapped in these small Nine Realms?
She remembered herself sweating in the training field time and time again, deducing tactics in simulated battles time and time again, the surging desire in her heart when she looked up at the starry sky time and time again...
Did all of this become "unrest" and "belligerence" in Father's eyes?
Finally, on another dull afternoon, when Odin rejected her carefully planned proposal again...
The string that had been tightly stretched in Hela's heart for half a year snapped.
"Enough!!"
The roar sounded like thunder, exploding in Odin's study.
Hela threw the proposal in her hand to the ground, and the dark green Death Divine Power erupted uncontrollably, corroding the surrounding bookshelves, tables, chairs, and even the walls with sizzling traces.
Her eyes were red as she stared at Odin, who looked up in astonishment.
"Father! How long are you going to suppress me?!"
Her voice trembled with excitement.
"I am the Goddess of Death! I am the blade of Asgard! My mission is to open up territory for Asgard and spread glory!"
"Not like this, dealing with those damn documents every day, training those soldiers who can never beat me, and then staring at the starry sky!"
Odin's face sank: "Hela, mind your status and attitude!"
"Status? Attitude?" Hela laughed: "My status is your daughter who has been kept in captivity with her claws filed down!"
"My attitude is that I am disgusted by this stagnant Asgard!"
"Father, you are old! Your heart has been scared by the failures of the past!"
"You dare not challenge the unknown anymore, dare not seize greater glory!"
"But I am different! I am still young! I have endless desire and power!"
"You cannot stifle my future and the future of Asgard just because of your own fear!"
"Presumptuous!" Odin slammed the table and stood up, the Eternal Spear instantly in his hand, thunder gathering at the tip of the spear.
"Hela Odinson! You are too arrogant! Do you think you are truly invincible in the world just because you won a few wars in the Nine Realms?!"
"Then let me try!"
Hela also raised mjolnir, the death thunder and Odin's eternal thunder collided in the air, bursting with dazzling sparks and terrifying pressure.
The entire study was shaking, and the protective runes were flashing wildly.
"Let's see if you, an old God King scared by failure, are still worthy of sitting in this seat and stopping Asgard from moving forward!"
"You—!"
Odin was furious, thunder flashing wildly in his eyes, the Eternal Spear about to thrust out.
Hela also laughed wildly, mjolnir ready to strike.
Just at this critical moment, when the father and daughter were about to fight to the death—
"Boom!"
The study door was pushed open by a gentle but powerful force.
Mavuika stood at the door, golden-red flames Burning quietly around her.
She looked at her father and sister, who were at daggers drawn, and then at the messy study, which was almost dismantled by the aftermath of their divine powers, and sighed softly.
Then, she stepped into the center of the divine power turbulence that was enough to crush ordinary gods.