In an instant, Odin's final words faded, and his body completely vanished. The specks of light that were the old All-Father drifted and swirled, floating toward the ultimate destination of the Aesir.
The sky.
Watching his father's last form, Thor clenched his jaw hard, refusing to let tears stream down his face. Then he turned and glared death at his brother opposite him.
"L…oki…!" he growled. "This is all your doing!!!"
"Brother…" Loki's expression was horrible. Perhaps only in true loss did he finally realize that the hatred he had clung to and believed he held so deeply had never truly been in his heart.
Was revenge all he wanted?
No, what he wanted was merely that one sentence Odin had just said to him.
"Child, I love you…"
Nothing more!!!
But everything was irreversible. Loki, who had brought Heisenberg into Asgard, had long since lost any right to decide anything. And the cruelest part was that he didn't even have the right to hide himself away and grieve alone. Because he and Thor still had a battle to finish. This brother would not mind finishing him now, or at least beating him to a pulp.
Thor extended his right hand, and the Mjolnir that caused him such heartache flew into his grip. Loki extended both hands, and the twin daggers forged by dwarves and enchanted by Frigga appeared in his palms. The two stood barely two meters apart, battle about to erupt.
And just then…
BOOM!!!
A sudden thunderous roar from the distant sky made both of them look up involuntarily. But it was no natural thunder; it was the sound of space itself gradually shattering. Black clouds gathered and swirled, merging into a vortex at the zenith. In the center of that vortex, a piercing green light flashed.
The next second, a dark figure leaped out of the green light, charging straight toward Thor and Loki, stopping not far away. With her appearance, the vortex of black clouds in the sky vanished instantly.
Looking at the woman with loose black hair, a torn and tight battle suit, and a cold smirk on her face, Thor couldn't help but swallow hard.
"You're Hela?"
"Mhm~" Hela nodded with a cold smile and shot a question back at Thor. "He's dead, isn't he? Pity I didn't get to see it with my own eyes!"
"Insolent! That was your father, our father, sister!!!" As Hela's words registered, Thor instantly flared up, his hammer erupting with dazzling lightning.
And Hela… the arrogant sneer on her face made Thor even more furious, because her smile was so much like someone else! Like the bastard who crushed his hammer, killed his father, and stole the throne of the Aesir!
In a brief moment, Thor's eyes were suffused with lightning, and his aura swelled continuously.
But so what?
Hela just laughed dismissively and said to Thor, "You call me sister, so you must be his children, tsk tsk…"
She pointed at Thor and teased, "No offense, but you're nothing like him."
As soon as she finished, even in that dire situation, Loki burst out laughing. "Haha, I like what you said, sister!" As he spoke, he quietly edged farther away from Thor. If a fight broke out, they'd need distance to cooperate properly.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing Loki's words, Hela also let out a satisfied smile. "You, however, resemble him quite a bit."
"Wow, that's the greatest compliment I've ever received. Even though we've just met, I'm truly glad to have a sister like you. So, can we sit down and talk?" Loki continued persuading as he moved.
"Of course!" Hela agreed readily, then extended her right hand, index finger pointing to the ground at her feet. "I don't mind chatting with you, but first, you must pay obeisance to your future queen! Now, kneel!!!"
"Eh?"
"What?"
Hela's arrogant words made Thor and Loki exchange a bewildered look. A moment later, Loki looked at Thor and shrugged helplessly. "You tell her, or should I?"
"You tell her."
"I'd rather not; she's too fierce."
"But you're good at this. Remember our division of labor?"
"That was me playing the patient and you the relative. You were the one doing the talking!"
"But you have a silver tongue. Father himself said so."
"Dammit, fine, I'll do it myself!"
This bizarre exchange between Thor and Loki made Hela frown across from them. She had no idea what they wanted to tell her. But having just escaped her prison, Hela didn't mind hearing them out.
So she looked at the pair, smirking as she spread her hands. "Speak your piece, before I lose interest."
"Umm, alright." Loki nodded helplessly. "You just claimed to be the future ruler of Asgard, but I'm afraid you're mistaken. Asgard and the Nine Realms already have a new king."
"Heh…" Hela shook her head disdainfully. "Is it him? Mjolnir's new wielder? Odin always favored brainless brutes like that, so it must be you, right? If I kill you, do I become the new ruler?"
As she spoke, she flicked her wrist, and a sharp blade of death appeared in her hand. She sauntered toward Thor, sword in hand, as if she would end her brother in the next second.
But Loki's next words made Hela stop.
"Sorry, it's not me, nor Thor, nor any of Father's sons. I have to admit, Odin was truly powerful, but he met defeat and journeyed to Valhalla in a sacred battle! Gungnir has changed hands. The new king's name is Heisenberg. He's not of the Aesir, but he wields power the Aesir cannot contend with… ugh!!!"
Before Loki could finish, Hela had his neck in a death grip. She yanked Loki close and roared, "You mean to tell me that Asgard lost to another race?!! Impossible!!! You worthless fools! Odin was just a stubborn old man who lost his will. Asgard's victory and glory were ruined by scum like you! Summon the Bifröst. Let me return to that damn realm. I will reclaim everything you lost for the Aesir! What belongs to us will forever belong to us. The Aesir never accept defeat! And we are nothing like you, who didn't even fight to the death, standing here prattling on after a loss. Useless!!!"
Heaven knew how furious Hela was at that moment. Her words utterly shamed Thor.
Did he not want to fight to the death? Was he willing to give up the throne? If not for his father's dying command, Thor would have fought Heisenberg to the bitter end. But now he was his father's final hope; he had no right to simply die like that! And as for you, the woman imprisoned by his father, what right did you have to stand here and condemn everyone? What right did you have to berate Father? Even less right to harm my brother in front of me!
Thor swung his hammer fiercely and charged straight at Hela. He might be no match for Heisenberg or his father in one blow, but he was more than qualified to fight this damn sister! In the next instant, he brought his hammer crashing down toward Hela's face. Let this hammer wake you up, foolish sister!
Thunk!!!
A dull sound echoed as Hela took Thor's hammer head-on with her forehead, while her sword instantly pierced through Thor's kidney. The blade rapidly transformed, morphing into hooked chains that locked Thor tightly. Then she yanked the dazed and agonized Thor before her and bellowed at them both, "Let this blade wake you up, foolish brothers! You're far beneath me! Now, summon the Rainbow Bridge! I must return to our realm and behead that cursed Heisenberg!!! Would you really hinder me in this? Even though I was imprisoned for over four thousand years, I won't let him get away… wait, what's that?!!"
Hela's tirade was cut short by a faint sound from the distant sky. Startled, she looked toward the direction of the Atlantic. It was already nighttime, so the light of a spaceship breaking through the atmosphere from space couldn't possibly escape the notice of this single-universe-tier powerhouse! What Hela saw immediately drained any interest she had in listening to the Thor brothers' dithering.
She grew even angrier and roared at them both.
"Midgard, as Asgard's territory, is now being invaded by the forces of that defeated cur, Thanos! The Chitauri are nothing but brainless worms, dry bones in a grave, yet they broke through our warriors' defenses and struck Midgard itself! This is your shame, and it's the shame of that so-called king, Heisenberg!"
Boom!!!
She flung Loki and Thor aside, and a flash of green light enveloped her. In an instant, her tattered armor was restored to perfection, and her disheveled long hair transformed into a headdress of black antlers. Having adjusted her appearance, Hela shot the two brothers one last scornful glance.
"You two incompetents, kneel here and repent for your deeds! I will lead our army and reclaim the victory and honor we deserve, starting with the Chitauri! Then I will return to the Palace, and slay that damn Heisenberg who made the Palace so weak! After that, I hope you two useless wretches who share my blood can strive harder for Asgard's glory! What he abandoned, I will claim. What he lost, I will retake! The Nine Realms will return to the Aesir, and the cosmos will be trampled under the iron hooves of our gods! And the one to accomplish all that will be me, your eldest sister, the true ruler of Asgard! I am Hela, remember my name!"
With that, Hela threw them one last contemptuous look, then launched herself into the air and vanished without a trace.
After she left, Loki, still lying on the ground, rubbed his neck helplessly. Rolling his eyes, he glanced at Thor, who was healing his wound.
"She's a lot like that guy, isn't she?"
"Fuck, you mean Heisenberg?"
"Of course, don't you think so, brother?"
"Well, yeah, that arrogance is exactly the same."
"Mhm, but I gotta say, she…"
"She what? Dammit, she's so strong, my kidney's been skewered again!"
"Umm, tough luck. I just suddenly remembered, that headpiece on her armor… didn't it make her look more like a little deer than me?"
(╯°Д°)╯︵┻━┻
"Fuck, you're in the mood to think about that?!" Thor was almost angered into laughter. Feebly rubbing his kidney, he climbed to his feet. "Don't just lie there, we've got to get to the battlefield. We can't let that damn woman look down on us!"
As he spoke, he grabbed Loki and flew off. And Loki, cradled in his arms…
"Wait, wait, you motherfucker! The Chitauri are my people, you're taking me to fight my own army, I…!!!"
/-\
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