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In this small pocket world, the two of them hadn't even exchanged blows yet, but a powerful clash of energy was already silently raging between them.
This was a sensation Arthur had never experienced before. He had never reached this level of strength in the past. But ever since the great star within him fused and formed a large golden crystal, he had felt an unbelievable breakthrough in power.
From that moment on, everything had changed.
Before, he hadn't found a suitable opponent to test himself against. So even after his breakthrough, he had no idea just how far his power had risen. But now, as he suddenly faced off against Hela in her full power, that sharp contrast was finally made crystal clear.
And then… Arthur found himself speechless.
"I've gotten this strong already, so why does it still feel like Hela's holding back?"
In the movie, this woman had held an absolutely crushing advantage when fighting Thor.
Even in the final battle, when Thor realized he wasn't the God of Hammers but the God of Thunder, even after unleashing the full fury of lightning, he still wasn't her match.
It wasn't until there was no other choice that he released Surtur, letting the fire giant clash with Hela while he seized the chance to flee with his people.
Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side, they hadn't run far before Thanos intercepted them.
Even so, it showed just how terrifying this woman truly was, despite her outwardly graceful appearance.
That towering fire giant Surtur had reduced Asgard to a sea of flames with one swing of his great sword, but Hela had still charged him, blade in hand.
Villain or not, in that moment, her power demanded respect.
But now, right now, her strength wasn't something to admire.
It was something to fight.
Almost simultaneously, the two of them moved!
In battle, momentum and presence can crush an opponent only if the power gap is vast, like when Arthur had first met Odin and been nearly flattened by his sheer aura alone.
But when two opponents are relatively equal, sheer pressure no longer plays such a decisive role.
In the blink of an eye, they clashed against each other with fists flying!
BOOM!!!!!!!
A deafening shockwave tore through the dimension, it was as if all of Hel itself was trembling under the force of that impact! Beyond the barrier of their battlefield, countless hellish beings and high-level entities stood frozen, overwhelmed by the aftershock… all of them terrified.
At that same moment, far away on the Norwegian coast…
An elderly couple looked out over the sea.
The once calm waves were now erupting into a frenzy, storms raging and crashing in roaring layers across the surface.
The old man's dim eyes twinkled with a faint smile as he spoke. "The real battle… has finally begun."
The woman beside him looked worried. "Will he make it?"
"Even if not this time… he'll have more chances." Odin's lips curled into a slight smile.
"That boy… still doesn't understand some things. But it's fine. They'll all understand eventually. In the end, everything will fall into place just as it should."
"Who are you calling clueless?" Frigga asked playfully. "Why do I feel like… I don't understand things anymore either?"
"It's alright. You will." Odin gently exhaled and patted her hand. "When the end comes, we'll still be right here, waiting quietly, for everything to unfold."
There was sorrow in Frigga's gaze.
"If she knew… that all this time, you were thinking of her…"
"It's not just about her," Odin shook his head. "When you get old… You start hoping that your kids can find their happiness. If everything had followed the original course, Ragnarok would have been inevitable; everything was destined to fall into ruin. But… the child of broken fate appeared before us, and now everything has changed."
"Thor will become a great king of the gods. Hela too… she will find her happiness eventually.
But he…"
There was a trace of regret in Odin's eyes. He shook his head slowly.
"Everyone must walk their own path. There's only so much I can do."
Frigga hesitated.
"Arthur? What about him?"
"He will become immortal." Odin's eyes flickered with a strange sorrow. "Gods will die. Demons will perish. But he… he will remain."
Frigga paused, stunned.
"Isn't that… a good thing?"
Odin smiled faintly. "Good… this is the best, and also the worst."
The sea raged and thunder roared across the heavens, but some strange divine force kept it all tightly bound within the ocean's limits. No matter how furious the waves became, not a single drop crossed onto land. This was a battle of gods, and there was no reason mere mortals should have to pay the price.
Sword flashes. Gunfire. Flames. Blinding lasers. Energy beams. Endless darkness. Countless illusions.
Battle. Battle. BATTLE!
To Arthur, this fight was completely beyond anything he'd ever prepared for. He'd never imagined the energy within him could unleash so many different powers and transformations.
There were hundreds, thousands, of exchanges between them. Blows were traded. Clashes. Counterattacks. Pushbacks. Recoil!
The skies seemed to split apart. From the cracked and dying earth, dead trees screamed like tortured souls. No blood rain fell today, but still the skies remained dark and filled with dread.
BOOM!!!!
Another thunderous explosion echoed in the surroundings, and Arthur tasted iron at the back of his throat. He was injured again!
It wasn't the first time. Throughout the course of this duel, Arthur had suffered injury after injury.
But floating in the air beside him… a golden eye quietly hovered, constantly healing his wounds.
Arthur had mastered so much. He could fight, he could tank, and he could heal himself on the fly.
And yet… despite all that, he still couldn't leave a scratch on the woman in front of him.
She was like some invincible god-spirit, resolute and merciless. Each time Arthur unleashed a new technique, she shattered it effortlessly with just one sword strike.
Even the Ten Rings of the Mandarin, which Arthur had pushed to their absolute limit, proved useless against Hela.
With a flick of his mind, he activated Blink, a shimmering cloak of rainbow light wrapped around him. In his hands, the greatsword of Asgard swept out!
Clang!
A crisp metallic sound rang out, he'd been struck!
But the blow was absorbed by his steel-hardened body. Even Hela's divine strength couldn't force him back even half a step, because he had Body Domination active!
Under the effects of Body Domination, no force could halt Arthur's assault!
His greatsword completed its arc, and as the sword light came crashing down, for the first time, Hela bled.
She staggered back a step. Looking down at her arm, she saw the shallow cut already beginning to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Meanwhile, Arthur stood breathless amid the wreckage, chest heaving.
She glanced at him twice.
Then, she smiled. Not a cold or mocking smirk, but a genuine smile.
She looked at Arthur.
"That was the first. You still have… two more chances."
"Two? I might not even need 'em." Arthur stared at Hela's retreating figure and shouted: "Next time I'm coming back, I'm grinding you into the ground until you sing 'Conquered' for me!"
"...I look forward to it." Her voice floated lightly in the air as her figure rose and disappeared into the skies.
Arthur dropped onto his butt, sitting in the mud with a long, helpless sigh.
"Damn… this woman's a beast."
This battle,
It was not a win, but it wasn't quite a loss, either.
But conquering her?
That is still a long way to go.