"What is her name?"
Thor's expression shifted when he heard Frigga's words. When he learned that Hela was the former owner of Mjolnir, his face grew even more complicated. He stared at the hammer in his hand, a strange feeling creeping into him—almost as if a green light glowed above his head.
"Hela."
Frigga replied, "The Goddess of Death. Hela."
They didn't know that, while they were speaking...
Earth.
On a certain coast of Norway, a seal was torn open.
It revealed a deep space.
An enchanting figure appeared, clad in form-fitting armor and a helmet adorned with jagged horns and fangs—Hela, the very Goddess of Death Frigga had spoken of.
"The old fool finally died..."
Hela stood on the shore, watching the tide recede. Then she turned her gaze toward New York.
That was Odin's last known location.
A cold glint flickered in Hela's eyes, masking the storm of fury within. As she felt the last remnants of the magic that had sealed her vanish completely, the sorrow on her face began to fade.
"With the old fool dead, there's no one left in the Nine Realms who can stop me..."
"This world will be mine."
As her voice fell, she vanished—diving into the deep, mysterious sea. There, she found a spatial rift and entered without hesitation.
Hela wasn't afraid of ending up in some unknown dimension. She knew well that most of the space rifts in the Nine Realms were windows linking one realm to another. That truth had been known to her for tens of thousands of years.
Her destination was clear: Asgard.
Odin was dead.
The throne now stood vacant.
No matter who the next king of Asgard would be, Hela would seize the throne, reconquer the Nine Realms, and then wage war on the entire universe.
In the name of Hela.
Asgard, Royal Palace.
"Then why did I never know I had a sister?" Thor asked, frowning. "And what does the Twilight of the Gods have to do with her?"
Frigga explained patiently, "After Odin conquered the Nine Realms, he brought prosperity to Asgard. He put aside his ambitions and tried to rule with kindness. But your sister Hela completely opposed his ideals. Her thirst for war and conquest clashed with Odin's new vision."
"Hela's ambition and bloodlust forced Odin to part ways with her," she continued. "Later, Odin sent the Valkyries to subdue Hela, but they were utterly destroyed. In the end, Odin stripped Hela of her power and imprisoned her somewhere in the Nine Realms."
"You've never heard of Hela because Odin erased all record of her. He sealed her existence with powerful magic and purged her name from Asgard's history…"
"So Hela became a ghost in our books," Thor muttered. "And the Twilight of the Gods... it's her revenge?"
Frigga nodded. "Yes. The Twilight of the Gods is Hela's revenge."
"Is she really that powerful?" Thor asked, still confused. "Even if I'm no match for Father now, I could still fight him. If Hela were up against all of Asgard, how could she possibly cause its destruction—the end of the gods?"
"That's because you don't understand Hela," Frigga said gravely. "She is not weaker than your father... perhaps she's even stronger. The reasons for her imprisonment were far from simple. Otherwise, she would never have been sealed away so harshly—nor would she bear such hatred, enough to want to destroy and rebuild Asgard."
As her voice trailed off, her expression changed.
Thor noticed at once and turned sharply.
The doorway.
Behind Heimdall's gate, someone had been listening.
Heimdall had heard everything—the origin of Hela, the truth behind the Twilight, and Odin's secrets.
"She's coming!"
Suddenly, Thor's expression sharpened. He focused his divine sight, casting his perception over Asgard.
He saw it—a spatial rift tearing open.
And from it, an enchanting, terrifying figure stepped through.
A woman, her helmet bristling with horns and claws, radiated power. Her very presence distorted the air.
There was no doubt.
She was no ordinary being.
She was Hela.
"Hela!"
Though Heimdall had only just heard the name and knew nothing of Hela's appearance, he instantly recognized the figure. It was her—the Goddess of Death, sealed away for countless years after breaking with Odin, now returning to unleash the Twilight of the Gods.
At the same time, in Asgard—inside the palace's main hall:
Wonder Woman suddenly sensed an overwhelming divine power surging across Asgard, a force no less potent than Odin's. Until now, no such presence had existed here.
There was no doubt—Hela had returned.
The Twilight of the Gods had officially begun.
Boom!
Hela soared into the sky, flying swiftly toward the palace.
Her aura shattered the clouds before her. Shockwaves rippled through the air behind her, distorting the space between heaven and earth.
The sound of thunderous detonation and roaring winds accompanied her rapid approach.
"Who goes there?!"
"Stop right there!"
"This is the royal palace! If you dare come any closer, we won't hesitate to kill you!"
The palace guards, seeing the powerful figure approaching through the sky, raised their spears and aimed them at the oncoming threat.
From the balcony of Frigga's chamber, Thor caught sight of Hela—her exaggerated horned helmet unmistakable. As she neared the palace, she raised her hand without hesitation.
In the next instant, sharp blades materialized in the air, tearing through space like arrows and striking the palace guards with deadly precision.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The swords pierced their chests, but they didn't stop there—they slammed the guards' bodies against the palace walls with immense force. Blood splattered. Cries of pain echoed. Some of the guards died instantly, others were pinned in agony.
"Damn it!"
Thor clenched his jaw. Hela's power and cruelty were beyond what he had imagined. Even knowing the truth about the Twilight of the Gods from Frigga, it was difficult to accept that this ruthless being was his sister—one now bent on destroying Asgard.
Boom!
He raised Mjolnir, and dark clouds began to gather overhead, crackling with electricity.
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Thor shot through the air like a bolt of lightning, swinging his hammer with the force of thunder, determined to stop Hela's advance.
But he had still underestimated her.
Boom!
Hela saw Thor's approach and immediately recognized him.
Though Mjolnir had changed since the old days, she knew—only someone of Odin's blood could wield it.
And as she met Thor in mid-air, that blood connection was undeniable.
Hela calmly raised her hand, blocking the strike. Then, with a swift motion, she grabbed Mjolnir mid-swing and crushedit in her grip.
Thor was lifted off the ground, both hands gripping the hammer's handle. But now, as he hovered there, staring at the head of Mjolnir caught in Hela's grasp, his face was filled with disbelief.
They locked eyes.
"So… I have a brother I never knew about."
Hela spoke slowly. Her hair whipped in the wind, and though her face was cold and beautiful, it radiated only hatred—without a trace of warmth or femininity.
"Looks like you're the next king Odin chose."
"If I kill you..."
"I can rebuild Asgard."
"Those who follow me will prosper. Those who oppose me—perish."
Crack! Crack! Crack!
As she spoke, Mjolnir groaned under the pressure of her grip.
"What…?"
Thor's eyes widened in horror.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
The sacred hammer in his hands—the symbol of his power—was breaking.
Boom!
In the next moment, Thor's hammer shattered completely—exploding into countless fragments. Thor stared in disbelief, unwilling to accept the reality.
"How… how can this be?"
Without Mjolnir, he could no longer remain airborne and fell hard to the ground. Before he could recover, Hela delivered a brutal kick, sending him crashing into the palace wall.
From the balcony, Frigga watched it all unfold, sorrow etched across her face.
Hela stood on the wide stone steps at the entrance of the palace, her cold gaze rising to meet Frigga's.
For a moment, neither spoke. Silence hung heavy between them—an unspoken acknowledgment.
"Hmph."
Eventually, Hela turned away, her eyes cold. She strode forward and entered the palace hall.
Thor sat slumped on the ground, his expression blank, still reeling from the shock of Mjolnir's destruction.
"Thor!"
Heimdall ran from the palace. Seeing Thor's dazed look, he rushed to his side.
"Snap out of it! So what if the hammer is gone? You are Thor, no matter what! Don't forget what you promised Odin—you swore to protect Asgard!"
Heimdall's words jolted Thor from his stupor. Though shaken, he slowly stood, his determination rekindled.
"You're right. I can't let Hela destroy Asgard…"
"I must stop the Twilight of the Gods!"
Inside the palace's main hall:
Hela entered, the surroundings both familiar and foreign.
The layout of the hall remained the same—but the murals on the walls and the ceiling had changed. She was nowhere to be found in them.
Odin had erased her from Asgard's history completely.
Though she had suspected as much, the sight still stirred a furious storm in her heart.
"Hahaha… ha… ha!"
A wild, chilling laugh echoed through the hall, laced with deep sorrow.
"This is Asgard?"
"What a joke!"
Her laughter rang out through the hall, unsettling Thor as he approached from outside. Heimdall, too, heard Hela's voice and furrowed his brow in confusion.
"This pathetic Asgard deserves to be destroyed…"
"I will create a new one—my kingdom."
Hela whispered to herself, her divine power surging.
The air thickened, heavy with magic. Blades of light burst from the void, shredding the murals from the walls and ceiling.
Crack! Crack!
As her power ravaged the hall, deep fissures split across its surfaces. The building trembled—on the verge of collapse.
Then—
"Looks like you've vented enough."
A voice echoed coolly through the chamber, tinged with a faint smirk.
"Care to talk, Goddess of Death—Hela?"
"Oh?"
Hela narrowed her eyes. She wasn't alone.
Standing before her was a woman with a fierce, muscular build clad in gleaming armor. In one hand, she held a magical sword; in the other, a golden whip. She stared at Hela calmly.
"And who might you be?"
Hela raised an eyebrow. "Some new god who's risen in recent years? Valkyrie, perhaps? I thought I'd wiped them all out..."
Her eyes roamed the stranger's figure. "You're quite striking. If you swear loyalty to me, I'll leave Asgard in your care. You'll have power—second only to me."
"No, thank you for the offer," the woman replied evenly. "But I'm not from Asgard. I've been sent by someone else—to stop you."
"Stop me?"
Hela's expression turned icy. "So… you're Odin's little backup plan? His secret weapon? He actually thought you could stop me and save Asgard?
"How ridiculous."
"Yes," Wonder Woman said with a small smile. "Ridiculous indeed."
Wonder Woman nodded.
"And how exactly am I supposed to stop you—a madwoman?"
"..."
Hela was silent for a moment, her expression twisting as anger surged within her. Her divine power flared violently, flooding the palace hall once more. A dense swarm of razor-sharp swords appeared, suspended in mid-air, filling every inch of space around them—each blade aimed directly at Wonder Woman.
"You'll pay for every word you just said... Valkyrie!"
The words had barely left her mouth when—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Blades shot forth like arrows, cutting through the air with a shrill, piercing howl. The barrage was relentless, crashing toward Wonder Woman in a deadly storm. In seconds, the blades buried her completely, forming a jagged, towering mountain of weapons.
"Hmph."
Hela scoffed. She didn't believe anyone could survive that. Without another glance, she turned and began to walk away.
But she had only taken a single step when her instincts screamed at her. She stopped cold and slowly turned back. Her gaze returned to the mountain of swords.
Her expression darkened.
From within the mound, she could sense it—a surging, powerful force building. Something was pushing back.
"That Valkyrie?"
Hela frowned. "She shouldn't have this kind of power. What happened while I was sealed away? What kind of beings have risen since?"
Meanwhile, just then—
Thor and Heimdall burst into the hall.
Boom!!
The moment their boots struck the palace floor, a massive force exploded from within the sword mound.
Whoosh—CRACK!!
The mountain of blades shattered instantly—blown apart by raw power. Countless swords turned to dust, and the rest shot outward, embedding themselves in the dome, walls, and floor with violent force, surrounding the entire hall in a deadly display.
But Hela had no time to react.
Amidst the flying shards and crashing steel, a figure shot toward her with blinding speed—a blue battle suit gleaming, eyes locked onto her. Before she could raise a hand, he was already there.
A powerful hand clamped around her neck—unyielding, immovable, as though forged from the very bones of the Earth.
No matter how she struggled, she couldn't break free.
"You...!"
Hela choked out each word, her voice trembling with rage as she stared at the sharp, unflinching face of the man before her.
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
…
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