"But… you won't be her match."
Before the throne, Frigga calmly gazed at Hela and whispered,
"When you position yourself as the challenger, even prepared to die for it, you've already lost, Princess Hela!"
"Shut up!"
Hela's brow furrowed at Frigga's words, and the Deathblade materialized in her hand.
She stood boldly, gripping the sword with her right hand and slamming it into the ground!
Clang!!!
The vast palace hall echoed with an ancient, ceremonial strike.
Hela raised her hand, striking the ground eight times in total.
The clash of weapon and stone made countless working civilians in the city look over with concern.
"That sound…"
"Is there another battle?"
"Who is it this time? Prince Thor?"
"Doesn't seem like it. That's a woman on the throne!"
"Never seen her before!"
"Can she win?"
"Don't know, but why does she need to?"
The civilians whispered among themselves, while Heisenberg floated in the air, teasing Heimdall nearby.
"Look, Asgard's princess has finally made up her mind.
Wait here for me. I'll deal with her and come learn how to control the Bifröst."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Heimdall nodded respectfully. In the next instant, Heisenberg vanished.
Thud!!!
A dull thud echoed as Heisenberg landed in the palace hall, beside Frigga. He nodded lightly to the queen.
"Go somewhere safe and rest, Frigga."
"Hmm."
Frigga nodded and gracefully exited the hall, heading to the palace gardens.
After she left, Heisenberg turned to the throne less than twenty meters away, sighing at Hela.
"Tsk tsk, has the princess finally made up her mind?"
"This doesn't require any resolve, Heisenberg.
As the eldest princess of the Aesir, I can't tolerate the All-Father's throne falling into the wrong hands!"
"Then what are you waiting for?"
Heisenberg chuckled, lightly flexing his hands. Hela, standing from the throne, frowned in annoyance.
Zing!!!
The Deathblade pointed at Heisenberg, and Hela demanded,
"Do you plan to face my challenge like this?
Where's your armor? Your weapon?
Are you mocking me?"
Heisenberg: (°_°)...
Hearing Hela's complaints, he rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"I haven't had time to forge armor. This will do."
"Hmph, though the palace is in ruins, the treasury still has enough…"
"I know there's armor in the treasury, but I don't need it!"
Heisenberg interrupted Hela, chuckling softly.
"Before my duel with Odin, he asked the same questions and gave the same advice. You two are so alike!"
"We've always been alike!"
Hela asserted, stepping down from the throne. She ran her empty left hand from her forehead through her black hair.
In a blink, her long black hair transformed into a spiky, spider-like helmet.
The image… made Heisenberg frown.
A spider?
Is she the legendary Spider-Child???
Meanwhile, Hela continued recounting tales from the past.
"At Asgard's peak, Odin and I shed blood and tears across the Nine Realms.
We invaded, we conquered. Even the universe's most precious treasure—the legacy of the Infinity Goddess, the Infinity Stones!
We gathered five, and the sixth was within reach!
But then Odin betrayed me and Asgard's traditions!
He abandoned everything, choosing to be a benevolent emperor!
Preaching virtue, comforting the masses!
What a joke!!!"
Whoosh!!!
Hela leaped, her sword slashing toward Heisenberg's neck.
But in that instant, a flash of red light!
Heisenberg sidestepped the blade, grabbing Hela's neck from behind!
Slam!!!
Hela's face was smashed into the palace floor by Heisenberg's grip!
Relentless, Heisenberg pinned her with one hand and knelt on her spine with his knee!
Hela was pressed face-down, unable to break free from his terrifying strength!
"Mmmph! Mmmph!!!"
Her face buried in rubble, who knows what she was mumbling.
Thousands of hiltless blades materialized in the air, shooting at Heisenberg.
Facing the blades, Heisenberg's eyes flashed red. In an instant, his heat vision swept through, destroying the infinite projections of the Deathblade!
Meanwhile, his free left hand summoned Gungnir.
Without hesitation, he thrust it into Hela's lower back, shattering her spine and paralyzing her lower body.
Gungnir further pinned her to the ground!
"Mmmph!!!"
Hela's struggles intensified, and Heisenberg felt the ground tremble.
In the next instant, sharp, deadly spikes erupted from the ground, aiming at him.
Heisenberg didn't dodge, punching the spike's tip!
Though his fist was slightly wounded, the spike shattered into rubble.
Even with her face buried, Hela knew her ambush failed.
She endured humiliation and pain, plotting her next move.
New spikes suddenly emerged, this time piercing her own abdomen!
As the spikes pierced her, Hela finally lifted off the ground, into the air!
But before she could flee, Heisenberg tightened his grip on her neck.
His muscles flexed, slamming her back to the ground.
Boom!!!
The palace shook violently, countless pillars collapsing. Even the damaged dome began to crumble!
The shockwave swept through the palace and beyond, further devastating the already ruined Asgardian plaza.
Poor Hela…
She remained pinned, Heisenberg reinforcing Gungnir in her spine, leaving her powerless to resist!
"Mmmph!!!"
Hela seemed to want to speak again.
Heisenberg sighed helplessly.
Why did this woman overestimate herself?
After gaining the Aesir Sun Rune and awakening, even he hadn't tested his full strength!
He felt Hela's struggles beneath his knee.
Though her legs were paralyzed, her hands desperately tried to push herself up.
Unfortunately, Heisenberg's raw strength and growing bio-energy field were overwhelming.
After over a minute of resistance, Hela couldn't lift herself for even a second!
After the prolonged struggle, Hela realized the gap between them.
She went limp, and Heisenberg felt her resistance fade.
But did this mean she'd surrendered?
No!
"Mmmph!!!"
Hela suddenly extended her right hand, calling for something—or some power!
Unable to win on her own, even she needed external aid!
Heisenberg noticed her gesture. Before he could understand, a whistling sound came from outside the palace.
In the next instant, Mjolnir pierced his bio-energy field, flying toward Hela's hand!
Heisenberg froze.
"Mjolnir?!"
He exclaimed, his left hand shooting out!
Fierce solar flames ignited in his palm, and his Aesir-powered hand grabbed Mjolnir before Hela could!
"Mmmph!!!"
Hela thrashed violently, buried in the dirt.
Mjolnir, in Heisenberg's grip, began to struggle wildly.
Heisenberg grimaced, slamming Mjolnir into Hela's head!
Boom!!!
The palace trembled with each strike!
Boom!!!
The second blow made the hall surge like a lake hit by a grenade, centered on Hela!
Boom!!!
The final strike imprinted Hela's hair pattern into the indestructible Mjolnir!
With that blow, the majestic palace exploded outward like a nuke.
The dome crashed down toward Heisenberg, who grabbed Hela and shot into the sky!
Before Hela could awaken, Heisenberg flew beyond the palace, pinning her to the ground again.
One strike, another, and another!
Until Hela's spider-like helmet reverted to smooth hair, Heisenberg stopped.
"Phew…"
Heisenberg sighed softly.
"Done and dusted!"
He tossed Mjolnir aside, leaving Hela unconscious, face still buried in the dirt.
Through his super vision, he saw her flipped eyelids—adorably cute…
Satisfied, Heisenberg nodded, leaving Hela untouched. He walked toward Heimdall, waiting quietly near the War Academy, amid the Asgardians' reverent and fearful gazes.
The victory, as expected, was seamless.
Except…
…
In Midgard, Thor, freed from the supergiant's control, hunted surviving Chitauri with his brother, embedded in the Asgardian army.
He thought killing would erase his pain.
He thought Chitauri deaths and Asgard's victory would dull his longing for his father.
But in the next moment,
Mjolnir in his hand trembled violently!
"What the—?"
He muttered instinctively, and the hammer left him.
Mjolnir soared into the sky, vanishing completely!
Hammerless, Thor plummeted to the ground.
He made no move to protect himself, crashing face-first, desolate.
In that moment, the entire battlefield seemed to hear Thor's wail.
"Noooo!!!
No, no, no!!!"
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