Everyone present heard Odin's final instructions to Thor and Loki.
The woman who appeared immediately after Odin's death carried an overwhelming presence. Her arrogance alone was enough to silence the shore. There was no doubt about her identity.
She was Hela.
Odin's eldest daughter, the embodiment of death, and the one destined to bring Ragnarok upon the gods.
Faced with her demand for submission, the Asgardians did not yield.
Even as Hela spread her arms, her aura surged rapidly, strengthened by Asgard itself. The land responded to her existence, feeding her power endlessly.
Yet no one knelt.
Not the Warriors Three. Not Heimdall.
At this moment, they recognized only one ruler, Thor, the newly crowned God King.
Among the sorcerers, Bruce Banner glanced around uncertainly. He leaned closer to Wong and whispered, "This does not count as some kind of official ceremony, right? We do not need to kneel, do we?"
Banner respected traditions far more than most. If Asgard truly required kneeling before its eldest princess, he would have followed the custom without hesitation.
Wong had not answered yet when Mordo, standing nearby, shot Banner an incredulous look. "Why would Kamar-Taj kneel to Asgard? We did not even kneel to Odin. We only perform the sorcerer's salute."
Mordo, who had once been drenched in sweat while standing before Odin, now stood tall, confidence filling his posture.
Banner chuckled awkwardly and nodded, realizing his mistake.
At that moment, the lightning surrounding Thor gradually settled. He bent down and picked up Mjolnir, his expression hardening as clarity returned to his eyes.
Odin's death had forced reality upon him.
He was now Asgard's shield.
And the woman before him was the threat Odin had warned them about, the one destined to bring Ragnarok.
"So you are Hela," Thor said, gripping Mjolnir firmly.
"The sister Father spoke of. The one fated to destroy Asgard for Loki and me."
"He said that about me?" Hela opened her eyes slowly, savoring the power flooding her body.
Back in Asgard, she had reclaimed what was rightfully hers. Here, her strength was limitless, her endurance unending.
She studied Thor with open disdain. "You do not resemble him at all."
"Weak. Hesitant. Reckless," she continued coldly. "You are unfit to rule Asgard, child."
Her gaze swept across the gathered Asgardians. The divine energy of the realm allowed her to perceive the nature of everyone present.
When her eyes fell upon Frigga and Loki, a mocking smile crossed her lips.
"Odin hid the truth well. I can see it in your eyes. You know nothing of me."
"I am Hela, Goddess of Death, Odin's firstborn, the rightful heir to the throne of Asgard."
"The only true ruler here is me."
"I will lead Asgard beyond the Nine Realms, fulfill its greatest destiny, and conquer the Universe."
She raised her chin slightly. "Now kneel before your Queen, including you, lightning boy."
Hela lifted her hands and brushed her hair back along her hairline. Instantly, her long black hair reshaped itself into a jagged, pitch-black crown.
A terrifying surge of divine power erupted outward. The essence of death flooded the coastline.
The Asgardians froze.
The sorcerers glanced toward Malrick. Seeing the Sorcerer Supreme remain calm and unmoved, they stayed where they were, watching quietly.
They had faced far worse.
Just the day before, they had been fighting demons in Mephisto's hell. Compared to that, this was little more than a dramatic family conflict played out on a divine stage.
They were not worried.
Loki, however, felt the pressure immediately.
He grabbed Frigga and pulled her behind Thor without hesitation.
"Damn it," Loki muttered under his breath. "Glorious destiny? That is my line. Thor, hurry up and beat her already."
Thor did not respond.
His expression was icy as he tightened his grip on Mjolnir.
He trusted Odin without question. If Odin said Hela would bring Ragnarok, then no matter how little Thor desired the throne, he could not simply hand it over.
Lightning crashed down from the sky, enveloping him.
His funeral robes dissolved into arcs of energy, replaced by his familiar red and silver battle armor.
"Oh?" Hela placed one hand on her hip as a pitch-black longsword formed in her other palm. "You dare oppose me?"
Thor stepped forward, spinning Mjolnir by its handle, thunder rumbling around him.
"No," he said firmly. "I am sending you back to where you belong."
With a roar, Thor raised Mjolnir high and brought it down in a strike infused with lightning.
"My dear," Hela said with a sneer, "did Odin never tell you who Mjolnir once answered to?"
As Thor's hammer descended, Hela lifted her free hand and caught the hammerhead effortlessly.
The impact vanished like a blow striking soft fabric.
Her expression did not change.
Then, with the hand holding her blade, she thrust forward casually.
The sword pierced Thor's chest with terrifying ease.
Everything happened too quickly.
So quickly that the Asgardians did not even react until Thor's eyes widened and blood spilled from his mouth.
"Thor!" Frigga cried out.
She tried to rush forward, but Loki held her back desperately.
"This is impossible," Thor whispered, staring at Mjolnir in disbelief.
Hela snorted. "Mjolnir's former master was me, you fool."
She clenched her fingers, tore the hammer from Thor's grasp, reversed her hold, and smashed it into his face.
Thor was sent flying, crashing into the sea amid shocked gasps.
Hela watched the splash without emotion.
Then she turned back to the crowd.
"You see?" she said calmly. "From this moment on, I rule this realm."
Silence followed.
Loki quickly pulled Frigga deeper into the group of sorcerers. A green glow flashed in his palm, transforming both of them into Kamar-Taj robes.
Only after that did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Then he noticed Daniel, a sorcerer nearby, staring at him oddly.
"What?" Loki said, spreading his hands. "I am from Kamar-Taj too, and this is my family member. We are allowed to bring family, right?"
Daniel looked away, speechless, and shook his head.
Loki leaned closer to Frigga and whispered with a grin, "Strange personality, but he is not a bad person."
Frigga said nothing. She gently touched Loki's cheek, then turned her gaze back toward the ocean.
She knew Thor was not dead.
But she feared what would come next.
"No one wishes to speak?" Hela's patience finally wore thin.
She stepped forward, and the crowd instinctively stepped back.
Warriors and gods alike watched her with guarded eyes.
Thousands of years had passed. This was no longer the Asgard she once ruled.
Here, she was a stranger.
An invader.
Hela's eyes darkened, her killing intent slowly rising.
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