"What did you say?!"
"You want me to be your subordinate? Are you asking for death?!"
"Alas..."
...
"Do you think Valhalla is a good place?"
"It's actually an endless cyclical nightmare in which heroic warriors are trapped."
"Day after day, year after year..."
Hela reappeared from the darkness.
And spoke the same words.
Aron listened to her, again and again.
"Now I finally know how Dormammu feels."
Aron smiled bitterly, feeling trapped in a loop. Day after day, year after year.
Using the Eye of Agamotto, he tried again and again to talk to Hela.
In a gentle tone, decisively, logically, absurdly, he tried all styles.
There were even several fights between them.
By now he knew the exact color of every torn strip on her clothing.
"I see you've got an eye on you. Like a sorcerer!"
"Odin sent you, didn't he?!"
When Hela launched the same dialogue again, Aron just rolled his eyes.
Forget it.
Destroy it!
"Yes, you're right. I agree with Odin."
"He came up with a great plan. He sent me to find you and take you with me to fight in other dimensions."
Aron spoke the sentence without breath, then sighed.
In the future, if that one-eyed old man ever shows up at my door again, there will be trouble!
Conquer the world yourself, you old devil!
I just want to go home and play my game. The new controller has arrived!
"..."
But this time...
After hearing those words, Hela remained silent.
For a long time.
"What is it? I said what I had to say. If you want to fight, we fight. If you don't, go your own way."
Aron shrugged.
But immediately after that—
A black shadow rushed toward him!
Aron thought Hela was attacking again. Without thinking, he pulled out a flaming combat knife.
And without hesitation, he stabbed it!
Puff!
The blade passed through flesh.
Aron had stabbed her, the blade came out the other side of Hela's body!
But at the same time...
While the knife was embedded in her body, Hela grabbed Aron. She held his hand on the knife handle tightly.
"..."
"..."
Silence. Heavy as stone.
"So, you don't want to fight?"
"You could've said that earlier."
Aron was confused and a bit embarrassed. He slowly pulled out the knife.
Hela didn't move.
She looked at him coldly.
"Well... does it hurt?"
He didn't even finish the sentence, Hela pushed him!
...
A long time passed.
The underworld returned to silence.
Hela once again took on her royal, merciless aura as the Queen of the Underworld.
She looked down at Aron with a touch of superiority.
"You said you wanted to take me with you. To war."
"From today, I'm your woman."
Aron jumped up.
It didn't matter if the aura wasn't the same, their height was now even, they could look each other in the eye.
"Yeah, yeah... that's what I said... right?"
Aron started to wonder if Hela misunderstood him.
Or did he say something wrong?
Maybe he didn't express himself clearly?
I should've said: "I'll take you to fight in other dimensions," not "I accept you."
"Do you want to change your mind?"
As soon as Hela noticed Aron hesitating, she threw a blade of black energy at him.
"No!"
"No, no, of course not!"
"Hehe, I'm known for my consistency."
Although he didn't know why Hela interpreted "accept you" as "take you as my own," Aron no longer tried to argue.
It didn't matter.
It was done.
"Who's our first target?"
"Limbo?"
Hela's eyes flashed.
She was excited about battle.
"How do you know I wanted to go after Limbo?" Aron asked, confused.
Hela laughed.
For the first time, Aron saw a smile on her face.
"Oh, darling..."
"That little conflict with Belath has long since spread through all the underworlds. Everyone is curious about you."
Hela leaned in closer, and her finger lightly passed over Aron's chest.
In an instant, a drop of blood appeared on his skin.
"Especially Mephisto. That old bastard."
"He dreams of your sacred soul every night. They say he even sent people to Earth to find you."
Hela caught the drop of blood with her finger, licked it, and smiled.
She enjoyed it.
"So..."
"You want my soul too?" Aron asked, rolling his eyes, while thinking to himself:
Sister, could you cut your nails?
It hurts, you know?
"Soul?"
Hela straightened up. She grabbed her hair with her fingers and threw it back. On her head appeared her well-known helmet, like an intertwined metal spiderweb.
The torn clothing on her body was instantly restored into a royal warrior gown. Her aura grew step by step, until it reached its peak.
"No," she said coldly. "I'm not interested in your soul."
Aron raised an eyebrow.
When Hela said that, her power exploded—she once again became the old Mistress of the Underworld.
"Remember, darling... there's only one thing I truly care about."
She waved her hand, and the mist dispersed before them.
In front of them appeared an incredible sight, an enormous number of undead warriors, arranged in formations. Some in worn-out, others in new Asgardian armor. All armed, swords, spears, hammers.
The land looked like a jungle of steel and bones.
"Command me, darling. It's time for... endless war."
Hela took a step back, offering him the stage. Aron responded with a light aristocratic salute.
At that moment, the undead warriors roared thunderously. Their battle spirit burned like the flames of hell.
---
Meanwhile – Limbo.
After the failed invasion of Earth, the demon world on the edge of hell fell into chaos. Many lost their status, but among them, Belath was the most humiliated.
This once powerful demon, half-heavenly father, lord of hell, had been exposed, defeated, and his name became the subject of jokes.
He lost the war.
He lost his sword.
He became the object of ridicule and mockery among all the lords of Hell.
"Nastier!" he roared. "How's the construction of the passage going!?"
Before him stepped Nastier, the first demon Aron had once summoned from hell.
Since the defeat in the invasion, Belath had lost many generals, and Nastier, once insignificant, was now elevated to the position of demon leader. Ironic.
Belath had become a lord without generals. Without authority.
"My lord... the passage was finished long ago. Only..."
"Only what?" Belath clenched his fist. He sat on his throne, consumed by hatred.
"Only the demon army has rebelled again. Many have fled."
"What!? How is that possible!?"
Nastier sighed deeply. "There's something you may not know, my lord."
"Today, even the cheapest soul on the black market goes for up to 500,000 demon coins."
Silence.
Belath said nothing, but he gnashed his teeth. Rage tore through his mind. He was on the verge of bursting from shame.