The moment Hela stepped into Asgard, she saw Surtur rampaging through the realm.
Bathed in the power of the Eternal Flame, his body had already grown to nearly a hundred meters tall.
The Twilight Sword in his hand radiated terrifying power.
Yet Hela showed no fear.
If anything, there was only faint disdain in her eyes.
Countless Asgardian guards charged toward Surtur in desperation, but their attacks meant nothing. They were only throwing away their lives.
Loki stood at the front lines.
Blood covered his entire body, some of it his own, the rest belonging to fallen Asgardian soldiers.
None of it belonged to Surtur.
"Damn it… where is Thor?" Loki muttered through gritted teeth.
He was reaching his limit.
Part of him desperately wanted to run.
The old Loki would have fled long ago, but now, somehow, he remained standing.
Still… they couldn't win.
Loki felt utterly helpless.
Surtur raised the Twilight Sword high above his head, reveling in destruction and slaughter.
"Odin! Where are you? Why haven't you come out yet? At this rate, I'm going to destroy your precious Asgard!"
His booming laughter echoed across the realm.
With the Eternal Flame empowering him and the Twilight Sword in his grasp, he feared no one.
Back then, it had taken both Odin and Hela working together to defeat him.
Now Odin was gone, and Hela had long since been sealed away.
What did he have to fear?
Loki said nothing.
He didn't dare answer.
Because if Surtur learned Odin was dead, he would become even more uncontrollable.
Then, from the distance, a calm voice echoed through the battlefield.
"Odin is dead, old monster. No matter how loudly you shout, he won't appear."
"Dead?"
Surtur froze for a moment before erupting into laughter.
If Odin was truly gone, then no one could stop him anymore.
But then he paused.
That voice sounded familiar.
At the same time, Loki turned toward the speaker, his pupils shrinking instantly.
"Hela!"
Shock spread across his face.
He had sent for Thor.
How had Hela returned instead?
One Surtur was already impossible to handle. Now Hela had arrived too.
Everything was moving back toward Ragnarok.
They had struggled so hard to escape that fate, only for history to circle back to the beginning.
Hela ignored Loki completely.
Her eyes remained fixed on Surtur.
The moment Surtur looked at her, his expression changed drastically.
Memories of his past defeat resurfaced instantly.
"Hela? How are you free from your seal? That's impossible!"
Fear flashed across his face, but only briefly.
Soon, his confidence returned.
Back then, it had taken both Odin and Hela to defeat him.
Now Odin was dead.
Why should he fear her alone?
Thinking of this, Surtur straightened proudly once more.
"Hela, your timing is perfect. I'll destroy you and Asgard together as revenge. And this shall be the first step in my conquest of the Nine Realms!"
Facing his arrogance, Hela merely smiled faintly.
"Is that so…"
Black armor spread across her body.
Twin blades formed in her hands.
In high heels, she walked calmly toward Surtur, her expression steady, her gaze cold and unwavering.
Like death itself approaching.
"You dare mock me!" Surtur roared.
He charged forward in massive strides.
He would show Hela just how powerful he had become.
The Twilight Sword, enlarged alongside his body, was now dozens of meters long.
It came crashing down toward her.
The force of the swing created a blazing storm of fire and wind, carrying the fury of the Eternal Flame itself.
Even before the blade landed, the heat alone was unbearable.
But Hela's expression never changed.
She simply raised her twin blades.
Clang!
The collision exploded like thunder.
Hela stood completely still.
Surtur's gigantic sword, however, was knocked violently backward.
In a direct clash of strength, Surtur had lost.
Shock filled his eyes.
He couldn't understand how this had happened.
What he failed to realize was that Hela's power had continued to grow alongside Asgard itself.
At her peak, even the aging Odin had been cautious around her.
Surtur was powerful, yes.
But against the current Hela, he was helpless.
After forcing back the Twilight Sword, Hela immediately pressed the attack.
Her speed increased sharply.
In an instant, her blades pierced into Surtur's body, tearing open massive wounds.
Loki stared blankly.
Was Hela really this strong?
Hadn't she been heavily injured before?
From what he could see now, she looked completely restored.
His emotions became tangled and conflicted.
Should he hope for Surtur's victory?
Or should he pray for Hela to kill him?
Both were enemies of Asgard.
No matter who won, the outcome for him would likely be terrible.
Yet he had no choice.
Hela's relentless assault left Surtur almost powerless to resist.
Before long, the fire giant's furious roars turned into screams.
Back on Earth, Nolan picked up the Reality Stone from Jane Foster's body.
Thor instinctively stepped forward, wanting to take it back.
The Reality Stone belonged in Asgard, not in Nolan Locke's hands.
Nolan was already terrifyingly powerful.
If he also possessed the Reality Stone, Thor could hardly imagine what the future might become.
If Nolan ever turned against the universe, no one would be able to stop him.
Nolan merely glanced at Thor.
"This was part of the deal."
He spoke calmly.
"When Odin asked me to save Asgard, he offered the Reality Stone as payment.
It has belonged to me ever since. I simply chose not to remove it personally.
That's why it remained inside Jane Foster.
If you try to take it now, you would be stealing from me.
And that would mean war."
Thor's expression tightened.
Instinctively, he wanted to deny it.
How could Odin have traded away the Reality Stone?
But then he thought about it.
If not for that agreement, why would the stone have remained inside Jane at all?
There were countless safer places to store it.
"I understand."
Thor exhaled slowly and let the matter go.
Then he looked at Nolan seriously.
"But now Hela and Surtur are both in Asgard. This is dangerously close to the Ragnarok prophecy.
Since you accepted the deal, shouldn't you help us stop them?"
Nolan smiled slightly.
"You really have changed."
The old Thor would have rushed headfirst into battle without hesitation.
And that would have ended in disaster.
Nolan continued calmly.
"For now, you don't need to worry too much.
Surtur has probably already caused severe damage to Asgard. Hela's power should have weakened somewhat as a result.
In her current state, she's unlikely to seize the throne immediately."
Before Thor could interrupt, Nolan added:
"I'll go too. But I need to make preparations first."
He had no intention of confronting Hela without proper preparation.
War required planning.
As for Asgard, they would have to hold out on their own for now.
And honestly, Nolan believed Hela had little interest in ruling Asgard at this moment.
Thor clenched his jaw.
"Then please hurry."
He turned toward Jane.
"Stay here. I'll come back soon."
With that, Thor strode into the range of the Bifrost.
"Heimdall!"
The guardian immediately activated the bridge.
Jane watched Nolan with mixed emotions.
"You won't hurt Thor… right?"
"Of course not. I have no reason to."
Nolan nodded politely, then opened a portal and left.
Their relationship had never been particularly close, and he truly did have preparations to make.
After all, the Reality Stone was the most troublesome of all the Infinity Stones.
Thor arrived in Asgard through the Bifrost and immediately saw the shattered remains of the bridge.
"What happened here?"
He stared in disbelief.
Heimdall answered grimly.
"Surtur has been rampaging across Asgard. The Bifrost suffered damage during the chaos.
Thor, you don't have time to waste. If anything goes wrong now, all of Asgard could be destroyed."
Thor said nothing more.
He leapt across the broken bridge and rushed toward the center of battle.
The moment he arrived, he froze.
Hela was beating Surtur into the ground.
The once-mighty fire giant was already near death.
Even the Eternal Flame could no longer heal him.
The Twilight Sword beside him was nearly shattered.
Disbelief still lingered in Surtur's eyes.
This was supposed to be his triumphant revenge.
How had he become the one utterly crushed?
Hela stepped onto his head.
"So," she asked lightly, "do you have any last words?"
"I…"
Before he could continue, Hela drove both blades down into his skull.
His final words died with him.
"Sorry," Hela said casually, "I'm not interested in listening."
She rose to her feet and looked toward Thor, who had just arrived.
"Well, well. My dear brother finally decided to show up."
She smiled faintly.
Her blades spun effortlessly in her hands.
Armor wrapped around her like living darkness, and her high heels clicked sharply against the ruined ground.
She looked every bit the queen.
Even when facing Thor, there was still faint contempt in her eyes.
"Hela, what do you want?" Thor asked cautiously.
"What do I want?"
She laughed softly.
"Didn't I just save Asgard?
Shouldn't the King of Asgard be thanking me right now? Though honestly, you're still an incompetent fool."
Anger flashed across Thor's face as lightning crackled around Stormbreaker.
"No matter what you're planning, I won't let you succeed.
You have no right to Asgard's throne. Not now. Not ever."
Hela smiled again.
"Relax. I'm not interested in taking your throne right now.
I have other things to do."
At that moment, a portal opened nearby.
Nolan stepped through.
Hela glanced at him, amusement flickering in her eyes.
Nolan looked around calmly.
"Seems the situation here has already been resolved."
He noticed Surtur's crown lying on the ground beside the nearly destroyed Twilight Sword.
"Of course," Hela replied.
She stretched lazily, looking completely unconcerned.
"I'm heading back. Unless something important happens, don't bother me."
With that, she opened another portal and walked through it.
Thor stared blankly.
"She's just… leaving?"
He could hardly believe it.
The terrifying enemy he had feared had simply walked away.
Nolan rubbed his forehead helplessly.
She was obviously returning to Earth.
And that meant trouble for him.
Still…
Thanos should be arriving soon, shouldn't he?
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