"No—you're lying!"
Thor refused to believe it. He didn't want to believe it.
From childhood to now, Odin had always been the image of a mighty and benevolent king in his heart.
Hearing such words from Hela shattered him completely.
"Didn't you see the murals on the ceiling of the great hall in the palace?"
Hela asked, her tone tinged with mockery as she watched Thor's expression.
She quickly added, "Oh, I get it. That old man must have covered his past with new murals, didn't he?"
"Hahahaha! I knew it. There's no way he would ever let you know the truth."
"That's always been his style."
"I won't allow you to insult my father!" Thor roared.
As he shouted, the faint lightning that had clung to his body suddenly surged violently.
"Tsk tsk tsk… looks like my little cutie was really fooled badly," Hela sneered.
She swung the hammer, preparing to smash him—
But her movement suddenly froze, as if time itself had paused.
Hela frowned and cursed angrily,
"Mjolnir! You did this back then too—always resisting my will! You damned bitch!"
With that, she kicked the charging Thor away and flung Mjolnir forward with all her strength.
Boom!
The hammer struck Thor squarely.
Yet instead of sending him flying, it erupted in brilliant light, transforming into a sphere of lightning that completely enveloped him.
"Looks like the awakening is finally happening," Lucas murmured, watching calmly.
Thor had already reached the age where his power should awaken. After Loki's betrayal, the signs had already been there.
This trip was merely the final catalyst.
In the cinematic timeline, Odin had explained why Thor's awakening had been delayed until much later.
Thor had relied too heavily on Mjolnir—so much so that he was close to becoming the God of the Hammer instead of the God of Thunder.
And the only one capable of forcing his awakening was Hela.
After all, she was powerful enough to utterly crush Thor, ignite his anger and defiance—yet not kill him outright.
Aside from Odin, no one else fit that role.
So, just like in the cinematic universe—
Hela would once again be the one to force Thor's awakening.
If Lucas had done it himself, even beating Thor a hundred times probably wouldn't have triggered his origin power.
Hela sneered, "Only awakening now? You're far too slow."
The lightning sphere faded, revealing Thor's eyes filled with blazing white thunder.
His long hair stood on end, lightning lashing around him like living tendrils.
"Hela!" Thor roared, raising Mjolnir.
"You will pay for everything you've said!"
"The ignorant are always fearless," Hela said with a shake of her head.
"I awakened my origin power at eight hundred and fifty-seven years old—and that was over two thousand years ago."
"You, a newborn barely able to stand, dare to shout such nonsense in front of me?"
Thor didn't listen.
With a furious roar, he charged at Hela.
Hela calmly raised her hand, and a long sword materialized within her grasp.
Running her fingers along the blade, she said leisurely,
"Even at one-tenth of my power, I can easily crush a brat like you."
She swung the sword.
A streak of green light flashed like lightning.
Thor, unable to stop himself, crashed straight into it.
Clang!
Mjolnir collided with the blade, sparks flying as metal rang against metal.
The massive recoil forced Thor back several steps. His boots dug deep into the ground before he barely stabilized himself.
But Hela didn't pause.
She flashed forward, her sword turning into a cascade of green afterimages as she slashed relentlessly.
Thor could only block and defend, completely unable to counterattack.
"Pathetic," Hela mocked.
"This is what gives you the confidence to speak so boldly in front of me?"
"Utterly laughable!"
Her strikes grew heavier and faster, driving Thor backward again and again.
Even weakened outside Asgard, Hela still completely overwhelmed Thor—whether in energy control, combat skill, or physical strength.
Boom!
A sword strike slammed into Thor's head, sending him flying.
"Ah!!"
Thor staggered upright, clutching his right eye as blood flowed between his fingers.
"Tsk tsk," Hela said mockingly.
"You remind me of that old man."
"You have no right to mention him!" Thor shouted.
"Such disrespect," Hela frowned.
She flashed forward, grabbed Thor by the hair, and slashed cleanly—
Thor's carefully maintained golden hair, cultivated for over a thousand years, fell away in an instant.
"I'll kill you!!"
That hair had been his pride for centuries.
"I admire your spirit," Hela said coldly,
"but your power doesn't support such ambition."
With a wave of her hand, eerie green energy bound Thor's limbs and neck, lifting him into the air.
No matter how violently his lightning surged, he couldn't break free.
Around Hela, countless metallic spikes suddenly formed, glowing with terrifying green light.
With a gesture, they screamed through the air toward Thor.
Roar!
Thor could no longer hold back.
He unleashed every ounce of power within him.
A storm of lightning exploded outward, obliterating the incoming spikes into nothingness.
Massive bolts of thunder converged, and with a furious swing of his arm, Thor hurled them straight at Hela.
Blinding light erupted.
Thunder roared violently within the blazing sphere.
When the lightning faded, thick smoke billowed into the air.
"She's dead… right?"
Thor panted heavily. That attack had drained him completely.
He was certain that no enemy could survive it unharmed.
Then—
A large hand suddenly emerged from the smoke and clamped precisely onto Thor's face.
"Thank you," a cold voice said softly,
"my foolish… yet adorable little brother."
_____
T/N:
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