Hela's submission made Heisenberg nod with a smile. He was about to speak, but Hela cut in first with a question.
"But, Your Majesty, I must point out your mistake. The Celestial Ego you called the chief, and Galactus, the Planet Devourer who leads the five great gods... how can they possibly deserve the title of leaders? They're the weakest ones in their respective groups, aren't they?!"
"Heh..."
Hearing Hela's question, Heisenberg gave her a meaningful look.
"When I said 'chief,' I didn't mean in terms of strength. I meant in the order we'll be taking them out in the future."
"Hmm..."
Hela pressed her lips together, speechless.
Seeing that, Heisenberg chuckled, stood up, and said to her, "Now that you're awake, take charge of Asgard's armies. As Odin's former vanguard commander and general of multiple legions, you certainly have the ability."
"With your trust, what can't I accomplish?"
As she spoke, Hela moved to Heisenberg's side, standing at his right hand just as she once stood beside Odin.
"However, Your Majesty, there is one thing I need your permission for. I intend to resurrect my Einherjar legion!"
"Of course!"
Listening to Hela's request, Heisenberg nodded without hesitation.
"Go now, revive your legion. Just like you, the ancient souls of the Aesir deserve to return to their homeland!"
"Yes!"
Granted permission, Hela flashed an excited, wicked grin... Ahem, to be honest, Hela's smile is even more sinister than Loki's; luckily, she's far prettier than Loki, haha.
Still smiling, Hela elegantly left the bedchamber and arrived at the royal treasure vault.
Heisenberg followed behind Hela, once again passing by the Infinity Gauntlet.
Looking at the Infinity Gauntlet displayed there, Hela sneered impatiently.
"This damned fake, and I still have to see it even here!"
As she spoke, Hela moved to knock the gauntlet over. But Heisenberg suddenly reached out and stopped her.
"This is the real one," Heisenberg said.
Hearing Heisenberg's statement, Hela shook her head dismissively.
"You may not know, Your Majesty, but five thousand years ago, I witnessed everything about this gauntlet. Back then, Odin and I set our sights on conquering the universe, and we saw collecting the Infinity Stones as the only path to the ultimate end. Rumor had it that the dwarves had forged an artifact in ancient times to control the Stones, so Odin and I went to Nidavellir and ordered them to craft a pair of gauntlets for Asgard. Originally, the gauntlets belonged to Odin and me, one left and one right, symbolizing that in our plan, either of us could wield the immense power of the Infinity Stones at any time. As we kept gathering the Stones, the Infinity Gauntlet indeed served as an excellent vessel. But everything went wrong with the final Stone. By then, we had won countless wars and obtained all the Stones except the Soul Stone. After all sorts of inquiries, we finally located the Soul Stone. Odin set out personally to find it, while I and his legions watched him depart from Asgard. When he left, he was brimming with confidence, but when he returned, he was a shadow of his former self. I will never forget that day... his face was etched with pain and disappointment. He told me that even the Infinity Gauntlet could not contain the power of the Infinity Stones! I saw with my own eyes as he removed the five stones from the gauntlet. He cast the Time Stone into Midgard, the Reality Stone into Alfheim, the Mind Stone into Vanaheim, the Power Stone into Nidavellir, and kept the Space Stone here in Asgard. After that, Odin was tormented by the inability to unite the Stones. He went from a conqueror full of ambition to a doddering old fool who preached benevolence and glory! And that was the beginning of my betrayal, the reason for the future that made me what I am now!"
Hela gritted her teeth and looked at Heisenberg.
"So, Your Majesty, this is a damned fake!"
"Hmm, just because you saw it with your own eyes, you decided to trust them?"
Heisenberg chuckled, reaching out to rub the massive Infinity Gauntlet. The gauntlet seemed to sense his approach, releasing a kind of attracting force and slowly shrinking. Heisenberg pulled his hand back. Unless necessary, he had no intention of putting it on.
Then he spoke softly to Hela.
"During the years you were imprisoned, the Time Stone and Space Stone eventually ended up on Earth. The Mind Stone and another Infinity Gauntlet are held by Thanos. The Power Stone was taken by the Celestials and has since gone missing. The Reality Stone disappeared together with the Elves of Alfheim. Yet the Soul Stone, which you say the Infinity Gauntlet couldn't contain, still stands atop the highest peak of Vormir. Do you know why that is?"
"Your Majesty actually knows so many secrets?"
"I want you to answer my question, not ask me one, Hela!"
Heisenberg looked at her seriously, making Hela shake her head involuntarily.
"Sorry, I don't know, Your Majesty!"
"Indeed, you don't know. Because in your heart, Odin has always been worthy of your trust. You believed his story, that the gauntlet couldn't bear the power of all six Stones, and that's why he gave up on collecting them. But if you ever truly go to Vormir and stand before that Stone yourself, you will understand. To obtain the Soul Stone, one must pay a sufficient price... and that price is the life of the one Odin loves most!"
Saying this, Heisenberg patted Hela on the shoulder.
"If he offered the life of the one he loved most, he could obtain the Soul Stone and gain the power to defeat nearly all enemies. So, did Odin get the Soul Stone? Do you know of anyone who died for him? And having not obtained that Stone, why would he claim it was a problem with the gauntlet? He never even tried to set that Stone into the gauntlet!"
With that, Heisenberg let go of Hela, leaving her standing there frozen, processing it all.
Hela's expression instantly crumbled.
She incredulously pointed at her own face. "You mean Odin, he..."
"You'd better call him Father. At least you didn't die to his ambition!"
Heisenberg stated bluntly, and those words made Hela's eyes lose focus in an instant.
In just a brief moment, Hela's gaze seemed to pierce through the river of time, seeing herself and her father from five thousand years ago!
...
"Father, may you retrieve the final Stone and lead Asgard to the supreme path of the universe!"
Hela, brimming with excitement, said to Odin seated on his eight-legged steed.
Looking at his daughter, Odin grunted sternly.
"Silence, Hela! Have you forgotten my teachings? Never let uncertain success affect your state of mind! You are the future heir of Asgard; you must remain calm, for even the slightest excess of emotion can create a crack in your spirit! Go, lead the legions and continue pressing toward Xandar. Wait for my return!"
"Yes, Father!"
...
Seventeen days later.
...
"Father, how did you...?"
Hela returned from war to Asgard, only to see Odin sitting alone on the throne.
His expression was somewhat desolate, but the corners of his mouth held a forced smile.
Hearing Hela's question, Odin just shook his head gently.
"Child, I am fine. It's just that the plan failed. We overestimated the power of the Infinity Gauntlet. After I obtained the Soul Stone, the gauntlet could not contain it all, and I was gravely wounded as a result."
Saying this, Odin did something unprecedented... he stepped down from the throne and approached Hela.
With a face full of bitterness, he reached out and embraced his daughter.
This gesture shocked Hela, who had never seen Odin smile since childhood, and it also deeply displeased her cold heart.
For Odin had taught her countless times that any emotion was unbecoming of a king.
Emotions made kings weak!
...
Five years later.
...
Hela stood furiously before Odin, shouting at him on the throne.
"What on earth were you thinking, returning those planets to those damn natives?! Even if they pay regular tribute, the resources we'll get will be countless times less than before! Our armies need those supplies!!!"
"Oh, yes, perhaps..."
Looking at Hela, who was like a bomb ready to explode, Odin revealed a face full of kindly smiles.
Over the past five years, he had become very practiced at such smiles.
Gazing at his valiant daughter, Odin felt incredibly proud.
He was now especially grateful that he had resisted the temptation of the Soul Stone, and deeply thankful to the Soul Stone for helping him find his true love.
Only when life and death were truly at stake did Odin finally understand that what he wanted most had already come to him long ago!
He would never forget the first smile his daughter gave at birth, nor the sound of her first time calling him Father.
He also could never forget that it was his arrogance and ambition that had turned his daughter into his pride, but also caused her to lose the emotions a child... especially a girl... truly needed!
Odin descended from the throne, dragging his weary body to Hela and reaching out toward her head.
This time, Hela did not bow her head as before, but stood stubbornly in place, glaring fiercely at Odin.
This made Odin helplessly withdraw his hand, somewhat regretful.
He had turned his daughter into a killing machine just like his younger self; it was terrible.
But fortunately, his daughter was still young, and he could still guide her onto the right path.
He was certain of it!
...
One hundred and forty-two years later.
...
Hela, gripping her Nightsword, stood before Odin's throne with an arrogant air.
The blade's tip pointed at Odin's graying hair and beard.
"Odin, ever since you were wounded by the power of the Infinity Stones, you have lost the might of a god-king. Your ambition and kingly bearing have become as withered and dull as your once-bright hair! I will not allow the great Asgard and the Aesir to end under your increasingly cowardly and weak visage! From this day on, I shall be crowned queen!"
Watching his daughter charge at him with a sword, God knows how much Odin regretted.
Having grown to understand the importance of family and kinship, Odin was all the more remorseful that he had shaped his daughter into a blade.
Her heart was as hard as iron, and she had long since embarked on a path of no return.
The only way was to use time to wear away this twisted mindset of hers!
...
The battle lasted seven days and seven nights. Hela even lost the strength to heal her many wounds.
She thought she would die, for Odin had taught her that a king could not tolerate even the slightest betrayal!
But just as she braced for death, Odin merely pulled her up and ruffled her hair.
"My daughter, in time you will understand that there are things no amount of power can give you. You are the goddess of death, so go to Helheim. That is the place most suited to you, far more than by my side. I made a mistake, a grave one that can never be undone. But I will bear it; I will take responsibility and make amends to you. It was not your fault. I will never let you carry the fate that is mine, nor let you blame yourself for it. I'm sorry, child. No one loves you more than me."
...
Five thousand years later.
...
Standing before Heisenberg, Hela suddenly felt a stinging in her eyes.
She recalled Odin's final words to her, the loving gaze he had worn ever since he removed the Infinity Gauntlet. Then she sensed the power within her, honed endlessly by Helheim, now many times stronger than five thousand years ago! And she looked at Asgard's current state, weak and empty of gods... Father clearly knew that after his death, she would emerge from imprisonment wielding the infinite power tempered in Helheim. Yet he made no arrangements to stop her escape. Had Heisenberg not appeared by chance, who could have prevented her from becoming the ruler of Asgard?
...
In an instant, Hela turned her back, not daring to let Heisenberg see the tears gradually filling her eyes.
So her father, who loved her most, had already left everything to her... Her father had even given up the entire universe for her! And fearing she would blame herself, he had never told her the reason for giving it all up!
Hela finally realized that no one loved her more than her father.
But her father was already gone...
/-\
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