Asgard.
A massive wormhole suddenly opened near the Bifröst (Rainbow Bridge).
The spatial anomaly expanded rapidly.
Standing guard at the bridge, Heimdall witnessed the phenomenon.
However, he was not alarmed.
Karl had already informed him beforehand.
So instead of raising the alarm, Heimdall calmly signaled the nearby Asgardian guards to lower their weapons and stand down.
Moments later, a colossal white warship emerged from the wormhole.
Even Heimdall—who had witnessed countless cosmic vessels throughout his centuries of duty—could not help but feel surprised by its sheer size.
The warship was so enormous that it completely occupied the space beside the Rainbow Bridge.
The vessel finally halted in place.
The hatch slowly opened.
A white energy bridge extended from the ship's underside and connected perfectly with the Rainbow Bridge.
Karl stepped forward first.
Behind him followed May, Raven, Helen Cho, Wanda, and the others.
Karl had come to Asgard for two main reasons.
First, to ask Odin about the location indicated on the Self Stone treasure map.
Second, to visit the aging All-Father.
Karl also wanted to determine how much time Odin had left.
He had once promised Odin that he would not allow Ragnarök to occur.
That promise meant he would eventually need to deal with Hela.
Either she would remain sealed—
Or Karl would personally subdue or eliminate her.
Under no circumstances could she be allowed to kill Thor and his companions.
Because if that happened, Thor would eventually summon Surtur, the Fire Giant.
And Surtur would destroy Asgard itself.
Hela would perish along with it.
Thor would then be forced to lead the surviving Asgardians into exile.
"Lord Karl."
Heimdall stepped forward and performed a formal Asgardian warrior salute, acknowledging Karl's strength.
Meanwhile, May, Raven, Helen Cho, and the others looked around with curiosity.
They were standing in Asgard—the legendary realm of the Norse gods.
None of them had ever imagined they would see it with their own eyes.
Karl nodded calmly.
"Where is Odin?"
Right now, Karl only cared about locating the Self Stone.
Everything else could wait.
"The All-Father is waiting for you in the Great Hall," Heimdall replied respectfully.
He had already informed Odin of Karl's arrival.
"Alright."
Karl nodded.
"I'll go see him."
He then gestured toward the others.
"Have someone show them around Asgard."
The next moment—
Karl vanished.
Heimdall immediately summoned several Asgardian attendants.
They began guiding May, Raven, Helen Cho, Wanda, and the others through the golden city.
Meanwhile, Karl appeared instantly inside the Great Hall.
He was wearing his Golden Saint Cloth, embedded with the six Infinity Stones.
Odin sat upon his throne.
He showed no surprise at Karl's sudden appearance.
However, Karl immediately sensed something troubling.
Even from a distance, he could feel the divine power inside Odin slowly dissipating.
Yet another mysterious force seemed to be temporarily stabilizing it.
Karl was slightly surprised by this.
"Lord Karl."
Odin spoke slowly.
"Your arrival in Asgard comes at a fortunate time."
"I do not have much time left."
"If Frigga had not used forbidden magic to prolong my life…"
"You probably would not have seen me again."
Despite speaking about his approaching death, Odin seemed remarkably calm.
Karl sighed softly.
"Life truly is fragile."
Then Karl projected an image into the air using energy.
It was the location revealed by the Self Stone treasure map, interpreted through the power of the six Infinity Stones.
"Can you tell me where this place is within the Nine Realms?"
Odin studied the projection carefully.
After a moment—
His expression changed slightly.
Then he sighed.
"This place…"
"I do not know how you discovered it."
"But this is where I sealed Hela."
Karl froze.
For a moment, he thought he had misheard.
The Self Stone was located where Hela was sealed?
That was absurd.
A terrifying possibility suddenly crossed Karl's mind.
Had Hela already obtained the Self Stone?
But Karl quickly rejected that idea.
If Hela truly possessed the Self Stone—and considering the immense power of Asgardian divine souls—she would likely already possess single-universal-level power, or at least reach pseudo single-universal strength.
If that were the case, she would not need to wait for Odin's death to escape.
She could simply break the seal herself.
Since she had not yet done so—
It was highly likely that Hela had not found the Self Stone yet.
"Give me the coordinates," Karl said seriously.
"I need to go there immediately."
"There is a gemstone there that transformed into a powerful entity after committing suicide."
"If Hela obtains it…"
"She may advance to single-universal level power."
Karl smiled bitterly.
"At that point, even if both of us fought her together…"
"We might not be able to defeat her."
Odin nearly collapsed when he heard this.
The shock caused his breathing to falter.
Fortunately, Karl appeared beside him instantly and stabilized his divine power with his own energy.
Otherwise, the All-Father of Asgard might have died from sheer shock.
After recovering, Odin produced a golden compass-like artifact.
"Follow the direction indicated by this."
Karl did not waste time.
He took the artifact and immediately flew out of the palace.
Moments later, he left Asgard itself.
Following the device's guidance, Karl soon discovered a spatial rift.
He entered it.
Beyond the rift lay a desolate place.
Several enormous stone pillars covered in runes stood in the center.
The runic symbols were unmistakable.
Karl immediately recognized them.
This was Odin's sealing site for Hela.
Without hesitation, Karl activated the Space Stone embedded in his armor.
He stepped directly into the sealed dimensional prison.
The moment he entered—
A terrifying chill enveloped him.
Even Karl felt the cold penetrate his bones.
The entire space was pitch black.
Deathly silent.
Fragments of broken souls drifted slowly through the air.
The environment felt sinister and oppressive.
Karl could not help shivering slightly.
Odin had been ruthless.
Sealing Hela in a place like this for thousands of years…
It would have been surprising if she had not gone mad.
Karl began flying deeper into the prison.
As he moved forward, he noticed something strange.
The stone surfaces were covered with countless scratch marks.
Some marks even formed symbols.
They resembled ancient Asgardian script.
Karl could not read every symbol.
But he could guess their meaning.
They were almost certainly Hela's curses directed at Odin.
Suddenly—
A sound echoed from somewhere in the darkness.
Karl froze.
Then he turned toward the source of the noise.
He still had not seen Hela.
And for the first time since entering the prison—
Karl felt a hint of unease.
He immediately flew toward the direction of the sound.
...
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