In the domain of absolute darkness, Lothar, who was using his own body as a light source to forcefully illuminate the surrounding hundred-meter radius, stared blankly at Hela bleeding on the ground, unable to utter a single word.
This time... is it real?
I... I killed... Hela?
"Damn it..."
"This time... it's actually real..." Lying on the ground, Hela looked up at the impenetrable darkness above. Due to a great loss of blood, the vibrant red of her lips was gone. A look of helplessness and a touch of unwillingness appeared on her pale face.
She had imagined many ways she might die—killed by Odin, killed by Frigga, killed by Surtur, and so on. But she never imagined that one day she would die by Lothar's hand. To die by this man's hand...
The rapid loss of life force caused Hela, who was trying to sit up, to spit out another mouthful of blood. A gaping wound on her chest revealed gleaming white bone.
"I'm really... unwilling to go like this..." Hela felt her vision beginning to blur. This way of dying was too childish. A lifetime of war, a millennium of solitude, and in the end, to die by this man's hand because of an accident created by Dormammu...
"Lothar... I..."
"Less talk."
"Open your mouth, you're not dead yet." A cold-faced Lothar pulled an entire box of nutrient fluid from his wristband storage. He used his left hand to force Hela's mouth open and began pouring bottle after bottle down her throat.
"Cough...cough..."
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
Perhaps because of his haste, Lothar's movements were rough, causing Hela to cough continuously. She was choking.
"That's enough."
"Didn't you notice it's not working?" Hela grabbed Lothar's left wrist, forcefully pushing his hand away.
"Shut up!"
"Your nutrient fluid is useless on me here." Hela shook her head, her tone calm as she spoke of her injuries. After several bottles of nutrient fluid were consumed, the concentrated life energy evaporated before it could even begin to heal Hela's severe wounds. It was truly instantaneous.
The deep darkness, a darkness capable of consuming all energy and matter, rendered Lothar's nutrient fluid completely useless.
"Shut up and keep drinking."
"If you don't want to die."
Lothar gave Hela a cold look. If she didn't drink the nutrient fluid, Hela would truly die, her last bit of vitality consumed by the absolute darkness. By drinking it, there was at least a chance of survival.
"And then what? How much of that do you have?"
"This stuff is just a waste on me."
Shaking the vial of green liquid, Hela opened her mouth and drank it completely. Lothar's movements were too rough and made her uncomfortable; she had to do it herself.
"Enough to last until you get out of here."
Hela didn't say anything. Her current state was terrible. The nutrient fluid and the dimension's consumption of it had reached a strange equilibrium within her. As long as her injuries didn't worsen, she could indeed live for a while, but...
"I can't go with you to find a way out." After drinking another bottle of the fluid, Hela once again failed to sit up. She couldn't even manage that, let alone run around with Lothar in this boundless dark world. It was a struggle just to walk.
"...Take this." Lothar was silent for a moment, then tossed the box of nutrient fluid by his feet to Hela, motioning for her to hold it.
"???"
"Lothar, you—"
Hela's confusion was cut short. To her disbelief, Lothar bent down and picked her up in a princess carry!
"How are you so good at that???" Hela was amazed. His posture was so standard, and Lothar seemed so practiced; he even knew the best points to support her.
"Shut up!" Holding Hela, Lothar looked straight ahead. With a light tap of his toes, he rose into the air. The only light in the absolute darkness shone on Hela's pale face, and the sneaky, hidden attacks all vanished under Lothar's protection.
But this couldn't last forever. Even with a clear direction in mind, the path seemed endless. Lothar didn't know how long he had been flying with Hela. Lost in the infinite darkness, he was beginning to forget the concept of time. The only thing he knew was that Hela had already gone through two boxes of nutrient fluid. The third, his last box, was also almost empty. In fact, it was empty.
"Lothar."
"Shut up."
"That's enough, Lothar."
"I'm tired..."
Hela threw the last empty box of nutrient fluid onto the ground, forcing Lothar to stop.
"Do you want to die?"
"No, but rather than dying on a hopeless search for a way out, I'd rather wait for death peacefully."
Hela, in Lothar's arms, looked up and met his gaze. Her expression was completely calm. Lothar's grip tightened. Hela's brow furrowed. "Put me down."
Lothar ignored her.
"I said, put me down, Lothar."
"Shut up."
"Put me down!" Hela retorted without hesitation, seeming utterly ungrateful.
CLANG!
Seeing that Lothar still wasn't listening, Hela reconstructed a dagger and held it to his throat.
"I said, put me down. Now." The gleaming dagger was just a hair away from touching Lothar's skin. Even so, Lothar could feel Hela's killing intent. She genuinely wanted to kill him. Lothar's eyes instantly turned cold.
"Cough! Cough!"
Suddenly dropped from Lothar's arms, Hela, despite her preparation, couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood from the nerve-shredding pain. The dark red blood splattered onto Lothar, who didn't flinch. It stained his black, loose-fitting battle suit.
"That's really... your style..." Gritting her teeth, Hela reconstructed two long spears to use as crutches and slowly stood up in front of Lothar.
"You brought this on yourself." Lothar looked at the stubborn woman with cold eyes.
"I am a king. And a king, even when they die, must die with dignity."
"Being carried in your arms while waiting for death is not dignified." A self-satisfied smile appeared on her bloodless face. Hela stood as tall as she could in front of Lothar. "It's strange, really. I thought I would be very angry when I faced death, but now it doesn't feel so bad."
"Enough. I will get you out of here!" Lothar interrupted Hela, clearly agitated.
"Why?"
"I—what?" Lothar thought the woman in front of him must have had her brain damaged by his attack.
"Why are you saving me?"
"What is our relationship?"
Hela looked at Lothar's face with interest, the teasing in her eyes making him feel she must have gone insane.
"I was the one who injured you, I—"
"This is you, Lothar. When have you ever cared about things like that?"
Hela pressed further. Lothar didn't reply. He was rummaging through his mind for the right words. Finally...
"We are friends." Lothar looked directly into Hela's eyes.
"You once said you didn't need friends." Taking advantage of her impending death, Hela continued to tease the awkward man in front of her.
"That was then." Lothar lowered his gaze, no longer looking into Hela's eyes, his change of heart unapologetic.
"Mm-hmm." Hela smiled and shrugged, humming a couple of meaningless sounds.
"Close your eyes."
"What?"
"Close your eyes. I have something to give you." Hela leaned on her spears, trying her best to stay balanced despite her blurry vision. At the same time, she opened a bottle of nutrient fluid in front of Lothar's face. He closed his eyes in reassurance.
"Thank you, Lothar."
Stepping closer to Lothar's ear, the woman's breath swirled up to the man's earlobe...
"You—Mmmph!"
Just as he was about to speak, Lothar felt a soft, dry press on his lips and his eyes flew open. He let his guard down, and Hela took control of his mouth, a tempestuous storm of her own.
"I am Hela."
"The Goddess of Death of Asgard."
After a long time, their lips parted. Hela's face returned to the way it had looked when they first met.
"No..."
"I am Hela, the Goddess of Death of Asgard." Hela repeated it again.
"No!"
"I am Hela, the Goddess of Death of Asgard." Hela smiled as she watched the rare surge of emotion on Lothar's face, and repeated it for the third time.
"...Lothar, Lord of the Chitauri." Lothar's lips trembled, and the veins on his arms bulged from the tumultuous emotions.
"Well then, goodbye, Lothar." Under Lothar's gaze, Hela closed her eyes with a look of satisfaction. Her body, losing its balance, fell backward...
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This fanfic has been fully translated!