Asgard, deep underground.
This was the darkest, most forbidden place in this Divine Realm.
Odin stood silently before a stone door covered in sealing runes, holding Gungnir.
Behind him, Frigga held her hands tightly together, her face pale.
"Let it begin." Odin's voice carried no emotion.
He raised Gungnir and thrust it violently into the core of the formation on the ground.
Rumble—
All of Asgard trembled violently with that single strike.
The forbidden door, which had been sealed for thousands of years, slowly cracked and swung open amidst an endless green eerie light. A decaying, cold gale filled with the scent of death instantly howled out from the void behind the door.
Immediately after—
Tap... Tap...
The sound of high heels clicking against the ground was exceptionally piercing in the dead silence of the dungeon.
A figure slowly stepped out from the darkness.
It was a woman.
Though her clothes were tattered and her hair appeared somewhat messy, the innate pride and overbearing aura she possessed was almost tangible, making it hard for people to breathe.
The Goddess of Death, Hela.
"Hoo..."
Hela walked out of the doorway and took a deep breath, as if tasting the flavor of freedom in the air.
She stretched, an action that was lazy yet carried a deadly danger.
"Thousands of years..."
"This smell of decay hasn't changed a bit, Asgard."
Hela slowly opened her eyes.
Those eyes, filled with ambition and slaughter, immediately swept over the two people in front of her.
"Long time no see, my dear father."
Hela's gaze landed on Odin's aged face, and the corners of her lips curled into a cold, extremely sarcastic sneer.
"You look like you're old enough to be in a coffin."
Then, she glanced at Frigga beside him. "And you, this useless woman, are actually still alive?"
"Hela..."
Frigga's body trembled, and she subconsciously covered her mouth, her eyes full of fear and sadness.
That pure pressure of death radiating from Hela's body...
Even though she was the Queen, she felt a moment of suffocation.
"Enough." Odin interrupted her in a deep voice.
He handed Gungnir to Frigga and tightened his grip on the World-Ending Greatsword in his hand, a cold light flickering in his lone eye.
"Sealing you for so long was a matter of necessity."
"A matter of necessity?"
Hela let out a sharp laugh as if she had heard the world's biggest joke. "Hahahahaha!"
"Stop being so hypocritical, old man. Are you going to start your lecture again about being a merciful king for the sake of peace?"
Hela raised her hand and made a grasping motion. "Unfortunately, I'm not interested in your nonsense."
"What I'm interested in is..."
Buzz—
Following Hela's movement, the entire ley lines of Asgard seemed to respond to her call. Endless divine power surged into her body like a tide and her original tattered clothes instantly vanished. Replacing them was a set of dark green skin-tight battle armor, along with that black crown, hideous like antlers, symbolizing the authority over death.
Her hair was combed back, transforming into the image of the Valkyrie Slayer that made the Nine Realms tremble with fear.
"Power!"
"This infinite power!"
Hela felt the surging divine power within her body with intoxication.
In Asgard, she was invincible.
She took elegant yet dangerous steps, approaching Odin step by step.
"Father, you locked me up for so long, and now you actually dare to let me out?"
A black light flashed in Hela's hand as a Necrosword appeared out of thin air, its tip pointing directly at Odin's throat.
"Haven't you considered how miserable your death will be?"
Facing Hela's death threat, Odin did not retreat a single step. He just quietly looked at this daughter who once made him proud and later made him terrified.
Then, he slammed the World-Ending Greatsword in his hand heavily onto the ground.
Boom!!!
A pressure even more violent and terrifying than Hela's, as if containing the weight of nine worlds, instantly exploded outward.
This pressure was so strong that it actually forced Hela back half a step.
Hela's pupils shrank suddenly.
She stared fixedly at the sword in Odin's hand and Destroyer radiating eerie blue divine fire.
"This is..."
Hela's expression changed.
She could feel that the power contained within those two items was enough to pose a fatal threat to her.
"You old geezer, you were actually hiding such good things?"
Hela gritted her teeth, the killing intent in her eyes receding slightly, replaced by a deep wariness.
"Hela."
Odin's voice was old and tired, yet it carried a sense of resolve.
"Do you think that if it were just for some child's play like fighting for the throne, I would have undone the seal to let you out?"
"The reason I let you out is because..."
Odin looked up toward the distant starry sky.
"The Nine Realms are about to face a disaster ten thousand times more terrifying than Ragnarok."
"Disaster?"
Hela gave a disdainful sneer, twirling the Necrosword in her hand.
"What disaster? That useless Fire Demon Surtur? Or those Frost Giant trash?"
"Or..."
Hela's eyes were playful as she asked, "You're afraid of dying, so you want me to help you fight a war?"
"What the hell does that have to do with me?!" Hela roared loudly.
"I only want to kill you and then sit on that throne. If Asgard is destroyed, so be it, I can rebuild a new one."
"Foolish!"
Odin let out an angry roar like thunder.
"Who do you think we are facing?!"
"It's a monster called Frieza! He crushed your brother Thor's head with one hand! He wiped out Midgard's moon with a casual strike! He even turned Xandar into his colony!"
Speaking of Thor's death, Odin's voice was trembling.
Hela was stunned for a moment. "Thor? That kid who played with my hammer is dead?"
Although she didn't like that brother, hearing that a god was crushed like an insect, her brow furrowed.
Odin stroked the World-Ending Greatsword in his hand, his tone freezing cold. "With my current strength, even if you are standing on Asgardian soil now, possessing infinite divine power, I can still use this sword to slay you."
"But..."
Odin's tone shifted, revealing a deep sense of helplessness. "None of that would have any meaning."
"Because that man's strength is far greater than you can imagine, even stronger than me in my prime."
"If we continue with internal strife here, then what awaits Asgard is only total annihilation."
"Annihilation where we don't even have the qualification to become slaves, but are directly erased."
Odin stared fixedly at Hela and reached out a hand to her. "Now, my daughter."
"Your best choice is to temporarily set aside your ambition and join forces with your father."
"Muster all our strength to fight for our lives against that monster."
"This way, Asgard, and the entire Nine Realms, might still have a glimmer of hope."
The dungeon fell into a deathly silence.
Hela did not speak. She just narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing her father who was once invincible but now showed a look of despair.
She was judging whether Odin was lying. Those two artifacts radiating the aura of world-ending destruction and the pain of losing a son in Odin's eyes, so thick it couldn't be dissolved, told her that it was true.
"Interesting."
After a long time, Hela smiled.
That smile was seductive and bloodthirsty.
"It seems this guy called Frieza is really strong. Otherwise, it wouldn't have forced a stubborn old man like you to the point of asking a prisoner like me for help."
The sword in Hela's hand slowly dissipated. She adjusted the crown on her head, regaining her pride.
"Fine, old man. I accept."
"After all, Asgard is mine, and I won't allow any outsider to destroy my property."
Hela walked up to Odin, their gazes clashing in the air, sparks flying. "However, let me make this clear upfront."
Hela reached out a finger and poked Odin's hard breastplate. "That Frieza whatever, I will kill him with my own hands."
"But..."
Hela leaned into Odin's ear, her voice like a viper's hiss. "After that monster is dead, you'd better hand over the crown obediently."
"Otherwise, I don't want to have to waste energy chopping off your dog head after I'm done with the outsider."