The ruins of Asgard.
A black longsword surfaced in her hand.
Empowered by her Death Energy, that black longsword looked like crystal—ominous and vicious.
Seeing that she was about to stab Thor straight through—
At that moment…
A flash of golden light.
A tiny golden point of light appeared out of nowhere.
The black longsword in Hela's hand was actually knocked away in an instant!
"Who is it?!"
Hela abruptly retreated, staring around with vigilance. The fury on her face was impossible to hide.
"A coward who hides in the shadows—submit!"
Hela roared.
Two black longswords surfaced in her hands. Like a war goddess, she looked imposing and unstoppable.
"Hiding in the shadows?"
"No, no—if you can't detect me, that doesn't mean I'm hiding."
Karl took a single step.
The "wall" in front of him—like a dimensional boundary—was torn open into a rift, and he walked straight out from within it.
"It's you!"
Hela was shocked, blurting it out instinctively.
But she quickly recovered.
A savage smile spread across her face.
"Perfect."
"I was going to go to Earth to find you and make you experience your world being destroyed."
"But now? You've delivered yourself right to my door!"
"Then I'll grant your wish!"
Hela shouted in rage. Deathly divine power surged from her like an ocean, roiling violently.
"Kill me?"
"I wonder if you still have that ability."
"After your battle with Odin, how much power do you have left?"
Karl narrowed his eyes, as if trying to see through her true condition.
Hela showed not the slightest hint of backing down.
"Ignorant Midgardian—this is Asgard."
"This is the realm that nourishes me."
"Defeat me in Asgard? You're dreaming."
Hela said coldly.
Her Death Energy erupted.
Without any warning—
The ground beneath Karl suddenly burst with more than a dozen black spikes.
As if they were going to skewer him into a sieve in one shot.
Those crystal-like spikes flickered with a grayish-purple glow. Dense Death Energy spilled from them, chilling to the bone.
Such a lethal strike made Thor and Loki—lying nearby—instantly widen their eyes.
But Karl, the real focus of this battlefield, didn't panic at all.
He simply stomped the ground calmly.
An unfathomable power spread outward from his body.
Crack!
Those black crystal spikes stabbing up from the ground shattered into pieces in the blink of an eye!
Seeing this, Hela's pupils shrank hard.
A Law!
It was a Law!
And among Laws, it was the one famed for sheer brutality—the Law of Force!
How was that possible?!
The last time she fought this Midgardian human—
This kid had shown no sign of comprehending any Law at all.
He'd been extremely far from it!
But now…
This kid had actually grasped a Law?
How could it be this fast?!
Hela was stunned, and her attitude turned cautious.
An opponent who had comprehended Laws and one who hadn't were not on the same level at all.
Against someone who hadn't comprehended Laws…
If she touched them, she might even be able to seize their life outright.
But once Laws entered the picture, everything changed.
Her Law's "guaranteed" effect stopped being so absolute.
Damn it!
How could this guy comprehend a Law in such a short time?!
Hela felt a surge of frustration, but her expression quickly steadied again.
"Midgardian—no wonder you dared come to Asgard."
"So your strength has improved, and you think you have a bit of confidence now."
"But now, I'll make you see yourself clearly."
As she spoke, she muttered a few words under her breath.
A strange power cloaked the two longswords in her hands, making them gleam with an unnatural luster.
"Be careful!"
"This is the Night Sky Sword Odin granted Hela! Its power is terrifying!"
"As long as you're cut, your life force will be stripped away!"
Karl glanced at Thor indifferently.
Like he was strolling through a garden, he stepped sideways, slipping past Hela's flurry of attacks.
Only then did he speak.
"Thanks for the warning. I understand."
Karl's mental power stirred.
Two Tao Mandalas appeared in his hands.
But—
Compared to before, these Tao Mandalas were far more dazzling.
In Karl's hands, they blazed so brightly that even Hela had to raise a hand to shield her eyes.
A moment later…
Karl controlled the Tao Mandalas, dimming them.
The originally pure-gold Tao Mandalas—brimming with arcane mystery—had now turned platinum-white.
An incomparably tranquil aura spread out from them.
Karl nodded in satisfaction.
Then he charged straight at Hela.
With the Tao Mandalas in hand, he simply braced and flicked—
And the black crystal projectiles Hela fired were knocked away, slamming into the ground beside them.
Sometimes,
Karl just lifted a Tao Mandala and chopped downward—
And the black crystal spikes shot toward him shattered on the spot.
Hela's pupils shrank again.
Her power had grown stronger—yet this kid's power had also grown stronger?!
She had already recovered to her peak. The same moves she used now were nothing like before in terms of force.
Yet Karl could still cleave apart her attacks?
What was wrong with this kid?!
Why was his strength rising this fast?!
She knew that comprehending Laws would increase strength—
But how could it increase this absurdly?!
Hela's heart grew heavy.
Karl's abnormality…
Was starting to exceed what she could imagine.
Even so—
As an Asgardian, even if she knew the target before her was impossible to overcome, she would still raise her blade and charge.
Let alone now—
She did not believe Karl's strength could surpass hers in such a short time.
That wasn't rational!
Seeing Karl closing in,
Hela couldn't be bothered to keep launching those black crystal spikes formed from Death Energy.
Instead, she gripped the powerful enchanted weapon—the Night Sky Sword—and rushed in directly.
Asgardians possessed unmatched physical power!
With an enchanted weapon forged by Odin on top of that—
No one could withstand her strikes.
Hela brought her hands together.
The two Night Sky Swords merged into one.
Then she swung it straight down at Karl.
Karl didn't retreat in the slightest.
Step—raise shield!
In an instant, every inch of muscle in his body was mobilized.
A terrifying force surged from his legs, to his waist, and into his arms.
For a moment—
The ground around him caved in, centered on his feet.
Clang!!
The Night Sky Sword and Karl's Tao Mandala slammed together head-on.
A sharp, piercing screech rang out.
Thor and Loki felt their ears throb with pain—dizzy, their hearing briefly ringing out.
The remaining fragments of nearby buildings were also pulverized.
Thud, thud, thud!
Hela was blasted backward, retreating dozens of steps—
Each step leaving a deep footprint in the ground.
She clearly took the worse of it.
(End of Chapter)
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