Thor subconsciously tightened his grip on Mjolnir, wary that Hela might summon it away with a mere gesture. He had already witnessed her shatter his hammer once—an event that defied everything he believed about its enchantment.
On the fresco, Odin and Hela waged war across the cosmos, their past written in blood and conquest. Thor's mind swirled with questions.
Odin had always spoken of peace, of balance in the Nine Realms. Was that merely an illusion?
But neither Hela nor Ragna seemed interested in answering him. Only Frigga subtly grasped Thor's arm, silently instructing him to hold his tongue.
Hela was lost in remembrance, her eyes gleaming with nostalgia as her fingers brushed over the golden throne. A soft rustling filled the hall as she turned, her movements deliberate, and sat down with unshakable certainty.
The throne of the All-Father was hers by right.
Asgard's Praetorian Guard hesitated. Yet Ragna , the God-King of the Nine Realms, merely stood beside Hela, smiling.
Soon, the hall was filled with Asgard's most influential figures.
Thor and Loki remained silent, while Frigga and Ragna gave quiet support. Hela swiftly dismissed those foolish enough to defy her, their rebellion ending not in battle but in exile.
As for the Nine Realms?
The destruction of Svartalfheim's last remnants had already served as a message. The God-King of Asgard ruled the Nine Realms not through words, but through might.
The matter was settled.
Frigga led Thor and Loki aside, speaking to them in hushed tones. Meanwhile, Hela and Ragna strode toward Odin's treasure vault.
The Destroyer Armor stood untouched. But Hela, now wielding Asgard's full authority, did not need the Spear of Gungnir to command it—Asgard's power now answered solely to her.
She scoffed, kicking aside the Infinity Gauntlet replica, the hollow counterfeit that Odin had kept in his collection.
Useless.
Even the Casket of Ancient Winters, once the pride of Jotunheim, was powerless before her might.
"My dear brother," she said, her tone laced with amusement, "take whatever you like."
Then, she raised a hand, gesturing toward a single item.
"Except this. This is mine."
Hela lifted the Eternal Flame, her expression unreadable.
The sacred fire of Muspelheim—capable of reigniting the spark of life itself.
Under its influence, the dead would rise again.
Ragna merely shook his head. Once, he might have cared for Odin's treasures, but now?
As Hela had said, it was nothing but junk.
She led him deeper, beyond the vault's false riches, to a hidden crypt below.
Here, beneath Odin's greatest deceptions, lay Asgard's true last defense.
A sea of warriors, perfectly preserved, awaiting their master's call.
The Einherjar, Asgard's final army.
"The day they awaken," Ragna murmured, "will be the day Asgard stands at the brink."
And then they saw him.
"Fenrir."
Hela's steps slowed. In the heart of the tomb lay the massive corpse of the great wolf, its form frozen in an eternal slumber.
Hela's voice was barely a whisper. "What did they do to you…?"
Fenrir—the beast prophesied to devour Odin at the end of all things—should not have died so easily.
Ragna 's voice was calm, but firm. "After you were imprisoned, he went mad. He rampaged across Asgard, trying to find a way to free you. Odin put him down himself and buried him here."
Hela remained still for a moment. Then, she flicked her fingers, sending the Eternal Flame surging into Fenrir's lifeless body.
The flames took hold.
"Asgard's army will wait," she murmured. "But Fenrir… it's time to wake up."
A rumble shook the chamber as the great wolf stirred.
Hela turned to Ragna , smirking. "Is there anything else you need?"
Ragna returned the smile without hesitation. "Copy Asgard's core technology for me. I need to build my own Bifrost."
From the shadows, Fenrir's massive form began to rise, dark green eyes glowing in the dim light.
Hela snorted as the wolf nudged her. "Fenrir, don't lick me."
She turned back to Ragna . "Fine. But without the guardian's sight, all you'll get is a fixed teleportation point. Heimdall will never leave Asgard."
Ragna chuckled. "Heimdall is Asgard's protector, not mine."
"I have my own guardian."
Hela studied him. Ragna was offering her technology that few in the universe possessed—the stealth capabilities of the Dark Elves, the combat expertise of the Sentry Program, the raw power of the Iron Legion.
The kind of advancements that rivaled the greatest empires of the cosmos.
For a moment, she considered refusing. But Asgard was vulnerable. Its warriors had grown complacent. If it was to survive, it needed power.
Her pride would not stand in the way of her kingdom's future.
"You're right," she said at last. "Asgard's warriors are too weak. It will take time to rebuild them."
She hesitated only briefly before nodding. "I accept."
Ragna exhaled, satisfied.
"But," he added, "without proper materials, the war potential of those machines will be limited. They'll only be effective against lesser enemies. Our true foe won't be so easy to defeat."
He gave her a knowing look. "The dwarves are in my hands. And the weapon Odin intended for Thor? That's mine too. What do you want?"
Even if they emptied Asgard's treasury, Hela needed a true weapon fit for a God-King.
"Take what you need," Ragna continued. "But give the Stormbreaker to Thor. He was always meant to wield it. And if you treat him with even a fraction of kindness, he will follow you. He never wanted the throne."
"As for Mjolnir," he added, smirking, "perhaps it's time to give it to someone else."
"Heimdall should be able to wield it, don't you think?"
"You decide."
"As for Loki…" Ragna 's voice turned amused. "For Frigga's sake, let him stay. He knows how to play the game."
"But if you ever get tired of him, just tell me. I have plenty of planets to spare."
Hela listened, arms crossed.
She had spent millennia imprisoned, waiting for her moment to reclaim her birthright. She had no patience for politics or delays.
But Ragna was right.
The throne was easy to claim.
It was far harder to rule.
Ragna would help her, she knew that now.
And as for whether Asgard would one day challenge his place in the cosmos?
Ragna didn't care.
Because his ambitions were far beyond Asgard.
He had already planned his next move.
The power he sought—the true reward for sacrificing the six Infinity Gems—was beyond anything Odin had ever envisioned.
Even if fate defied him, he had no doubt.
Between his own strength and the celestial warriors in the Reincarnation Pool…
He would crush anything that stood in his way.
JOIN MY PATREON TO READ ADVANCE 100+ CHAPTERS
Patreon.com/Kora_1