Now that Hela had completely surrendered to him, Luke naturally intended to fulfill his promise.
Besides, Hela's strength was no trivial matter. In the Marvel world, her power stood among the highest tiers, she could rival even Thanos without faltering.
But there was a fatal shortcoming tethered to her existence.
And that shortcoming was Asgard itself.
Asgard was both her wellspring and her chain. As long as the realm stood, its power would flow into her endlessly, making her stronger day by day. But if Asgard were ever destroyed, her strength would bleed away just as quickly.
It was a double-edged sword, one that Hela knew well.
Luke tapped his chin thoughtfully before speaking in a steady voice.
"I'll go to Asgard with you. Once there, our first task will be to take Surtur's crown. It should be kept on Earth, locked away from the Eternal Fla. With it gone, Ragnarök won't be triggered so easily, and Asgard will be safe."
Hela's erald eyes glimred with a cold light as she nodded. "That… is indeed the wisest course."
Luke glanced back at his companions, Doggo wagging his tail expectantly and Bumblebee standing tall but wary. He softened his voice.
"You two return ho first. I thought we'd be fighting to the death with Hela, but things turned out differently."
Doggo let out a low "woof" of reluctant protest, while Bumblebee emitted a short, electronic chirp. But they obeyed, retreating toward the ripple Luke had opened for them.
"Alright then," Luke said with a faint smile as he turned back. "Let's go."
Without hesitation, he stepped into the shimr of distorted space that opened in front of him. Hela followed right behind, her long cloak brushing against the ripple as she entered.
…
Asgard, Odin's Vault.
A dazzling golden chamber stretched out before them, lined with relics and treasures gathered over countless ages. At the center, resting ominously on a pedestal, was a crown taller than a man, the blackened, jagged crest of Surtur.
The two figures erged from the spatial ripple with barely a whisper of sound, yet the enchantnts in the vault instantly flared to life. A shrill alarm rang out, echoing across the palace.
Luke's gaze landed on the massive crown. He exhaled slowly, then smirked. "There it is. Everything begins and ends with this."
The pounding of boots echoed outside the chamber as Asgardian soldiers rushed to intercept the intruders. The vault's golden door trembled as it was forced open from the outside.
Luke tilted his head toward Hela. "I'll take care of the crown. The rest…" He spread his hands slightly, his smile widening. "The rest is yours. Don't disappoint ."
He lifted Surtur's crown with one hand as though it weighed nothing, then hurled it into the still-open ripple of space. The artifact disappeared with a flash of light.
Luke lingered only long enough to et Hela's eyes, hers already alight with a dangerous gleam, before he stepped backward into the closing ripple.
Left alone, Hela whispered softly after him, her voice carrying an edge of reverence. "Don't worry, Master. Soon, the entire universe will know your na."
The mont her boots pressed firmly against the floor, she felt it, power. Like a tidal wave, it surged through her veins, a forgotten strength rekindled by Asgard itself. Her body thrumd with it, and for the first ti in thousands of years, she felt complete.
A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips, unbidden. "Ah… this is how it should be."
The vault's door suddenly burst open. A squadron of golden-armored soldiers stord inside, weapons raised.
"You there! Intruder!" one of them shouted. "By order of the King of Asgard, drop your weapons and surrender imdiately!"
Their voices wavered slightly. None of them had ever seen the woman before, but the sheer aura rolling off her made them uneasy.
Hela turned slowly, erald light flashing in her eyes. She gave them a chilling smile, her voice cutting through the tension.
"After all these centuries, has Asgard's army grown so soft? You are not even shadows of the warriors who once followed ."
The soldiers glanced at each other in confusion. One whispered, "Followed her…?" but they quickly steeled themselves and charged forward.
Twin blades blood from Hela's hands in a shimr of black steel. No longer made out of plastic, these were the true weapons of the Goddess of Death. She spun them once with a flick of her wrist, the air itself shuddering with sharpness.
"Kneel," she commanded coldly, "before your queen."
…
Back on Earth, Luke's Helicarrier.
Luke stepped out of a ripple, Surtur's crown in his grasp. He set it gently on the deck before him, the object emanating faint heat and nace.
"Safe and sound," he murmured. Closing his eyes, he summoned another ripple and sent the crown to a secured chamber in the helicarrier.
He let out a quiet breath. He could have stayed to help Hela reclaim Asgard, but he didn't. There was no need. With Odin gone, no one there could truly oppose her, except perhaps Thor.
Thor now wielded Stormbreaker ahead of ti, a weapon far surpassing Mjölnir. That axe was dangerous. Yet Luke wasn't overly concerned. Experience outweighed raw power, and Hela had centuries more fighting experience than Thor, who grew up in relative peace.
"If she loses to her little brother, then she deserves her fall," Luke muttered, shaking his head. "A leader shouldn't need her master to fight all her battles."
…
Nidavellir, Forge of the Dwarves.
While Hela carved her way through Asgard's unsuspecting defenders, elsewhere the universe trembled.
The great star-forge of Nidavellir, a colossal ring of dark tal encircling a roaring neutron star, suddenly shook under the arrival of an invading fleet.
Warships lood like shadows, their hulls blotting out the forge's light. At their head stood the dreadnought of the Mad Titan.
Thanos himself descended onto the forge's bridge, flanked by his five generals and an army of soldiers. The dwarves, masters of blacksmithing, froze at the sight.
They knew the figure imdiately. His infamy had spread far and wide. The Mad Titan, last of his kind, famous for invading worlds and killing half of their population before leaving.
Eitri, King of the Dwarves, clenched his fists, his massive fra trembling. His deep voice carried urgency as he barked to his kin, "Send word to Asgard at once! If ever we needed their protection, it is now!"
ssengers scattered. Runes flared as a signal was cast through the cosmos.
But Asgard could not answer.
At this very mont, its armies clashed against the newly returned Goddess of Death. The whole realm shaking under the weight of chaos.
And even if Asgard's army could co, what hope did they have against Thanos in his pri, already wielding one Infinity Stone?
…
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