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*****
As the card at Mike's fingertips vanished, golden points of light began to appear. They quickly spun, transforming into two portals that subsequently swallowed Hela's and Thor's attacks, respectively.
In the next instant, those very attacks reappeared behind the two of them, flying back toward their original owners.
The expressions of the two changed, and they hastily dodged out of the way.
The two who had been in a standoff were finally separated.
Hela watched Mike, who was standing beside Eric, with vigilance. Thor, however, flew over to Mike and said anxiously, "Quick! Mike! Help me!"
As he spoke, he glared at Eric. "You bastard! Lusting after beauty and forgetting your friends!"
Lusting after beauty and forgetting friends?
Hearing Thor's words, Mike glanced at Eric, then at Hela, a flash of astonishment in his eyes. He immediately gave Eric a thumbs-up and said, "Impressive!"
Eric's face turned slightly red, and he rubbed his head. Thor's mouth twitched as he helplessly rolled his eyes. Hela, meanwhile, shot Eric a look of indignant fury, wishing she could kill all three of these men.
She knew a situation like this would occur.
Damn it, there was one more person who needed to be silenced.
Hela muttered this to herself, her gaze growing even colder. Yet, when she looked at Eric, the emotions flickering in her eyes unconsciously became more complex.
"How's it going? Making smooth progress?"
Mike whispered to Eric, his face a mask of pure gossip.
As soon as this was mentioned, Eric couldn't help but glare at Thor. He said helplessly, "Our relationship was just about to take the next step, but that's when Thor showed up, so..."
Mike's eyebrow twitched, and a fierce gaze landed squarely on Thor.
Thor looked extremely embarrassed and said in a small voice, "My father asked me to come and help, so I came. I didn't know what the situation was here. That's right! It was my father who sent me!"
Hela watched the three men muttering amongst themselves as if she didn't even exist. After a moment of silence, she drew two swords.
Indeed, it was probably best to just slaughter all three of them.
"If you make a move right now, you'll have to face an attack from all three of us, you know," Mike said to Hela with a smile that was filled with menace.
But...
"Dad, I'm not fighting!"
Eric muttered, flashing a smile at Hela.
Mike: "..."
Great. Was he really being undermined by his own son?
Shooting Eric a sideways glance, Mike turned to Thor. "Your father is probably watching this place, isn't he."
"Probably," Thor said, a bit uncertain. He then paused, asking warily, "What are you planning to do?"
"Nothing," Mike said with a laugh. Before Thor could even sigh in relief, he shouted loudly, "Odin! Are you going to handle this situation here, or not?"
There was no response...
Mike raised his eyebrows, pressing his temples. He shouted again, "If you don't handle this, I'm bringing your daughter back to Asgard!"
"You two, father and daughter, haven't seen each other in a long time. I just can't bear to see it."
Hearing this, Thor's mouth twitched.
Good grief, was he actually threatening his father?
Hela, on the other hand, had a flash of pleasant surprise in her eyes.
This person could take her back to Asgard?
If that was the case... Don't come, Odin!
She screamed silently in her heart.
But her hope was shattered.
The moment that thought appeared, a pillar of light descended not far from them.
And when the pillar of light faded, two individuals appeared before the group.
From Asgard: the Allfather, Odin, and the God of Mischief, Loki.
Odin wore light golden armor and a red cape, holding Gungnir. He looked incredibly majestic and imposing.
As for Loki, he looked the same as always.
Mike glanced at Loki, then saw Odin staring at him with displeasure. He coughed lightly. "Don't be too moved. We're old friends, after all. It's only right that I look out for your family's happiness."
Moved my ass!
Odin raised Gungnir, then slammed its butt hard on the ground.
Clang!
At the clear ringing sound, Thor and Loki both flinched slightly. Hela, however, merely gave a cold snort, a look of disdain and anger flashing deep in her eyes.
"We meet again,"
Odin said coldly, but his voice carried an unmistakable tone of resignation. He had invited Mike to Asgard before, but the man had never responded. He hadn't expected their next meeting to be under such circumstances.
"Wait, you two have met?"
Thor and Loki looked at the two of them in confusion.
Odin coughed lightly, shot Mike a meaningful glance, and quickly interjected, "Yes, we've met before. We're old friends."
Good grief. The matter of him dumping his two sons on Mike to be "educated" absolutely could not be known by others. Where would he put his face?
Seeing Odin's subtle glance, Mike broke into a smile. Under Odin's watchful gaze, he slowly nodded.
"That's right. We're old friends."
Odin breathed a sigh of relief and said to Mike, "There are some things I need to discuss with you."
"Let's go, old friend."
With that, Odin walked toward Mike. Under the gaze of the others, he and Mike moved off to the side. After casually setting up an energy barrier, the two began to mutter about something unknown.
Looking at the backs of the two "old-timers," Eric and his brother Thor didn't feel much of anything. Hela, however, felt an inexplicable chill run down her spine.
A moment later, Mike and Odin both nodded. "Then it's settled," Mike said.
Odin waved his hand, dismissing the energy barrier. The two old-timers turned around to face their respective children.
Odin paused in thought, then said to Hela, "You can leave this place."
Hela froze, then said with pleasant surprise, "You've finally seen reason?"
Conquest, that was her destiny.
"You will not be returning to Asgard."
Hearing this, the look of pleasant surprise vanished from Hela's face. She sneered, "So, you just want to move me to a different cage?"
Odin looked at Hela, his eyes concealing a deep and rich emotion.
Hela was his first child. She had even fought side-by-side with him in the old days. Their bond was naturally profound.
Odin sighed internally and said to Hela, "You will go to Earth. Or to Kent Star."
"Are you serious?" Hela looked at Odin mockingly. "Do you have any idea what will happen if I go there?"
She would bring conquest and death to Earth.
Odin pointed at Mike. "Mike is on Earth."
Hela's eyes narrowed.
"His son, Eric, is on Kent Star."
Hela glanced at Eric, then back at Mike, her brow furrowing.
"Furthermore, when you leave this place, you will lose your power."
Odin stated the most crucial point.
But Hela merely paused for a moment before mocking Odin, "Strip me of my power? If you were capable of that, you would have done it long ago. Why wait until now?"
Odin nodded. "You are correct."
Hela's power comes from Asgard. As long as she is connected to Asgard, her power continuously grows. Even Odin cannot strip it away; he can only banish and seal her to stop her from growing stronger.
"But he can do it."
Odin looked toward Mike.
"Him?"
Hela whispered, her heart sinking.
He was that man's father. That man [Eric] was very strong. In that case, his father...
Hela deliberated for a moment, then took a step back. "I'm not leaving this place."
More than she wanted to leave, she feared losing her power.
After all, if she just waited it out, she could eventually outlive Odin.
"I'm afraid that's not up to you," Mike said flatly. A card appeared at his fingertips. He deployed a barrier, shrouding the space immediately around him.
Clearly, Mike did not want others to witness him using the Infinity Stones.
A few seconds later, the barrier dissipated. Everything seemed the same as before, yet everyone could feel that the immense pressure originating from Hela had vanished. More importantly, the skin-tight battlesuit tied to her power was rapidly vanishing, receding from her limbs.
With a thought, Eric manifested a long, black dress made of metal as thin and light as gauze, which appeared on Hela's body.
Clearly, Hela had lost her power.
She tried to use her abilities, then stared at her empty palms in disbelief. She looked at Mike with shock and rage, "This is impossible!"
Mike gave a faint smile. "Little cutie, you have no idea what 'possible' even means."
Hearing this, Thor's face twitched, and he couldn't stop himself from bursting into laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
He was all too familiar with that phrase.
Loki looked at Thor as if he were an idiot, then turned to Hela with a smile.
It seemed Hela being taken away for "re-education" was a done deal. She might even return to Asgard afterward. This sister seemed very strong; he needed to get on her good side first.
Loki schemed internally.
"Thor, your power has awakened. That is good."
Odin looked at Thor, his eyes filled with approbation.
"Hmph!"
Two dissatisfied cold snorts rang out.
Loki and Hela glanced at each other, then quickly looked away.
Thor looked at his own palm and shook his head. "But I haven't mastered it yet. And besides, Mjolnir is destroyed."
"Return to Asgard and train your ability. As for Mjolnir, just go to Nidavellir and have a new weapon forged."
Odin said nonchalantly. "You and Loki will return to Asgard."
The two nodded. After they stood together, the Rainbow Bridge descended, taking them both away.
Mike winked at Eric and materialized a portal. "Go on, take our guest. Quill and the others are still waiting for you on the ship."
Eric agreed with unconcealed delight.
This was a huge harvest.
Not only had he made a large sum of money, but he had also caught the tail-end of his future happiness.
As long as he got back to Kent Star and put in a little effort... Heh!
Charles, I'm going to leave the ranks of bachelors before you do!
Eric thought gleefully to himself, then made a "please" gesture toward Hela.
Hela stood rooted to the spot, her expression shifting rapidly.
"Relax. As long as you meet the requirements I've set, you can still get your abilities back."
Mike said flatly. He saw the Guardians of the Galaxy peering curiously from the other side of the portal and said to Eric, "Take her away."
"Right!"
"Oh, right. When this is over, head back to Kent Star. It's time to discuss how we're going to build 'Home'."
"Yeah, I was planning to head back after this anyway."
Eric said. Just as he was about to use his metal control to move Hela, she gave a soft snort and strode toward the portal on her own.
The Guardians of the Galaxy and the Ravagers all retreated, their faces filled with terror.
Eric quickly flew over to Hela, and together they stepped through the portal, disappearing from before Mike and Odin.
After Mike dismissed the portal, he looked at Odin and asked, "Where is that person?"
Just now, when the two were muttering to each other, Odin had mentioned a sneaky individual.
"He's very clever. He didn't leave with those Ravagers. Instead, he chose to use his abilities to hide nearby."
It was precisely because of this that Odin felt the person was definitely plotting something.
"But he is also very foolish. He truly underestimates me, Odin. Even if he could deceive Hela, but... Heh!"
Following Odin's disdainful chuckle, he gripped his spear and lightly tapped the space in front of him.
Space was instantly torn. With a hard pull, a figure was yanked out of its disguised state, appearing through the spatial rift with its back to the two of them.
The person was wearing a long black robe and did not look like a good person.
Gray-tongue, having been suddenly yanked over, was also completely stunned.
Hadn't he already used his own abilities and camouflage equipment to create a double layer of concealment?
Wasn't it supposed to be absolutely impossible to see through?
How could he have been seen through and dragged over directly?
Still, since he had been discovered, he would just have to kill the one who discovered...
Mi... Mike Kent! Odin!
Having just turned around, Gray-tongue looked at the two people in front of him, and his legs went so weak he almost knelt.
Mike and Odin curiously sized up the "Gray-tongue" before them.
"This is the 'thing' you were talking about?"
"Yes!" Odin revealed a smug smile. "He was hiding not far from the battlefield. What do you think? You didn't discover him, did you."
Mike shot Odin a flat glance.
Smug? What's there to be smug about?
Mike looked at Gray-tongue. His gaze flashed, penetrating the man's hood and seeing the face in the shadows beneath. His eyebrow raised slightly.
Ebony Maw?
Just as Mike was about to expose Ebony Maw's identity, Maw hurriedly bowed low and said respectfully, "Great Odin, and this esteemed lord. It is an honor to meet you."
Odin asked with great majesty, "Who are you? Why were you hiding so furtively nearby?"
"I am a Ravager, just a nobody." Ebony Maw kept his head lowered, his attitude so humble it was practically in the dirt. He quickly continued, "I was hiding nearby because of the Goddess of Death, Hela. She is too powerful. I could only hide, hoping to escape the calamity."
"Is that so?" Odin muttered, then asked, "You recognize me?"
"Yes, I learned of you from books."
"Hehe."
Odin chuckled. Just as Mike was wondering why Odin would believe him so easily, he noticed the playful, mocking glint in Odin's eyes. His own mouth immediately twitched.
This nasty old bastard. Besides toying with his captive, he clearly wanted to show off his own "wisdom" in front of Mike. Then, after exposing the scheme, he would undoubtedly throw Mike a mocking glance.
"Alright, you may go," Odin said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Great Odin, thank you immensely." Ebony Maw said, backing away slowly.
Just as Odin's eyes narrowed, clearly preparing to detain Ebony Maw, Mike beat him to the punch, shouting loudly, "Stop! You cunning fellow! How dare you deceive an old man!"
Hearing this, Ebony Maw froze in shock. Odin, meanwhile, stared at Mike in astonishment. When he saw Mike give him a smug grin, Odin cursed internally.
The cunning one!
(End of Chapter)