-Broadcast-
Thor's words clearly struck deep into Hela's heart, hitting wounds that had never truly healed. The smile on her face gradually disappeared, melting away like frost under sunlight, and her expression became cold, detached—the mask of the Goddess of Death settling back into place.
But Thor didn't pay attention to Hela's shifting expression. He continued speaking calmly, his voice steady despite the tension crackling in the air between them:
"He said you were unique! He said the same thing to me!"
Hela shook her head slightly, and a look of pure disdain crossed her face—not for Thor, but for the memory of their father and his hypocrisy. "See... you don't understand him at all! Even when he was at his peak, you were blind to who he truly was!"
Her voice grew harder, more bitter, as old resentments poured forth. "Odin and I flooded the Nine Realms with blood and tears! We conquered, we crushed, we killed! How do you think all this splendor came about? This golden palace, these legendary halls?" She gestured around at the grandeur surrounding them. "Suddenly one day... he decided to become a benevolent emperor! Embracing peace and virtue and harmony! Comforting the people instead of conquering them! And then there was you!"
When Thor was mentioned, Hela's expression twisted into a hint of disgust, her lip curling as if she'd tasted something foul.
Thor spread his hands in a gesture that was almost conciliatory, trying to diffuse the tension even though he knew it was futile. "I know why you're upset! You're my sister! Technically, you're the rightful heir to the throne!" He paused, meeting her eyes directly. "I'd really like someone to volunteer to take this burden from me... but it definitely can't be you! You're such a jerk!"
Hela's eyes flashed dangerously at the insult. "Okay! Get up! That's my throne!" She ran her hand through her dark hair in one smooth, practiced motion and summoned her helmet back onto her head, the sharp spikes emerging from nowhere and framing her face like a crown of blades.
Thor descended from the throne, carrying Gungnir with both hands, the spear gleaming in the dim light of the hall. He said as he walked down the steps, each word measured and deliberate:
"You know what? My father once told me that a wise monarch never starts a war!"
Hela responded immediately, her voice cold as the void between stars, finishing the quote that she had heard so many times during their conquests: "But he must always be prepared to fight!!!"
After saying this, she charged towards Thor with explosive speed, her body a blur of motion. Thor, unwilling to be outdone and refusing to back down, charged forward to meet her, holding Gungnir ready for combat.
Hela condensed a Sword of the Night Sky in her hand with a thought, the black blade materializing from dark energy. She leaped high into the air with supernatural grace and stabbed down toward Thor with lethal precision...
-Real World-
"Thor! Do you think you can beat her?" Tony's voice suddenly sounded through the communicator, cutting through the tension in the real world. His tone was concerned, analytical—already calculating odds and strategies.
"No! He hasn't risked his life yet! His divine power is not enough to defeat Hela!" Thor from the viewing dimension responded, his voice heavy with the weight of experience and hard-won knowledge.
Although he didn't want to admit it—and it grated against his pride to say it aloud—Thor knew very well his own capabilities at that point in time. On Asgard, where Hela drew power from the realm itself, he couldn't defeat her! Not without something changing, something fundamental shifting in his favor.
"Okay! It looks like you're in big trouble!" Rocket, who was piloting the Commodore in his own timeline, sighed when he heard that assessment. His ears drooped slightly in sympathy.
"Yeah! But I believe he can turn defeat into victory!" Thor nodded firmly, his jaw set with determination, still unwilling to give up hope even in the face of overwhelming odds. His faith in himself—in his past self—remained unshaken. Maybe he would be able to survive this impossible situation and somehow gain powerful divine power? Perhaps this trial would be the crucible that forged him into something greater?
-Broadcast-
[While Thor and Hela were engaged in their brutal fight in the grand hall, trading blows that would shatter mountains, Heimdall and his people arrived at the Rainbow Bridge. They moved as quickly as they could while keeping the group together, attempting to use the Bifrost to evacuate Asgard before it was too late.]
But Heimdall didn't expect that Hela, with her tactical brilliance honed over millennia of warfare, had already prepared for this exact scenario. He led his people toward the control room on the other side of the crystalline bridge, their footsteps echoing across the mystical surface, but halfway across, his all-seeing eyes caught something that made his blood run cold. He vaguely saw a massive shape in the distance and heard a deep, bestial roar that rumbled like thunder across the bridge.
He squinted his golden eyes and looked toward the end of the Rainbow Bridge, peering through the distance with his supernatural vision. What he saw made his heart sink—the giant wolf Fenrir was there, its massive form guarding the door of the control console like some hellish sentinel. The roar he had heard was made by Fenrir, a sound of hunger and violence that promised death.
[Behind Fenrir, there were many undead soldiers standing at attention, their ancient weapons ready, their empty eyes fixed on the approaching refugees.]
"Go back!!!" Heimdall realized the situation was dire and immediately waved his hand urgently, signaling the people behind him to turn around and retreat. His voice carried authority born of desperation.
The people of Asgard, already terrified and exhausted, turned and ran back in panic. Their organized evacuation dissolved into chaos as Fenrir bared its massive fangs—each one the size of a sword—and rushed toward them with terrifying speed, its claws scraping against the Rainbow Bridge with ear-splitting shrieks.
"Go!!!" Heimdall looked at Fenrir charging toward them like an avalanche of fur and fury, and he loudly urged everyone to leave this dangerous place. He positioned himself between the wolf and his people, Hofund drawn and ready, preparing to buy them time with his life if necessary.
Just as Fenrir was charging toward the crowd, its jaws opening wide enough to swallow a man whole, dozens of energy bullets suddenly shot from the sky above and hit it with explosive force, each impact creating small bursts of light across its dark fur. The barrage stopped Fenrir's momentum, causing the beast to skid to a halt and snarl at this new threat.
[It turned out that Banner had arrived piloting the Commodore , and Valkyrie was operating the mounted machine gun, firing continuously at the giant wolf with deadly accuracy, her face set in grim determination.]
While Banner and the others were holding Fenrir back with sustained fire, the people of Asgard ran back toward the palace side of the bridge, their hopes momentarily lifted by the arrival of help. But soon they had to stop, trapped between two forces.
[On the other side of the Rainbow Bridge, Skurge and a large group of undead soldiers had emerged and now blocked their way back, cutting off their escape route.]
[Looking at the enemy approaching them from behind, weapons raised and marching in perfect formation, several Asgardians in the lead drew their swords with ringing steel, ready to defend their families and friends with their lives.]
-Real World-
"Damn it! This is a trap!" Star-Lord frowned deeply, his hands clenching into fists as he watched the screen. He felt helpless, not knowing how Heimdall and his people would get through this nightmarish situation.
"Yeah! They're in big trouble! Trapped completely!" Gamora added, her warrior's eye immediately recognizing the tactical nightmare. "In front of them is the giant wolf Fenrir, and behind them are the undead soldiers led by the traitor Skurge."
Tony crossed his arms, and despite the tension, he couldn't resist making a quip. "This time, there's really a wolf in front and a fat tiger behind." He smiled slightly at his own joke, trying to lighten the oppressive mood.
Natasha rolled her eyes elaborately and had nothing to say about Tony's bad joke. She'd long since given up trying to stop his inappropriate humor in tense situations.
Rhodes grumbled good-naturedly, "There are wolves in front and pursuers behind, right? That's the actual saying, Tony. That Skurge has nothing to do with tigers, and he's barely related to the word fat. He's just a traitor with an axe."
"All right! Stop chatting! The Rainbow Bridge is coming!" Valkyrie's voice cut through their banter, sharp and focused. In front of her eyes, watching from her own timeline as she prepared to transit through the wormhole, colorful divine light began to emerge from the swirling portal—the telltale shimmer of the Bifrost's unique energy signature.
Rocket was the first to fly through, piloting the Commodore with expert precision, the ship's engines flaring bright as it entered the wormhole. Following close behind was the Milano piloted by Star-Lord, its familiar shape disappearing into the light, and finally the huge The Statesman, the massive vessel barely fitting through the dimensional gateway.
Tony and the others also returned to their respective spaceships and left Sakaar with their vessels, leaving the chaos of the Contest of Champions behind them and heading toward Asgard's desperate battle.
-Broadcast-
[Inside the grand hall of the palace, the battle between Thor and Hela continued with increased intensity. The sound of weapons clashing echoed through the empty space, each impact sending shockwaves through the air.]
Thor leaped into the air with a mighty roar and thrust Gungnir forward with all his strength, driving the legendary spear deep into Hela's lower abdomen.
[Hela took the blow with a grunt of pain and staggered back repeatedly, black ichor seeping from the wound. Thor landed in a crouch and quickly followed up on his advantage, grabbing Gungnir's shaft with both hands, pulling it out with a wet sound, and immediately swinging it up and smashing it down with a heavy overhead blow aimed at Hela's head.]
[Hela, despite her injury, narrowly avoided the devastating attack by dodging sideways at the last possible moment, the spear tip whistling past her face close enough to feel the wind of its passage.]
Thor's spear struck the ground where she'd been standing, cracking the ancient stone. He missed his first strike but immediately adapted, changing his attack pattern fluidly into a low horizontal sweep, the spear spinning in his hands to hit Hela's legs directly, attempting to take them out from under her.
Hela dodged with an acrobatic mid-air flip, her body rotating with inhuman grace, then blocked Gungnir's follow-up blow with both hands crossed, catching the shaft and pushing back hard. The force of her counter sent Thor stumbling backward.
Thor stumbled back two steps, his boots scraping against the stone floor, and Gungnir's spear butt slammed heavily on the ground behind him to stop his momentum. He used the impact to steady himself.
Thor was not discouraged by being pushed back. He immediately dragged the spear tip in a low arc toward Hela, trying to catch her off-balance, but Hela easily caught the blade between her crossed hands, stopping it cold with seemingly minimal effort.
He drew back his spear with a sharp pull and continued to thrust at Hela with a series of rapid strikes, each one probing her defenses. Hela used one arm to deflect Gungnir away from her body, her movements economical and precise.
[Seeing an opening, Thor immediately retracted his forward thrust and transformed it into a spinning staff strike, whirling Gungnir around in a devastating arc, but Hela's hands shot out and quickly caught the spinning shaft, stopping it dead.]
"Honestly, I really overestimated you!" Hela said, and there was a hint of genuine disappointment in her eyes along with the disdain. She had expected more from her brother, more of a challenge.
Thor's face flushed with anger and frustration, veins popping out on his forehead as he strained with all his might to wrest the spear back from Hela's iron grip. His muscles bulged with effort, lightning crackling weakly around his arms.
[Hela exerted force with both hands suddenly, twisting her body, and threw Thor directly across the hall like he weighed nothing at all. His body flew through the air in a wide arc.]
Thor crashed heavily to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop, and Gungnir flew out of his hand, clattering away across the stone floor and coming to rest several meters away from him.
-Real World-
"Oh! You're completely at a disadvantage, Thor!" Captain Marvel observed, glancing at him with a critical but not unkind eye. She had fought enough battles to recognize when someone was outmatched.
"Yeah! She is really strong! Stronger than I remembered!" Thor had to admit this uncomfortable truth. The more he watched Hela fight, the more he recognized her immense strength and centuries of battle experience. She wasn't just powerful—she was a master of combat, every movement efficient and deadly.
"Your hammer and your axe won't be crushed by her easily, right?" Tony asked, a note of worry creeping into his usually confident voice. "If that happens, it will be terrible! We need those weapons!"
Thor shook his head firmly, his hand unconsciously moving to touch Stormbreaker at his side. "No! After Mjolnir was reforged by the Dwarves of Nidavellir, she became even stronger than before! Not to mention Stormbreaker!" He hefted the magnificent axe slightly. "These are the king's weapons, forged in the heart of a dying star! She shouldn't have the ability to destroy them!"
"That's good!" Tony felt a wave of relief wash over him after hearing that reassurance. "Because if she could just snap them like twigs, we'd have a serious problem on our hands."