The figure that appeared was none other than Loki, who had escaped from the dungeon not long ago.
"It's the first time I've ever seen Heimdall in such a panic. Where is he rushing off to, so hurried that he even forgot the Sword of the Guardian?" Loki's eyes narrowed with curiosity as he stared at the blade stuck into the control panel of the Bifrost.
The Guardian Sword was the key to activating the Rainbow Bridge. Under normal circumstances, Heimdall would never abandon it.
Yet the impossible had happened. That meant Heimdall must have sensed something so terrifying it made even him uneasy.
What could unsettle Heimdall to this extent?
"Could it be... the prophecy?" Loki muttered, his face filled with shock.
At that moment, a thick aura of death seeped in through a hidden spatial crack in Asgard.
The energy was overwhelming, like a tidal wave crashing across the starry heavens, shaking all who felt it. Every Asgardian with a bit of power immediately sensed its arrival.
Clearly, the owner of this aura had no intention of hiding it. This was an open invasion.
The intruder was none other than Hela, Goddess of Death.
As one who once ruled Asgard, no one understood it better than she did. While others needed the Rainbow Bridge to enter, she had other ways. She could pass through the secret cracks in Asgard's space itself.
Only a handful could manage this. Other than her, the only one was Loki.
Of course, Loki had never known this before. Feeling that overwhelming aura pour in through the rift, his face turned pale with shock.
"Who is it? Such vicious and cruel energy, and they know about Asgard's hidden cracks?" Loki whispered in disbelief.
Even as he spoke, the deathly aura surged toward him at terrifying speed. Alarmed, he quickly hid himself.
Moments later, a woman in a green cloak strode into the chamber. It was unmistakably Hela.
"Ah, such familiar air, so nostalgic," Hela said with a sly smile, inhaling deeply.
She moved slowly toward the Guardian Sword, glancing at it with a mocking grin. "So careless, leaving this unguarded. Or... did you leave it here on purpose?"
Her gaze turned toward the place where Loki was hiding.
With a casual wave of her hand, a blade of dark energy shot toward him.
Loki, horrified, dropped his invisibility. His scepter clashed with Hela's blade, but the impact hurled him backward, smashing him into the wall. He looked utterly battered.
"So you're the negligent gatekeeper? Somehow you don't look the part. You carry an unpleasant stench. State your name," Hela demanded, towering over him like a queen.
Loki straightened, his pride flaring. "I am son of the All-Father, the new King of Asgard, Loki!"
"Son of Odin? King of Asgard? You?" Hela sneered. "Since when did Odin have such a pitiful son? You don't even share his blood. Do you think you can pretend to be my brother so easily?"
In an instant, she appeared before him and seized his throat, lifting him effortlessly like a chicken. Loki, the trickster god, was powerless in her grip.
"Sister… Sister!" Loki gasped, eyes wide with disbelief. Never had he imagined he and Thor had an older sister. Neither Odin nor Frigga had ever spoken of her.
"A lowly frost giant dares to strut about in the realm of gods? This is the result of Odin's reign? Pathetic. Truly disappointing. It is time the Nine Realms once again tremble before Asgard!" Hela's eyes blazed as she tightened her grip, ready to kill him.
But a bolt of lightning struck her hand, forcing her to release Loki. Thor and his warriors arrived in a crack of thunder.
Hela smirked as she turned to face him. "The purest Asgardian blood, the strongest aura. So, you must be the new king. My brother."
Thor's face darkened. The pressure radiating from her was overwhelming, beyond anything he had felt before. He sensed the truth in her words. The blood connection was undeniable.
But disbelief weighed on him. An older sister, hidden all this time? It was almost too much to accept.
"I've never heard of you. Who are you really?" Thor asked grimly.
"Never heard of me? Of course not. Odin sealed me away, erased me from history. Cold, ruthless Odin. Yet it was I who conquered the Nine Realms for him! Does he truly think he can bury me in the past?" Fury burned in her eyes.
She gripped the Guardian Sword and twisted. The Bifrost flared, linking Asgard to Hel.
Ragnarök had begun.
"What are you doing? Stop!" Thor shouted, hurling Mjolnir at her.
But Hela caught the hammer with one hand.
"This worthless scrap of metal is what you treasure so dearly?" she scoffed, and with a squeeze, shattered it.
The sound of Mjolnir breaking echoed like thunder in Thor's soul, leaving him trembling in disbelief.
"Impossible…" Thor whispered, his heart in ruins.
"My dear brother, is this the extent of your power? You are unfit to rule Asgard. That throne belongs to me!" Hela's aura crashed down on him, suffocating.
Thor roared and struck with his fist, but she crushed his hand with ease, leaving him screaming in pain.
"You cannot win. I forged this realm through blood and fire. What claim do you have to sit upon its throne?" she mocked, then kicked him with such force that he was flung into the abyss of space.
Loki watched, horrified, realizing Hela's strength rivaled even the Envoy of the Lord of Life. She was beyond anything he could handle. The throne of Asgard? Perhaps that could wait. Better to live first.
Ever the survivor, Loki raised his hands and smiled ingratiatingly. "All hail the new Queen of Asgard. I fully support your reign."
But Hela only sneered. "Lowly frost giant. I need no approval from you. Die!"
Before Loki could react, she lunged for him again. But the Loki before her dissolved into an illusion. The real Loki had already thrown himself onto the Rainbow Bridge, fleeing.
His defiant cry echoed back. "I'll be back!"
Hela curled her lip in disdain. "Despicable creature. Next time, I'll kill you."
She turned to Heimdall and the others. "Your king is gone. I am your queen now. Kneel, or die."
Heimdall responded with a grim spell, opening a portal. Most of the warriors escaped through it. Only Skurge remained, kneeling before Hela and pledging loyalty.
She accepted with satisfaction, then ordered her undead army to hunt down the fleeing Asgardians. The horde swept across the city like a storm of death.
Asgard, once radiant and divine, became a slaughterhouse. Screams filled the air as prophecy was fulfilled. This was the twilight of the gods.
The proud Asgardians, once worshiped as deities, now faced despair like mortals. When humanity suffered, they could pray to the gods. But when gods themselves suffered, to whom could they pray?
The answer was clear. There was only one being even gods had to look up to.
The Lord of Life.
Hey guys! If you liked this chapter, please consider supporting with power stone, or join my Patreon for new chapters ahead of the webnovel.
Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations