Deep in the forests of Asgard, Heimdall was leading a group of rebel warriors hiding inside a massive cave.
At this moment, their faces were filled with fear and tension. As Asgardians, they were always the ones invading and conquering others. Never before had they been the ones invaded.
Their anger mixed with helplessness, and all of them felt humiliated. This was nothing less than the disgrace of Asgard itself.
"What should we do now?" one of them asked. Everyone turned their eyes to Heimdall.
With Thor missing, Heimdall was the strongest among them. And the weak always follow the strong. Naturally, their only hope was placed on him, treating him as their pillar of support.
Hearing this, Heimdall hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Hela is far too powerful. With our strength alone, it is impossible to fight against her undead army. If we force ourselves into battle now, it will only be suicide."
"We know that already, but outside, our fellow Asgardians are being slaughtered. As warriors, are we supposed to just stand by and watch?" Fandral said anxiously.
"We need allies, reinforcements, a leader!" Sif said firmly as she looked around at everyone.
"Our leader is Thor, but even Thor was crushed by that woman. We don't even know if he's alive or dead." The moment Thor's name came up, everyone's expression turned sorrowful.
Their king had been crushed and thrown into the cosmic abyss right before their eyes. The pain of that memory was unbearable.
Heimdall finally spoke with a heavy tone, "We still have one chance. Long ago, when the All-Father was alive, he told me that if we ever faced disaster, we could turn to a certain being for help. The Lord of Life once made an agreement with Odin. He will not ignore us."
As Asgardians, considered gods by mortals on Earth, they carried pride and arrogance. Heimdall too had always been proud. Back then, he thought it humiliating that Odin, the mighty All-Father, would humble himself before someone he saw as just a mortal named Phils. Heimdall had been unwilling to accept it.
But now, reality proved Odin right. That deal with the Lord of Life had been a wise decision.
They had indeed fallen into a desperate situation, one just as the old prophecy had foretold. Without help, Asgard would fall completely into Hela's grasp. For warriors who had sworn loyalty to Odin, this was unacceptable.
No matter how he once thought, Heimdall now knew the truth. The only one who could save Asgard was the Lord of Life.
"Yes, the Lord of Life. Even the All-Father respected him. His power is unquestionable. If he helps us, Asgard can survive this crisis."
"That's right, only the Lord of Life can save us. What are we waiting for? Let us pray!" Sif exclaimed with renewed determination.
"Then let's do it!" Fandral, strong as a bear, was the first to kneel.
The others soon followed.
In the past, no Asgardian warrior would ever kneel. Not even death could make them surrender their pride. To kneel was to surrender their dignity as warriors. They only knelt before their king, never to anyone else.
But now, with Asgard on the brink of destruction, pride and dignity no longer mattered. Survival of their realm came first.
Besides, becoming a follower of the Lord of Life was no disgrace. Even Odin, their All-Father, had bowed before him. To serve such a being was an honor.
"Great Lord of Life, You are the ruler of existence, Your divine might supreme!"
"May Your power be eternal, and Your flame never die!"
"We are children of Asgard and Your faithful believers. Now our realm suffers. We beg You, protect Your humble followers and save Asgard!"
Heimdall led the prayer, and behind him, the others shouted in unison,
"Great Lord of Life, we beg You, protect Your humble followers and save Asgard!"
They waited, tense and hopeful, for His divine power to descend.
Meanwhile, as Asgard fell deeper into peril…
Far away, on the distant planet Sakaar, the scene was one of noisy celebration.
Sakaar had once been nothing but a dumping ground for advanced civilizations. A garbage planet. That all changed when the Grandmaster arrived.
The Grandmaster was an Elder of the Universe, who had lived for countless ages. His power was immense, rivaling even the All-Father himself.
With his presence, Sakaar was transformed into a lawless land, a gambler's paradise where everything could become a wager. The most popular form of entertainment was the gladiatorial battles in the arena.
Every day, the Grandmaster released fighters to clash in battles of life and death, while the crowd placed bets. Some left rich, others left ruined.
Because of this, gladiators became the most precious resource on Sakaar. And with that, a profession emerged: scavenger hunters, who specialized in capturing fighters for the arena.
That day, a wormhole on Sakaar opened as usual. Suddenly, a man in a red cape came crashing down from it.
The scavenger hunters waiting nearby lit up with excitement and quickly piloted their ships to surround him.
"Blah blah blah…" they spoke in a strange language he didn't understand, glaring at him.
The man, dazed from his fall, struggled to his feet. Looking at their bizarre armor and weapons, he was confused.
"Hey, hello there. My name is Thor, from Asgard. Can you tell me where I am, and who you are?" he asked while brushing himself off.
Yes, this man was none other than Thor, who had been kicked into the abyss by Hela.
But instead of an answer, the scavengers attacked, firing strange bio-toxin shots at him.
Struck before he could react, Thor's whole body convulsed as if electrocuted. He collapsed to the ground, twitching miserably.
"This one's tough. A normal man would be unconscious by now, but he's still awake. This is top-grade merchandise. He'll sell for a good price in the arena," one of the hunters said.
Their leader nodded. "Yes, we've struck gold this time. Tie him up and sell him quickly!"
The group rushed forward with ropes.
But before they could bind Thor, a sleek ship descended. A woman stepped out, drinking from a bottle of liquor as she walked toward them.
She wore silver-white battle armor, like a warrior from an ancient temple, exuding both beauty and danger.
The scavengers frowned. Another hunter, clearly.
"Get lost. First come, first served!" their leader snarled.
The woman smirked and hurled her bottle, smashing it against his face. "There's no first come, first served here. Only the strongest wins. Trash like you don't deserve such high-quality prey."
"Damn you!" the leader roared, raising his weapon.
But before he could fire, a beam of energy from her gun reduced him to bloody chunks.
Seeing their boss obliterated in an instant, the others screamed and fled in panic.
By now, Thor was recovering from the toxin. He staggered to his feet and said gratefully, "Thank you for saving me. Can you tell me where I am?"
The woman looked him over and smirked. "Not bad. You recovered quickly. Interesting."
"…." Thor's face darkened.
"I need to know where I am. Asgard is in danger. I must return home!"
But instead of helping, she calmly raised her weapon and shot him again. A much larger dose of toxin surged through his body, knocking him unconscious.
As he collapsed, Thor faintly cursed, "F…k!!"
The woman sneered. "No man talks to me like that and lives. You're asking for death."
She dragged Thor like a sack of meat into her ship, then flew off toward a city glowing with lights.
That city was Sakaar's capital, the heart of its chaos. Here, the strong lived in luxury while the weak were entertainment for the masses.
At the center of the city stood the grand arena. Today, the stadium roared with cheers and whistles for its fighters.
Two combatants walked out: a towering fire giant and a massive green-skinned man.
That green giant was none other than Bruce Banner, who had left Earth aboard a Quinjet. But now, he was no longer Banner. He was fully the Hulk.
Standing over three meters tall, Hulk was terrifying among mortals. Yet, beside the fire giant, he looked almost small.
The crowd roared in frenzy, chanting his name.
"Hulk! Hulk! Hulk!"
Hulk had become their champion, undefeated in battle, the pride of the arena. For Sakaar, a world of warriors, he was the perfect idol.
"Look at that! A challenger even taller than Hulk. This will be fun!"
"Size means nothing. Hulk has beaten giants before. My bet's on him again!"
"Same here. Hulk is invincible!"
The spectators were not just fans but gamblers. Victory or defeat meant fortunes won or lost. This was Sakaar's way.
"You have twenty seconds left to place your bets. Once the match begins, no more wagers!" announced the arena's host, his massive hologram towering over the fighters.
The crowd shouted excitedly as they placed their bets. And of course, most of them chose the one they all believed in.
The undefeated champion.
The Hulk.
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