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In the moments that followed, it was one of the most glorious moments for the God of Thunder. His body was enveloped in lightning, every move and gesture accompanied by crackling electricity. On the Rainbow Bridge, he was unstoppable, leaving no enemy standing.
Valkyrie, Loki, Heimdall, and the others gradually gained the upper hand in the battle, driving the skeleton soldiers into retreat.
Seeing this scene, Asgard's traitor, Skurge, promptly threw down his weapons and draped a tattered blanket over himself, blending into the crowd of Asgardians. He began making his way toward the large spaceship that Loki had brought.
"You're late," Thor broke through the enemies and reunited with Loki.
"You lost an eye," Loki quickly noticed the difference on Thor.
"The battle isn't over yet," Valkyrie, sword in hand, walked past the two siblings. They turned to see someone still standing on the rainbow bridge – Hela, who had been sent flying by Thor's lightning.
"I think we should disband the Avengers," Thor, double-bladed sword in hand, said to Valkyrie.
"Continue zapping her with lightning," Loki pointed toward Hela on the opposite side.
"I just hit her with the most intense lightning ever, and she emerged unscathed," Thor replied with some frustration.
"We just need to keep her occupied and ensure everyone gets on the ship safely," Valkyrie, watching Hela approach step by step, had abandoned any notions of defeating her.
"It's not that simple," Thor shook his head. "The longer Hela stays in Asgard, the stronger she becomes. She'll keep hunting us. We have to deal with her here."
"What should we do then?" Valkyrie asked.
"I'm not playing the 'save me' game anymore," Loki quickly declared.
"Asgard isn't just a place; it's its people," Thor turned his gaze to the crowd evacuating onto the ship. He then turned to Loki. "Loki, our goal isn't to prevent Ragnarok; it's to ensure Ragnarok happens smoothly. We need to go to the Vault on the Ground, use Surtur's Crown. It's the only way."
"That's quite a crazy idea, brother. Even I find it insane," Loki didn't object, immediately turning to leave.
"I never thought that I, Thor, would be the one to trigger Ragnarok," Stephen Strange couldn't help but comment.
"If not for the video reveal, we would have never imagined," Steve Rogers added. "Thor fought so hard to save Asgard, only to end up destroying it with his own hands."
"It seems to be the only way," Clint Barton said. "Hela is just too powerful, beyond what Thor and the Valkyrie can handle, and Hulk is busy fighting the giant wolf on the other side."
"Asgard isn't just a place; it's its people?" Loki looked at Thor. "I never expected to hear such profound words from you, big brother."
"What's wrong with me saying that? Am I not also quite wise?" Thor replied. "Is that the reason I'm creating an Asgardian village on Earth? Regardless of location, if Asgard's people are present, then that place is Asgard."
"That Asgardian village on Earth might still be Asgard, but the Thunder God is no longer the Thunder God," Tony Stark gestured in front of Thor's belly. "All I see is a big-bellied pregnant person, oh no, pregnant man."
"Stark, can you not bring this up?" Thor's face turned dark, "It has nothing to do with our current discussion!"
"Alright, let's get back on track," Tony Stark continued. "Even though Loki brought a ship to evacuate Asgard's people, their fate still remains unfortunate. The earlier video showed Thanos slaughtering Asgardians, killing Loki, and stealing the Tesseract on this very ship, right?"
"Most likely," Thor's expression darkened further. Just the thought of that scene, especially Loki dying in front of him, stirred up his anger beyond control.
"Thanos' target was actually the Space Stone, not killing. When he finally took the Stone, he could have killed Thor, but he didn't. That alone speaks volumes," Scott Lang said. "If Thor and the others had delayed a bit, Thanos would have gone to Asgard for the Stone. Would Surtur have taken down Thanos along with him?"
"You're underestimating Thanos," Loki shook his head. "While Surtur is powerful, it's unlikely he could take on both Hela and Thanos simultaneously."
"True, especially since Thanos already had one of the Infinity Stones by that point," Thor added. "If he had reached Asgard, who knows if Ragnarok could even be prevented? It's uncertain."
"I'm quite looking forward to that scene," Loki grinned. "Surtur, Thanos, Hela – the three of them are no friends. How will their dynamics play out? A two-against-one scenario? Each fighting independently? Thanos and Hela teaming up against Surtur? Or maybe while Thanos battles Surtur, Hela shoots arrows from behind? Oh, the infinite possibilities, it's exciting just to think about."
"I must say, Ragnarok makes me reconsider the concept of 'destiny,'" Stephen Strange said. "Thor tried to prevent Ragnarok by killing Surtur and bringing back his crown. Yet, in the end, he had to facilitate Ragnarok with his own hands."
"That's quite unsettling if you put it that way," Scott Lang said. "If Thor wasn't trying to prevent Ragnarok, he wouldn't have killed Surtur, and he wouldn't have brought back the crown to Asgard. Look at it this way – his attempt to prevent it is what ultimately led to its occurrence. Destiny indeed."
"So, destiny is...?" Natasha Romanoff began.
"Because they tried to prevent it, it happened. If they hadn't, it might still have happened, perhaps in a different way – like Surtur personally attacking Asgard," Stephen Strange explained.
"That's quite possible. Given that Thor had attempted to kill Surtur before, it indicates that Odin didn't deal with him 500,000 years ago. Surtur was still alive, and if he's alive, he would certainly have posed a threat to Asgard," Clint Barton added.
"Whether they prevent it or not, it happens. If they prevent it, it happens faster," Scott Lang said. "Scary."
"Destiny, huh..." Thor frowned, reflecting on the words of his companions, on what his father had said before.
The video continued playing.
"Shall we go?" Thor looked at Valkyrie after Loki left.
"After you," Valkyrie courteously deferred.
Thor was surrounded by lightning once more, his eyes crackling with electricity, as he charged at Hela. Valkyrie followed suit, brandishing her sword.
But Hela's power was overwhelming, and even with the mighty Thor and the Valkyrie's assistance, they were no match for her.
Thankfully, the people of Asgard were all aboard the spaceship. Thor turned to Heimdall and shouted, "Go! Get out of here!"
Perhaps his shout served as a warning, as Hela raised both her hands. A massive spike emerged from the water, impaling the spaceship's hull, causing it to come to a standstill.
Skeleton soldiers climbed up the spike and began slaughtering the Asgardian civilians on the ship. A few warriors tried to fight back but were swiftly cut down.
Skurge, the traitor who had sided with Hela from the beginning, made an unexpected move.
He revealed his weapon in public!
Two submachine guns!
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
Bullets rained down on the skeleton soldiers invading the ship, instantly killing several.
"For Asgard!" Skurge shouted, leaping off the ship.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
In midair, he fired his guns downward, breaking the spike holding the ship in place, allowing it to ascend once more.
"Hela!" Standing on the Rainbow Bridge, he looked up at the ship rising higher and higher. Skurge roared at Hela.
Squelch!
Hela hadn't even moved a step. From a distance, she extended her hand, and a sword impaled Skurge's chest.
One can only say that Skurge had the courage to confront Hela head-on, which is commendable, but he shouldn't have charged in like that. It was simply suicide, a pointless sacrifice that wouldn't even make a ripple.
Loki's journey to the underground vault went remarkably smoothly, and he effortlessly acquired Surtur's crown.
As he held the crown, he noticed a crystal-clear blue cube, the Tesseract, also known as the Space Stone.
"With the eternal flame as your companion, may you be reborn in this moment," Loki placed the crown into the roaring flames of the eternal fire.
"It's definitely Loki!" Tony Stark exclaimed upon seeing this.
"What's that supposed to mean? Iron Man, are you trying to provoke me again?" Loki retorted. "Wasn't anyone curious when Thanos went to the spaceship to take the Tesseract? Why was the Tesseract on the ship?"
"Right!" Tony Stark's reminder snapped everyone back to attention. "The ship directly hovered above the Rainbow Bridge, picked up the Asgardians, and then flew away. Why was the Tesseract on the ship?"
"It's evident that Loki saw the Tesseract in the underground vault when he went for Surtur's crown and took it along on the spaceship," Stephen Strange explained.
"Witch, don't make baseless accusations," Loki retorted. "The video doesn't show that I took the Tesseract."
"Little brother, stop playing innocent. Only you went to the underground vault, so it must be you," Thor slapped Loki's shoulder. "I was touched by your attempt to save me from Thanos before, but now I feel nothing. If it wasn't for your greed taking the Tesseract, Thanos would have gone straight to Asgard, which would have been destroyed by Surtur. The Asgardian people on the ship, including yourself, wouldn't have died."
"People are standing by the river, how can they not get wet shoes?" Nick Fury chimed in. "Loki, you've schemed too many times, and now you've finally schemed yourself to death."
The video continued playing.
On the Rainbow Bridge, both Valkyrie and Thor were struggling, crawling on the ground from the beating they'd received.
"Hela, enough!" Thor swayed as he got back up. "Asgard is yours if that's what you want."
"What tricks do you think you can pull on me?" Hela advanced towards Thor step by step. "You're no match for me."
"I know," Thor smiled and pointed to the flaming city behind him. "But he is."
"Roar!"
With a mighty roar, a colossal fire giant appeared before them, wielding a massive flaming sword.
"No!" Hela's face immediately changed upon seeing Surtur.
Taking advantage of Hela's momentary distraction, Valkyrie launched herself into the air, kicking Hela to the ground. Thor summoned a massive bolt of lightning that struck Hela with such force that it shattered the Rainbow Bridge, sending her plunging into the water.
"Tremble before me, Asgard! I have come to settle the score," Surtur roared, swinging his sword wildly.
"The people are safe, that's what matters most," Valkyrie looked up at the spaceship and spoke.
"We've finally fulfilled the prophecy," Thor said as he watched Surtur wield his sword against Asgard.
"I hate this prophecy," Valkyrie remarked.
"I do too, but we have no choice. Surtur has to finish this; otherwise..." Thor was interrupted by a loud roar. A green "little guy" had jumped onto Surtur's head and was smashing him with mighty blows.
"Hulk! Stop! You idiot!" Thor didn't know what to say. He had finally come up with a plan to deal with Hela, but the Hulk started pummeling right away. Well, it really was "pummeling" this time.
However, these punches weren't at all weak. After a few blows, Surtur's crown cracked under the force.
Judging from this, a few more punches and that crown will be shattered.
Fortunately, Surtur's massive hand grabbed the Hulk in time and threw him off his head.
"Hulk! Stop!" Thor quickly intervened. "Listen to me this time, don't smash it!"
"But that's a big monster!" Hulk shrugged, looking like he hadn't had enough.
"Let's go!" Valkyrie suggested.
"Alright." Hulk grabbed Thor and Valkyrie with one hand each and jumped onto the spaceship.
Surtur had no interest in the spaceship; he was too busy wreaking havoc on Asgard. His flames and sword strikes caused immense destruction, reducing the entire city to ruins. The once-golden Asgard was now a roaring inferno.
Suddenly, a massive spike shot out from the water and pierced through Surtur's chest.
With a crash, Hela emerged from the water, continuously firing spikes at Surtur.
"I am Asgard's Doomsday!" Surtur laughed heartily, letting the spikes pierce him. He swung his flaming sword downwards, striking Hela.
Immediately, a massive explosion erupted, sending waves of flames in all directions, engulfing the entirety of Asgard.
On the spaceship, Thor, Loki, Hulk, and the others watched in silence.
"The extent of the damage isn't too severe. As long as the foundation is still solid, we can rebuild our homeland," the stone figure said. "This place will become a paradise envied by the entire universe."
Boom! As the stone figure's words faded, the entire Asgard exploded, turning into debris.
The glorious Asgard was gone.
"What have I done..." Thor muttered to himself.
"You saved everyone," Heimdall said. "Asgard isn't a place; it's its people."
The space darkened, and the video ended.
"So, based on the timeline, Surtur appeared before Thanos," Stephen Strange stated. "Now that Hela is in a thousand-year slumber, we don't have to worry about her invading Asgard for the time being. However, Thanos will certainly visit Asgard; after all, the Space Stone is there."
"How about we wait in Asgard and ambush Thanos?" Scott Lang suggested. "Thor, Tony, Hulk, Wanda, Stephen – the most powerful among us. Oh, and bring Carol back too. We'll all stay in Asgard and take on Thanos as a united force!"
"At that time, Thanos only had one Infinity Stone. With the combined power of Wanda, Stephen, Carol, Hulk, and the rest of us, I believe we can succeed," Clint Barton added. "Just like when we waited for Loki at the Tesseract."
"Then why not find out where Thanos got the Power Stone? Why not kill him before he obtained any of the stones?" James Rhodes questioned.
"Hahaha!" Loki burst into laughter, unable to contain himself.
"What's so funny?" Scott Lang asked.
"I'm laughing at your narrow-mindedness, at your baseless confidence," Loki pointed at them. "Do you really think Thanos is like me? You succeeded in ambushing me, so you think you can do the same to Thanos?"
"The Thanos in the video doesn't seem unbeatable," Natasha Romanoff added. "Based on how Wanda, Carol, Stephen, and the others fought against him, Thanos isn't much stronger than them. If they teamed up, he should be defeated."
"You're relying too heavily on this future video; that's not a good thing," Loki said. "I can assure you, even if you bring all those people you mentioned – Carol, Hulk, Stephen, and the rest – and ambush Thanos together, you still won't succeed. Do you believe me or not? Do you really think Thanos's reputation in the universe is just empty talk?"
"Loki is right," Thor shared Loki's view. "The battles shown in the video are one-sided; they only demonstrate a certain aspect of Thanos's abilities. We don't even know if what we've seen is his true strength. What if what we witnessed is only half of his true power?"
"Kids can stab adults to death when adults aren't paying attention. Would you then conclude that the kid is stronger than the adult based on the result of the kid killing the adult?" Loki retorted.
[Question Ten begins. Please be prepared.]
[Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, fled to Norway after violating the Sokovia Accords, where she received an email. Who sent her the email?]
[A. Yelena Belova]
[B. Melina Vostokoff]
[C. Alexei Shostakov]
[D. Dreykov]
If you answer this question correctly, you will receive an improved version of the arrow. If you answer incorrectly, one year will be deducted from your life span.
"Violating the Sokovia Accords refers to Natasha's actions in the final moments of the airport battle, when she helped Captain and the Winter Soldier escape from T'Challa," Scott Lang said after reading the question. "Natasha had to flee for doing just that. So, what would happen to people like me and Wanda, who directly helped Captain? What would be the consequences?"
"Probably ending up in prison," Wanda Maximoff replied.
"That's one of the funniest aspects of it all – locking up people with special abilities instead of having them protect the people and fight," Loki chuckled. "These weaklings are quite amusing."
"Looks like someone else is going to 'die and come back,'" Clint Barton told Natasha Romanoff. "Who would have thought that more than just HYDRA would possess that skill?"
"Yes, it seems so," Natasha Romanoff agreed.
"The Red Room?" Nick Fury inquired, knowing some of Natasha Romanoff's past.
"Everyone has a past they'd rather not talk about. For me, that past is the Red Room," Natasha Romanoff pointed at option D. "This Dreykov, he was the head of the Red Room. Before I joined S.H.I.E.L.D., Clint and I, we destroyed the Red Room and killed him. Well, it seems quite likely he didn't actually die."
"Natasha, the people mentioned in the options are probably unfamiliar to most. Could you give a brief introduction?" Clint Barton asked.
"In simple terms, options A, B, and C are my 'family members.' Yelena Belova is my 'sister.' Melina Vostokoff is my 'mother.' Alexei Shostakov is my 'father,'" Natasha Romanoff shrugged. "But in reality, my 'sister' and I have no blood relation. We were both trained killers from the Red Room. My 'father' and 'mother' weren't really married; they formed a temporary family for the sake of missions."
"So, who would send you an email?" Phil Coulson asked.
"Before seeing this question, there were two people I believed were dead. One is Dreykov, the head of the Red Room, and the other is my 'mother,' Melina Vostokoff. My 'sister,' I thought she was living a normal life after the Red Room was destroyed, but it seems not."
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[END OF CHAPTER]