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Chapter: The Eve of the Battle

It had only been a few hours since Frigga decided to reveal Hela's history, and most people still did not know her.

The mere presence of the deathly aura emanating from Hela made it instinctively difficult for the Asgardians to warm to her.

In the square of Asgard, Hela looked at the approaching troops and declared loudly, "I see that many of you still do not know who I am."

"I am Hela, the firstborn of Odin, commander of the Asgardian legions, the rightful heir to the throne, and the goddess of death."

"Odin is dead. Soon, I will reclaim my throne by the ancient law of dueling."

"We were once a symbol of unparalleled power in the universe, and no one dared challenge our authority, but Odin's rule in the Nine Realms has stopped our destiny."

"I have returned to restore our glory and make the universe tremble before us once again!"

The anticipated cheers did not materialize, and only vigilant eyes regarded her.

"..."

It was as if a crow had flown over Hela's head...

However, Heimdallr had informed the three warriors immediately, so the soldiers did not act recklessly.

Hela did not take any action either.

In her view, these soldiers were her assets for conquering the universe when she took the throne.

No matter how powerful one is, they cannot lead an army without soldiers, right?

Although she could resurrect the fallen and form an undead army, the fighting strength of such skeleton soldiers is rather unimpressive; a burst of bullets could easily take them down.

Though imposing, skull tactics would hardly be effective...

Fandral spoke up before the soldiers, "No matter who you are, even if you are the daughter of the former king and the former heir, until you truly seize the throne, His Majesty Thor is our only king."

Although his tone was sharp, it was not hostile.

Hela understood the implication—if she could indeed defeat Thor, they would accept her as queen. If not, she would be rejected!

It was clear that they had great confidence in Thor's strength, believing that once they witnessed her abilities, they would be won over.

In reality, if she did prevail, Thor would not oppose her but would help Hela control Asgard to prevent further conflict.

Determined to defeat Thanos, if Hela proved too challenging even in 2017, it would be better to resign.

The duel was scheduled for three days later.

On the surface, Hela's strength was still slowly recovering, and the more time passed, the better it would be for her.

The problem was that she had already sensed that Thor's prestige was much higher than she had anticipated, and the people of Asgard were more inclined to support him.

If the situation dragged on, even if she succeeded in claiming the throne, many would still see Thor as their true king, which would hinder her control over Asgard.

She could exploit Asgard's warlike nature, inspiring them with promises of glory and world conquest, but Thor was not a passive king.

Hela's reputation had been buried by Odin, and even if rediscovered now, it would be perceived as mere legend to most.

In contrast, many Asgardians had witnessed Thor's remarkable deeds.

Whether it was defeating the Dark Elves or repelling Thanos, these events had happened recently.

Even Loki's past achievement of defeating the Jotunheim giants was notable!

Another important factor was that with Odin's death, Thor, as the new king, would also experience a rapid increase in strength with power of asgard ( odin force).

"A duel to decide the rightful ruler?"

Natalia smiled with interest. "Why do some races, despite having advanced technology and political systems, still resort to the most primitive methods to determine their leaders?"

"Like Wakanda," Skye added.

"No, it's not the same as Wakanda," Thor responded with a smile. "I will win."

The succession ceremony was postponed until after the duel.

Thor brought the women back to Asgard in advance. How could they miss such a significant event in their lives?

In his opinion, there was no suspense in this duel; it was merely a formality to convince Hela.

"How is the situation on Earth?" Thor asked suddenly.

"It hasn't completely recovered, but it's much better than it was a few months ago," Peggy Carter replied with a smile. "At least the captain's appeal still holds sway. After a few public addresses, there have been no riots."

Thor chuckled. The unrest had likely been stirred up by Kingpin's interference!