19
Chapter 19: Facing Death
In the gray sky, there was no trace of life, only a pervasive grayness and silence.
This was a dead world.
"Huh?" A cold voice seemed to come from the depths of the abyss.
A figure dressed in black with silver trim walked slowly, gazing indifferently at the unconscious Thor on the ground, unable to suppress a smirk—though the living standards in the divine realms are high, there's no need to be quite so self-righteous...
Has Asgard truly become so corrupt?
In reality, Thor had already regained consciousness, and the first thing he heard was the voice of Mr. System.
"Beep, congratulations to the host for triggering Hela's exclusive mission: Facing Death. As the eldest princess of Asgard, Hela will reclaim everything she lost in the future. Now, let's begin the first round early!"
"Mission Objective: Face Death. Do not use external means to stay alive in Hela's presence.
Mission Reward: Passive Skill: Death Resistance - In any case, time will rewind after death, and the host will return for a certain period of time if the host retains the memory. This period should not exceed fifteen minutes. Enemies with high strength may notice it."
If Thor were still strong, he could at least try to struggle, as Hela had not yet returned to Asgard.
But now, Thor was just a powerful mortal.
Although the system had rewarded him with enhanced abilities, he still had no chance of winning.
Should he use his trump cards? Three Infinity Stone experience tokens flashed in Thor's mind.
Power Stone! Space Stone! Soul Stone!
The Power Stone experience token would allow him to activate the full power of the Stone once, and the Space Stone would let him teleport randomly once—both could save him from the crisis, but would result in mission failure.
No, perhaps it can still be salvaged.
Thor gathered his emotions before slowly "waking up."
Hela's appearance was quite distinctive; after all, she had the same face as the elven queen. Unfortunately, her witch-like disheveled black hair and smoky makeup made her look rather menacing.
Thor took a glance and displayed a puzzled expression. His face then shifted to one of excitement: "Sister?!"
Hela paused, her understanding of Odin suggesting that he would inevitably hide and obscure this history. In Asgard now, apart from Odin and Frigga, almost no one would know of her existence, and it was unlikely that they would tell others.
Thor continued excitedly, "Sister, it's great that you're alive! I always thought you were dead!"
"Stop, stop!" Hela, clearly unaccustomed to such an emotional reunion, interrupted immediately. "I will ask the questions, you will answer. If you don't cooperate, no amount of pleading will help. If I'm pleased, I may grant you a chance to serve me."
Kneeling and flattering? That will never happen!
Thor complained inwardly.
First of all, how do you know me? Didn't Odin conceal my existence? Hela's cold voice responded.
"No, you've never appeared in Asgardian history. I saw you in an ancient tome. I asked my father about you, and he reprimanded me, instructing me never to mention it again. Later, my mother confirmed your existence, but she didn't reveal your whereabouts."
Hela sneered, "As expected. Now, the next question: why are you here?"
Thor's identity was clear to Hela, and she could naturally see the seal placed on him.
Thor's expression shifted to one of excitement and anger: "Because I defied him! The enemy had already attacked the palace, yet my father still wished to resolve the issue through negotiations! So, I took it upon myself to wage war against the Jotunheim Giants.
Had my father not interfered, I would have resolved everything.
It was time for the universe to remember the name Asgard, but my father still clings to that hypocritical notion of benevolence! So, I was exiled because defending the people through warfare is no longer acceptable!"
The more Thor spoke, the more fervent he became. Usually, he would put on a facade, but now he was expressing his true feelings.
War is indeed brutal, but in many cases, blindly avoiding conflict does not bring true peace; it only encourages the enemy to test the boundaries repeatedly.
From what he knew, the Frost Giants would not appreciate Odin's kindness, and in the future, Laufey would attempt to assassinate Odin, only to be thwarted by Loki at the last moment.
While Thor could not support Hela's militarism, he also disagreed with Odin's appeasement policy. Both were too extreme.
Only those who are willing to fight can secure peace!