122

Chapter 122: The Power of Hela

Thor wasn't too worried.

The Jötuns, at their current strength, were little more than insignificant nuisances. Odin could have dispatched them with ease, much like how he handled weaker foes in the past.

Without the Casket of Ancient Winters, the Jötuns were like Surtur without the Eternal Flame, losing their edge without their icy advantage. Even Loki, who was quite capable in the original storyline, would have had difficulty against them without surprise on his side.

Thor felt a pressing need to return because Loki had been up to a lot lately. His actions had deviated from expectations, and it was time for a reality check...

Besides, he had been away for long enough. It was time to return.

Before heading back, he made plans to stop by the manor...

While Thor was flying through the skies, he remained unaware that Hela had also made her way to Asgard. Had he known, his calm demeanor might have faltered.

Asgard was currently in chaos.

At the entrance of Bifrost, a horde of Jötuns poured out, catching the Asgardian warriors off guard. They were unable to mount a proper defense due to their surprise.

If Heimdallr, the Guardian of the Bifrost, had been present, he could have managed the situation. Unfortunately, Heimdallr was assigned to another planet to cultivate potatoes as punishment for his refusal to side with Loki. Skurge, who was in charge of Bifrost in his absence, was fleeing faster than Loki...

A squad of guards stationed at the gate was quickly overwhelmed by Laufey's forces.

Asgard had not been attacked for many years. Now, with Laufey and his allies appearing, even though their size had diminished due to the rising temperature, their excitement was palpable.

"Odin is in Odin's Sleep, and this is our best chance. It might be our only chance!"

Laufey looked at Loki, who was hiding behind three Asgardian warriors, and sneered: "Is this all that remains of Asgard's defenders?"

He felt a sense of accomplishment, thinking that after the fall of Earth, it was now easy to take down these weakened Asgardians.

Laufey scanned the area but found no special threats and felt elated. "Remember, the one who kills you will be the King of the Jötuns—Laufey!"

Loki was contemplating whether to turn back when another indifferent voice echoed through the hall.

"Yes?"

Inside the Golden Hall, in Odin's chambers, Odin's eyes snapped open before closing slowly, as if nothing had happened.

Yet, a faint divine radiance emanated from his hand, as if preparing for a powerful strike at any moment.

Simultaneously, in the dimly lit palace treasury, the Destroyer armor began to stir.

Frigga, observing the stir, appeared anxious.

The Jötuns were nothing more than street-level threats and could be used as fodder to upgrade Thor...

The real concern was Hela.

"Who's that?"

The Jötuns turned in unison to see a figure enveloped in dark green light emerging from Bifrost.

Hela took a deep breath, and the aura of death surrounding her intensified visibly.

Returning to Asgard after countless years, her power surged rapidly.

"Even if Asgard is in disarray, it is not something a group of monsters, neither human nor ghost, can easily conquer. Not eliminating you all back then was a grave mistake."

Hela displayed a disdainful smile.

Laufey studied Hela with a grim expression, sensing some familiarity but unable to place her immediately.

However, recognizing her hostility, he issued the gravest command of his life: "Kill her!"

"I'd be delighted."

Hela smiled with a deathly grin, brushing her hair aside as black spikes emerged from her collar.

Even on Earth, Hela could effortlessly crush a top artifact like Mjölnir. In Asgard, her full strength turned her into a relentless force of destruction.

As the Goddess of Death, she lived up to her name.

Hela showcased her prowess with a Marvel version of an endless sword attack, sending numerous black blades flying and slicing through the Jötuns with ease. The once-tough Jötuns fell before her as if their skin were made of paper, with several being skewered in one strike.

Her efficiency and the flurry of black blades made her seem like a sword-wielding specter from a neighboring realm.

"You... you are..."

In the blink of an eye, Laufey, the once-mighty King of the Jötuns who had previously attacked Odin, found himself restrained and pierced by Hela's blades.

Hela's scornful tone cut through the air: "Remember, the one who ended you was Hela, the Goddess of Death!"

With a final, piercing strike, Laufey, the powerful King of Jötuns, was impaled through the heart, his final moments marked by intense reluctance and fear.

Seemingly recalling something, Hela waved her hand, and dark green energy spread from her, consuming Laufey's body.

Soon, Laufey's flesh and muscle dissolved, revealing a skeleton with faint green lights glowing from its eyes.

"Still too weak..."

Hela sighed, her disappointment evident, and dismissed the skeletal remains.

Turning her gaze towards the stunned Asgardians, including the three warriors, she saw them retreating in fear.

This woman was too formidable. She had decimated so many Jötuns in minutes, proving she could obliterate Asgard's defenses in no time. Unless...

Unless the slumbering Odin intervened, the ordinary Asgardian soldiers were nothing more than mere fodder. With their sparse numbers, they couldn't employ crowd tactics effectively.

On Earth, Thor's strength was underestimated, and faced with Hela's current power, they were swiftly outmatched.

---