CHAPTER 39

Even if Rhodes didn't awaken with the sun, Hela would still break the seal once more, employing dark magic to resurrect her previous army and launch the Battle of Ragnarok against Asgard.

Nonetheless, Rhodes remained determined to rescue Hela first.

Not having seen Hela for over two millennia, Rhodes felt a tinge of excitement.

All the days spent in Asgard flooded into Rhodes' mind.

"Wait for me. I'm here to save you, Hela."

With a mere thought, Rhodes traversed light years in an instant, descending rapidly upon Niflheim, the kingdom of death.

This Niflheim was an excess of the dead, ruled by Hela, the goddess of death.

Surprisingly, God King Odin had sealed Hela here.

Rhodes surveyed the exceedingly dark and desolate Niflheim surrounding him.

Silence reigned, and the gray mist rendered everything indistinct. Occasionally, mournful cries of lost souls echoed, and translucent phantoms flickered through the mist.

It appeared terrifying, but Rhodes' current power surpassed comprehension, leaving him unafraid.

Rhodes advanced toward the altar sealing Hela, step by step.

The surrounding gray mist thickened as many lost souls detected Rhodes, a living being, and sought to approach him.

The gray mist swelled with the presence of these lost souls, becoming as thick as a liquid.

However, Rhodes radiated a faint golden aura from head to toe, instilling a potent sense of dread. The sunlight's radiance terrified the Niflheim dead souls. They dared only to observe Rhodes from afar, hesitant to approach.

Rhodes paid no heed to these lost souls and continued toward the altar imprisoning Hela.

The gray mist within a hundred feet of Rhodes dissipated like spring snow melting.

In due course, Rhodes reached a colossal altar concealed within the forest, free of the deathly fog.

Hundreds of immense stone pillars surrounded the altar, bearing God King Odin's divine essence, warding off any lost souls.

Rhodes ascended the lengthy stone steps with care.

For some reason, upon realizing his imminent reunion with Hela, Rhodes suddenly felt tense, even though he couldn't comprehend why.

Rhodes gazed upon the sealing altar before him, larger than a square, adorned with inscriptions pulsating with godly energy.

Rhodes carefully regulated his power, extending his finger to tap the sealing altar lightly.

A golden beam of light struck the altar.

Even before Rhodes' light beam reached the altar's stone platform, a transparent light-blue barrier materialized, shielding it.

Rhodes smiled faintly.

"Is this Heimdall's handiwork? Interesting."

The sealing altar possessed a protective formation bestowed by Heimdall to prevent anyone from breaking it and releasing Hela. If Hela were set free, Heimdall's protective barrier would serve as an insurmountable moat.

However, for the current Rhodes, this was merely a joke.

Rhodes heightened his strength slightly, and Heimdall's protective circle shattered like glass.

Then Rhodes' beam connected with the altar.

Under Rhodes' beam of light, the altar's enchantment rapidly disintegrated.

Originally, the seal left on the altar was not formidable, and now, after Rhodes' assault, hundreds of stone pillars encircling the altar began to crumble.

The entire altar started to disintegrate, and the massive stone platform bore cracks, emitting dark energy.

"Ahh..."

A piercing scream emanated from the depths of the altar.

The formerly tranquil deathly fog in the vicinity grew agitated, as if the lost souls sensed the impending liberation of their goddess, Hela.

As the altar shook, numerous fragments were ejected from it.

Rhodes remained suspended in the air, watching as the altar beneath him crumbled and shattered, releasing the familiar power of Hela. A smile graced his lips.

As the altar utterly collapsed, a colossal wave of dark energy surged forth.

The surrounding deathly fog retreated, unwilling to confront Hela's dark aura directly.

Lost souls scrambled to escape in all directions, some unfortunate ones too close to the sealing altar were struck by the violent dark wave, dissolving into nothingness. It was evident that Hela had thoroughly vanquished them.

Rhodes stood still, patiently awaiting Hela's emergence.

In mere breaths of time, Hela sensed the attack on the seal and retaliated fiercely from within.

This time, the altar imprisoning Hela entirely exploded and crumbled.

A mass of darkness, akin to the universe itself, materialized, spiraling upward from the altar.

With continuous rotation and agitation, a graceful figure took shape.

Rhodes examined the figure closely—wasn't this the Hela he had yearned for all this time?

Rhodes called out, "Hela."

It seemed Rhodes' voice had alarmed Hela within the dark mass.

Upon spotting Rhodes, her reaction wasn't the expected reunion but rather a swift, black projectile hurtling toward him.

Rhodes was bewildered.

Why was Hela attacking him?

Could it be that Hela resented him for not saving her?

It shouldn't be the case, Rhodes had fought against God King Odin and others, and Hela must be aware. She shouldn't treat him like this.

Nevertheless, Hela didn't give Rhodes much time for contemplation.

Hela's terrifying black aura bore down on Rhodes rapidly.

Rhodes didn't evade, not out of guilt but because he understood that Hela's power was insufficient to harm him.

Even after dedicating more than two millennia to break the seal, Hela's abilities still paled in comparison to Rhodes' rapid growth.

Rhodes had surpassed Hela's strength long ago, both then and now.

He simply had no desire to harm her, at least until they had a chance to converse.

Rhodes extended his right hand to resist Hela's frenzied attack.

Hela's dark magic manifested as thorns, spears, swords, and even malevolent souls. Yet, upon meeting Rhodes' golden energy barrier, all these attacks dissolved into nothingness, thoroughly nullified.

Hela continued to roar and assail Rhodes relentlessly.

On her once noble and glamorous countenance, only ferocity and madness remained.

A trace of guilt flickered across Rhodes' face.

If he had resolved this matter over two millennia ago, Hela wouldn't have deteriorated like this.

This was all his fault.

Rhodes kept calling out, "Hela, it's me, Rhodes. Do you remember?"

"Rhodes?"

Upon hearing the name, Hela's expression momentarily froze, as if her memories of Rhodes were also returning.

She clutched her head, an expression of anguish on her face.

"Rhodes, who is Rhodes..."

"No..."

Hela's voice grew hoarse.

This deepened Rhodes' concern.

But he also grasped the issue—the seal seemed to have caused Hela to forget herself.

"If that's the case, let me restore your memory. You can't remain like this forever."

Rhodes extended his hand.

A golden halo soared toward Hela.

Hela still appeared dominated by intense emotions.

She launched a devastating attack, summoning a deluge of black energy waves at Rhodes. Despite his faint golden aura, the situation appeared precarious.

Rhodes felt like a small boat in a tempestuous sea, threatened with being torn asunder by Hela's dark energy at any moment.

However, Rhodes had no intention of retaliating.

The few golden rings he hurled resembled burning hoops of fire, effortlessly dispersing the relentless onslaught from Hela.

Not one of Hela's attacks could penetrate Rhodes' golden rings.

The black energy waves evaporated upon contact with the golden rings.

Hela continued to howl in fury, relentlessly attacking Rhode.

Even when her mind was lost, Hela still recognized the terrifying potency of Rhodes' golden rings.

Hela struggled and fought desperately, but her efforts were futile.

Rhodes' golden rings completely immobilized Hela's body.

As these four or five golden rings bound Hela's form tightly, the overwhelming black energy surrounding her vanished instantly.

Hela's body was locked in place by the golden rings. Though she continued to squirm, she was powerless.

Rhodes approached Hela in an instant, placing his hand on her head.

A golden radiance poured onto Hela.

Hela screamed in agony, but it didn't deter Rhodes.

Gradually, Rhodes began to restore Hela's memories.

With her past memories returning, Hela's sanity gradually reasserted itself.

She ceased her ferocious and frenzied assault.

At the same time, Rhodes replenished Hela's weakened physical strength. After enduring so many years in Niflheim's confinement, Hela had suffered greatly, becoming frail.

Observing Hela slowly regain her lost memories, Rhodes withdrew his hand.

After a brief pause, Hela opened her eyes.

The same mesmerizing, enigmatic eyes gazed back at him.