Looking at Hela's displeased expression, Charles spoke, "Not now doesn't mean never. Your time hasn't come yet."
Hela, enraged, shouted, "When? A hundred years? A thousand years? Or do I have to wait until Odin dies?"
"When that time comes, do you think I'll still need your help?"
Inwardly, Charles thought, 'It really does have to wait until Odin dies, but I won't be telling her that.'
He then held up three fingers and said, "Three years. In no more than three years, I'll be able to take you away."
Hearing the time frame of three years, which felt like nothing after being imprisoned for over a thousand, Hela calmed down.
"What do I get in return?"
Charles replied, "Freedom, conquest, and bringing death to the worlds."
"As the goddess of death of Asgard, I will ensure your dominion over death extends beyond Asgard to every world we conquer."
Hela nodded in agreement. Expanding her dominion over death would greatly enhance her power.
Seeing her agree, Charles said, "Then my business is settled. Now, maybe we should talk about Odin's request."
Intrigued, Hela asked, "What did he ask you to do?"
Charles responded, "Which do you think is more important, conquering the universe or conquering Asgard?"
Hela looked at him and said, "Both are important. Controlling Asgard makes conquering the universe much easier."
"Asgard has the Einherjar, Valkyrie, Berserker, and Death legions. With them, conquering the universe would be a breeze."
Charles paused for a few seconds before responding, "The Valkyrie legion no longer exists since you killed them."
Hela was taken aback and said in disbelief, "Odin never rebuilt the Valkyries?"
Charles nodded, then continued, "The Berserker legion has been disbanded."
"And after you were sealed, the Death legion ceased to exist as well."
"Asgard's current military forces consist of the Einherjar, the Warriors Three, Sif, Odin's two sons, and a handful of other powerful individuals."
Hela's expression was one of utter disbelief. She never imagined that Asgard had weakened so much since her imprisonment.
"Odin… for the sake of so-called peace, he crippled himself."
"Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous," she said, laughing bitterly at the state of Asgard.
Charles interrupted her laughter, saying, "Odin hopes you won't hold a grudge against Asgard and that you won't slaughter its people en masse."
Charles was reminded of the original story, where Hela, upon being unsealed, ruthlessly killed all the Asgardians who opposed her, pushing Thor to initiate Ragnarok to stop her.
After a brief silence, Hela responded, "Only death and slaughter can forge true power."
Charles countered, "They are Asgardians, and such death is unnecessary."
"Your gaze should be set on worlds beyond Asgard, not Asgard itself."
"And as for the rest, you can speak with Thor. After all, he's something of a friend to me."
Hela fell silent once more.
Seeing this, Charles thought for a moment and added, "When you return, you'll still be the Crown Princess of Asgard."
"You can rebuild your army. I just don't want to see you waste energy fighting internally when there's a much bigger universe waiting for us."
"You have time, so think it over."
With a wave of his hand, Charles left behind plenty of wine and food before departing from the place of Hela's imprisonment.
If Asgard had to be destroyed, Charles thought it would be better to repurpose it for planting the Divine Tree.
After all, it was the place that nurtured the Aesir gods, and the fruit it would bear must be incredibly powerful.
However, considering Frigga, who survived, and his friend Thor, Charles hoped Asgard could be preserved.
Blowing up a floating continent in space just seemed like such a waste.
As for the 303-meter-tall fire giant, Charles didn't care much. His complete Susanoo wouldn't be any shorter than that.
But having Madara obliterate an entire planet with one strike? That would be out of reach.
Yet the fire giant, wielding the Twilight Sword, had managed to do just that.
Whether it was due to the power of the legendary weapon or some other reason, it was hard to tell.
After all, the fire giant's height alone wasn't enough to destroy Asgard.
…
Meanwhile-
In the place of Hela's imprisonment, she stared at the food in front of her and the departing Charles.
She thought to herself, 'When I return to Asgard, who will follow whom? That's still not fixed.'
With the power of Asgard behind her, Hela believed Charles might not even be her match. Maybe he could serve as her vanguard.
…
Elsewhere-
Uchiha Sasuke, who was searching for his brother, had come to Ireland.
At the same time, Coulson's team had also arrived at the Irish airport, making their way to the church mentioned by Elliott Randolph.
Ward, walking beside Randolph, asked, "Is the power granted by the staff permanent?"
Randolph glanced at him and replied, "The strength will fade slowly. Afterward, you'll feel exhausted and need sleep."
Ward pressed, "What about the other effects?"
Randolph continued, "You mean that unbearable darkness in your gut, or the overwhelming anger in your chest that feels like it's going to make your heart explode?"
Ward nodded, and Randolph added, "The effects are worse for humans, but it'll wear off after a few decades."
Hearing this, Ward sighed and sarcastically replied, "Great."
He was already thirty years old. In a few more decades, he'd be nearing the end of his life.
The body-enhancing serum didn't promise longer life, only better health. Who knew if the "decades" Randolph mentioned meant seventy or eighty years?
Frustrated, Ward slammed the box shut and headed to the car.
Skye, observing his behavior, asked Coulson, "Do you think Ward is in the right state of mind for fieldwork? He seems off."
Coulson glanced at Ward getting into the car and said, "But he knows he can handle it."
"Alright, everyone, let's move out!"