This was the battlefield Nolan had prepared in advance, a dying planet on the brink of total collapse.
The surface was steeped in an eerie stillness, as if everything were about to fall into eternal silence. Only at the planet's core did a strange, flickering region remain, pulsing faintly like a fading heartbeat.
They were not the only ones brought here.
Thor, Loki, and the others had also been transported. This massive spell array was not Nolan's own creation. Although Odin's artifact had greatly increased Nolan's magical reserves, raw power and true mastery of magic were not the same.
Opening portals was within his capability. But relocating an entire army across worlds was far beyond him.
This was something he had specifically asked Odin to prepare.
For the King of Asgard, constructing such a grand array was trivial.
Hela's expression darkened. She understood immediately that she had been maneuvered into this situation.
Still, she felt no fear.
A change of battlefield meant little to her. In fact, it worked in her favor. Her power was tied to Asgard itself, and Nolan's display of strength could easily bring destruction to that realm. That was not something she wanted.
Besides, she could summon her armies just as easily.
With a sweep of her hand, the gates of her domain burst open.
An immense tide of undead poured out, surging forward without hesitation toward Nolan's position.
The Terminators raised their psionic weapons and opened fire, cutting down wave after wave. But there were simply too many.
Before long, the undead crashed into the mechanical frontlines.
Once the distance advantage disappeared, the limitations of the Terminators became clear. Their physical combat abilities could not hold against the relentless swarm, and their formation quickly fell apart.
Hela let out a soft laugh.
This was her invincible army.
But Nolan showed no sign of concern.
Hela trusted in her undead legions, and he trusted in his machines.
After all, what defined a mechanical army if not overwhelming numbers?
This was the moment his steel tide would prove its worth.
A blinding flash erupted from behind the mechanical lines.
Then came the explosion.
Within a radius of several hundred meters, everything was annihilated. Even some Terminators were caught in the blast and destroyed.
Nolan smiled faintly.
It had begun.
Artillery roared to life. A relentless barrage followed, saturating the battlefield in indiscriminate fire. Yet every strike had been calculated by the Red Queen, targeting the densest clusters of undead.
Each bombardment shifted the balance of power.
At first, Hela paid it no mind.
But soon, she noticed it.
Her army was being pushed back.
Slowly, but undeniably.
She spread her hands, summoning twin blades.
Tilting her head slightly, she spoke with a hint of amusement.
"I underestimated you. Let's make this simpler."
She stepped forward, walking straight toward Nolan.
The explosions around her might as well not exist. Each step of her boots rang out clearly, as if echoing in the hearts of everyone present.
She was not fast.
And yet, Nolan did not move.
There was nowhere to run.
Instead, he drew the blade from his back.
In the past, he relied on armor to fight.
Now, his own body was the strongest weapon he possessed.
"Let's see what you've got."
He stepped forward as well.
The two advanced slowly toward each other, ignoring everything around them. Explosions struck their bodies, only to be deflected by invisible barriers. Enemies that approached were reduced to dust before they could even attack.
Loki watched in stunned silence.
This was absurd.
Then he glanced at Thor.
The latter lay on the ground, his body twitching as if undergoing another transformation.
Loki pressed a hand to his forehead.
The gap was overwhelming.
At the moment they closed in—
Both vanished.
A thunderous impact followed.
Blade met blade, releasing a shockwave that tore through the battlefield, wiping out everything in its path.
And that was only the beginning.
Their clash continued at speeds the eye could barely follow. Every collision unleashed destructive energy.
Nolan quickly realized the truth.
In both strength and speed, Hela surpassed him.
A being on the level of a Skyfather was no joke.
He took a breath.
If brute force would not work, then he would have to rely on something else.
With a flick of his wrist, a tiny droplet appeared in his palm.
He looked at Hela.
"Ready?"
She smiled, dismissing it as a bluff.
In the next instant, Nolan flicked his fingers.
The droplet vanished.
It reappeared directly in front of Hela's forehead.
A chilling sense of death surged through her.
Her instincts reacted faster than her thoughts.
The droplet sliced past her ear, leaving a thin line of blood across her cheek.
It continued forward, cutting through everything in its path, tearing across the battlefield and vanishing into the depths of space.
A bead of sweat slid down from Hela's brow.
That had been close.
Too close.
If she had hesitated even slightly, it would have pierced her skull.
Death would have been inevitable.
Nolan sighed softly.
What a shame.
The first strike always had the highest chance of landing.
"What was that?" Hela asked.
Nolan smiled.
"Just a piece of technology. I am a scientist, after all."
"Technology?"
Her lips curved upward.
"I may not understand it, but that was far from ordinary. You're becoming more interesting by the second."
"Glad to hear it."
Even as he spoke, Nolan moved.
Conversation was merely a distraction.
If he could wound her, that was what truly mattered.
But Hela reacted instantly, blocking his strike.
Troublesome.
Nolan frowned.
She was even harder to deal with than he had expected.
Meanwhile, Hela's expression remained calm, almost playful.
Her army might not have performed as expected, but it did not matter.
The true core of her power was never the army.
It was herself.
That confidence was what drove her ambition to conquer the cosmos.
Unfortunately for her, that confidence would be tested.
While she pressed Nolan relentlessly, he was quietly coordinating with the Red Queen.
Now.
The timing was right.
Nolan glanced toward the shifting battlefield.
As they fought, their position had gradually moved closer to the flickering region near the planet's core.
Amid the chaos, Hela had failed to notice.
A faint smile appeared on Nolan's lips.
"Red Queen. Begin."
"Activate the planetary engine."
"Let's end this world."
Hela's pupils shrank.
She finally realized her mistake.
Though it seemed she had been leading the fight, Nolan had been guiding their position all along.
It was all planned.
"Planetary engine, activate!"
The dim flickering light suddenly blazed into brilliance.
An immense surge of energy erupted.
Not toward the surface.
Not toward the battlefield.
But into the planet's core.
This dying world had been chosen for a reason.
No life remained here.
The undead might be difficult, but they were still a form of existence. They could not survive in the vacuum of space.
Machines were different.
As long as they had energy, they would not fall.
Even the void could not stop them.
The planetary core destabilized.
Within minutes, magma burst from below. The ground trembled violently as massive fissures tore across the surface.
Countless machines and specters fell into the abyss, never to return.
Even the Warriors Three, despite their strength, could not escape such a catastrophe.
Fortunately, Loki acted.
Gritting his teeth, he conjured magic to pull them back from the brink.
Under his protection, they watched in horror as the planet collapsed.
This was no natural disaster.
It was engineered.
At the cost of countless machines, Hela's undead army was wiped out.
Completely.
Hela fell silent, her expression darkening.
Her forces could not fly.
Nolan's machines could.
Hovering in the air or standing firm on crumbling ground, they surrounded her.
Nolan smiled.
"Still interested?"
"Of course."
She showed no fear.
They stood on opposite edges of a massive chasm, molten lava surging below.
"Red Queen, begin. We end this before the planet does."
The mechanical army responded instantly.
Hundreds of orbital tanks fired in unison. Railguns unleashed devastating strikes. Titans and aerial units closed in, launching coordinated assaults.
Explosions filled the sky.
Each one marked the destruction of another machine.
Amid the chaos, Nolan struck from within the swarm.
Then—
Hela unleashed a sweeping slash.
Everything within a kilometer was obliterated.
Only Nolan, protected by his enhanced body, endured.
She looked at him coldly.
"Is this your plan? To wear me down with numbers?"
Her voice echoed across the battlefield.
Then she stepped forward, walking through the air with unwavering confidence.
"My power is bound to Asgard. As long as Asgard stands, I will never weaken. Do you really think this can defeat me?"
She looked down at him, proud and unshaken.
Even alone, she was invincible.
"Then I'll show you," she continued, her voice rising.
"The true power of the Queen of Asgard. The Goddess of Death."
Dark energy spread outward.
This dying world sank even deeper into despair.
Hela stood like a blooming flower of death.
This was her true form.
Just as Thor was awakening into the God of Thunder, she too revealed her ultimate state.
Power that had haunted countless enemies now surfaced once more.
Even Thor stirred.
He opened his eyes, raised his hand, and summoned the Stormbreaker to his grip.
Lightning, death, and steel clashed across the battlefield.
Three forces collided.
Thor's gaze burned with fury.
Hela laughed.
"Thor, you think you belong in this fight?"
She lunged at him.
This time—
He held.
Stormbreaker met her blades, and he did not move an inch.
Confidence returned to his face.
"Hela. It's time I take back what's mine."
Nolan, however, looked at him with a strange expression.
This idiot really never learns.
Still…
That worked in his favor.
In his hand, a small object appeared.
The battle was about to end.
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