No one understood better than Thor just how difficult it was to kill Hela.
Especially under the current circumstances.
Everyone had just gone through a devastating battle, while Hela had only just arrived. In this situation, killing her was nearly impossible.
On top of that, he had to consider Nolan's feelings.
Thor glanced toward Nolan.
Nolan's expression was calm, but there was a faint hint of anticipation in his eyes, almost as if he were waiting to see whether the Asgardians would attack Hela.
Yet when he looked at Hela, there wasn't even a trace of hostility.
That strange contradiction made Thor feel even more uneasy.
He couldn't tell whether Nolan wanted them to attack Hela or whether he intended to remain a spectator.
But one thing was certain.
Judging by Nolan's attitude toward Hela earlier, if they made a move, Nolan would not necessarily stand aside.
If Asgard still had the slightest chance against Hela alone, then facing both Hela and Nolan at the same time would be nothing short of suicide.
Thor sighed helplessly and looked back at the Asgardian warriors behind him.
His gaze was filled with complicated emotions.
Finally, he turned toward Valkyrie.
"Damn it, Valkyrie..."
He cursed inwardly.
Never before had he regretted inviting Valkyrie to Earth.
Had he known things would end like this, he would have fought Thanos alone before ever bringing her here.
Now he had been pushed into an impossible position.
Even if he truly wanted to wage this war against Hela, there was no chance of victory.
Starting a battle you couldn't possibly win was simply asking to die.
Yet even as King of Asgard, he couldn't completely ignore the will of his people.
When the Asgardian warriors were consumed by anger, even he couldn't openly oppose them.
He fixed his eyes on Valkyrie.
"Valkyrie! Are you trying to drag Asgard into the abyss?"
Thor's voice thundered across the battlefield.
Valkyrie met his gaze fearlessly.
"I'm trying to restore Asgard's lost honor."
"Asgard's warriors do not retreat."
"Even against an enemy like Hela, we will never surrender."
She remembered the battle long ago.
The battle where the Valkyries charged into Hela's army.
The sky had darkened with blood.
Only she had survived.
Ever since that day, she had lived for one purpose.
To kill Hela.
To avenge her fallen sisters.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Thor could only turn toward Nolan.
"Mr. Lock."
"This is Asgard's internal conflict."
"I hope you won't interfere."
Nolan glanced at Hela before smiling faintly.
"You're right."
"This is Asgard's affair."
"I'm not an Asgardian."
"I'm just a man from Earth."
"But unfortunately..."
"Hela just helped save Earth."
"So if you intend to attack her now..."
"I'll have no choice but to become Asgard's enemy."
A cold killing intent flickered across Nolan's eyes.
His relationship with Thor had never been particularly friendly.
They had cooperated.
Done business together.
But friendship?
Nolan had never believed such a thing existed between them.
In fact, he knew both Thor and Loki genuinely feared him.
How could true friendship exist alongside that kind of fear?
If he had to choose between Hela and Asgard...
He would choose Hela without hesitation.
You stand by those closest to you.
That was only natural.
Besides...
Who was truly right in this conflict?
That wasn't nearly as simple as people believed.
Nolan knew the full story.
Hela had once fought beside Odin, conquering the Nine Realms.
As Odin's eldest daughter, she had been the rightful heir.
After sacrificing everything for Asgard...
Odin had cast her aside.
Sealed her away.
His reason?
That her ambition had grown too great.
Under those circumstances...
Wasn't Hela justified in feeling betrayed?
If anything, it would have been stranger had she endured thousands of years of imprisonment only to emerge willing to peacefully reconcile with Asgard.
If Nolan had been in her place...
He might have made the very same choices.
Perhaps even more extreme ones.
Seeing Nolan step forward, Hela revealed a gentle smile.
Gone was her usual cold arrogance.
For a brief moment, only warmth remained.
She looked at Nolan.
"This is our family's matter."
"I don't think anyone else needs to interfere."
"If they want to fight me..."
"Then I'll settle this myself."
Nolan smiled.
He respected Hela's decision and stepped back.
His intervention had merely been a declaration of his position.
He had never believed Hela would lose this battle.
Whether he fought or not made little difference.
Thor, however, couldn't hide the delight flashing across his face.
Valkyrie gripped her sword tighter, murderous intent blazing in her eyes.
"Thor."
"You heard her."
"Shouldn't we attack now?"
"Not long ago, Hela invaded Asgard."
"She nearly brought about Ragnarök."
"If we retreat now..."
"The people of Asgard will never accept you as king."
Thor nodded slowly.
Things had already reached this point.
There was no turning back.
As long as Nolan stayed out of it...
Everything was still manageable.
He was no longer the reckless prince he had once been.
Raising Stormbreaker high into the air, Thor stepped forward.
"Hela."
"Let's settle everything between us today."
"If you manage to leave here alive..."
"Then, on behalf of Asgard..."
"I will forgive everything you've done."
Hela merely smiled.
With a flick of her wrist, the twin Necroswords appeared in her hands.
"I believe..."
"I'm the one who should be saying that."
Without another word, she charged.
Thor roared.
Stormbreaker surged with endless lightning.
He swung the axe downward, carrying the wrath of thunder itself.
Boom!
The two collided head-on.
An earth-shaking explosion erupted.
Violent shockwaves blasted dust and debris high into the sky.
Neither side gave an inch.
At the same moment, Valkyrie raised the Dragonfang Sword and rushed toward Hela.
She had no intention of letting Thor face Hela alone.
No one understood Hela's strength better than she did.
Only by joining forces could they hope to defeat her.
That had always been her plan.
Not only Valkyrie.
Countless Asgardian warriors also charged forward.
They intended to overwhelm Hela through sheer military force.
Watching the battle erupt, Steve Rogers frowned.
He walked over to Nolan.
"You're really just going to stand there and watch?"
"This is Earth."
"If they keep fighting, the damage to this planet will become even worse."
Nolan rolled his eyes.
"If you have a problem with it..."
"Then go stop them."
"I've already done everything I could to protect this world."
"And despite that..."
"Plenty of people still opposed me taking the Infinity Stones that I rightfully earned."
"So why should I be the one cleaning up every mess?"
Steve's expression darkened.
He couldn't deny Nolan was right.
He himself had been among those who opposed Nolan claiming the three Infinity Stones.
To Steve...
The Infinity Stones were too important to belong to anyone.
But now...
He lacked the power to stop what was happening.
Thor.
Valkyrie.
Hela.
All three had already surpassed the limits of Earth's heroes.
Only Nolan had the confidence to end this battle by force.
Not Doctor Strange.
Not Tony Stark.
Not Bruce Banner.
Only Nolan.
Yet after hearing Nolan's answer...
Steve knew Nolan had no intention of interfering.
Silently, he looked toward the others.
Doctor Strange shrugged.
"Sorry."
"I just received a report."
"Hela appeared on the dimensional rift battlefield earlier."
"If it hadn't been for her..."
"We would have already lost."
"So under these circumstances..."
"I can't support Asgard."
"Of course..."
"I'm not going to help Hela either."
"This is Asgard's internal conflict."
"For now..."
"I think watching is the best choice."
As he spoke, Strange glanced at King T'Challa.
T'Challa's expression was equally grim, but he remained silent.
He had no desire to become involved in another conflict of this magnitude.
No one knew what consequences Wakanda would suffer if he chose a side.
Offending either Hela or Asgard would bring disaster.
Besides...
After Thanos' invasion, the plains outside Wakanda had already been reduced to ruins.
There was almost nothing left to destroy.
At worst...
The battlefield would simply become a little deeper.
Even if another canyon was carved into the earth...
So what?
It wasn't a residential area.
After witnessing so many terrifying battles...
T'Challa had decided to let fate take its course.
As for his earlier thoughts of standing against Nolan...
They had long since disappeared.
Strange's words left everyone stunned.
Only now did they realize why Nolan had returned from the dimensional battlefield so quickly.
It wasn't because Nolan had defeated every enemy there.
It was because Hela had held back those terrifying dimensional invaders for him.
If that was true...
Then Hela's contribution to Earth's victory was no less than Asgard's.
Perhaps...
It had been even greater.
Without Asgard...
Earth's battle would have been harder, but victory might still have been possible.
Without Hela buying Nolan time against the dimensional enemies...
Earth would have been destroyed.
At that point...
Whatever conflict existed between Hela and Asgard no longer concerned Earth's heroes.
They couldn't justify taking either side.
Everyone's eyes shifted toward Nolan, waiting to see what he would do.
Nolan remained calm.
He simply watched the battle between Hela, Thor, and Valkyrie.
The fight was spectacular.
But compared to the clash against Thanos...
It was worlds apart.
All three were exhausted.
As for raw power...
Nolan remained completely confident.
He still stood at the very top.
Even if Thor and Valkyrie joined forces...
In their current condition, the destruction they could cause was limited.
As for the Asgardian army...
Nolan shook his head.
Their numbers were impressive.
But they were far too weak to influence a battle of this level.
Especially against Hela.
After all...
Hela possessed an army of her own.
She simply hadn't summoned it yet.
That didn't mean the legions of Hel had vanished.
On the contrary.
Their numbers were vast beyond imagination.
If Hela wished...
She could call them forth at any moment.
And once she did...
This war would end in the blink of an eye.
As though confirming Nolan's thoughts...
Hela suddenly stepped backward.
Her cold eyes swept over Thor...
Valkyrie...
And the Asgardian army behind them.
A merciless smile crossed her face.
"In that case..."
"Let the real war begin."
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