Valkyrie glared at Nolan with blazing fury.
She could never forget the day Hela slaughtered the Valkyries.
The only reason she was still alive was to one day defeat Hela and avenge her fallen sisters.
Anyone who stood in the way of that revenge became her enemy.
And right now, Nolan was clearly standing on the wrong side.
She didn't care that he had just saved Earth.
She didn't care how much he had sacrificed.
To her, none of it mattered.
Her only goal was Hela.
As for Earth itself?
She couldn't care less.
She was an Asgardian.
If she was going to protect anything, it would be Asgard, not this distant world.
Unfortunately, people rarely shared the same joys or sorrows.
To everyone else present, Valkyrie's actions only ignited their anger.
Even if they disagreed with Nolan on certain matters, they still stood with him.
Because by challenging Nolan, Valkyrie was effectively challenging Earth itself.
If Nolan were allowed to be threatened by an outsider today, then Earth's future relationship with Asgard would forever be one of weakness.
Not everyone thought that far ahead.
But there was one thing everyone agreed on.
Nolan was their friend.
Especially Wanda and Pietro.
They didn't understand the complexities of global politics.
But they had never forgotten that Nolan had once saved their lives.
The moment Valkyrie stepped toward him, the twins moved without hesitation.
"What are you trying to do?"
Wanda stepped directly in front of Valkyrie, crimson energy flickering around her as anger and determination filled her eyes.
Valkyrie frowned.
"Wanda, step aside.
"I don't want to fight you.
"But if you insist on standing in my way, I'll defeat you first.
"Nolan is protecting the murderer who destroyed my sisters.
"If he refuses to tell me where Hela is...
"Then he becomes my enemy."
Wanda's expression turned icy.
"I don't care what happened between you and Hela.
"But that has nothing to do with Mr. Lock.
"If you insist on attacking him...
"Then you'll have to get through me first."
Valkyrie's patience snapped.
She gripped her sword tightly.
With a furious shout, she slashed toward Wanda.
The strike was incredibly fast.
Driven by rage, Valkyrie unleashed nearly all of her remaining strength.
Even exhausted, the attack was still powerful enough to overwhelm most of Earth's superheroes.
Unfortunately for her...
Wanda wasn't one of them.
Her power had already reached the highest level among Earth's heroes.
Very few could match her.
Only Captain Marvel, Carol Danvers, could truly compete with her.
Carol possessed overwhelming cosmic energy through the Infinity Stone's power.
Others simply couldn't compare.
Even the Hulk could be restrained by Wanda's abilities.
She might not defeat him outright, but that alone demonstrated how terrifying her power had become.
Valkyrie was undoubtedly strong.
But defeating Wanda was far from easy.
Thor's face darkened as he watched the confrontation.
The last thing he wanted was for Valkyrie to fight Nolan.
He wasn't worried about Nolan.
He was worried about Valkyrie.
She was one of the few capable warriors he had managed to bring back to rebuild Asgard.
The kingdom was still recovering.
Making an enemy of Nolan would only bring disaster.
He was no longer the carefree Prince of Asgard.
He was its king.
Every decision had to be made for the sake of his people.
Without hesitation, he stepped between them.
"Enough, Valkyrie.
"This has nothing to do with Mr. Lock.
"We can discuss Hela another time.
"We'll find her eventually.
"Right now, our priority is returning to Asgard.
"Thanos' invasion caused tremendous damage.
"Our people need us to rebuild."
Asgard hadn't escaped the war unscathed.
Although Thanos hadn't committed his main force there, he still regarded Asgard as one of the Nine Realms' greatest powers.
Before reaching Earth, he had dispatched an army to attack Asgard.
The defenders had resisted bravely.
But eliminating every invader in such a short time had been impossible.
Thor desperately needed Valkyrie's help back home.
As for Hela...
He wanted to confront her too.
But he also knew there was no chance Nolan would reveal her location.
If the answer was obvious, why waste time arguing?
Unfortunately...
Valkyrie didn't see it that way.
"I'm sorry, Thor.
"This is no longer Asgard's business.
"And it isn't your decision to make.
"My sisters deserve justice.
"If Nolan refuses to tell me where Hela is...
"I'll make him tell me."
Thor froze.
For a moment, he genuinely wondered if Valkyrie had lost her mind.
Everyone had witnessed Nolan's overwhelming strength.
A man who could defeat Thanos.
Someone like that would never yield to threats.
If Nolan refused to speak...
There wasn't a person alive who could force him to.
Trying to pressure him into revealing Hela's whereabouts was pure fantasy.
Thor was completely speechless.
Yet Valkyrie remained utterly convinced she was right.
She believed Nolan had exhausted most of his strength during the battle against Thanos.
She, on the other hand, was still a mighty Valkyrie.
Behind her stood the armies of Asgard.
Surely Nolan wouldn't want another war.
If he wished to avoid one, then he would have no choice but to reveal Hela's location.
In her mind, the plan was perfectly reasonable.
After all, Hela was nothing more than a traitor.
She had even fought Nolan before.
Their battle had shaken the realms.
If that was true, how close could they possibly be?
She believed her threat had an excellent chance of succeeding.
What she failed to understand...
Was that Nolan never bowed to threats.
And his relationship with Hela was far closer than she could ever imagine.
Nolan's expression gradually turned cold.
He walked over to Wanda and gently patted her shoulder.
"That's enough, Wanda.
"This is my problem.
"I'll handle it."
Wanda hesitated before slowly stepping aside.
Nolan then walked directly toward Valkyrie.
The atmosphere instantly became unbearably heavy.
It felt exactly like the terrifying moment before Thanos had descended upon Earth.
The crushing pressure left everyone struggling to breathe.
No one dared to interrupt.
Looking calmly at Valkyrie, Nolan spoke.
"Valkyrie.
"I know what happened to your sisters.
"But that has nothing to do with me.
"And my relationship with Hela is much better than you think.
"I don't care about the grudge between the two of you.
"I don't believe you can defeat her.
"But if you insist on dragging me into your revenge...
"Then I'll show you exactly what it means to regret your decisions."
He slowly raised one hand.
The instant he did...
Every Lock Technologies combat robot across the battlefield pivoted simultaneously.
Thousands of weapons locked onto Valkyrie.
Thor's pupils shrank.
He hadn't expected Nolan to escalate things so decisively.
Without another word, he was already preparing for war.
"Damn it, Nolan..."
Thor cursed inwardly.
Even so, he had no choice.
He had to stop this conflict.
Because Valkyrie had absolutely no chance of winning.
Yet Valkyrie's response only made his expression even darker.
She raised her sword high into the air.
Turning toward the Asgardian army behind her, she roared.
"Warriors of Asgard!
"Sons and daughters of Asgard!
"A new enemy stands before us!
"Are you ready to fight?
"For Asgard!"
"Fuck!"
Thor actually shouted the curse aloud.
Who did Valkyrie think she was?
The Queen of Asgard?
She had completely ignored the king and issued orders directly to his soldiers.
She even used the words "For Asgard."
This wasn't about Asgard at all.
It was nothing more than her personal revenge.
Asgard and Nolan now shared deep ties.
Starting a war with him would be an act of sheer stupidity.
Thor would never allow it.
And the soldiers understood that far better than Valkyrie did.
After hearing her command, many Asgardian warriors merely hesitated.
Very few actually raised their weapons.
Watching the awkward scene, Nolan couldn't help smiling.
Just as he was about to order his army to attack...
A figure suddenly appeared nearby.
"Valkyrie?"
A calm, familiar voice echoed across the battlefield.
Valkyrie spun around instantly.
The moment she saw the newcomer, overwhelming hatred flooded her eyes.
Pure killing intent consumed her.
"Hela!"
Even after all these years...
She would never forget that voice.
Without a moment's hesitation, she charged forward with her sword.
Hela merely smiled.
Of course she remembered.
Back then, the Valkyries had been Asgard's most elite warriors.
Even she had acknowledged their strength.
But so what?
Countless years had passed.
And she had never forgotten their attempt to hunt her down.
She had slaughtered nearly every Valkyrie.
Yet as long as both of them still lived...
Their hatred would never end.
Valkyrie was much stronger than before.
Unfortunately...
Hela had grown even stronger.
Nolan didn't have the slightest doubt about the outcome.
If they fought...
Hela would win.
The only thing that puzzled him was why she had suddenly appeared here.
Yes, they had become quite close.
But Hela's past had left countless Asgardians hating her with every fiber of their being.
Appearing before them now was incredibly dangerous.
If public outrage erupted...
Even Thor might choose to kill her on the spot.
Her situation was extremely precarious.
Yet Hela seemed completely unconcerned.
She simply glanced toward Nolan.
There was a subtle meaning hidden in her smile.
Nolan met her gaze without reacting.
Instead, he turned toward Thor.
He wanted to see what choice the King of Asgard would make.
Behind Thor, the Asgardian soldiers stared at Hela with burning hatred.
One warrior stepped forward and shouted,
"Your Majesty!
"Hela has appeared!
"We request permission to eliminate her!
"She must not be allowed to leave alive!"
Thor's expression became increasingly grim.
He had never expected Hela to appear now.
And judging by the look she had exchanged with Nolan...
Their relationship was clearly far more complicated than anyone had imagined.
Faced with that reality...
Thor hesitated.
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