Humm—
In the next instant, a seven-colored pillar of light descended from the sky, instantly enveloping Lucas and the other two.
Within the radiant beam, perhaps sensing the aura of Asgard, the unconscious Hela in Lucas's arms suddenly opened her eyes.
Then—
"I… didn't I die?"
After realizing her situation, Hela instinctively asked,
"The Rainbow Bridge… why?"
"I'm taking you back to Asgard," Lucas replied calmly.
"I know this is the Rainbow Bridge and that the destination must be Asgard," Hela said coolly.
"What I'm asking is—why are you sending me back?"
"If I don't, you'll die," Lucas answered plainly.
"Then I'd rather die in Hel than face that old man again!"
After saying this stubbornly, Hela immediately released the energy she was drawing from the Rainbow Bridge.
The moment the energy surged, Lucas was already prepared.
But instead of trying to break free from his grip, Hela directed all her power at the Rainbow Bridge's barrier.
The result of damaging the Rainbow Bridge had already been clearly shown in Thor: Ragnarok.
Lucas had anticipated that Hela might struggle, but with her current strength, there was no way she could break free from his arms.
What he hadn't expected was that she would choose to destroy the Rainbow Bridge itself.
Like fragile glass, the bridge's barrier shattered instantly, tearing open a massive hole.
And as if guided by fate, beyond the breach—within the cosmic void—there happened to be a massive black hole not far from the bridge's position.
A terrifying gravitational force immediately surged through the opening, dragging Lucas and the Hela he was holding straight out.
"Lucas!"
Thor shouted from within the Rainbow Bridge, but he could only watch as the two were pulled away.
The seven-colored barrier quickly restored itself, and Thor did not attempt to break through.
The Rainbow Bridge moved at incomprehensible speed—within one or two seconds, the distance between him and Lucas could already span dozens of light-years.
Even if Thor forced his way out, he would never find them.
"You damn lunatic…"
In the silent cosmic void, Lucas muttered angrily.
Do not misunderstand—he was using Ki to envelop both himself and Hela, allowing sound to propagate between them.
This time, he was genuinely angry.
Looking at the massive black hole that nearly filled his entire field of vision, Lucas had already tried everything.
Even flying at full speed using explosive Ki output, he still couldn't escape the gravitational pull of this supermassive black hole.
Now, all he could do was drift slowly toward it—together with Hela.
"I already said it," Hela repeated stubbornly,
"I refuse to face Odin in this state."
Lucas closed his eyes and didn't respond.
Time passed—how long, neither of them knew.
"To be honest," Hela suddenly said,
"having you die with me… doesn't seem so bad."
Perhaps having been alone in Hel for too long, she couldn't help but speak again.
"Who told you we're definitely going to die?" Lucas replied calmly.
"You think you can escape once you cross the event horizon?"
Hela scoffed.
"Stop dreaming. Even Odin himself couldn't save us."
"With a black hole of this mass, the spatial distortion is far too severe. The Rainbow Bridge can't even project into this region."
"So give up."
Lucas ignored her ranting. The two of them fell into silence, slowly being dragged along by gravity.
"I'm sorry."
After a long time, Hela suddenly spoke again.
"You tried to save me… and instead I dragged you into this."
Lucas raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised.
Hela—infamous for her cruelty and bloodlust—apologizing?
"I just… I just didn't want Odin to see me like this," Hela said quietly, a trace of loneliness on her face.
"Why?" Lucas asked.
"Because from childhood, Odin taught us that Asgardians must possess pride and dignity," Hela said slowly.
"We are one of the most noble races in the universe."
"We must show the universe the might of Asgard."
"That's why Odin launched the war against the Nine Realms. I served as the vanguard, carving our glory across the realms."
"But one day, I discovered his true plan."
Her voice grew strained.
"Through my investigation, I learned that everything he did—every conquest—was for one purpose."
"To resurrect my mother."
Lucas did not interrupt. He knew Hela's mother was not Frigga.
Hela continued,
"In ancient legends, there are six Infinity Stones—representing the supreme laws of the universe: Space, Time, Reality, Power, Mind, and Soul."
"If gathered and used together, they can grant the wielder any wish."
"My father devoted himself to searching for them, exhausting every method to obtain the Stones."
At this point, her way of addressing Odin had shifted—from that old man, to Odin, and now to Father.
Then her tone hardened, filled with bitterness.
"But one day, he returned from some distant world and suddenly ordered all armies to withdraw to Asgard, declaring an indefinite ceasefire."
"I confronted him immediately."
"Do you know what he told me?"
Hela's voice trembled as she shouted,
"He said he was tired!"
"He said he was sick of killing, sick of destroying lives—he said he wanted to stop!"
"But we were only missing one Stone. Just one!"
Her emotions surged.
"He just gave up!"
"One step away—just one step from success!"
"But he still abandoned my mother—abandoned the woman he once claimed to love most!"
Tears streamed from Hela's eyes as anger twisted her expression.
"Then he married that woman—Frigga. That was what truly ignited my fury!"
Lucas finally spoke,
"So you led a rebellion against him."
"Yes," Hela said through clenched teeth.
"Even if it failed—even if I was imprisoned in Hel—I have never regretted it."
After a moment of silence, Lucas asked,
"The final Stone he was missing… was it the Soul Stone?"
Hela frowned.
"How do you know that?"
Lucas exhaled slowly.
"The reason Odin gave up," he said quietly,
"was because of the conditions required to obtain the Soul Stone."
_____
T/N:
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