The air in Nidavellir changed.
The once magnificent industrial symphony had ceased, and the entire ring World had fallen into complete silence.
Only at the center of the ring, the imprisoned stellar core continued to stubbornly spew light and heat under Eitri's control.
This was the Dwarven race's final swan song.
Lin Huai, Thor, and Loki stood in the distance, silently watching this cosmic miracle of forging.
Eitri, the King of the Dwarves, was like a lonely priest at this moment.
At the cost of his entire race's exile, he offered the final sacrificial offerings to the Nine Realms.
His rock-like body was outlined in gold by the star's reflection; sweat trickled down and evaporated in an instant.
"Open the iris!"
Accompanied by Eitri's deafening roar, the massive metal apparatus surrounding the star began to rotate.
The iris restraining the star opened a crack.
A torrent of white energy, hotter than the core of the Sun, poured out.
The torrent surged toward the already prepared Uru metal mold.
"Sizzle—!"
The high temperature instantly melted the hard Uru metal into golden liquid.
The liquid tumbled and boiled within the mold as if it possessed a life of its own.
"The bellows! Pull them to the maximum!"
Eitri bellowed, personally operating the massive mechanical arms.
Stardust and Aether from the Universe were drawn into the furnace, mixing with the liquid Uru metal.
Thor watched without blinking, murmuring to himself.
"I have seen hundreds of forgings in Asgard, but none can compare to what is before my eyes."
Loki stood in the shadows, his voice carrying a hint of longing.
"Could I possess such a weapon?"
Only Lin Huai remained silent.
He watched the golden gauntlet gradually take shape, sensing the terrifying potential gestating within it.
He knew that this weapon, capable of carrying the laws of the Universe, would completely rewrite the fate of the World.
And he would be the one to personally press the button.
The forging process did not last long.
When the star's iris closed, the gauntlet's mold was immersed in the vacuum of space, emitting a cracking sound.
All the procedures were complete.
Using iron tongs, Eitri carefully removed the brand-new gauntlet from the mold.
At that moment, golden light shone brilliantly, and all of Nidavellir seemed to brighten along with it.
The runes on the gauntlet's surface pulsed like breathing, flickering between light and dark.
Six sockets foreshadowed its future might.
Just looking at it, one could feel a pressure sufficient to distort time and space.
"It is finished."
Eitri's voice was hoarse and weary.
Cradling his most brilliant and final creation, he walked toward Lin Huai.
With a complex gaze, Eitri handed the gauntlet to Lin Huai.
"Mentor..."
"This is the final gift the Dwarven race offers to the Nine Realms."
"I hope it remains in the hands of the right person."
Lin Huai reached out and took it.
As the gauntlet entered his hand, a sense of heaviness followed.
It wasn't just the weight of the metal, but the destiny carried by the six primordial rules.
"Thank you."
Lin Huai said solemnly.
Eitri turned around and waved his hand with his back to them.
"Go."
Lin Huai paused for a moment and said: "Aren't you coming with us? Thanos will surely capture you and force you to make another gauntlet."
"Nidavellir does not need pity; we have our own glory."
Thor opened his mouth to speak but ultimately just silently patted Eitri's shoulder.
The three turned and boarded the Asgardian ship.
As the ship slowly ascended, Lin Huai looked back through the porthole.
"Thor, notify the Queen of the Gods and find a way to kidnap Eitri. Thanos won't want a second gauntlet to exist, and we cannot afford that risk either."
The magnificent ring World had completely dimmed, falling into a deathly silence.
Only at the center of the ring, Eitri's massive figure still stood, like a lonely statue.
He stood before the extinguished furnace, guarding his never-falling home.
---
Helheim.
A cold dimension devoid of the concepts of light, time, and death.
At the center of the Darkness, a golden seal was emitting a faint wail.
This seal was constructed from Asgardian divine power.
The runes upon it flickered irregularly, and spiderweb-like cracks covered its surface.
The seal left by Odin finally could not hold any longer.
Crack—
With a crisp sound, the golden seal violently shattered.
It turned into a sky full of golden spots of light, dissipating into the Darkness.
A figure slowly walked out from the void.
She had thick black hair like seaweed.
A black and green skin-tight battle suit outlined a physique full of power.
The Goddess of Death, Hela.
She let out a raspy sigh, greedily breathing in the air of freedom.
"Ha..."
"Father, did you think you could imprison me forever? I will personally take back what belongs to me, right, Fenrir?"
"Awoo—"
She wore a cruel yet beautiful smile.
With a casual grasp, several dark green longswords appeared out of thin air in her hands.
She could feel that Asgard was right there.
Along with the throne that should have belonged to her.
But she was in no hurry.
After being imprisoned for over a thousand years, she needed to make the entire Universe remember the fear brought by her name once again.
"I need to find a place to warm up first."
Hela muttered to herself, casually swiping through the void.
A dark green portal filled with the aura of death suddenly swung open.
She stepped inside elegantly, her target being the Midgard.
New York, Greenwich Village.
In a back alley, space distorted, and a dark green portal emerged.
Hela stepped out, surveying the noisy and filthy environment with a slight frown.
"Truly a... lowly yet vibrant World."
Meanwhile, at Avengers Tower.
Jarvis's voice rang out in Tony's lab.
"Sir, an abnormal energy fluctuation has been detected in Greenwich Village."
"The energy level is immeasurable and does not belong to any known type."
Tony put down his tools, looked at the energy index spiking red on the screen, and whistled.
"Again?"
"Looks like today's afternoon tea is ruined."
While complaining, he walked toward the armor preparation platform.
The brand-new Mark 7, with the help of mechanical arms, quickly covered his entire body.
"I'll have to see which unruly cosmic visitor it is this time. Ever since returning to Earth, alien scum always seem to pop up, and that damn HYDRA."
The red and gold armor took off, rushing toward Greenwich Village with the sound of a sonic boom.
Soon, he spotted the target on a street.
A woman with heavy smoky eye makeup, wearing Gothic-style tight clothing.
She was strolling leisurely, completely out of place with the rest of the World.
Tony hovered in mid-air, speaking in his usual mocking tone.
"Hey! Cosplay lady!"
"The comic-con isn't this way, do you need me to give you directions?"
Hela stopped her pace, looking up with interest at this tin can.
She slightly raised her chin, her eyes full of disdain.
"A flying tin can, a toy of Midgard, truly ingenious."
"Kneel."
Tony shrugged, his Repulsor Cannon aimed at her.
"Sorry, my knee joints don't really support that movement."
"I'll ask one last time, leave on your own, or should I send you off?"
With that, two blazing energy beams shot from his palms!
Hela didn't even lift an eyelid.