Hela looked down at the chattering Tin Can clinging to her calf.
For the first time, confusion appeared in her eyes, which had remained unchanged for a thousand years.
This Midgard bug was just fighting for his life.
Now he was clinging to her leg, praising the material of her combat boots?
Hela's patience was wearing thin, and she was about to stomp on his chattering head.
Just then, a piercing shriek that tore through the air arrived.
A circular object, red, white, and blue, flew past her ear at high speed.
It was extremely fast, carving a deep pit in the wall before circling back and flying away.
Hela's eye twitched, and she slowly turned her head to look in the direction the object had flown from.
Almost simultaneously, a silver afterimage, carrying wind and thunder, flashed past her.
The strong gust of wind it created stirred her long hair.
"Hmm?"
Hela's brows finally furrowed.
Seeing the red, white, and blue blur and the silver afterimage, Tony Stark at her feet suddenly changed his demeanor.
He abruptly let go of Hela's thigh and struggled to his feet.
Although his armor was damaged and his movements were clumsy, his tone was extremely arrogant.
"Ha!"
Tony pointed at Hela, letting out a short laugh of mockery.
"You're outdated, big sister! Solo acts aren't popular anymore!"
His voice, transmitted through the damaged speaker, carried a newfound confidence.
"When you're out in the World, it's all about connections. What good is being strong? I have people!"
No sooner had he spoken than a blond man in a star-spangled uniform, holding a round shield, stood not far away, looking gravely at Hela.
Beside him, a silver-haired youth stopped, a provocative smile on his face.
Behind them, a red-haired girl slowly floated in mid-air.
Crimson energy pulsed at her fingertips, emitting a dangerous aura.
Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Quicksilver, Pietro Maximoff.
Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff.
Reinforcements had arrived.
Hela looked at these three new toys, and the confusion on her face turned into an amused playfulness.
"More people?"
She chuckled softly, finding it quite amusing.
"Then all of you, kneel together."
As soon as she finished speaking, Pietro's figure vanished from his spot.
Extreme speed turned him into a silver lightning bolt, instantly circling behind Hela and slamming a fist into her back!
This punch contained 26 years of single strength.
But just as it was about to touch Hela, Pietro's expression suddenly changed drastically.
He felt as if he had crashed into an invisible mountain made of death.
An irresistible recoil force spread throughout his body from his fist.
"Crack!"
The sound of bones shattering was clearly audible.
Pietro screamed and flew backward at an even faster speed.
"What good is just being fast? Not strong enough, not lasting enough."
Hela didn't even turn her head, merely offering a dismissive comment.
At the same time, Wanda's attack arrived.
Several crimson Chaos Magic energy beams, like living venomous snakes, struck at Hela from different angles.
This was power capable of distorting reality.
But Hela merely waved her hand casually.
"Buzz—"
Her divine power of death spread outwards, forming an invisible barrier around her.
The crimson energy, upon contact with the barrier, was silently annihilated, like water poured into a desert.
Wanda's face turned pale.
Her Chaos Magic had been neutralized so easily for the first time.
"Petty tricks."
Hela commented, raising her eyes to look at Steve.
Captain America didn't hesitate, throwing his vibranium shield with all his might!
The shield cut a perfect arc, heading straight for Hela's head with the force of a vanguard!
However.
Hela simply extended two fingers and effortlessly caught the rapidly spinning shield.
The kinetic energy of the Vibranium dissipated into nothingness at her fingertips.
"A nice toy."
Hela examined the shield, a hint of approval in her eyes.
Then, she flicked her finger.
"Clang!"
The vibranium shield flew back at an even faster speed, smashing hard into Steve's chest and knocking him back several meters.
Overwhelming.
Utterly overwhelming.
Tony's arrogant smile froze.
He watched as his teammates were all defeated by this woman in a single encounter.
Tony felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
Something seemed wrong with the situation.
"Now, do you still think having more people is useful?"
Hela turned her head, smiling as she looked at Tony.
Just then, a loud wolf howl came from the sky.
A massive shadow enveloped the entire block.
A mountain-sized black giant wolf pierced through the clouds and crashed down!
Fenrir!
The giant wolf landed steadily beside Hela, its crimson eyes sweeping across the scene, letting out a low growl from its throat.
"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce."
Hela pleasantly stroked Fenrir's fur.
"This is my comrade-in-arms, and your... Gravedigger."
Fenrir seemed to receive a command, its massive body transforming into a black whirlwind and pouncing towards Steve, Wanda, and the others who had just gotten up.
A massacre with no suspense began.
Steve used all his strength, even transforming into a Vishanti Warrior, but his attacks always failed to hit the ethereal Fenrir, and he could only barely hold on against Fenrir's sharp claws.
Pietro's speed was meaningless before the giant wolf, as his hits didn't hurt it. Fenrir simply endured them, while Pietro himself was nearly swallowed several times and could only provide auxiliary support.
Under Hela's interference, Wanda's Chaos Magic only managed to slightly delay Fenrir's movements.
In less than 20 minutes.
All the resistance fighters lay wounded on the ground, incapacitated.
Hela watched all this with satisfaction, her gaze once again falling on Tony, who stood frozen in place.
She slowly walked forward.
One step, two steps.
The sound of her high heels clicking on the ground was like footsteps on Tony's heart.
Tony Stark's brain was working at high speed.
He couldn't win alone.
He couldn't win with more people either.
Then, only one path remained.
The moment Hela reached him and raised her foot again.
Tony Stark did something that left everyone dumbfounded.
He dropped to his knees with a "thump," then, with lightning speed, rushed forward again and clung tightly to Hela's thigh!
His movements were smooth and practiced, all in one go.
Even more experienced than before.
"Your Majesty! My Queen!"
Tony's voice came from his helmet, this time full of grievance and repentance.
"Those were just jests! Everything I said just now was nonsense!"
"I was testing the loyalty of these Mortals for you! See, they are completely vulnerable, unworthy of serving you!"
"Only I! Only my reverence for you is like the surging river, endless!"
As he spoke, he even rubbed his cheek affectionately against Hela's leg, his posture humble to the dust.
Steve saw this scene and was so angry he almost spat blood.
"Stark! You..."
Hela looked at the attachment on her leg, and the eternal coldness on her face finally melted.
In its place was a complex expression mixed with absurdity, amusement, and curiosity.
She didn't kick him away.
Instead, she chuckled softly.
"Interesting bug."
She withdrew the foot she was preparing to step down with, letting Tony cling to her.
"Get up."
She said.
"I do need some... guides. And some subordinates to conquer Asgard."
Hela scanned the fallen Avengers, her gaze briefly lingering on Steve's shield and Wanda's red glow.
"I am Hela, Odin's eldest daughter, the true heir of Asgard."
"My throne was stolen for a thousand years, and now I have returned to reclaim all that is mine."
"And you, the strongest Warriors of Midgard, have the opportunity to become part of my great endeavor to conquer the Nine Realms."
Her voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"Submit to me, or die."
With that, she ignored their reactions and turned to leave.
She didn't even bother with Tony, who was still clinging to her thigh.
"Oh, and one more thing."
After a few steps, she seemed to remember something and looked back in the direction of New York Harbor.
There, the Statue of Liberty held up its torch.
Hela showed a cruel smile.
"Tell the Master of your World."
"Three days from now, I will declare my return to the Nine Realms at that green goddess statue."
"This World only allows one Goddess."
"That is I, the Goddess of Death, Hela!"
With that, she didn't wait for anyone to reply, and her figure, along with Fenrir, merged into a dark green mist and vanished.
Leaving behind only the devastated street and a group of severely injured superheroes.
And... Tony Stark, still in his thigh-hugging pose, frozen in place.