Worthy?
That single word pierced deep into Algrim's heart.
To him, it was not just mockery. It was humiliation, and Ethan Drake's condescending gaze made it even worse. Beneath that arrogant emperor's stare, Algrim, the mighty Cursed Warrior, actually felt something close to inferiority.
"Damn you!"
"I'll kill you!"
Boom!
He stomped down, and the ground beneath him exploded apart.
His massive body shot into the sky like a rocket. Yet the moment he rose into the air, an ice-blue beam descended straight down.
Boom!
Algrim's entire body was blasted back into the ground.
It was Ethan's freeze vision.
The blue beam fired from his eyes carried terrifying penetrative force. It did not merely knock Algrim down. It pierced straight through his waist.
"Ah!"
Algrim screamed in pain.
Even in his cursed state, the wound carved into his waist brought him unbearable agony.
Hum!
A violent gust dropped from the sky.
The Cursed Warrior widened his eyes and twisted his body sideways, trying to evade Ethan's next attack. Unfortunately, the movement was far too slow.
Bang!
A crushing force still slammed into his chest.
"Guh!"
Algrim spat out a mouthful of blood.
For one terrible second, he felt as if every organ in his body had been smashed to pieces.
"So what gave you such confidence?"
Ethan descended with cold indifference.
"What made you think you could kill me?"
His foot landed directly on Algrim's body.
"Now I'll ask you one more time."
"Are you worthy?"
No matter how hard Algrim struggled, Ethan's body remained completely motionless.
Ethan only raised an eyebrow.
In that instant, his weight seemed to increase beyond imagination.
Boom!
The crater beneath them sank even deeper.
Algrim coughed up another mouthful of blood as his spine cracked inch by inch.
Then all movement stopped.
"Boring."
Ethan smiled faintly.
Then his other foot came down.
Bang!
The Cursed Warrior's massive head exploded like a smashed watermelon. Red and white filth splattered across the shattered ground.
"Damn it!"
Whoosh!
Gunfire erupted from the remaining Dark Elves.
Dense beams rained down on Ethan's body as the soldiers who had stayed behind tried to rescue Algrim.
Unfortunately, their attacks were no different from drizzle against a mountain.
They did nothing.
Ethan calmly raised his hand.
Snap.
His fingers clicked softly.
Boom!
A tiny pulse of energy erupted outward, yet the shockwave it triggered was vast and overwhelming. In a single blast, every surviving Dark Elf in the square was slaughtered.
At that moment, Hela returned after briefly vanishing.
She knelt on one knee before Ethan.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to present you with a powerful undead army."
In her hand burned a flame.
It was the Eternal Flame from Asgard's treasure vault.
Hela stepped forward, and the ground beneath the palace suddenly cracked open.
Under the terrified gazes of everyone present, a hidden space was revealed below Asgard's palace. No one had expected an underground chamber to exist there.
Inside lay rows of coffins.
On those coffins rested withered corpses.
"These were once my subordinates."
Hela's voice echoed through the ruined square.
"You fought across the realms for Asgard, only to receive this ending."
"Now I will resurrect you."
"I will grant you new life."
Hela released the Eternal Flame from her hand.
As the Goddess of Death, she held dominion over life and death. With that flame, she could awaken Asgard's dried corpses and grant them a different kind of existence.
Hum!
Dark energy spread outward.
Green flames ignited within the empty eye sockets of each corpse.
Then the withered bodies began to move.
One after another, the dead warriors rose.
"I give you a new name."
Hela's voice carried across the battlefield.
"The Legion of the Undead."
Boom!!
The earth trembled violently.
A fully armed undead army marched out from the underground palace.
They had once been Asgard's fiercest warriors. They had once been Hela's finest soldiers.
Now they had returned.
They obeyed the will of the Goddess of Death and awakened from their endless sleep.
"Kill."
At Hela's order, the undead legions surged forward.
They were nearly indestructible.
They knew no pain.
They crashed into the remaining Asgardian warriors and began a merciless slaughter.
Awooo!
A wolf's roar suddenly shook the battlefield.
A gigantic demon wolf emerged from the underground palace.
It was the legendary beast of Norse mythology.
Fenrir.
Broken chains still hung from its limbs.
Under Hela's command, the vicious wolf immediately lunged toward the Asgardian warriors before it.
"Your Majesty, this is the blade I prepared for you."
Hela lowered her head respectfully.
"The undead army, and the beast Fenrir."
"Very good."
A sharp gleam flashed through Ethan's eyes.
His excitement was obvious.
This undead army was indeed impressive. The moment they entered the battlefield, they created an overwhelming advantage against Asgard's forces.
And with Fenrir towering more than ten meters tall, the Asgardian warriors could no longer form any meaningful resistance.
"The hypocritical Odin has fallen."
Hela's voice spread across the square.
"As his eldest daughter, I am the rightful heir to his throne."
"Does anyone object?"
Her gaze swept over the surviving Asgardians.
"I am willing to forgive your previous rudeness."
"Surrender, and you live."
Clang!
A weapon fell to the ground.
One Asgardian finally dropped his sword.
He no longer wanted to gamble with his life.
"She is Asgard's true incarnation."
"She is also Odin's eldest daughter."
"We should obey her."
Some warriors were not afraid of death.
Others immediately chose surrender.
Soon, more and more Asgardians dropped their weapons.
Yet beneath their fear, anger still burned.
Odin's eldest daughter, the rightful heir to Asgard's throne, was kneeling at the feet of a man.
And that man was the same one who had just killed Odin.
To the people of Asgard, it felt like the greatest humiliation imaginable.
Their future queen had bowed to the murderer of their king.
"No!"
"I will never surrender to a man like him!"
Swish!
A black sword fell from the sky.
The warrior who dared to object was instantly beheaded.
His severed head rolled across the ground, and his body collapsed where he stood.
Everyone stared at one another in shock.
No one dared to speak again.
Crunch!!
In the distance, Fenrir continued its massacre.
The massive wolf devoured every fleeing warrior it caught.
After one last fierce struggle, the battle gradually subsided.
Asgard showed no more signs of resistance.
Hela was thrilled.
She had never expected it.
In less than a single day, everything she had dreamed of for thousands of years had fallen into her hands.
Then her gaze shifted.
Ethan Drake was already seated on Asgard's throne.
The sight made something flash in Hela's eyes, but she did not dare show even the slightest anger.
Instead, she dropped honestly to the ground.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for granting me new life."
"From this day forward, I will be your most loyal servant."
....
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