Ch.253 First Clash!

Yup, the one bailing Thor out this time was none other than Ronan.

And honestly, it was all Odin's idea.

Odin's plan was simple: only when Thor truly tasted what despair felt like would he finally awaken for real.

Anything less than life-or-death stakes? No dice.

After those last few moves, Thor was getting clobbered from every angle.

To quote a song lyric from Ronan's past life:

He said none of your much-praised beauty (kong) outshines (bu) the first time he met you.

Uh-huh, "he" being Thor, and "you" being Hela.

"Midgard's sorcerer?"

Even after getting ambushed, Hela bounced back to normal quick.

She turned to face Ronan, pegging his identity in one glance.

Looks like she knew about Kamar-Taj too.

"Since you know who I am, you obviously know what my job is."

"Earth isn't your Asgardian battleground, so get off the planet."

Ronan stared right back at Hela, his face a blank slate.

He might've looked calm as hell, but inside? Not so much.

That hit he just landed took nearly everything he had, plus the sneak attack bonus, and it only pushed Hela back a couple steps.

That's how you know just how strong Hela really is.

More importantly, this wasn't even Hela at her peak.

Because only in Asgard does she get that endless power tap.

That's when she's at her scariest.

"Earth's sorcerer?"

"Your little club's got some serious staying power."

"Thousands of years ago, you were here in Midgard, and you're still around now."

"But Midgard's fighting skills haven't leveled up one bit."

Hela sized Ronan up with curiosity, like she was remembering the last time she swung by Earth.

From the sound of it, she'd been here way before Thor and the gang showed up.

Probably rolled in with Odin, big odds on that.

Ronan didn't say a word, just kept his eyes locked on Hela.

Because what do you even say to that?

Hela's age is dozens—maybe hundreds—of times his own.

Sure, age doesn't mean much, but Ronan wasn't a fan of her pulling the "I'm older than you" card.

"Hela!"

"I won't let you win!"

Right then, Thor—who'd been getting pummeled without a chance to swing back—finally stepped up.

Too bad his beat-up look was so damn pitiful it sucked all the weight out of his words.

Hela just flicked him a glance before shifting her focus back to Ronan.

She knew full well this young guy—hell, this kid—was way more of a threat to her than Thor.

She'd clocked that from the jump.

More than that, this comeback wasn't just about taking over Asgard.

That was only step one.

Hela's plan was crystal clear: she wanted the whole Nine Realms under her thumb.

If that's the game, then Ronan here on Earth was a hurdle she had to clear.

If she could take him out now, Earth wouldn't have much fight left in it.

So, she really wanted to test Ronan's chops.

"Chill out, Thor. You can have Heimdall yank you back to Asgard now."

"I've got this."

Not that Ronan was some big softie stepping in to take Hela's heat off Thor and his family.

He'd already thought this through.

For one, it was kinda Odin's last request—after all, the two of them had struck a little "deal."

And on the flip side, Ronan was playing the same game as Hela.

He knew damn well that once Hela broke free of her seal, her first move would be hitting Asgard to snag that throne she'd been dreaming of.

Next up? The whole Nine Realms.

Earth, being one of the Nine, was hands-down the weakest link.

It'd always been hiding behind Asgard's shield, protected by them.

Now, that protector had turned into a dragon raising the slaughter knife.

If Earth wanted to dodge a war, Ronan was the only one who could step up.

Protecting Earth from threats was his gig as the Sorcerer Supreme, after all.

And Asgard's threats? Those count too.

Of course, there's a little extra layer here.

If Ronan could beat Hela this time—or at least fight her to a draw—it'd put her on edge.

Since Hela's full power only kicks in at Asgard, she'd have to stick around there.

As long as Ronan didn't stroll onto her home turf, he'd probably stay undefeated.

"No, I can't go back."

"If the Bifrost comes down, she'll get to Asgard too."

"And then her power'll be limitless!"

Thor shook his head. No way was he heading back to Asgard.

After all, there's only one road home—the Bifrost.

He couldn't give Hela a single shot at it.

"Don't worry, she won't mess with you one bit."

"You've got a ton to do back there—spreading the word, keeping the rest of Asgard safe."

Ronan was still set on getting Thor out.

Because with Thor here, he couldn't split his focus to cover him.

If Thor died on his watch, would a pissed-off Odin zap him with a lightning bolt from beyond the grave?

Ronan did promise to keep Thor safe, after all.

"Alright."

"I trust you."

After mulling it over for half a minute, Thor finally nodded at Ronan's words.

What Ronan said mattered, no question.

So, keeping a wary eye on Hela, Thor backed up a good dozen steps before looking skyward.

"Heimdall, take me back!"

As Thor shouted that into the sky, the Bifrost dropped like clockwork.

And right then, Hela—who'd been cloaked in stealth mode this whole time—finally made her move!

Sure, she wanted to take Ronan out in one go, pave the way for her Nine Realms takeover.

But deep down, she knew the score.

First things first: she needed to get back to Asgard.

Lock that place down under her rule—that's step one.

Only with step one done could she roll into steps two, three, and four.

So, the second the Bifrost touched down, she bolted!

But how could Ronan let her slip through that easy?

The instant Hela moved, Ronan thrust both hands forward, and a wall like glass came screaming toward her!

Hela spread her arms, her twin swords slashing an "X" in the air, trying to shatter the wall.

But the second her blades hit it, something weird went down.

The swords passed right through, dragging Hela's whole body along with them.

After slicing through her, the glass wall melted into the air like it'd never been there.

Right then, a smirk finally crept onto Ronan's face.

"Hela, welcome…"

"To my world!"