Chapter 309: Hela’s Devotion

"You think you can kill me?"

Alan's Aurora Sword, infused with the energy of the Green Lantern, struck Red Skull, searing his very soul. He let out a painful scream and was forced out of his misty form, reverting to his original appearance. He no longer had the strength to hover in the air and plummeted to the ground.

Seeing the strange green energy emanating from Alan's hand, Red Skull instinctively stepped back in fear. Though he possessed immortality, Alan gave him the terrifying sense that he could end his existence at any moment.

Red Skull was scared.

"So, do you still want to try?" Alan smirked at him playfully.

To him, this villain was nothing more than a minor nuisance.

"Who... who are you?" Red Skull asked.

Alan slowly raised his Aurora Sword. In the split second he answered, the blade pierced forward with lightning speed, too fast to be seen.

"I am the Emperor from Earth."

Alan's sword pierced through Red Skull, causing his ethereal form to dissipate into a cloud of black mist before vanishing completely. The overwhelming power of Alan rewrote the rules of the Soul Stone.

With the guide gone, a brilliant green light shot up from the depths of the cliff in the distance. The radiance condensed and slowly floated upward—the Soul Stone, the treasure they had long sought.

Alan leaped high into the air and seized the Soul Stone.

Gamora and Nebula, still in shock from the spectacle, let out a collective sigh of relief. No sacrifices, no injuries—obtaining the Soul Stone had been almost too easy.

Just how powerful was this Emperor?

Both Gamora and Nebula couldn't help but think that perhaps Alan truly had the power to defeat Thanos.

"We can't stay here any longer. We need to return to Asgard and prepare for Thanos' invasion."

With that, Alan flew back to his ship. The two quickly followed, leaving Vormir behind.

---

Upon returning to Asgard, Alan's first sight was the Guardians of the Galaxy's ship already docked inside. The last time they visited, they were mistaken for invaders, yet this time, no one had stopped them.

Alan, slightly puzzled, cautiously followed them inside. Outside the grand golden hall, a massive gathering of soldiers stood, some bound together, while others were closely guarded by a different set of troops.

Before his ship even landed, Hela emerged from the golden hall with a legion of soldiers at her back. She looked up at the approaching vessel, her gaze filled with unwavering respect.

The moment she raised her hands, the soldiers in the square and hall all dropped to their knees in unison and shouted, "Welcome, Lord of the Nine Realms!"

As it turned out, after Alan and the others left Asgard, Hela's power had fully recovered. In an effort to impress the Emperor, she had released the soldiers Odin had once sealed away and taken control of Asgard with an iron grip.

With Odin no longer present to intervene and Thor and Loki mysteriously banished to the far reaches of the Nine Realms by Hela, Asgard was now completely under her rule.

And she had done all of this just to present Asgard to Alan as a gift.

Alan rubbed his temples in disbelief, his mind full of questions.

He had seen people trying to curry favor before, but never to this extent! Offering him the mightiest kingdom of the Nine Realms on a silver platter?

What exactly was Hela planning?

"If you keep this up, I might just have to kneel and thank you myself!" Alan muttered to himself.

As the ship landed, Hela approached slowly, while all the soldiers respectfully looked down, awaiting the arrival of their new ruler.

With a hiss, the hatch opened. The new master of Asgard, clad in his golden Emperor Armor, stepped out, bathed in divine light.

...