CHAPTER 70
"Because Hela is my chosen heir," Odin declared, his single eye gleaming with authority.
"She embodies the power of all Asgard! That power cannot be lost to the void, even in death.
"You can only perish within the Nine Realms.
"The might of Asgard cannot simply fade into nothingness!
"This law is the foundation upon which all of Asgard endures in the depths of the cosmos!"
Odin's voice echoed with finality.
Ragna remained silent. He had wanted to ask why Odin once called the gods a wretched existence, but after a moment, he lost interest.
As for Midgard's secrets, he no longer wished to investigate.
Not yet.
Not until his strength eclipsed even the greatest of the gods.
Ragna had no intention of dying.
And once he gathered all six Infinity Gems…
What, then, was a god?
For now, he had one goal—meet Hela.
Her physical release was impossible. But communication? That was another matter.
With Odin's assistance, Ragna carefully separated a fragment of his consciousness and sent it to Hel—the realm of the dead.
As for physically crossing into Hel… He didn't trust Odin nearly enough for that.
Hel. Endless Hel.
Ragna expected it to resemble the fiery depths of Muspelheim—lava rivers, smoke-choked skies, and a wasteland of suffering.
He was wrong.
Hel was an abyss of cold silence. The sky was an eternal twilight, the air thick with the whispers of lost souls. The land stretched infinitely in all directions, frozen and lifeless, as if time itself had stopped.
Ragna's voice rang out, but the silence swallowed it whole.
He turned, and suddenly—
Hela.
Her raven-black hair cascaded freely over her shoulders, her emerald eyes filled with something between shock and fury.
Slowly, she reached out, her gloved fingers brushing against Ragna's face as if confirming he was real.
Then, her voice trembled with indignation.
"…Is it truly you, Ragna?"
"Has Odin imprisoned you as well?"
"Why? Why would he do such a thing?"
Hela's outrage ignited like a wildfire, her energy shaking the very foundations of Hel.
"You will never keep me, Odin!" she howled into the void.
"One day, I will reclaim Asgard—I will subjugate the entire universe!
"And then, I will have my glorious revenge!"
Her imprisonment had not broken her. It had not dimmed her ambition. If anything, it had only sharpened it.
Ragna clenched his fists, the urge to strike Odin down and free Hela burning in his chest.
But then, he exhaled slowly.
He stepped forward and embraced her.
Gods did not measure time as mortals did.
A few years of waiting meant nothing to them.
Soon.
Soon.
He would not make his mother hate him and Hela for eternity over what was, in the grand scale of things, a fleeting moment.
Ragna and Hela spoke at length.
He told her of his growing strength, of Odin's waning power, and why he had not yet slain the All-Father to free her.
Hela listened in silence, then offered him her unwavering support.
Then, she smiled—a rare, almost gentle expression.
"I prepared a gift for you long ago," she admitted.
It was a lost artifact of the Shi'ar Empire—a relic capable of converting unwavering belief into pure energy.
She had taken it in battle, believing that even if Ragna failed to awaken divine power, faith alone could grant him strength.
Unfortunately, she had lost the battle.
Her power, at the time, had not been enough to conquer the Shi'ar.
But now…
The gift was unnecessary.
Ragna had become strong enough.
Soon, his consciousness began to fade.
They made a promise.
They would meet again.
Ragna's awareness snapped back to Odin's chamber.
He cast one last deep glance at the All-Father.
After a brief rest in Asgard, and a private discussion with both Odin and Frigga, Ragna departed.
Thor, watching him leave, hesitated.
"…Take me back to Midgard," he finally said.
He wanted to see Jane.
Ragna met his brother's gaze—cold, unreadable.
Thor flinched.
He looked away, embarrassed.
Later, Heimdall took Thor aside.
The gatekeeper spoke of Jane. Of her life. Of the thoughts she no longer shared about Thor.
Thor said nothing.
He knew Heimdall had no reason to lie.
And even if Jane still longed for him…
Ragna would not take him back to Earth.
Asgard was not at peace.
The destruction of Bifrost meant that Asgard could no longer respond swiftly to the troubles of the Nine Realms.
Worse, Odin's humiliating defeat had spread across the cosmos. Even Mjolnir had been taken.
Rebellions stirred.
The fragile peace Odin had maintained for so long was crumbling.
Some races had begun to forget Asgard's might.
Thor had shattered Bifrost. He had caused this disaster.
He alone would set things right.
Odin would not intervene. Not merely to preserve his own dwindling strength—
But because this was how Thor would forge his own legend.
And when Hela returned…
Thor would need loyal warriors at his side.
Odin could only hope he earned them in time.
Ragna, meanwhile, was bound for Nidavellir.
The forge of the dwarves.
His battle with Odin had proven a vital truth—
Powerful artifacts could make all the difference.
And soon, both the Power Gem and the Reality Gem would surface.
He needed a weapon.
A weapon that could withstand and channel multiple Infinity Gems simultaneously.
Even the most powerful Aesir, even the mighty Titans, could only wield a single Gem through their bodies.
Any attempt to harness more would lead to destruction.
The dwarves were the only ones capable of forging such an instrument.
The name dwarves was misleading.
Each of them towered meters high, their squat frames thick with muscle. Their limbs were shorter than those of humans, but their hands—though broad—were astoundingly dexterous.
They were the greatest blacksmiths in the universe.
Mjolnir.
Gungnir.
Stormbreaker, yet to be made.
Even the Infinity Gauntlet itself—
All were forged in Nidavellir.
Eitri, the Dwarf King, greeted Ragna without hostility.
He knew who Ragna was. He knew his strength.
They spoke at length, negotiating the details of the weapon's creation.
At first, Ragna considered moving the entire forge—star forge and all—to a safer location, ensuring the dwarves could work without fear of Thanos.
But Eitri refused.
Asgard still ruled Nidavellir.
And Ragna, whatever else he was, was Odin's son.
Ragna did not press the matter.
Not yet.
If Thanos came, he would prepare a gift for the Mad Titan.
And when the time was right, he would take Nidavellir for himself.
Preparations were underway.
His next destination—
Midgard.
He ruled Earth now.
And the first step in his conquest?
Faith.
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