Hela casually raised her hand and gently brushed the strands of hair resting on her shoulder. "Of course I haven't forgotten a single word the Emperor told me."
But in her mind, things hadn't yet reached a point of emergency. Odin couldn't leave the place she had sent him to anyway.
If Asgard truly fell into an irreparable crisis—or if another realm urgently needed help—_then_ she would consider bringing Odin back. Until that time came, there was no need.
Besides, Hela believed that with her current strength, there was nothing she couldn't handle. It was Angela who kept worrying about this and that.
Hela couldn't help but feel Angela seemed different lately. The once-fearsome angel who had once made her feel a twinge of fear now looked like someone else entirely. If she hadn't seen Angela remain in Asgard all this time, Hela might've suspected that someone else's soul had taken over her body.
"And also..." Hela slowly walked over to Loki.
Loki, still unsure of what was going on, instinctively felt a trace of fear toward the Goddess of Death. She was different from Thor—no matter how many times Loki tricked Thor, Thor never really held it against him. But Hela… was another story.
As she got close, Loki put on a fake smile and waited for her to speak.
"Loki has all those tricks mother taught him. Disguising himself as Odin... it's not like he hasn't done it before. Thor, you're the most experienced one with that, aren't you?"
Hela gave Thor a taunting look. This was exactly why she'd asked Angela to bring Loki back.
With his talent for shapeshifting, and with Thanos fearing Odin's presence, having Loki transform into Odin should be just as effective, right?
"That's not the same! Loki doesn't have Father's power!" Thor immediately stepped forward to object.
"Oh?" The ever-prankish Loki suddenly found Hela's personality quite appealing—it suited his taste perfectly.
"Well, our powers aren't the same, true, but..." As he spoke, Loki began to change his appearance using magic.
In just a moment, an elderly man with a white beard and an eyepatch over his left eye stood before them. Even his voice mimicked Odin's perfectly.
"With you all around, if Thanos really shows up, I can just make a quick appearance, scare him off a little. Who knows? Maybe he'll give up without a fight!"
The fake Odin shrugged slightly, clearly enjoying himself. Honestly, he was starting to think he might as well stay in this disguise for a while...
"Loki!" Thor's eyes widened in anger, but Loki simply put a finger to his lips.
"Shh... With my current identity, Thor, you should be calling me _Father_. If we're going to put on a show, we have to go all in."
Loki wore a smug expression once again. A moment later, Thor tackled him to the ground. Hela didn't lift a finger to help.
Thor felt utterly helpless. If Hela refused to relent, then Odin would remain trapped. It looked like he'd need to make a trip to Earth to seek help from the Emperor—only he might be able to persuade Hela.
As for Loki, now pinned to the ground, he didn't really care either way. This was Asgard's business. As an "outsider," he'd just follow orders.
Whether or not Hela was willing to bring Odin back didn't concern him. As long as Odin wasn't in any real danger, Loki wasn't about to worry himself over it.
Angela pressed a hand to her forehead as she watched the chaotic scene unfold. A headache suddenly came over her. _If only the Emperor were here—maybe things wouldn't be such a mess._
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