Watching the sorrow on Hela's face deepen, Heisenberg sighed and reached out to pat the display pedestal where the Infinity Gauntlet rested.
"Hela!"
His voice pulled Hela from her grief, and she turned to look at him and the Infinity Gauntlet.
Heisenberg continued, addressing her.
"When you're free, come and look at this Infinity Gauntlet more often.
Odin placed it in the most prominent position because every time he saw it, he remembered the choices he once faced, and he also remembered you."
"Perhaps," Hela murmured, nodding blankly before meeting Heisenberg's gaze intently.
Her longing for her father finally made her realize that the man who killed him was standing right in front of her!
Yet, reason kept reminding her that she had no grounds to hate Heisenberg.
If she had been stronger than Odin five thousand years ago, she herself would have been her father's killer.
And Heisenberg, after all, had freed her from her five-millennia-long confinement—or rather, solitary imprisonment.
Most importantly…
Father, your daughter is no match for this man…
If she were stronger than Heisenberg, she would undoubtedly eliminate him to restore Asgard's glory, just as humans would dissect Heisenberg for research if they were stronger than him.
"Ah…"
Sighing softly, Hela turned away, continuing forward as she spoke.
"The past is past. I'll revive the Einherjar first!"
She approached the Eternal Flame, plunging her hand into the ever-burning fire.
"Surtur's Eternal Flame, the supreme fire symbolizing eternity and vitality.
If Surtur regains this flame and merges it with his Twilight Sword…
Honestly, if Surtur succeeds, Ragnarok might truly arrive.
Even Odin, in his prime, barely wrested the Eternal Flame from Surtur's grasp!"
Hela smiled, glancing at Heisenberg.
"Though this flame suits Your Majesty well. You're the Sun God, aren't you?"
"Indeed, but I already have the sun. Why would I linger over a mere flame?" Heisenberg chuckled in response.
Listening to him, Hela shook her head, gripping a small cluster of flames and pulling it from the Eternal Flame.
The beautiful flame burned in her palm as she addressed Heisenberg.
"Though Your Majesty is the sun, the Eternal Flame is no ordinary fire. If forged into a divine artifact, you'll wield destructive power while gaining the rejuvenating force of life!"
She carried the small flame to a spacious area in the treasure vault.
Then, lifting her foot, she gently tapped the ground.
"Your Majesty, could you break open this spot? I'll show you the rejuvenating power within the Eternal Flame."
"Hmm."
Heisenberg nodded, his eyes blazing with intense heat.
In an instant, a large cavity appeared beneath Hela's feet, and she leaped down without hesitation.
Heisenberg followed her underground, immediately seeing over a hundred thousand horizontal corpses.
Each wore intricate armor and held various weapons.
Hela, holding the Eternal Flame, walked solemnly to the largest wolf corpse.
She gently stroked her beloved pet with her left hand, shaking her head in sorrow.
"Poor Fenrir, what did they do to you?"
It was merely a rhetorical question; Hela didn't expect the wolf to answer.
Releasing her hand from Fenrir, she slammed the Eternal Flame onto the ground!
Infinite flames erupted into green waves, spreading across all the corpses.
Then, led by Fenrir, every corpse snapped open their eyes—or rather, eerie green lights glowed from their sockets!
Boom!!!
Fenrir leaped up, lowering its head to nuzzle Hela gently.
Then, the wolf abruptly left her, standing before Heisenberg and baring its sharp teeth at him!
"Tsk, this little thing is actually quite cute."
Eyeing the ferocious Fenrir, Heisenberg smiled faintly, appearing before the wolf in a blink.
Before Fenrir could retaliate, Heisenberg grabbed its mouth.
"You don't look like you've been dead for thousands of years at all."
Gripping Fenrir's fangs, Heisenberg teased with a laugh, prompting the wolf to struggle in frustration.
It bit down hard on Heisenberg's hand, but even if it could pierce the Hulk's skin, it couldn't harm Heisenberg in the slightest.
Seeing its bites were ineffective, Fenrir tried leaping repeatedly to free itself from Heisenberg's grip.
But…
It clearly overestimated its strength. With a sudden burst from its hind legs, only its rear and tail bounced up, while its head remained firmly held by Heisenberg.
"Haha, stop messing around. Let it play for a while; it's been asleep for too long!"
Hela laughed, pulling Heisenberg's hand and releasing Fenrir.
The clever wolf understood its mistress's relationship with Heisenberg, tucking its tail between its legs and running off to play.
Meanwhile, Hela waved her right hand, and massive spikes burst from the ground, transforming into stairs connecting the burial site to the treasure vault.
As soon as the stairs appeared, Fenrir dashed up them and sprinted out of the palace, frolicking wildly.
The Einherjar warriors silently assembled before the palace, unmoving.
Asgard's civilians, however, were terrified by the Einherjar and Fenrir.
With lifespans of only two thousand years, few had ever seen Asgard's ace legion from five millennia ago.
Fortunately, Heimdall and the retired Berserkers intervened, calming the civilians.
They ensured the people weren't too frightened by the wolf and the dead to work.
Hela and Heisenberg followed the Einherjar into the main hall of the palace. Before Heisenberg could speak, Hela suggested,
"The Einherjar are more than warriors. Each is an elite of the ancient Aesir, masters of countless skills and talents.
I'll have them join the repair of the Bifröst. In less than two weeks, the bridge will be rebuilt!"
Hela spoke, glancing disapprovingly at the broken Bifröst.
"I can't believe Asgard endured such a catastrophe that even the Bifröst collapsed at its doorstep!
Your Majesty, this wasn't your doing, was it?"
"It wasn't."
"Good, or I'd truly mourn for Asgard. Your arrival has already destroyed Asgard's mountains and rivers. The Bifröst can't withstand your torment!"
Hela quipped, then bowed solemnly to Heisenberg.
Without another word, she led her Einherjar to begin intensive repairs on the Bifröst.
With this, Asgard's internal affairs temporarily stabilized, awaiting Sigmund's Berserker legion's return and the Bifröst's restoration.
Then, Heisenberg could enhance the training of Asgard's warriors.
In the future, Heisenberg would use Asgardians as humanity's spearhead, the Skrulls as their eyes and ears, and humans—the most numerous, fastest-breeding, and shortest-lived—as his primary tool for conquering the universe!
Heisenberg's gaze shifted from Asgard's city to the vast starry sea.
His future goals were drawing closer, but he still had tasks at hand!
Clenching his right hand, the Bifröst instantly transported him back to Earth.
…
By Lake Sherchack in Denver, Earthlings and Asgardian legion commanders sat together, sharing stories over drinks.
Hill, like a heroine, guzzled wine while recounting SHIELD's battles against HYDRA to the commanders!
Thor and Jane sat nearby, their sweet interactions feeding Sif dog food and leaving her uncharacteristically tipsy.
Sif felt every gaze upon her was mocking!
Fortunately, Natasha and Jessica sat beside her, and the three clinked glasses, discussing annoying men.
Natasha's understanding and Jessica's insight made Sif feel she'd found kindred spirits, even mentors in love…
Not far away, Sigmund and the Stark couple chatted amiably. Tony had gleaned nearly everything about Asgard's traditions and legions from Sigmund.
Captain America arm-wrestled Fandral and Hogun.
Oddly, despite Volstagg's far greater strength than Hogun's, whether wrestling Volstagg or Hogun, Steve always ended in a draw.
Hogun even thought his strength had grown to match Volstagg's axe-wielding might…
Bullseye, Hawkeye, and Loki sat together, tipsily chatting.
Their conversation quickly turned from friendly drinking to brawling!
Hawkeye couldn't stand Loki and Bullseye's cynical theories. No matter what he brought up—like New York gangs fleeing to other cities, worsening local crime, or the military's crackdown on SHIELD—Loki and Bullseye's advice was always to kill them all!
This was hardly superhero behavior, nearly driving Hawkeye to despair.
Amid this bizarre merriment, the Bifröst's light suddenly flickered.
But instead of appearing at Lake Sherchack, it materialized ten kilometers away in downtown Denver.
Spotting the descending light, the seemingly drunk two hundred thousand Asgardians abruptly stood in unison.
One moment they were tipsily playing games, the next they transformed into disciplined soldiers.
Beside Stark, Sigmund drew his sword.
"Stay alert. It's likely His Majesty or Lady Hela arriving in the courtyard!"
As he spoke, Asgardian warriors pounded their breastplates in unison, their synchronized rhythm reddening the faces of Earthlings who'd underestimated their military discipline.
SHIELD and the Justice League had genuinely believed they faced Asgardian barbarians.
Even if powerful, they assumed these barbarians were like ancient Norse raiders—disorganized and undisciplined.
Asgardians' love of drink made them easy to misjudge.
But even Hill hadn't expected that, despite their drinking, these millennia-old drinkers were top-tiers who could swim ins.
They only appeared tipsy, savoring the buzz. Yet, at the first sign of danger, they could instantly draw weapons and form ranks, no matter how much they'd drunk.
A thousand years of battle and training made their military discipline far surpass Earthlings trained for mere decades.
Earthlings, especially Americans, needed humility.
Your arrogance needs to be curbed!