Cry for My Strength

"Is that so?"

"Let's hope your body is as tough as your mouth."

Hela stopped attacking the Chitauri legion. This was Jotunheim, not Asgard, and she would not receive an endless supply of reinforcements here. The strength Beckett had displayed so far was not weak. To be safe, Hela chose to halt her assault on the Chitauri.

With a single wave of her hand, the hammer that had fallen to the ground returned to Hela's grasp. Her slender body leaped down from the platform, and the divine power of the Asgardians, guided through the hammer, crashed straight toward Beckett as he looked up from the ground!

Clang!

The roar of metal striking metal rippled beneath Beckett's feet, kicking up dust that stung the eyes.

"Is this the extent of your strength?"

Within the dust cloud, Beckett crossed his arms and forcibly withstood Hela's descending hammer blow. In The Other's astonished gaze, a trace of excitement had somehow crept onto Beckett's eternally cold face.

Even though the silver armor covering his arms had shattered beneath Hela's hammer.

"You're still far from enough."

He violently swung both arms forward. Hela, gripping her hammer, felt a powerful force surge from Beckett's arms. Her body was sent uncontrollably backward, while Beckett pursued without mercy!

Every cell in Beckett's body brimmed with the aesthetics of violence as he continuously pressured Hela, who held a hammer in one hand and a sword in the other. His arms, stripped of their silver armor's protection, showed no fear whatsoever. His storm-like attacks left Hela struggling to adapt.

Across the Nine Realms, she had never encountered a young man like Beckett, someone who could suppress her through sheer physical strength alone.

Every weapon formed by her thoughts was narrowly evaded by Beckett by a hair's breadth. His inborn combat instincts gave him an almost cheating advantage in close-quarters combat.

Saiyans were born for battle!

"What's wrong, daughter of Odin? Have you already given up resisting?"

His fists and kicks left afterimages in the air as they all slammed into Hela's body. He was so fast that even Hela could not distinguish his movements with her naked eye. She could only rely on the instincts honed through years of battle to evade Beckett's attacks.

But Beckett's attacks were simply too fast and too dense. Even Hela could not completely avoid them through instinct alone. Her arms, knees, abdomen, even her chest—every area Beckett's hands could reach was unable to escape being struck.

"No. I just think your fists are far too soft and weak." Enduring the pain throughout her body, Hela risked leaving herself completely open and summoned several greatswords, slashing them directly at Beckett, who was still trying to pressure her.

"So weak that I can't even be bothered to defend."

Boom!

The thick, tri-bladed greatsword was smashed into fragments by Beckett's fist. Sharp magical metal burst apart like scattered blossoms, the shards cutting Beckett's hands now deprived of silver armor and leaving wounds on Hela, who could not evade in time.

The combat suit personally made for Hela by Frigga, the First Mage of the Gods and also Hela's mother, was torn apart by the magical metal fragments. Beneath the pale skin exposed across her arms and thighs on the plain, crimson blood trickled down.

It was impossible to tell whether it was Beckett's blood or Hela's.

"What is this, a weakling's self-consolation?" Beckett sneered at Hela, utterly unconcerned about his cut fists. To him, these did not even count as minor injuries.

"Though it doesn't matter."

"Whether it's the impotent wailing of a defeated dog or the helpless frenzy of a weakling, this is your final chance to show your emotions."

"Daughter of Odin, cry for my strength." Beckett raised his bloodstained right hand. The arrogant curve of his lips became increasingly glaring in Hela's eyes.

Cry, scream, and then die!

With a savage grin, Beckett forcefully kicked off with both legs, instantly charging toward Hela, who had opened up the distance between them like a cannonball leaving its barrel.

"You really know how to flatter yourself. Does Thanos not teach you any real skills? Does he spend all day teaching you how to run your mouth?"

Standing quietly where she was, Hela watched Beckett's reflection in her pupils and scoffed, her hands brushing over the top of her head. Her sharp, eye-catching hairstyle transformed back into smooth black hair cascading down her back. She extended both hands before her, and a wall completely invisible to the naked eye stretched across Beckett's path.

What is this?

Beckett only felt as though he had slammed into a hard wall. Yet after colliding with him, that hard wall immediately became incomparably soft, wrapping tightly around him as though he had fallen into a swamp at the edge of an endless coast, leaving him unable to break free.

"Crystal Wall, one of the magics from the Aries Galaxy. It is a gift from my mother."

Hela proudly raised her chin. Watching Beckett struggle against empty air, a cruel smile returned to her face.

"My father, Odin, is the strongest king in the Nine Realms. My mother is the wisest mage in the Nine Realms. When I was young, she taught me many spells."

"For example, the Crystal Wall of the Aries Galaxy, and the Arrow of Annihilation from the Sagittarius Galaxy." A fierce wind swept up Hela's black hair behind her shoulders as she assumed the posture of drawing a bow and nocking an arrow.

Black magical metal rapidly took shape at Hela's command. A completely black bow was then dyed golden by Hela's magical power.

A trace of the world's elemental power was drawn out by Hela's magic and gathered into arrows. As she fired, they pierced one after another into Beckett's arms, which had lost the protection of silver armor!

Squelch!

The magical arrows stabbed into his arms, and their gathered energy exploded across Beckett's limbs. Tearing pain instantly swept through every nerve in his body!

"Oh, right. There's also the holy sword of the Capricorn Galaxy. Dying beneath this spell should be your honor."

After consecutively casting two highly draining spells and now bringing out a third, Hela, who had already suffered internal injuries from Beckett's blows, showed faint signs of being unable to hold on. Yet she clenched her teeth and endured, revealing not the slightest weakness before Beckett.

Dazzling golden radiance flickered in Hela's hands alongside her incantation. A crimson-gold greatsword gradually emerged above Beckett's head.

Capricorn Galaxy, Judgment Holy Sword!

"His Highness Beckett?!"

The Other, who had long been stunned by the battle between gods in the distance, instantly snapped back to his senses. He raised his scepter and rushed toward Beckett, but it was clearly already too late.

"Pay the price for your ignorance and arrogance, in the name of Hela Odinsdottir."

Violent winds swept across the entire plain. The crimson-gold greatsword flared brilliantly as it slashed straight down at Beckett's head!

Thump... Thump... Thump...

The pain of the magical arrows exploding accelerated Beckett's heartbeat. Beneath his ragged breathing, he stared at the greatsword descending toward him. There was not the slightest fear on his face; instead, it was filled with excitement.

His body craved battle, craved every breakthrough between life and death.

Every cell in his body trembled with excitement in response to Beckett's will. New strength poured endlessly into every corner of his limbs and body. The magical energy embedded in his arms was forcibly expelled by Beckett's power, while the Crystal Wall binding his body turned into glistening snowflakes and melted away in an instant.

"Aah!!!!!"

Beckett planted his feet upon the earth and bent his knees slightly. Veins bulged one after another at a visible speed as he threw his head back and roared. His earth-shaking howl lingered long over the blood-soaked plain.

"Disappear! Hela Odinsdottir!!!!"

Overwhelming energy erupted. Beckett leaped into the air and, from below, shattered the Judgment Holy Sword Hela had formed with a single punch!