I'm not very good at setting timers...
I don't know why it failed to publish in the early morning.
I'm speechless.
Suddenly, Hela's eyes sharpened.
Without a single wasted word, without the slightest warning, her figure suddenly transformed into a dark green afterimage, instantly traversing a distance of dozens of steps. A jet-black longsword, condensed from pure death energy, accompanied by a piercing shriek that seemed to tear through space, hurtled straight towards Lynn's throat!
This is a test from the apex predator.
Lynn didn't even blink. He didn't back down, but slowly raised his right hand, pointing his index finger forward slightly.
A sickening clang of metal clashing rang out above the ruins.
The sword of death, powerful enough to cut through Asgard's hardest alloy, was stopped an inch from Lynn's fingertips by an invisible force. The blade trembled violently, yet could not advance even an inch further.
Hela's pupils contracted sharply. She could clearly sense that Lynn's power was as unfathomable as an abyss.
Hela abruptly drew her sword and retreated, stopping ten paces away. She looked at Lynn, the last trace of disdain in her eyes vanishing completely, replaced by an extremely serious scrutiny.
"Who exactly are you?" she asked coldly, her voice carrying an undeniable sense of pressure. As Asgard's most powerful warrior, Hela's combat instincts were sharp to the extreme.
She could clearly sense that the man before her possessed an aura that was extremely restrained, like a bottomless ocean. And beneath this ocean, which she herself had not yet fully recovered to her peak, lay some terrifying power.
A long-lost sense of apprehension, typical of apex predators, caused Hela to abruptly halt her attack.
She slowly withdrew her hand, the death energy at her fingertips gradually dissipating. She narrowed her eyes slightly, re-examining Lynn, her tone less condescending and more complexly scrutinizing.
" Lynn." Lynn's voice was calm and even, meeting Hela's gaze without flinching. "The prince of Asgard, a man who does not wish for Asgard to be destroyed."
Hela gave a cold laugh, but the laugh didn't reach her eyes. She took half a step forward, her dark green armor making a slight rustling sound in the wind.
"You don't want destruction?" She looked down at him. "What makes you think you can stop me?"
"If you wanted to test my abilities, why did you stop?"
Hela's eyes instantly turned extremely dangerous, a dark green light surging wildly within them.
Hela stared at him, remaining silent for a long time.
The sounds of battle seemed to fade into the distance, leaving only the mournful whistling of the wind through the ruins. Thor, Loki, and Valkyrie, standing in the distance, stopped what they were doing, staring intently at this unbelievable scene in utter shock and disbelief.
Lynn didn't urge him; he just stood there quietly.
Lynn looked at Hela, " Asgard is like this now. Even if you win, all you'll have left is an empty city."
He paused, his gaze fixed on Hela's dark green eyes. "You should know Thanos. He's searching the universe for the Infinity Stones, wanting to wipe out half the universe's population. Do you think you can stop him with your current power?"
Hela fell silent.
Lynn continued, "As the prince of Asgard, I can assure you that Asgard will be ruled by you. However, you cannot forcibly retain those who wish to leave. When Thanos arrives, whether you want to fight or flee, I will not interfere."
He took half a step forward.
" Hela, Odin chose to seal you away to cover up the past. But I chose a different future; you will remain the Lady Deathstrike."
Hela stared at him, her eyes flashing with an extremely complex light. She was weighing her options, calculating.
After a long silence, she finally spoke, her tone still icy, but the anger that had once been enough to tear the soul apart had receded like the tide.
"I can agree to your terms. But I also have three conditions."
She slightly raised her chin. "First, those who remain in Asgard will no longer be under Thor's jurisdiction. They are my people, and it's not up to a fool to tell them what to do."
"Secondly, I do not accept any form of 'shackles.' No matter what kind, it's unacceptable."
"Third, if Thanos really comes, I won't take orders from anyone. I'll only fight the battles I want to fight."
Lynn listened, a calm smile playing on his lips. He nodded. "Deal. But remember one thing: Midgard is my territory now, and you'd better be clear about that."
Hela looked at him, a dangerous smile playing on her lips, "Interesting. You're more like Odin's successor than that blond fool."
"Then, it's a pleasure working with you."
"Armistice!"
Her voice resounded like thunder throughout Asgard.
The undead, who were frantic just a second ago, instantly changed upon hearing the command.
They all lowered their weapons in unison, the eerie green flames in their eye sockets flickered briefly, and then they quietly retreated.
A Ragnarok capable of destroying the Nine Realms, was abruptly brought to a halt in an extremely bizarre manner.
"Queen Frigga!" Lynn turned to look at the queen who had been standing to the side.
Frigga snapped out of her daze and immediately led Thor and his confidants to begin systematically assisting the civilians in their evacuation.
Loki appeared silently beside Lynn, glanced at Hela in the distance, and asked in a low voice, "You really believe her?"
"I don't believe you." Lynn chuckled softly, watching Hela's tall figure recede into the distance. "But she wants war and death. Heh, I'll give it to her."
Lynn had Thor compile a list of those who had decided to follow him. According to the original plan, these people would be brought back to Earth.
Before leaving, Lynn stood on the ruins of the Bifrost, looking at the palace in the distance, severely damaged in the battle, covered in scorch marks and cracks. For better cooperation in the future, and to give Hela some dignity, he simply raised his hand.
A soft, six-colored light swept across, and the broken walls and ruins of the main hall were rapidly reassembled and restored in the light. Of course, this only applied to the main hall.
After doing all this, everyone boarded the spaceship.
As the spaceship slowly ascended, everyone looked back. Asgard still existed, but it was no longer their home. Hela stood alone on the Bifrost, frowning as she glanced at the newly renovated main temple, then turned and disappeared into the shadows.
From this moment on, the Divine Court, though still existing, was essentially defunct. Hela became a gray area, oscillating between "ally" and "threat."
Lynn leaned against the ship's porthole, watching Asgard recede into the distance. He knew that Hela hadn't fully recovered to her peak strength and had only barely managed to reach this cooperation. When her power truly returned to its peak, another battle between the two of them would be inevitable.
But so what?
Hours later, on Earth, in Norway.
A massive Asgard spaceship silently landed in a secluded valley surrounded by mountains.
The hatch slowly opened, and fresh air mixed with the scent of pine filled the air. Thor led the surviving Asgardians off the spaceship, and everyone was stunned when they saw the charming, well-preserved Nordic-style village that had been built long ago.
"This is..." Thor turned to look at Lynn, his face full of astonishment.
" Tony and I have already discussed this resettlement location; you can treat it as your new home."
The Asgard refugees, whose lives were filled with desolation and sorrow, felt a long-lost warmth and human touch in this small village.
Lynn even thoughtfully had Tony build a huge open-air plaza in the center of the village.
In the evening, Lynn was sitting on the porch of a wooden house on the edge of the village, holding a cup of hot tea in her hand.
Thor emerged from the kitchen wearing an ill-fitting plaid shirt and carrying a baking tray. He looked somewhat flustered, with flour smeared on his face.
" Lynn, try this." Thor placed a baking tray on the table, on which was a pile of somewhat charred... unidentified objects.
Lynn glanced down at it and raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"
"Traditional Asgard roast meat," Thor explained, scratching his head somewhat awkwardly. "I was trying to recreate my mother's recipe, but the oven here seems to be behaving strangely."
Lynn couldn't help but chuckle at his awkward expression. He picked up a piece and took a bite.
"How is it?" Thor stared at him nervously.
"Hmm..." Lynn swallowed the piece of meat with its strong charred flavor and nodded without changing his expression. "It's very chewy. It would be even better if you cooked it a little less next time."
Thor breathed a sigh of relief and plopped down next to Lynn, looking at the Asgard civilians clumsily trying to start a fire in the square in the distance with a complicated expression.
"Sometimes I feel like it's all a dream," Thor murmured. "My father is dead, Asgard is empty, but here I am, roasting meat like an ordinary man."
Lynn looked at him calmly. "You are the King of Asgard. But now, you need to learn how to be a king."
Thor fell silent. He turned to look at Lynn's perpetually composed face and suddenly asked, " Hela... will she really keep her promise?"
"She will," Lynn said, setting down her teacup with certainty, "Because she doesn't yet have enough leverage to break the contract. When she feels her knife is sharp enough, she'll naturally come looking for us."
Thor clenched his fists, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes. "If she really attacks, can I win?"
Lynn didn't answer. He simply reached out and patted Thor on the broad shoulder.
"Maybe you'll win when you stop relying on that hammer."
Thor was stunned. He looked down at his empty right hand, lost in thought.
Just then, Valkyrie walked over with a bowl of freshly washed apples, grabbed one without hesitation, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled, "Don't think about it anymore, big guy. At least now, we don't have to worry about being beheaded at any moment."
She turned to Lynn, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, Your Highness, I heard from Thor that your security company is hiring? I think I'd be perfect for collecting protection money on Earth."
Lynn chuckled at her nonchalant demeanor. "I don't need any thugs. But if you're willing to learn how to be an ordinary person, I might consider saving you a spot."
Valkyrie rolled her eyes, took a big bite of her apple, and turned to go inside.
The night breeze carried the laughter of ordinary people in the distance.
Lynn leaned against a pillar on the porch, watching Thor and Valkyrie bicker, a faint smile flashing in his eyes.
He knew this was just the calm before the storm.
The goddess of war is silently gathering her strength in Asgard, waiting for the next opportunity.
But at least for this moment, in this small Norway village, there is only the aroma of roasted meat and the ordinary, peaceful life that belongs to ordinary people.
The next morning, sunlight pierced through the thin mist and shone on the rooftops of the staggered wooden houses.
Thor was woken up early in the morning by Frigga.
A lingering sense of oppression still hung in the air of the open-air square in the center of town.
The Asgard survivors, having lost their homes, gathered in twos and threes around the square. Some talked in hushed tones, while others sat silently, gazing blankly at the distant, rolling mountains. Even in a safe place, the fear and unease of being far from home still hung like an invisible cloud over everyone's hearts.
Frigga stood at the edge of the square, quietly watching everything.
She wasn't wearing the magnificent royal robes of Asgard; she had simply changed into a plain long dress, her hair simply pulled back. Even so, the innate composure and dignity she exuded still caused those around her to fall silent involuntarily.
Thor stood beside her, looking at his mother's calm profile, and the confusion he felt from losing the hammer miraculously dissipated somewhat.
"Let's go," Frigga said softly, stepping into the crowd.
She did not deliver any impassioned speech, nor did she promise any grand future.
She simply walked among the terrified civilians, patting the elderly on the shoulder like an ordinary mother, squatting down to wipe the tears from the children's faces, holding the hands of women who had lost loved ones, and quietly listening to their stories.
Thor followed behind his mother, awkwardly imitating her.
As evening approached, the square gradually became lively.
Someone set up a grill, while others brought out several barrels of mead brought from Asgard. An elderly bard strummed a broken harp, playing an old Asgard folk song intermittently.
The melody is rugged and desolate, yet it is like a pair of warm hands, soothing the deepest wound in everyone's heart.
Thor sat on the steps of the square, a glass of mead in his hand, watching the scene before him. The firelight reflected on every face, revealing sadness, weariness, but also something slowly reviving within them.
Frigga sat down beside him and draped a thick blanket over his shoulders.
"Mother," Thor whispered, "Do you think we can go back?"
Frigga didn't answer immediately. She looked at the distant campfire, the firelight flickering in her eyes.
" Asgard is still here, Hela is there too." Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm. "As long as it's still there, there will always be a chance."
Thor fell silent. He looked down at the slightly swirling mead in his hand, and finally a faint, yet genuine, smile appeared on his lips.
The night breeze carried the aroma of roasted meat and the laughter of children.