Chapter 289:
–Hela–
"...Niece?" Hela muttered in confusion.
Her brow furrowed, but a moment later, everything clicked. A smirk curled on her black-painted lips. "Interesting. So, I'm not Odin's daughter in this dimension…" she muttered, wondering how that was possible. She'd have to ask Layla later—her Angelic lover knew far more about other dimensions or universes than Hela ever cared to learn.
Odin blinked, which, with only one eye, looked more like a wink. "A different dimension? Huh, I thought you were just trying out a new wardrobe and hairstyle, Hela. But now that I really look, I do sense a bit of my own divinity in you..." He paused, rubbing his long silver beard thoughtfully.
She wasn't impressed with the beard. In fact, she found it gross—way too long. She'd never been a fan of facial hair, especially since she was only attracted to beautiful women. Even if she wasn't, she couldn't understand how anyone could be into a guy whose beard literally dragged along the floor. She bet he'd tripped over it at least once. This Odin didn't seem as sharp as her own father, but he gave off the vibe of a schemer.
As Queen, Hela had gotten pretty good at reading people. With Asgard reopening ties to other realms, she'd had to learn how to size up foreign dignitaries at a glance—to make sure they weren't trying to trick her into a bad deal.
She glanced around. They were standing on the outskirts of this Universe's Asgard. She still couldn't figure out how this place even existed, given that Earth DxD and Earth Marvel used to be the same. There should only have been a single Asgardian people per Universe.
And yet, there were two.
Layla theorized that the DxD Asgardians came from a completely different universe. She figured they'd probably escaped their own Ragnarok, or at least delayed it.
The enormous body of Surtur lay just a hundred meters away, stuck with large black swords and covered in burn scars from her brother's lightning. Thor had definitely improved under her training over the past two years. He used to fight like a fool, relying on brute force. He still did, regrettably, but now he at least knew how to harness his power over thunder on command.
"Tell me, Hela... if you're not my daughter in this dimension, why come to our rescue? Surely, you wouldn't care whether Asgard lives or dies." Odin raised a bushy eyebrow and crossed his arms.
Hela stared at him neutrally. "You're right. I wouldn't care at all." She gestured to the massive form of the fallen Surtur nearby, "Frankly, whether this Asgard is reduced to ashes or not means nothing to me. I might have even encouraged it, considering I'm not happy your Asgard even exists in the first place. Wherever your people came from, it certainly wasn't this Universe." Hela felt that they were unwanted interlopers in her Universe. Had it been just them being attacked, she might have even tried to convince Layla not to give assistance. Unfortunately, the foolish Devils chose to strike out against the whole entire world.
Odin frowned at her. "That's a secret not many outside the Norse are privy to…"
Hela scoffed, old men and their secrets….
"Well, it won't be a secret for long. The Convergence is almost upon us. The two Earths will soon merge again." She said.
Odin clicked his tongue before changing the subject. "You still haven't answered my question," Odin pointed out, "or properly introduced yourself. I suspect you're more than just the ruler of Helheim."
A smirk played on her lips. "You'd be correct. I'm the Queen of Asgard and the ruler of the Nine Realms—well, eight now. I've already secretly signed some documents that seeded Earth over to Layla–not that she knows it. But since we're going to be married, that's basically a formality at this point." She continued. "As for why I came to your rescue, you can thank Layla for that. Earth DxD is her birth world, and she doesn't want it destroyed by this Universe's Devils. Pathetic creatures, really—relying on human souls to grow stronger. I much prefer their counterparts from other universes."
"What…?"
Hela found Odin's confused expression priceless. He was doing his best to keep up, but she wasn't explaining as much as she could have.
She liked being petty. As Layla would say: Hela was that bitch.
"Earth DxD?" Odin repeated. "I assume that's the name of this half of the Earth. My people came to this world after the split, so I've never seen it when it was whole."
"You're lucky for that." Hela said. "My Odin was a prideful warmonger, he would have slaughtered all of you for daring to use his name or claiming to be Asgardians. As for the world back then, it was much bigger—filled with magic, wonder, and humans far stronger than they are now. They suffered the most from the split. Their bodies weakened over the millennia due to the lower gravity."
Odin's one eye widened at the implications. "Then won't they all die when the worlds combine again?"
Hela waved off his concern. "We've handled that. A pair of genius siblings Earth Marvel developed a serum to physically enhance humans, restoring them to their original state. It also boosted their resistances to diseases and increased their lifespans. Humans used to live into their 200s easily, but now most barely reach 70 years of age before death. We suspected the magic of the world being ripped in half caused all of that." She rattled off the information casually. "...But enough of all that. We must discuss this war!" Hela declared, demanding that Odin take her inside Asgard so that they might begin planning the counter attack against the Devils!
"Ugh, planning an entire war campaign. Sounds like way too much effort for me in my old age." Odin whined. "I think I'll just leave it to my loyal secretary, Rossweisse. She's a tactical genius, best war mage in Asgard, despite the fact that she's never had a boyfriend…" Odin added, throwing in that last bit of information for no apparent reason.
Hela felt patience thinning. This Odin was far too carefree, especially given that Surtur nearly breached Asgard's walls. If she and Thor hadn't shown up, everything would've been in flames by now.
Speaking of her brother, where had he wandered off to? He said he was going to help the surviving Einherjar, but he should've been back by now.
"Sister! Look who I found!"
Ah, there he was.
Hela turned around and almost did a double take. Thor was standing next to...another Thor. This one looked almost exactly like him, except his hair and beard were bright red. And instead of Mjolnir made of Uru metal, this Thor had a hammer that looked like it was made of wood and stone.
"I see you found your counterpart, little brother," she said flatly, before turning her attention to the red-haired Thor. "And where in the Nine Hells were you while Surtur was attacking your home?"
Redhead Thor rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Aye, I know I messed up. The night before...I, uh, got a bit too deep into my cups with Uncle Loki. We were celebrating past battles and, well…"
'He drank himself unconscious…what a surprise,' she thought sarcastically. "Loki…" Hela muttered the name in annoyance. "And where is the counterpart of my little brother? He wasn't here to help fight Surtur either."
The second Thor looked confused. "Your little brother? Don't you mean your father?"
"...What?" Hela blinked, genuinely caught off guard for the first time since she arrived. Realization dawned on her. "No…" She spun to face Odin, glaring at him. "Is that why you called me niece? My counterpart here is Loki's daughter!? Fucking LOKI!?" The idiot who couldn't even rule Asgard for a single day without his own people rioting and nearly burning the place down?
"Aye, Lady Hela," Odin confirmed with a nod, making Hela grown. "He is. And I'm also curious where my sworn brother was during this attack. I could have used his help. These old bones aren't meant for fighting anymore," he said while massaging his own shoulder.
"It's quite simple, my sworn brother!" A voice declared from behind them dramatically. "I've decided to take advantage of this war to further my own goals, along with a few...acquaintances of mine."
Sneaking up from behind while invisible. It seemed Loki employed the same tactics no matter what Dimension or Universe he was from. Hela turned to see what "her father" looked like in this dimension. She almost regretted doing so.
"What are you wearing?" Hela cringed. "And why is your hair blue?"
With his bright white trench coat and ridiculously long blue hair, Loki reminded her of one of the cartoon characters her daughters loved watching.
And then she had to stifle a groan. Hela was starting to dread what her own counterpart looked like here! She swore, if her counterpart had blue hair, heads were going to roll! No one was going to ruin her hard earned reputation!
"Where have you been, Loki?" Odin's single eye narrowed in suspicion.
Loki spread his arms wide, laughing maniacally. "Hahaha! My friends and I have been having a bit of fun with all your pretty little soldiers."
As if on cue, a swirling black portal appeared beside him. Loki casually reached into it, pulling out the lifeless body of a stunning woman with long silver hair. She looked flawless, except for the gaping hole where her heart should've been.
"Rossweisse!?" Odin's roar of outrage echoed through the air.
Hela raised an eyebrow. It seemed her earlier idea of leaving war plans to Rossweisse wouldn't be happening—unless, of course, Layla decided to resurrect her later. That thought lingered, but for now, she kept quiet, watching the scene unfold.
Loki, meanwhile, carelessly tossed Rossweisse's body to the ground like she was nothing more than a discarded plaything. "I'll admit," he said, a wicked grin spreading across his face, "she was far more powerful than I expected, especially in her rage after I slaughtered the rest of her Valkyrie sisters. But in the end, she was no match for a god!" His voice dripped with pride as he basked in his supposed triumph.
Hela rolled her eyes. She also slaughtered all of Odin's Valkyries herself. It wasn't that big of an accomplishment.
…
Odin's face twisted in fury, completely losing his calm as he stared at Rossweisse's lifeless body. Without a second thought, he charged at Loki, divine energy crackling around him like a storm. His one good eye blazed with raw rage.
Loki just laughed, easily dodging Odin's first attack. "Come now, Allfather. Did you really think you could catch me off guard?" he taunted.
Odin's staff smashed into the ground, leaving a crack as he swung again, this time more focused. Loki dodged again with a grin, twirling away as if it were all a game to him. "You're not even trying, are you?" he mocked, summoning a pair of glowing blue daggers to block Odin's strikes. "Is this really the best the King of Asgard can do?"
"You have truly crossed the line today, Loki! Today you will pay!" Odin's voice thundered loudly. "You want to see my try!? Then I'll show you what happens when I try!" The staff in his hand slowly started to morph into the form of a golden spear. Hela recognized the weapon immediately. It was Gungnir, the spear of the King of Asgard.
Loki's mocking expression became more guarded when Odin pulled out the legendary weapon. Despite that, he didn't flee. The two of them rushed towards each other and began to engage in an intense melee.
Hela stood nearby, arms crossed, her annoyance growing. Odin's anger was justified, she supposed, but this wasn't the time for home to lose his mind to anger. Whatever Loki's plan was, it clearly involved enraging the old fool. She thought about stepping in, maybe putting Loki in his place herself, but decided against it. Her prejudice against Odin wouldn't allow her to help, and Loki wasn't her problem…yet.
As Hela considered her options, the air around them suddenly turned cold. She looked up sharply as two new figures approached the battlefield. One was a silver-haired man with an amused smirk. He walked like he owned everything around him. The other figure was cloaked in dark robes, his skeletal face barely visible beneath the hood. He carried a staff topped with a human skull, and his very presence radiated death.
"Ah, the fall of Asgard," the silver-haired man said mockingly. "What a lovely sight." He caught Hela's gaze and gave her a sarcastic bow. "Where are my manners? Rizevim Livan Lucifer, at your service, my lady."
Hela narrowed her eyes. The name Lucifer—Layla's dead older brother. This must be one of his descendants.
Her attention shifted to the second figure. It was Hades, the God of the Underworld.
Hela raised an eyebrow. Wasn't he depowered and killed off years ago? To her surprise, she felt a faint connection between this Hades and the one whose essence Lady Death had passed on to her. He wasn't from another universe. This Hades was more likely a fragment, a split-off from the one back on Earth, Marvel. She knew that Earth's Greek gods had split into their Roman counterparts, but now there was a third split that somehow ended up on Earth DxD. Pathetic fools, always mismanaging their power.
"We've taken care of all the Einherjar," Hades announced coldly. "With them and the Valkyrie all dead, there are no more warriors to defend Asgard."
Hela couldn't hide her disappointment. Really? Were the soldiers of this Asgard so weak that they were wiped out by just three beings in such a short time? They had been slaughtered so quickly that none of the gods had even sensed nearby battles…
Both Thors froze as Hades' words sank in.
Her Thor let out a low growl, thunder started rumbling above them. "You dare!?" he hissed, lightning crackling around his form.
"YOU DARE?!" echoed the red-haired Thor!
Both Thors shot into the sky, their hammers glowing with lighting as they fell upon Hades. The red-haired Thor struck first, swinging his hammer down at Hades like a meteor. Hades barely raised his staff in time to block, the ground beneath him cracking under the impact. He gritted his bony teeth, straining against the force of the blow.
Her Thor followed with his own Mjolnir, launching a blast of lightning that exploded on contact with their skeletal foe. Hades staggered back a few steps, smoke rising from his robes, but he stood firm, using his bone staff to steady himself.
"Foolish thunder gods! Know your place!" Hades growled, summoning a wave of death energy that erupted in all directions around himself, forcing both Thors to temporarily retreat. The death energy immediately scarred the surroundings, turning the very earth itself a dead gray…
"You will pay for their deaths, Hades!" The red-haired Thor hurled his stone hammer with deadly precision, aiming for Hades' head. Hades barely dodged, the hammer grazing his skull and knocking him off balance.
Her Thor seized the opportunity, hurling his own Mjolnir with all his might. This time, Hades couldn't evade. The hammer slammed into him, sending him crashing into the ground, carving a massive trench as he skidded across the battlefield. Hela smirked when she heard the snapping of bones.
Rizevim had been standing by, watching all this unfold with a bored expression. He let out a sigh. "Looks like I'll have to get my hands dirty."
With a wave of his hand, a blast of dark energy shot toward the Thors. The red-haired Thor barely raised his hammer in time to block the powerful magical attack. Blood and spit flew out of his mouth as he was blasted away.
Rizevim prepared to fire another blast of darkness at her own Thor.
When he tried to do the same to her own little brother, Hela decided to step in. A black sword flew at Rizevim's head, moving 10x the speed of sound. The devil barely managed to snap his head out of the way before he lost it. Black blood dripped from the large gash on his cheek.
His eyes snapped over towards Hela in surprise. "I wasn't aware you were so powerful, Hela. And why are you attacking me? Can't you see I'm on the same side as your father?"
Hela scoffed. "You've got the wrong woman. I am Hela, Goddess of Death and Queen of Asgard—the true Asgard, not this pathetic imitation. And I won't be letting you destroy any more of it. That would make my precious Layla sad after all…" Hela said before frowning as she sensed something approaching quickly.
She quickly tilted her head at the last second! A small orb of Destruction passed by her face.
BOOM!
The orb crashed into the ground, leaving behind a massive crater that spanned a hundred meters in diameter.
Rizevim snickered, clearly enjoying the extra chaos, as yet another Devil arrived on the battlefield. Hela recognized him instantly—after all, she had deflowered his little sister in another universe.
"Hello, Lucifer," Rizevim said the title sarcastically. "Fancy meeting you here…"
Sirzechs Lucifer eyed the silver-haired Devil warily. "Hello, Rizevim. We tried to track you down before starting this war, but no one seemed to know where you'd disappeared to."
Rizevim shrugged as if he couldn't care less. "I had my own plans for the apocalypse. Plans that I'm sure you and those other fake Maous would have disagreed with."
"We declared war on the entire world. What could you possibly have that's worse than that?" Sirzechs asked in bewilderment.
Hela stayed silent. She was also interested in hearing what the silver haired Devil had to say.
Rizevim smirked and simply replied with three ominous numbers: "Six… Six… Six."
Sirzechs' eyes widened in horror. "You're insane! That will destroy the whole world!"
Rizevim grinned maliciously. "That's the idea! I think it's high time that Khaos takes this world for its own!" With that, he turned his attention back to Hela, anticipation dancing in his eyes. "One of the seals needed to release Khaos is hidden in Asgard. You won't stand in my way to destroy it!"
Hela wasn't sure why she felt a shiver down her spine when Lucifer said those three little numbers. Whatever this Devil was planning was sure to be a massive pain in the ass, if his plans unfolded. She decided to simply nip them in the bud by cutting off his head here and now.
A vindictive glint also appeared in her eyes when glanced over at Sirzechs. She didn't know why he was here in Asgard, but he had just tried to kill her with a sneak attack. She might as well kill him here as well to save her beloved the trouble of tracking him down later. Hela held up both of her hands, two pitch black swords manifested in her grips. "I think you'll both find that the Queen of Asgard isn't going to be defeated by two little bats who drastically overestimate themselves."
XXX
MAY CHAOS TAKE THE WORLD!