Rhodes nodded.
In Rhodes heart, he also had the same premonition as Hela, but this time the task was urgent, and there wasn't much time, so Rhodes had to assemble a capable team and depart.
Fortunately, Hela arrived in time, and the two finally met.
"You should also get some rest; I will conclude the battle and return as soon as possible," Rhode assured.
Hela nodded.
Then, she hesitated for a moment, and a blush appeared on her face.
"When you return, let's share a drink together, and I'd love to watch the fireworks."
Rhodes smiled.
"Don't worry; this time, I'll set off fireworks for a long, long time."
"Good."
At this moment, an ambiguous atmosphere filled the Rainbow Bridge.
Even Bell, who wasn't known for his sharpness, could sense the profound relationship between the two.
However, Heimdall interrupted rather abruptly.
"I apologize, General Rhodes, but it's getting late; we should depart soon."
"Agreed."
Rhodes turned to take a deep look at Hela, then pivoted and led the Hall of Valor's soldiers onto the Rainbow Bridge constructed by Heimdall.
Hela stood at the end of the Rainbow Bridge, watching Rhodes' figure gradually vanish into the distance.
Hela's heart was filled with melancholy; she should have gone to Rhodes earlier.
Why did she come here only now? What was she thinking?
Hela hesitated, standing there in contemplation.
Seeing that Hela didn't follow, Heimdall felt relieved.
Heimdall subsequently closed the Rainbow Bridge and departed with his guards.
Only Hela remained, quietly observing.
On the other side, Rhodes too felt a tinge of melancholy.
Upon reaching Heidundam, the icy winds pierced through, chilling to the bone.
Though it tousled Rhodes' hair, he felt no cold.
Bell inquired amidst the biting wind.
"Master Rhodes, what's our next move?"
Rhodes raised his head slowly, summoning a halo that descended upon the Hall of Valor's soldiers with a flick of his hand.
Rhodes' eyes simmered with anger, directed partly at the Frost Giants and partly at the Asgardian Protoss.
"Of course, we'll crush them and tear apart any enemy within our sight," Rhodes declared.
Bell, not one for tactics or strategies, embraced the opportunity to rush headlong into battle.
Rhodes was brimming with fighting spirit this time, and they were eager to indulge in battle.
"Charge!"
Bell brandished his spear, pointing it directly at a Frost Giant city ahead.
The soldiers of the Hall of Valor behind them understood their commander Rhodes was in a foul mood and roared with anger as they charged toward the distant Frost Giant city.
Rhodes and his soldiers moved with incredible speed, almost like a streak of light hurtling toward the Frost Giant city.
Simultaneously, a colossal fireball descended from the heavens.
This mammoth fireball, with a diameter of five hundred meters, blazed with crimson flames.
Accompanying this massive fireball was intense heat that even subdued the perpetual snowstorm.
The scorching fireball halted the never-ending snowstorm, causing ice and snow to melt rapidly. The Frost Giants in the city gazed in terror at the fireball plummeting from the sky.
They could already feel the searing heat emanating from the fireball, scalding their skin painfully.
Boom!
With the fury in Rhodes' heart, the enormous fireball crashed into the Frost Giant city.
These hapless Frost Giants became the outlet for Rhodes to vent his rage.
It seemed God King Odin had purposefully loaded Rhodes with numerous tasks this time.
The target of the assault comprised dozens of Frost Giant cities, large and small. It appeared that God King Odin deliberately kept Hela and Rhodes apart, distributing an overwhelming number of tasks for Rhodes to execute.
Rhodes couldn't refuse, but he aimed to eliminate these Frost Giants as swiftly as possible.
So Rhodes initiated a relentless assault on Jotunheim.
Rhodes and the Hall of Valor's soldiers didn't rest on this day; they remained engaged in high-intensity, frenzied combat throughout.
In a single day, Rhodes swept through over a dozen cities in Jotunheim.
Even the ferocious and warlike Frost Giants began to huddle together, fleeing their cities. They knew that if they remained within the city for even a day, they might face Rhodes' merciless onslaught at any moment.
Rhodes executed his task with unrelenting zeal, and when the Hall of Valor's soldiers struggled to keep up, Rhodes permitted them a brief respite while he continued the relentless assault on the remaining 703 Frost Giant cities.
Eventually, Rhodes' energy succumbed to such an exhausting pace, and he had no alternative but to take a break.
Once his energy recovered, Rhodes resumed the onslaught.
Rhodes efficiently completed the mission, even wrapping it up half a month earlier than anticipated.
However, God King Odin still didn't authorize Rhodes' return. Instead, he continued to dispatch assignments, pushing Rhodes' anger toward the Asgardian Protoss to its limit.
Rhodes endured a full month of this relentless killing spree.
Recognizing that God King Odin had run out of tasks to assign, he finally summoned Rhodes back.
Rhodes returned via the Rainbow Bridge.
The soldiers of the Hall of Valor, who had battled incessantly for a month, were physically and mentally exhausted.
Following Rhodes' command, they retired to the Temple of Valor to recuperate.
Rhodes barely had a moment to meet God King Odin; he immediately rushed to the princess's mansion, where Hela resided.
After a continuous month of battle, the only person Rhodes yearned to see was Hela.
Rhodes promptly arrived at the princess's mansion he knew so well, but the sight before him left him stunned.
Rhodes gazed at the closed door before him, the once glorious Princess Mansion now reduced to dilapidation.
Rhodes stood there in disbelief.
"This...how is this possible?"
"What in the world happened?"
How could the Princess Mansion, once magnificent and imposing, deteriorate to this state in just a month's absence?
Rhodes circled the Princess Mansion but found no guards.
Rhodes resorted to scaling the mansion's wall and entering to search for Hela.
However, neglect had taken its toll; the surroundings were decrepit, and it seemed no one had tended to the place in ages.
Rhodes stood in bewilderment, with only one thought racing through his mind: finding Hela quickly to ensure her safety.
Rhodes scoured the princess's bedroom, study, and other locations, yet found no trace of Hela.
After a protracted search, Rhodes finally encountered a maid tidying things near a small side door at the edge of the Princess Mansion.
Rhodes swiftly approached the startled maid, who let out a shrill cry.
However, with no one around the princess's mansion, her cry went unheard.
Rhodes recognized the maid; she had served Hela during his previous visits.
"Ah...Master Rhodes? You...you've returned?"
"It's me. Where's Hela? What happened here? How did it come to this?"
Rhodes gestured to the dilapidated mansion beside them.
The maid's eyes darted about, hesitant.
"Master Rhodes, I...I don't know either."
Rhodes' gaze sharpened.
"I know you know. As Hela's maid, how could you not know what transpired?"
"Speak; my patience is limited."
Decades of battle-hardened experience lent Rhodes a menacing aura and unwavering resolve, capable of intimidating even Frost Giants and Fire Giants.
The maid couldn't withstand it.
"I... Lord Rhodes, please spare me, and I'll tell you."
"But you must promise not to reveal that I informed you, or I'll face dire consequences."
"Don't worry; I won't harm you. Just tell me everything."
Rhodes eased off his aura.
The maid breathed a sigh of relief, collected herself, and then recounted the events in Asgard while Rhodes was away.
With the maid's narrative, Rhodes pieced together the puzzle.
Shortly after Rhodes departed, God King Odin had accused Princess Hela of betraying the Asgardian Protoss and all of Asgard.
Consequently, they intended to apprehend Hela and imprison her.
Yet, Hela had barely left Asgard for an extended period, making such an accusation baseless.
Many races residing in Asgard were well aware of the deep-seated animosity between Hela and the Frost Giants and Flame Giants.
Hela had labored tirelessly in Asgard's defense; if she were genuinely a traitor, why would she wait until now?
However, this did not dissuade them from fabricating charges against her.
Rhodes swiftly comprehended that this was God King Odin's ruse; he had unjustly framed his own daughter and sought to incarcerate her.
Rhodes' anger erupted in full force; his eyes blazed with fury, as if they could incinerate all of Asgard to ashes.
The maid lamented, "Everyone in our princess's mansion knows that Princess Hela didn't betray Asgard, but the gods paid no heed. They were determined to take Princess Hela away. Later, God King Odin ordered the princess's mansion to be sealed."
"I knew this small door remained unsealed, so I returned here and tidied it up."
"Master Rhodes, you share the closest bond with Princess Hela; there must be a misunderstanding. You have to rescue her; she's innocent."
"Only you can save her now."