Gradually, Hela noticed something was wrong. It was as if these cannonballs all had eyes, carefully avoiding her opponent. Even the fragments after the explosions didn't harm him.
Lucas also noticed this anomaly.
The area beneath his feet was like the eye of a tornado. While fierce winds raged around, it was calm within.
"What's going on?"
Seeing that she couldn't gain any advantage, Hela temporarily stopped and asked.
Lucas smiled. "Perhaps, boys who smile a lot have better luck?"
"Heh."
Hela sneered, "Keep that lame excuse to fool my foolish brother."
"I'm not that stupid." Thor's voice rang out.
He was holding the perfectly intact mjolnir, walking into the 'eye of the storm' amidst the overwhelming artillery fire, and asked, "What happened? Why is someone suddenly bombarding this place with missiles?"
"You'll have to ask your sister about that." Lucas spread his hands, motioning for Hela to speak.
Hela pouted, offering no explanation.
As the Goddess of Death, she acted as she pleased and needed no explanation to others. It was merely a matter of killing a few mortals who had offended divine majesty.
Hela didn't explain, but Thor guessed it: she had clashed with the Midgardians.
He and Lucas had rushed over because they heard gunshots and cannon fire.
Putting aside trivial matters for now, Lucas asked about the main business, "Thor, was it Odin who sought you just now?"
Before Thor could answer, Hela preemptively asked, "Isn't he dead?"
Thor first replied to Hela, "Father is indeed dead."
When he was about to answer Lucas, Hela interrupted him again, "Odin didn't die of old age, there's another story behind his death?"
Thor nodded. "Yes, Father died for…"
"Words can lead to failure, but secrecy leads to success. This is not the place to discuss such things."
This time, it was Lucas's turn to interrupt Thor.
"Hela, if you want to know, just watch with your eyes and listen with your ears."
Hela cast a cold glance at Lucas, suppressing her displeasure, and remained silent.
Thor turned to his sister, showing her a cheerful smile.
Then he looked at Lucas, his expression solemn. "Yes, father sought me this time. He carved a rune for me, telling me to take you and follow the rune's guidance to find him."
Lucas nodded. "To avoid further complications, let's go now."
"Alright."
Thor agreed, raised mjolnir, and, with divine power, opened a spacetime portal, stepping into it first.
Hela quickly followed. "I want to see Odin."
Hearing this, Lucas hesitated for a moment. Seeing that Thor didn't chase her away, he said no more.
Odin's family matters were not for an outsider like him to interfere with.
After entering the portal, Thor wandered around. Sometimes he would leave, go to another part of the Universe, travel a distance, and then reopen a spacetime portal.
Sometimes he would enter the Superflow, traveling to other Universes. Then, he would enter the Quantum Realm, stay there for a while, and then leave.
Along the way, Hela often looked as if she wanted to speak but held back, finally unable to resist asking, "Brother, where exactly is Odin?"
"The rune shows that we're almost there." Thor said with an awkward smile.
He didn't know where Odin was either, only remembering Odin's instruction that he must follow the rune's guidance.
"Let me take you. I'm faster." Lucas suddenly spoke.
After observing for a while, he had noticed a clue.
"But only I can perceive this rune. I don't know where Father hid it. Even if you enter my mental world, you won't see it." Thor explained.
Lucas said, "It's fine, I've already found the way."
"What did you discover?"
Hela was surprised, then observed carefully.
She thought it was because she wasn't concentrating that she hadn't noticed. But after she observed carefully for a long time and walked a certain distance, she still found nothing unusual.
The path Thor chose, in her opinion, was simply strange. She didn't know what he was circling around for. Sometimes, he would inexplicably go in circles and take detours.
"Let him try. Brother, pay attention and see if he takes the wrong path." Hela said, somewhat unconvinced.
"Alright."
As Thor's words sounded, a mysterious power surged from Lucas, and a pure white glow enveloped the three of them.
In an instant, the three transformed into a silver stream of light, traversing space at an unimaginable speed, disappearing from this Universe.
The stream of light was so fast that Thor's perception couldn't extend out at all, making him unable to observe his surroundings.
He stared intently at the rune Odin had given him, realizing that he couldn't discern whether Lucas was following the path indicated by the rune.
Fortunately, the rune's feedback told him that his distance from Odin was rapidly closing.
A moment later, the glow dissipated, and Thor and Hela's perception returned. They saw a white-haired old man under a large tree in front of them.
The old man turned around, his face kind. "Lucas, Thor. And… Hela, you've arrived."
"Father, I'm here."
"Odin, I'm here."
Thor and Hela's words were similar, but their tones were completely different.
Thor's tone was mixed with various emotions, complex and difficult to discern.
Hela's tone, however, was very singular, full of hatred and animosity.
Odin sighed deeply, lowered his head, avoiding Hela's gaze, not letting her see the hint of guilt and pain that flashed in his eyes.
"Thor, you've done very well. I am proud of you." Odin first patted Thor's shoulder, expressing praise.
Then he said to Hela, "This matter at hand concerns the survival of Asgard and even the Nine Realms. We will discuss our affairs later."
"Alright." Hela sneered, saying no more.
From the speed Lucas had just displayed, she knew this person was not simple, far more powerful than she had imagined. And such a powerful being, conspiring with Odin, meant that the matter was absolutely extraordinary.
If this matter had nothing to do with Asgard, she would certainly try everything to disrupt it and retaliate against Odin. But since it concerned the survival of Asgard, as the legitimate heir of Asgard, she would naturally not do anything that would harm Asgard.
The premise was, not to defy her rule over Asgard.
After appeasing Hela, Odin slowly revealed his discoveries and conjectures from this period.
The large tree before them was the Loom of the Fates.
The deep pit next to it was for burying the gods and giants, to then serve as fertilizer for the great tree.
"So, cutting down this tree will sever the Loom of the Fates."
After hearing what Odin said, Thor raised Mjolnir, eager to try. Although a hammer wasn't as good as an axe for felling trees, it would do in a pinch.
"Perhaps so, perhaps not."
Odin did not give Thor a definite answer, but instead looked at Lucas. "Sorcerer Lucas, it's up to you now. If you can do it, I, on behalf of the Nine Realms from many worlds in the Multiverse, thank you. If you cannot do it, please do not stop me from cutting down this tree."
Lucas nodded. "Don't worry, All-Father, it will be according to our prior agreement. Whether my plan succeeds or fails, I will do my best to preserve Asgard of Earth-404."
Lucas slowly stepped forward, arriving at the edge of the giant pit Odin had mentioned.
He didn't recognize most of the warriors of various races at the bottom of the pit, only having some impression of a few Frost Giants among them.
Laufey, Surtur, and the others were still en route and hadn't arrived yet.
These Frost Giants had unfortunately become footnotes when Lucas made a name for himself in Jotunheim.
Now, they were very conspicuous in this giant pit—their soul bodies visibly weaker than those of the other Frost Giants.
Needless to say, this was because they had passed through Lucas's hands when they died. Although Lucas hadn't intercepted their souls, he had drained all the energy attached to them.
'However, I didn't touch their souls. They shouldn't be this weak.'
"Warriors of Asgard should enjoy supreme glory, their bodies buried in Valhalla in the name of heroes, and their spiritual bodies entering Valhalla to enjoy eternity."
"Not here, becoming fertilizer, yielding fruits through this tree, and becoming ingredients on someone else's table."
Hela had arrived here at some point. She looked at the Asgardian warriors in the deep pit, who had once fought alongside her across the Nine Realms, and spoke with emotion.
"I am Hela, Your Queen. Now, I'm taking you home."
A green light glowed in Hela's hand, transforming into a thick mist that spread out, about to engulf her former subordinates.