After that, Karl and the others remained in Asgard for a period of time.
During those days, Thor frequently came to Karl looking for someone to drink with.
Occasionally Loki would join them as well.
When Thor and Loki learned that they actually had an older sister, both of them were stunned.
When Karl eventually brought Hela to meet them, the situation quickly became awkward.
The moment Thor saw her current appearance, he burst out laughing and nearly spat out the mead in his mouth.
Naturally, this made Hela furious.
She glared viciously at Karl and refused to speak to him for several days afterward.
The main reason was simple.
Karl had repeatedly teased her about restoring her original form, only to refuse afterward.
Because of this, Hela no longer trusted anything Karl said.
However, something surprising happened.
Hela gradually got along quite well with May and the others.
May would even bake apple pies for her.
Karl found this slightly strange.
Had he accidentally created some strange bond by pinching her cheeks so often?
In the end, Karl chose not to think about it too deeply.
As long as Hela did not try to harm anyone, that was enough.
Until one day—
Odin's final moment arrived.
The divine power within his body had finally dissipated to its limit.
This was also why Thor had spent the past days constantly drinking with Karl.
Thor had tried desperately to find a way to save Odin.
Unfortunately, none of the methods worked.
In the end, he could only drown his sorrow in alcohol.
On that day, everyone gathered in Valhalla.
Everyone except Hela.
They watched silently as Odin's body slowly dissolved.
Golden divine energy radiated from him as his form gradually transformed into a sphere of radiant power.
That golden energy then merged into Valhalla, the eternal resting place of Asgard's greatest warriors.
At the same time—
Gungnir, Odin's spear, suddenly rose into the air.
The weapon flew directly toward Thor.
It stopped beside him.
This signified the transfer of kingship.
Thor had become the new King of Asgard.
This succession had been decided long ago.
Seeing Odin disappear, Frigga fainted immediately.
Loki quickly carried her away and returned her to the palace.
He sighed quietly.
Although Odin had always treated him somewhat differently from Thor during their childhood—
Odin was still his father.
Loki could not help feeling sorrow at his death.
Meanwhile, Thor sat alone on the steps of Valhalla, holding Gungnir.
He remained there for a long time, lost in thought.
At the same moment, something else happened.
After Odin's death, the power of Asgard naturally flowed toward Hela.
However—
Hela could not properly wield this power.
Her current strength was still far too weak.
This made her extremely angry.
Perhaps as a final attempt to make amends, Odin had restored Hela's title as the Great Princess of Asgard the day before his death.
But Hela had ignored the gesture completely.
Soon afterward, Little Hela appeared in front of Karl again.
Karl already knew what she wanted without even asking.
So he ignored her.
But Hela refused to give up.
She followed Karl everywhere like a small shadow.
Three days after Odin's passing, Thor officially ascended the throne.
This only made Hela even more irritated.
She began attacking Karl repeatedly.
Eventually Karl grabbed her—
And spanked her.
Only after that did Hela calm down.
Afterward, she never mentioned restoring her body again.
Instead, she locked herself inside her room.
She rarely came out.
She refused even to meet Frigga.
When Karl was preparing to leave Asgard, he went to see her.
Inside her room, he found Hela curled up quietly in the corner.
Karl did not know exactly what she was thinking.
Still, he appeared in front of her.
"I can restore you to your original form," Karl said calmly.
"But what will you do afterward?"
"Will you try to dethrone Thor?"
"Or destroy Asgard?"
Karl continued speaking calmly.
"Even if you defeat Thor, do you think the people of Asgard will support you?"
"Or do you intend to resume conquering the Nine Realms?"
Karl looked at her seriously.
"Your ambitions are too small."
"You're thinking about ruling Asgard."
"You should be thinking about the multiverse."
"Not a tiny realm like this."
At the same time—
Karl activated the Time Stone.
Green temporal energy surrounded Hela.
Her personal timeline reversed once more—
This time returning her to her original adult form.
"Think carefully."
"I restored you."
"But if you attempt to destroy Asgard…"
"I will stop you."
"I promised Odin that I would not allow Ragnarök to happen."
Karl continued calmly.
"Of course…"
"If you manage to gain the support of all Asgard's people…"
"I won't stop you from taking Thor's throne."
After saying this, Karl disappeared.
Left alone, Hela slowly raised her head.
She began thinking deeply about Karl's words.
Meanwhile—
Karl had already arrived at the Rainbow Bridge.
"Alright, Thor. Loki."
"See you again sometime."
May, Raven, Helen Cho, Black Phoenix, Ganata, Wanda, and the others had already returned to the warship.
Karl smiled at Thor and Loki, who had come to see him off.
He briefly explained that he had restored Hela because Frigga had spoken to him the previous day.
After hearing her request, Karl finally agreed.
After all—
As long as Karl remained somewhere within the universe, he could instantly appear in Asgard.
Hela would not be able to destroy it easily.
Besides, Frigga had personally promised she would watch over her.
Whether she truly could… was another matter entirely.
"Great!"
Thor laughed loudly.
"Next time we meet, we'll drink again!"
"Have a safe journey, Your Excellency Karl."
Loki nodded politely.
Karl was just about to walk toward the warship.
Suddenly—
A mature black-haired woman wearing a black dress appeared beside him.
She glanced briefly at Thor and Loki.
Then she walked straight toward Karl's warship.
It was Hela.
After thinking carefully about Karl's words, she had made a decision.
Instead of remaining in Asgard—
She would set her sights on the multiverse.
Karl was slightly surprised.
What was she planning now?
He shook his head.
Then boarded the warship.
The ship activated its stealth mode.
A spatial wormhole opened.
The warship disappeared from Asgard.
Meanwhile, Thor later told Frigga that Hela had left.
Frigga simply sighed and nodded.
She did not say anything.
Originally, she had hoped to make up for the suffering Hela endured during those thousands of years.
But she never expected Hela to leave so quickly.
"So…"
Karl asked while looking at Hela.
"What exactly are you doing here?"
Hela was sitting with May, Raven, and the others.
May and the others were smiling happily.
Clearly, they were pleased that Hela had come with them.
"Didn't you say my ambitions were too small?"
Hela replied with a look of annoyance.
"So I decided to conquer the multiverse."
Then she added:
"Also… May invited me earlier."
"So I came."
She turned her head away, still remembering how Karl had bullied her when she was shrunk.
Karl sighed helplessly.
"Do whatever you want."
He then sat down beside Black Phoenix.
Immediately, she climbed into Karl's lap.
Karl wrapped his arms around her.
At that moment, only May, Raven, Helen Cho, Black Phoenix, Ganata, and Wanda were nearby.
So there was no need to worry about appearances.
...
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