Fire and thunder, fire and death, intertwined, annihilated, and settled into calm around her.
She reached out both hands, one gently pressing against the shaft of the Eternal Spear that Odin was about to thrust, and the other resting on the wrist where Hela gripped mjolnir.
"Father, sister."
Her voice was not loud, but it carried a strange power that reached straight to the soul.
"Let's end this here."
"The study cannot withstand your power."
Then, golden-red flames gently but firmly separated the two.
The golden-red flames flowed quietly around Mavuika, like a warm and resilient barrier, slowly soothing the residual thunderous rage and deathly agitation in the room.
The dark green Death Divine Power, like a tide unwilling to recede, rose and tested the edges of the flames, finally slowly retreating back into Hela under Mavuika's calm gaze.
Hela remained standing where she was, gripping mjolnir tightly, her knuckles white from the effort.
Her chest heaved violently, her black Horsetail trembling slightly with her breath, and her dark green eyes stared fixedly at Mavuika, surging with disappointment, unwillingness, anger, and a trace of... the stinging pain of being "betrayed" by the person she trusted most.
"Sister..." Hela's voice was hoarse, carrying a suppressed tremor: "Do you also... agree with Father's decision?"
She took a step forward, her foot landing on the scorch marks corroded by the divine power on the floor, making a slight "crack" sound.
"Asgard will stop here? Immersed in this... vain glory?" Her voice gradually rose, each word squeezed out from between her teeth.
"Watching those Worlds we conquered living peacefully under Asgard's order, and then we are satisfied?"
Mavuika looked into her sister's eyes.
The emotions in those eyes were so complex: there was a warrior's pure desire for honor, a conqueror's natural greed for the unknown, a daughter's instinctive rebellion against her father's authority, and even more... a sister's deep expectation for her sister's approval.
All of this, like molten lava, churned and burned in her eyes, almost overflowing.
After a long while, Mavuika sighed softly.
"Hela..." Mavuika's voice was gentle and clear, like a spring flowing under the moonlight.
"Father is right, Asgard is indeed not suitable for continued outward expansion right now."
Hela's eyes dimmed for a moment, and her lips pressed into a stubborn line.
But Mavuika did not pause; she continued, her voice unhurried, as if stating the simplest of facts.
"Conquering through war may be the easiest step for us—Muspelheim, Jotunheim, the Dark Elves... we have all been through it, but what about after the conquest? Management and governance are the most troublesome parts."
She walked to the window and looked out at the bustling capital of Asgard.
Sunlight spilled over the golden buildings, pedestrians wove through the streets, happy hawking sounds came from the market, and the shouts from the training grounds in the distance were full of vitality—this was a picture of peace and prosperity.
"Look at the Nine Realms now." Mavuika did not turn back, her voice carrying the weight of contemplation.
"Jotunheim needs help rebuilding, the Frost Giants are still resistant to the new order, and although the Fire Giants of Muspelheim have been defeated, environmental restoration has just begun."
"The border trade disputes between Vanaheim and the Light Elves need to be mediated three times every month, and the Dwarves have been arguing about the allocation of mining rights for new veins for half a year with no result..."
She turned around and looked at Hela: "Managing the existing Nine Realms is already the limit for Asgard today. The clerks in the administration office work until late at night, the regulators stationed in various places are understaffed, and even Mother has to take time to handle marriage applications and inheritance disputes submitted by various races."
Mavuika walked up to Hela and gently pressed her hand on her sister's wrist, which was gripping mjolnir.
Hela's hand was cold, her muscles tense as iron.
"Even if we have the ability to continue expanding now, to defeat the next enemy, to occupy the next galaxy..." Mavuika's voice was softer, yet more powerful.
"But do we have the manpower to manage it? Do we have the energy to digest it? To conquer a land, and then, because of an inability to manage it, let it fall into chaos, corruption, and eventually backlash?"
"Such expansion is meaningless, Hela; that is not spreading glory, that is overdrawing Asgard's future."
Hela gritted her teeth; she could understand every word her sister said, and intellectually, she even knew it was right.
But emotionally... that feeling of being bound, suppressed, and watching infinite possibilities slip through her fingers was gnawing at her heart like a venomous snake.
"So..." Hela's voice trembled slightly. She looked at Mavuika, the last ray of expectation in her eyes flickering like a candle in the wind.
"Does sister also think... I should be like what Father hopes, settle down, handle those damn documents, train soldiers who will never meet my requirements, and then... just go on like this?"
Mavuika saw the deep disappointment in her sister's eyes, a disappointment so profound that it made her own heart ache.
"No, Hela." Mavuika's voice grew firm.
"I agree with Father's judgment that 'it is not suitable to expand now,' but I never believe... that Asgard will stop here."
Hela was stunned.
"The Nine Realms have just completed unification and welcomed a long-lasting peace; now is the time when stability is needed—on this point, Father is right, but stability does not mean stagnation."
Her gaze became distant, as if piercing through the walls to see a more distant future.
"You also heard what Father said, in the core of Midgard, there is still a 'God Seed' buried, a ticking time bomb capable of destroying a World, a Sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the Nine Realms."
Mavuika looked at Hela, light of reason flashing in her eyes: "These are the problems Asgard truly needs to face next."
"Therefore, Asgard does not only have the path of 'outward conquest' to take." Mavuika's voice was like warm fire, trying to Melt the cold stubbornness in her sister's heart.
Mavuika tried her best to explain, her voice gentle and patient, as if teaching a confused child.
But Hela was clearly no longer listening.
"It's all excuses!" Hela suddenly shook off Mavuika's hand, which was trying to soothe her again, stepped back, and flames of anger reignited in her eyes.
"Only cowards need stability! Need to 'prepare'! True power is cleaving through all obstacles with the sword in one's hand! As for those so-called Gods—"
She raised mjolnir, pointing the hammer head toward the void, as if those indescribable existences were standing right there.
"As long as Asgard's army crushes them all! As long as our swords are sharp enough, our shields strong enough, and our wills strong enough! Is Midgard's trouble still trouble?!"