Marvel Cybernetic Girl

"…For you…"

Though she hadn't been able to completely defeat Hela, Kagura seized the moment to speak her true feelings.

Did her voice… reach her?

Would Hela even listen?

She was, after all, the Goddess of Death—the ruler of all slaughter and conquest in Asgard.

Countless souls must have stood before Hela, and surely just as many had tried to bargain with her—pleading, begging, scheming, flattering…

Was she tired of hearing such words by now?

The words of a mere automaton girl like herself probably meant nothing, even at this close distance.

Nothing but wind passing by her ears…

Her vision blurred slightly. She needed to hurry and heal her wounds.

The strain of the Infinity Stones on her core energy had already reached its limit.

If she lost consciousness now, she probably wouldn't wake up again…

Her body weakened from her injuries, Kagura struggled to remain conscious. Yet in that moment, she could not have imagined what was happening in front of her.

Hela—the cold, merciless Goddess of Death—stood frozen in place.

Something warm and wet welled up in Hela's eyes.

For countless millennia, she had not shed a single tear.

Not even when Odin cast her into exile… not even then had she cried.

"…For me?"

For the first time, Hela felt a gentle warmth stir in her long-dried heart.

This silver-haired girl before her… so reckless, so foolishly ignoring the overwhelming difference in power between them… hadn't come to kill her.

Not to save Odin, either.

She'd fought for… Hela?

Why?

Hela couldn't understand.

She and Kagura were strangers—at most, distant princesses of Asgard.

And yet this girl had risked everything, fought to the brink of death—for Hela's future? To change the fate that would end in her destruction?

Absurd. Ridiculous. Impossible to comprehend.

And yet… the first person in tens of thousands of years to genuinely care for Hela turned out to be this strange, unknown automaton girl?

A low hum echoed.

Kagura's battered blade flickered with a soft golden glow.

[Mind Stone: Forced Activation]

[Memory Resonance Initiated]

A faint stream of energy carried fragments of Kagura's memories directly into Hela's mind.

There, Hela saw it—the end of another world.

Asgard in flames.

The towering Fire Giant, Surtur, standing like a mountain.

In an instant, the fire of Ragnarok consumed the Asgardian temple.

Even Hela, with all her power and immortality, could not withstand it.

And in the end, a blinding explosion swallowed Hela and Asgard alike, turning them into a brilliant supernova…

So that's what it was.

Brutal and violent as she was, Hela was not foolish.

From these glimpses of memory, she grasped the truth.

This silver-haired girl genuinely wanted to change Hela's fate—wanted to save her from that inevitable, tragic end.

"Tch… Why should I accept pity from the likes of you, mortal?!"

After a long silence, Hela clicked her tongue sharply.

She dismissed her conjured blade and shoved Kagura away.

"Get lost, you reckless brat! You think you can change anything?!"

But even as she said this, Hela carefully channeled her divine power. In an instant, she healed Kagura's injuries and restored half of her depleted core energy.

As the Goddess of Death, ruler of all souls in Asgard, Hela wielded dominion over both death and rebirth.

Her power to kill… was matched by her power to heal.

It was a miracle few knew she possessed—and one she rarely, if ever, used on others.

"Ugh! Hela… did you just heal me? Why?" Kagura gasped, blinking in confusion as she stood up, fully conscious once more. "Does this mean… we can finally talk?"

"I… Hmph!"

Hela roughly wiped at her eyes and bit her lip.

"I've waited tens of thousands of years, and only you've ever cared about me. So fine! Take this small… thank you gift. What, you don't want it? I can always undo it and stab you again if you prefer!"

With a sudden flash, Hela conjured a massive dark blade.

"This time… I will skewer you properly!"

"Eh?! W-Wait a minute!" Kagura panicked. "I thought we made peace—didn't we?!"

"Peace?" Hela snapped. "As if I'd ever be moved by your stupid feelings!"

Without warning, she hurled the giant blade straight at Kagura.

"Ughhh! You're so annoying! Just die already!!"

"Waaah—wait, stop!!" Kagura yelped.

The demonic blade, crackling with the violent power of death, shot straight toward the utterly dumbfounded Kagura.

And the moment she threw it, Hela regretted it.

Crap. Was that too impulsive?

What if this strike actually kills her?

I finally meet someone who truly cares about me… and I just throw a blade at her like that?!

But an arrow that leaves the bow cannot be recalled. Even Hela couldn't retrieve the deadly blade once it was loosed.

'Fwoooosh—!'

Just then, a blinding bolt of lightning split the sky, vaporizing Hela's blade in an instant.

The heavens trembled.

Countless bolts of lightning rained down wildly around Hela, crackling with divine power.

This wasn't a natural phenomenon—someone was wielding this storm.

'Hmph—!'

In the next instant, the magnificent Bifrost Bridge lit up the sky, forming a radiant pillar of light between Hela and Kagura.

And from within that column of light stepped Thor, clad in gleaming silver armor and a crimson cape.

In his hand was Mjölnir, the hammer of thunder, arcs of lightning dancing across his body as he glared furiously.

"Hela! You will not harm my little sister!"

"…Huh? I thought you'd be more concerned about our dear father, brother," Hela replied mockingly.

Appearing beside Thor was Loki, who was now serving as Thor's advisor in Asgard.

Of course, Loki's primary role still seemed to be making sarcastic comments.

"So... you're Thor?" Hela glanced at the hammer in his hand. "Oh... Mjölnir. What a nostalgic little toy."

"That's right! I am Thor—the God of Thunder, Prince of Asgard, and its rightful future king!" Thor declared boldly, lifting his chin high. "Hela, your plot to slay Odin will fail. I will defeat you here and now!"

"Defeat me? With what? You?" Hela tilted her head slightly, amused. "Thor... do you even know who I am?"

"Of course! You're... Hela!" Thor hesitated, clearly knowing her identity but reluctant to say it aloud.

"I am Hela. Odin's firstborn. The rightful heir to Asgard. Your elder sister, you pathetic excuses for royalty," Hela sneered. "Looks like after I was gone, Odin made a defective son and picked up a frost giant stray? Pathetic. Truly pathetic."

Her tone suddenly shifted, her queenly aura returning in full force. "Kneel before me, and I might let you two live."

"In your dreams!" Thor roared, flinging Mjölnir at her with all his might.

'Clang!'

Hela calmly raised her right hand and effortlessly caught the hammer in one hand.

"…What?"

Thor was dumbfounded.

"Brother... what are you doing?" Loki stared in disbelief. "Isn't that your hammer? The one no one else can lift?"

"Don't ask me, Loki" Thor broke into a cold sweat.

Mjölnir was frozen in Hela's grasp, completely ignoring his command.

'Crack!'

Smiling, Hela squeezed. Cracks spiderwebbed across the hammer's surface.

'BOOM!'

A violent surge of lightning burst outward like a newborn star, scorching everything in the area.

In the blink of an eye, the invincible Mjölnir crumbled into dust in her hand.

"Hmph. Just a toy, after all."

Casting an uninterested glance at the stunned, pale-faced Thor and Loki, Hela turned like a ghost and strode toward the still-open Bifrost Bridge.

"…Boring. My mood's ruined. I've had enough fun for today."

"W-Wait!" Kagura cried out, panic flooding her chest.

She knew what would happen if Hela returned to Asgard.

If Hela set foot in Asgard, it would spell disaster for the entire realm.

Right now, she was still beatable—barely.

But once she reached Asgard, her power would surge endlessly, making her an invincible, immortal goddess.

The only way to stop her then... would be to trigger Ragnarok itself, letting the fire giant Surtur destroy both Hela and Asgard completely…

"Relax, little sister. You've won—for now. Your blade did touch my heart," Hela said softly, casting a glance over her shoulder.

"Out of respect for you, I'll stay my hand. I'll give you a chance."

"You're far too weak right now to change Asgard's fate. With that pitiful strength of yours, you wouldn't last a minute even against that useless Thanos. Let alone using the Infinity Stones to save the universe."

"Get stronger. Become someone who can stand on equal footing with me. Then come find me. I'll be waiting for you in Asgard."

With a wave of her hand, Hela seized control of the Bifrost Bridge as easily as breathing.

The rainbow light wrapped around her figure.

"When you can defeat me—only then will I accept your proposal. I'll fight by your side in the coming Infinity War. But if you fail…"

Her voice grew cold.

"…I will conquer all Nine Realms—Earth included—just as I planned. Nothing will stop me."

My dear little sister, Kagura…

You've shown me that someone in this world can still care about me. You've warmed my long-dead heart. What a sweet, gentle child you are… but—

Fate… is not something that changes so easily.

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