"Thor!"
Hogun, standing at the forefront of Asgard's Legion, guarded the Bifrost entrance with a firm stance. His voice carried urgency as he first called out to Thor, then saluted Ragna with restrained reverence. In a low voice, he said,
"I have received troubling news… Before his passing, the All-Father Odin declared Hela as his heir. Is this true? Is she truly to be the new God-King?"
Thor, noticing the tension in Hogun's formation, immediately responded,
"More or less. My father did acknowledge Hela's claim to the throne."
Odin had never directly spoken to Thor or Loki about Hela's succession. Instead, he left subtle hints, urging them not to challenge the decision made by Hela and Ragna.
At Thor's confirmation, Hogun's expression darkened.
He had fought for Thor's throne, yet Thor himself had no desire to claim it.
Shaking his head, Hogun pressed further,
"Almost? That means there was no clear decree?"
He gestured toward the gathered warriors of Asgard and continued,
"We all know Odin once sealed Hela away. Why would he do that, only to later name her as his successor?"
"Why was her existence hidden for centuries, while Thor was openly named as the heir more than once?"
"And most importantly… the people of Asgard have long forgotten her. How can a ruler unknown to her own kingdom claim the throne?"
Hogun's gaze shifted toward Ragna.
He knew little of Ragna's connection to Hela, but in his eyes, since Ragna showed no interest in ruling the Nine Realms, the throne should belong to Thor.
His words held some truth—Odin had never officially proclaimed Hela as his heir before his death. And in his final moments, only Thor, Loki, and a few others had been present.
Was Odin's will truly fulfilled? Or was this merely a decision made in desperation?
Beyond that, most of Asgard had indeed forgotten Hela.
Even among the ranks of the Asgardian Legion under Hogun's command, loyalty to Thor was natural—far easier than pledging fealty to an unfamiliar figure.
Even if Hela was stronger than Thor, Asgard had the Bifrost… and it had Ragna.
There was no need to fear.
Thor stepped forward, eager to speak.
"Enough, Hogun, I—"
Before he could finish, Hela's voice cut through the air.
She cast a sharp glance at Hogun and the soldiers behind him, her tone calm yet laced with disdain.
"You are the current commander of Asgard's Legion?"
She scoffed.
"So weak… and yet you call yourself a commander?"
A yawn escaped her lips before her expression shifted. In the blink of an eye, she conjured several Necroswords and hurled them toward Hogun.
Ragna observed with an amused smile, making no move to intervene.
Thor, caught off guard, had no time to react.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Hogun barely managed to deflect some of the flying blades with his meteor hammer, but several swords pierced his shoulders and thighs, pinning him to the ground.
He groaned in pain as his warriors unsheathed their weapons in fury.
The Asgardian Legion teetered on the brink of rebellion.
Thor's heart pounded. He could not allow this to escalate.
Rushing forward, he stood between Hela and Hogun, raising a hand to halt the advancing legion.
"Sister, he is my friend! He is the commander of Asgard's army!"
Thor's voice was low, firm.
If not for Odin's final wishes, and the subtle presence of Ragna, he might have already raised Mjolnir against her.
In truth, Thor had never faced Hela in battle. He had no grasp of her true strength.
Hela tilted her head, lips curling into a smirk.
"Oh? So your friends now decide the fate of the throne?"
"Since when did Asgard's succession become a matter for outsiders to debate?"
She glanced down at Hogun, then back at Thor.
"And tell me, what kind of commander is this?"
She scoffed again, turning toward Ragna.
"Brother, I must say… This Asgard… It bores me."
Her voice grew softer.
"This… is not my Asgard."
Her gaze drifted across the assembled warriors.
Even the ones who had drawn their weapons against her were not the warriors she once led.
They were weaker. Less disciplined. Shadows of the once-mighty Asgardian hosts.
Ragna opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, another voice rang out.
"No, my child."
Frigga had arrived.
She led a small, but unmistakably elite group of warriors.
"This is your Asgard."
Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked at Hela—not with fear, but with love.
The warriors at her side stepped forward.
The Asgardian Praetorian Guard.
Once the elite warriors who stood beside Hela in battle.
They had not all perished.
Nor had they grown feeble with age.
They remembered.
They remembered Hela's conquests. They remembered the true strength of Asgard.
And now, they remembered their loyalty.
In one synchronized motion, they knelt before her.
"We pledge our allegiance, God-King Hela!"
Hela stood silent, scanning their ranks.
She recognized them.
They were remnants of her past.
She raised a hand, and the Praetorian Guard immediately rose, falling into formation behind her.
Then, she turned her gaze to Frigga.
There were no words exchanged.
None were needed.
Frigga understood.
Her presence, along with the loyalty of the Praetorian Guard, had sealed the truth.
The throne belonged to Hela.
One by one, the Asgardian soldiers lowered their weapons and stepped aside.
Hela walked forward, her head held high, stepping over the still-groaning Hogun as she entered the grand halls of Asgard.
Hogun, critically wounded, was quickly taken for medical treatment by his fellow warriors.
Thor, after ensuring Hogun's care, hurried to the palace.
Inside the great hall, Hela, Frigga, and Ragna stood beneath the towering frescoes of Asgard's history.
Hela's eyes narrowed.
"You even changed the murals?"
Her voice was quiet.
Ragna nodded.
"They were changed long ago."
During her exile, the halls had been repainted, erasing all traces of her past.
Hela lifted her hand.
"They should be restored."
"History should not be forgotten."
With a flick of her fingers, a barrage of Necroswords shot forth, shredding the altered frescoes.
Beneath them, the original paintings reappeared—depicting her and Odin leading Asgard to war against the Nine Realms.
She took a step forward, eyes gleaming.
"Only war can bring peace."
Her voice rang through the hall.
"To forget war… is to embrace death."
She turned to the assembled warriors.
"The glory of Asgard will be guarded by me!"
"And the shame of Asgard… will be cleansed by me!"
The Praetorian Guard gripped their weapons tightly, their voices ringing in unison.
"For the God-King!"
As they stood resolute, Ragna observed in silence.
The gods who once stood against Asgard… he would find them.
And they would fall.
Thor, still in shock, gazed up at the frescoes.
His grip tightened around Mjolnir.
There, upon the mural, Hela stood victorious—wielding Mjolnir in her hand.
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