Of course, Hela had considered dealing with the troublesome and annoying Loki once and for all. But the problem was that after Loki enchanted Thor's attacks and debuffed Hela, the tides of the battle began to turn against her. With Thor's relentless onslaught, Hela found it difficult to find any opportunity to strike at Loki.
Adding to her frustration, Loki, having already been grabbed by the throat once, deeply understood Hela's overwhelming strength. He also knew that Hela could easily see through his illusions. Because of this, Loki refused to stay in one place for long. Every time he unleashed his frost energy, he would quickly reposition himself.
However, Loki's movements weren't just aimless running. He had set up numerous clones around the battlefield, constantly shifting his real body among them. This strategy ensured his survival to the greatest extent possible.
This tactic of Loki's proved highly effective. If Hela could spare the energy to focus on him, she might have been able to locate and eliminate him. But unfortunately for her, she had no such luxury. Her full attention was required to contend with Thor, leaving Loki free to operate unhindered. This gave Loki the opportunity to continuously harass Hela, making the battle increasingly difficult for her.
"Wow, Odin's last stand is lasting longer than I thought," muttered Robert as he watched the battle unfold. He raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised by how long Odin's final burst of power had endured. In the palace, the dying Odin's ultimate move continued to suppress Kul, completely immobilizing him.
This prolonged attack caused Robert to mock inwardly, "Can this even be called a last stand? With this level of destructive power and persistence, Odin could obliterate an entire star system. And yet, he still can't kill Kul."
As an observer, Robert could see clearly why. Kul's abilities were remarkable. As the God of Fear, his command over fear energy was expected. But his ability to continuously sustain himself through fear aura, akin to a never-ending source of power, brought him to a level comparable to a living embodiment of Fear Energy.
Robert's thoughts briefly turned to Earth. He was aware of the events happening there, particularly the Fear Energy manifesting in Gotham. However, the Yellow Lantern Ring incident had already been handled by the Avengers, so there was no need for him to return and intervene.
As for why Fear Energy couldn't be completely eradicated, Robert wasn't particularly surprised. By its nature, Fear Energy wasn't a living entity. It was more akin to a manifestation of a universal rule—an energy source that persisted as long as fear existed in the universe.
Still, it was understandable for an abstract force like Fear Energy to have such a characteristic. But Kul, a living being, possessing a similar power was far more astonishing. Robert couldn't help but wonder what the upper limit of Kul's "fear immortality" truly was.
In Asgard, Kul was continuously absorbing the fear radiating from the populace. Ordinary citizens, huddled in the Asgardian sanctuary, had no idea what was happening outside. However, the terrifying sounds of battle reminded them of the devastating events from a few years prior.
Most of these citizens had no memory of ancient Asgardian battles, such as Hela's rebellion or Odin's overthrow of Kul in the distant past. However, they vividly recalled the more recent destruction wrought by the battle between Clark, Robert, and Diana against Asgard. That conflict had nearly wiped out the entire realm.
Now, as they cowered in the sanctuary, those memories resurfaced, and they feared that history might repeat itself. Their fear for their lives and the fate of Asgard was uncontrollable, and not even Heimdall's reassurances could fully quell their panic.
Odin, sensing the relentless stream of fear energy flowing into Kul, felt a twinge of helplessness. Fear wasn't something that could be easily dispelled. If Odin had never been defeated, and if Asgard had never been brought to its current state, he might have been able to use his authority and presence to calm his people. But after Asgard's near-destruction in the past, his words carried little weight.
"It's all that Saiyan's fault!" Odin thought bitterly, a flicker of irritation crossing his mind. If it hadn't been for Robert, Asgard wouldn't have ended up in its current state. Although Asgard and Loki were the ones at fault originally, Odin still resented Robert. "Couldn't you have been a bit more magnanimous back then? And even now, with your strength, why must you keep pressuring Asgard? Can't you just leave us alone?"
Odin's bitterness reflected a common tendency among beings—shifting blame. Even someone as exalted as the All-Father was no exception. He conveniently ignored the fact that, in the beginning, his power far exceeded Robert's, and he hadn't shown any mercy or leniency himself.
It was Loki's petty provocations that had started the chain of events, a clash among the younger generation that escalated when Odin decided to intervene. His heavy-handed actions had led to the devastating conflict between Asgard and Earth.
Robert, on the other hand, had never felt any guilt about his past dealings with Asgard. In his view, he had already shown plenty of restraint. Hadn't he spared Thor on multiple occasions? If Robert had truly wanted to kill Thor, Asgard would have been reduced to rubble long ago.
Robert wasn't privy to Odin's inner monologue, as he had no intention of reading the All-Father's thoughts. For now, he was content to watch Odin's final moments unfold, curious to see if anyone could finally put an end to the seemingly indestructible Kul.
He also anticipated that this battle would not conclude quickly. At the very least, it would likely drag on until Thor and Hela's confrontation reached its climax. Only then would Odin unleash the last of his power, leaving Kul severely weakened and paving the way for Thor to face this formidable foe.
Meanwhile, back on Earth, the fear incident in Gotham had been resolved. Under the watchful eye of the Avengers, Bruce Wayne had successfully regained control over the Yellow Lantern Ring, subduing its power.
This wasn't necessarily due to Bruce's own abilities. The Yellow Lantern Ring had likely been suppressed because Kul's power, left within the ring, was limited. Once Odin began suppressing Kul, the god of fear could no longer exert any influence over events on Earth.
Moreover, the Scarecrow, who had previously wielded a Yellow Lantern Ring, had already been dealt with by the Avengers. Since the fear energy harvested from Earth had fallen short of Kul's expectations, he had largely ignored Earth's affairs, focusing instead on surviving Odin's relentless assault.
"Are you okay now?" Tony Stark asked, his tone cautious as he observed Bruce Wayne.
A few Avengers had gathered in the Batcave, but not all of them. Tony, wary of Bruce's extreme methods, didn't want to risk antagonizing the volatile billionaire.
"I've regained control over the Yellow Lantern Ring," Bruce said, shaking his head as he opened his eyes. "But I still don't know why it went berserk. I sensed that another ring had been causing chaos in Gotham—one belonging to Jonathan Crane, wasn't it? What happened to him?"
"He's dead. What do you think?" snorted John Constantine, rolling his eyes. "You should be more worried about whether your own ring will go rogue again, or how you plan to handle the aftermath of the countless deaths in Gotham, instead of fretting over some psychopath who's already killed more people than I can count."
"Jonathan Crane wasn't acting of his own accord," Bruce replied, frowning. "I could feel it—just as the Yellow Lantern Ring tried to control me, it likely did the same to him. In such a state, his actions weren't truly his own. You shouldn't have passed judgment on him."
"Oh, so you think we should have locked him up in Arkham again?" Constantine shot back, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let him break out and kill more people? Sounds like a great plan, mate."
"No one's personal will should override the law," Bruce said sternly. "If you keep taking justice into your own hands, you'll eventually become the very thing you're trying to fight."
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them," Steve Rogers interjected calmly. "You have your methods, Batman. We respect your no-kill rule and won't interfere in Gotham unless absolutely necessary. But our way is to ensure that evil is eradicated. That's the purpose of the Avengers, and we have the authority to do it."
Bruce hesitated as he looked at the youthful Steve Rogers. "I respect your integrity, Captain," he said after a moment. "But you should be cautious. The line between hero and villain is thinner than you think. Power unchecked can lead to ruin. And right now, your Avengers aren't exactly in the best position."
"Bah, those knock-offs?" Pietro Maximoff scoffed dismissively, referring to the Boys and their shady organization. "Let them deal with a real crisis or two, and they'll fold like a house of cards."
The Avengers knew Bruce was referring to the growing influence of groups like The Seven, who had taken a more corporate, profit-driven approach to heroism. But the Avengers weren't concerned. To them, The Seven were nothing more than glorified sellouts, unable to handle true threats.
Returning to the topic at hand, Tony Stark gestured for the group's attention. "Let's set aside other issues for now and focus on the Yellow Lantern Ring. Crane's ring is currently in our custody. Since you've regained control of your own
ring, Bruce, we have two options: either you surrender the ring to us, or we work together to uncover the cause of its instability."
"I can't hand over the ring," Bruce said after a long pause. Before the emergence of the Dark Mark within him, he might have agreed to part with the ring, just as he had done with the Ego Mask.
But now, the Yellow Lantern Ring and the Dark Mark within Bruce had reached a precarious balance. In this most recent incident, Bruce had even relied on the Dark Mark's power to suppress the ring's rampage. Without the ring, the Dark Mark would lose its counterbalance, leaving Bruce vulnerable to its corruptive influence.
If the Dark Mark were to fully take control, Bruce feared the monster he would become. Even he couldn't predict the horrors he might unleash, nor the number of lives that would be lost as a result.
For now, the Yellow Lantern Ring had become a necessary safeguard—an ironic weapon against the darkness growing within him.
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