With a thunderous crash, a broken figure slammed into the ground, the impact carving a pit several meters deep.
But it didn't end there. A colossal foot came down from the sky, stomping her once more, leaving behind a vast crater.
At its center, the battered body lay wedged into the earth, too weak to rise.
Few would have believed that this figure—now half-dead—was once the nightmare of the cosmos thousands of years ago.
She was Odin's firstborn, princess of Asgard, the Goddess of Death—Hela.
And the one who had crushed her so easily was not Josh, but his wife—Margaret, now a Celestial.
Sealed away for millennia and cut off from Asgard, Hela's power had long since dwindled to a fraction of what it once was. Not even one-tenth remained. Against Margaret's Celestial form she had no chance—truthfully, even Josh alone could have toyed with her.
Her vaunted immortality still worked, but its regeneration crawled at a snail's pace.
Once she was certain Hela had lost the ability to resist, Margaret shrank back into her human form, standing tall before the broken goddess. Blue light flickered, and Josh reappeared at her side.
"So," he said with a lazy smile, looking down at the woman pinned in the pit, "have you given any more thought to my offer?"
"You… dream on," Hela hissed, glaring up at him with hatred.
This mortal dared to ask her—the Goddess of Death—to serve him as a vassal? Madness. Imprisoned for millennia or not, her pride remained unshaken.
"Tsk. You really don't want to leave this wretched place?" Josh sighed, rubbing his temple. She'd been locked away for thousands of years, and she was still this stubborn?
"Hahaha… I can feel it. Odin's power is fading. In less than a century, he'll be dead. When that day comes, I'll be free anyway. Why should I ever bow to you?" Hela sneered.
She had endured this long. What was a hundred years more?
"Tch, such a blockhead… Margo darling, continue please," Josh said, vanishing once again.
Margaret only shrugged and resumed her torment.
——
Hours later, Hela's body was a ruin, yet her eyes burned with scorn.
"Is that all you've got?" she spat.
The torture had been relentless, her undying body unable to escape the agony. But still, she did not yield. She had clawed her way through seas of corpses millennia ago; mere physical pain could not break her.
This human thought pain alone would make her kneel? A fool's dream.
"Heh. At the end of the day, you're just relying on your little trick of immortality. 'Asgard endures, Hela endures,' isn't that how it goes?" Josh chuckled, his expression as calm as ever. "Don't worry—this was only the appetizer. You'll get to enjoy this treatment for countless ages to come."
His tone was light, but his words sank like a blade into her chest.
"What do you mean?" For the first time, unease flickered in Hela's heart.
"You were right—Odin's life is running out. But… have you considered another possibility? Odin could seal you. So could I. So could my wife." Josh's grin widened. "And unlike Odin, my wife is a Celestial. Her life span is bound to the cosmos itself. She could keep you sealed forever."
At that, Hela's mask of indifference cracked.
For thousands of years, she had endured her prison, waiting for the day Odin would fall. That hope was all that kept her sane.
But now… if these two bound her again, it would not be for centuries. It would be for eternity.
And judging by the one-sided beating she had just endured, she could not doubt their power.
But to make her bow to Josh outright? That, Hela could not accept.
"Hehe… no need to rush. At our level, the one thing we'll never lack is time," Josh said with a lazy smile.
Hela's face turned dark as ink.
"Come on, let's take her to Fuerteventura. I'm sure she'll get along just fine with Bast and the others," Josh said to Margaret.
Since Hela refused to cooperate, then she could serve as just another "battery."
The only surprise for Josh was that, from the moment he and Margaret had stepped into Helheim to the instant they dragged Hela out, Odin had never shown his face.
What was the old man thinking?
Still, for Josh, his absence was for the best.
——
The next day, Josh activated the Dimensional Trading System, waiting quietly for a new partner to appear—it was the annual day when a fresh dimensional beacon would be generated.
Soon, a scene of ice and snow appeared on the screen.
In that frozen land stood a silver-haired girl in a sheer gown, eyes closed in prayer.
Josh frowned slightly; the scene stirred no clear memory in him.
But as the beacon's knowledge settled in her mind, the girl opened her eyes and looked straight at Josh.
"A Dimensional Trading System? What a wondrous creation. Respected mighty one of another universe, I am Hilda, representative of the great Odin, King of the Gods, ruler of Asgard. May I ask your purpose?"
Hilda???
At the name, Josh's brow twitched.
Wasn't this the Hilda from Saint Seiya: Asgard Arc?
Good grief—he had just subdued Hela, and now another "Asgard" appeared from a completely different world?
The real question was… which was stronger, the gods of Saint Seiya or the gods of Marvel?
And beyond that—those death-defying cockroach warriors, the Saints. That world was without doubt one of the hardest to meddle in.
But its value was just as great: gods, the unique training of Cosmo, and the armors of the Saints. All were treasures worth studying. The only question was whether Cosmo could even be cultivated in the Marvel universe.
"Hilda? Tell me, do you have Seven God Warriors under you? And in your world, isn't there also a Sanctuary ruled by Athena, with twelve Gold Saints, plus Silver and Bronze Saints?" Josh asked bluntly.
"You… know of my world?" Hilda's brows knitted tight.
According to the beacon's rules, they came from completely different universes. The other party shouldn't know anything about her world. Yet here he was, describing it in detail.
Did this mean that through the Trading System, he had a way to threaten her entire universe?
Unlike the ordinary people Josh had dealt with before, Hilda was a divine envoy. Her knowledge of cosmic secrets far surpassed his previous partners. Her suspicion was natural.
"Do not mistake me, Queen Hilda," Josh said smoothly, sensing her doubt. "By chance, I learned some things of your world. But I have no harmful intent. I am only a merchant—what I seek is fair trade."
"Our Asgard is cold and barren. We have little to offer you. And I have many matters at hand, so I will take my leave," Hilda replied firmly, unmoved by his words. She moved to sever the connection.
But just then, the sea before her shifted strangely—its surface rippling with unnatural waves.