As the greatsword slashed down, no bloody scene followed.
The moment the blade touched Hilda's body, it turned into several writhing tendrils that wrapped tightly around her.
Naturally, the corrupted Hilda would not sit still. From the Nibelungen Ring in her hand, a surge of immense dark power erupted, trying to drive the tendrils back.
But the tendrils formed by the sword radiated a darkness far deeper than the Ring's. Not only were they unafraid of its power, they actually absorbed all the energy it unleashed in an instant. The writhing tendrils grew even more frenzied, binding Hilda completely while their energy began to invade the Nibelungen Ring itself!
Seeing that the transformed sword had successfully restrained Hilda, Loki finally let out a breath of relief.
Josh's judgment had been right—the power of the Old Gods had indeed suppressed the Nibelungen Ring. The blade Loki wielded was exactly the divine weapon Josh had promised Hilda earlier.
But this so-called divine weapon was not forged from metal. Instead, it was crafted by the Ancient One, who had severed several tendrils from Yogg-Saron and engraved them with countless dark runes. It contained nearly one-third of Yogg-Saron's energy essence!
Without Ancient One's aid, even with Loken's borrowed strength, Loki could never have controlled such a weapon.
The Nibelungen Ring was indeed an artifact, but compared to this? It was nothing more than a trinket—created during the ancient god wars of this Saint Seiya world, forged by a group of weaker deities pooling their strength. To truly powerful gods, it was little more than a toy.
The Saint Seiya world was strong, yes, but in truth, only a handful of the highest Olympian gods and a few chosen "cheat characters" stood at the peak. The story itself showed that their influence did not extend beyond the solar system.
This meant that while the gods of this world might surpass Asgard's line in the Marvel universe, they were still far weaker than true cosmic entities like the Celestials.
So, by Josh's calculations, the power of an Old God—unless clashing directly with the very top gods or the overpowered Bronze Five—could move through this world without fear.
And now, with the tendril blade easily binding the corrupted Hilda, that theory was proven correct.
Under the sword's dark invasion, the Nibelungen Ring's defenses quickly collapsed. Though both powers were darkness, the tendril blade was simply on another level. The essence of the Old Gods was darkness itself.
But under Loki's control, the sword did not destroy the Nibelungen Ring completely like Odin's Sword had in the original tale. Instead, it drained and replaced its dark energy.
This way, when Hilda's true self regained control, she could still simulate the use of that dark power, preventing the lurking Sea Warriors from noticing anything unusual too early.
From the moment Loki entered the chamber, the commotion had been considerable. But the corrupted Hilda had already set barriers around her quarters to hide her condition, so none of the noise leaked outside.
Now, with the Nibelungen Ring's original power gone, Hilda's true self finally regained control of her body.
"Thank you, Lord Loken!" The freed Hilda let out a heavy breath of relief, bowing in gratitude to Loki.
"It was nothing," Loki replied calmly. "But Your Highness must be careful. The sea witch Sorrento has been watching you closely. To avoid alerting them, you must continue your disguise."
"That is only natural." After many talks with Josh, Hilda finally agreed to his plan—to continue this war and drag Sanctuary into the whirlpool.
Though she had a gentle and protective side, it was directed mostly toward the people of Asgard. Faced with the overwhelming power of the Sea Realm, she had no choice but to sacrifice others to protect her own.
"This is my seal. With it, you can move freely in Asgard," Hilda said, handing Loki a ring-shaped emblem.
"Then I thank you, Your Highness." Loki accepted it without hesitation.
This exchange of tokens was part of another deal Josh had made with Hilda.
"Your Highness will surely have many matters to attend to next, so I won't disturb you further." Sliding the ring onto his finger, Loki gave a faint smile before vanishing. Passing through Hilda's barriers as though they were nothing, he easily left her palace.
But instead of leaving Asgard, Loki stayed. Using the information Hilda had provided—and now carrying her seal—he acquired a horse nearby and rode toward a remote area.
Along the way, he observed the land of Asgard.
Though it bore the same name, the same gods, and similar legends, this world's Asgard was a far cry from the one he knew. Of course, the Marvel Universe's Asgard was a self-contained realm, hardly a fair comparison. Yet even so, this Asgard's environment was worse than some of the most desolate places on Earth in his universe. Naturally, Loki looked down on it.
Still, this land held something he desired.
Thanks to Hilda's seal, Loki met no obstacles and finally arrived at a remote village.
The place was deathly quiet, with almost no people in sight, and no smoke rising from chimneys. But Loki's eyes weren't on the village itself—they were fixed on the abandoned temple behind it.
Just as he rode through the village's silent street, the door of a small house opened. Out stepped a breathtakingly handsome youth, his clothes worn but kept neat and clean. By his side padded a… husky?
The sudden appearance of a stranger startled the youth at first. But then he smiled warmly and greeted Loki:
"Sir, have you come to our village for something?"
"None of your concern." The boy radiated a light so pure it made Loki frown instinctively in dislike. His tone was cold.
"Sorry…" Sensing Loki's disapproval, the boy showed no trace of anger. He simply apologized and moved aside with his dog, yielding the narrow road.
But Loki did not leave. He looked the boy up and down before asking, "What's your name?"
"Baldr," the youth answered honestly, a bit surprised but without hesitation.
The moment the name fell, Loki's expression changed.