Everything that transpired within the Time Training Ground was, for the most part, under Agamotto's careful orchestration—
With the exception of the current brawl between Hela and Lothar.
Under the premise of "Using power means risking one's life", would Lothar and Hela still have the courage to strike at a former enemy?
That was the true objective of Agamotto's first trial.
This stage was designed primarily to test Lothar. After all, without the protection of cosmic laws, his soul was dangerously fragile.
And truth be told, by all appearances, Lothar did pretty well.
Hela, however... her performance went well beyond Agamotto's expectations.
Fueled by the sheer rage of that one brutal kick from Lothar, she shattered the boundaries of death itself and forged her own Throne Weapon.
A surprising, but not unwelcome, twist.
"Well then, Menis, kindly activate the power of the Eye of Horus."
Interrupting the silent stare-down between Thanos and Odin, Agamotto turned his attention toward another corner of the pyramid.
Destruction must precede rebirth. That was the essence of this trial.
Without the protection of cosmic laws, there was only one way to rapidly solidify Lothar's soul, making it resilient enough to defy most soul-based sorceries.
Cowed by the presence of both Odin and Thanos, Menis had huddled in the corner with a jester clutching a scepter. Upon hearing Agamotto's command, he gulped nervously and took two hesitant steps forward, only to be stopped by a calm, imposing voice.
"No. That won't be necessary."
Thanos, having finished his silent exchange with Odin, now looked over at Lothar, who lay sprawled on the beach, gasping for breath, his eyes sharp and flickering with some hidden understanding.
"Death is rebirth. His soul... is absorbing the death divinity within Hela's."
Odin's eyelid twitched. Watching his daughter being used as Lothar's oversized divine battery made his jaw tighten. His gaze flitted toward Thanos, who remained as expressionless as ever.
Despite Hela's unexpected breakthrough, Odin still felt like his daughter had drawn the short end of the stick.
And it was the kind of quiet loss that even a father felt too awkward to speak of.
Thanos, of course, pretended not to notice.
This was divine power Lothar had earned on his own. If Odin didn't like it, well, he was welcome to take it back himself.
Time Training Ground.
"Haaah..."
"That felt so good..."
Soaked with sweat, Hela collapsed onto the sand, her ample chest heaving, face flushed from the intense "exercise."
Ever since she'd formally conceded defeat in Svartalfheim, it had been a long time since she'd beaten someone to such a satisfying pulp.
On Sakaar, even when Lothar was holding back, she could do little more than take a beating.
But now, now it was different. This time, she had him pinned down and hammered into the ground!
It was the first time, her first time, getting to beat the living daylights out of that smug bastard.
Sure, she'd taken a beating herself... but she didn't feel like she lost.
After all, opportunities to pummel Lothar into the dirt were rare treasures.
"You... lunatic..."
Lothar, utterly drained, was also lying motionless on the beach, every limb, no, three limbs, numb and powerless.
After all, he'd lost his right arm again.
Even the red tail gripped in Hela's right hand had gone limp.
Much as he hated to admit it, this was probably the weakest he'd been in years.
"Tch! Still talking tough, huh? C'mon, keep running that mouth!"
Panting, Hela grinned triumphantly and gave his waterlogged, limp tail a little squeeze.
Soft. Surprisingly satisfying to the touch.
"Not so tough now, are you?"
"Pathetic. Let go of my tail."
Lothar closed his eyes, refusing to look at her self-satisfied expression. Out of sight, out of mind.
Once I get my body back, he vowed silently, you'll be begging for mercy—
"Ghh—!"
Suddenly, a strange electric jolt surged through him. Eyes snapping open, he saw Hela, still toying with his tail, squeezing and releasing like a stress ball?!
Lothar's foot shot out in reflex, a clean kick to Hela's chest!
"Enough already!"
"Don't push it!"
Tail swaying, Lothar glared darkly at Hela as she tumbled across the sand, wincing and baring her teeth in pain.
"You %@#￥&$*!!!"
Clutching her aching chest, Hela let out a stream of high Asgardian profanity. Lothar caught one word: "Me."
"Cut the crap."
His furrowed brow made her seethe even more.
"You—!"
Hela staggered upright, one arm protectively across her chest, her face twisted with fury.
Then she paused.
An idea flickered across her face, followed by a grin, one that made Lothar distinctly uneasy.
"So... your tail is a special weak spot, huh?"
She remembered his ignorance back in Malekith's Artificial Hel.
"Weak spot?"
Lothar cracked his tail like a whip, its steel-like point piercing a massive rock on the beach—
BOOM!
Stone fragments flew everywhere.
He didn't need to say anything, his actions proved the point.
Far from a weakness, his tail was a deadly, unpredictable weapon.
"Shut your mouth, loser."
The insult made Hela's smile disappear.
CLACK.
Inside the pyramid, Odin silently gripped the long spear by his side.
SCHLING.
Thanos casually drew the great blade embedded at his feet.
Agamotto, trapped awkwardly between the two, glanced left, then right, and sighed.
"All right, let's go meet Dormammu."
With that, he activated the ancient teleportation array etched into the pyramid.
"Why is this my life..." Agamotto thought bitterly.
He couldn't understand it. This was supposed to be a perfectly structured trial, yet it had already gone off the rails after just the first stage.
The Dark Dimension.
Dormammu was still watching Cuba, his newly empowered agent infused with the Power of the Dark Dimension, to see what ripple effects he'd cause on Midgard.
Suddenly, his senses screamed.
A familiar spell array appeared brazenly right in front of him.
"Agamotto?!"
The ever-cautious Sorcerer Supreme, who had always hidden behind layers of proxies and barriers, had now materialized in the flesh before him?
Dormammu's eyes widened with suspicion. There had to be some kind of trap.
And then he saw them.
Thanos, fully armored in gold, and Odin clad in the Destroyer Armor.
Now his unease turned into outright dread.
"Dormammu, I've come to—"
Agamotto didn't even get to finish.
Odin's spear flew like a lightning bolt, thrusting straight toward Dormammu's heart!
And Thanos's golden blade followed with a brutal energy slash!
"Okay, okay, Dormammu, seriously, I am here to negotiate."
Agamotto sighed, eyes narrowing.
Twin crimson spell circles ignited in his hands.
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