Thor shook his head vigorously, trying to banish that absurd thought.
No!
Impossible. I must be overthinking it!
Even if he isn't Loki, there's no way he could possess such overwhelming power!
However, as he looked in the direction the man's palm was pointing—with that all-too-familiar stance—Thor's heartbeat quickened wildly.
He was nervous.
BOOM!
The sky had darkened without warning. Thick black clouds rolled in violently, as if brewing a catastrophic storm.
Suddenly, the air seemed to solidify. An indescribable pressure swept over the world.
It felt like an illusion...
But it was terrifyingly real.
Then, the world seemed to jolt.
Hela's eyes widened in disbelief.
A flash of divine lightning reflected in her pupils.
She saw the storm forming—saw divine armor gathering.
She saw... Mjolnir—thundering through the sky—falling into the hands of that man!
Thor's eyes were filled with shock.
Ever since Hela had caught Mjolnir, the hammer had completely abandoned him as its master.
Now the storm howled and lightning surged.
At this moment, the man holding Mjolnir looked more like Thor than Thor himself.
No!
Not just like—
Thor's entire body trembled with disbelief.
Because he realized—the other person was Thor.
That divine power didn't come from Mjolnir. It came from within him.
It was purer, stronger—even more complete than Thor's own power.
Compared to him... he was the fake.
Hela roared furiously:
"Despicable Thor! I was wondering how Odin could have raised such a useless son!"
"So you're the fake!"
"You tricked me into lowering my guard so the real Thor could hurt me!"
"Odin! Even in death, you're still scheming against me!"
Thor's expression darkened.
He hadn't expected that, on top of everything, he'd be humiliated like this.
If he had the strength, he'd fight back right now!
He glared at Hela with burning rage.
Then he looked toward the figure floating in the stormy sky. The man's crimson cape whipped behind him in the lightning—like a god emerging from myth.
Now, all of Thor's hope rested on him.
This new Thor... so powerful...
He had to be the one who could kill Hela.
Asgard's future depended on it.
BOOM!
Lightning danced across the sky like writhing dragons, and torrential rain came pouring down.
Hela grit her teeth and rose, looking toward the heavens. She roared her final challenge:
"I am the Goddess of Death! Who are you?!"
Thunder cracked overhead, and a voice like divine judgment echoed across the sky:
"Thor—Russell!"
As the voice fell, a bolt of lightning split the clouds—silhouetting Russell like a celestial being.
At that same moment—
Russell, wielding Mjolnir, fell from the sky wreathed in dazzling lightning, dragging arcs of purple thunder behind him—like a god descending to Earth!
Hela screamed and thrust her hands toward the sky!
Behind her, a towering black death spike erupted, tearing through the crust of the underworld into the mortal world—shattering the earth as it rose!
It was like a scene from an ancient painting:
The Thunder God descending from the heavens to punish the witch from hell.
A moment carved into the soul.
BOOM!!!
Thunder exploded!
The death spike, which seemed strong enough to tear apart the skies, shattered on impact with Mjolnir!
Russell crashed down like a meteor, thunder trailing in his wake, pulverizing all obsidian spears forged from divine energy.
Then—
One final crack of thunder.
Mjolnir, engraved with runes and storm sigils, smashed into Hela's chest!
Countless bolts of lightning, pulsing with pure destruction, burst forth—engulfing the area in blinding, divine radiance. Nothing else could be seen.
Moments later—
The storm dissipated. The sky cleared.
Thor slowly lowered the hand he'd used to shield his eyes, staring at the center of the blast.
Though he already suspected the outcome... he had to see it for himself.
And as expected—the man stood tall.
His divine cloak fluttered in the wind.
At his feet was dark red molten stone, sand fused by intense heat, not yet fully cooled.
As for Hela—she was nowhere to be seen.
"Is she... dead?" Thor asked.
Russell, now back in his true form, turned calmly and replied:
"From this moment on... there is no Goddess of Death in Asgard."
Then, the system notification echoed in his mind:
[Plundering complete.]
[Aesir God Bloodline – Royal Tier (Gold)]
This bloodline is favored by the World Tree and grants the chance to awaken hidden power.
Greatly enhances physical abilities.
[Duplicate detected. Merging...]
Merge complete.
Bloodline concentration increased. Physical strength +10%.
Bloodfire control temperature +8500°C.
Note: Due to the gift from the World Tree, full awakening will occur once unknown prerequisites are met.
Warning: The Aesir are being watched by the ancient god of hunger and shadow. Exercise caution.
[Power of Death – Purple-Gold]
Inherited from Hela, Goddess of Death.
Grants control over the dead, souls, and formation of death blades.
When within the World Tree's core (Divine Realm), grants immunity to death.
Note: This power can be further enhanced.
Warning: Power is bound to the soul. Weak soul = risk of permanent pseudo-death.
Warning: Only usable by Aesir gods.
Russell wasn't surprised by the two entries.
But he hadn't expected one thing—
The tenth bloodline trait had increased by 10%.
That was a huge gain.
His strength had already exceeded 120 tons (compared to Thor's base 100 tons). An increase of 10% meant an instant gain of 12 tons—a serious power-up.
As for the death power—its usefulness extended beyond the Nine Realms.
Russell didn't care much about death immunity. After all, he wouldn't be staying in the Divine Realm forever.
However, the power of death, like Thor's lightning, could continue evolving.
Perhaps one day, it would grant him immortality even outside Asgard.
Of course... death immunity didn't mean invincibility. It didn't protect against time manipulation or temporal decay.
Arrogance could still kill.
Yet what truly surprised Russell wasn't the traits or stats.
It was the spatial displacement techniques he had learned from Doctor Strange...
And most importantly—
The enhancement of Thor's divine power.
Though the teleportation range was small for now, with continued mastery, it would become a terrifying ability.
As for the power of Thor, it had always been linked to the celestial phenomena. And in that moment, when the heavens shifted, a sudden realization struck him. With the power of thunder coursing through him, he grew even stronger.
Especially when Hela asked, "What kind of god are you?"—those words shook something inside him. His spirit trembled, and Thor's divine power surged wildly.
Russell silently thanked Hela in his heart for her "assistance," then walked up to Thor.
"I can only stay for 30 seconds. Do you have any questions?"
Thor was silent for a few seconds. He didn't bother asking who this person truly was—because at this point, it no longer mattered.
There was something more important to him.
"Is my idiot brother still alive?"
Russell nodded. "Yes. He's currently locked up by me in the Dungeon of Aszukoude. The Odin you met earlier was him in disguise."
Thor nodded calmly. "I have no further questions."
Russell was slightly surprised. He raised Mjolnir and asked, "Don't you want your hammer back?"
Thor's eyes flickered with longing. But remembering the brutal beating from Hela, and the realization that this stranger seemed to be the true Thor, he shook his head resolutely.
"If I'm only Thor because of the hammer, then I don't deserve it. I should let it go."
"Keep it for me. One day, I'll come and take it back."
Russell smiled and replied with gratitude, "You're a good guy. That's why I've got two hammers."
"Oh, Frog Thor has a hammer too. It's sitting next to a jar—but he's never used it."
"Wait!"
Thor's eyes widened in disbelief.
What was this guy talking about—two hammers?
No! I didn't give it to you! I said to hold it for me!
Thor panicked, realizing he may have said the wrong thing.
Russell, however, didn't care. He took Mjolnir and darted away gleefully.
Even if he didn't plan to use it, it would make a great display piece.
He was clearly becoming addicted to collecting now.
But just then, a flash of blue sparks lit up in midair—forming a swirling portal.
The next second, a bald figure glowing with a blue aura stepped out.
Thor, still thinking about his hammer, turned and saw the newcomer. Without thinking, he blurted:
"That's one shiny bald head."
At that moment, Russell clearly saw the Ancient One's body freeze for a beat, and her expression visibly darken.
Oh no.
Russell immediately wanted to flee.
Forget the TVA—Thor might be facing a divine punishment right now.
As expected... Mjolnir was better off staying with him.
Russell quickly waved his hand and said, "I didn't hear anything! I'm out!"
Without hesitation, he pressed the control key on his Time Pad, and a portal opened beneath his feet.
The Ancient One's voice called out, "Don't go. I'm looking for you."
Suddenly, the surrounding space fractured, twisted, and began to shift!
Russell felt a chill run down his spine.
This wasn't the Mirror Dimension—it was something far beyond that, triggered by a mere thought.
What kind of monstrous version of the Ancient One is this?!
Without hesitation, he used the spatial shifting technique he'd learned from Doctor Strange, blinked across the battlefield, and vanished through the time-space gate.
The Ancient One raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, then waved her hand.
The twisted space began to reset itself.
"Haha... interesting."
She chuckled softly, not angry at all. She turned her head and looked at Thor with a smile.
"Mr. Thor, what did you just call me?"
Thor shuddered.
Every instinct in his body screamed in alarm. His head shook like a rattle.
"N-Nothing! You heard wrong!"
He wasn't blind. He'd just seen this woman reshape space like it was nothing.
And that other "Thor"—so powerful he killed Hela with ease—ran away the moment he saw her!
So Thor knew it was time to humble himself.
There was no shame in admitting weakness when it counted.
The Ancient One was about to speak again, but suddenly she paused, sensing something in the distance.
Her expression returned to calm as she said, "Those annoying things are coming."
"I'll let you off for now."
With that, she stepped back and vanished into her portal.
Thor exhaled in relief.
But at that moment, he suddenly felt the ground vanish beneath him. He yelped—"Ahhh!"—and fell into a blue portal.
Three seconds later—
Over a dozen orange Time Doors opened, and squads of TVA agents in red-gold uniforms stepped out.
They wore emotionless expressions, like machines, each wielding a sleek golden-patterned firearm.
Seeing that the area was empty, they placed a few Time Bombs and departed.
The Void.
Russell had safely returned to his cavern hideout.
He casually set Mjolnir down, but his expression was not one of relief.
Because just before he left, the Ancient One's voice echoed in his mind—leaving behind a set of spatial coordinates.
Coordinates not found anywhere in the Sacred Timeline.
Russell stared at his Time Pad for a long while.
He had no intention of entering them—not yet.
He had no idea what dangers lay beyond, or whether that glowing blue Ancient One was benevolent or hostile.
Without absolute power, venturing in would be recklessly dangerous.
Still, that blue Ancient One, clearly outside the Sacred Timeline, had given him a revelation:
Timelines exist outside the Sacred Timeline.
Russell couldn't help but think of the Time Loom in Loki Season 2, which unraveled the single-threaded timeline into countless strands once the hidden power of time (Kang the Conqueror) lost control.
In Loki Season 1, Miss Minutes had shown how all those timelines were forcibly twisted into one stream.
So maybe the others were never deleted—just hidden beneath the Sacred Timeline.
That's what the "liberation" in Season 1's finale truly meant.
They'd always been there.
The more Russell thought about it, the more convinced he became.
And if that was true... then it meant he could obtain more entries.
There were too few opportunities left in the Sacred Timeline.
No Vengeful Spirits, no Phoenix Fragments, no rare mutant X-abilities, not even special divine bloodlines.
If he wanted to grow stronger, he would need to find a path to those hidden timelines.
Russell took a deep breath. His goal had become clearer than ever.
But before anything else, he had something even more important to do.
And no—it wasn't farming the Hela trait or repeating the Aesir Godline entry.
Right now, he'd already committed two timeline offenses in a row. He had to avoid alerting the TVA.
What he needed next... wasn't another external boost.
It was to awaken his own bloodline entry—the unknown ancestral power!
Odin had told him:
"With your bloodline concentration, and the gift of the World Tree, you only need to complete the ritual. Then... you will awaken your true power."
And this time, it didn't require harming anyone. No branching timelines.
It was the safest and most stable way to grow stronger.
And deep down, Russell was more curious than ever—
What was his true power?
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