"Damn baldy!"
Feeling mortally humiliated, Hela's face twisted with rage. She'd just crushed Asgard and the Tenth Realm's administrator Loki—yet a single bald man had made a fool of her?
Swish! Swish! Swish!
A volley of razor-sharp black spikes tore through the air toward Saitama.
Saitama blurred—gone in a blink. The spikes clanged into the spot he'd just stood, punching through the ground like it was tofu and leaving behind a haze of black decay.
"So fast!"
Hela was rattled. Her spikes were famed for speed and penetration; even Asgard's swift, agile Valkyrie units had been torn apart like paper by them.
The two traded blows in midair. Almost the instant Saitama's feet touched down, a new rain of spikes came screaming in.
This won't work. Her proudest thrusts couldn't catch Saitama. All that killing power meant nothing if they couldn't land.
Hela's eyes chilled. Midair, she suddenly wheeled—aiming at Loki, Thor, and Valkyrie.
Swish, swish, swish!
A torrential downpour of spikes fell like a squall, sealing every blind spot they could dodge into.
"Not good!"
Loki went pale.
"For the glory of the North!"
Thor roared, lightning seeming to churn in his eyes. He became a streak of thunder and shot up—
—and was hammered out of the sky by successive spikes, grunting as he crashed and skidded.
If even Thor struggled to block them, Valkyrie felt her scalp go numb. She yanked out her dagger and tried to parry.
Ding ding ding ding—
A dense clatter of metal on metal.
A transparent barrier sprang up in front of Loki and Valkyrie, catching every spike.
"Boss Saitama!"
Loki shouted in relief. It was the Space Stone's power—Saitama had absorbed that energy before!
"Spatial bulwark?"
Hela frowned. Saitama now stood before Loki and Valkyrie, fingers spread, an invisible force-field shimmering as it swallowed her assault.
"Brother Saitama, why didn't you—uh—why didn't you block mine?"
Thor, rolling to a stop not far away, yelled as he gritted his teeth and yanked the spikes from his chest. Most of his godly power was already spent.
"You… weren't over here."
Saitama scratched his nose.
Thor: "…"
Should've just played dead like Loki. Why did I even bother?
"You're strong—the first opponent I've seen who can rival Odin," Hela said, eyes narrowing. Then her lip curled in a triumphant smile. "Unfortunately, protecting the weak guarantees your defeat. Fenris!"
A thunderous bellow. The massive black wolf that had been crouching nearby sprang, body-checking Loki and Valkyrie away in one sweep. Its maw—full of fangs—snapped down and clamped over half of Saitama's body.
"Fast, yes. Can you move now?"
Hela bared her teeth. Her hands spread, and a spike even blacker and sharper than before coalesced—then lunged straight for Saitama's head.
"No!"
Valkyrie cried out. She wanted to dive in—not just because he'd helped her, but because Saitama was the only one on the field who could match Hela. If he died, the fight against her was as good as lost.
But the colossal bulk of Fenris walled them off, pinning Saitama in its jaws so he couldn't budge.
BOOM—!
Hela's spike landed square on Saitama's head. The shockwave blasted Thor, Loki, and Valkyrie clean off their feet, flattening a swath of surrounding buildings.
"You're powerful. So what? Mercy only invites death."
Hela's grin was feral.
It froze a heartbeat later. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
The pitch-black death spike had struck Saitama's face—no, it had struck the hand he'd raised by reflex.
A blow that could pierce gods—cracking apart in Saitama's grip?!
What kind of sick joke was this? Someone had blocked her full-force strike—with his hand?!
The unyielding spike was caught between Saitama's fingers. He squeezed—crack, crack, crack, crack—until it shattered.
Run.
Hela decided in an instant.
Power. Defense. Even speed.
This bald monster surpassed her across the board. And this wasn't Asgard—she wasn't at her peak. Her one chance to win was on Asgard itself.
With Asgard at her back, her power would surge without end—ever stronger.
"Fenris!"
She called, turning to step into the void—and froze after half a step.
Her beloved mount, the wolf that had fought a hundred battlefields at her side, was being held down with one hand on its head. It roared and thrashed, but couldn't budge.
Fury. Fear.
Hela ground her teeth. In the end, she abandoned the wolf.
"Don't let her get away! Brother Saitama—on Asgard her power never stops. We won't beat her there!"
Thor shouted.
"What about this dog?"
Saitama asked seriously, scratching his head.
Dog?!
Fenris: "…"
The last guy who called me a dog has grass a yard tall on his grave, you—!
Thor and Loki: "…"
Brother, is this a joke? Ever seen a thirty-meter-tall dog?
Saitama glanced down at the beast.
"Woof, woof, woof—awoo…"
Poor Fenris could only act more like a dog.
Thor: "…It is… kind of a dog."
"Then you watch it."
Saitama said.
"No problem. Go subdue Hela—if not, that madwoman will do anything!"
Thor flew over and, imitating Saitama, pressed a confident palm to Fenris's head.
"Okay."
Saitama nodded, released his hand, and turned away.
"ROAR—!"
The instant the hand left, Fenris erupted. It chomped Thor whole, mauling and slamming him around so savagely that even Loki and Valkyrie were dumbstruck.
"Ahem—relax! I'm Thor! The glory of the North!"
Thor struggled free, coughing, mortified.
And then—Thor, the "glory of the North," and Hela's mount Fenris tangled together in a brutal brawl, trading blows in earnest.
Hela, meanwhile, reached Asgard at last, dragging along the unfortunate executioner Skurge.
"Go to the vault. I want you to do something."
She sat on the throne, face black with gloom.
"M-my lady… this…"
Skurge hesitated.
Pshk!
A spike lanced through his chest. Skurge stared, stunned.
"Don't think I don't know what's in your head—playing loyal only to betray me later? Heh."
Hela sneered. Darkness poured out and swallowed Skurge. In seconds, the former captain of the Asgardian guard stood as an undead thrall, green fire burning in his eyes—then turned and marched toward the depths of the vault.
At the same time—
Space rippled in front of Hela. She stared into it, full of dread and caution.
(End of Chapter)
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