Very soon.
As Hel passed away, the Goddess of Death Anna, appointed by Hawk, quickly took office and prepared to select personnel from the Nether Prison.
Hawk originally thought Anna would go to the Nether Prison to select people.
The result was...
Anna instead headed directly towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were now living quite comfortably in the Pure Land.
At first, Hawk was stunned, then he realized.
Indeed.
Compared to the sin-bound souls in the Nether Prison, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents living in the Pure Land could be considered personally selected by the Netherworld King.
The most important point.
It is well known.
Anna was indeed an agent of Hydra, but like most Hydra agents, she could also be a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.
Therefore!
Anna's subconscious choice of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents was inevitable.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents living in the Pure Land hardly hesitated to agree to Anna's recruitment.
After all, everyone was already dead, grievances were resolved, and both they and Anna were here because of Hawk.
Plus, Anna was Hawk's appointed Goddess of Death.
Might as well go with it.
After all, staying in this carefree Pure Land every day got pretty boring over time.
Especially for the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who died bachelors, it was even more boring.
Those with families could at least hope for their wives and children to come down and reunite, but they had nothing to anticipate.
So following the Goddess of Death Anna seemed quite appealing.
Hawk did not intervene with Anna's actions, simply watching quietly after leaving the Netherworld.
He said he wouldn't interfere, and he had always been tolerant with friends.
Therefore, he fully entrusted Anna with how to build her force in the Netherworld and how to maintain the balance of the existing Planet of Life.
If results were good, everyone would be happy.
If not?
It was no big deal; just format and regenerate new eight realms.
After all, the World Tree was just an unexpected delight.
The Phoenix Cosmos was Hawk's true foundation.
Just right.
He wanted Anna to use the World Tree to practice, so that when he manifested the Phoenix Cosmos, his designated god of death could immediately take up the post.
No training needed at all.
Simply perfect.
Just like he promised The Ancient One to become the God of Time in his Phoenix Cosmos.
Hawk watched as the Goddess of Death, Anna, began transforming the Netherworld into the image she had in mind, the corners of his mouth slightly raised as he turned to look at the hidden map of the World Tree—heading towards the Heroic Spirit Hall over there.
Yes.
The Heroic Spirit Hall.
The final resting place for all warriors who died for Asgard.
If Helheim was the Hell of the World Tree.
Then the Heroic Spirit Hall was the Heaven of the World Tree.
Hawk originally thought the Heroic Spirit Hall had collapsed along with the World Tree.
But then he realized it was unlikely.
Because...
Hawk vaguely remembered that at the end of Thor 4, the female Thor, Jane Foster, went to the Heroic Spirit Hall after her death.
Heimdall even came to greet Jane.
So the Heroic Spirit Hall still existed.
Anyway, he currently had no way to leave the World Tree to return to Earth.
Even though his nearly infinite Little Cosmos energy healed the World Tree, not only restoring it but also elevating it to the Phoenix World Tree.
However, the Phoenix Divine Domain, meant to replace Asgard, was still evolving.
As long as the Phoenix Divine Domain was not realized, there was a slight chance the Phoenix World Tree could be exploited by the Main Cosmos time.
It is well known.
Hawk is always not afraid of one-in-ten-thousand situations, only what-if scenarios.
But he disliked waiting idly, because the suppressed rage in his heart would reignite.
So...
After leaving the Netherworld, Hawk appeared once again, now in Vanaheim.
But at this moment, Vanaheim was like a collapsed world.
The formerly magnificent palaces of Vanaheim had become ruins quietly lying on the ground.
The whole of Vanaheim showed no signs of life, not even any corpses, more like a Netherworld than Hawk's Netherworld.
Vanaheim had been completely slaughtered by Hel, even the bodies were dispersed, not leaving a single intact corpse.
However, this saved him some trouble.
Hawk took in the sights of Vanaheim and thought.
If the gods of Vanaheim were still around when he took over the World Tree, he wouldn't quite know how to deal with these... um, previous dynasty subjects?
Now that they've been eliminated by Hel, there's no issue.
After all, living people are often more troublesome than dead ones.
Hawk chuckled, then sensed the existence of two dimensions in Vanaheim, heading directly towards one of them.
This shouldn't be the Heroic Spirit Hall.
But rather...
"This is the Witch Dimension."
"The place where I grew up."
"..."
As Hawk opened the entrance to this now ownerless dimension and listened to the voice beside him, he looked towards the woman he brought along when he left the Netherworld.
The God Empress of Asgard!
Frigga.
It is well known.
Frigga died at the hands of the death warriors of the Dark Elf Malekith, but not because she fell in battle. Hence, her soul did not go to the Hall of Heroes, but rather to Helheim, which was still sealed by Hel at the time.
Hawk, at the time transferring souls from Helheim to his Netherworld, originally thought Hel had tortured Frigga to death.
Unexpectedly, Frigga was still alive.
Though her state then was rather tragic, Frigga was indeed alive.
However, at this moment, Frigga was restored under Hawk's divine power.
At this moment.
Re-donned in an elegant and luxurious white floral embroidered robe, with her golden hair once again styled into a bun, Frigga looked at the Witch Dimension lacking even a trace of life just like outside, murmuring to herself.
Hawk's Seventh Sense swept through the entire Witch Dimension, once more sensing Hel's ruthlessness, simultaneously giving rise to a belated feeling of mutual appreciation.
He did not feel Hel's ruthlessness was wrong.
You offend me, fine, but you better make sure you can kill me, otherwise, you will pay a painful price.
It's what's known as unforgiving vengeance.
Undeniably.
Hawk felt he had indeed a similar disposition.
But...
Similarity repels, because Hel, like him, is unforgiving, he admired her yet wouldn't spare her.
Hawk knows himself too well and thus understands Hel as well.
Even if Hel submits to him, perhaps for a year, ten years, a hundred years, she wouldn't act, but once given the chance, she would surely rise against him.
Therefore, Hel cannot be spared.
Hawk thought to himself, then withdrew his gaze, looking at Frigga beside him.
"Condolences."
"Thank you."
Frigga too withdrew her gaze from the Witch Dimension, where Hel had massacred everyone, a place she once grew up, expressing her sincere love and sorrow.
"I hope they can enter the Hall of Heroes."
"Uh, they are probably not in the Hall of Heroes."
Listening to Frigga's words, Hawk thought for a moment, then gently waved his right hand in front.
Immediately.
Everything seemed like flowers in a mirror; as the shattered souls in the Witch Dimension began to fly around, the Witch Dimension seemed to turn back in time.
But this isn't true time law.
Hawk doesn't have that stuff.
After all...
He had already promised divine authority over time.
The Ancient One is his God of Time.
Hawk promised the Ancient One to weave time for his designated cosmos and life forms.
Past, present, and future included!
So!
"That was hasty."
Hawk quietly muttered to himself, though not regretting promising away the time law prematurely.
Professional matters are for professionals.
This has been his rule all along.
Why could Grand Ancestor conquer the world in seven years?
First, because he was adept at using capable people.
Second, because he dared to delegate power and promise.
Hawk may not be Grand Ancestor, but he is willing to learn from history.
Going off-topic.
The time-reversing scene before him wasn't an effect of time law but was composed of fragmented souls in the Witch Dimension converging.
Soon.
The Witch Dimension's time seemed to return to the moment of death.
Accompanied by Hel's death spear viciously shooting forth, witch after witch controlled by undead soldiers fell into pools of blood.
Their lives were seized by Hel.
Their souls were directly shattered by Hel.
Forget the Hall of Heroes; these witches' souls didn't even go to Helheim.
The Vanir Gods connected behind the Witch Dimension were the same.
Frigga covered her mouth subconsciously, letting out a sob upon witnessing the fragment of extinction play out in the Witch Dimension.
Hawk glanced at Frigga beside him and offered condolences once more.
"Condolences."
"...Thank you."
Frigga's voice was somewhat hoarse with a tinge of dryness, suppressing the heartbreak within, she withdrew her gaze from the replay of death before her.
Hawk too waved his right hand again, tossing those soul fragments entirely into the Netherworld.
Frigga looked at Hawk's action, puzzled.
Hawk smiled faintly.
"Perhaps, in countless cycles of reincarnation, there will be a day when these soul fragments are complete."
"...Thank you!"
Frigga, hearing this, her pupils contracted slightly, expressing gratitude once again.
But this time, the gratitude carried more appreciation than the previous times.
Hawk waved his hand, saying nothing.
Waving isn't rejecting, but no words are needed.
Soon.
After leaving the uninhabited Witch Dimension, Hawk took Frigga to the entrance of the Hall of Heroes Dimension, which similarly had a passage set within the Kingdom of Vanaheim.
Upon touching the entrance to the Hall of Heroes Dimension, he quickly realized how the Hall of Heroes differed from the Witch Dimension.
To put it simply.
The Witch Dimension seemed like a foreign dimension, whereas the Hall of Heroes seemed like a transformed kingdom fruit yet to sprout from the World Tree.
In the next second.
As a white light flashed, Hawk and Frigga instantly vanished from the realm of Vanaheim.
...