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[Frog] Chapter 196: Launch
🕑 Added 2024-12-05 15:33:58 +0000 UTC"Mephisto... defeated just like that?"
Heimdall looked at Odin, his expression dazed.
Although the center of the battlefield was obscured, he could clearly sense that Mephisto’s malevolent power had completely vanished.
Odin's face was equally grim.
Mephisto was crucial to Hela’s seal.
The seal relied on two critical forces: Odin's divine power and Mephisto's infernal energy.
Only the coexistence of these two forces could ensure Hela remained imprisoned.
When Mephisto initially helped Hela partially break free, Odin wasn’t concerned.
But now, things had changed—Mephisto was dead.
This meant half of Hela’s seal had already been undone!
Heimdall noticed something was off with Odin and asked, "My King, is something wrong?"
Odin rested his chin on his hands and replied, "Heimdall… Hela has…"
"Broken the seal."
At those words, cold sweat immediately formed on Heimdall’s forehead.
"This... how is that possible?"
"My King, you must be joking..."
Odin glanced at Heimdall.
"Do I look like I’m joking?"
"But, Your Majesty, wasn’t the seal…" Heimdall’s voice trailed off as a sudden realization struck him. His eyes widened in shock.
"You used that magic…"
Odin nodded. "Mephisto, that fool. I didn’t expect him to die so easily."
"He couldn’t even escape."
Seated on his throne, Odin clenched his fists, as if it were he who had been defeated, not Mephisto.
"What do we do now?" Heimdall asked.
"If Hela has broken free, she’ll soon return to Asgard. And when that happens…"
Heimdall couldn’t bring himself to finish.
Hela’s terrifying might was still fresh in his memory.
In the war against the Frost Giants, had it not been for Hela, Asgard might have fallen.
It was during that war that Hela earned a new title: Goddess of Death.
Being recognized alongside Death itself—one of the five cosmic entities—was a testament to the Frost Giants' fear and acknowledgment of her power.
Even Odin’s title as Allfather was self-proclaimed and held significance only within Asgard. Beyond its borders, no one addressed him as "King."
Odin understood Heimdall’s fears.
If Hela returned to Asgard, she would seize control, and Odin’s death would be inevitable.
The rest of Asgard’s inhabitants would face two choices: submission or death.
Odin, too, was uneasy, which is why he had prepared a contingency for Hela’s seal.
"Don’t worry, Heimdall."
"I cast a parallel magic spell on Mephisto's soul."
"If Mephisto were to die an unnatural death, the force of the final blow he received would be transferred to Hela."
Heimdall’s eyes widened in disbelief.
A term he’d once heard on Midgard came to mind—a term that seemed fitting for Odin now: "Old fox."
He never expected Odin to have such a well-prepared backup plan, consistently using Mephisto as a pawn.
Had Hela’s seal not been broken, Heimdall might have suspected Odin had orchestrated Mephisto's death as well.
"But that final blow from the Emperor was so powerful. Couldn’t it have…" Heimdall gestured a cutting motion across his neck.
Odin shot him a glare.
If Hela were so easy to kill, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to seal her in the first place.
"No."
"The Emperor’s attack was too powerful, and it partially disrupted the parallel magic."
"Only seventy percent of the force was transmitted to Hela."
"And Hela’s condition now?" Heimdall asked.
Odin nodded. "That’s the next task for you."
"Hela is gravely injured and has fled Hel."
"She can’t have gotten far. She should be somewhere on Midgard. I need you to find her."
Heimdall responded with determination, "Understood."
"Once we settle the matter with Thor and Loki, it will be Hela’s turn…"
Odin gazed in the direction of Earth.
"Hela… you’re still too stubborn…"
…
Buzz!
Alan's body gradually shrank, returning to its original form.
Below, the dead star had finished exploding.
At the center of the blast, a small red flame flickered in the wind, as if it could be extinguished at any moment.
"So, this is Mephisto's true form. Too bad it's already been blown to bits."
Alan flicked his hand, and the flame wavered a few times before going out completely.
He then focused his senses.
"It's in this direction!"
Alan pressed a button on his belt, and a blank golden talisman appeared behind him.
"Lightshadow Steed!"
As Alan's voice fell, a majestic dragon head slowly emerged from the center of the talisman.
In an instant, it shot forward, circling around Alan a few times, emitting a series of humming sounds, as if it were excited.
Alan smiled faintly and mounted the Lightshadow Steed.
"Let's go. We're heading back to Earth."
Buzz!
With a swift twist of the throttle, the Lightshadow Steed roared to life, its engine emitting a powerful hum.
In a flash, it transformed into a golden streak, hurtling forward.
Moments later, it shattered the fabric of space, racing toward Earth.
---
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
At the command console, Hill suddenly heard the announcement over the intercom:
"Nick Fury has been relieved of duty. The duration of the suspension is undetermined."
"Prepare the nuclear launch system."
"Target: Manhattan, Stark Tower."
The announcement sent shockwaves through the already tense atmosphere within S.H.I.E.L.D.
Hill immediately shouted, "Everyone, stay calm! Continue providing support to Manhattan!"
Without missing a beat, she left the command console, grabbed a rocket launcher from the weapons room, and sprinted toward the conference room.
As she reached the door, she heard Nick Fury's unmistakable voice cursing loudly:
"Motherf—!"
The door swung open, and Fury bolted out like the wind, heading straight for the deck.
When he saw the rocket launcher in Hill's hands, he nodded in approval.
"Good work!"
The two quickly made their way to the deck.
On the flight runway, two fighter jets were already loaded with nuclear weapons.
Fury immediately aimed at one of the jets, targeting the engine on its wing.
He knew that if he hit any other part, the nuclear payload could detonate prematurely.
If that happened, it wouldn't be Manhattan that was destroyed—it would be the Helicarrier itself.
Once he had a clear shot, Fury fired the rocket launcher.
The missile streaked across the sky, trailing a long plume, and struck one of the jets, destroying it in an instant.
However, the second jet had already taken off, heading straight for downtown Manhattan.
Realizing he couldn’t stop it in time, Fury pressed his earpiece.
"Tony, can you hear me?"
"Tony!"
"Yeah, I can hear you. Make it quick, I'm busy."
"There's a nuke heading your way. You have to stop it... no matter what."
…
