CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 065: HELP ME TAKE BACK ASGARD! GET OUT OF MY WAY!

Seeing the gouge marks, Lorien instantly recognized them.

Not long ago, his Ferrari had been damaged in the exact same way. The moment he spotted the identical marks on the armored car, he knew—it really was that crazy woman.

But what was she playing at?

Why steal money from an armored truck?

What did she even need the cash for?

"Sigh..." Lorien exhaled helplessly.

At least she hadn’t gone on a killing spree in the middle of the street. For Hela, that was almost an achievement—not killing anyone.

Forget it. Not his problem anyway. She could do whatever she wanted.

"What’s wrong, Lorien?" Gwen asked curiously, noticing him staring at the TV.

"Nothing."

The game It Takes Two had already loaded. Lorien picked up his controller.

"The game’s ready. Let’s play."

"Woo~~~! Let’s start!" Gwen grabbed her controller and joined in.

It Takes Two was basically a couple’s co-op game, with a chubby little boy and a skinny little girl working together to clear each level. Sure, the mechanics were old-school, but the clever level design and charming environments gave the game fresh life.

With both Lorien and Gwen’s skill levels, these stages were about as challenging as preschool puzzles. But the fun wasn’t just in beating levels—like the fireworks stage.

"Gwen, come here."

"Coming~"

In the game, Lorien had his character call Gwen’s over. He used the oil spray gun to draw a heart on the wall.

"Light it up."

"Okay~"

The moment she lit it, the oil pattern exploded—forming a perfect heart shape from both sides inward.

"Wow~~~" Gwen’s eyes sparkled. She turned and planted a kiss on Lorien’s cheek before snuggling comfortably against his chest.

Then came the door-lifting stage. Lorien went in first to hold the door up, but just as Gwen’s character was halfway through, he let go.

Bang!

Her character was instantly squashed flat and had to respawn.

"You!"

Smack!

Gwen slapped Lorien’s thigh in mock outrage, then wiggled in his lap in exaggerated revenge—like she was trying to crush little Lorien to death.

"Hiss~~~" Lorien quickly raised his hands.

"Okay, okay! I’ll let you do it to me once."

"Hmph, that’s better~"

So they switched, and Lorien let Gwen drop him once in return.

Later, in the fireworks stage, the game’s romantic atmosphere really shone. If both players wanted to, the two little characters could share a kiss under the colorful bursts.

Neither Lorien nor Gwen hesitated—they had their characters kiss right away.

Then Gwen looked back at Lorien. He met her gaze.

And in the real world, they kissed too.

In-game or in reality, they were together. Pure happiness.

...

But halfway through, Lorien suddenly pulled away.

"Hm~?" Gwen made a questioning sound, puzzled why he’d stopped when things were getting good.

He was looking past her—toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.

A figure was rising outside, slowly floating upward until it hovered right at the glass, peering in.

Gwen spotted it too, her eyes narrowing. She stood, lowering her stance.

Lorien rose to his feet as well. Without a word, his figure blurred and vanished, reappearing on the rooftop.

Hela continued her ascent and touched down directly in front of him.

"Snap!"

Gwen swung up on a strand of web, landing lightly behind Lorien. Hela stood across from him.

The moment Lorien saw her face, he froze. He almost wanted to ask where she’d been, because now...

Hela wasn’t just wearing different clothes—she’d completely changed her hairstyle and makeup too. Her once loose hair was now styled into voluminous waves. The heavy smoky eyes were gone, replaced with light eye makeup and vivid, glossy red lips.

On most women, that shade would be a disaster. On Hela, it was dangerously alluring.

Her outfit had changed as well. No more skin-tight battle gear—she now wore Martin boots and leather pants, a dark green undershirt, and a short cropped leather jacket that revealed her waist. The whole look screamed biker chic.

She was stylish. Striking. A completely different woman from the Hela he’d seen just hours ago.

When she noticed him giving her a once-over, she tilted her chin up proudly.

"With just a little touch-up," she said, "I’m the most beautiful woman in Asgard. Even Queen Frigga can’t compare."

To be fair, she might have had a point. But that wasn’t the issue.

"What are you doing here again?" Lorien asked coolly.

"I told you." Her gaze locked on his. "I want you."

Lorien: ...

Well, there went any hope of a normal conversation.

Gwen blinked at her words, then asked, "Lady, what exactly are you thinking? It’s night—daydreams are for the daytime."

She paused, then added with mock thoughtfulness, "Of course, if you’re willing to be Lorien’s kept mistress, I’ll agree on Wanda’s behalf."

She said it deliberately—most women couldn’t stand hearing something like that. Unless they were shameless.

But Hela was neither shameless nor normal. Instead, she thought it over and said, "So your name is Lorien."

"As long as you help me reclaim the throne of Asgard, I’ll make you my god-king’s consort—and you’ll be my only consort."

Gwen: ???

Lorien: ...

Gwen turned to Lorien, eyebrows raised, as if asking if she’d heard correctly.

Lorien spread his hands in helpless acknowledgment. Yes, she was serious. Her mindset was still stuck thousands of years ago—back when talking like this was normal. Now, it just made her sound insane.

Gwen sighed and nodded in reluctant understanding.

Seeing neither of them moved, Hela seemed to realize something.

"Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Hela, Goddess of Death, daughter of Odin the God-King, and the future ruler of Asgard."

"I’ve just broken free of my seal and urgently need power to help me retake Asgard—by killing that useless Odin!"

"That’s why I need you, Lorien. No matter the cost, no matter what you demand, if I have it, it’s yours. If you help me take the throne, you can have all of Asgard’s gold and silver treasures... even my body."

"I acknowledge your strength, wielder of the Phoenix Force! Come, my treasure!"

Her voice rose with fervor, like a monarch newly restored to life and brimming with ambition.

It felt like the First Emperor of Qin had been resurrected and was telling you to front the money to build his army—only for him to say, "The empire will be mine, but I’ll let you have the treasure."

What kind of deal was that?

Gwen could only stare at her. Then she glanced at Lorien, silently asking if this was for real.

"It’s true," Lorien said. "She’s Thor’s sister. Just like him, she’s from Asgard."

That left Gwen stunned. This crazy woman wasn’t bluffing—she was serious. Which meant... everything she’d just said was real.

So what now?

Lorien considered for a moment before looking at Hela.

"So your goal is for me to help you take back Asgard, kill Odin, and put you on the throne of the God-King. That right?"

Hela nodded. "Yes."

"And why exactly would I help you?" Lorien asked flatly.

You show up, make demands, and I’m just supposed to go along with it? That’s like getting a random text message saying: I’m an alien, my spaceship crashed, I have no money for food—send me $50 so I can get KFC. Once I conquer Earth, I’ll hang all the capitalists from lampposts and you can do whatever you want.

Would you send the $50?

Would you?

Hela’s brow furrowed.

"I’ll give you what you deserve. Half of Asgard’s treasures, even the position of queen. And I’ll belong only to you."

To Hela, this was an exceptionally generous offer—wealth, the title of queen... and when that happened, she’d be queen to the king of Asgard. Which meant Lorien would be king. Ahem.

But Lorien already had Wanda and Gwen. And she was saying this right in front of Gwen?

The corner of his mouth twitched. With an expression of mild exasperation, he said,

"Why would I need treasure, that position, or even your body?"

Gwen immediately wrapped herself around Lorien’s arm with a bright smile.

"Exactly! Lorien has everything. You should leave!"

It was true—he lacked nothing. Money, power, and strength were all his.

As for power, he had recently taken supreme control of the Sanctum Sanctorum. Could there be a higher position? The Ancient One was as strong as Odin himself, both at Sky Father level. And Lorien didn’t need titles to prove his strength. In the face of absolute power, authority meant nothing.

Hearing both Lorien and Wanda dismiss her, Hela’s expression soured. She had met a man who truly needed nothing—a difficult obstacle to overcome.

She thought it through. If she had to face Asgard alone, as long as Odin lived, no matter how many legions of the dead she summoned, they wouldn’t be enough. Odin’s power far exceeded hers, and his divine might had been nurtured for countless years.

Her only real chance... was Lorien, wielder of the Phoenix Force.

But when she fell silent... Lorien simply put his arm around Gwen and turned to head downstairs.

The rooftop wind was strong, but as the two reached the door...

"Wait!" Hela called after him.

Lorien sighed. Out of respect for her as Asgard’s eldest princess, he patted Gwen’s waist.

"You head back first. I’ll be down in a moment."

"Mm." Gwen nodded obediently and went down on her own.

Lorien turned back, walked up to Hela, and spoke clearly.

"You want me to fight for you, or for Asgard?"

"Sorry. Neither of you are worthy."

"Forget being queen—if you were my pet, I might actually consider it."

He patted her shoulder.

"Go back."

The Phoenix Force flared, and space warped. In an instant, just as Hela opened her mouth, her figure vanished—Lorien had forcibly teleported her away.

He didn’t send her far, just to the Avengers Compound. If she could escape, they could talk later. If she was captured, well... that would save him the trouble.

...

When Lorien came down, Gwen was there by the door, waiting. She threw her arms around him.

"Where did you take her?"

"I threw her into the Avengers Compound." Lorien smiled. "If she can fight her way out, we’ll talk about what happens next."

He said "talk," but in truth, Lorien was already thinking about how to send Hela away for good.

Help her take down Asgard? Why should he? It wasn’t his problem. No matter what happened to Asgard—whether it was Ragnarok or anything else—what did it have to do with him? Nothing. The entire realm had nothing to do with Lorien, so why should he care?

However... Gwen had heard there was still "something to talk about," and her heart tightened.

Hela’s words earlier had been far too bold—offering gold, silver, treasures, power, and even her body. Those were things almost no one could refuse.

Fortunately, the one she made the offer to was Lorien. That was the only reason he refused.

Even so, Gwen still felt a huge threat. She could accept Wanda, because she knew Wanda and knew she was a good woman. But Hela? One look and you could tell she was a lunatic—a bad woman through and through. Gwen wasn’t about to agree to that.

Thinking this, she hugged Lorien and asked,

"Does that crazy woman have a nice figure?"

Lorien: ...

"I have you, Gwen."

Gwen smiled happily at that, but still leaned close to his ear and whispered,

"Then why don’t you try?"

The moment she said it, a fierce fighting spirit flared in Lorien’s eyes.

It was lit!

"I will!"

The sound of running water suddenly came from inside the room.

As for the battle that followed... Gwen’s fate could only be described as tragic. She was "beaten" into a deep sleep by Lorien—utterly defeated.

After that, she couldn’t have cared less about Hela. That was in the past.

Lorien’s attitude toward Hela was simply to let things run their course. Asgard wasn’t his concern. Let it live or die on its own. Did he need to interfere? When Ragnarok came, Asgard would be gone regardless. Even if Hela didn’t make a move, the convergence of timelines would still destroy it in another way. And the end would still be Ragnarok.

...

Meanwhile, after the news about the Deviants aired in New York, several Eternals who had long been living quietly in the city were stunned.

"The Deviants? Weren’t they all wiped out?"

"Damn it! We need to contact the others, now!"

"What do we do? What about the mission the Celestials gave us?"

Across the country, different Eternals had different reactions.

They had been sent by the Celestials as the first to incubate the birth of a new Celestial within Earth. But over the years, they had gone their separate ways.

Now, with the Deviants’ sudden reappearance, a sense of crisis stirred in each of their hearts—and none of them thought the same way. Some wondered whether to make sacrifices. Some debated whether to sabotage events. And some had their eyes on Lorien.

In a place that was once deserted, an Eternal with One Punch Man–like strength was cooking. But when he heard the news on the radio, he froze.

Deviants in New York? And not only that, the Scarlet Witch had magic?

Could that magic cure his wife?

Maybe it was worth a try.

Either way, tonight at the Avengers Compound was going to be interesting.