"Lothar!"

With the mind-controlled Thor no longer putting up a fight, Hela, who was struggling to maintain the energy shield, felt a huge reduction in pressure. This gave her a moment to check the energy fluctuations and warn Lothar about the demon dragon's potential sneak attack.

And Lothar, while he had easily taken out the troublesome Thor, couldn't let his guard down for a second against the single-minded Demon Dragon Nidhogg.

Its elusive toxic attacks and immense power made it the most formidable enemy he had ever faced in this universe. Even Lothar, with his current physical strength, could be easily affected if he wasn't careful.

This demon dragon, which had been alive for who knows how long, had clearly mastered the art of toxic attacks.

"Your Highness Lothar, my apologies for being late."

Just as Lothar was warily facing the dark dragon, his personal combat-ready AI, Woz, arrived on the battlefield. Woz came out of the silver bracelet on Lothar's right wrist. An invisible beam of light immediately scanned the demon dragon Nidhogg's body.

A miniature model of the dragon appeared on a screen in front of Lothar, with data and mythical legends collected by Woz displayed on either side.

[Demon Dragon Nidhogg, also known as the Poison Dragon Nidhogg...]

"Who are you, really?" A voice as deep as a morning bell suddenly boomed in Lothar's ears. The dragon, which had been balancing itself in the air with its wings spread, spoke for the first time in countless ages.

"You have no cosmic origin, yet you've absorbed the power of the World Tree. From what I know, that tree doesn't just hand over its power to outsiders." Nidhogg had fought with the World Tree for so long that it knew the tree's true nature better than anyone. That's why it was so surprised by the power Lothar was displaying.

"So you can talk," Lothar scoffed.

He pulled back his foot and shot forward again! A barrage of energy blasts formed a net of fire that covered the sky of Asgard, and he directed it all at the dragon's wings!

You want to chat now, after we've been fighting for so long?

Whoosh!

With a flap of its gnarled, razor-sharp wings, a black energy storm erupted from Nidhogg, creating a massive vortex!

[DANGER!]

The intense sense of danger made Lothar stop his attack. He instantly shifted to forcefully change his position, narrowly avoiding being sliced into pieces by the brutal storm.

Pfft!

Lothar was fine, but that didn't mean Hela was.

The energy shield over the city of Asgard became almost completely transparent. The queen protecting her people spit up a mouthful of blood, her face a sickly pale white.

The Demon Dragon Nidhogg's power had suppressed her connection to Asgard to nothing. Hela could no longer draw endless power simply by standing on the soil of Asgard, as she had before.

"So, you're the current ruler of Asgard?" the dragon said. "Your power isn't bad. Too bad you have a brother who inherited the Asgardian royal family's great tradition."

After that one attack, the skies were clear again, and the immense energy blasts from the sky had been completely obliterated by the dragon's casual wing flap. No one even had time to wonder what the Asgardian "royal tradition" it mentioned was.

Hela, who had just been complimented, felt a wave of weakness. Her power was almost completely depleted.

"Drink this."

Ignoring the pretentious lizard in the sky, Lothar appeared beside Hela. He pulled a box of nutrient solution from his bracelet's inventory and placed it at her feet, his massive body in a black combat suit shielding her.

"He has to die, Lothar," Hela coughed, her face still pale. She didn't feign weakness. This was not the time. She chugged the nutrient solution like it was water, and her face began to regain some color. "He'll destroy Asgard. He'll destroy the Nine Realms." She looked up at the dragon in the sky, its gaze filled with disdain, her own eyes dark and cold.

"Yes, Your Highness Lothar," said Woz, who had now taken on a visible, robotic form and was helping Hela to her feet. "The data shows that the Demon Dragon Nidhogg has the power to destroy the Nine Realms. And if the Nine Realms are destroyed, then Lady Hela will..." Woz spelled out the grim consequences of Hela dying along with the Nine Realms.

Asgard was a part of the Nine Realms, and Hela's life was linked to it. As long as Asgard existed, Hela was immortal. But if Asgard was destroyed, she would truly die.

"The Nine Realms were never meant to exist," the dragon's deep voice boomed from above.

Thump!

Its massive body landed, and Hela's energy shield was completely torn apart. The flying dust made the Demon Dragon Nidhogg look like a true destroyer of worlds as the terrified people scattered.

Hela felt her throat go dry, and another mouthful of blood spewed out, staining Lothar's shoulder.

"Lady Hela?!" A surprised Woz rushed to hand her a fresh nutrient bottle.

"You're the one who shouldn't exist, you ugly lizard!"

"You dare to disrupt His Highness Lothar's future wedding?! Take this! Eat my blast!"

A familiar voice echoed in Lothar's ear, interrupting his thoughts. The Other, who had received an alert from Woz, flew his warship out of the teleportation array. "Die, you big lizard!" he shouted, his voice filled with fury. He slammed his hand on the central console of his warship, and a plasma cannon fired straight into the sky!

"Success—ugh..."

The Other's triumphant voice was cut short. The blinding plasma blast disintegrated before it even reached the Demon Dragon Nidhogg. The reason? The dragon had simply swiped its right claw.

"Danger!" Pietro and Wanda, who had come along with The Other, felt the danger and yelled at the same time.

"What..."

Whoosh!

Before The Other could react, Pietro, code name Quicksilver, grabbed him and his sister Wanda and dashed out of the warship, appearing beside Lothar.

BOOM!!!

The warship in the sky was torn apart in an instant. The brilliant explosion lit up Pietro and Wanda's arms as they carried The Other.

"That thing's power... it's dangerous," Wanda said, her face grim. She had been authorized by Lothar to study the magical knowledge in the Black Quadrant's base. She had never felt a threat this great before.

"What are you doing here?" Lothar asked, a cold look in his eyes.

The Other immediately tried to get Pietro and Wanda to put him down. "Your Highness Lothar, I... I..." he stammered, unable to get a full sentence out. He had come to help, but who would have thought this monster would be so insanely powerful? It had blown up his ship just like that.

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This fanfic has been fully translated!