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[Frog] Chapter 206: Ancient One's Advice
🕑 Added 2024-12-10 03:38:08 +0000 UTC“ROAR~~”
The dragon’s roar echoed clearly across all of New York City.
However, after experiencing an alien invasion, no one questioned the sound.
After all, after today, the entire world’s understanding of reality had been completely reshaped.
Beneath Stark Tower,
In a dim alleyway, Hela stood silently. Despite the towering height of the building, her gaze seemed to pierce through everything, seeing the scene unfold on the rooftop.
She clearly understood where the dragon’s roar had come from.
“Interesting. This so-called Emperor of Earth is unexpectedly powerful.”
“If someone like him had been around back then, perhaps the war between the Frost Giants and Odin would have ended very differently.”
Hela had been a participant in that war.
It was also after her role in that conflict that Odin had sealed her away.
Now, she watched as Odin’s lightning giant avatar was half-destroyed by the shockwave of the dragon’s roar.
Then came Odin’s capitulation, and the scene of everything around them being restored by his magic.
Seeing this, Hela narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced at Odin with an odd expression.
“This doesn’t seem like you, Odin.”
“Backing down after a mere test and realizing you can’t win?”
In Hela’s memory, Odin had never been one to yield so easily.
Back then, the power disparity between Asgard and the Frost Giants had been just as apparent.
But Odin hadn’t hesitated to fight, eventually solidifying his position as King of the Nine Realms.
And yet today…
After just a brief encounter with Emperor, Odin had already admitted defeat.
“Could it be... you’ve truly aged?”
“Is your strength no longer what it used to be?”
This was the only plausible explanation Hela could think of.
But the true reason? Only Odin and Emperor knew for sure.
At this moment, Hela’s curiosity wasn’t directed at Odin but at Emperor.
“A AllFather-level being has emerged on Midgard? No wonder Mephisto’s death was inevitable.”
“It seems I can safely stay on Earth to recuperate for a while.”
Hela’s greatest worry had been that Odin would come to Earth to capture her before her strength had fully recovered.
But now…
Looking at Emperor on the rooftop, Hela chuckled with interest.
Suddenly, she sensed something and turned around.
In the darkness of the alley, a golden ring of light appeared, expanding to the size of a person.
Through the portal, a rooftop was visible.
There, the Ancient One sat at a small tea table, leisurely brewing tea.
“Guest from Asgard,”
“Welcome,” she said, gesturing to the seat across from her.
Hela smiled faintly, stepping through the magical portal and sitting opposite the Ancient One.
As Hela crossed through, the portal disappeared without a trace.
The alley returned to its previous calm, as though nothing had happened.
On the rooftop of Stark Tower,
Odin had just finished restoring Manhattan. His breathing had become noticeably labored.
“Emperor, I’ve fulfilled all your demands,” he said.
“I hope you’ll honor your promise in the future.”
Alan glanced at Odin, sensing the restored area.
“If it happens again,”
“I’ll storm Asgard and bring about the scene you least wish to see.”
Odin’s expression darkened, but he had no choice but to admit,
“It was my failure as a father that led to this.”
“Odin, we both know the truth,” Alan said, smirking.
“No need to put on an act.”
“With all the means at your disposal, you could’ve easily tracked Loki and anticipated what would happen on Earth.”
“Was it really poor parenting, or deliberate indulgence?”
Nearby, Loki’s expression shifted. Cradling his broken arm, he glanced at Odin, then at Thor, who stood silently beside him.
Though Loki dared not speak, the resentment in his eyes said it all.
After a moment of silence, Odin finally said, “Until we meet again!”
Without waiting for a reply, he raised his staff to the sky. A rainbow-colored beam of light enveloped the three of them, instantly transporting them back to Asgard.
Their departure signified the end of this war on Earth, marking humanity’s victory in the invasion.
“It’s finally over,” Tony said, collapsing into a sitting position.
The others also let out a collective sigh of relief, their backs soaked with sweat.
What they had just witnessed was utterly terrifying.
Just as Tony was about to invite everyone present to grab a bite to eat at the diner down the street, he realized Emperor was nowhere to be found.
“Where’s Emperor?”
The others snapped back to reality and noticed that the figure who had been standing there moments ago had vanished.
“No idea. But he’s always like this—coming and going without a trace.”
“I’ll be leaving too,” Gwen said as she leaned back, tumbling off Stark Tower before swinging away on her web toward Alan’s home.
Sitting beside Tony, Banner asked, “Tony, are you close with that Emperor guy?”
“Pretty close, I’d say…” Tony replied, feeling confident about their rapport. “Why? Are you interested in meeting him?”
Banner chuckled and replied, “It’s my first time meeting someone who can suppress the Hulk so effortlessly. If I had the chance, I’d love to learn how he does it.”
Tony pointed proudly at the arc reactor in his chest. “This? It was his suggestion.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”
As the two chatted on the ground, Rogers approached them. “Gentlemen, now isn’t the time for idle talk,” he said.
“We still have work to do.”
“Cap, we’ve driven off all the enemies and even sent a god-king packing. What else is there to do?” Tony asked, looking around. Even Stark Tower, which had been damaged earlier, was now fully restored, saving him the trouble of remodeling.
Rogers gave a helpless smile and pointed to another part of the city.
Tony followed his gesture and immediately frowned.
Though the destruction had been repaired, the Chitauri soldiers and leviathans still littered the streets.
A crowd of curious citizens had already begun gathering around them.
“Jarvis,” Tony said quickly, “wipe those photos and videos.”
“Start preparing a cleanup crew.”
“As for the rest of the mess…” Tony thought for a moment before waving dismissively. “Let Fury handle it. I’m exhausted.”
“I just want a burger. What about you guys?”
The group exchanged looks and finally nodded in agreement.
---
“Supreme Sorcerer of Midgard, the Ancient One,” Hela said. “If I’m not mistaken, the last time we met was in Norway.”
Norway—the battleground of Odin and the Frost Giants.
“Correct,” the Ancient One replied. “And if I’m not mistaken, your seal wasn’t supposed to be broken yet.”
“Odin still has a few years left,” Hela said with a sneer. “It seems you don’t know—Mephisto is already dead.”
The Ancient One’s hand paused slightly as she held her teacup, looking at Hela. “Odin linked your seal to Mephisto?”
“That’s right. But despite all his schemes, he didn’t foresee Mephisto dying before him.”
“So, my seal naturally broke.”
The Ancient One didn’t need to guess who had killed Mephisto.
She had assumed Emperor’s confrontation with Mephisto in space would, at most, leave the demon gravely injured and in retreat.
She hadn’t expected that not only would Emperor kill Mephisto, but he’d also have enough strength to return and stop Odin.
With a wry smile, the Ancient One said, “It seems I underestimated him.”
“Oh?” Hela asked with curiosity. “You don’t know him either?”
The Ancient One shook her head and shifted the topic. “How long do you plan to stay on Earth? For this planet, you’re a dangerous individual.”
“And do you think I’m in any condition to pose a threat to Earth right now?” Hela replied.
The Ancient One glanced at Hela, easily recognizing her severe injuries. “Suit yourself. Stay as long as you like, as long as you don’t cause trouble.”
Hela chuckled lightly. “Supreme Sorcerer, are you threatening the Goddess of Death?”
“No, merely offering advice,” the Ancient One said as she set down her teacup.
In an instant, the scene around them shifted to a temple.
“Kamar-Taj,” the Ancient One said. “If you don’t mind, you can rest here for a while.”
“No need,” Hela replied. “Send me back to New York. I have something far more interesting to do…”
—(To be continued)—
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