[Starting as a Class 5 Mutant] Chapter 368/369 (Patreon)

Hela, recalling something Loki had once said, blurted out similar words without realizing it.
"His power exceeds anything you mortals could imagine. No one can oppose him—he could destroy everything!"

Only now did she understand why Thor had once spoken in such terms.

Hearing her claim, the black-clad men froze.

Beyond their imagination? Destroy everything?
How is that possible...?

The men exchanged baffled looks, convinced that this woman was out of words and resorting to wild exaggerations.

Compared to the terrifying brother she described, they placed far more faith in their leader.

With the Ten Rings, their leader was invincible. They had never seen anyone capable of standing against him.

Anyone who opposed him ended up as nothing more than a corpse.

Whether it was this woman or the brother she spoke of, they were confident Xu Wenwu could easily defeat them.

Xu Wenwu himself shared their confidence, the Ten Rings on his arms filling him with unparalleled assurance.

After all, these were weapons capable of contending with, or even defeating, gods. Even deities would fear them.

If he ever encountered the brother this woman mentioned, he would show her just how capable he was of challenging—and even slaying—a god!

Hela, after catching her breath, suddenly asked, "What do you plan to do with me? Kill me?"

Xu Wenwu smiled faintly. "Of course not. I have no intention of killing you. On the contrary, I want to form an alliance with you."

"Why?" Hela asked, puzzled.

"Because I can see that you're a warrior, like me," Xu Wenwu replied.

Hela scoffed. "My father saw that too."

In the end, she reluctantly agreed to an alliance on the surface, knowing she had no choice given her current circumstances.

As for her crown, she left it behind, confident that no one else could take it.

She followed Xu Wenwu and his men to an old mansion.

When the two of them were alone, Hela couldn't help but glance at the rings on his arms.

"What are those?" she asked, feigning casual curiosity.

"The Ten Rings. They're weapons granted to me by the heavens," Xu Wenwu replied.

Hela didn't believe him, convinced they were weapons of some powerful being.

Xu Wenwu continued, "The Ten Rings are also my gift to the world."

"To control the masses?" Hela asked.

"To protect them," Xu Wenwu said, shaking his head. "Our world is plagued by dangerous forces."

"Are you referring to me? Or my brother?" Hela sneered.

Xu Wenwu shook his head again. "Your father might have feared your ambition, but I don't. Together, we could fight side by side and protect this world."

Looking at the strong, charismatic woman before him, he couldn't help but think that if they had met earlier, he might have fallen for her.

Unfortunately, he already had a wife he deeply loved and a son named Shang-Chi. His wife, however, had passed away due to unforeseen circumstances.

Despite these thoughts, he couldn't deny a certain admiration for the woman in front of him.

Xu Wenwu then brought up Hela's brother. "As for your brother, with the Ten Rings, I don't fear him."

"These are weapons capable of challenging gods! Even if your brother appeared, I could subdue him!"

Hela chuckled at his bold, almost sanctimonious claims. "Darling, all I can say is you're quite confident.

If you'd met my brother, you wouldn't be saying such things. His power is beyond anything you could imagine."

Despite her words, Hela couldn't help but glance again at the Ten Rings on his arms, her eyes flickering with intrigue.

If I had those weapons...

Unaware of her thoughts, Xu Wenwu shook his head dismissively. "Is that so?"

He didn't take her words to heart.

As he pondered, a sudden force struck the back of his head, slamming him to the ground.

Bang!

With a wicked smile, Hela grabbed Xu Wenwu by the head and smashed it into the floor several times. Seeing him almost lose consciousness, she grinned. "You look much better like this."

Reaching out, she attempted to pry the Ten Rings off his arms.

"Hm..."

She struggled for a while but couldn't remove them.

At that moment, the sound of approaching footsteps reached her ears. The black-clad men had heard the commotion and were rushing toward them.

Realizing the situation, Hela had no choice but to abandon the rings.

"Sweet dreams," she said, quickly making her escape.

A group of men burst in just as she fled, kneeling to check on their leader's condition.

As Xu Wenwu slowly regained consciousness, he glanced at the fleeing woman's silhouette. Surprisingly, he wasn't too angry. Instead, he ordered, "Capture her alive!"

The men immediately gave chase.

While Hela was fleeing and the men pursued her...

...

Asgard, Realm of the Gods

Thor, Heimdall, and Syd watched the entire scene unfold.

"Can the Ten Rings really defeat gods?" Thor couldn't help but ask, intrigued.

"I sensed immense power from them," Heimdall replied thoughtfully.

Hearing this, Thor looked curiously at Syd, who stood nearby in white, wondering what he thought.

Syd, however, merely gave Thor a glance before falling into deep thought.

He had some knowledge about the Ten Rings and understood their power.

Not only could they grant the wielder extended life, but they also bestowed immense strength, including enhanced physical power, energy projection, and the ability to use the rings as projectile weapons.

In essence, they were artifacts on par with Mjolnir. Anyone could wield them and gain tremendous power.

If an unawakened Thor were to face the Ten Rings, the outcome would be uncertain.

The claim that they could challenge gods wasn't entirely unfounded.

However, against beings like Dormammu, the Ten Rings would fall short, practically a death wish.

Their combat capabilities aside, the rings seemed to grant longevity. Xu Wenwu, for instance, had seemingly lived for over a thousand years using them.

"Should I return to Earth and claim the rings for myself?" Syd mused.

(End of Chapter)

Syd found himself intrigued by the Ten Rings. However, he wasn't the only one.

Heimdall, standing nearby, said, "This is something I must report to His Majesty. The King will likely send someone to Midgard to retrieve this artifact."

Syd raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Heimdall, noticing his expression, explained, "Your Highness, the Ten Rings are far too powerful, capable of defeating gods. Leaving them on Midgard poses a significant danger.

Someone could misuse them, and to prevent such things..."

As Heimdall spoke, Syd couldn't help but think of the many mystical artifacts and divine relics stored in Odin's vault.

Some of them, it seemed, even belonged to the Sorcerer Supreme.

No wonder Odin's treasury is so vast...

Soon, Heimdall departed for the palace to deliver his report to Odin.

Roughly ten minutes later, he returned.

Thor, eager, asked, "So, what did Father say?"

Heimdall smiled. "His Majesty has ordered you, Thor, to retrieve the artifact with the Warriors Three."

Syd couldn't help but smirk. He wasn't entirely surprised.

As Asgard's ruler, Odin naturally had to consider the broader picture. A weapon capable of challenging gods shouldn't remain on Earth if it could be helped.

That said, Syd couldn't help but marvel at Odin's domineering nature.

Thor, on the other hand, seemed utterly thrilled, his face alight with excitement. "I've been wanting to fight this Xu Wenwu guy for a while now! Claiming he can defeat gods—what arrogance! Let me teach him a lesson!"

Turning to Syd, he added, "Of course, it won't be as fun without you. Brother, you're coming along, right?"

Before Syd could answer, Thor addressed Heimdall again. "While Fandral and the others get ready, let's take another look at Hela."

Heimdall nodded, his golden eyes focusing on Hela. The two of them shared the same vision.

Under the cover of night, Hela was running, a group of black-clad pursuers hot on her heels.

Relying on her vast experience, Hela eventually managed to shake them off.

She looked up at the stars, identified the direction of the north, and began running that way.

...

Asgard, Realm of the Gods

Thor, curious, asked, "Why is she heading that way?"

Heimdall explained, "Hela is heading north. In ancient times, the people there revered us, the Asgardians."

Thor chuckled at the realization. "Does she still think it's ancient times? Ha!"

No one knew better than him how much the modern world had changed. While a few still believed in gods, most were faithless, a far cry from the fervent devotion of old.

Thor couldn't help but wonder how his sister would handle the harsh reality of the present day.

In their shared vision, they watched as Hela reached a roadside and stopped.

An off-road vehicle passed by, its headlights illuminating her.

With a screech of brakes, the vehicle stopped, and a young man with blond hair whistled as he leaned out the window.

"Hey, beautiful! What are you doing out here all alone this late at night?" he asked with a grin.

"Need some help?"

His eyes lit up as he took in the woman in black and green attire. Despite her unusual makeup, there was something strikingly alluring about her.

Hela smiled, approaching the vehicle. "You're right. I do need your help."

Moments later, the man's cries of pain echoed in the night.

Hela dumped him into the back seat and took the driver's seat herself.

Having seen vehicles before during her pursuit of Thor and Loki, she was somewhat familiar with how they worked.

With a screech of tires, the vehicle lurched onto the road, swerving erratically.

The man in the back seat was pale with fear.

"Stop! Stop!"
"Please, let me drive!"

Amid his frantic cries, the vehicle sped along the empty nighttime roads.

Eventually, it reached a desolate area and crashed into a rock.

With a thud, Hela stumbled out of the car, slightly dazed.

Before she could recover, a shadowy figure flitted past her.

Hela tensed, scanning her surroundings. When she finally saw the creature, her expression turned to astonishment.

It was a chubby, headless creature with six legs and four wings, hovering midair and staring at her.

"What kind of strange beast is this?"

Hela's surprise mirrored that of Thor and Heimdall back in Asgard.

"What is that?" Thor asked, baffled. "Midgard has creatures like this?"

Syd, deep in thought, replied, "It's likely an Dijiang, a mythical beast."

"A Dijiang?" Thor repeated, intrigued.

Syd nodded.

He wasn't particularly surprised. After all, the Marvel universe had dragons, so a creature like this wasn't entirely unexpected.

Heimdall, too, showed little reaction. Having observed Midgard for so long, he had seen his fair share of peculiarities. This was just one more.

Under their watchful gaze, Hela seemed to communicate with the creature despite its inability to speak, emitting baby-like cries.

Over time, the Dijiang led Hela to a bamboo forest.

Hela appeared puzzled.

The Dijiang let out a series of cries from above.

"Go in?" Hela asked, surprised.

Suddenly, the bamboo forest parted before her.

"Magic at work?"

"Now I'm intrigued."

"If this trip doesn't lead to something, I'll spank you..."

Smirking, Hela stepped into the forest.

As she did, the Dijiang cried out again.

"Run? What do you mean, run?"

Before she could get an answer, the forest shifted and closed in around her.

Cursing under her breath, Hela dashed deeper into the bamboo thicket.

Thor, Heimdall, and Syd watched her run until their vision abruptly went dark.

"What just happened?" Thor asked, confused.

"Hela has disappeared from my sight," Heimdall said gravely.

Thor's eyes widened in surprise.

"A place even Heimdall can't see?"

A grin spread across Thor's face, his excitement growing. "I think this trip to Earth is going to be very interesting."

"Don't you agree, brother?"

(End of Chapter)

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