Marvel Disassembler

'This guy really has a death wish!' 

But after thinking it over, Hela nodded in satisfaction. "You're quite perceptive." 

Arthur blinked, unsure how to respond. 

'That was definitely ''not'' a compliment!' 

"Tell me about Asgard," Hela said, adjusting her posture. She sat with a complete lack of grace, sprawling casually as if she owned the place. 

One hand rested on the barrel of mead, her long legs crossed lazily. Her gaze was sharp and commanding as if she could sweep across all realms with a mere glance. 

At that moment, Arthur had the odd sensation that he'd been demoted to some lowly soldier under this woman's command. Somehow, her presence made him feel inferior. 

'What the hell…' 

Arthur's face darkened. He tried adjusting his posture to regain some composure but found that no matter how he sat, he couldn't match her aura. 

No matter how you looked at it, the two of them were worlds apart. 

Giving up on trying to match her presence, Arthur simply crossed his legs and took a swig of his drink before speaking. "There's not much to say. The old man's two sons are quite a handful. One only knows how to fight— doesn't think about the bigger picture, no sense of strategy. Though, to be fair, he's improved a lot. Everyone grows, after all… Once, he snuck off to Jotunheim to try and wipe out the entire Frost Giant race." 

"Oh?" Hela's eyes lit up. "Not bad!" 

"Of course, he failed," Arthur added. "The old man was furious and banished him to Earth for some tough love." 

"Such unnecessary interference," Hela sneered. "Any defiance should be eradicated. That brother of mine didn't do too badly, but Odin… hmph." 

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I happened to arrive in Asgard around that time, and the old man roped me into helping protect Thor when he returned to Earth." 

"Is he still a child? No matter the circumstances, for a god of Asgard to need the protection of a mortal… it's disgraceful!" Hela's anger flared. "Especially if such an order came from Odin himself!" 

"Well… I think you misunderstood. It wasn't an order," Arthur explained. "It was a deal. He promised I could take any item from the treasury in exchange for my help." 

"He was that generous?" Hela raised an eyebrow in surprise. "The treasures of the palace vault are numerous, including the Eternal Flame itself… But it seems you didn't take that. So, what did you choose?" 

"A pen." 

Arthur casually pulled out ''Thoth's Pen''. 

"The Pen of Judgement!" 

Hela's expression shifted subtly as she gazed at it. "I never expected it to still exist." 

"Wait, what? 'Judgement Pen'?" Arthur was stunned. 

"You don't know its power?" Hela sneered. "Typical. Even Odin likely didn't fully understand it. This pen possesses the power of judgment." 

"Judgment?" Arthur stared at the bone-white pen in his hand, utterly bewildered. "How do you know that?" 

"Because it was once one of my trophies," Hela said calmly. "Whoever wields it can pass judgment on another's sins and deliver punishment accordingly." 

"Be more specific," Arthur pressed eagerly. 

Hela smirked but remained silent. 

Arthur rolled his eyes, got up, and poured her another cup of mead. 

Satisfied, Hela took a sip and finally explained, "This pen has two primary functions. First, it allows you to 'judge' someone you deem guilty. If the judgment is fair and justified, a ('sin') mark will appear on their body. Second, it can unleash a beam of energy that delivers a fatal strike to the marked individual. The severity of the punishment depends on the gravity of their sins— those with grave offenses can be killed instantly." 

"Damn… That's pretty powerful!" Arthur muttered, impressed.

Arthur glanced at the pen in his hand and blinked. "So, how did you defeat the original owner of this pen?" 

"He was weaker than me. That's the original sin." 

Hela's lips curled into a smile, though it was more mocking than anything else. 

Arthur fell silent. 'Weakness is the original sin!' 

All injustice stems from it? Because you're weak, you deserve to be trampled upon? 

Arthur couldn't accept such logic, though it made sense that Hela would think this way. 

After all, 'survival of the fittest' was the prevailing rule. 

Morals and ethics? They were irrelevant. For beings like her, those things were easily shattered into pieces. 

Lost in thought, Arthur tossed ''Thoth's Pen'' into the air. It spun twice before landing back in his hand. "So, how exactly do I use it?" 

"Why should I tell you?" Hela replied coolly. "This pen was mine. Odin took it and gave it to you, and now you're asking 'me' how to use it? Do you think such logic exists in this world?" 

Arthur twirled the pen in his fingers, then said casually, "With your powers sealed, you're already an original sin yourself." 

"...That's surprisingly logical." 

Hela considered it for a moment and found she couldn't refute it. 

Then, to Arthur's surprise, she laughed. "You really are the most interesting human I've ever met." 

"…Loki said the same thing," Arthur shrugged. "Honestly, if you weren't locked up here, I think you and Loki would get along just fine." 

"You keep mentioning him. What's he like?" 

"The God of Mischief and Tricks. What do you think?" Arthur smirked. 

"A clever troublemaker," Hela nodded. "People like that usually don't have much ambition." 

"Yeah, no ambition at all. Just a little project where he teamed up with the Chitauri to invade Earth." 

"Did he succeed?" 

"Nope," Arthur replied. "He was nearly beaten to death by a giant green baby." 

"Pathetic." 

Hela sneered, then sighed. "Asgard has fallen into disgrace." 

"In your eyes, what would a 'non-disgraced' Asgard look like?" 

"Conquering the universe, of course!" 

Hela's eyes gleamed with determination. "With the Bifrost, we can reach any corner of this universe. We should conquer everything in our path. Anyone who dares defy me? They should die! And I would personally send them down!" 

"Too much bloodlust in a woman… not a good thing," Arthur muttered, glancing up at the ceiling. 

Outside, the rain continued to pour, relentless and unending. "How long is this rain going to last?" 

"A few more days, probably," Hela answered. 

"Can't wait to leave this place, huh?" 

"Of course," Arthur said. "I'm a busy man. Lots of things to do." 

"Too bad," Hela leaned back against the wall and, with a casual ease, closed her eyes. 

The wine had hit just right, and before long, she had drifted off to sleep. 

'(End of Chapter)' 

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