"Looks like it's all over."
Watching Fat Thor come to a halt inside the Mirror Dimension, Stormbreaker stopping less than a centimeter from Hela's head, Noah sighed and spoke to Hermione.
It was over.
Anyone with eyes could see it. Hela had lost completely.
Hela stood still, her expression tangled and heavy.
She truly hadn't expected to lose so decisively.
Feeling the terrifying presence of the axe hovering behind her skull, she let out a slow breath.
She had lost.
Even if that damn sorcerer hadn't cut her off from Asgard, she likely would have lost anyway.
This Thor-this other Thor, who spoke of her with "bitter memories"-had reached a level of power she could barely comprehend.
Even outside Asgard, he probably could have killed her outright.
A trace of resentment surfaced.
If a parallel Thor could come help this universe's Thor, why couldn't a parallel Hela come help her?
Still, she wasn't a sore loser.
Besides, she had lost to a parallel Thor, not the Thor of this universe.
Taking a breath, Hela straightened and turned to Fat Thor, whose own expression was complicated.
Finally, she nodded.
"I lost. Congratulations."
"I really wanted to kill you," Fat Thor said, shaking his head, "but I know you're not that Hela."
He looked at her coldly.
"I hope you know what's good for you. Do anything you shouldn't, and I'll kill you myself."
With that, he turned away and waved at Noah, signaling it was done.
Noah saw it and stood, pointing at the space before him.
The space around Fat Thor and Hela shattered. The two stepped out of the Mirror Dimension to thunderous cheers aimed squarely at Fat Thor.
Noah found it a little amusing.
The guy actually managed to hold back.
Not bad.
Noah remembered Ragnarok clearly.
Hela had almost destroyed Asgard back then-slaughtered its army, pushed Thor into triggering Ragnarok just to stop her.
In Fat Thor's universe, Asgard was already gone.
A fallen empire, reduced to a fishing village squatting on someone else's land.
"Not bad, pal." Noah walked up and punched Fat Thor in the chest.
"I thought all that fat would go flying. You surprised me."
"All divine power!" Fat Thor punched him back.
"I didn't even dare use full strength. Who knows if your space would've collapsed. You scrawny wizards are fragile."
"Oh?" Noah raised a brow.
"And who was it that I made look like an idiot back then?"
"Damn it, I wasn't at my peak-" Fat Thor cut himself off when he saw Noah's grin.
He hadn't been at his peak.
But had Noah been this strong back then?
Obviously not.
And yet Noah had still killed Thanos.
That alone was absurd.
Fat Thor suspected that even now, if they really fought, he'd probably lose more often than not.
While the two bickered, Thor walked up to Hela, his expression solemn.
Hela frowned.
"What? Having another version of you beat me feels good?"
"No," Thor said, shaking his head. His expression grew even more serious.
"I'll give you another challenge. Next time, I'll defeat you with my own hands."
"Hah." Hela shrugged.
"Whatever you want. If you lose, the throne is mine. Think carefully, dear brother. Don't waste the preparations others made for you."
"I know exactly what I'm doing," Thor said, ending it there.
He had no intention of continuing.
The succession had been interrupted, but now the obstacle was gone.
With Odin's final proclamation, Thor ascended the throne of Asgard.
The new King.
The city erupted in cheers.
Thor was popular. Despite his past foolishness, most saw him as worthy.
Yet Thor himself remained strangely calm.
He didn't look joyful.
Even during the following feast, he was quiet to the point of being unsettling.
After three days, even the dwarves noticed something was wrong.
"Alright, that's enough." Noah finally snapped.
"What are you moping about? If you keep this up, I'm leaving. This isn't the Thor I remember."
"I'm sorry, Noah." Thor sighed.
"I know how I got this throne. Knowing that... makes it hard to be happy."
"You really are something," Noah muttered, then waved it off.
"It's fine. Sooner or later, you'll reach the same level as the other Thor."
"I will." Thor nodded, a bit more energy returning.
"I challenged Hela, didn't I?"
He paused, then continued.
"When that fat guy fought her, I watched. I saw the differences between us. Even with the spatial connection blocked, we share the same blood. I... felt things. Experienced things."
Noah's expression shifted.
He sensed Thor's aura-and froze.
The guy was at a breaking point.
Worse, his power was still rising.
Lightning flickered around him, resonating faintly with the universe itself.
Noah had seen this before.
He knew exactly what it meant.
This damn divine trust-fund kid.
Born with things others could never have.
Noah nearly fumed.
He had fought Dormammu to the death. He had crossed universes and picked fights with monsters just to perfect his Domain.
And this guy?
He watched another version of himself fight-and he was about to break through?
Life really wasn't fair.
Noah took a few deep breaths, eyes narrowing.
"Are you bragging?" he asked flatly.
"You'd better answer carefully. If I were you, I'd be celebrating. But you're acting like this? Are you asking for a beating?"
"Uh-no, that's not it." Thor rubbed his head awkwardly.
"It's not ingratitude. Everyone's ahead of me. Now I'm king. It's... pressure."
"If you've got pressure, go take it out on Loki," Noah said viciously.
"Any way you want. I doubt he can resist."
"..." Thor opened his mouth, then shut it again.
There was nothing to say.
Noah had a talent for that.
After thinking it over, Thor knew he'd been overthinking.
He hated receiving things he hadn't earned.
But if he hadn't taken the throne, Asgard would've collapsed.
Now it was stable.
He just hadn't caught up emotionally.
At least there was one thing to look forward to.
He was close to Noah's level.
"Enough about that," Thor said, straightening.
"I'll defeat Hela myself."
Then he changed the topic.
"I'm planning to grant you and your girlfriend Permanent Honorary Residency in Asgard. Thoughts?"
"What's that even mean?" Noah squinted.
"I can already come and go as I please."
"It's just a title," Thor shrugged.
"My mentor has one too."
He paused.
"I'm also thinking of making Loki the Regent."
"Isn't that your business?" Noah replied, then nodded.
"Still, good choice. He's terrible in a fight, but excellent with politics and internal affairs."
"My thoughts exactly." Thor nodded.
"And I'm planning to make Hela the Grand General of Asgard. What do you think?"
Noah stared at him.
"...Good grief. I am not your consultant."
"That is your business."