Over a hundred thousand!
Hermione's heart raced.
That was way more than she'd scraped together through weeks of grinding. One strike, massive payout.
Turns out weapons of mass destruction really do hit different.
Shame it was a one-time deal. Even if the Bifrost hadn't been destroyed, Odin would never let her touch it again. And the magical forces woven into the bridge were far too complex—no ordinary Reparo could fix this mess.
Still... for this much Soul Energy? Totally worth it.
Mission accomplished.
Now she just had to figure out how to clean up the aftermath.
The shockwave from the explosion roared toward her.
Hermione flicked her wand. A shimmering shield snapped into place around her.
On the other side of the bridge—
The blast tore through everything. Loki and Thor were flung backward like ragdolls, tumbling toward the collapsing spatial rift where the Bifrost used to be. Gravity twisted. Space screamed.
They were falling.
At the last possible second, a figure appeared.
Odin.
He caught Thor by the arm, yanking him back from the void.
Hermione's wand twitched. Invisible magic coiled outward, forming an orange whip of force. It lashed around Loki's torso and dragged him back from the edge.
"Why?"
Odin's voice was low, heavy with authority—and exhaustion he couldn't quite hide.
"I did it." Loki met his gaze. "For you. For everyone. I eliminated a threat to Asgard."
"No."
Odin shook his head slowly. Disappointment bled through every syllable.
He didn't approve.
The light in Loki's eyes died. He glanced at Hermione—just once—as if to say:
You were right.
He summoned the Casket of Ancient Winters and tossed it to her.
Part of their deal.
Then, without hesitation, he stepped backward—and let himself fall.
Neither Odin nor Thor expected that. By the time they realized what was happening, it was too late. They could only watch as Loki vanished into the twisted void.
"Loki!"
Thor's voice cracked with grief.
He lunged forward, but Odin held him back.
"It's no use. He's gone."
Thor whipped around to face Hermione.
"Why didn't you save him?!"
"With your magic—you could've pulled him back! I know you could!"
Hermione let out a cold laugh.
"He wanted to die."
"I can save someone once. I can't stop them from doing it again."
She paused, her tone dripping with mockery.
"And in case you didn't notice, space here is unstable. Full of rifts. Even Apparition would be a massive risk. We're not family. We're not friends. Why the hell would I risk my life for him?"
"Instead of grilling me, maybe ask yourself why Loki would rather die than stay with you people."
Thor froze. His mouth opened—then closed. He had no answer.
Hermione smirked inwardly.
Save Loki? Not a chance. Who else is gonna send me the Chitauri training dummies?
"Midgardian mystic." Odin's gaze shifted to her, sharp and unyielding. "What is your purpose in Asgard?"
His voice carried the weight of a king who would not be denied an answer. Clearly, he'd recognized the magic whip.
Why does Odin look like he wants to eat me...? Hermione thought dryly.
"Loki already told you." Her tone was flat. "The difference is, he did it for Asgard. I did it for Earth."
She paused.
"Eliminating a major threat."
"After all, the Frost Giants have never played nice. A thousand years ago, they invaded Earth."
"For the safety of my world, why would we let a species like that stick around?"
"They should've been wiped out long ago."
Her voice was calm. Matter-of-fact.
Odin and Thor finally understood. Hermione wasn't evil. She was... too righteous.
But her justice wasn't Odin's.
Odin preached mercy and compassion—at least on the surface. Hermione practiced absolute protection. And only for Earth.
Anything that threatened her world? Destroy it before it becomes a problem.
Odin was silent for a moment. Then: "As a ruler, one must show mercy—"
Hermione cut him off.
"Save the speech for Thor."
She didn't hold back. "First, I'm not a ruler."
"Second, you slaughtered your way across the Nine Realms back in the day. Don't lecture me about mercy."
"And even if mercy were the answer, this isn't how you do it."
"Today a Frost Giant tests your borders—you let it slide. Tomorrow a Dark Elf tries something—you let it slide. Next week a Fire Giant shows up—you let that slide too."
"Everyone gets to cause trouble on your turf. If they succeed, they win big. If they fail? No consequences."
"What are you, Asgard's Batman? Playing by a no-kill rule?"
"You're gonna get this place destroyed. No wonder Hela turned on you."
Hermione tore into Odin's past without mercy.
Thor stood there, stunned.
He didn't know who Hela was, but judging by his father's expression, Hermione had hit a nerve.
He wanted to defend Odin—but he couldn't find the words.
Odin's face darkened.
He'd been a god-king for millennia. And this was the first time a teenager had verbally demolished him to his face.
And she'd brought up Hela. The one name he never wanted to hear again.
"You dared to cause destruction in Asgard. Did you not consider the consequences?" His voice turned icy.
Hermione didn't flinch.
"What destruction?"
She shot back.
"Personally? I saved Thor. Stopped two brothers from killing each other."
"Publicly? I eliminated an unstable threat to both Asgard and Earth."
"You should be thanking me."
She pointed at Thor.
"And the Bifrost? Your idiot son destroyed it. What does that have to do with me?"
"I'm not an idiot, I was trying to—" Thor started.
"Shut up!" Odin and Hermione barked in unison.
Thor: "..."
Odin's face turned red. Hermione's airtight logic had him fuming.
His fist clenched. His knuckles whitened.
Gungnir's shaft creaked in his grip.
Seeing Odin's expression shift into full murder mode, Hermione swallowed quietly and took half a step back.
Come on, where the hell is she? Don't tell me I'm getting stood up...
She might've been trash-talking like a final boss, but internally? She was panicking.
Fight Odin? Yeah, right.
Sure, he was on his last legs, but his peak combat power hadn't dropped one bit. Hermione knew the gap between them. Even with the Nuclear Peace Pigeon, she wasn't sure she could take him down.
Just as the tension reached a breaking point—
A portal ringed with sparks tore open mid-air. A figure stepped through.
Yellow robes. Bald head gleaming. A faint, serene smile.
Hermione's heart finally stopped hammering.
Odin's gaze snapped away from Hermione to the newcomer.
Their eyes met.
Odin's pupils contracted. His expression shifted instantly—from lethal to wary.
"Sorcerer Supreme. What brings you to Asgard?"
The Ancient One's smile remained placid, as if nothing in the universe could disturb her calm.
"Hermione. You went too far."
"I know you did this for Earth. But some things... cannot be done so absolutely."
Hermione shrugged.
"I only did what needed to be done."
She glanced at Odin.
"And I don't think I was wrong."
Now that backup had arrived, Hermione's confidence came roaring back.
Odin's jaw tightened.
"You—"
The Ancient One interrupted.
"Odin. I know you're angry. But now is not the time for this argument."
She leaned in slightly, speaking in a tone only the two of them could hear—a private exchange layered with magic.
Odin's expression shifted. Shock flickered across his face. His gaze snapped back to Hermione, now filled with uncertainty.
"You're saying she's..."
His voice trembled slightly, as if he couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
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