A chill shot from the soles of Balder's feet to the top of his head.
They were gods.
He was the God of Light, heir to Asgard's throne, a warrior who had fought Hela, Jormungandr, and countless legendary foes. Aside from the highest cosmic beings, few in the universe could rival Asgard's champions.
Volstagg was no ordinary warrior either.
His will was unshakable, his courage recognized by Odin himself. Otherwise, he never would have been deemed worthy of wielding Mjolnir. Among Asgard's finest, only Balder surpassed him.
Yet now...
Volstagg looked like a frail old man in his final years.
Pinned beneath his own hammer, he struggled desperately to move it. The short-handled weapon resting on his chest felt as immovable as a mountain.
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Volstagg roared in frustration.
"I can't lift my hammer!"
He was utterly stunned.
He and Mjolnir had fought side by side for centuries. They trusted one another more deeply than almost anyone else.
Never had he imagined that the hammer he had used to crush countless enemies would one day trap him instead.
Balder immediately rushed over to help.
He grabbed Mjolnir's handle.
It didn't move.
"How is this possible?!"
He tried again.
And again.
The hammer remained rooted in place as though fused to the earth.
Balder could wield Mjolnir.
He always had.
Yet now...
Nothing.
"Impossible!"
Disbelief echoed through his voice.
He was the God of Light, one of Asgard's most honored gods. His spirit was unwavering. He had always been worthy of Mjolnir alongside Volstagg.
Slowly, he turned toward Wanda.
Her sinister laughter echoed through the crimson mist.
For a brief instant, she reminded him of Malekith during the invasion of Asgard—that same triumphant smile worn by a conqueror.
Yet the pressure she gave him far exceeded anything the Dark Elf king had ever inspired.
Balder drew the twin swords from his waist.
Forged from Uru, the same divine metal as Mjolnir, the blades carried blessings from both Odin and Asgardian enchantments.
He no longer dared charge recklessly.
Instead, he cautiously unleashed a blast of radiant light.
A blazing beam tore through the crimson mist and struck Wanda before she could react.
Boom!
The explosion echoed through the city.
Wanda herself remained unharmed.
Only the undead spirits and Chaos Magic surrounding her diminished noticeably.
"Interesting."
Wanda laughed softly.
Her expression remained cold, as though the entire world had become her enemy.
Perhaps it had.
Or perhaps she had chosen to stand against the world.
She wanted to create a new one.
A world without suffering.
A world where children could grow up with their parents in peace.
But even after absorbing part of Chthon's power, she still wasn't strong enough.
She needed greater darkness.
Greater Chaos Magic.
Greater power to reshape reality itself.
Then something came to mind.
Five years ago, there had been a cosmic convergence connected to the Reality Stone.
And according to her memories...
The Asgardians had taken it for safekeeping.
Her eyes gleamed with excitement.
Like a starving wolf spotting prey.
"Balder."
She smiled.
"I remember you."
"Prince of Asgard. Guardian of the Space Stone... and the Reality Stone."
She gazed directly into his eyes.
"Hand over the Infinity Stones."
"I'll spare your life."
"You can even serve me."
She spoke as though offering genuine mercy.
A warrior of Balder's caliber would make an excellent subordinate.
Balder raised an eyebrow.
"Trying to recruit me?"
He laughed.
"You certainly have confidence."
With that, he charged.
Twin swords flashed as they slashed toward Wanda.
She immediately became serious.
No matter how powerful her magic had become, her physical body remained mortal.
A sword through the heart would still kill her.
Balder's swordsmanship was among Asgard's greatest.
Since childhood, he had trained under the Valkyries.
Frigga herself had instructed him in the use of light magic.
With Odin's power flowing through his bloodline, he had earned a reputation throughout the Nine Realms.
His blades danced flawlessly as he rapidly closed the distance.
Wanda hurled several blasts of Chaos Magic to stop him.
"Break!"
Balder roared.
His twin swords sliced through every spell in his path.
Like an unstoppable giant, he continued advancing.
The distance vanished.
His sword came crashing down.
Wanda raised both hands.
Chaos Magic surged from her fingertips, forming an enormous crimson barrier that enveloped her completely.
The divine blade struck the shield.
Balder pushed with all his strength.
It didn't budge.
His eyes widened.
The black energy spread along the blade, slowly attempting to consume it.
Without hesitation, he swung his second sword toward Wanda's head.
She merely sneered.
He was powerful.
But he inspired no real fear.
To her, he felt like an ordinary man threatening someone who controlled reality itself.
She casually waved her hand.
Balder's towering body was instantly hurled backward.
He crashed beside Volstagg.
"Hey, brother!"
Volstagg greeted him cheerfully.
"You're back."
"...Looks like I might keep coming back."
Balder climbed to his feet and charged again without hesitation.
"Good luck!" Volstagg shouted from beneath Mjolnir.
"Mjolnir?"
"What?"
"Could we talk this out?"
"I think you should get off me first."
"...Fair enough."
Boom!
Balder landed beside him again.
"There you are!" Volstagg grinned.
"...Yeah."
Balder rubbed his face.
That witch had actually punched him.
His face.
The same face famous enough that even neighboring realms had once tried arranging royal marriages with him.
Not that he had ever been interested.
The thought alone made him shiver.
"We can't beat her," Balder muttered.
"We'll have to outsmart her."
"Outsmart her?"
Volstagg stared in disbelief.
"Did those words really come out of your mouth?"
"You're Balder!"
"I've never heard you say anything other than 'charge'!"
The idea was so absurd that Volstagg almost forgot he was trapped beneath a hammer.
"I'm serious."
Balder's expression remained grim.
"We underestimated her."
"She's stronger than my father ever was."
"And her mastery of magic surpasses even my mother's."
Fear lingered in his eyes.
Reality itself bent effortlessly around her.
His divine light had managed only a brief opening before being swallowed by an endless tide of Chaos Magic.
She was terrifying.
Balder stood once more.
"I need you fighting beside me."
"I'd love to."
Volstagg pointed helplessly toward Mjolnir.
"But my hammer has decided it weighs more than Fenrir."
Balder stared for a moment.
Then he hooked the leather strap at Mjolnir's handle with the tip of his sword and flicked it aside.
Volstagg slowly climbed to his feet.
"Why didn't you think of that sooner?"
Balder shrugged.
"I only just thought of it."
He tossed one of his swords to Volstagg.
Ahead of them, Wanda floated slowly through the crimson mist as black energy coiled around her hands.
"For the glory of Asgard!"
The two gods roared together and charged.
...
Three minutes later.
"I've changed my mind."
Balder knelt on the ground.
"I don't think fighting is always the answer."
"Perhaps we could find a tavern..."
"...sit down..."
"...share a few drinks..."
"...and have a civilized conversation."
His twin swords had shattered into several rusted fragments.
The remaining pieces looked ready to crumble into dust.
"Asgard is very welcoming."
He forced a smile.
"You're welcome to visit anytime."
"We have fine wine..."
"Excellent food..."
"And... handsome men."
He desperately hoped this terrifying woman would spare his life.
It wasn't cowardice.
After only a few exchanges, his divine power had been stripped away.
Now he was nothing more than an unusually durable man.
The sort of person who could still be pinned down by doctors during an injection.
Then he looked toward Volstagg.
His eyes filled with horror.
The mighty God of Thunder had become an enormous pig.
A grotesquely overweight one.
He lay on the ground, unable to roll over, snorting loudly while rooting through the dirt with his snout.
He was becoming more pig than man.
Only his thoughts remained human.
Even his instincts were changing.
Wanda had thoughtfully created a muddy pit for him.
And he had already started happily rolling in it.
Balder could scarcely believe it.
Volstagg...
The God of Thunder.
The God of War.
One of Asgard's greatest champions.
Once, Odin, Balder, and Volstagg together had made even the gods of Olympus think twice before challenging Asgard.
At its height, Asgard had been feared across the universe.
Legends even claimed Odin had once battled the Celestials themselves.
The truth of that battle remained known only to a select few.
Balder had some idea of what had happened.
But he would never speak against his father.
Now...
The once-glorious God of War was happily nudging mud with his snout.
"Oh?"
Wanda leaned forward gracefully.
"Really?"
"But you were trying to kill me just a moment ago."
In the past, Balder would have admired such beauty.
Now...
All he saw was a monster.
"Misunderstanding!"
He smiled awkwardly.
"It was all a misunderstanding!"
"How could someone as wise as you possibly be wrong?"
"My eyes..."
He forced an embarrassed laugh.
"The God of Light's eyesight... isn't what it used to be."
He humbled himself completely.
Sometimes surviving mattered more than pride.
As long as he lived...
There was still hope.
Deep down, Balder was already planning his escape.
If he survived this, Heimdall could send him back to Asgard via the Bifrost.
He would recover his divine power.
Wait patiently.
Whether it took centuries or longer.
Eventually Wanda's mortal lifespan would come to an end.
Only now did he truly understand why Earth's heroes had hidden underground instead of facing her.
Who could fight someone who rewrote reality itself?
Even the man carrying three Infinity Stones had refused to challenge her directly.
Without the Time Stone or the Reality Stone, opposing her abilities seemed nearly impossible.
Still kneeling, Balder cautiously shuffled closer, hoping to plead his case.
Wanda casually kicked him away.
"You want to live that badly?"
A cold smile crossed her lips.
"Very well."
With a wave of her hand, Balder and the pig-transformed Volstagg floated into the air.
"You can raise pigs."
"When that pig grows as large as Jörmungandr..."
"...I'll let you go."
Balder's eyes widened.
"This is outrageous!"
She actually intended to make an Asgardian prince raise pigs?
His pride finally snapped.
Without another word, he pulled the Space Stone from his armor.
Grabbing Volstagg by one oversized pig ear, he activated its power.
A blue portal burst open.
The two disappeared into the swirling vortex.
Neither of them noticed...
A crimson shadow slipped through the portal immediately behind them.
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