FBI: Chapter 123/124

Chapter 123: Take Out the Treasury Key!

Dante and Hela followed Odin into Asgard's inner hall.

Though just as luxurious as the main hall, the decorations here were noticeably more understated.

Odin led the way. After a long walk, they reached the King of Gods' private chambers.

It was only then that Odin turned to look at Dante…

Forget the Will Green Light, which even Odin had never seen before. Just by physique alone, this mortal was comparable to Asgard's strongest warriors.

But that wasn't the main issue.

Odin's gaze went first to Dante's hand, still clasping Hela's, suppressing the Mammon's blood and the Greed Orange Light.

Odin instinctively clutched his chest. Even the King of Gods couldn't keep his blood pressure down at a sight like this. His one remaining eye, lost long ago in exchange for knowledge and power, sharply sized Dante up.

In truth, after nearly two thousand years of having his daughter sealed, Odin's anger had long since faded. What remained was pride and stubbornness, the kind that comes from being gods.

But seeing her holding hands with this mortal so naturally… even his stubbornness felt like it was about to crack.

This insidious mortal.

He must have taken advantage of her vulnerability when she'd just been freed from the seal, deceiving her.

Odin told himself this, while conveniently ignoring that his daughter was the Goddess of Death.

Strength beyond question, and certainly not lacking in intelligence. How else could she fight wars and govern realms?

"You, what is your name?"

Odin managed a kindly expression, but the smile was fake.

"Dante Alighieri. As for my profession… let's just say I'm a senior peace officer from Earth."

"Peace Officer Dante, huh…" Odin nodded, then his expression flipped in an instant and he roared, "Dante! Your actions now defile the dignity of all Asgard! You actually dare to covet Asgard's sharpest sword of conquest!"

Dante nearly lunged forward to tell his future father-in-law to shove it.

But he couldn't. Hela had just publicly announced their relationship. No matter how unruly Dante was, he wasn't about to punch the King of Gods.

He gritted his teeth.

One opening, and the geezer pounced, boosting his daughter to the heavens while slipping in a jab at the new son-in-law.

No way was Dante letting him get away with that.

He turned toward Odin with a sinister grin, then faced Hela and held both her hands as if on the verge of tears.

"My beloved Hela, since your father opposes our union, I can only accept it in pain and helplessness, for this is the King of Gods' command. In his eyes, the glory and majesty of Asgard's divine realm stand above all else, even above your happiness… But until mountains crumble and heaven and earth merge, only then will I dare to part from you!"

Not one curse word aimed at Odin, yet with every sentence, the old man's face lost more color.

Odin hated him for it.

Anyone who could count to ten could see this handsome mortal, even more handsome than Loki, was acting. Badly. On purpose.

Hela, of course, saw it.

But she was more than happy to play along. She no longer hated Odin, but the resentment from being sealed away as his daughter hadn't completely faded.

"You! You…" Odin stammered, unable to finish. Finally, he sighed, looking every bit the weary old man, and sat down on a cushioned seat. "Forget it. Dante, right? You and Hela, sit."

Dante raised an eyebrow. Odin looked more and more like the version Loki had stashed on Earth in Thor: Ragnarok.

Or maybe this was just the true private side of an aging King of Gods.

Not much different from any old man.

Dante winked at Hela, and they both sat.

"Can't you two let go of your hands for now?"

"Dear King of Gods, I'm not entirely trying to show off my intimacy with Hela. My Will Green Light also helps suppress the Greed Orange Light in her."

"Will Green Light? Greed Orange Light? Interesting…" A flicker of curiosity passed through Odin's eyes. "I don't know what you mean by green and orange light, but I do know about the blood of the original Sin demons."

"Among the Seven Deadly Sin demons, Mammon controls the original sin of Greed, and is also a dimensional lord of hell."

"And I can faintly sense a trace of Cyttorak's aura from you, so I assume you've already encountered those dimensional lords." Odin nodded. "Then you should know that to nullify their power, either they die, or Hela dies."

Dante wasn't surprised. These beings were already among the strongest under the abstract conceptual gods.

"I'm not trying to remove it completely," he said, withdrawing the Will Green Light and letting the Greed Orange Light surge again inside Hela.

Odin watched as boundless greed filled his daughter's eyes, once calm, as if ready to swallow even the golden abyss.

At the same time, he could feel that her power, now boosted by greed, had surpassed his own current strength.

And she had only recovered maybe eighty percent of her Asgardian might since returning home.

"Will… Greed… Can emotions become power?" Odin murmured, then looked back to Dante. "You don't intend to eliminate it, so you've already figured out how to handle it?"

"As you can see, greed may be negative, but it holds extraordinary power. Instead of removing it, it's better to control it." Dante connected with Hela again using his Will Green Light. "Just like the two Lantern Rings on my hands — the Red Ring for Rage, the Green Ring for Will — I plan to forge an Orange Ring for Greed for Hela, so she can make it her own."

"So you already have a solution? Then why ask me for help?"

"I may have a solution, but I lack the materials." Dante leaned closer to Odin, lowering his voice. "Besides, I'm giving you a chance to mend things with your daughter."

Blunt, but it landed.

"If we're talking materials… there is one that would work."

Odin thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Since you and my daughter are so… hmph… close, then you should know mjolnir, used by Thor, was originally Hela's weapon."

"I've heard."

"It's made of uru alloy, highly compatible with Hela. I have some left in my treasury."

Dante noted the lack of hesitation. The old man really did want to repair the relationship.

So he didn't bother being polite.

"You… why are you holding your hand out to me?"

"Talking's useless. Give me your treasury key, old man."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 124: Uru Alloy and Eternal Fire

Dante's movements were skilled and shameless.

Even Odin, King of Gods for thousands of years, had never met anyone so brazen.

He had faced shameless enemies before, but those were easy. No matter how audacious, he could just kill them.

But when it came from his own side, there was no clean solution.

The worst part was, he couldn't even refuse.

He was the one who brought up the uru alloy in the Vault.

In a way, wasn't this reaping what you sow?

That flicker of regret vanished, though, the moment he saw the orange glow in his daughter's eyes.

It didn't matter.

Compared to his daughter, a vault was nothing.

And technically, more than half of what was in there had been spoils Hela won in conquest and gifted to him anyway.

With that in mind, Odin produced an ancient, nearly crumbling key.

"Since you want My Vault key, take it."

Dante had only been joking. Who knew Odin would actually hand it over?

The moment he took it, Dante could feel the weight of it, not just physical. The power inside was no less than Mjolnir, maybe even greater.

Was Odin really using an All Father-level artifact as a vault key?

Dante tested its weight. Small, yet surprisingly heavy.

"Old man, this key's pretty strong. Why don't you just give it to me?"

Hela broke at that.

"Pfft… Ahem, while it's true this is a vault key, it's also a powerful artifact."

"Of course I know that. Why else would I want it?"

"Then do you know this artifact, disguised as a key, is the legendary Gungnir?"

"Pfft! What the hell?!"

Gungnir, the "Eternal Spear."

Forged by the Dwarves, gifted to Odin. Its shaft was a branch from the World Tree.

In myth, it always struck its target once thrown.

In the Marvel universe, besides functioning as a vault key, it was also a remote control for the Destroyer.

Its combat feats were rarely shown because Odin himself rarely acted.

But as the signature weapon of arguably the strongest All Father-level being, its power was beyond doubt.

Translation: Dante had zero chance of actually keeping it.

…

After Odin handed him the key, maybe Dante's smugness was too much. Odin quickly sent them both away and retreated to his chambers.

The "secret grief" that followed was entirely Dante's imagination.

In reality, Odin brooded for a few minutes, then burst out laughing.

Hela had returned, yet she hadn't turned against him. She had no interest in the throne and even volunteered to remain in Midgard.

Yes, in Odin's mind, "staying in Midgard" was the same as requesting exile.

But the laughter didn't last.

Damn it, neither of his sons, not even his adopted one, was fit to be King of Asgard. And the other had no interest at all.

By all accounts, his daughter was still the most qualified heir…

He sighed. One step at a time. His days were numbered, but he could probably hang on another thousand years.

Maybe by then he'd have grandchildren. If not, a skip-a-generation succession could work.

That was Odin. In public, the majestic, all-powerful King of Gods. In private, an old man with too much on his mind.

Dante and Hela saw none of that.

She led the way through Asgard toward the Vault.

As they walked, Dante turned the key in his hand. "Tell me. If I'd never shown up, what would have happened to you?"

"If you hadn't appeared?" Hela stopped, thinking. After a long pause, she sighed. "If you hadn't, the day I broke free from the seal would have been the day Odin died."

"I imagine Loki would still come to Midgard to cause trouble, and Thor would follow to drag him back to Asgard."

"I'd find Thor, make him figure out how to open the Bifrost, hitch a ride home… then be crowned King."

Concise, but identical to Thor: Ragnarok.

If left alone, the universe seemed to default to its original script.

Dante was glad he came.

His Hela wouldn't have to burn with Surtur in Asgard.

"But going by that, if Odin was dead, you wouldn't get Gungnir. How would you enter the Vault?"

"Break the wall," she said as if it was obvious. "The Vault isn't indestructible. Gungnir as a key is just for show. No real security function."

Dante opened his mouth, then closed it. "Fair point."

By then, they were at the Vault door.

Judging from the plain exterior, you'd never know it was the King of Gods' treasure house.

Not even a guard.

But when Hela took Gungnir, slotted it into the lock, and opened the door, Dante saw what "its own world" really meant.

The place inside was vast, impossible to match to the door outside.

"Let's go. Let's see what Odin's been hoarding."

"My dear Hela, you're still carrying Mammon's blood and the Greed Orange Light. Facing the King of Gods' Vault, it's bound to act up…"

"Relax. I'm not that interested."

"You say that, but your hand says otherwise."

Dante stared at her. Her right hand was holding his. Her left was gripping Gungnir like it might vanish.

Fine. Be stubborn.

Even the most stubborn lips soften when kissed.

He let it slide. It was her father's stash anyway.

Hand in hand, they stepped inside.

The Vault's depiction in the movies was laughably incomplete, purpose-built for the plot.

This was the real thing.

First up, the Infinity Gauntlet, which Hela had called "fake" in the movie.

Not exactly fake, the Gauntlet was just a vessel. Without Stones, it had no power. Compared to Thanos' loaded version, "fake" wasn't far off.

Odin had the Dwarf King forge one in case he ever managed to collect the Stones for… big plans.

Probably still sore from losing to the Celestials.

For Hela and Odin, one Stone wasn't enough to matter, let alone against Celestials.

Ronan the Accuser with the Power Stone taking out Odin or Hela? Comedy.

Dante wasn't tempted either.

The time cost of gathering all six was insane. The snap's price was worse.

Better no one got them. If no one had them, it was basically equal. Fairness first.

Plus, the Aether was already tucked safely in his Darkhold. Even with the other five, Thanos wouldn't beat him and Hela.

Earth had backup. Call Clark Kent, then J'onzz, then Red Lantern Hulk. Ask Thanos what flavor of death he preferred.

So no, the purple sweet potato wasn't a concern.

Hela passed the "fake" Gauntlet without a glance.

But the next sight made them both stop.

The Destroyer armor.

"It brings back memories… Father once wore the Destroyer, rampaging through the Nine Realms. Together, we drowned worlds in blood. Then one day, he cast it aside forever, becoming the benevolent ruler, hosting garden parties, making peace treaties… and tossed this old comrade into the Vault to gather dust."

Her tone still carried resentment. "Yet he imprisoned me like a beast in eternal darkness."

Dante's expression was complicated.

Odin clearly doted on her, but stubbornness nearly made them enemies until death, setting the stage for Ragnarok.

But Dante looked deeper.

In this universe, time's flow didn't always match, but certain events still happened.

Like Odin's challenge to the Celestials.

Beaten in seconds.

They didn't kill him but the Odin who sought to conquer the universe died then. What survived was Hela's "benevolent emperor."

Likely, realizing the universe held far greater powers was what made him abandon war.

That choice was the seed of their conflict.

And maybe sealing Hela wasn't only punishment. Maybe it was protective imprisonment.

With her nature back then, she'd have been knocking on the Celestials' door within years.

And Odin couldn't be sure she'd survive.

Could he have told her that? She wouldn't have believed him.

Dante shook his head. This was theirs to solve. At least now, they were on the road to mending things.

"But after two thousand years locked away, do you still believe conquering the universe was right?"

"If not for you, Thor, Loki, Harley, Ada, the Star Team… I might."

She sighed and led him deeper.

Odin's wealth was staggering.

The Casket of Ancient Winters, from Jotunheim, could freeze an entire planet.

The Orb of Agamotto, the Eye of Eternity, could detect danger across the universe and reveal the source of all magic. Odin had used it to foresee Ragnarok.

As Dante eyed it, wondering if it was related to Doctor Strange's Eye of Agamotto, Hela spoke.

"Found it."

He followed her gaze.

First, the Tesseract.

So Loki never had it here, must've opened his Chitauri wormhole by other means.

Next to it, a block of silver metal, surface etched with runes.

Beside that, a great brazier holding the Eternal Flame Odin had taken from Surtur.

The last two made Dante perk up.

Combined with Hela's command of the dead, the Orange Lantern wasn't a fallback, it was perfect for her.

None better.

They had struck gold.

In the future, she might even be able to deck her dad.

(To be continued.)