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"I’m almost done! Well, congratulations on killing Odin. He was going to die with my plan anyway, but whatever. Well done," Loki said, utterly indifferent to everything that had just happened. He seemed eerily detached from reality.

"What?" Maria snapped, irritation flaring. "Hey, Hel, why is your dad such a cunt? We put in so much effort, so many people died, and he’s acting like it’s no big deal—like he doesn’t give a fuck?"

"Fufu, language, please!" Loki laughed, covering his mouth.

"I-I..." Hel felt torn. "Father! Can’t you explain yourself?"

"Fine," Loki closed his eyes. "This world has been cursed ever since Odin arrived. I spoke with Yggdrasil, and we agreed it would be better to start over. She plans to devour the entire world, absorb all its lifeforce and mana, then recreate everything anew. It’s that simple, really."

"Simple?!" Hel echoed in disbelief.

"I see. So your father is just as mad as Odin," Maria said.

"Mad?! Hahah! I wish!" Loki laughed. "I simply know too much. I’ve seen the truth of this disgusting, pathetic world. And Yggdrasil agrees—she came up with the idea. Ever since her children died—all but a few traitors—she has completely given up on this place."

"That’s not true! Yggdrasil loves her world, right?" Hel asked the giant tree.

The tree’s aura flickered and trembled, radiating anger.

Loki wasn’t manipulating her.

The pressure was overwhelming, forcing Maria and Hel backward.

This was Yggdrasil’s genuine fury!

"You made her mad by saying that, dear," Loki chuckled. "Yggdrasil despises this world now and wants a reset—one where her children can thrive again. And didn’t you once agree this place was horrible? You always said you wished you could kill everyone."

"N-No...! I mean..." Hel faltered. "I’ve changed! I don’t wish for that anymore. What I said back then was foolish... I simply didn’t know the world or its people the way I do now! When Maria arrived, she helped me understand things better!"

"The girl who was beheaded a few years ago... Back then I was already planning this," Loki mused, rubbing his chin. "You grew strong fast, huh? Time sure flies... So you learned the truth of the Tower and traveled many worlds? Then why not leave Yggdrasil? Why stay here? You should have just gone somewhere else..."

"Yggdrasil is my home," Maria said firmly.

"Your home?" Loki laughed. "Your home is Earth—I can see it in your soul. Go back to Earth, girl. You’re not from this world. You don’t belong here... and you don’t know how truly horrible it is."

"What makes a world is its people," Maria countered, her Aura surging. "Yes, there are awful people out there... but there are also amazing, kind, hardworking people who come together to survive and thrive. I won’t let you destroy it, Loki. And I won’t let you, Yggdrasil, reset the world you created. For a goddess, you’re awfully arrogant, treating the lives you made and the people living in your world like disposable objects, toys you can break and replace."

RUMBLE!

Yggdrasil erupted with immense power, her fury directed at Maria—bloodlust radiating from every branch.

Maria had always believed Yggdrasil was a peaceful, benevolent goddess of life and nature.

To discover this was the world tree’s true nature...

Her son, the Divine Great Spirit Tree, would surely be heartbroken.

"M-Maria..." Hel looked at her in shock. "What are you planning to do?"

"It’s clear they won’t listen," Maria said. "And I can see they’ve already begun. Yggdrasil’s roots are piercing the tectonic plates... tremors are spreading, and the earth is tearing apart."

Thanks to the many Divine Authorities she inherited from Odin, Maria could now perceive the world almost omnisciently.

"What?!" Hel gasped.

"Fufu, my dear, come to my side," Loki said. "Bring your siblings and maybe a few of your little skeletons if you like. We’ll go inside Yggdrasil and wait while the world is recycled. Once it’s done, we’ll escape into the cosmos—away from the Tower—and create our ideal world."

"F-Father...! No, that’s... that’s wrong..." Hel whispered.

"Fenrir! Jormungandr! Come!" Loki called.

Maria’s Aura flickered as a giant snake and a wolf emerged.

Shielded by Loki’s Chaos Aura, they stepped out of the Underworld without issue.

They stood before Hel and Maria, glaring down with furrowed brows.

"Fenrir? Jormungandr?" Hel’s eyes widened as she faced her siblings opposing her. "We just fought together, what are you doing here now?!"

"I’m sorry, Hel, but this world is doomed anyway!" Fenrir said.

"Even after that disgusting old man died, what he did to this world can never be undone!" Jormungandr roared.

"Come on, join us quickly!" Fenrir urged. "This is our moment! We’ll finally have the world we always wanted!"

"We wished for a world like this forever, right?" Jormungandr nodded. "Now’s the time, Hel! We can leave this horrible place behind and make our own!"

"I-I..." Hel faltered. She didn’t know what to say.

Her hands trembled as she looked at her father and siblings—her family. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

And at Yggdrasil, mother of all, ready to shelter her while the world was "recycled" into something new.

They would escape the Tower through Yggdrasil, venturing into the cosmos to build a perfect world free of conflict.

It sounded like the ideal outcome...

Or at least, that was what she once believed.

"Maria... what... what do I do?" Hel asked, tears welling up. "I don’t want to fight my family..."

"Hel..." Maria placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You should do what you think is right."

"?" Hel blinked in confusion.

Maria had simply told her to follow her heart.

It felt too vague, too simple!

But what did Hel’s heart truly say?

Setting aside Maria and her family for a moment—what did she believe?

"It’s wrong."

No matter how much she turned the situation over in her mind, the same words echoed relentlessly.

It was wrong.

This wasn’t the way.

The world and its people didn’t have to end.

"Hel?" Loki asked softly. "Dear... come on. Don’t... don’t tell me you’re actually going to stand against me? Hahah... come now, I love you. Come with me."

Loki extended his hand toward Hel with a warm smile.

The warm smile of her beloved father.

And yet...

There was a dark, wicked undercurrent she had never noticed before.

The root of Loki’s Chaos.

His rotten, apathetic core!

Beyond his three children, Loki cared for nothing.

He would slaughter billions without hesitation.

"No! It’s wrong..." Hel said.

"What?" Loki’s face slowly drained of color.

"IT’S WRONG!!!" Hel screamed, voice cracking with fury. "It’s wrong, Dad! This isn’t right! You can’t just kill billions! YOU’RE CRAZY! WHAT KIND OF INSANITY DO YOU HAVE TO EVEN CONSIDER THAT?!"

"...! Hel! How...! How dare you raise your voice to me like this?!" Loki stood stunned, utterly flabbergasted.

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