Chapter 489: The Dark Queen's Temptation

Loki suddenly sneered, interrupting the tense confrontation between Hela and Thor. His laughter echoed in the cold air, with familiar irony and provocation, as if he was a bystander who found the drama that was about to be staged extremely funny. His eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze wandered between Thor and Hela, finally stopping at Thor.

"Thor, why should I let you fight Hela by yourself? You are the current king of Asgard, not a thug," Loki said lazily, with a frivolous tone. Then, he turned to look at Hela, raised a cynical smile, and said provocatively: "Besides, Hela's opponent should not be you."

Loki slowly raised his hand and made a contemptuous gesture, pointing at Sephiroth who was standing behind them. Sephiroth stood there quietly, his eyes as calm as water, as if all the disputes had nothing to do with him. However, at this moment, Loki was drawing his attention to him, as if deliberately creating an invisible pressure.

“Hela, your real opponent today is him.” Loki said in a low voice, with a playful gleam in his eyes.

The corners of Hela's mouth slightly raised, revealing an elegant and cold smile. She raised her hand gracefully and gently tidied her drooping black hair. She looked calm and unhurried. Her eyes turned from Loki to Thor, and then back to Sephiroth, as if she was admiring an interesting toy.

"Loki, your provocation is really boring." Hela sneered, with a hint of disdain and contempt in her eyes, "You actually brought an outsider to deal with me? Do you really think he can match me?" Her words were full of sarcasm, elegant and cruel.

Thor stood aside, listening to Loki's words, and frowned slightly. His eyes swept back and forth between Loki and Hela, and his heart was in a complicated state. He knew Loki's intentions very well, and also knew the real reason why his father asked Sephiroth to come. After thinking for a moment, Thor nodded, and his expression gradually regained his composure.

"Okay, Loki." Thor turned and looked at Sephiroth. "Sephiroth, I leave this battle to you. Don't worry about her being my sister. Do your best." Thor's voice was deep and powerful. He understood the importance of this battle and must not take it lightly.

Sephiroth nodded slightly, his calm eyes fell on Hela. His expression did not fluctuate at all, as if he had already expected all this. He did not say anything extra, and his whole body exuded a calm and powerful aura. He walked forward slowly, his black windbreaker swaying gently in the cold wind, and with it, an invisible sense of oppression.

"This will be a duel." Sephiroth said briefly, without any emotional ups and downs in his voice, but with a frightening power. His steps were steady, and every step was full of unquestionable deterrence, as if even the air was trembling with his actions.

Loki stood aside, looking at Hela jokingly, his tone full of provocation and sarcasm: "Sister, it seems that you will not have much good luck today. Have you realized that this universe is no longer the nine realms you once ruled? Maybe now is the time for you to understand what a truly strong person is."

Loki's words seemed to ignite a fire in Hela's heart. Her eyes gradually became gloomy, and the smile on her face disappeared instantly, replaced by a dangerous chill. She slowly turned her head and stared at Sephiroth, with murderous intent and threats in her eyes.

“Loki, you are such an annoying person.” Hela sneered, raised her hands slightly, and her fingertips were wrapped with strong dark energy. “However, I am looking forward to competing with this uninvited guest.”

Her gaze lingered on Sephiroth for a moment, her eyes flashing with scrutiny and contempt, as if she was measuring the other party's strength. But soon, her eyes revealed a light of disdain, and her tone was cold: "But I will remind you of one thing - no matter who stands in front of me, he will be defeated by me."

Sephiroth stood in front of Hela, his eyes still as calm as ice. He did not respond to her provocation, but gently raised one hand, and the long sword in his hand slowly unsheathed, the blade flashing a deadly light in the cold light. The sword seemed to be integrated with him, emitting an indescribable chill and oppression.

"You will understand." Sephiroth said calmly, without any ups and downs in his tone, as if he was stating an inevitable result.

The atmosphere in the air suddenly became tense and oppressive, and the dark energy and sword energy intertwined between the two, as if a silent battle had begun. Hela raised her hands slightly, and the dark energy condensed into an invisible blade, while Sephiroth stood steadily in front of her, gently waving the long sword in his hand, as if waiting for the best opportunity.

Loki took a few steps back, crossed his arms, and watched all this with an amused look on his face.

Thor also stood aside, tightly gripping the Stormbreaker in his hand, with a hint of anticipation and nervousness in his eyes.

Hela narrowed her eyes slightly, with a chilling smile on her face. She stood there, looking down at the opponent in front of her, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, her eyes full of contempt and ridicule.

"I'm still short of a foot pad." Hela's voice was icy and chilling, as if it carried the chill from the abyss of death. Her words were casual and frivolous, as if she treated Sephiroth in front of her as a tool to be played with at will. As her voice fell, she lifted her foot slightly, and her black boots drew an elegant arc in the air, and her toes tapped the ground lightly, as if making the final adjustments for the upcoming battle.

Then, Hela raised one hand gracefully, and with a slight movement of her fingertips, countless dark swords instantly condensed in the air, the blades flashing a deadly light in the dark energy. She waved her hand casually, and several dark swords emerged from her palm, gracefully projecting towards Sephiroth with a sound of breaking through the air.

Each sword was swift and precise, as if filled with Hela's killing intent. The blades drew dark afterimages in the air, carrying an irresistible force, as if they were going to tear everything apart.

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed slightly, but his expression remained calm. Just as the swords were about to hit him, his figure suddenly disappeared, turning into a blurry silver afterimage, so fast that it was almost impossible to catch.

"Hiss—" The sound of air being torn apart instantly rang out, and Sephiroth's figure had already quickly passed those dark swords, his movements as swift and graceful as the wind. Almost in an instant, he had already approached Hela's side, the sword in his hand flashing with a cold silver light, and with the force of thunder, he was approaching Hela's defense.

"Bang!" The two men's weapons collided violently in the air, darkness and silver light intertwined, making a deafening noise.

Thor and Loki stood not far away, staring at the battle, with shocked expressions on their faces. Thor's hand involuntarily clenched the Stormbreaker, his eyes full of disbelief: "Sephiroth's speed... is so fast!"

Loki frowned slightly, thinking to himself, "What a dangerous guy." He looked at Sephiroth's lightning-fast movements and felt a little uneasy.

"Crack!" There was another loud noise, and Sephiroth's sword collided with Hela's dark blade again, and the two forces clashed fiercely in the air. Sparks flew, and the dark energy and silver sword energy collided with each other, as if to tear the entire space apart.

Hela's expression gradually turned grim, and the smile on her lips disappeared, replaced by a dangerous coldness. Her eyes flashed with murderous intent, and she turned around, and the dark long sword appeared in her hand again, carrying the breath of death. She suddenly attacked, and the sword light swung towards Sephiroth like a storm.

“Do you think I will lose to an outsider?” Hela sneered in a low voice. The power of darkness continued to surge in her hands, forming deadly blades. Her attacks became more and more fierce, and each blow carried an extremely precise force, as if to force Sephiroth into a desperate situation.

“Hmph, Odin’s son… nothing more than that.” There was a strong sense of sarcasm in Hela’s words, as if this battle was just a boring game.

Sephiroth's expression remained calm. He was not angered by Hela's provocation, nor was he shaken by her power. His movements were steady and cold, and every attack was carried out with extremely high precision. The long sword swung out like lightning, confronting Hela's attack head-on.

"Pah!" There was another loud noise, and the two swords collided again, sparks flying everywhere. Sephiroth's eyes were still cold, without any emotional fluctuations. He did not respond to Hela's provocation, only the long sword in his hand kept responding, and the sword energy was like a storm, forcing Hela's defense.

"You overestimate yourself." Sephiroth spoke calmly, without any emotion in his tone. His voice was like a cold blade, carrying unquestionable power.

Hela's eyes narrowed slightly, and the smile on her face completely disappeared. She realized that the opponent in front of her was not as easy to deal with as she had imagined. His strength and speed were far beyond her expectations, and even close to her limit.

“Interesting.” Hela snorted coldly and waved her hands suddenly. The power of darkness surged towards Sephiroth like a tide. With a destructive aura, her attack became more and more fierce, and she was bound to completely submerge the enemy in front of her.

Sephiroth remained calm, his sword drawing an elegant arc in the air, accurately meeting every attack from Hela. The sword light and dark energy intertwined and collided, and the fierce battle distorted the surrounding air.

"Bang!" Another deafening noise was heard. Sephiroth's sword and Hela's dark blade collided fiercely in the air. The power of the two men exploded in an instant, forming a powerful shock wave that shook the entire battlefield slightly.

Thor stood aside, his eyes full of fighting spirit and admiration: "Sephiroth... his power is so strong!"

Loki narrowed his eyes slightly, with a trace of deep thought in his eyes: "It seems that father was right about me. I'm afraid Hela will not gain an advantage in this battle."