"You... what did you just say?"
Hela frowned, confused.
Though the roaring shockwaves obscured her vision, they couldn't fool her senses.
She could feel it—Lothar's energy was rapidly climbing, unmistakably signaling his determination to clash head-on with Malekith.
"Have you lost your mind?!"
"Your two subordinates didn't sacrifice themselves just so you could throw your life away!"
"It's none of your concern."
"You—!"
Hela was momentarily at a loss for words.
But when she thought about it carefully, there wasn't really anything wrong with what Lothar said.
After all, it was his decision to fight Malekith to the death, not hers...
Like hell it isn't!
Hela had no illusions.
Malekith would never let her walk away—being a child of Odin and heir to the throne of Asgard made her a target far too valuable.
At this point, if she wanted even a chance to break through Malekith's blockade, she would have to rely on Lothar's strength. There was no other way.
And now, after finally catching a breath, Lothar was charging headlong into a death match with Malekith again?!
What about her?
Was she supposed to abandon her slim chance at escape and throw herself against a Malekith empowered by the Aether?
Not a chance!
"We can't win against him right now! Don't you get it?!"
Hela rushed to Lothar's side, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him fiercely.
"I already told you—"
Lothar raised his head, the darkness of his pupils gradually being overtaken by a glimmer of green.
"'Losing'—I don't understand those words."
"This isn't about understanding!"
Hela was about to lose her mind.
"You—"
She tried to argue again, but Lothar seized her wrist and flung her aside without hesitation, sending her sprawling onto the ground.
"Malekith!!"
A fury unlike anything he had ever felt before surged within Lothar.
A shockwave laced with golden lightning exploded around him, shaking the dim thunderclouds swirling above Svartalfheim.
Rejoice! O mighty Son of Titan, revered Prince of Chitauri, His Highness Lothar! At this moment, celebrate your conquest spanning across galaxies!
Rejoice, O mighty Son of Titan…
In that instant, Lothar realized those once-empty words of praise—phrases he had long dismissed as hollow flattery—had been burned into his mind.
The memory of The Other, stiffly holding his scepter, mouthing sycophantic lines... nothing more impressive than his silver tongue.
And then, Woz.
The mechanical cat that had stood by his side since childhood, who never grew bigger, no matter how many years passed.
His battle companion. His AI.
Lord Lothar, my name is Woz! I'm your dedicated battle AI. If you ever have questions during combat, just ask Woz anytime—my databanks are loaded with information!
"You... must die."
Lothar lifted his head, locking eyes with the puzzled figure floating above:
"No one... will save you."
"...It should be me saying that."
An inexplicable unease gnawed at Malekith's heart as he gazed down at Lothar.
With a casual squeeze of his right hand, the twisted reality formed by the Aether engulfed Lothar once again, immobilizing him completely.
"Collapse... in my distorted world."
Invisible forces tore at every fiber of Lothar's muscles, black energy beams hammering down from above.
Blood streamed from his skin under the relentless pressure.
"Still... not enough..."
Even as the crushing weight bent his body into a crouch, Lothar's muscles surged with newfound strength.
His knees buckled—but slowly, stubbornly—he raised his head.
"You're nowhere near enough!!!!"
In that instant, the seething rage within him exploded past an unknown threshold, like a floodgate opening into a new world.
Golden lightning bolts erupted across his body, obliterating the black energy beams around him!
BOOM!
BOOOOM!!!
Thunder roared across the bleak skies!
A force unlike anything in this universe made all of Svartalfheim tremble!
"This... this can't be real..."
Hela, still rubbing her bruised rear, stared in shock.
Lothar's body was slowly levitating, and above his head, faint golden light shimmered—a sight that reminded her of the golden-haired form she'd once glimpsed in Asgard.
"RAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
With clenched fists and eyes full of boundless rage, Lothar gathered all the strength he had and unleashed a deafening roar that shattered the very fabric of reality itself!
In that instant, the invisible bonds restraining Lothar crumbled into dust!
CRACK-BOOM!!!
Lightning rained uncontrollably from the sky, its divine might so terrifying that even Malekith had to retreat!
"This power..."
Malekith—an entity who could stand among the strongest in the cosmos—sensed it clearly.
A monstrous surge of energy growing within Lothar, at a speed no race he knew of could possibly achieve without external help!
"RAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
The heavens shook with Lothar's cry.
His entire body burst into blinding golden brilliance!
The very crust of Svartalfheim could no longer withstand the pressure—fissures ripped across the plains!
"Die!!!!!!"
A beam of blinding gold shattered layer after layer of defenses, Lothar's right fist, brimming with boundless fury, crashed directly into Malekith's chest!
"This is impossible!"
"This power isn't something Titans could ever wield!"
"What are you?!"
Malekith's expression twisted.
He had dealt with the Eternal Titans before, but now—despite being fully fused with the Aether—he was being overpowered by a golden-haired Lothar!
This was not the outcome he had planned.
"I..."
Before Malekith could react, Lothar had already appeared behind him, a powerful sweeping kick launching him into the skies!
"I am a Saiyan!!!"
In the blink of an eye, Lothar reappeared above Malekith, interlocking his fingers and slamming them brutally down onto his enemy's chest!
Malekith howled, unleashing a viscous torrent of energy at Lothar—energy dense enough to crystallize into a black flood!
"I am beyond even the Saiyans—"
"A Super Saiyan!"
Facing the oncoming torrent, Lothar showed no fear.
Bringing his wrists together, he summoned the full force of his inner power—a radiant silver-white energy beam blasted forth to collide head-on with Malekith's attack!
"Etch it into your memory!!!"
BOOOOOM!!!!!
Two forces—one black as the void, the other silver-white like a newborn star—collided with cataclysmic fury, their impact collapsing into a spiraling vortex of energy that erupted outward in concentric shockwaves, sweeping across the battlefield and obliterating the very ground beneath Malekith!
It was at this moment that Yggdrasil itself quaked!
All of Svartalfheim trembled under the sound of Lothar's thunderous roar, echoing through the very heavens!
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