The Greece Antagonist-Chapter 1024 - 98 Lao Luo, come out to greet the guests

Chapter 1024: Chapter 98 Lao Luo, come out to greet the guests freewёbnoνel.com

Hela?

Faced with the iconic black robe, black hair, and cold yet alluring face before him, Odin, the host, averted his gaze and coughed awkwardly before explaining:

"You’re not in a convenient position to leave the Netherworld, so, I wouldn’t want to bother you with these small matters."

"Oh, is that so? Well, I’ll have to thank you for your consideration then."

Hela nodded faintly with a half-smile, her tone subtly dripping with sarcasm.

Wasn’t it thanks to this father of hers that she ended up in such dire straits?

In the past, when he banished her for the sake of the Asa clan’s interests, there wasn’t even a trace of hesitation. Yet now, he suddenly seemed to care.

To put it bluntly, he simply didn’t want his daughter to show up and ruin everyone’s revelry.

Hela let out a cold chuckle, her smoky and ethereal figure gliding to the dining table where Odin was seated. Her pale, slender fingers retrieved a vibrant Youth Fruit from a silver platter and raised it to her lips to taste the flavor of days long gone.

However, before the flesh could touch her mouth, the entire Youth Apple quickly withered, rotted, and crumbled in her hand, dissipating into a pile of pale-gray, thread-like ash in no time.

Still not possible, is it?

A hint of disappointment appeared on Hela’s face. She turned her hand to scatter the remains into the air.

Even though she crossed the Rainbow Bridge to the Immortal Palace in her Divine Incarnation form, the Power of Death within her remained overwhelmingly potent, automatically draining the life force out of everything in her vicinity.

The surrounding Immortal Palace Guards, witnessing this, became acutely aware of how dangerous the royal princess truly was. Their hearts tightened, and out of instinct, they raised their Divine Iron Shields and placed hands on their weapons.

As the gleams of numerous Divine Shields reflected in her eyes, Hela snapped out of her haze of thoughts and looked coldly around at the guards encroaching on her. The deathly intent within her surged violently.

In an instant, the slabs beneath her feet rapidly weathered and fissured; the drinks and food on nearby tables began rotting and spoiling; the grass and trees surrounding the area steadily withered—and even the guards felt their skin sag and sensed that their vitality was being domineeringly swallowed by some overwhelming force.

Frightened by this, the level of alert at the venue escalated yet again. The Immortal Palace Guards instinctively steadied their spears, unsheathed their swords, and adopted battle stances.

"Stand down!"

With a low, stern snort, Luo En abruptly rose to his feet and reprimanded them harshly.

"Hela is my student, Odin’s eldest daughter. For the tranquility of the Nine Realms, she has guarded the Netherworld for a millennium. Today, as her teacher has returned and her younger brother is about to be born, she has carried the dual burdens of body and spirit and made the special effort to come in celebration. Odin and I are elated beyond measure, and yet this is how you extend hospitality to such a guest?"

As he spoke, the Authority of Flames within Luo En stirred, dispelling the chill of Death.

The Immortal Palace Guards seemed to awaken from a dream, hurriedly stowing away their weapons and moving a safe distance from the legendary princess.

Seeing this, Hela also worked hard to suppress the turbulence of Death inside her, casting a satisfied glance toward her mentor.

Although his words contained quite a bit of embellishment for both sides, making them only seventy percent credible, the care and defense he showed her were utterly genuine.

Feeling the tension in the venue finally begin to subside, Luo En inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, silently glad he had intervened in time.

Eris and the Golden Apple, Sleeping Beauty and the Evil Witch, Balder and the Mistletoe—all examples of minor mishaps during banquets that spiraled into severe consequences, as evidenced time and again in mythology and fantasy tales.

Though Odin and Hela’s father-daughter bond was already effectively non-existent, and even if this eldest daughter of his likely wouldn’t attend the banquet despite being invited, Odin’s handling of the matter was undeniably crude.

Hela could choose not to come, but Odin couldn’t afford not to invite her.

Of course, this oversight was simply Odin’s usual habit of leaning toward pragmatism and utilitarianism.

Luo En muttered some silent criticism about his Blood Alliance Brother before walking toward Hela with a smile and addressing her in a gentle tone:

"You could’ve given me a heads-up beforehand so I’d have time to prepare properly."

That slightly scolding yet affectionate tone pleased Hela quite a bit, and the gloom on her face began to dissipate.

Glancing at the bustling venue, Hela lightly coughed and said:

"I was in a rush this time, so I wasn’t able to bring you any proper gifts, Teacher."

As she spoke, Hela raised her hand slightly, allowing the deathly intent around her to form a crimson-black Magic Circle Diagram in front of her. From within it, a majestic black warhorse snorted and leapt out.

The creature had a fiery red mane and tail that flowed like flames, hooves that hovered mid-air, an aura of terror that made all who beheld it tremble, flames burning fiercely in its breath, and magma coursing through its veins.

—Nightmare.

The powerful Magic Beast from Ancient Scandinavian (Nordic) mythology could control lightning and traverse the Dream Realm. It was typically described as a black horse capable of floating in mid-air, reincarnated by bathing the spirit of warhorses who perished on the battlefield in magma and hatred.

Evidently, this gift was tailored to match Luo En’s divinity of Flames and Deceit—a present Hela had meticulously selected for her esteemed mentor.

As for Balder’s portion, Freya wisely refrained from inquiring further.

After all, in order to forge the alliance between Asa and Warner, she, as the callous stepmother, had resolutely insisted on exiling Hela as a threat.

Moreover, considering Asa’s tradition of martial valor and respect for the strong, Hela had accomplished great feats for Asa during the ancient Divine War. Coupled with her status as Odin’s eldest daughter and Loki’s student, there was no telling if she might have once been poised to inherit Asa’s throne.

Yet now, Hela had been forced to remain exiled in the desolate Netherworld, while Odin’s soon-to-be-born son, Balder, might end up inheriting everything originally meant for Hela, becoming the new king hoped for by both Asa and Warner.