Chapter 68: Chapter 68: I Am Heimdall
The burning heat distorted the air around Bella, making the world shimmer like a mirage.
It was as if a molten furnace had suddenly ignited at the heart of the ruined town.
The once-frozen earth began to melt rapidly.
Puddles of steaming water pooled across cracked streets.
The icy fog lifted, replaced by a thick, humid mist.
Even faint sparks — tiny Mars — could be seen dancing across the distorted air.
The Giants of Jotunheim recoiled instinctively.
Their monstrous faces twisted with discomfort and fear.
The Frost Clan had frozen the town precisely because they despised heat.
Now, the searing temperatures radiating from Bella were far worse than anything they had ever endured.
They shifted uneasily, shuffling backward despite themselves.
Their pale gray skin blistered slightly under the oppressive heat.
Fear rooted them to the spot — pure, instinctual dread.
They sensed it clearly:
Death.
The woman standing before them wasn't just dangerous.
She was an extinction-level threat.
One wrong move — and they would be annihilated.
The intense heat surged outward in a golden wave.
Thor, Loki, Sif, and the others had to shield their faces.
Their heavy cloaks whipped violently in the scalding winds.
Even Thor, reborn in divine glory, found it difficult to open his eyes against the sheer force blasting outward.
"She's so strong..." Thor thought, gritting his teeth.
"What terrifying power..." Loki silently echoed.
As princes of Asgard, they had witnessed many incredible forces across realms.
But this?
This was something new.
Something terrifying.
Neither had ever encountered a mortal — or near-mortal — radiating such raw, unfettered might.
And beneath their awe, both men breathed silent sighs of relief.
Bella had chosen neutrality.
Had she sided with either of them, it would have been a slaughter.
Seeing Thor and Loki nod respectfully, Bella let the oppressive aura retract slightly.
But her emerald gaze remained cold and sharp.
She made it clear — without words — that their welcome had worn thin.
It was time for them to leave.
CLANG.
The Eternal Spear tapped the ground.
A radiant beam of light, brighter than the sun, descended from the heavens.
Bifröst.
A swirling pillar of energy enveloped Loki.
He gave Bella a final smirk — half-grimace, half-defiance.
"We will meet again, Son of Midgard."
With a flash, Loki was gone.
Thor and the others exchanged quick glances.
Understanding that Bella wanted no more battles on her land, they too nodded in silent respect.
Without further delay, Thor, Sif, and the warriors of Asgard stepped into the light — and vanished.
Even the remaining Frost Giants, sensing their welcome was at an end, stumbled toward the beam and disappeared into the void.
Silence fell.
The golden sun beat down.
The town, battered and broken, now stood eerily empty.
Bella exhaled quietly.
"Not strong enough yet," she mused.
"If I were stronger, they wouldn't have been able to leave so easily."
Still, she couldn't deny it:
This battle had brought great rewards.
[Character Sheet Updated]
Catherine Isabella
Strength: B+
Stamina: B+
Agility: B+
Magic Release: B+
Mental Power: B
Luck: C+
Noble Phantasms: Bloody Rose (False), Goddess of War (False)
Riding: B+
Intuition: B+
Presence/Charisma: A
Not only had she obtained the precious Uru metal, but defeating the Destroyer had raised her physical stats across the board.
Strength, endurance, agility — all upgraded to B+.
Even her mental power had finally broken through to a solid B.
Most surprising was her luck.
The stagnant, unmoving attribute had finally climbed to C+.
Perhaps, in time, it would undergo the same miraculous transformation as a "protagonist's halo" in fantasy novels — turning her into someone who would encounter fortuitous events naturally.
Bella couldn't help but smile faintly.
Good fortune was a powerful weapon, too.
As she pondered, a familiar roar of engines rumbled in the distance.
BOOM—!
Iron Man landed with a metallic thud beside her.
The blackened armor of the MK suit was dented and scorched, the surface bearing clear scars of a lightning strike.
The faceplate slid back.
Tony Stark's face was grim.
Angry.
"Where's that goddamn Joker?" he demanded, scanning the empty town.
"I owe him a lesson in why you don't piss off Iron Man."
Bella tilted her head, observing the deep scratches across his armor.
The Eternal Spear truly lived up to its reputation.
If not for Tony's Ark Reactor and the suit's advanced energy absorption systems, that lightning blast could have vaporized him.
She gave a short shrug.
"They're gone."
Tony blinked.
Then his expression twisted into one of purest betrayal.
"WHAT?!
He threw up his hands.
"They ATTACK me and then just LEAVE?!"
He fumed for another few seconds, then caught sight of Bella turning away — heading for her motorcycle.
"Hey! Shouldn't we talk or something?" he called after her, half-desperate.
Bella glanced over her shoulder, her voice cool as ever:
"Don't follow me. I don't like it."
With a pull of the motorcycle's throttle, she tossed the retrieved Uru metal into a side compartment.
The engine roared.
In the blink of an eye, Bella sped out of the broken town, disappearing into the sun-scorched horizon.
Tony stood there for a long moment.
"Geez, and I thought I had trust issues," he muttered, smacking his lips.
Still, something about Bella fascinated him.
He admired strength — and she radiated it.
Dangerous as she was, Tony knew better than to chase her down.
Some things — and some people — demanded distance.
Meanwhile.
The ruins of the battlefield faded into the distance behind Bella.
The desert highway stretched out before her, endless and shimmering.
The heat of the afternoon sun baked the asphalt.
The world seemed to blur into a dreamlike haze.
She rode for an hour and a half straight, lost in thought.
Thinking about the Uru metal.
Thinking about future weapons.
About how to prepare for the true monsters that lurked in this vast universe.
She was halfway down Oklahoma State Highway when—
FWOOM—!
A beam of iridescent light slammed down onto the road ahead, forcing Bella to wrench her bike sideways at nearly 300 kilometers per hour.
The tires screeched violently against the hot asphalt.
The motorcycle skidded into a controlled drift, slowing only through sheer skill and raw strength.
Most riders would've been flung off like a ragdoll at that speed.
Bella brought the machine to a halt with expert precision, standing tall amid the dust cloud.
From the beam of light, a deep, resonant voice echoed —
not from outside, but directly into her mind.
"Goddess of Judgment."
"I am Heimdall."
"Guardian of Asgard's Bifrost."
"Thor has requested your aid."
Bella frowned slightly.
The fact that Heimdall contacted her personally through Bifrost transmission meant only one thing:
Something big was happening.
Something Thor believed only she could help with.