Is Surtur strong?
Very strong!
A massive body—if it comes into contact with the Eternal Flame, it will become a devastating weapon capable of destroying all of Asgard, bringing about Ragnarok.
However, before touching the Eternal Flame, he's just a weakling. Even Thor, without mastering Odin's power, wielding only Mjolnir, can easily defeat him and take the crown from his head.
But when facing Su Ye, Surtur felt like nothing more than an ant—completely powerless, no matter how others toyed with him.
So, when Su Ye spoke again, Surtur chose to remain silent.
He didn't want to surrender, didn't want to abandon his principles and honor.
However, if he didn't surrender, he would have to endure unbearable pain—something no one could withstand.
After experiencing it once, Surtur swore he would never go through it again.
Thus, Surtur found himself in a dilemma—how could he escape Su Ye's control and pain with dignity?
Su Ye smiled, "I know your concern. It's just a matter of balance—you're unsure which side to choose. No problem, I can help you solve this issue."
"Come on, experience it once more. Let's go."
Su Ye used his telepathy again, but this time with increased power. In an instant, Surtur felt like a valve had been opened, flooding his entire being.
Surtur's mind now held only one thought.
"Once, a golden opportunity lay before me, but I did not cherish it. Only when I lost it did I regret it immensely. There is no greater pain in the world than this. If the heavens gave me another chance, I would say three words to the person before me—I give up!"
"Big... big... big brother, please don't kill me!"
At this moment, Surtur had only one thought left—surrender. Dignity? Honor? Forget all that, to hell with it!
Survival is the most important thing.
"Just get it over with! Hurry up and ask if I'm willing to surrender—now, immediately, this second!" Surtur screamed madly in his mind.
But across from him, Su Ye just shook his head helplessly.
"From the look on your face, it seems like you really disdain my persuasion to surrender. Since that's the case, I have no choice—let's continue!"
"I..."
Surtur just wanted to curse—what eyes were you using to see that I was disdainful of surrender? I look like I want to surrender! I beg you, just let me surrender already!
After an unknown amount of time, Surtur felt as if a century had passed. The excruciating pain finally disappeared, and Su Ye looked at Surtur, preparing to ask that question once again.
"Have you considered..."
"My King, I surrender!"
Surtur shouted loudly. If his body hadn't been restrained, he might have just fallen to his knees right then and there.
Su Ye raised an eyebrow, "You've decided? Not going to reconsider? I have plenty of time."
"No reconsideration! It is my honor to serve the King. I am willing to work tirelessly for you, and I hope you can grant me this small request."
Surtur was desperate, almost as if he would die right there if Su Ye didn't agree.
What else could Su Ye do? Of course, he agreed.
"It's not impossible, but... your current appearance is a bit too intimidating. It doesn't fit the general aesthetic, so..."
"I can change!"
Surtur quickly shouted, "I am a fire giant. My form is merely to serve the needs of ruling and war. I can change it!"
"Change?" Su Ye scratched his head. "Before that, I have a question."
"Are you male or female?"
"Male or female?"
Surtur hesitated for a moment before firmly answering, "What does the King wish me to be, male or female?"
"Heh," Su Ye laughed.
"Compared to a bulky lava giant, I prefer a graceful and curvy female lava giant. Do you understand?"
Surtur understood. "My King, please loosen my restraints, and I shall demonstrate my ability."
Su Ye immediately lifted his control over Surtur and looked at him with curiosity.
Surtur felt his limbs; the real sensation made him feel somewhat unreal.
"My King, here I come!"
As soon as Surtur finished speaking, his body flashed with a burst of fire, enveloping himself and hundreds of surrounding fire giants.
"Whoa, why does this suddenly feel like watching a shoujo manga? Is he about to chant a spell and turn into a sailor uniform-wearing maid?"
Soon, the flames dissipated. The hundreds of fire giants had vanished, and in the center stood Surtur, who had transformed from a massive fire giant king into a towering fire giant queen.
Just those massive... "assets" alone had a diameter larger than Su Ye's entire height.
"Hiss!"
Su Ye sucked in a sharp breath—this "evil" was way bigger than those exaggerated coconut juice ads. That fullness... that firmness... it was impossible to look away.
The only issue was the sheer size—compared to Surtur's form, even if Su Ye jumped in entirely, it would be like stirring a giant vat with a toothpick.
Of course, even though Surtur's body had changed, his face was still the same scorched, lava-covered visage—completely devoid of beauty.
"Alright, this look is still lacking a bit, but it's acceptable. I can't expect too much from you—after all, you can't even wear clothes…"
One shouldn't be too picky with women—you want a great body, a beautiful face, someone who can earn money, and is caring? That's asking for too much.
Even if such a perfect woman existed, why would she even be interested in you?
"Muspelheim—how many fire giants are there in total? Have you counted?"
Surtur shook his head, and with him, those enormous… "assets" trembled as well. "No, but there are probably tens of thousands."
"Alright then, gather as many as you can. I'm taking you all somewhere else."
As Su Ye spoke, he activated his mental sensing ability and connected across the vast distance with Old Su on Earth.
"Dad, I got some fire giants. I'm sending them your way."
"What?"
Old Su was confused. "Torchbearers? The Olympics are over. What do we need torchbearers for?"
"Not torchbearers—fire giants!"
Su Ye quickly explained and described the fire giants' abilities.
"Oh, you mean the fire giants from Muspelheim?" Old Su finally understood, then decisively responded, "No!"
"Ice giants are ugly, but at least they're edible and can work as firefighters. What use do fire giants have? Are they going to set fires on Earth? No, no!"
Su Ye glanced at Surtur, who had even changed genders at his request, and continued.
"Even if they're kind of useless, didn't the commander say that even a piece of toilet paper has its use? They can be put to work in mining, digging coal, and similar jobs. Even if a cave-in happens, they're way tougher than humans."
"Ha," Old Su laughed. "And then what, let them set the mines on fire?"
"Come on, it doesn't have to be coal mines! They can work elsewhere. Worst case, they can power electrical plants. That's more eco-friendly than burning coal!"
Su Ye quickly added.
Old Su finally agreed.
"Hmm, that's a fair point. They could also work in metallurgical plants or high-temperature laboratories. Alright, send them over. We'll figure out the details in a meeting."
"Alright, it's settled then!"
Soon, a portal opened, and tens of thousands of fire giants, led by Surtur, marched through it.
But Su Ye's mind was no longer on Muspelheim—he was already reconnecting with Thor.
"Hey, man! How's it going over there? Did Loki's appearance scare your parents?"
Thor's hearty laughter came through instantly.
"Hey, brother! You have no idea—when my mother saw Loki, she was completely stunned. She said she almost thought her daughter had returned."
"It's absolutely hilarious! My father and mother only have me as a son. Where would a daughter come from?"
"And my father didn't even seem surprised at my mother's words. Are they just getting too old and a bit…"
Thor spoke loudly, barely stopping himself from saying 'senile dementia.'
Seeing him like this, Su Ye couldn't help but reply.
"Have you ever considered that maybe... they really did have a daughter once?"
"Impossible!"
Thor immediately refused to believe it.
"After I was born, my mother never had another child, and if I had an older sister before me, then why have my father and mother never mentioned her? It's not like… she tried to seize my father's throne and got locked away, right?"
"No way, absolutely not!"
Su Ye sighed. A brain is a great thing… but not everyone has one.
The real problem was, some people clearly had brains but didn't trust them—they trusted their muscles instead.
As they spoke, the fire giants' relocation was completed, and Su Ye once again stepped through the portal into Asgard.
The moment he set foot in Asgard, Su Ye suddenly had an inexplicable feeling.
Asgard… seemed to be in bad shape.
The last time he had been here, Asgard felt like a strong middle-aged man—aged, but still muscular and robust.
But this time, he could truly feel it—Asgard was filled with a sense of decay.
Like an old man in his final years, trying his best to appear strong, yet the wrinkles on his face, the sagging muscles, and the nearly lost teeth all revealed the truth—his time was running out.
"Old Su, you're here! Quick, help me prove that I'm an only child! I have no sister, and definitely no older sister!"
Thor hurriedly dragged Su Ye into the palace and loudly proclaimed this in front of Odin.
This demand for proof was amusing—how was Su Ye supposed to know how many children Odin and Frigga had? It wasn't like he was the one who fathered them.
But Thor bringing Su Ye into this was just him seeking emotional reassurance.
In reality, Odin's reaction had already all but confirmed the existence of this daughter.
After a long silence, Odin finally sighed.
"Her name is Hela."
Odin knew his own situation. He didn't know how much longer he had left, and some secrets… rather than letting them be revealed after his death, it was better to lay them all out now.
"She is my eldest daughter—your sister. She was once my most capable assistant, fighting alongside me to conquer the Nine Realms."
"However, after conquering the Nine Realms, Hela's ambitions grew. She was no longer satisfied with them—she wanted to expand beyond."
"But she forgot—Asgard's scale was already at its limit just maintaining control over the Nine Realms. Expanding beyond that was beyond our capability."
"If we continued with reckless warfare, it could bring disaster not just to Asgard, but to all the Nine Realms. So, to prevent catastrophe, I imprisoned her."
Thor urgently stepped forward. "You locked her up? Where? How is she now? Is she still alive?"
Odin shook his head. "She cannot die. As long as Asgard exists, her power will never wither, and she will never die."
Thor finally understood.
"So, what you're saying is… my sister Hela made an undeniable contribution to Asgard's founding and the conquest of the Nine Realms? Not only is she incredibly powerful, but she's also highly ambitious? Is that right?"
"..."
Odin was at a loss for words. In a way, Thor's statement wasn't wrong.
"I suppose so."
Thor clapped his hands. "Then what are we waiting for? Bring her back! I've long felt I'm not fit to rule Asgard, and if my sister is that competent, let her be queen!"
That way, I can go out and have fun!
This last thought was Thor's real intention, but he didn't dare say it aloud—he was afraid he'd anger Odin to death.
Odin wanted to warn him that if Hela was released, all of Asgard would suffer her wrath.
But he also realized something—bringing Hela back while he was still alive was much better than her returning after his death.
"Sigh..."
With a sigh, Odin finally relented.
He was old—so old that he had begun to entertain the thought of 'After I die, let the flood take everything.'
However, under Thor's determined gaze, Odin decided to take responsibility as a father one last time.
"Alright… It's been a long time since I've seen her."
Odin glanced at Thor, and his once imposing aura suddenly collapsed.
At that moment, he let go of his resolve—he relinquished his strength.
Thor suddenly felt uncomfortable, a strong urge to hit something swelling inside him.
And just then, on the ground not far away, a blue-black magic circle suddenly appeared.