Combing her hair into a menacing style, Hela elegantly raised her two swords: "Little princess, I don't have time to play house with you."
"Be good, when Big Sister finishes with that old geezer Odin, I'll prepare a surprise candy house for you."
Compared to Thanos, Asgard's Goddess of Death was not so polite.
Nero and the others didn't go to find Odin; instead, they had The Ancient One directly break open Hela's prison.
In Nero's words: I'm playing with the Villain Alliance; new members don't need to ask their daddy for permission to join. This isn't a summer camp for boy scouts.
Looking at the arrogant Hela, Nero stepped forward and clenched her fist, but was stopped by The Ancient One and Thanos.
"Don't do everything yourself; your status is different now." The Ancient One straightened Nero's sleeve.
Thanos said nothing, silently raising his greatsword.
Nero realized this was true. She was no longer the empress she once was; now she was a goddess. It was time to adopt the demeanor of the universe's number one goddess.
Casting a disdainful glance at Hela, Nero tucked a strand of hair behind her ear: "Mmm, then I'll leave it to you all."
"Heh heh, what's wrong, little Baby? Do you want to use your tiny fists to give Big Sister a back massage?"
Hela clearly didn't possess Thanos's wisdom. Seeing Nero's puffed-up face, she still had the nerve to tease.
Then she turned to look at The Ancient One and Thanos: "Tsk tsk tsk, sorcerer from the Mortal Realm, your prestige won't work outside the Mortal Realm."
"And you, are you called the Mad Titan?" Hela said with a confident smile, elegantly strutting: "If it weren't for that old fool Odin losing his mind, you would definitely be a qualified warrior by now. At least in terms of knowing when to submit, I would certainly teach you well."
The Ancient One and Thanos's expressions darkened upon hearing this. Aside from a powerhouse of Nero's caliber, how many years had it been since anyone dared to be so presumptuous in front of them?
Without further ado, The Ancient One stomped her foot, and the Mirror Dimension unfolded. Thanos charged with his blade.
Hela was not flustered in the slightest, meeting them with her twin swords: "Heh, boring little tricks. Let me teach you the rules when facing the Goddess of Death."
...An hour later.
At a round table, four people were drinking tea and eating snacks.
The Ancient One and Thanos were both cheerful. The Goddess of Death Hela... tsk tsk, not bad!
Hela's expression, however, was not so pleasant. Although she appeared to have no visible wounds, it was precisely because of her self-healing ability that she had looked much worse than she did now.
After a friendly negotiation, Hela had successfully joined the Villain Alliance, becoming one of its members.
"So, Big Sister Nero, what's the next target?" After learning Nero's identity, Hei, the discerning and astute, was not opposed to the current situation.
She could even relax and tease Nero with a charming tone, which only goes to show she was indeed Asgard's eldest princess, perfectly embodying her regal demeanor.
Nero didn't pay too much attention to such things. Since she was specifically recruiting major villains, could she really expect them all to be gentle and refined? As for some foul language, Nero had heard it all before; after all, she came from a pirate background.
"There are still a few candidates... but which one to choose? Hmm... let's go with Ego! A living planet, his gravitas is quite high." Nero pondered for a moment, touching her lips, before finally deciding.
Every team needs a durable, idiotic punching bag. Hela's intelligence came online after a good beating. She and Thanos both had brains, so they needed a lubricant... well, a scapegoat.
Therefore, this person couldn't be too weak. Ego, whose main body was a planet, sounded very resilient.
Nero also believed that Thanos and Hela could handle Ego. The Ancient One didn't count. With Thanos, Hela, and Ego, the Villain Alliance would be formed.
The rest could be added as needed, based on Tony's Justice League. Nero's goal was to pair every hero with a destined major villain.
"Then leave this new recruit to me. Even in a team, one must know their role, right?" Hela said, her eyes fixed on Thanos. If it came to a one-on-one fight, she wasn't without a chance.
The Ancient One was more like Nero's personal secretary and would not participate in their Villain Alliance.
"No worries, we'll have plenty of time together later." Thanos grinned menacingly. Even if he acted subservient in front of Nero, he was not a benevolent individual.
"Oh wow, that's truly something to look forward to." Hela narrowed her eyes, not provoking further. She had already lost once today and intended to seek justice later.
The tension between Thanos and Hela didn't affect Nero, who was sipping red tea and eating small cakes.
Finally, the issue she had casually mentioned earlier was resolved. Next, Thanos, Hela, and Ego, along with the rest of the Villain Alliance, would strike in their demonic forms.
Speaking of which... should she take this opportunity to deal with the demons as well?
The thought came, and she acted on it immediately.
Nero and the three of them split up. The Ancient One took two others to find Ego, while Nero herself went to find Mephisto and the other Hell Lords.
When The Ancient One and the two others found Ego, they realized there truly were people beyond people, and gods beyond gods. This guy was much more arrogant than Hela.
Upon seeing the three of them, he immediately tried to use them as power banks without a word.
Nero's choice was indeed correct; Ego was very resilient.
When Ego recognized the identities of The Ancient One and the others, he immediately caved but still refused to join Nero's Villain Alliance.
He retreated into his planet, and no matter how much The Ancient One and the others attacked, he wouldn't come out.
Finally, Hela, angered, gave him a big scare, and he reluctantly joined.
Meanwhile, Nero was a bit troubled.
As the saying goes, "A wise man knows when to submit," but there were too many "wise men" in this world.
She had originally intended to go to Hell and directly kill Mephisto. She had long known all about the problems behind Dormammu.
So, for this group of Dimensional Demon Gods, Nero planned to have them all reunite in the Holy Grail.
But this Hell Lord named Mephisto knelt too quickly.
The moment Nero stepped into Hell, all the demons of that dimension, led by Mephisto, immediately knelt, shouting Satan's name.
"The greatest demon goddess Satan, you are the supreme ruler of Hell, and we shall all submit beneath your skirts."
Mephisto's head was bowed low, but his heart was bitter. Dormammu's plan was very successful, and the Hell Lords understood this one's identity.
The position of Satan, which they fought tooth and nail for, was merely a gilded title for this one.
When such a powerful figure recruits subordinates, even Dimensional Demon Gods can start fighting, and they, the Hell Lords, had a natural advantage in this regard.
Originally, they were waiting for Nero to arrive, commanding respect, and all demons would bow their heads. Everyone would be happy, and they would all have a bright future.
But instead, this one was out recruiting 'dogs,' and not just one... Honestly, if Nero hadn't come, he might have been unable to resist going to her.
Nero looked at Mephisto, who was grinning like a chrysanthemum, and fell silent...
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