Well, there were indeed a lot of people in the crowd. Honestly, too many for my taste. I didn't have the patience to sit through every single one of them pledging their loyalty like some medieval fantasy scene dragged out for drama.
Not today. Especially not when I knew one particular guest among them was of exceptional quality—someone who could even give Mephisto a run for his money. But surprisingly, that one didn't come with bad intentions. A rarity, really.
After giving Storm a little promise, I turned to face the masses.
"I don't have time for every one of you to swear your loyalty one by one," I said, raising my voice slightly so it carried through the air like thunder dressed in velvet. "You've got three seconds. Kneel and swear your loyalty."
Now, maybe in 2025, people were allergic to kneeling—everyone had an opinion, a camera, and a complex.
But now, in the '90s, it's just the beginning of the impact, and honestly, although people have their pride, they aren't sigma-level and still recognize the difference between a boss and his workers.
Respect. Ritual. Submission. And… maybe a bit of excitement? Was it just me, or did some of them want to kneel? Like, truly yearned to? The way some of them looked at me… let's just say, I wouldn't be surprised if half the crowd left with a kink they didn't walk in with.
Anyway, I'm not one of those self-obsessed rulers who demand bowing and scraping everywhere I go. That's just exhausting. But this time, it was necessary. A symbolic moment. A reminder that I was the ruler now, and they needed to feel it—deep down in their bones.
And oh, they did.
Almost as soon as I spoke, most dropped to their knees like their bodies had been waiting for permission. Even the ones with pride in their eyes couldn't resist the weight of my presence.
A few needed help—injuries, disabilities, or age had made it hard—but those nearby offered support without hesitation.
Of course, there were exceptions. A few simply couldn't kneel, and I didn't fault them. But outside of them? Everyone went down. Even the spies. Especially the spies.
And that's what really made me laugh inside.
These people—the arrogance of humans with some ability—they knew exactly who I was. They weren't under the illusion that I was some kind-hearted goddess handing out blessings like candy.
No, they knew the stories. They knew I wasn't the nice kind of divine. And still, they dared to send spies into my kingdom?
Ballsy. I'll give them that.
Apparently, my earlier warning hadn't been enough. I'd been too lenient. Time to correct that.
"Very good," I said, smiling just enough to give hope to the hopeful. Some of them visibly relaxed. Mistake.
"But it seems," I continued, my tone slipping into something silkier and sharper, "that you humans think you're playing with this goddess and that you took my generosity for granted."
And then I unleashed it—just a taste of my bloodlust, aimed straight at the rats with second agendas. You could see it on their faces—the dawning horror, the realization that they were targeted.
"Really… very good," I said, voice cool, detached. "I didn't want to get involved in your petty power games. I was trying to be kind and act according to your custom. But you brought this on yourselves."
I don't care if some of them were 'important' people in the grand scheme of things—heroes, villains, whatever. Narrative importance doesn't protect you from divine judgment.
"I curse you," I declared, raising my hand for dramatic flair, because why not. "I curse all of you who took this goddess's mercy for weakness. May you spend sixty years trapped in bed, neither alive nor dead. No speech. No movement. Just silence. And full awareness."
Of course, I didn't actually know some poetic multi-stage curse spell. The only real curse I had in my arsenal was the Death Curse—and trust me, it's as straightforward as it sounds.
So instead, I used something far more elegant: my mind.
I severed the link between their souls, their minds, and their bodies, leaving them in a state of living paralysis. No control. No escape. And after sixty years? They'll probably die of old age—if madness doesn't get them first.
Outside, their bodies began dropping like puppets with cut strings. They fell one after the other, as I casually teleported their unconscious forms outside.
Don't get me wrong—I'm not heartless. Some were forced into this. Some had families being held hostage and were forced to come.
Some had been spies for years, wanted to stop, but found the normal world no longer had a place for them. Although they came here as spies, deep down, they wished they could find a home in my place. Naturally… I spared them.
But the rest? Like Crossbones and the like, they made the mistake of thinking they were playing some game of outplaying a goddess. They learned otherwise.
...
(3rd POV)
Watching Hela's act were people all around the world. Although only for a moment, they witnessed people in the crowd falling as if they had lost their souls before they simply disappeared. Combined with what she said earlier, they knew something bad had happened.
This terrorized the civilians who were watching the act. After all, although Hela had called those who disappeared 'playing with the goddess' and probably provoking her, she didn't exactly state or prove what crime they had committed.
And those she took care of were spies—and really good at disguising.
From the audience's point of view, she just unexpectedly killed some handsome young man, father, or mother because she thought they were playing her—which is a little bit unacceptable for humanity, who have mostly long abandoned the monarchy system where the king didn't need to explain or prove anything but could simply kill you.
Still, no one dared to say anything—whether it was Fury watching in his office with top security, the drunk man in his apartment alone who wanted to curse, or the president of the United States.
For the top brass, they knew that Hela had a record of killing many people who were trying to restrict those going to the Cape Citadel.
Despite not appearing in person and not being in the same place, this, of course, scared the hell out of them. They were just praying she wouldn't touch those who sent those spies, or it would be worse.
As for the normal civilians, they simply knew Hela was a goddess. And if they were to talk badly about her, she might kill them. So all the complaints could only stay inside.
....
Well, this is very short, but I'm back, and I guess that's what matters. Sorry for the unannounced leave, but I didn't have a choice either. Now I'm back for the second round and hope you can continue your support with the power stones and all.
For all my unresponsiveness to your messages of concern, I'm really sorry. I was feeling so down that I didn't want to touch my phone. My last time using Webnovel probably goes back to two weeks ago.