"Why are you being so fierce?"
Dark Phoenix looked at Karl with her bewitching crimson eyes.
"I only hit you a few times. Why are you being so petty?"
Her voice suddenly changed.
It was no longer Jean Grey's voice.
Instead, it sounded like the low, seductive voice of a mature woman.
Her crimson lips moved dangerously close to Karl's.
"Do you want me to let you hit me a few more times?"
She spoke teasingly.
Karl's mind went blank for a moment.
Dark Phoenix's behavior was already strange enough.
But the way she was staring at him—
That fascinated look in her eyes—
Sent chills down his spine.
"Can you just tell me what you want?"
Karl said helplessly.
"It's not exactly appropriate for us to be hugging like this."
He tried to struggle free.
But it was useless.
Dark Phoenix's arms didn't move even slightly.
Karl frowned.
He was already using his normal Hulk-level physical strength.
Yet neither of them budged even an inch.
He looked at her in shock.
Her raw strength alone was already terrifying.
Dark Phoenix suddenly fell silent.
Then she spoke softly.
"I want to stay with you."
"I don't want to go back to that dark prison."
Her voice sounded almost… pitiful.
"Take me with you, okay?"
"I'm very strong."
"I can protect you."
"From now on, no one will dare bully you."
Her crimson eyes brightened.
"Oh!"
"And those people you fought last time…"
"I'll go kill them all for you."
Karl immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
"Alright, alright."
"I'll take you with me."
"But you don't need to kill anyone."
"Just… let go first."
Karl had absolutely no interest in letting her slaughter Charles, Logan, and the others.
Even if he didn't care about them anymore, killing them would only cause unnecessary trouble.
Besides—
If Jean personally went to kill Charles…
Karl could already imagine the expression on Charles Xavier's face.
Dark Phoenix immediately brightened.
"Okay."
"I'll protect you from now on."
She released him.
But the next second—
She grabbed his hand instead.
Karl could only sigh helplessly.
Then the two of them began flying back toward Earth.
Toward Karl's manor.
Karl briefly considered teleporting.
But he quickly realized something.
He couldn't teleport someone stronger than himself.
Meanwhile, on Earth—
Governments around the world were watching everything through satellite feeds.
They had just witnessed something completely unbelievable.
The woman who had fought Karl moments ago…
Had suddenly rushed into his arms.
And now the two of them were flying back to Earth together holding hands.
Immediately—
Every government issued emergency directives.
No one was allowed to provoke Karl.
Under any circumstances.
If someone provoked him and died—
The government would not intervene.
It was obvious to anyone with basic judgment.
Karl's attack earlier had done nothing to the woman.
Meaning—
She was even stronger than Karl.
One Karl alone was already a global headache.
Now there was someone even stronger.
And she appeared to be… chasing him.
The United States even established a special task force.
The K.E. Incident Response Team.
Their mission was simple.
Handle any minor incidents involving Karl and his companion.
And ensure no one provoked them.
Global financial tycoons also received warnings.
If anyone recklessly offended Karl and brought disaster upon the country—
They would be finished.
But the major global conglomerates weren't stupid.
Instead of provoking Karl—
They began contacting Tony Stark.
After all, everyone knew Tony had a close relationship with Karl.
Their goal was simple.
Longevity.
Karl was so powerful.
Surely he possessed some method to extend lifespan.
If they could obtain even a fraction of that technology—
It would be priceless.
These were the most powerful conglomerates in the world.
They lacked nothing.
Except time.
Meanwhile—
Karl stared helplessly at the red-haired beauty flying beside him.
Dark Phoenix was still looking at him with fascination.
Karl couldn't understand it.
Why had she come directly to him after breaking free?
From what she had said earlier—
She had clearly been watching him for a long time.
Was it when he attacked the Mutant Academy?
Maybe.
But that couldn't be the only reason.
There must be something else.
Unable to figure it out, Karl soon returned to his manor.
The moment he landed—
May, Raven, Gwen, and Helen Cho immediately rushed over.
They threw themselves into his arms.
At that moment—
A crimson flash appeared in Dark Phoenix's eyes.
Karl noticed it instantly.
He leaned toward her and whispered coldly.
"If you dare touch them…"
"You will die."
His voice carried unmistakable killing intent.
Dark Phoenix said nothing.
She simply lowered her head.
As if thinking about something.
Surprisingly—
After that, she became extremely obedient.
She stopped bothering Karl.
By the time Dark Phoenix had arrived earlier, it was already night.
Now it was even later.
Karl entered his room with his four women.
Soon—
The familiar sounds began echoing through the manor.
Karl had sealed the room with telekinesis.
But such a barrier meant nothing to Dark Phoenix.
Her crimson eyes glowed faintly.
She looked toward Karl's room.
Her face slowly flushed red.
Inside the room—
Karl was completely absorbed in the warmth of his four lovers.
He didn't notice that Dark Phoenix was watching everything using her abilities.
Without the Gold Cloth or the Golden Cudgel—
Karl's current strength simply wasn't enough to detect her.
Karl and his four beauties didn't stop until dawn.
Afterward, he fell asleep while holding them.
In another room—
Dark Phoenix watched quietly.
Only when Karl finally fell asleep did she look away.
Meanwhile—
Wanda, Pietro, and the others had already grown used to this situation.
After skillfully locating Yelena, they went out for breakfast together.
The next morning—
Dozens of luxury cars arrived at Tony Stark's mansion.
Inside them were representatives and leaders of the world's largest conglomerates.
Tony was confused at first.
But he quickly understood.
They had come because of Karl.
Tony spent the entire morning entertaining them in his villa.
The representatives were extremely skilled in social diplomacy.
They presented Tony with numerous expensive gifts.
Tony accepted them without hesitation.
He understood perfectly.
They were only approaching him because of his relationship with Karl.
If they could directly visit Karl—
They wouldn't bother with Tony at all.
In fact, many people had previously attempted to visit Karl directly.
But they hadn't even been allowed past the gate.
Karl had made it clear that he would not meet anyone.
That was why they had come to Tony instead.
Otherwise—
Tony Stark might not even have caught their attention.
Tony's total personal assets were worth several trillion dollars.
Perhaps even close to ten trillion if all his holdings were calculated.
But much of that value existed in Stark Industries stock and technology investments.
Many global conglomerates had assets exceeding two hundred trillion.
These were true multinational empires.
Among the individuals publicly labeled as the "richest in the world"—
Many were actually far wealthier than Tony.
Except for one nation.
Wakanda.
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