The previous night, Hela had given everything to Karl.
She had even allowed her soul to merge with his.
Such a fusion at the spiritual and soul level was extremely dangerous.
Hela had been the one who initiated it.
If Karl had harbored even the slightest malicious intent, he could have destroyed Hela instantly.
Of course, because Hela's existence was bound to Asgard, she might not truly die.
But her soul would have suffered catastrophic damage.
Recovering from such an injury would take at least a thousand years.
Even so, she had done it without hesitation.
And Karl did not disappoint her.
Rather than exploiting her vulnerability, Karl used his Single-Universe-level soul and mental power to strengthen Hela's own spirit.
He helped her elevate both her soul strength and mental energy.
Combined with the intimacy they shared, Hela felt completely consumed by her feelings.
It was as if she had become addicted to Karl.
After suppressing those emotions for so long, they had finally erupted all at once.
She no longer cared about the consequences.
Ironically, that boldness caused Hela's position in Karl's heart to rise dramatically.
Later, when Hela lowered all of her mental defenses and allowed Karl to inspect her soul—
Karl could have easily explored her memories or even injured her.
But he did nothing of the sort.
Now that Hela had completely entrusted herself to him, Karl had no reason to harm her.
After finishing the inspection, Karl brought Hela out of the Shadow World.
Once they returned, Karl remained cautious.
He wasn't entirely sure whether Death had sensed what had happened.
Ten minutes passed.
Nothing unusual occurred.
No disturbances in time.
No cosmic anomalies.
Karl finally relaxed.
Holding Hela's hand, he appeared in the living room of Skyblade VII.
At that moment, May, Raven, Helen Cho, Big Wanda, Yan, Black Phoenix, and the others were already waiting.
They were preparing to leave together for Morgan's first birthday party.
When Karl appeared while holding Hela's hand, everyone was slightly surprised.
None of them had expected that Hela would become the next woman in Karl's life.
More importantly—
Karl hadn't released Hela's hand even once since appearing.
That detail did not go unnoticed.
May, Raven, and Helen Cho exchanged subtle glances.
A faint trace of jealousy flashed in their eyes.
At the same time, each of them silently made a decision.
Tonight—
They would also visit Karl.
They had already prepared their own special gifts.
Otherwise, they might lose favor.
"Let's go."
Karl spoke calmly.
"Has that kid Pietro come back yet?"
Then he reached out and took Yan's hand with his other hand.
A moment later, Haohan reported the situation.
Pietro had already returned from the Moon.
And he hadn't come alone.
He had brought back a large dog and a woman.
They were currently inside Tony's house.
Karl nodded.
Then he pulled Hela and Yan gently into his arms and began walking toward the ship's hatch.
Yan rolled her eyes at him.
But she didn't resist.
Hela leaned comfortably against Karl, looking completely unbothered.
Behind them, Black Phoenix followed with a slightly unhappy expression.
Meanwhile, May and Raven exchanged glances before walking after Karl.
At the same time, everyone's clothing began transforming automatically.
Their outfits shifted into platinum-and-gold formal attire.
Karl's clothing was the most magnificent of all.
It had been personally designed by Yan.
The attire resembled the ceremonial garments of the Angelic Civilization.
Karl's clothing, however, resembled the attire of a Supreme God.
Everyone looked at their new clothing with curiosity.
Just as they reached the hatch—
Karl instantly teleported the entire group.
The next moment, they appeared outside Tony's house.
After all, flying there in formal attire would look somewhat inappropriate.
Teleportation was simply easier.
Quite a crowd had already gathered outside the valley.
When Karl and his group appeared, people immediately stepped aside.
Soon Pietro approached Karl together with Crystal.
Only May and Wanda nodded to him.
Karl merely glanced at Pietro before continuing toward the house.
Now that Pietro had brought Crystal back to Earth, it meant the two of them clearly had potential.
Karl didn't comment.
After all—
In the original Marvel comic timeline, Pietro and Crystal had eventually divorced.
Seeing Karl ignore him made Pietro feel slightly uneasy.
Meanwhile, Black Phoenix, Ganata, Yelena, and Natasha followed Karl inside the house.
They were likely heading to find Pepper.
At that moment, a long convoy of luxury cars began arriving outside the valley.
They carried wealthy tycoons, corporate executives, and even heads of state from around the world.
Even the East had sent its representative—
The Frost Goddess.
Technically, they had come to celebrate Morgan's birthday.
But in truth—
Most of them were here to see Karl.
Tony hadn't expected so many people to arrive without invitations.
But since it was his daughter's first birthday party, turning them away would look inappropriate.
So he reluctantly allowed them into the valley.
At the same time, he asked Jarvis to quickly arrange additional tables and seating.
Tony and the others were busy running around making preparations.
Karl, on the other hand, looked completely relaxed.
He sat on the sofa holding little Morgan, playing with her.
Morgan looked up at him with bright, sparkling eyes.
She even grabbed Karl's nose with her tiny hand.
Nearby, Pietro nervously approached May and Raven.
He asked them quietly whether Karl was still angry with him.
Both women rolled their eyes.
Pietro became even more confused.
Finally, May sighed and explained:
"Karl probably just doesn't feel like talking to you right now."
At that moment, Karl walked out of the house.
He was holding Morgan and Red Crystal.
Since Red Crystal wasn't much bigger than Morgan herself, she also liked being carried by Karl.
When the wealthy guests saw Karl appear, many of them immediately understood something.
So the rumors were true.
Karl had indeed returned to celebrate Tony Stark's daughter's birthday.
But no one dared approach him.
No one believed they had the right to speak with Karl.
Then suddenly—
Someone stepped forward.
It was the Frost Goddess of the East.
"Mr. Karl."
"I didn't expect you to return."
A woman wearing a burgundy evening gown approached him gracefully.
Her name was Zhou Yinyin.
Many people nearby were shocked.
They all knew her identity as the Eastern Frost Goddess of War.
But none of them expected that she seemed personally acquainted with Karl.
That realization made many people start thinking.
Karl himself was of Chinese descent.
If the East truly had connections with him—
That could shift the global balance of power.
Karl slowly raised his head after hearing her voice.
"Oh."
"So you're here too."
He spoke calmly.
"How is your grandfather doing?"
Karl asked with mild curiosity.
After all, the East had exchanged many ancient artifacts for Dragon Bone Essence.
Given the old man's position, he should have been qualified to use it.
With Zhou Yinyin's current strength, her grandfather should be doing quite well.
...
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