"Isn't there supposed to be only one set of six Infinity Stones in a universe? Where did you get all of these?"
Yan stared at the twelve Infinity Stones floating before her in confusion.
Karl merely smiled mysteriously and refused to answer.
Then, with a casual wave of his hand, he took out the rest.
Dozens of Infinity Stones appeared throughout the laboratory.
Blue.
Red.
Purple.
Yellow.
Green.
Orange.
Their multicolored light illuminated the entire room.
Yan's mouth opened slightly in shock.
The next second, however, Karl suddenly pulled her into his arms.
Three minutes later, he finally released her.
Yan raised her head and saw the amusement in Karl's eyes.
She immediately rolled her eyes and punched him lightly in the chest.
"I got them from the Time Variance Authority."
Karl caught her hand.
"Right after I told everyone I was leaving, I infiltrated the TVA headquarters and stole their Infinity Stones, along with some temporal crystals."
His smile faded slightly.
"On the way back, one of their constructs nearly followed me all the way to this universe."
"Ganata's father—Galactus—intervened and helped me escape."
"Otherwise, things might have become troublesome."
Yan's expression immediately changed.
"You didn't need to do something that dangerous."
"We still have time."
"There was no need to rush and..."
Her voice gradually weakened.
"If something had happened to you..."
Yan lowered her head.
A complicated expression appeared on her face.
There was frustration.
Worry.
And even a little self-blame.
She hated the thought that Karl was taking these risks because the people around him weren't yet strong enough.
Karl immediately noticed something wrong.
He lowered his head.
The corners of Yan's beautiful eyes were already beginning to turn red.
"All right, all right."
Karl hurriedly pulled her closer.
"Don't be upset."
Then he awkwardly kissed her several times.
"Oh no. Our mighty Angel Yan is about to cry."
Yan looked at his clumsy attempts to comfort her and snorted.
"Hmph."
Then she suddenly grabbed his ear.
"Listen carefully."
"If something happens to you, I'm going with you."
"So if you don't want me doing something reckless, you'd better stop doing things like this yourself!"
Among Karl's women, Yan was probably the only one bold enough to openly grab his ear like this.
Even May, who had once treated Karl like a child, rarely dared to do such a thing anymore.
"Fine, fine!"
Karl immediately raised a hand.
"I won't take unnecessary risks again."
"I promise."
"Seriously."
Yan stared at him for several seconds.
Only after confirming that Karl wasn't joking did she finally release his ear.
Then she wrapped both arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest.
Karl tightened his arms around her.
For a long while, neither spoke.
...
The next morning.
Karl looked at the blonde angel sleeping in his arms.
His gaze eventually fell upon her white wings.
Despite having seen and touched them countless times, he still couldn't resist reaching out.
His fingers gently brushed across the feathers.
Yan's body immediately trembled.
Her wings were extremely sensitive.
She slowly opened her eyes.
Then she saw Karl shamelessly touching one of her wings again.
Yan gave him an annoyed look.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something.
"Here."
"This is for you."
"I should've given it to you a long time ago."
A single white feather detached from Yan's wing.
Invisible energy lifted it into the air and guided it toward Karl.
Karl's expression softened.
It was Yan's guardian feather.
For an angel, such a feather represented her willingness to guard and devote herself to the person she had chosen.
It carried meaning similar to an angel's guardian oath.
And once given, it wasn't something offered casually.
Karl carefully accepted the feather.
A platinum-white box appeared in front of him.
Golden patterns covered its surface.
When the lid opened, a soft crimson cushion could be seen inside.
Golden light flashed in Karl's eyes.
A layer of pale-gold energy surrounded the feather.
Then it slowly descended onto the cushion.
The box closed.
Karl stored it inside his System Space.
"You kept it for seven thousand years."
Karl looked at Yan.
"From now on, I'll protect it."
"And I'll protect its owner too."
He paused briefly.
"If you want me to give that promise a time limit..."
Karl smiled.
"Then eternity."
Yan's heart nearly melted.
She raised her head.
Their lips met.
But only moments later, Yan abruptly pulled away.
She glared at Karl with embarrassment and anger.
Because his hand had returned to her wing.
Karl showed absolutely no guilt.
Yan could only lie back against him helplessly.
His fingers continued gently stroking the pure-white feathers.
Her body trembled faintly from the sensation.
The two remained together until late morning.
By afternoon, Karl finally accompanied Yan to her small garden for tea.
They had barely sat down when Karl's expression changed.
A powerful magical fluctuation suddenly erupted somewhere aboard the Skyblade VII.
Karl immediately focused.
There were only a few major magical powerhouses aboard the warship.
Great Wanda.
Little Wanda.
And Juggernaut.
No matter which one was responsible, such a sudden magical eruption couldn't be ignored.
Before they could even take a sip of tea—
Whoosh!
Karl disappeared from his chair.
He appeared directly at the source of the disturbance.
There, Juggernaut was crouched on the ground with both hands gripping his head.
Black Phoenix, Hela, Great Wanda, and several others stood nearby, watching him cautiously.
Even Lockjaw, who normally liked staying close to Juggernaut, had backed away.
The moment Karl appeared, everyone turned toward him.
Their tense expressions eased slightly.
Karl had long since become the person they instinctively relied upon whenever something went wrong.
Karl narrowed his eyes.
Crimson mystical energy was surging wildly around Juggernaut's body.
The power wasn't ordinary magic.
It carried the unmistakable presence of Cyttorak—the ancient entity whose Crimson Gem had transformed Cain Marko into the Juggernaut and empowered him as his avatar.
Karl couldn't yet tell why Cyttorak's power was suddenly erupting.
But the moment he thought about where that power came from, his head started hurting again.
...
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