Chapter 174

Casually picking up a bright red apple from the dining table, he took a bite and chewed as he lay sprawled across the couch. Covering his face, the clown version of Eren groaned in frustration.

"This time… I really screwed up."

He had imagined many possible ways he could die—beaten to death by nosy superheroes, killed by the world's many supervillains, or even hunted down by monsters like Odin or the Ancient One.

He had even considered disappearing silently under Thanos' snap.

But never, in his wildest imagination, did he expect his "first death" to come at the hands of some unknown cultist who seemingly crawled out of a random gutter—taking him down in a desperate, last-minute mutual destruction.

Getting dragged into a one-for-one trade.

Wasn't that something reserved for final boss villains in movies?

He wasn't even a full-fledged villain yet!

And yet, he got to experience this premium treatment firsthand.

The real Eren, sitting across from him, peeled an orange and said casually, "It was just because you were careless…"

Hearing this, the clown Eren rolled his eyes. "Are you an idiot? Or do you just enjoy insulting yourself?"

Sure, the clown Eren had been careless, but the real Eren wasn't much better either.

The only reason he survived the cultist's final [Soul Shockwave] was that he had already summoned a six-winged angel to protect him.

Eren burst into laughter but didn't argue.

Looking back, it was true that he had let his guard down after summoning the six-winged angel. But in a way, that was part of his plan too.

After all, with such a powerful angel by his side, what was there to fear?

What he didn't anticipate was that his clown doppelgänger would also join him on the rooftop to help.

And so, the six-winged angel shielded him.

But the clown Eren—who didn't manage to escape in time—became the sacrificial piece in the enemy's self-destruction.

Of course, a big part of the issue was that Eren had been too weak back then, with too few abilities at his disposal.

If he had already advanced to the [Magician] rank, he could have simply used "Flame Jump" or similar techniques to teleport away.

"In the end, we were just too weak back then."

With a glint of gloom in his eyes, the clown Eren finished his apple, tossing the core into the mouth of the little creature beside him.

After giving the creature's head a couple of pats, he stood up from the couch.

"I'm heading out."

"I need to go see that Dr. Banner. If we keep him waiting too long and he gets annoyed, we might lose our chance to recruit him."

Eren nodded in agreement, adding, "Also, look into that cultist. Someone with that kind of power shouldn't be an unknown nobody."

"Relax! Even if you didn't tell me, I was already planning to dig into that Sothoth priest. After all, he's the guy who took my 'first death.'"

With that, the clown Eren snapped his fingers and vanished in a burst of flames using "Flame Jump."

Before leaving, though, he shamelessly snatched up dozens of the origami figures that Eren had painstakingly folded while watching videos.

...

Elsewhere

At some point, the clown Eren had painted his face with oil paint again. With a flicker of flames, he teleported directly into the kitchen of a household where someone was cooking.

The woman of the house, carrying a dish from the kitchen, didn't notice the sudden intruder.

However, her young son, sitting at the dining table waiting for food, did.

"Plop!"

The spoon in his hand clattered onto the table as he pointed toward the kitchen and shouted, "Mom! There's a clown—"

Before he could finish, the clown Eren pulled a face at him, then disappeared in another burst of flames.

By the time the mother turned her head, the kitchen was empty.

Seeing no sign of any clown, the young mother frowned. A sinister smile crept across her lips as she turned toward her son.

This little troublemaker was always teasing his dad, but today he dared to mess with his mother?

He needed to learn that lying was not a good habit.

Especially not to her!

Soon after, the house was filled with the sounds of a chancla whip in action and a child's wails.

Fortunately, the surrounding neighbors were also families with strong beliefs in strict parental discipline.

If this had happened in another neighborhood, someone would've likely called child services over the commotion.

Having been spotted on his first "Flame Jump," the clown Eren didn't make the same mistake again.

As he continued teleporting, he activated his psychic field.

If there were people near his landing point, he would use his psychic abilities to temporarily erase their memories of him.

About ten minutes later, the clown Eren emerged from a magician's club, now wearing a mysterious clown mask. His outfit had also changed to resemble those street magicians performing on New York's sidewalks.

Thanks to the Internet and Stark's intentional media push, the story of the mysterious clown who had died fighting demons to save Harlem had spread across the web.

Because of the previous Iron Monger incident, many fans of the clown Eren had begun loudly declaring him a superhero—on par with Tony Stark.

Though there were some online debates, the majority agreed to recognize the mysterious clown as a hero.

After all, the dead are to be honored.

To pay tribute to the fallen clown, many people in New York had put on clown masks or dressed as clowns.

This allowed clown Eren to blend seamlessly into the crowds.

Without attracting attention, he followed the tide of people and made his way to a certain cold storage facility in Hell's Kitchen.

The cold storage facility wasn't particularly large, blending in seamlessly among the various small warehouses in the area.

However…

Anyone who ventured deeper inside would discover that this two-story cold storage warehouse was more than it appeared to be.

Having spent nearly half a month in Hell's Kitchen, the clown Eren obviously wouldn't limit himself to just one hideout at the Water Ghost Gang's headquarters.

This cold storage warehouse near the Hudson River was actually the private property of one of the gang leaders he had eliminated. It had originally been a safe house and an escape route for the gangster.

But after the gang leader met his end at Eren's hands…

This once-hidden safe house, disguised as a freezer facility, conveniently became one of Eren's own safe houses.

At the moment, within this facility, two men who had disappeared from the battlefield in Harlem—Winter Soldier Bucky and Dr. Banner—were present.

"Dr. Banner, here."

"Thanks."

Bucky handed a steaming bowl of thick soup to Banner, who was wrapped in a heavy blanket.

He then took a bowl for himself, sipping slowly.

The warmth of the soup traveled down his throat, spreading a comfortable heat throughout his body, dispelling the lingering chill.

Though this cold storage warehouse was actually a well-stocked safe house, it still retained all the functions of a typical freezer. To maintain the disguise, the refrigeration system ran year-round, keeping the environment at a consistently low temperature.

Even though the room they occupied had heating, the surrounding cold air dulled its effectiveness, making the space feel chilly.

Bucky didn't mind the cold much. But Banner—wearing nothing but a pair of tattered shorts—was shivering uncontrollably.

Gripping the warm bowl tightly, Banner took a hasty sip, letting the heat from the soup drive away the cold.

As he finally felt a bit more comfortable, he turned to Bucky and asked, "How long do we have to stay here? And are you sure General Ross won't find this place?"

Despite the freezing conditions, Banner wasn't actually too bothered.

After all, compared to the constant, exhausting fugitive life of being hunted by General Ross, this place was almost luxurious.

In fact, the cold even helped him keep his mind clear, suppressing the ever-present anger simmering inside him.

Oddly enough, he was starting to appreciate this environment.

Of course, it would have been even better if he had some proper clothes to wear.

Unfortunately, aside from the thick blankets, he hadn't found anything in his size.

With no other options, he had to make do with wrapping himself up in a blanket.

This hideout had plenty of food, but what worried him was how long they'd have to stay here.

Having experienced the terrifying efficiency of the federal military's intelligence network firsthand, Banner was deeply concerned that if they stayed too long, General Ross would eventually track them down with a battalion of soldiers.

It wasn't his own safety he was worried about.

He just didn't want more innocent soldiers, who were merely following orders, to die at his hands.

Bucky took another sip of his soup before responding, "Don't worry. The military won't find this place anytime soon. As for how long we're staying… you'll find out when the boss gets here."

"I'm already here."

Just as Bucky finished speaking, a familiar voice echoed from outside the room.

The door swung open, revealing the figure of the clown Eren.

Feeling the unique aura radiating from him, as well as the faint psychic imprint that lingered in Bucky's mind, the Winter Soldier instantly confirmed his identity.

"Boss."

Bucky stood up immediately, his usually stiff expression softening slightly.

Banner, however, was in complete shock.

"It's you!"

"You're supposed to be dead…"

Even though Eren was wearing a different clown mask this time, his unmistakable presence—along with the aura that made the Hulk stir uneasily inside Banner—left no room for doubt.

He was the same mysterious clown who had appeared on the battlefield in Harlem last night.

No wonder Bucky had claimed to have already met his boss.

But…

Hadn't the internet been flooded with reports saying that the lone clown who had fought against the monstrous tide in Harlem was already dead?

How…?

This hideout wasn't completely cut off from the world. To stay updated on external events, it even had an internet-connected computer.

Bucky had never stopped Banner from using it.

So…

Last night, while browsing through information about the Harlem battle, Banner had inevitably come across the widespread reports and videos of the "mysterious clown's" tragic demise.

Watching the disbelief in Banner's eyes, Eren smirked behind his mask.

"It was just a trick."

"Did you really think I'd die so easily, Dr. Banner?"

A trick?

Banner had seen the footage online—he had watched as the clown was reduced to ashes and scattered to the wind.

A flicker of realization crossed his face.

No wonder something had felt… off about that scene.

So it was just an illusion!

But still…

To fool so many people—wasn't that level of trickery a little too ridiculous?

Just as the doubt crossed his mind, Banner's eyes widened as he saw the masked clown reach into thin air—his hand seemingly grabbing at nothing.

And in the next instant, a brand-new set of clothes—still with the tags attached—appeared in his grasp.

"I picked up a loose-fitting set on my way here," Eren said, tossing the clothes to Banner. "Try them on."

"…Thanks."

Almost reflexively, Banner expressed his gratitude, running his fingers over the fabric.

The quality was surprisingly good.

Then, another thought struck him.

Was that trick just now also an illusion?

If so, he was beginning to understand how Eren had managed to fake his death so convincingly.

(End of Chapter)

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