Chapter 216

"Thor!"

Just as Thor was about to leave, Jane, who had driven all the way back to Puens Town, her eyes filled with reluctance, called out to him.

Seeing this, Thor handed over the wrapped belongings of the three fallen Warriors Three—including Hogun's head—to Sif.

Then, he stepped forward and gave Jane a hug.

After a tender moment, Thor leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Sorry, Jane. I have to leave for a while. Once I've dealt with matters in Asgard, I'll come back for you, I swear—"

Before Thor could finish, his lips were suddenly sealed by a warm kiss.

xxxxxxxxxxx

After an intense moment of passion.

Jane gently pushed Thor away and said softly, "Go."

She was a rational woman. Not wanting to make things harder for Thor, she chose not to express her longing or worry but instead offered quiet support.

It was exactly this understanding that made Thor, who had just confirmed their relationship and now had to leave Earth again, feel a twinge of guilt.

···························

After bidding farewell to Thor.

Clown Eren, who had raced back to Puens Town ahead of S.H.I.E.L.D. to collect all the fragments of the Destroyer into his Ring of Greed, quickly left the area.

Now that Thor had returned...

It wouldn't be long before Odin, the All-Father of Asgard, would completely "awaken."

As the one who had smashed the Destroyer's armor, Eren figured it was better to lie low for a while.

Who knew what Odin would do after waking up, especially if he found out Eren had wrecked the Destroyer and ruined his plans?

Clown Eren wasn't worried about retaliation.

He just didn't want the fragments he worked so hard to gather into the Ring of Greed to be taken back.

Although such a thing seemed unlikely, Eren never placed too much trust in either humanity—or godhood.

Having gone through all that trouble, Clown Eren certainly didn't want to see his hard-earned spoils snatched away.

So after leaving Puens Town, Eren activated a Real Illusion to cloak his presence and avoid being tracked by the Asgardian gatekeeper.

He then used his psychic field to alter the perception of airport staff, making them see him as one of their own.

Just like that, Eren casually strolled into the airport and boarded the fastest flight from New Mexico to New York.

Once on board, he headed straight for first class and took an empty seat.

As he sat down, two subtle psychic suggestions spread from him.

One altered the memory of staff who had seen him as airport personnel, making them think he was a first-class passenger.

The other gave off a strong mental suggestion: "Do not disturb."

These simple yet effective mental cues ensured no one would question or interrupt him.

Fortunately, first class wasn't fully booked this time—otherwise this plan wouldn't have worked so smoothly.

After arriving in New York at top speed—

Clown Eren exited the airport and blended into the crowd, eventually arriving at a coffee shop with a long line.

Above the shop's entrance hung a distinctive skull signboard carved with its name: Brook Café.

With its unique pirate-themed décor and signature "Pirate Specialty" drinks, the café was widely known. Every day, countless people lined up for a taste of this blend of coffee and liquor.

It was said that some even made special trips to New York just for a cup.

Among the bustling crowd—

Eren slipped inside the Brook Café unnoticed.

Ten minutes later—

He emerged with a cup of coffee in hand, looking visibly relieved, as if he had just dumped a heavy burden.

Understandably so. Clown Eren had raced here, fragments of the Destroyer still in the Ring of Greed, anxious to hand it over.

Because just moments ago—

He had seamlessly passed the ring full of fragments to his real body.

Now that the ring had been transferred, Eren no longer had anything to worry about.

As for his true self, Clown Eren trusted that he would handle everything properly.

······················

Ten minutes earlier.

Inside the Brook Café near New York Airport.

Eren sat across from Gwen, watching her savor the last spoonful of her pudding with a satisfied look. A soft smile played across his lips.

Catching that smile, Gwen's face immediately turned pink with bashful annoyance.

She angrily shoved a piece of strawberry shortcake from the table into Eren's mouth.

"Thanks. I was just about to eat that."

Eren finished the cake, took a final sip from his coffee cup, and glanced at the café's wall clock. "Looks like I'd better get you home, or Mr. George will be calling my phone."

"Dad wouldn't do that!"

Gwen defended George instinctively, then glanced at the darkening sky outside. "But yeah, we should probably head back. Dad said there've been a lot of murders at night lately. For our safety, he's even banned me and my brothers from going out after dark."

Eren nodded. "New York has been pretty chaotic lately. Even Chinatown's getting messy. I heard Iron Man—Tony Stark—was ambushed there last night. Because of that, a few of the councilmen in Chinatown have already held a meeting and decided to donate more funds to the police station so they can recruit more officers to keep the area safe…"

Tony Stark.

Hearing that name made Gwen's eyes light up. After hesitating a bit, curiosity got the better of her. "Can you tell me what happened? My dad said Tony Stark survived the attack only because he hid in your house."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it hiding. That guy nearly smashed down my front door. If the sound of police sirens hadn't scared him off, the headline today might've been 'Iron Man Found Dead,' not 'Iron Man Survives Attack.'"

"Really?"

Gwen blinked her big, bright eyes at Eren, clearly doubting that things were as simple as he made them sound.

Eren chuckled and leaned closer, whispering into her ear, "Of course, what I said was just for the cops. Truth is, I helped Tony Stark fight off that assassin. But let's keep that between us—I don't want your dad dragging me back to the station over it."

"Don't worry, I won't tell Dad."

Having seen Eren's abilities firsthand, Gwen didn't doubt him. Still, she looked a little concerned.

"But if that assassin comes after you for revenge, won't you be in danger?"

Seeing the worry in Gwen's eyes, Eren gave her a thumbs-up. "As expected of George's daughter—you're thinking just like him."

"To guard against revenge, George arranged a bunch of undercover officers around me."

He even sneakily pointed toward a direction outside the café, showing Gwen several plainclothes cops disguised as civilians.

"Ah!"

Following Eren's finger, Gwen spotted Uncle Damon Jones watching them from the crowd. Her expression froze, followed by a quiet gasp.

In that moment—

Her pale face flushed bright red.

She quickly raised her coffee cup to hide her embarrassment.

Oh no, oh no.

Why was Uncle Damon here?

"Wait, if he's here… that means he saw everything we just did!"

The thought of Damon watching her sweet moments with Eren made Gwen blush even harder.

Worse still—

If Damon saw it, her dad probably knew too.

He might even be lurking nearby, watching everything unfold.

Realizing her dad might have witnessed her date, Gwen felt like burying herself in a hole.

"That's why I said, if I don't take you home soon, George will be calling my phone."

Seeing Gwen's flustered face, Eren's eyes flashed with mischief.

That mischievous glint didn't escape Gwen's notice.

Annoyed, she pinched Eren hard in the waist.

"You think this is funny?!"

"Hissss…"

Eren winced from the pain and rubbed the sore spot Gwen twisted.

"Hey now, not my fault. When you dragged me here, I said today wasn't the best time. You insisted."

Still—

Gwen didn't believe for a second that Eren hadn't planned this. After all, they had plenty of time on the way to the café for him to explain.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Gwen turn her head away in mock anger, Eren apologized, "Sorry, Gwen. I mean it. Don't be mad. If your dad sees this, he'll think I bullied you."

"Hmph! Let him! Maybe he should give you a good beating."

Despite her words, Gwen picked up her book and stood to leave.

Though she wasn't afraid of her dad—and both George and Helen had practically accepted her relationship with Eren—

She was still embarrassed that their date had happened right under her dad's nose.

Seeing Gwen get up, Eren followed close behind and whispered, "This one doesn't count. Once your dad pulls back all these 'protectors,' I'll take you somewhere special. I've got a surprise for you."

Feeling the warmth of his breath tickle her ear, Gwen shot him a playful glare. "Is that so? Then I'll be waiting for your surprise."

As they passed the long line at the café—

In a moment of flickering shadows—

The Ring of Greed was silently slipped from Clown Eren into the palm of Eren's true self.

Without missing a beat, Eren continued walking out with Gwen.

Half an hour later—

At Gwen's home.

Helen, still recovering, had just finished preparing dinner.

Seeing Gwen return, Helen joked, "You were ten minutes away from missing my cooking. Then again, someone probably already filled up at Brook Café."

"Mom!"

Gwen glared at her dad, George, who pretended to be reading the paper.

George scratched his nose and said, "Hey, don't blame me. Damon called while your mom was standing right next to me."

He put down the paper and said seriously, "I don't want to interfere with your relationship, but it's best if you keep some distance from that kid for now. Until the lunatic who attacked Tony Stark is caught, staying close to him isn't exactly safe."

Helen looked confused. "What's going on?"

(End of Chapter)

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