Chapter 227
The Ancient One's appearance completely disrupted Eren's previous plans.
Even though he had used the Philosopher's Stone obtained from her to trade for a space-locking anchor, that clearly wasn't enough to deal with her.
He had to increase his odds of survival.
Like…
Sending his clone off Earth.
Thanks to the Twin Talent—
As long as either he or his clone survived, Eren could continuously resurrect.
That was exactly why he had spent a massive amount of Fate Points to obtain the Twin Talent in the first place.
Originally, Eren had planned for his clone to take over part of Kingpin's forces and gradually turn them into his own loyal troops, forming a power base that truly belonged to him.
As for their loyalty—
With his mental cultivation having reached the Meditation Realm, Eren wasn't too worried.
In addition, Dr. Banner's recent research had reached a promising stage. Once the final experiment succeeded, a universally effective healing serum could be produced.
Once that serum was released, as long as the clone could establish distribution channels, wealth, influence, and connections would start to snowball rapidly.
By that point—
His clone's progress would massively benefit Eren himself as well.
But now, that plan had to change.
Right now, Earth's mystic realm was effectively under the control of the Sorcerer Supreme.
Even entire mythological systems—like Asgard—had been driven off the planet by that lineage.
Of course, many secret compromises and backroom deals were involved in all that.
Otherwise, Odin's daughter—Hela, the Goddess of Death—wouldn't still be sealed on Earth?
Still—
All of this only proved how powerful the Ancient One truly was.
In such a situation, Eren wouldn't dare to put all his eggs in one basket.
If, one day, he clashed with the Ancient One and she killed both him and his clone—
Then he'd be truly and permanently dead.
So—
Sending his clone off the planet was absolutely necessary.
With that thought—
Eren relayed his decision to his clone through the Twin Talent.
·············
Hell's Kitchen
The Melbourne Tower, barely half a year old, was still brightly lit.
At 5 a.m.—
Rugged, imposing men in suits and ties bustled about the building with surprising urgency.
At the top floor—
Joker Eren stood in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the city of New York in the pre-dawn hours.
"What a shame. I was ready to go all-in… now I have to flee like a dog."
After receiving the message from the original—
Joker Eren turned and glanced around his newly finished luxury office with regret.
"Damn it… all that work on the decor, and now it's the original who gets to enjoy it. If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered."
The Melbourne Tower had been one of the assets Joker Eren inherited from Kingpin.
After taking over his forces, the building immediately caught his eye. He renamed it Miracle Tower.
Following Bucky's advice, he installed the latest high-end security system from Stark Industries. He also poured a fortune into converting three underground floors into a laboratory for Dr. Banner.
He even stationed elite guards to patrol the building 24/7.
Naturally—
Joker Eren didn't forget to treat himself. He had persuaded a top designer to create a luxurious office suite just for him.
Yes—
The entire top floor was Joker Eren's personal office.
But he'd barely had time to enjoy it before being forced to evacuate.
He really wanted to curse.
Still—
Once the original told him that the Ancient One had returned, Joker Eren had already decided to leave New York.
After all, he'd impersonated a Kamar-Taj sorcerer not long ago. If the Ancient One found out, he'd be in serious trouble.
Originally, he had just planned to avoid her for a while by leaving the city. Now, it meant leaving Earth entirely.
"But leaving Earth right now… that's not going to be easy."
As he frowned—
Dark clouds suddenly gathered over Hell's Kitchen, rumbling with thunder and lightning.
From within those clouds—
Brilliant seven-colored light began to flicker.
At the same time—
From the 32nd floor, Joker Eren sensed a massive energy surge forming above Miracle Tower.
"This fluctuation… don't tell me…"
His brow twitched as he recognized the aura.
That rainbow light and familiar energy fluctuation—it had to be the Bifrost from Asgard.
But hadn't Thor already smashed that thing?
Wait—
With all the changes to the timeline, maybe the Bifrost hadn't been destroyed yet.
As Eren stood there in brief confusion—
A rainbow streak tore through the sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye before it could even light up the New York night.
············
A few minutes later—
Thor appeared before him, clad in his Asgardian robes.
Joker Eren sighed and pulled an unopened bottle of vodka from the fridge.
Before he could even offer it—
Thor, already intoxicated by the scent, grabbed the massive glass and took a giant swig.
Draining half the bottle in one go, his eyes lit up from the explosive, fiery sensation.
"Ha! That's strong!"
Without hesitation, he downed the rest.
Joker Eren gave him a thumbs-up. "Damn. I've never seen anyone drink vodka like that."
Thor, already more friendly after the drink, chuckled.
"Heh. Now you have."
He raised his empty glass, winked at Eren, and helped himself to another vodka from the fridge.
With a spark of lightning, he popped the cap and drank straight from the bottle, though more slowly this time.
Joker Eren poured himself some bourbon, then asked curiously, "So why are you here? And how did you even find me?"
BUURP
Thor burped and replied, "My friend, I came to invite you to drink in Asgard. You've treated me to Midgard's best—so I couldn't fall behind."
"I prepared a great feast in the palace days ago, planning to invite you. But somehow, Heimdall couldn't find you. Just today, his magic eye finally caught a glimpse—so I rushed right over."
He placed a massive arm around Joker Eren and grinned:
"Heh, relax. I even invited a group of Asgardian ladies this time. I promise you won't be disappointed."
With a wink, Thor added a sly smile.
Joker Eren immediately remembered what he'd told Thor during their parting—the whole "I only hug beautiful women" thing.
A casual excuse back then—
But Thor had clearly taken it to heart.
Because now, he genuinely saw Eren as a friend.
After hearing Thor's words, Joker Eren's eyes gleamed with a strange light.
This was… just like getting a pillow right as you were about to nap.
He had just been thinking about how to get off Earth—and here Thor was, inviting him to Asgard.
Was that… luck?
Absolutely.
Just moments ago—
Because Eren had purified a trace of power from an Outer God beyond this world, the mysterious green pillar of light connecting Marvel's world to him had fluctuated violently.
It was that fluctuation that allowed Heimdall—who shouldn't have been able to see him—to suddenly catch his trace.
Which led to everything that followed.
Of course—
Joker Eren was completely unaware of that.
············
"Is that so? Well, I'm looking forward to it."
Already planning to leave Earth and escape the Ancient One's attention, Eren had no reason to say no.
He agreed without hesitation.
And even put on a deliberately excited expression.
Seeing that, Thor flashed a knowing "bro-to-bro" smile.
"I knew you'd agree. In that case, let's head out right now. I still need to pick up Jane from Mexico."
With that, he raised his hammer.
"Hold up."
Joker Eren immediately stopped the eager Thor.
Pulling a golden pocket watch from his coat, he asked:
"It's five in the morning. Most people are still asleep. Are you sure you want to wake a lady at this hour?"
Uh—
Thor froze on the spot.
Even his hammer lowered slightly.
Waking a lady from her sleep was rude anywhere.
Asgard's time was different from Earth's.
That's why Thor, freshly Bifrosted in, hadn't realized how late it was here.
Only now, thanks to Eren, did he realize it wasn't the best time to visit Jane.
Seeing Thor's awkward look, Joker Eren added, "Besides, before I leave, I should say goodbye to my friends. If I disappear without a word, they'll think I vanished."
"I don't want to see my face in tomorrow's 'Missing Person' section."
With a lighthearted joke, Thor eased up.
Taking another sip, he replied:
"Alright, you're right. Not a great time."
"Exactly. And the ladies will need time to do their hair, and I need time to say goodbye."
Eren pointed to the fridge. "Help yourself. I've got some excellent booze in there. I'll go say my goodbyes."
"Of course."
···························
After informing Thor—
Eren stepped into the private elevator and pressed B3.
Descending swiftly—
He arrived at the third basement floor of Miracle Tower.
As the doors opened, he saw Bucky—fully geared up—guarding the elevator, alongside Dr. Banner in a white lab coat.
They looked like they had been about to come up.
Upon seeing Eren, Bucky lowered his SMG and approached.
"You alright? I felt a huge energy surge hit the rooftop. Banner and I were just about to check when you came down."
Eren shook his head. "Nah, not trouble. Remember the Asgardian I told you about? Thor. He's here. Invited me to drink in Asgard—and I agreed."
"Asgard? Thor?"
Dr. Banner blinked. "You mean the guy whose blood sample you—"
Before he could finish, Joker Eren flashed over and slapped a hand over Banner's mouth, cutting him off.
"Ahem. Dr. Banner, some things are better kept unsaid. These folks' ears are sharper than ours."
(End of Chapter)
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