"Alright!"
"I agree to both of you becoming my daughter's godfathers."
Tony spoke earnestly to Karl and Thor after hearing their teasing.
Then his expression became more serious.
"Karl… about everything that happened before…"
"I'm sorry."
"I just—"
Tony paused briefly.
"Thank you for saving Pepper and my child."
He bowed deeply toward Karl.
Karl simply shook his head with a faint smile.
"Alright, Tony."
"There's no need to dwell on the past."
Then he asked casually:
"Have you decided on a name for the little girl yet?"
Karl already had a guess.
According to his memory—
Tony's daughter should be named Morgan Stark.
Tony immediately nodded proudly.
"Of course!"
"I once had a dream where Pepper gave birth to a boy."
"I named him Morgan Stark in the dream."
"So even if it's a girl…"
"She'll still be called Morgan Stark!"
Karl and Thor exchanged glances.
Then both of them rolled their eyes simultaneously.
At that moment—
A baby's cry suddenly came from the garden.
Tony's entire body stiffened.
He looked toward the garden entrance in shock.
But he didn't rush inside.
Instead, he waited anxiously.
Karl and the others also turned their attention toward the garden.
Soon afterward—
Frigga walked out.
Pepper followed behind her.
And in Frigga's arms—
Was a newborn baby.
Because Pepper's body had been enhanced by the super-gene serum, she did not suffer the extreme weakness that normally followed childbirth.
Even so, Karl casually tossed a sphere of green energy toward her.
It was the power of the Horse Talisman, ensuring her body would recover completely.
Pepper nodded gratefully toward Karl.
Tony rushed forward immediately.
He hugged Pepper tightly.
Then he carefully took his newborn daughter into his arms.
His eyes were full of disbelief and happiness.
After staying in Asgard for several days, the group finally prepared to return to Earth.
Karl and Thor also decided to accompany them.
After all—
Dormammu had dared to curse their goddaughter.
That matter had not yet been settled.
Thor had already reached the Sub-Celestial level.
Furthermore, as the King of Asgard, he could draw upon the divine power of Asgard itself.
With those combined powers, he could barely contend with a Celestial-level opponent.
Soon afterward—
Thor summoned the Bifröst.
A brilliant seven-colored beam descended from the sky.
The group vanished from Asgard and traveled toward Earth.
Moments later—
The rainbow bridge appeared above Tony's hidden valley residence.
However—
The scene outside shocked them.
The entire area outside the valley was filled with people.
They were world leaders and high-ranking government officials.
Ever since Tony had left Earth, the planet had been attacked again by Dormammu's forces.
Dark energy had spread across large portions of the world.
Even mutants were now fighting desperately against the invading dark creatures.
The sorcerers of Kamar-Taj had suffered heavy losses.
Even Stephen Strange had been severely injured and had fallen unconscious.
Only the Eastern regions of Earth still possessed stable defenses.
That was because a mysterious figure known as the Frost Goddess had appeared there.
She had successfully blocked the spread of dark energy into the East.
However—
She could only contain the corruption.
She could not eliminate it.
As for the Western nations—
They were already on the verge of collapse.
Now the world's leaders had gathered outside Tony's residence.
Their only hope was that Tony might bring help from Asgard.
When Tony had left for Asgard, many had already lost hope.
Yet they still waited.
Then—
WHOOSH!
The Bifröst appeared.
Tony stepped out first.
Pepper followed beside him.
Thor emerged next, holding Stormbreaker.
Karl appeared last.
He was holding a chubby baby in his arms.
Black Phoenix, Yan, and the others were happily playing with the baby beside him.
The baby in Karl's arms was none other than little Morgan Stark.
The moment the world leaders saw Tony appear, they rushed toward him.
"Mr. Tony Stark!"
"Earth is being swallowed by dark energy!"
"Do you have any solution?!"
"Yes, Mr. Stark!"
"Large portions of the planet have already been corrupted!"
"Mutants, superheroes, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents are desperately holding back the invasion!"
"If this continues, humanity will be wiped out!"
Tony hadn't even had time to ask why they were there.
Now he was completely stunned.
How long had he been gone?
And Earth was already on the brink of destruction?
At that moment, J.A.R.V.I.S. transmitted all relevant information from the past few days directly into Tony's system.
After processing the data, Tony finally understood the situation.
However—
He remained calm.
Because Karl was standing behind him.
Suddenly the world leaders noticed Karl.
"Mr. Karl!"
"Mr. Karl!"
"Mr. Karl!"
They rushed toward him in excitement.
"We beg you to save Earth!"
"If this continues, the planet will be completely devoured by dark energy!"
"The corrupted regions have already become lifeless wastelands!"
Hearing their pleas, Karl frowned slightly.
Then he extended his perception across the planet.
His expression changed.
Half of Earth had already been corrupted by dark energy.
Even the three Sanctums of Kamar-Taj could no longer be sensed clearly.
Karl immediately handed little Morgan to Pepper.
The moment Morgan left his arms, she pouted unhappily.
She looked at Karl with a dissatisfied expression.
Pepper could only smile helplessly and comfort her.
During the past few days, everyone had noticed something unusual.
Little Morgan seemed to like Karl far more than anyone else.
Sometimes she would crawl straight out of Pepper's arms and reach toward Karl.
Tony had been completely baffled by this.
If she wasn't close to her father, maybe that could happen.
But she wasn't even especially attached to Pepper.
Instead—
She preferred Karl.
Tony had been jealous for quite a while because of this.
Eventually he could only sigh helplessly.
Only a few days after her birth, everyone noticed something else.
Morgan was not an ordinary baby.
She rarely cried.
She could understand simple conversations.
And—
She could already crawl.
She was only a few days old.
Perhaps it was because both Tony and Pepper had been enhanced by the super-gene serum.
Combined with the effects of Dormammu's earlier curse and Karl's cleansing—
Little Morgan had become something extraordinary.
Tony and Pepper were overjoyed.
They proudly declared that their daughter was a natural genius.
At that moment—
Karl disappeared from the spot.
...
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.