"Oh～crap! It's glowing! This has got to be the dumbest bet I've ever agreed to! He actually put his own brother on the line like a gambler's stake—that's just horrifying—for any guy. My God..."
In the bathroom, Tony Stark stared into the mirror at the Gecko Restriction Technique Seal Markings shimmering faintly with Golden Radiance, muttering curses under his breath.
He truly hadn't expected this.
That Sorcerer Supreme had simply snapped his fingers once.
Just a tiny bit of golden light landed on his pants, and he ended up cursed like this!
True love!?
Could he really admit he was full of crap earlier?
He knew himself better than anyone else. His endless cash was why he could charm so many beautiful women into his bed!
If now, whenever it wasn't true love, he would experience excruciating pain...
Would he even have the chance to stay suave?
There was also an even more critical issue...
What if—what if it hurt when he faced Pepper?
Thoughts flashed through his mind one after another.
After hesitating for a long time, Tony Stark finally called Pepper Potts at Stark Tower.
"Hai～Pepper, I need to ask you a very important question."
"Tony, I'm in the middle of a crucial board meeting. Clean energy market promotion isn't going well, and I think you're aware of that. So, you've got one minute."
"...Do you love me?"
"Fifty-five seconds left."
"Hey～dear, I'm being serious. This is important. My brother has been taken hostage. If it's not true love, I'll suffer my whole life. This is literally a nightmare."
"Forty-five seconds left."
"...Can you come back to Marbella? Take Mark 6—I really need you here!"
"...Wait for me!"
Frantic footsteps echoed from the phone receiver.
When Pepper Potts heard Mark 6, she immediately knew Stark must've encountered trouble.
Even though she didn't fully understand what had happened, she nonetheless abandoned the important meeting without hesitation, rushed into the CEO office, put on the Mark armor, then blasted into the sky!
"Whew～"
Leaning against the wall of the restroom, Tony Stark gripped his phone tightly.
"Sir, there's an 87% probability Miss Potts will be furious once she finds out."
"And the remaining 13%?"
"She will be *exceptionally* angry, sir."
"Have I fallen for some kind of psychological suggestion? This is terrible! I can't believe I doubted Potts' feelings for me. I can't even imagine how I'd face things if such a situation really occurred..."
Tony splashed cold water from the sink onto his face carelessly.
That's how humans are. The more you care about someone or something, the more anxious and afraid of losing them you become.
He clearly understood how incredibly important Pepper Potts was to him—she'd already become irreplaceable—someone indispensable to his life!
Out of billions on Blue Planet, the only person he could fully trust was Potts.
"Sir, based on statistical analysis, the probability that you and Miss Potts truly love each other is as high as 75%."
"JARVIS, this isn't just a matter of probabilities. It's questioning human nature and making me doubt things I've always held as truths."
Tony Stark leaned against the wall, taking time to calm himself.
After forcibly pushing down his chaotic thoughts, he finally opened the bathroom door.
Tony saw Wong standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, hands behind his back, studying the party decorations. He couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh. Maybe total celibacy really does spare one from a lot of trouble.
"Woah... she's really sexy."
Wong murmured, his gaze fixed on the beautiful female agent descending from the helicopter.
"Aren't you supposed to be celibate?"
Tony's eyelid twitched. Had he misunderstood something?
"Celibacy is just part of my training. I'm actually engaged."
Wong turned to face Tony Stark with a slight smile on his lips, nodding slightly in greeting.
"..."
Tony felt completely deceived.
And when he walked over to Wong's side,
he spotted Natasha, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent who had just exited the helicopter, followed closely by Dr. Helen Cho, Dr. Wu Jiaqi, and Maria Hill. His entire body tensed up.
Though all incredibly attractive, these women also meant serious trouble—they were backed by S.H.I.E.L.D!
"JARVIS, is today exclusively for S.H.I.E.L.D agents?"
As Tony looked at the fully set-up party area outside the villa, he felt his problems piling up around him.
"Sir, the guest list for the party was compiled by Mr. Han."
A 3D projection materialized before Tony Stark.
Looking at the long list of names starting from Nick Fury and Phil Coulson downwards, Tony raised a hand to cover his forehead.
They really were all from S.H.I.E.L.D!
"While ordinary humans make technological advances, an extraplanetary threat continues to approach. The Sorcerer Supreme wishes to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D to deal with the looming catastrophe."
Mordo approached Tony Stark's side, explaining the significance of inviting S.H.I.E.L.D.
"An extraplanetary threat?"
"Yes. The Eye of Agamotto allows us to glimpse into the future."
Tony Stark opened his mouth slightly.
He just couldn't wrap his head around it. First he finds out Earth has secret wizards. Then they tell him aliens are coming next?
Was this still the same Blue Planet he knew?
Shoooooosh!
A sharp sonic boom tore through the clouds coming from the direction of New York.
Pepper Potts dove toward the helipad in her Mark 6 armor, cutting through the sky.
Spotting the S.H.I.E.L.D agents present at the scene,
her heart tightened.
Without hesitation, she made a beeline for Tony's location.
Spotting Tony running toward her with arms open, she instinctively mirrored him, embracing him tightly.
The Iron Man helmet slid back.
Unmindful of the eyes watching them, the two clung to each other and kissed passionately.
A moment later.
Tony Stark sighed deeply, his expression had never looked so relaxed before. He tightly embraced Pepper Potts, refusing to loosen his grip since stepping out of the armor.
"I'm sorry, dear."
"Hmm? You're not telling me you've got a kid?"
Pepper Potts heard the apology while feeling Tony's hand gently tracing her waist.
Her first instinct was that this troublemaker might've slipped back into old habits, getting into trouble with reckless flings somewhere else.
"No no no! You know me. Since I've been with you, I haven't messed around at all."
"...What happened?"
"Sorcerer Supreme. The biggest pearl in the world."
Tony didn't answer right away. Keeping an arm around Red Pepper's waist, he turned his head toward Kei Yamanaka, who leaned lazily against the rooftop railing like a spectator watching the scene unfold.
"Thank Pepper, otherwise you'd be doomed forever."
Kei Yamanaka shot Stark a look of disdain, then raised his hand and pulled out a smooth pearl—bigger than a human head—from the Primordial Realm. He sent it floating toward them using yuan energy.
Such an item would be priceless on Blue Planet.
But in the Ninja World, inside Shin—the summoned beast—there were stacks of pearls in its belly, countless in number.
Tony Stark held the ten-plus-pound pearl in both hands and knelt on one knee before Potts.
He wanted to explain everything that had gone down.
Despite struggling for so long, this infamous ladies' man could finally only manage one sentence.
"Virginia Pepper Potts... will you marry me?"
"Didn't I already answer that question a long time ago? I do."
Pepper Potts tilted her head, her flushed cheeks glowing with a bright smile. The world's largest pearl didn't matter much to her—but this man here had definitely captured her heart.
Still...
"May I call you Mr. Sorcerer Supreme?"
"By all means."
Kei Yamanaka watched as Red Pepper suddenly looked directly at him, inwardly sighing—she truly was an intelligent woman.
Even if she felt equally thrilled inside, she could still think rationally.
No wonder Stark had fallen hard for her.
"Might I ask what bet Tony made with you?"
"Just a minor spell. Think of it as a gift for the both of you. Hmm, let's say he won't ever get the chance to act recklessly again."
"...That's it?"
Pepper Potts' pupils instinctively narrowed slightly. She unconsciously recalled certain ancient Eastern practices known for their reputation.
No way... Right? If it were gone entirely, what would she even have left?
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