I have uploaded 20 advanced chapters on my Patreon for the readers. Go check them out and read them, and please don't forget to give this story a Powerstone and show your support.
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Here's my Patreon: "patreon.com/Hussain678" — 20 advanced chapters have been uploaded there.
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Watching the strange phenomenon unfolding in the sky, Tony and Steve couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Since Clark's battlefield with the Dark Elves was in outer space, among all the Avengers present, only Tony was capable of operating in space—and even then, his current Iron Man armor could only support short-term space activity.
So when Clark went to fight the Dark Elves, Tony and Steve could only remain on the ground, silently spreading oil. The oil, of course, was still soy sauce.
Thus, when they saw the Dark Elf warship disappear, Tony and the others immediately knew Clark had succeeded. After all, they had a fairly clear understanding of Clark's strength. That beam of light earlier was clearly one of his ultimate moves—its power seemingly without limit. So far, they had yet to see anything Clark couldn't destroy.
Moments later, as Tony and the others looked up at the sky, a blue portal opened beside them. Clark stepped out of it, still dressed in his Superman suit.
He glanced at the group still standing together and smiled.
"So? Pretty amazing, right? Took me less than ten minutes. By the way, Tony—did you take care of it?"
Although Clark didn't say it outright, Tony understood what he meant. He could only reply helplessly, "If I hadn't acted quickly, I probably wouldn't have convinced them by now."
"Alright. I guess there's nothing left to deal with here," Clark said. "I'll head home first. I've been away for a while."
He sighed lightly, genuinely surprised that the Dark Elf situation had been resolved so quickly.
Originally, he had thought the Dark Elves would first cause trouble in Asgard and then come to Earth like in the movie. Instead, they had gone straight to Earth from the very beginning.
After that, Clark even picked up the idea of hijacking video signals to threaten Earth from General Zod of the DC universe. This operation surprised Clark somewhat, because to him, it felt like being handed an entirely different life from far away.
Faced with the Dark Elves' "sincerity," Clark could only accept it awkwardly. This also meant that from the moment the Aether appeared to the Dark Elves' arrival, less than six hours had passed. It was the fastest plot progression Clark had ever experienced—so fast that he could still make it home for dinner.
"I'll head back too," Tony said after Clark left, saying goodbye to Steve and the others.
Before leaving, he added to Steve, "If you get the chance, you should check out our new Avengers base. There's a space corridor on the rooftop of Stark Tower that leads directly there."
After Tony and Clark departed, a rainbow bridge descended from the sky and landed before Steve.
Thor emerged from it, leading a small unit of nearly a hundred Asgardian soldiers.
"Steve," Thor said, "Heimdall told me he saw a Dark Elf ship appear near Earth. Where are Clark and the others?"
Since Thor had left early, he didn't yet know that Malekith had hijacked humanity's video signals.
The moment he heard Heimdall's warning, Thor immediately gathered a nearby patrol and rushed to Earth, hoping to stop the Dark Elves before they could cause any destruction.
"Uh…" Steve felt a little awkward answering. To be honest, he found the question somewhat absurd.
"Well," Natasha said calmly from beside him, stepping in, "you might be a bit late. The visit's already over. Clark and the others finished the fight and went home."
"The battle is already over?" Thor asked, clearly confused. He had rushed over the moment he received Heimdall's warning—how could it have ended already?
After hearing Natasha's words, Heimdall, far away in Asgard, gazed toward Earth's orbit and discovered that the Dark Elves' main warship was gone.
Even so, Heimdall didn't fully trust the explanation. The Dark Elves possessed technology advanced enough to evade even his sight. Still, he used his abilities to relay what he had seen to Thor.
Thor's first reaction was the same—he suspected the Dark Elf flagship had cloaked itself. But then he remembered Clark's seemingly limitless destructive power. There was no reason for Steve and the others to lie.
After a brief moment of thought, Thor turned to the two commanders behind him and said, "You return first. I still have things to take care of. Heimdall."
As Thor shouted toward the sky, another rainbow bridge descended, bypassing him and enveloping the hundred Asgardian soldiers who had remained behind.
After Heimdall sent the soldiers back, Thor looked at Steve and said with a smile, "Give my regards to your director."
Then Thor grabbed Mjolnir, spun it a few times, and flew toward Britain. Since Clark had likely already dealt with the Dark Elves, Thor had no intention of returning to Asgard just yet.
After all, going back might mean facing Odin's restrictions. It was far better to stay away and go see Jane and the others. Besides, Odin had countless affairs to manage—he probably wouldn't even notice if his son disappeared for a while.
Ever since meeting Jane, Thor had stopped caring about the throne of Asgard. His life seemed to have found a new meaning.
So without much hesitation, Thor flew toward London to find her.
After Thor left, Steve fell silent.
He had read Thor's files and knew exactly where he was headed—to London, to his girlfriend. Clark had gone home. Tony had gone home. Even Thor, a god not of Earth, had found a place to belong.
But what about him?
After sleeping for decades, his homeland no longer existed. His closest friend had died in the war. Now, Steve didn't even know where "home" was anymore.
Lost in thought, Steve remembered the date he had never finished.