CHAPTER 27: CHAPTER 027: GWEN INVITES HIM TO THE PERFORMANCE! WANDA INVITES HIM TO THE FERRIS WHEEL!

Getting off work—what a beautiful thing.

Think about it. Once you’re off the clock, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Just eat, have fun, and then sleep.

But of course, that only works if no one bothers you in those last precious minutes before quitting time.

Lorien wasn’t so lucky.

Tony had left barely fifteen minutes ago when—

Creaaak~

The wooden door slowly swung open. Gwen stepped in, a green backpack slung over her shoulder, two drumsticks poking out of it. She only stuck her head in, peeking at Lorien.

The sight made him chuckle.

"Gwen, don’t tell me you’re here for a counseling session."

She shook her head.

"Not today. I’m here to invite you to our band’s music performance this afternoon!"

Music performance? Right—Gwen was still a drummer.

She shifted slightly, her tone turning shy.

"Lorien... would you like to come?"

A shy girl’s invitation—to Lorien, it was like the band had sounded the horn to charge.

"I can go, but..."

"But?" Gwen tensed up a little.

"But you’ll have to wait for me to get off work." Lorien glanced at his watch and smiled. "Less than ten minutes to go."

Gwen let out a small sigh of relief, though she still shot him a playful glare for teasing her.

A glare like that... had its own charm.

Lorien headed to the fridge, grabbed two bottles of iced milk tea, and handed one to Gwen before taking one for himself. Then he started tidying up.

By the time the clock struck five—

Click~

Lock the door. Clock out.

[Punch out successful!]

[Acquired: Phoenix Force Fragment x3!]

The reward message rang in his ears. Lorien’s face stayed neutral as he shut the door, but his mind was already turning rapidly.

The first time he’d clocked out, he’d only gotten a single fragment. Now, three at once?

Why? Was it because he was getting closer to the universe’s main timeline? Or closer to the key figures within it?

He’d think about that later.

The bigger question—just how many Phoenix Force fragments were there?

Lorien knew that in its complete state, the Phoenix Force could reach a power level spanning the super-multiverse, maybe even brushing against the omnipotent universe itself—enough to challenge the Living Tribunal outright.

But as fragments, its power was far more obscure.

First of all, how many pieces had it been split into?

He felt the shift in his body as the three new fragments were absorbed...

Lorien instantly used Purification to wipe away the lingering will of the Phoenix fragment. Then he felt the change.

With just one fragment before, his power had already surpassed the Elder God–level. Now, with three more, he had four in total. And at four fragments, Lorien could feel that the energy and state within him had crossed beyond Sky Father–level, pressing right up against the Universal–level!

What do Elder God–level, Sky Father–level, and Universal–level even mean? Thanos without any stones is Elder God–level. Odin is Sky Father–level. Universal–level? That’s when you possess—and have fully mastered—the power of the Infinity Stones. Or, you’re a member of the Celestials. Every single one of them is Universal–level.

Now, with four fragments, Lorien could already feel himself surpassing Sky Father–level! Especially in terms of energy control—he was sure he could wipe out the entire Earth in a single strike!

He took a moment to savor the powers the Phoenix Force now granted him.

"Telepathy, teleportation, infinite energy, mass-energy conversion, matter restructuring, void creation, creation, manipulation, destruction of all time and space, freezing space, freezing time, absorbing, converting, and releasing any form of energy... and more!"

Strong.

Very strong.

Unbelievably strong!

Once he was done feeling the surge in his abilities, Lorien followed Gwen downstairs to watch the band perform... As far as powers went, having enough was enough. Girls were still more appealing.

But just as Lorien stepped out of the elevator with Gwen—

"Ding~!"

The doors slid open. Lorien froze. Gwen froze too.

"Wanda?"

Hearing his voice, Wanda—who had been keeping her head down to avoid being noticed—suddenly looked up. Her eyes met Lorien’s, standing there in the elevator with Gwen.

Whatever the case, the two women stepped out first.

And Lorien’s eyes lit up at Wanda’s outfit today. She looked nothing like the plain, country-style girl from yesterday. Today she wore a knee-length pencil skirt, stockings with tall boots, and a dark red trench coat that fell to her calves. Her hair was styled up neatly, framing her sharp, mature features.

She was stunning.

If Gwen was fresh, lively, and sweet, then Wanda was rich, enticing, and overflowing with allure.

"Wanda, is this... you needing some counseling?"

"No." She shook her head, a touch nervous as she glanced down to check if her outfit was appropriate. Then she looked at the time.

"I know you get off work at five, so I wanted to come find you... and finish the Ferris wheel ride we didn’t finish last night."

When she said this, Wanda radiated a mature allure that made a man want to take a full taste.

As for Gwen standing beside Lorien? Ha. Just a little girl. Wanda didn’t spare her a thought. What were liveliness and cuteness compared to raw sensuality?

...

(80 Chapters Ahead)

p@treon com / PinkSnake