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Chapter 28 - Chapter 28: Angels Won’t Watch Over You!

Herman was deeply invested in The Boys.

In his previous life, he had always wanted to be a director—even if that dream was more about indulging in questionable perks than artistic vision, it still counted as a director's dream. And now, bringing The Boys into the Marvel universe was an exciting prospect in its own right.

When the timing was right, Herman planned to dig Captain America, Steve Rogers, out of retirement to play Soldier Boy. A perfect "in-character" performance. The ratings would be explosive.

His focus on the [Fallen Director] mission was tied to more than just ambition—it was also because this was the very first identity he had acquired in the Marvel Universe. Truthfully, Bronze-tier rewards like physical enhancement no longer held much appeal for him.

So-called "significant enhancements"? Those only applied when compared to ordinary people. Ever since he had gained the [Raven Emissary] identity, Herman's physique had been strengthening steadily with each passing day.

It was as though his body was being reshaped into something new.

Where once he could casually lift a small car with one hand, now he could just as easily raise a heavy truck. His terrifying physical condition already rivaled most Asgardian gods. And still, his body continued to grow stronger, little by little, every day.

"I wonder if I'll ever reach the point where I can take on Thor, the God of Thunder," Herman mused one morning as he tested the limits of his ever-improving body.

Ordinary knives could no longer cut his skin—they shattered the moment they struck him. With such resilience, he was completely immune to small-caliber bullets.

"Another day of getting stronger while lying around."

The benefits of the [Raven Emissary] identity left him more than satisfied. That morning, after casually watching his stunning accountant Carrie demolish fifty burgers—a sight he had long since grown used to—he got to work. After all, releasing a TV series required a mountain of preparation.

Thankfully, most of the grunt work had been handled by Skye and Aunt May. All Herman really needed to do was sign papers and pretend to listen to Skye's reports. By the time he cleared away the backlog from the past few days, it was already past eight in the evening. But the next few days, at least, wouldn't demand his presence at the company.

That was the beauty of being the boss.

With The Boys still in post-production for its visual effects, Herman decided to use the downtime to complete another Bronze-level identity mission.

The reward for the [Bar Owner] identity was nothing to boast about, but visiting this bar that had fallen into his lap would at least make for a relaxing change of pace.

Half a month later, The Boys would be airing, and by then he'd be buried in work again.

"The Marvel Universe really is full of high-tech wonders. Never thought they could finish rendering the effects in just half a month. Back in my old world, that would've taken months."

Herman took a step forward. Ravens swirled beneath his feet, and in the blink of an eye he was transported to a deserted stretch of highway in the wilderness, far from surveillance or human eyes. Ever since gaining the [Raven Emissary] identity, he had hardly bothered with conventional transport. Even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s fighter jets couldn't match his speed.

"This should be the direction."

In the open wilds, Herman adjusted his bearings, then lifted off with Telekinesis. A thunderous sonic boom ripped across the sky as he shot upward.

Reaching supersonic speed in mere fractions of a second—this was something only possible through a power like Telekinesis, something far beyond the limits of science.

It could be said that his speed in flight was as fast as his thoughts. His current velocity already outpaced fighter jets, and the only reason he couldn't go faster was that his body wasn't yet able to endure the strain of even greater Telekinetic acceleration.

"This is incredible. Flying really is humanity's greatest dream."

After acquiring the [Bar Owner] identity, Herman had naturally learned the bar's location. Locking onto his destination, he tore across the night sky.

Fields of wheat buckled and flattened under the violent shockwaves trailing his supersonic flight. The distance from New York to Texas was just under three thousand kilometers, and Herman covered it in barely over ten minutes.

But because he had set out late, by the time he arrived, the moon was already hanging high above the Texas plains.

"Didn't they say this bar was always doing good business?"

Herman landed in front of the bar, sitting on a stretch of yellow sand beside the interstate highway. The rowdy scene he had imagined—a horde of bikers gathered at the entrance—was nowhere to be seen.

In fact, there wasn't even the faintest trace of a bar's usual liveliness. The place was dark inside, the atmosphere utterly dead.

So this was supposed to be biker paradise?

"Maybe it's just closed today."

Herman knew the bar was supposed to have a manager, though he wasn't sure what the current situation was. Just as he was about to call,

"Another pitiful human has come knocking."

A handsome young man in a black trench coat stepped out through the bar's doors, moving with the grace of an old-world noble.

Herman froze for a moment when he saw the young man's face.

"Mortal, tell me—are you also here in search of angels?" The youth lifted his hand, and from inside the bar, a corpse floated into his grasp.

It was a shriveled husk of a body, barely human in shape. On the withered arm was a tattoo of angel wings, an image that now seemed bitterly ironic.

Herman recognized it immediately.

It was the bartender from his own bar.

"Such a pity. Angels never spare a glance at your kind." The young man's mocking tone sharpened as his eyes suddenly turned pitch black.

Crack.

A bolt of lightning tore across the sky at that exact moment.

The flash illuminated the young man's pale face, revealing beneath it the faint outline of a twisted, monstrous visage.

The face of a demon.

"Now this is interesting."

Herman narrowed his eyes, staring at the Son of Mephisto standing before him.

...

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