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[email protected]/Heroicverse
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"Damn it… don't let those two get away."
Behind them, Botou and Sowande launched their attacks in a fit of rage, but their speed was far inferior to Impact's.
Before they could even react, Impact had already taken the heavily injured Falcon through the crowd and sprinted towards the outside of Eighth Avenue.
But just then.
A wall of black mist suddenly appeared out of thin air, instantly blocking their path.
Impact, who was running at high speed, had no time to react.
He and Falcon crashed into it head-on.
Bang, bang—
Their bodies were instantly bounced backward.
"You didn't think you could just leave here without paying any price, did you?"
An evil voice suddenly echoed from somewhere in the darkness.
Shou, with two demon horns on his head, stepped out of the darkness.
He raised his Hand and grabbed into the air, and Falcon, who was semi-conscious on the ground, flew up uncontrollably.
Shou's eyes suddenly glowed with an eerie crimson light, then he opened his mouth wide and inhaled deeply… streaks of soul essence and life force, invisible to the naked eye, were directly absorbed into his stomach.
Falcon's originally muscular body shriveled up in the blink of an eye, finally turning into a pile of ashes that scattered with the wind.
"Ah, how delicious are the souls of these super-powered individuals!"
Shou's face showed a look of intoxication.
Having been in Hell for thousands of years, he had almost forgotten when he last indulged in human souls.
Not being able to wantonly slaughter humans on Earth was the greatest sorrow for a Demon Lord like him.
And all of this was to blame on that damned Ancient One!
"Hey, hey, hey, am I seeing things? It's Daredevil. What's he doing? Is he… is he crazy?"
"I've said it before, these vigilantes are completely unreliable. Look, that Daredevil is actually in league with those ninjas!"
"What just happened? How did Falcon's body turn to ash?"
"Why do I feel like that person isn't Daredevil, but a real demon?"
This sudden scene instantly stunned the police officers and the public watching the live broadcast.
Although many people usually found this meddling Daredevil a headache.
They generally still categorized him as a street hero.
But now, not only was he colluding with The Hand ninjas who massacred police officers, he even "drained" a super-powered individual?
Such a drastic change was a bit hard to accept.
"Next, it's your turn."
Shou then turned his gaze to Impact, who, seeing that things were not looking good, immediately tried to use his super speed to escape backward.
"Trying to run? No way!"
Shou seemed to have anticipated this; almost the instant Impact made a move, he stomped his foot heavily on the ground.
Boom—
The ground of the entire block trembled.
Impact, who had not yet reached full speed, had just taken his first step when he was tripped by the suddenly shattered ground beneath his feet.
His body tumbled forward several times due to inertia, and then he was drained of his soul essence and life force by Shou in the same manner.
At the same time.
Not far away, the battle between Murakami and Black Noir had also come to an end.
Black Noir lay limply in a messy pile of rubble.
Both of his arms had been severed at the shoulders.
Blood flowed unceasingly from the wounds.
And his chest had been severely caved in during the previous battle.
"Now, let me see your true face beneath that mask, shall I?"
Murakami approached with a sinister grin, reaching out and forcefully pulling off the mask from Black Noir's head.
But then he first froze, then shook his head in disappointment.
"Are you kidding me? It's a black guy… Uh, Sowande, don't misunderstand, you're not like those black guys, we're brothers."
This scene utterly stunned everyone.
No one could have imagined that the superhero team, which everyone had placed high hopes on, would be utterly annihilated in such a short amount of time, without any suspense!
And Black Noir, a veteran member of The Seven, was actually taken down so easily by an unknown ninja leader?
Can you believe this shit?
It seems that besides Homelander, who is the main pillar, all the other superheroes created by Vought Corporation are truly so useless?
...
...
Vought Corporation.
"Damn it, a bunch of useless trash."
When CEO Stan Edgar saw his dispatched team of super-powered individuals completely wiped out from The Daily Bugle's live broadcast.
Even though his personality had always been as steady as an old dog, he almost lost his composure this time.
It's over.
It's all over.
It seemed that tomorrow, Vought Corporation's stock price would not only fail to rise but would also experience "yet another" major plunge.
But the most crucial point was.
This failure was bound to have an extremely detrimental Impact on his future plan to mass-market Temporary Compound V.
Because any discerning person could see that in this special showdown between "scientific power" and "supernatural power," the latter was clearly victorious!
Stan Edgar grimly picked up the phone and instructed his secretary: "Immediately inform Homelander to personally deal with those damned terrorists!!"
...
Meanwhile.
Homelander was currently in a small cabin on the outskirts of New York, lying on the lap of a middle-aged woman wearing black lace lingerie.
He was chatting and laughing while watching a boring TV show.
If any Vought Corporation employees or super-powered individuals were present at that moment, they would surely be dumbfounded.
Because this middle-aged woman was Madelyn Stillwell, the Senior Vice President of Vought Corporation's Hero Management Department, who had died unexpectedly at home a year ago (actually, she was killed by Homelander using his Cyclops to burn through her head).
However, it was clear that this Madelyn Stillwell was an imposter, mimicked by a shapeshifter under Homelander's orders.
Homelander, like an obedient child, lay on her lap, allowing her Hand to gently caress his hair and cheek, a pure smile gradually appearing at the corner of his mouth.
Yes.
Although this woman had once deceived him.
It was undeniable that.
Only this woman could make up for the long-lost "maternal love" in his heart!
And this unconventional, even pathological, pleasure allowed Homelander to temporarily escape from the cruel reality of repeated setbacks, relieving the pressure and anger in his heart.
So, even though Homelander knew that the person was a fake, a short and fat shapeshifter (male).
He still couldn't resist the urge, secretly meeting her again and again.
"Do you see? When people are repeatedly denied the respect they deserve, this is what happens…"
Homelander pointed to the classic revenge scene playing on TV and said empathetically, "God knows how much humiliation he endured!!"
Madelyn Stillwell, hearing this, comforted him thoughtfully: "John, everyone respects you, you are the true hero."
Encouraged, Homelander finally opened up, pouring out all the grievances that had accumulated in his heart for so long.
"It should have been me who dealt with those alien Invaders and saved New York, not that ridiculous Avengers…"
"It must be that bastard Stan Edgar, secretly sabotaging my application to the Department of Defense to go to war, just to suppress my popularity."
At this point.
Homelander suddenly sat up, continuing indignantly:
"The result, as you can see, is that those useless Avengers are now all celebrated superheroes, adored by the World.
And I am being suppressed within Vought Corporation; the board executives even want that bitch Starlight to take my place as co-Captain of The Seven… This is unfair!!"
"You're right."
A flicker of cunning, hard to detect, flashed in Madelyn Stillwell's eyes, and she immediately nodded in profound agreement:
"You are the most successful superhero Vought Corporation has ever created; you absolutely should not be treated differently like this…"
"In my eyes, even if all the other members of The Seven were added together, they wouldn't be as important as you alone. They only hold you back and leech off your popularity."
As she spoke, she gently pulled the somewhat calmed Homelander back onto her lap.
"Madelyn, you should understand, with matters concerning popularity like this, it's hard for me not to take it to heart."
Homelander deeply inhaled against her chest, steadied himself, and then looked at her familiar face, saying with a hint of nostalgia:
"Honestly, if you were still managing Vought Corporation, this situation would never have happened… As soon as anyone opposed our proposals, you would immediately make them fall back into line."
"My God, just dealing with that bastard Stan Edgar is giving me a headache, and lately I've even been experiencing auditory hallucinations because of it, can you believe that?!"
"I really miss you more and more… Madelyn!"
Madelyn Stillwell, however, smiled and shook her head, "No, John, that might not be a hallucination, but your truest thoughts."
"You actually don't need me to handle these trivial matters, because you are the strongest man in the entire World."
"Both The Seven and Vought Corporation rely on your prestige to continue to exist."
"If someone doesn't respect that, or doesn't respect you, then perhaps you should find a way to pull out those troublesome weeds…"
Homelander felt enlightened upon hearing this, but before he could say anything, his phone suddenly rang.
He pulled out his phone and saw it was from his balding assistant, Ashley Barrett.
"Mr. Homelander, it's bad, Black Noir was… killed during a mission!!"
After the call connected, Ashley Barrett eagerly gave a concise summary of what had just happened in Hell's Kitchen.
Homelander grimly hung up the phone, then grabbed the remote and switched to The Daily Bugle's paid channel.
He happened to see the scene where Murakami stepped on Black Noir's head, and a surge of anger immediately welled up in his heart.
One must know that in the entire Seven, Homelander only truly regarded Black Noir as a person.
This showed how deep their relationship was!
But just as Homelander got up, ready to rush to Hell's Kitchen and unleash a massacre, Madelyn Stillwell beside him grabbed his arm.
"John, don't rush, isn't this the perfect time to pull out those weeds?"
Then, she picked up a glass of milk from the table, dipped two fingers into it, and smiled seductively:
"My good boy, are you thirsty? Why don't you sit down first and let me tell you slowly…"
"I recently met a very wise sage; perhaps she can offer you some help with this matter!!"
Madelyn Stillwell's voice seemed to carry an indescribable magic, causing Homelander to stare at the glass of milk and involuntarily swallow.
Even the killing intent on his body had largely dissipated.
Ultimately, lust triumphed over anger and reason, and Homelander skillfully opened his mouth…
However.
From a perspective Homelander couldn't see.
On Madelyn Stillwell's forehead, a purple rune symbolizing Slaanesh was now flickering with a captivating, eerie light.
...
...
The scene returned to the outskirts of Hell's Kitchen.
"No one can stop me. Choose to surrender obediently, or face your doom!!"
Shou, now at the forefront, calmly spread his arms, his crimson eyes gleaming with an eerie light, as he faced the concentrated gunfire of the police officers.
Boom—
An unseen, eerie wave suddenly emanated from Shou, sweeping outwards in all directions like ripples on a lake.
And those police officers "touched" by this wave, as well as the onlookers craning their necks or taking photos with their phones on the opposite street, instantly became incredibly agitated, lunging at nearby pedestrians like rabid Beasts.
Only a very few strong-willed individuals could resist the contamination of this evil power emanating from Shou.
In an instant, the situation on site rapidly deteriorated, even reaching the brink of losing control.
"Damn it, everyone, find cover quickly! Just hold on a little longer, and the National Guard support unit will arrive…"
Sheriff Frank Castle, hiding behind a police car, fired at the Hand ninjas who were rushing forward again, while reminding two other uncorrupted police officers to stay hidden.
However.
Soon, the three of them became Sowande's prey.
Having failed to kill Impact earlier.
Sowande was now desperate to prove his worth to his boss.
"Hey, old man, we don't need a Commander here. You three are a bit too much in the way."
Sowande, like a heavy tank, ignored the bullets harmlessly hitting him and charged directly towards the police car where Sheriff Frank Castle and the two officers were hiding.
Bang—
Just at this critical moment.
A white figure, propelled by a web-swing, came soaring from the sky.
A powerful flying kick sent Sowande's mountain-like, muscular figure flying far away.
That's right, the person who arrived was Gwen!!