Zero's bullets might have been deadly to ordinary people, but in front of Erik they were almost useless. Every piece of metal he fired became another weapon under Erik's control. Because of that, Ryan didn't worry about Erik at all.
Instead, his attention stayed fixed on Sabretooth.
The mutant's crushed skull was already beginning to repair itself. Bones shifted back into place, and the torn flesh rapidly closed as if time itself were reversing.
Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly.
Sabretooth's regenerative ability really was troublesome. Simply beating him unconscious wouldn't solve anything. With enough time, the man would just stand up again.
Ryan had no interest in standing here all night trading punches with a monster that refused to stay down.
He scanned the ground around him.
A moment later, his gaze landed on two table knives lying in the dirt. Erik had used them earlier to stab Sabretooth, and the mutant had tossed them aside once he healed.
Ryan walked over calmly and picked one up.
He weighed the knife in his hand.
Sabretooth could regenerate flesh and bone, but Ryan doubted he could recover from losing his head entirely. Sabretooth wasn't like Deadpool—he couldn't grow a new body from scattered pieces.
The only real question was the knife itself.
Would it be sharp enough?
Ryan tested the balance lightly in his grip.
Hopefully this thing can cut more than garlic.
Unfortunately, he didn't have time to test it.
Behind him, Sabretooth suddenly rose again.
The mutant's injuries had completely vanished. His eyes burned with feral rage, and the blood smeared across his face made him look like a demon crawling out of hell.
Without a word, he lunged toward Ryan again.
Ryan moved instantly.
His body shifted sideways at blinding speed, slipping past Sabretooth's attack as if the two existed in different worlds.
In the same motion, Ryan stepped beside him.
The knife flashed.
CLANG.
A cold glint sliced through the air.
SHHK.
Sabretooth's head separated cleanly from his body.
For a moment, the scene seemed unreal.
Blood erupted from the neck like a fountain, spraying high into the night air. Sabretooth's headless body stumbled forward several steps before collapsing heavily onto the ground.
Meanwhile, his severed head traced a slow arc through the air.
It landed dozens of meters away in the grass and rolled like a discarded ball before finally coming to rest.
The amusement park fell completely silent.
"You… you killed Victor."
Bradley stared blankly at the corpse.
The shock in his voice was obvious.
During their years working together, he had seen firsthand how terrifying Sabretooth truly was. That man had been a walking nightmare—unstoppable, relentless, almost impossible to kill.
Yet now he had been defeated so easily.
And by a young man who looked more like a college student than a warrior.
Ryan shrugged slightly.
"Well," he said casually, "if he can't grow a new head, then I'm guessing he's dead."
A dull thud sounded nearby.
Erik had finished his own battle.
Zero lay on the ground with several bullet wounds in his chest—ironically caused by the same bullets he had fired earlier. His eyes were wide open as he stared blankly at the sky.
Moments later, his breathing stopped.
Now he had joined his partner.
Good teammates stayed together, after all.
—
At the same moment, Ryan heard a familiar notification in his mind.
[Mission Completed]
[Reward: 100 Origin Points]
More text appeared immediately afterward.
[Origin Points are the source of the host's growth. They can be used to advance the Homelander template, enhance attributes, or unlock and upgrade abilities.]
Ryan absorbed the information quickly.
In simple terms, Origin Points were the currency of his evolution.
They could increase the progress of the Homelander template. They could strengthen physical attributes like speed or strength. They could even unlock entirely new abilities.
Every improvement he would ever make depended on Origin Points.
Ryan smiled faintly.
So this is how the system works.
—
"Ryan, I have to admit," Erik said as he walked over, "I didn't expect you to be this brutal."
He looked down at Sabretooth's headless corpse and spread his hands slightly.
Ryan shrugged again.
"The blood spray looked worse than it actually was," he replied calmly. "Honestly, I think he died pretty peacefully."
He wasn't exaggerating.
The speed of Ryan's strike had been so fast that the blade passed through flesh and bone instantly. Sabretooth's brain probably hadn't even registered what happened before his head was already flying through the air.
With his regenerative vitality, Sabretooth might have even experienced a brief moment of flight before everything went dark.
Erik studied Ryan carefully.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
This time his tone was serious.
The earlier joking had been intentional. Killing someone for the first time could leave a psychological impact on anyone, especially someone as young as Ryan.
Ryan shook his head.
"I'm fine."
It was the truth.
Despite the fact that this was technically the first time he had killed someone in both of his lives, he didn't feel much emotional disturbance.
Even he found that a little surprising.
"If you ever want to talk about it," Erik said quietly, "you can come to me."
He gave Ryan a firm pat on the shoulder before turning toward Bradley.
"Now," Erik said, "who exactly were those two?"
Bradley's expression had grown very serious.
"Man… I think you're in trouble."
Erik raised an eyebrow.
"What kind of trouble?"
Bradley hesitated for a moment before answering.
"The one with claws was Victor. The other guy was called Zero."
He took a breath.
"They belong to a very secret organization. Extremely secret. And extremely dangerous."
"What organization?" Erik demanded.
His voice suddenly sharpened like a blade.
Bradley felt a chill run down his spine.
This man had suddenly become terrifying.
"I asked what organization!" Erik snapped as he grabbed Bradley's collar. "Is it Shaw?"
According to Erik's current intelligence, the only organized mutant force he knew about was Sebastian Shaw's Hellfire Club.
"Shaw?" Bradley said in confusion. "Who the hell is Shaw?"
"Stop playing games with me," Erik growled. "Tell me if it's Shaw!"
"I've never heard of that name!" Bradley shouted back. "Let go of me!"
"You're lying."
"Erik."
Ryan stepped forward.
"Calm down."
Erik glanced at him.
"I don't think he's lying," Ryan said.
This wasn't just a guess.
Ryan knew exactly what organization Bradley was talking about.
It wasn't the Hellfire Club.
It was Stryker's program.
Erik stared at Bradley for another moment before finally releasing him.
"He'd better not be," Erik muttered.
Bradley straightened his clothes and rubbed his neck.
"If I were you," he said seriously, "I'd get out of here as fast as possible. The faster the better."
He had heard rumors.
Sabretooth had been hunting former members of their unit—mutants who had walked away from Stryker's operations.
Strictly speaking, these two strangers had just saved his life.
Erik grabbed Bradley's arm without hesitation.
"You're coming with us."
Before Bradley could protest, Erik was already dragging him toward the car parked outside the amusement park.