In this aerial struggle, Homelander used every trick he had, his cape snapping loudly in the wind.
Yet in the end, it could not withstand such immense tension. With a rip, the cape tore apart, and Homelander, like a kite with its string cut, was flung away by inertia, tumbling through the air in utter disarray.
After steadying himself, he fled without looking back, his heart filled with an unprecedented sense of defeat.
When he landed firmly on an empty rooftop several blocks away, the surroundings were so quiet that only his heavy breathing and the roar of his heartbeat could be heard.
Here, far from the noise and battle, there was only himself, along with the pride and self-respect that cruel reality had shattered.
On the rooftop, dust danced softly in the dim light, as if mourning this fallen hero.
Homelander slowly crouched down, wrapping his arms tightly around his legs and curling up in the corner, as though he wanted to hide himself inside a shell no one knew of.
Tears silently slid down his resolute face, falling onto the cold rooftop and evaporating in an instant without leaving a trace.
These tears were not born of physical pain, but of the despair and helplessness deep within him—anger at his own powerlessness, fear of an unknown future.
He, Homelander, had once been this world's protector, the Superhero in countless people's hearts, a legend meticulously created by Vought Company.
His power could shake mountains and rivers, and his will was firm as a boulder, yet behind that strength hid an incomparably fragile heart.
Vought Company knew full well that if Homelander possessed an unbreakable personality, then with his power, the entire world would tremble before him. He might even threaten Vought Company's position of rule.
Therefore, they had deliberately