"Oh? Really?"
Several meters away, Deep smiled as he asked.
"Of course it's true, although..."
As Starlight spoke, she turned around. She had wanted to say there were others too, especially Queen Maeve.
But when she turned and saw the sight before her, her mouth fell open, and she froze.
"What's wrong? Don't you admire me?"
Deep, wearing only his top, remained completely at ease as if nothing were wrong. With his hands on his hips, he spoke smugly.
"Oh, shit..."
Coming back to her senses, she was at a loss. Shocked and nauseated, she felt humiliated and hurried toward the exit as if fleeing the place.
"Hey, hey, no way. Are you really leaving already?"
When she reached the door, Deep's threatening voice came from behind her, his arms folded.
"Looks like... you don't really want to join The Seven!"
"What do you mean?"
Realizing she was being threatened into sleeping her way in, Starlight turned back angrily. Raising her hands, she immediately wanted to use her powers to teach Deep a lesson.
Sparks flickered across the screens in the room as electrical energy was drawn through the air and gathered around her.
Her powers allowed her to absorb light and electricity, then launch attacks.
"Whoa, whoa, calm down.
I know you might be strong, but you need to understand that I'm the number two in The Seven. Under Homelander, I'm the biggest shot. I have the authority to decide whether you stay or go!"
Deep raised his hands.
"Starlight went crazy, suffered a mental breakdown, attacked Deep of The Seven, and is unfit to be a superhero. What do you think of that reason for expelling you?"
Brimming with confidence, as if he held all the power and stood above everyone else, he spoke slowly with a hidden implication as he stepped closer.
"I heard you've wanted to be a superhero since you were little. Think about your mother who supported you. Think about the fans who love you. Are you really going to disappoint them?"
"I..."
Starlight's raised hands hesitated.
Her mother had sacrificed far too much to make her a superhero. She had worked since Starlight was young to support her path into this industry, enduring no small amount of hardship.
And there were also those fans who had silently encouraged and supported her even before she became famous.
"But... do I really have to submit to this disgusting bastard?"
She gritted her teeth and thought to herself.
"Relax. It's really not that difficult..."
Seeing her hesitate, Deep smiled confidently, certain of victory. He prepared to press his persuasion further. He was sure he could let this girl, who had dreamed of becoming a superhero since childhood, taste his Deep caviar.
Click!
Suddenly, the high-tech door slid open.
A figure slowly walked inside.
"Damn it, who let you in?!"
Seeing an unfamiliar outsider enter, Deep's imposing manner instantly collapsed. He hurriedly pulled up his pants and staggered backward, shouting angrily.
Though he was timid and submissive within the team, he still held some authority and status within Vought International.
"Justice drove me to come in."
Ron casually sat down beside the conference table, leaning back as his fingers lightly tapped the armrest, as though he were watching an entertaining farce.
"I couldn't stand watching some clown pretend he was impressive while trying to pressure a new team member into sleeping with him."
He spoke slowly.
"Oh, right. Did you know he's at the bottom of The Seven?"
As if remembering something, he looked at Starlight and exposed Deep's lie with a single sentence.
"What?"
Starlight was stunned.
"He's nothing but trash. Even Translucent outranks him."
Unlike Deep, whose bluster could be punctured with a single jab, Ron carried a faint aura of strength and confidence in every gesture.
"N-No, that's not true." Panic appeared on Deep's face. He wanted to argue, but he had already been exposed.
"You disgusting bastard!"
Thinking about how she had nearly been deceived and threatened by someone like him, Starlight angrily thrust both hands forward.
With a crackle, a powerful current shot through the air and blasted Deep away.
"Who told you that? Who the hell are you?!"
After being sent flying more than ten meters, Deep clutched his chest and struggled to his feet. His face was flushed, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he furiously questioned Ron.
Who? Who had leaked the secret that he ranked lowest in The Seven?!
That was not something anyone outside the team should have known.
"Me?
I'm the person here to inform you that you've been kicked out of The Seven."
"Kicked out? Impossible! Why?"
"Because I'm joining The Seven, and you need to make room for me."
Ron slowly explained the reason.
"Why should I?"
Deep's eyes widened, disbelief written all over his face. He had rendered service to the company. He had made money for the company. The company couldn't possibly replace him so casually.
"Where did you come from? I've never seen you in Vought's superhero files!"
Starlight, standing nearby, was somewhat confused. The Seven had only ever filled vacancies; no one had ever been replaced. Was this real?
Had Deep's attempt to pressure her into sleeping with him already been discovered? Was Vought International handling it this quickly?
"Because of this!"
Ron sat in the chair, expressionless, as crimson light flared in his eyes.
Sizzle!
Crimson laser beams scorched the air and tore through it at the speed of light.
"Ah, Home... Homelander!..."
The next second, Deep clutched his lower body, let out a shrill scream, and collapsed.
The all-too-familiar power made him instinctively cry out in an attempt to beg for mercy. But halfway through, he realized another person was using it. Soon afterward, pain swallowed his consciousness, along with the mental blow.
Like a shrimp being seared on an iron plate, he curled up and writhed painfully across the floor.
"Ah, it's gone! I can't feel it anymore! Aah, aah..."
It was a tragic sight that would sadden anyone who heard it and bring tears to anyone who saw it.
"Shut up. You're being a little too loud."
But Ron, utterly devoid of sympathy, snapped at him.
As if what had just happened had nothing to do with him, he coldly told Deep to shut up and stop screaming.
"H-He probably can't do that."
Starlight covered her mouth in panic. Even she, who despised Deep, felt that this was asking a bit too much. She shrank back slightly and said cautiously.
What male creature could endure that kind of pain?
"N-No... I... Aah!"
Fear filled his body and mind, but Deep was delirious from the agony and unable to bear it. He continued screaming nonstop.
Annoyed by the noise, Ron frowned as dark crimson light flared in his eyes once more.
Before you continue