Did Homelander Lose?

# Chapter 43: Did Homelander... lose?

On the screen, on a lush, overgrown deserted island, two figures clashed fiercely at speeds too fast for the naked eye to track, everything around them being destroyed by the impact, like a natural disaster wreaking havoc.

Nearly a hundred square kilometers of the island had already been destroyed, large swaths of trees, rocks, and sea cliffs erased from the surface...

The land was scarred and battered, covered in deep trenches and massive craters, like a brutal battlefield that had been bombarded by tactical nuclear weapons.

"..."

Staring at the screen, even Edgar couldn't help but fall silent as he slowly rose from his seat, a faint tremor in his eyes.

Even he, who had always managed and controlled Vought International, had never seen anything like this.

No one had ever been able to fight Homelander to this extent, for this long.

Because Ron had shown abilities somewhat different from Homelander's, he had once doubted whether Ron truly possessed strength comparable to Homelander.

"But now... no more doubts. It's just... this isn't a good thing!"

He took a deep breath, his expression grave as he watched.

On the screen, facing Homelander, Ron seemed to have the upper hand, his speed more than a step ahead. Homelander was being knocked around like a punching bag, from the sky to the ground, only occasionally managing to land a counterattack.

"The destruction caused by their power has already exceeded that of a thirty-megaton hydrogen bomb!"

A technician analyzed it on the computer, his face turning pale with fear as he stammered.

"If this were happening in New York, conservative estimates would put the death toll at—millions already!"

The others watching the screen were also filled with terror, their teeth chattering.

They had been working and living in the same building as monsters with this kind of power every single day!

What difference was there between this and working while sitting on a nuclear bomb? It was even worse!

"At least... at least two nuclear bombs wouldn't start fighting each other just because they didn't like the look of each other!"

They thought in terror.

No matter how powerful the data on paper described it to be, it was just a string of dry words—how could it compare to the shock of actually witnessing the destruction caused by that power?

Madelyn's mouth was slightly open, her eyes filled with shock. She had never seen Homelander, who was always so compliant and even infatuated with her, be so terrifying, so horrifying.

Just a few days ago, Homelander had destroyed a plane carrying a mayor just to please her.

And then there was Ron...

"Homelander's punches land on him, but they can't even budge him. Instead, Homelander is often sent flying into the sky or buried underground by a single punch from Ron."

"A younger and even stronger Homelander!"

In the blink of an eye, over an hour had passed.

The two continued their fierce battle without a moment's pause.

"I am Homelander. I am the strongest."

Homelander roared viciously, swinging his fists as he flew forward to attack again and again. He had never felt so pathetic and powerless.

After all this fighting, he hadn't even managed to harm a single hair on Ron's head.

"No one can compare to me!"

Chi!

Dodging an attack, his eyes lit up, and he activated his heat vision once more—a ray capable of cutting through any substance on Earth, shooting forward!

"It's useless. How many times have you tried already?"

In the sky, Ron's eyes lit up like two miniature crimson suns, emitting rays of his own.

The two beams collided, sparking bursts of energy, vaporizing everything.

"I've seen through your abilities long ago. They have a limit. You're just putting up a front, pretending it's easy!"

Roaring loudly, Homelander's face twisted in rage, his teeth clenched as he poured all his strength into his heat vision.

Though he said that, after realizing Ron's unique ability to absorb various forms of energy and become immune to damage, he had been trying to overload Ron.

But Ron's ability to absorb energy was like a bottomless abyss, like a massive black hole, with no limit!

It made him feel powerless, and he couldn't control his explosive rage.

"Is that so?

Then why don't you try it?"

Ron sneered, pouring even more power into his energy beam.

Every ability has its limits. In truth, during their rapid combat, there had been a few times when Homelander came close to reaching the limit of Ron's energy absorption.

But each time, Ron quickly released the accumulated energy, turning danger into safety.

If Homelander had been a bit faster, if his attacks had landed quicker and more frequently, Ron would have been in danger.

"Too bad there's no 'if'..."

Fssss!

Two beams of light collided, radiating waves of scorching heat that set the island ablaze.

At the collision point, the energy output was so rapid that it couldn't annihilate itself in time, accumulating into a massive energy sphere that swelled larger and larger.

Finally, after dozens of seconds, the energy sphere, several meters in radius, seemed to reach some kind of limit.

Boom! Boom!

An earth-shattering explosion rang out, unleashing endless light and heat.

It was as if a sun had suddenly leaped into midair!

The very heavens and earth seemed to shake.

A pitch-black crater appeared at the island's center. The poor, desolate island, unable to withstand the ravages of their power, was left completely barren—every trace of the surface obliterated!

A massive shockwave swept across dozens of miles, sending both of them flying.

They tumbled through the air several times before steadying themselves mid-flight.

"Still want to fight?"

Ron and Homelander hovered in midair, staring at each other from a distance. Their gazes seemed to spark and grate against one another as Ron asked indifferently.

"You think I'm afraid of you?!"

Homelander's face was dark and grim. He clenched his fists and spoke through gritted teeth, but he made no further move. His hair was a mess, his face covered in dust, his clothes tattered—he looked like a vagrant on the street, never having been so disheveled.

"Heh..."

Seeing through his bluff, Ron clasped his hands behind his back and let out a cold laugh. Without another word, he vanished with a boom.

Neither could overcome the other. Ron had no confidence he could kill Homelander, and continuing the fight was pointless. Through their clash, he had verified one thing—Homelander's greatest strength was indeed his defense!

Though Ron had landed more hits on Homelander, the worst injury the man had sustained so far was some slight redness and swelling in a few places.

But comparatively, Homelander had even less confidence than him.

Ron's long, effortless blocking and catching of his attacks was truly disheartening and exhausting. After fighting this long, even a mountain should have been shattered and leveled, yet it had no effect on Ron at all.

"Damn it..."

After Ron left, Homelander remained suspended in midair, his face so dark it seemed ready to drip water. He stayed motionless for a long time before finally breaking the sound barrier repeatedly, leaving a deafening roar in his wake as he turned and sped away!

"It's over..."

Inside the office.

With the conclusion of their battle, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"Did Homelander... lose?"

Suddenly, a hesitant voice broke the silence of the office.

They exchanged glances: "Well... it seems so. At the very least, Homelander didn't win."

This battle seemed inconclusive; both still had the strength to continue fighting.

But in their eyes, Ron's hair wasn't even mussed, while Homelander had been beaten into that state. It was hard to say Homelander had won.

"Enough. You may leave. Go sign a confidentiality agreement. No one speaks of today's events!"

Madelyn's face still bore traces of shock. She stopped them from discussing it further and ordered them to sign the agreement. Though it was impossible for this not to become known—the whole world would likely be stirred up by it—the details could not be leaked.

Once the technicians had left, she quickly turned to Edgar.

"Sir, what do we do now?"

Would Homelander think the company created Ron and resent them, spiraling out of control?

And what about Ron?

He was younger, but his strength was in no way inferior to Homelander's. The company still hadn't found a way to firmly control him!

Panicked by the destructive power she had witnessed, Madelyn couldn't help but feel even more terrified.

Edgar, who was always calm and composed about everything, slowly sat back down in his office chair. His face expressionless, his eyes thoughtful, he spoke with certainty.

"Given Homelander's temperament, he won't."

"He didn't before, when his arrogance was at its peak, and he certainly won't now that his pride in being unique and above all others has been shattered by Ron."

Unlike Homelander, whom he knew like the back of his hand, Edgar fell into a long silence when it came to Ron.

"As for Ron..."