Perhaps I'll Go to Hell, but Not Today

Gandy spat out a mouthful of blood and coughed violently before painfully pulling his hand free from the pile of rocks where it had been embedded.

He had just plowed across the ground, scooping up countless chunks of gravel from the open parking lot and piling them into a small mountain.

His entire body was now buried in that chaotic heap. After freeing his arm, he looked up at Homelander in midair.

Malice flowed through those spider eyes. Gandy roared and raised all four arms.

At once, every cable in the parking lot began to tremble. Manipulated by an invisible force, they rose from the trenches in the ground.

Then the cables snapped one after another, spitting sparks as they coiled toward Homelander in midair like tentacles.

Azu let out an "Oh." "So this is your superpower?"

"Controlling wires?"

"A little more interesting than the last one, at least."

As he spoke, he dodged cable after cable. This was where the agility of flight showed itself.

Azu effortlessly twisted through all kinds of movements, making it difficult for Gandy to catch him.

Gandy looked toward the surrounding cars. While maintaining the dancing cables, he directed a small number of them to wrap around nearby vehicles and repeatedly hurled them at Azu.

With that, Gandy's attacks became much more varied.

While avoiding the cables, Azu also had to deal with those cars.

Sometimes he smashed them aside with his fists, sometimes kicked them away, and sometimes sliced them apart with Laser Eyes.

Throughout it all, he even let out a few startled cries.

Maeve, temporarily unable to move on the ground, heard it and the corner of her mouth twitched. "That guy isn't serious at all. He's just toying with his opponent."

At that moment, Azu sliced another car apart with Laser Eyes. Behind the vehicle's halves as they flew apart to either side, a huge mass of cables swept in like blooming flower stamens, wrapping around Azu's feet, body, arms, neck, and head.

"Got you, you bastard!" Gandy shouted excitedly, controlling even more cables to coil around Homelander while making the ones already binding him discharge electricity into him.

In the blink of an eye, Azu was covered head to toe in cables. Even his head was wrapped tightly, turning him into a mummy.

The reporters cried out in alarm, while the police who had rushed over could do nothing at all.

Since it was being broadcast live, comments exploded across the online platforms.

'Oh my god, Homelander has been caught.'

'Serves him right. He should've taken the chance to finish off his opponent earlier.'

'Homelander, go die!'

'Go, Homelander! The man I like won't lose to that kind of monster!'

Just then, two red points of light lit up on the mummy's face in midair on the screen.

Then two scarlet beams shot through the air and swept across the ground, carving a Z-shaped path through the parking lot.

Boom!

Along the path cut by the Laser Eyes, clusters of dark crimson flames erupted in succession, blowing the cables wrapped around Homelander to pieces.

The number of comments suddenly surged.

'See? I told you this wouldn't be enough to stop Homelander.'

'Long live Homelander!'

'I'm so excited! I'm coming!'

'Damn it, when will the villain get to win for once? Mr. Monster, you need to keep going!'

'Why can't Homelander just die?!'

Amid all those different voices, the man who had broken free from the cables had already shot downward, crashed into the parking lot, and sent Spider-Man flying.

In the parking lot of Vought International Department Store, Gandy was rammed into the air. Before he could fall, Azu caught up and smashed him back down with another punch.

Azu descended after him and planted a foot on Gandy's chest. His eyes glowed faintly red as he said expressionlessly, "I'll ask you one last time."

"Who exactly are you people from Vought?"

Gandy spat bloody saliva at the man towering over him. "Go to hell, demon."

Azu gave a humorless chuckle. "Perhaps I'll go to hell, but not today."

Then he stopped wasting words and fired his Laser Eyes straight into Gandy's spider eyes.

Gandy immediately screamed. The skin on his head began glowing red from the inside out, every capillary illuminated.

His tissues were being destroyed, but his cells were also repairing themselves frantically. The process was agonizing, making him scream without end.

But several seconds later, as threads of dark crimson light seeped out from beneath Gandy's skin, his screams abruptly stopped. Then surging dark crimson flames burst from beneath his skin.

Boom!

Gandy's head exploded completely. His struggling body stopped moving, and his four arms hit the ground with a thud. Then his body, like paper burned to ash, turned into black powder and scattered into the wind.

You have perfectly resolved this incident.

This incident's disaster level assessment: E+

'Perfect' evaluation settlement reward: Dim Proficiency Essence ×48

New items have been added to your store.

Lines of information surged wildly across Azu's retina.

Azu could barely take it all in.

Laser Eyes +2: Proficiency 27/100

Self-Healing +1: 7/30

Flight +1: 28/30

Super Speed +1: Proficiency 22/30

Super Strength +1: Proficiency 26/30

Your 'Steel Body +1' proficiency is full.

It has now been upgraded to 'Steel Body +2'.

Steel Body +2: Body density +110%, physical impact resistance +70%, energy impact resistance +20%, immunity to 10% of physical damage

Your 'Insight' proficiency is full.

It has now been upgraded to 'Insight +1'.

Insight +1: Able to obtain more basic information.

Two Talents had leveled up.

Super Speed and Super Strength would also level up soon.

Most importantly, he had received 48 Proficiency Essence in one go.

Together with what he had before, he now had 93 Essence.

Aside from exchanging for one Gene Potion, he could use the rest to increase his talent proficiency.

Very good. This brought him another step closer to Superman.

Azu smiled in satisfaction, then flew out of the parking lot and hovered above the crowd.

The reporters and police all looked at Azu nervously. Finally, one reporter raised a microphone and asked, "Homelander, what happened to that monster?"

Azu extended one finger and pointed toward the sky. Then he flashed a white-toothed smile. "I've sent him to meet God."

Cheers immediately erupted from the crowd.

Then the camera flashes began going off nonstop. No one knew how much more film the reporters used up.

Azu did not stay long. After letting the reporters take their pictures, he waved and left.

He flew to Maeve, picked up the numb Queen in his arms, and shot into the sky with a whoosh, heading toward Seven Tower.

In midair, Azu glanced at Maeve in his arms. "Now, can we talk about our date tonight?"