"This is where I wanted to bring you, my Seven Tower!"
Homelander's voice brimmed with pride, as though the letters spelling "Vought International" didn't actually exist.
"What do you think, son? Isn't she beautiful?"
"Come on, I'll show you around. You'll love it here."
Ryan didn't move.
He seemed distracted. After a moment of hesitation, he blurted out, "Dad, you didn't hurt Mom, did you?"
Homelander froze.
Ryan was actually ninety-nine percent sure Homelander would never hurt his mother, Becca.
A little over a month together had been long enough for the lessons Ryan had drilled into Homelander to leave a deep impression.
Becca mattered a great deal to him!
If Homelander really loved Ryan as much as he seemed to, then he would care about how Ryan felt.
"Haha, I—I'd never hurt your mother."
"Our relationship isn't that great right now, but I'm the superhero Homelander, right, son?"
"Yeah."
Ryan thought, Good thing Homelander hasn't turned evil yet. Otherwise, I wouldn't be confident enough to pull this off.
If Ryan suddenly suggested going out for a flight, even an idiot would know something was up.
That was also why Homelander had come over right away.
Then Ryan asked, his mood sinking again, "Dad, Mom said you're a bad person?"
"Do you believe her, son?"
"I—I don't know. But I know you're my dad, and you've always been so good to me. I don't want to leave you."
Ryan blinked, his eyes reddening slightly.
His acting was as convincing as ever.
He looked at Homelander. "You'll always be good to me, right? If you do something bad, I'll stop you!"
"Oh, son..."
Homelander called out, deeply moved.
Ryan flew over and hugged him of his own accord. "Dad, I'd never call that scary stranger I don't even know my father."
"I only have one dad, and that's you!"
Homelander was so moved he nearly cried.
He wrapped his arms around the small body in front of him, their blood bond reaching its peak in that moment.
He scoffed at what Butcher had just told him—that Ryan wasn't cut from the same cloth, that they would go their separate ways.
Ryan was my son.
As long as I kept treating him well, he would never leave me.
"Yaaawn..."
Ryan yawned. "Dad, I—I'm a little sleepy."
In this world, every glamorous, idolized superhero had been created using Compound V developed by Vought Group.
Vought International controlled the birth, packaging, and promotion of supes, turning them into idols worshipped by the masses.
Of the hundreds upon hundreds of superhumans, only the seven with the greatest power, the highest popularity, and the strongest public support received the company's full backing, forming the world's most high-profile team of elite heroes.
—The Seven.
The skyscraper where Ryan had fallen fast asleep served as Vought International's headquarters. From the 82nd floor all the way to the top, the 99th floor, the building belonged to The Seven.
It was their exclusive base.
It was also the stage where they made public appearances, carried out missions, and cultivated their heroic images.
And it was a cage where these top idols lived—eating, drinking, and sleeping—schemed, endured Homelander's daily workplace bullying, and indulged their repressed desires.
The Seven's original, complete lineup consisted of Homelander, Queen Maeve, The Deep, Black Noir, Mr. Marathon, Translucent, and Lamplighter.
The original lineup remained in place for years, but the balance was shattered when A-Train, the team's first Black hero, replaced Mr. Marathon.
The next member to leave was Lamplighter.
During a mission, Lamplighter accidentally burned alive the two grandchildren of Grace Mallory, a former deputy director of the CIA.
Though Vought International managed to suppress the scandal, which could have sparked a major political disaster for the company, it claimed publicly that Lamplighter had retired voluntarily for personal reasons.
At the same time Lamplighter left The Seven, Vought launched another nationwide talent search, a years-long affair resembling a reality show.
The goal wasn't just to divert the attention of the higher-ups. By hyping the selection of a new candidate, the company could boost its stock value once more—and throw its political allies a few favors along the way.
In the end, the supe Annie January, known as Starlight, emerged victorious and took Lamplighter's place as the newest member of The Seven.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Just as Starlight joined The Seven, A-Train got into trouble again.
He had injected himself with Compound V without authorization, causing his powers to go out of control. He then ran into Hughie's girlfriend and killed her.
Hughie joined Billy Butcher's group, The Boys. After a series of unfortunate coincidences, the unlucky Translucent ended up taking the fall and getting killed.
Once again, there was an open spot on the team.
This time, however, Vought didn't hold another talent search. Instead, Stan Edgar, the company's real power broker, intervened forcefully and parachuted in a superhero no one had heard of.
A century-old Nazi—Stormfront, born Klara Risinger.
She was fiercely ambitious and held extreme racist beliefs to her core. She was even more cold-blooded and shameless than Homelander.
Aside from her secret deal with Stan Edgar, she joined The Seven with the aim of controlling Homelander, then gradually taking over the whole world and realizing her Nazi ambitions.
Stormfront was a very capable woman. She knew that if she obeyed Homelander like the others, she'd be nothing but a new toy to him.
He'd get bored with her in time, then toss her aside.
So as soon as she joined the team, she immediately made her forceful style clear.
She laid bare her toughness, strength, and cold-bloodedness in front of Homelander, letting him know she wasn't someone to mess with.
After that, she would gradually reveal her antisocial personality, extreme self-centeredness, and contempt for ordinary people, working to create the illusion that they were alike and ultimately win Homelander over completely.
Ryan arrived at an opportune moment. Stormfront's first move had gone very smoothly.
After losing the spotlight, being pushed out of the public eye, and watching his popularity plummet, Homelander found himself feeling a strange mix of jealousy and grievance.
At the same time, he was intensely curious about Stormfront and secretly admired her.
How could she manipulate the public so completely? Why did the masses cheer her on even when she swore like a sailor? Why...
There were so many things Homelander couldn't understand. It wasn't his style—but doing things her way looked so satisfying!
Who knew how many times he'd wanted to call those assholes a bunch of idiots in front of everyone, instead of saying, "You're the real heroes," when he didn't know how to respond.
Who knew how many times he'd forcibly snuffed out his Heat Vision just before it erupted, instead of destroying everything in his path.
Who knew...
Homelander slumped back onto the couch, holding a tablet that played footage of him accidentally killing civilians in the Middle East.
The screen also showed the public's condemnation and a graph of his approval rating among voters plummeting.
Frustration, hatred, helplessness.
"What should I do, Madelyn?"
He thought of Madelyn, who had been like a mother to him. But who could advise him now and clean up after him, instead of making him face all the criticism alone?
"Knock, knock—Homelander, it's Stormfront. I'm coming in!"
"Wait—"
Before Homelander could refuse, Stormfront had already shoved the door open and barged in.
At that moment, Ryan, woken by the noise, wandered sleepily out of the bedroom in a little pair of pajamas printed with Homelander's face. "Dad, what's all the noise about?"
Before you continue