People weren't rational when they were furious.
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A person wasn't rational when they were furious.
There were exceptions, of course—battle-hardened veterans who might pretend to be taken in by your tricks, then catch you off guard and kill you when you let your guard down.
But Stormfront, that hundred-year-old, young-looking woman?
Ryan could tell you with absolute certainty: she wasn't one of those people.
So, after he abruptly exposed the truth that she was a bad woman, then dropped his disguise entirely to create the starkest possible contrast, and finally provoked her with his words while constantly deceiving her with his abilities,
the result was that he inflicted a debuff called "Furious" on Stormfront.
The battle grew even fiercer the moment he swooped down.
"Bang!"
A punch imbued with all of Ryan's Super Strength slammed into the bridge of Stormfront's nose.
The force of the blow only made her head jerk back.
The damage dealt by that all-out punch could only be called laughable.
But Ryan had expected exactly that.
With only Level 1 Super Strength, he thought he could get through Stormfront's defense?
He was dreaming.
In Ryan's opinion, Stormfront ranked among the top five in The Boys' power rankings.
"Damn you!!"
Furious, Stormfront retaliated with a punch without a second thought.
When she came at him with that punch, Ryan... wouldn't even dodge. He'd lose if he did.
His earlier test had already proved that his Level 4 Steel Body could withstand attacks boosted by Stormfront's Super Strength.
And that was exactly the result he wanted.
"Thump!"
When the punch landed on his face, Ryan even deliberately reduced his Steel Body's defense by half a level.
That hurt!
His face was definitely bruised.
But he'd taken it.
"Ha ha ha... Stormfront, is that all you've got? Are you tickling me?"
Before Stormfront could rush over, Ryan scrambled to his feet and taunted her again, charging back at her as he did.
"Ahhh!!! Die! Just die already!!"
The plasma current was overloading. The raging energy gathered with unprecedented intensity—not like the halfhearted attacks she'd started with.
It seemed Stormfront was so furious she'd lost her head and was ready to kill him, consequences be damned.
"You're going to kill me?"
Ryan wasn't the least bit afraid.
As he flew toward her, he spoke rapidly. "Everyone saw me carry you away. If you kill me, how are you going to explain it to my dad!"
"Uh..."
At his sharp question, the plasma current she'd unleashed with all her strength weakened at once.
That's right. Wasn't I supposed to capture him, then have Edgar find someone to alter his memories?
I can't kill him!
"You fell for it again, Stormfront."
Ryan plunged into the plasma current and threw himself at her.
By then, Stormfront's mind had already descended into chaos.
She was practically frozen, letting Ryan control her emotions—and her powers.
The energy attack driven by the plasma current had been cut in half, and it was still weakening. It was now well within the range Ryan could withstand.
So, as soon as he got close again, he activated Berserk!
All skills -1!
Only his originally Level 1 Heat Vision could increase in power without limit while Berserk was active.
In an instant, two short, thick crimson beams shot straight from Ryan's eyes.
At their endpoint stood Stormfront, nearly stunned senseless by his tricks.
At the same moment, Ryan—who'd been counting the seconds in his head from the start—pressed the button on his wristwatch.
The next moment...
"Boom!—"
A deafening energy explosion roared through the air.
"Ah... m-my arm..."
When the Level 4 Heat Vision explosion subsided, an arm was all that remained at the blast site.
A short distance away, Stormfront had half her body scorched by the searing heat. She clutched the place where her arm had been severed and knelt on the ground, wailing in agony.
"Ahhh... You really deserve to die, Ryan!!!"
Her eyes held hatred and venom, but above all, profound regret.
She regretted letting Ryan get inside her head. She regretted wavering during the fight. And most of all, she regretted...
Wait. What was Ryan trying to do now?
"Thud..."
Covered in minor injuries, with only a bruise near the corner of his eye, Ryan flopped onto the ground without hesitation.
Then he turned his head slightly toward Stormfront, who looked both shocked and afraid.
He gave her a meaningful smile, then instantly twisted his face into an expression of pain.
Right after that, he began rolling around and screaming, "Ahhh!"
"What are you—"
Boom—boom—
The terrifying sonic boom had only just sounded from the distant horizon, but the next instant, a mighty gale swept in with it and crashed down. No one had time to react, and Stormfront's unfinished words about his "scheming" were drowned out.
The Stars and Stripes Cape drifted down!
Stormfront stared blankly at the cape, which faced away from her.
The pain of her severed arm had been entirely blocked out by her terror-stricken body, which had left her speechless.
Homelander!
Why was he here?
Or, rather, how had things turned out like this?
Don't think about it anymore, whatever the reason!
Run!
Run!
"Dad!!"
Ryan called out to Homelander in a quivering, tearful voice, sounding utterly aggrieved.
That one cry of "Dad" jolted Stormfront back to her senses. Without another word, she redirected her plasma current and launched herself into the air under the force of the magnetic field.
But there was no way she could escape an enraged Homelander.
Before her body even left the ground, a terrifying hand crossed the distance in an instant and clamped around her throat.
Stormfront met those blood-red eyes.
"You hurt my Ryan, Stormfront. Where do you think you're going?"
"Homelander... No, it's not what you think. I... ngh!"
Homelander nodded with a vicious grin and tightened his grip, forcing every word of Stormfront's defense back down her throat.
Then he pulled her closer.
They were so close they could feel each other's breath.
"Not what I think?"
His other hand slowly reached for Stormfront's remaining arm. He grabbed it and gradually tightened his grip.
"Urghhh..."
Her muscles tore. Her Super Durability was as flimsy as a knockoff under Homelander's furious strength.
"Rip!"
He tore the arm right off Stormfront's body.
Blood sprayed like mist and rain.
Ryan closed his eyes—not because he was afraid to watch, nor because he couldn't bear it.
He felt no compassion for his enemy. He just wanted to use this moment to think through how to handle things afterward.
The Emotion Manipulator had affected Homelander's emotions. His deep affection and violent temper were only surface symptoms.
Seeing him torture Stormfront to vent his anger, despite me being right there, I could tell the effect on him ran deeper than I'd thought.
Changing the plan on set at the last minute had been the right call. At the final moment, I'd aimed the Berserk Heat Vision only at Stormfront's arm.
First, let Homelander vent some of his pent-up negative emotions through violence.
Then I'd be honest with him about some things. Once we returned to the set, whether my mother Becca and the others from The Boys had managed to evacuate or not, they wouldn't be in any danger anymore.
Besides...
Ryan opened his eyes, his gaze calm again after the battle's turmoil.
He looked at Homelander and thought, No matter what, I still have you, Dad.
Before you continue