I Am Homelander

"Who?!"

Startled, Chris shot to his feet and turned to look behind him.

At some point, a shadow had appeared behind him, staring at him coldly from the darkness.

The dangerous aura radiating from the other person made him tremble with the terror of facing a natural predator.

"Haven't you been investigating me? Surely a reporter like you recognizes me?"

Eric stepped forward, emerging from the pitch-black shadows into the dim moonlight.

Under the faint glow, Chris saw Eric's face and staggered back in shock.

"Eric Kent?! How did you get in without—?!"

"Without triggering the alarm?"

Eric held up the infrared sensor in his hand and crushed it with a gentle squeeze.

"Unfortunately, something meant to stop petty thieves is completely useless against me."

Ignoring the reporter's guarded stance, Eric spoke casually. "I originally thought you were simply working for Lex Luthor. I never expected you to be an owl in disguise."

"W-What?"

Chris took another step back, pretending not to understand.

But the next second, a gust of wind brushed across his face.

By the time he reacted, his face felt cold!

He reached up and touched it, only to find that his owl mask was gone.

Looking up at Eric, he saw the mask resting in the other man's hand.

Ignoring Chris's stunned expression, Eric traced the patterns on the owl mask and said unhurriedly, "I once heard a nursery rhyme that circulated in Gotham City: Beware the Court of Owls, always watching where you go. They peer from the shadows over Gotham City, hidden between low walls and attic eaves."

"Legend says that several old and prominent families in the dark city of Gotham formed the Court of Owls. They used their power and influence to control the direction of Gotham's politics, ruling that city according to their own will, while using assassins called Talons to carry out murders and acts of terror."

After a brief pause, Eric continued, "I thought it was just an urban legend. Yet instead of meeting Gotham's owls, I ran into Metropolis's owls. What a surprise!"

"I-I don't understand what you're talking about!"

Chris continued to play dumb as he backed away.

When Eric had removed his mask before he could even react, Chris had realized that this man was absolutely dangerous—and far beyond his ability to fight.

All he could do now was stall for time and wait for an opportunity to escape.

"No, you understand perfectly well, Chris!"

Eric took another step forward. "I'm very interested in owls, you know? This morning, my father let an owl go from the barn, and here I am catching one. Isn't that interesting?"

"What do you want, Eric Kent?!"

Beads of sweat formed on Chris's forehead as he put on a fierce front. "You won't get anything from me."

"I will, Chris."

Eric took another step forward.

In his previous life, he had only heard that Gotham City had a Court of Owls, and that they had given Batman no small amount of trouble. He had never expected an Owl Council to exist in Metropolis as well!

Having found prey that interested him, he naturally would not let it slip away.

Leaving aside the wealth the Owl Council had accumulated during its decades—or even centuries—of lurking in Metropolis, the countless secret pieces of intelligence in their possession alone were worth making a move for.

As for the so-called Owl Council's resistance and retaliation, as long as he uprooted them completely, they would pose no threat whatsoever.

They were nothing but a bunch of scum anyway. If they died, they died. It would even help purify the air.

"Tell me the Owl Council's address and the identities of those owl-masked people, Chris. I'll let you go."

"In your dreams!"

Having backed up beside the cabinet, Chris roared and lunged at Eric.

He pulled a pair of weapons from the cabinet—similar to brass knuckles, but fitted with sharp dagger-like blades—and slipped them over his hands before attacking Eric.

The sharp Talons shrieked through the air.

Eric did not dodge Chris's attack. He simply raised his right hand and grabbed the Talons!

The razor-sharp weapons, capable of cutting through steel, were held firmly in Eric's grasp.

Then Eric's seemingly unhurried left fist struck Chris in the chest.

Bang!

It landed with a dull thud, like a fist hitting a sandbag.

Chris's eyes flew wide as if he had been struck by lightning, and his powerful body was sent flying like a cannonball.

His body slammed heavily into the cabinet, shattering the sturdy solid-wood furniture into pieces as splinters flew everywhere.

Chris lay on the floor, gasping for breath as red foam seeped from his mouth and nose.

"You monster!"

Struggling to rise, Chris cursed Eric even as blood spilled from his throat.

He had never witnessed strength and speed like Eric's!

His mask had been snatched away in an instant, and Eric's body was powerful enough to ignore his attacks.

It was all utterly beyond his understanding!

Even the legendary assassins of Gotham City's Court of Owls—the Talons—were far inferior to him.

A sudden terror rose within him. If Metropolis's Owl Council had caught this man's attention, they would surely face utter destruction!

Eric walked over and looked down at him from above, his gaze indifferent and his voice cold.

"So... will you surrender to the monster?"

"Never!"

Sizzle!

Lasers shot from Eric's eyes in an instant. The Heat Vision, carrying immense energy, pierced straight through Chris's heart and ended his life in a single moment.

"What happened?!"

"Were we hacked? Why has the communication been cut off?"

Unable to contact Chris, the gentlemen and ladies of the Owl Council could no longer maintain their dignified composure. They whispered among themselves in alarm.

"Quiet! Quiet!"

The black-robed figure serving as council chairman rapped on the table, signaling everyone to calm down.

After knocking on the table several times and finally silencing the crowd, he prepared to say something.

But the remote video call suddenly reconnected.

To the council's surprise, the person on the other end was no longer Chris, but someone whose face was obscured by shadow.

"Who are you? Where is Chris?"

"Dead."

Eric replied in a calm, slightly hoarse voice.

"You did this?!"

"Looks like it."

"You have no idea what kind of existence you've provoked!"

The council chairman's voice was thick with hatred and rage. "No matter where you flee, the owls will pursue you and watch you. Even in your bed, they will take your head!"

"Now, tell me your name, Divine Punisher!"

Eric shifted forward slightly, revealing the lower half of his face—his chin.

"I am Homelander."

Thanks to "Reader1455147117727412224" and Amazing Intuition for the rewards.

Thank you all for your monthly votes and recommendation votes.

Please keep voting. If you have some to spare, please support this newcomer. Thank you!