Fear Nova

"Let the youngsters handle this capture," Madelyn said.

Ashley's expression changed slightly.

"You mean you're sending out Fear Nova?"

Madelyn nodded.

It was time they got some real-world experience.

Lately, one inexplicable incident after another had given Madelyn a strong premonition.

The world was heading toward an unprecedented upheaval.

Madelyn still remembered the shock she had felt six months ago when she saw the frightening bruise on Homelander's arm.

Someone powerful enough to rival Homelander had appeared in this world.

Someone who might even surpass him entirely.

When Homelander recounted the incident, he repeatedly insisted that he had only been at a slight disadvantage because it was their first encounter and he hadn't understood the young man's Psychic Powers. But Madelyn knew people well enough to hear the trace of fear in his voice whenever he mentioned him.

On one occasion, she had also heard Starlight mention meeting a guy who was an utter freak, mentally and physically.

Starlight's physical resilience was already exceptional even among Espers.

If Starlight called his body freakish, just how tough was he?

The thought gave Madelyn a headache.

A few leaked products of genetic research wouldn't have been enough to alarm Vought International's executives. But every sign suggested that the drugs that had gotten out might already have created several terrifying monsters.

If they kept holding back now, the situation might deteriorate beyond repair before they committed all their resources to stopping it.

Sending Fear Nova out for experience now would also prepare them for the upheaval ahead.

Fear Nova was the name given to the thirteenth generation of the Supervillain Project.

That generation had produced only twelve Espers, far fewer than the previous ones.

The yield had been so low because most of the test subjects had failed to thrive during genetic modification.

Sixteen years earlier, the thirteenth generation of the Supervillain Project had officially begun with the executives' approval.

Unlike the previous twelve generations, Vought International had not intended to sell these modified Espers to evil organizations. It wanted to create a few "not-for-sale" assets, raise them at the base, and keep them in reserve for whatever the future might bring.

Researchers in the underground laboratory had injected two hundred infants with doses of gene-modifying drugs far above the norm.

Within days, they had lost more than half their test subjects.

Of those who remained, some were deemed defective as they grew, while others were eliminated in the vicious competition within the group.

In the end, only twelve survived.

Vought International named these twelve terrifyingly gifted youngsters Fear Nova.

They were still young, and their powers had yet to develop fully, but the strength they had shown was already enough to command the company's attention.

The company believed that some of them might one day rival Homelander.

It had already invested considerable effort in developing their potential as early as possible.

But nothing brought out a person's potential more effectively than actual combat.

The twelve members of Fear Nova knew one another too well. Fighting among themselves could no longer make them improve quickly.

They desperately needed real-world experience.

Now was the perfect opportunity.

Fear Nova made its dazzling debut.

For the first time in sixteen years, Hunt breathed fresh air from the outside world.

He stood at the edge of a rooftop, staring down at the magnificent building across the street.

The roof stood more than thirty meters above the ground. In the hazy night, bright moonlight spilled like a white ribbon across the busy street.

What a beautiful night.

Hunt's admiration was heartfelt.

Today, Hunt had experienced many firsts.

His first breath of fresh air from outside the base.

His first time admiring the night sky.

His first time waiting for someone.

He was waiting for a woman.

A woman named Mitarai Fubuki.

His mission was to bring Mitarai Fubuki back to the base.

Of course, he would have to defeat her first.

According to the intelligence department's files, she was an Esper too.

Hunt eagerly anticipated the fight ahead.

The latest information from the company's intelligence department placed her inside the building before him.

It was an upscale shopping mall.

Hunt had been waiting on the roof for a full two hours since receiving the message.

No matter how eager someone was for something, that enthusiasm would gradually wear away with time.

Hunt was growing restless.

If he hadn't been worried about causing unnecessary trouble, he would have rushed into the mall, knocked her out, and dragged her back.

Hunt understood what "shopping" meant. What he couldn't understand was how something so simple could take a full two hours.

Mitarai Fubuki was in a terrible mood today, and when she was in a terrible mood, she wanted to buy things.

She felt awful because she had heard on the TV news that Starlight had been chosen to join The Seven.

Once again, someone else had beaten her.

Mitarai Fubuki wanted to come first for once. She never had.

Her older Sister always outshone her and always treated her like a child.

Even though, judging by appearances, her Sister looked more like a child.

Her Sister looked and acted like a child, yet insisted on playing the adult whenever they were together.

Her Sister was almost obsessively protective of her.

Mitarai Fubuki found it exasperating.

She really didn't want her Sister treating her like a child. She wanted to prove herself.

She wanted her Sister to see that she didn't need protecting.

If she ever had the chance, she even wanted to protect her Sister for once.

Yet this time, too, she had failed to prove herself.

She had secretly signed up for the superhero selection without telling her Sister, hoping to give her a huge surprise. In the end, it hadn't worked out.

Perhaps even if she had made it into The Seven, her Sister wouldn't have considered it much of a surprise.

Besides, knowing how her Sister thought, she would say that as long as she was around, no one in the world could hurt Fubuki. So why try so hard?

But Mitarai Fubuki really didn't want to spend her whole life under her Sister's protection.

If it were my Sister, she definitely wouldn't lose to Starlight.

That was what Mitarai Fubuki thought.

The answer, of course, was yes.

In Fubuki's heart, Sister will always be number one.

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(End of chapter)