Homelander was still reeling in confusion and alarm when the bald powerhouse suddenly appeared in front of him.
Then Luke calmly threw a punch at him.
Despite the panic rising inside him, Homelander still tried to block it.
He crossed his arms, swollen thick with blood-pumped muscle, in front of his chest.
Luke's fist struck Homelander's arm head-on.
Crack.
Homelander heard the sickening snap of bone.
His ability to withstand blows had improved enormously, but even his monstrous durability meant nothing against Baldy's punch.
Homelander's arm broke instantly, yet Luke's fist kept going.
It slammed into Homelander's chest.
In that instant, Homelander's body convulsed as though struck by lightning.
His eyes went wide, filled with despair and terror.
The punch broke the ribs across his chest and shattered the breastbone connecting them.
Its force still had not spent itself. It drove through his chest to his back and snapped his spine.
With catastrophic injuries tearing through him, Homelander hurtled backward.
The blow sent him clear out of the designated arena. From what the crystal ball showed, he flew another five or six kilometers before burying himself deep in the desert.
In Times Square, New York, the pedestrian streets were packed with people, yet not a sound could be heard. Spectators stared at one another beneath the enormous electronic screen.
At the Vought International viewing event in San Andreas City, tens of thousands of spectators fell briefly silent. Then some broke down and began sobbing on the spot.
Homelander, the towering figure the public had always looked up to, had lost before their eyes.
His condition beneath the sand was still unknown. Perhaps he could even keep fighting. But even viewers who knew nothing about Psychic Powers were certain he had lost.
The audience had expected an evenly matched fight. Now