Waves

The wind howled in from the horizon. Homelander held nothing back, shooting toward Ryan like an arrow.

Ryan did not dodge.

He stared blankly at his hands.

Ever since he had taken Compound V, his heart had been pounding, and power from some unknown source had surged through his body.

Even now, as he hung motionless in the sky, he felt as though he could do anything. It was strange.

That was why Ryan stood there in a daze. When he had seen A-Train use Compound V, the boost to his powers had only shaved a fraction of a second off his time.

For Ryan, it felt as though the potential within his body was being unlocked bit by bit.

Meanwhile, Homelander saw that Ryan neither dodged nor fought back, so he threw a punch.

Homelander had never been one to show mercy. He put the force of his charge through the air into a full-strength blow.

It struck Ryan square in the forehead.

A punch from the strongest supe in the world could turn a building into a block of tofu. The plane that had just escaped would have fared no better than paper.

Ordinarily, hitting a person would have blown their head apart and scattered a fine red rain across the sky.

But Homelander stared in shock. There was only a little red on Ryan's forehead. His own fist, on the other hand, throbbed faintly.

Before he could make sense of it, Ryan looked at him over his fist.

Ryan's voice carried through the air.

"Even a mosquito draws blood when it bites. What are you doing?"

Homelander wanted to snap back, but the moment he opened his mouth, he saw Ryan swing.

The punch was blindingly fast. He saw it coming but could not dodge.

Under the cool moonlight, the blow sent Homelander plummeting. Like a crashing plane, he dropped at an angle through the clouds.

As he fell, Homelander felt like a seabird with a broken wing. His ears rang as they never had before.

He lay on his back in midair, looking up at the figure standing beside the moon.

My son has grown this strong.

Ryan was surprised too. He had known Compound V would enhance his powers, but he had never expected this much.

Hovering with the bright moon behind him, Ryan stared at the falling Homelander.

"Oh, right. I'm still fighting him. How did I get distracted?"

Muttering to himself, Ryan finally came to his senses. As for why Compound V had given him such a boost, he had a guess.

This body carried Black Noir's bloodline, which was actually stronger than Homelander's.

Compound V had stimulated it and brought that strength to the surface.

High above, Ryan flew toward Homelander.

He pierced the clouds in pursuit of the falling man.

He dived toward the boundless sea below.

Waves rose and fell, their sound reaching into the sky. Somewhere in those waters, a whale's song echoed.

Ryan was not one to show mercy either. He caught up with Homelander and struck his falling body again.

The blow drove him deep into the sea.

Bubbles surfaced amid waves thrown up by the impact, all lit by the moon.

Ryan hovered over the ocean and pushed his hair back from his forehead. The splash had soaked him.

Salt water ran down his cheeks, but he paid it no mind. He watched the surface.

The water was murky. From above, it was hard to see what lay beneath.

But Ryan had X-Ray Vision. He looked around.

He spotted Homelander shooting up from underwater. The instant he broke the surface, red lasers burst from his eyes.

Ryan neither dodged nor flinched. He grinned.

"I can do that too."

As he spoke, ocean-blue beams shot from his eyes.

The beams met in midair, and Homelander's were forced back.

Ryan's beams drove on until they reached Homelander's eyelids.

"Aaaagh!"

The scream drowned out the whale song and the sound of the waves.

Ryan cut off his beams. Homelander clapped both hands over his eyes.

The lasers had burned them so badly that not even a drop of red remained. The searing pain made his whole body tremble.

After a fight like this, Ryan knew how strong he was.

He slowly flew above Homelander and looked down at the man hailed as the strongest supe in the world, now defeated by him.

"It's over."

Still covering his eyes, Homelander raised his head toward the voice.

"Ryan."

"I'm sorry. I can't control my powers very well yet. You must hate yourself for losing, and hate me for beating you."

In an arena, the winner could afford to shake hands and make peace. The loser could only bury his envy and resentment.

After taking such a beating, Homelander probably wanted to kill him.

And that was not all. Ryan rubbed his head. A strange urge cried out from deep inside him.

Kill him before he strikes again.

It was the violent impulse brought on by Compound V's side effects.

Ryan kept his thoughts to himself. He did not want his emotions to control him; staying rational would help him handle things better.

So he suppressed the bloodlust rising within him and watched Homelander.

Homelander's cries of pain had stopped. He said Ryan's name again.

His expression softened into a smile, pain and joy mingling on his face.

He spoke gently.

"Ryan, I'm proud of you. You've surpassed me. This sky doesn't need two people who can fly. From now on, wear my stars-and-stripes cape and protect this land. I love you, my son."

"You sound like you're giving your last words."

"I am."

Homelander nodded and spread his arms toward the moon above the sea. It shone as brightly as ever.

The parts of his eyes burned by Ryan's Laser Eyes had already begun to heal.

But Homelander no longer seemed interested in fighting.

He looked dejected.

"This cold moonlight is perfect for seeing me off. Do it, Ryan. Step over my corpse and move forward."

"Forward to where?"

"I've always faced the moon. I hope you'll face the sun."

"Oh, give me a break."

Ryan sighed, at a loss for words.

He had never planned to kill Homelander. Besides, he could feel the Compound V wearing off.

That overwhelming sense of power was fading with it.

The violent impulse was fading too. Ryan felt calm now.

He flew over to Homelander.

"Need a hand?"

"As long as you don't mind what I just—"

"What did you do before you came here?"

"Do you want the details?"

"Suddenly, no."

The sea grew calm again. Above it, one flying man took the other by the arm and helped him toward land.

Ryan breathed in the sea air and looked up. Through his X-Ray Vision, he could see a plane near the horizon—the one Homelander had intended to burn.

It flew steadily through the moonlight.

Ryan murmured to himself.

"I'll be a hero, but I won't let my interests suffer either."