Ever since Vought International's headquarters, that symbol of sin and power, had been melted into the earth by Pero.
The entire world had fallen into an eerie calm.
Pero paid it no mind. He stayed comfortably in his luxurious suburban villa, enjoying the most leisurely days of his two lifetimes.
Every day, he played games, basked in the sun, and waited for the system's lengthy teleportation cooldown to end.
That day, he was sitting on the couch, wholly focused on working his controller.
The door opened, and Homelander entered the living room, pushing a wheelchair.
Sitting in the wheelchair was Soldier Boy, all four limbs encased in heavy casts. His once-arrogant face now wore a numb expression, as though he had nothing left to live for.
Behind Homelander followed Ryan, the little boy with clear eyes who was curious about everything.
Pero looked away from the game screen and casually glanced at the "three generations" before him.
He knew full well that, of those two old bastards, Soldier Boy and Homelander, one was stuck in the last century, while the other's mind was twisted to the extreme. Their thinking had long since become set in stone. Getting them to truly change would be as hard as reaching the heavens.
His gaze finally settled on Ryan.
Only this child was still young and purehearted. Under his mother Becca's guidance, he still held the purest aspirations toward the term "superhero."
Fortunately, his unreliable father and grandfather had not led him completely astray.
"John," Pero spoke first, breaking the silence. "I'll be leaving soon. I've had enough fun in this world. Time to move on to the next."
Homelander's towering frame shuddered, and his pupils abruptly contracted.
So this day had come after all...
He forcibly suppressed his disappointment and managed a smile.