Recaps

Starlight helped Hughie’s group escape the CIA black site, then agreed to spar with Solomon the next day. Solomon learned that Ashley had become Vought’s vice president and that Vought planned to publicly make him the new Translucent, a development he strongly disliked.

• Starlight knocked out the guards around Hughie and the others, helping them escape the CIA black site, then returned to Vought Tower without telling Solomon about her betrayal.
• Solomon invited Starlight to spar the next day, and she confidently agreed to meet him in the training room.
• Solomon adapted to his enhanced vision and planned to use the sparring match to obtain Starlight’s power and explore flight.
• Ashley told Solomon that Madelyn had died and that she had become vice president, thanking him for helping her keep her position at Vought.
• Ashley announced that Vought’s bill had passed and that The Seven had to attend a celebration that night.
• Ashley told Solomon that Vought would announce him as the new Translucent and build a public brand around him, leaving him alarmed by the prospect of increased exposure.

Solomon sparred with Starlight to test her strength, discovering that her blasts had limited damage but that she was far tougher than expected. Starlight unleashed a massive close-range attack while Solomon held her down, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Ashley gave Solomon a USB drive containing updated Supe information before leaving to meet Homelander.
• Solomon met Starlight at the elevator, and they went to the training grounds for their sparring match.
• Starlight destroyed much of the training room’s electrical equipment with a wide-area blast that knocked Solomon into a wall.
• Solomon dodged Starlight’s next blast, punched her abdomen, and found that she could withstand the hit and counterattack.
• Solomon caught Starlight’s arm, threw her to the floor, and pinned her by the neck.
• Starlight intensified the electricity in the room and unleashed a level-three surge of light energy at Solomon’s head.

Solomon defeated Starlight after she exhausted the electricity in the training ground and lost access to her powers. He acquired Electricity Conversion and Control, learning that Starlight absorbed electricity and converted it into light energy, and left her unconscious on the floor.

• Starlight used powerful light blasts that knocked Solomon back but failed to injure him, while the attacks burned out the training ground's electrical equipment.
• Starlight ran out of electricity and could no longer use her ability, so Solomon struck her until she surrendered.
• Solomon reminded Starlight that the match ended only when she was unconscious, then choked her out.
• Solomon acquired Starlight's Electricity Conversion and Control ability and read that it absorbed external electricity and converted it into controllable light energy.
• Solomon examined his stat increases and reflected that Starlight had never learned to store electricity, leaving her powers dependent on her surroundings.

After defeating Starlight, Solomon explained the weaknesses in how she used her powers and suggested she store electricity in her body. Starlight thanked him, then asked whether the Seven were really the heroes Vought advertised, leaving their conversation focused on her disillusionment with the team.

• Starlight woke after Solomon had knocked her unconscious and admitted she had underestimated his strength.
• Solomon told Starlight her defenses were stronger than expected, but her crude and limited offense was weaker than he had imagined.
• Starlight explained that the training room’s power outage had weakened her light attacks, and Solomon suggested she store electricity inside her body for later use.
• Starlight thanked Solomon and said she would test his idea, then offered to treat him to a feast if it worked.
• Starlight asked Solomon whether the Seven matched their public image and described how Vought’s heroes seemed selfish, hypocritical, and violent.

Solomon told Starlight that Vought and Homelander depended on each other, but suggested that Soldier Boy might have been strong enough to challenge Homelander. Starlight recognized Soldier Boy’s supposed death as a possible Vought cover-up and left to investigate, while Solomon reviewed the new Supe files and planned to seek out Maverick.

• Solomon told Starlight that he had joined The Seven to find opponents and that Vought and Homelander were inseparable.
• Solomon suggested Soldier Boy might have been able to stand against Homelander, prompting Starlight to question the official story of his death.
• Starlight left to contact Hughie and Butcher and investigate the secrets surrounding Soldier Boy.
• Solomon returned to his apartment, opened the updated Supe files Ashley had delivered, and found Maverick’s profile.
• Solomon decided to seek out Maverick to upgrade his Carbon-Fiber Super Skin and planned to master electricity control to fly.

Solomon tested the level 3 improvements to his abilities, then merged Light Eyes with Electricity Conversion and Control to create an ability that could generate and control light energy without relying on external electricity. He began testing its attacks after confirming it retained the ability to absorb electricity and strengthen his power.

• Solomon tested his level 3 abilities, discovering that Self-Duplication could control duplicates within thirty kilometers and that Shapeshifting could last for hundreds of hours.
• Solomon found that Laser Eyes and Flame Projection reached 3,400 degrees Celsius, while Teleportation could cover up to forty kilometers at his current energy level.
• Solomon recalled his duplicates, assigned them training, and focused on testing Electricity Conversion and Control with Light Eyes.
• Solomon merged Light Eyes into Electricity Conversion and Control, allowing him to generate and control light energy himself while retaining the ability to absorb external electricity.
• Solomon gathered light energy in his palm and fired a shock wave at a training duplicate, then considered the blinding, penetrating, and burning uses of his new ability.

Solomon refined his light manipulation and began training a hundred clones to accelerate his progress. He then incapacitated Maverick, acquired his carbon-fiber super skin, and upgraded his own ability.

• Solomon mastered three basic light abilities, failed to combine Spark with Flame Projection, and began practicing light-powered flight.
• Solomon created a hundred clones to train his abilities simultaneously, then sent a new clone to Maverick’s home using Teleportation.
• The clone found Maverick playing a Vought fighting game and learned that he had awakened the same carbon-fiber super skin as his father, Translucent.
• Solomon’s hand chop failed to knock Maverick out, so he stunned him with a high-voltage baton.
• Solomon defeated Maverick, acquired carbon-fiber super skin, and upgraded it to carbon-fiber super skin +1.

After upgrading Carbon-Fiber Super Skin +1, Solomon gained enough defense to face Homelander and attended Vought’s celebration banquet. Homelander arrived to a hero’s welcome, while Edgar reassured the newly appointed Ashley and offered his support as she took Madelyn’s place.

• Solomon left Maverick unconscious and discovered that Carbon-Fiber Super Skin +1 doubled his defense and let nearby objects turn invisible with him.
• Solomon attended Vought’s banquet, where he watched Black Noir take over the piano and play skillfully.
• Homelander descended the staircase to cheers, briefly mistook Ashley for Madelyn, then concealed his disappointment when he recognized her.
• Edgar took Ashley aside, told her he doubted she was ready to replace Madelyn, and promised Vought’s support while she learned the role.

Edgar gave Ashley a ten-million-dollar bonus and hinted that he was grooming her to become Vought's next president. Homelander demanded to know what Edgar had told her, and Edgar returned to confront him over his attempt to control Ashley.

• Edgar gave Ashley Madelyn's ten-million-dollar bonus for taking over the Department of Defense liaison work.
• Edgar told Ashley he hoped she would grow into the role and eventually succeed him as Vought's president.
• Homelander confronted Ashley and demanded that she tell him everything Edgar had said; Ashley offered him the check and recounted their conversation.
• Homelander dismissed the money, warned Ashley to keep him informed, and told her he looked forward to her becoming president.
• Edgar returned, told Ashley she answered only to him, and challenged Homelander directly.

Edgar publicly challenged Homelander and stripped him of authority over Vought and the Seven, leaving Homelander furious but unable to retaliate. Solomon then intervened, telling Edgar that strength—not corporate power—ruled the world.

• Edgar confronted Homelander about Madelyn's death and Vought's repeated efforts to cover up his mistakes.
• Edgar told Homelander that Ashley answered only to him and announced that JS would leave the Seven the next day.
• Homelander swallowed his anger in front of the crowd because he depended on Vought and Edgar to maintain his heroic image.
• Solomon stepped in and told Edgar that ordinary people had no right to challenge Supes, drawing visible satisfaction from Homelander.

Solomon seized Edgar by the neck during their confrontation and refused to back down, while Homelander weighed whether to intervene. The chapter ended with Solomon asking Homelander what he would do if Solomon refused to spare Edgar.

• Edgar challenged Solomon, claiming he was an unknown Supe who only qualified for the Seven because of Homelander.
• Solomon grabbed Edgar by the neck and threatened to kill him, ignoring Edgar's warning about the consequences.
• Edgar looked to Homelander for help, but Homelander watched with amusement and did not intervene.
• Edgar argued that his death would ruin Homelander's military ambitions and accused Solomon of fabricating his identity.
• Solomon suggested Homelander could label Edgar a Supe terrorist, but Homelander still insisted Edgar had to live until he helped resolve the remaining problems.
• Solomon tightened his grip on Edgar and asked Homelander what would happen if he refused to let him go.

At Vought’s victory banquet, Solomon publicly defied and taunted Homelander while threatening Edgar, then proposed taking over as captain of the Seven. Solomon left with Homelander seething, and Edgar departed after implying he might consider Solomon’s offer.

• Homelander threatened Solomon with his laser vision, but held back because the banquet’s officials and media were watching.
• Solomon mocked Homelander for being unable to act against him or control who joined the Seven, and suggested he give up the captaincy.
• Solomon released Edgar, warned him he would kill him if Vought kicked him out of the Seven, and shoved him toward Homelander.
• Solomon left the banquet after inviting Homelander to hand him the captain’s position.
• Edgar noticed a concealed woman signal him, then told Homelander he might consider Solomon’s proposal before leaving.

Homelander confronted Solomon in Vought Tower and offered him a place as his trusted second-in-command in exchange for loyalty. Solomon refused outright, leaving Homelander’s remaining patience and hope replaced by murderous resolve.

• Homelander left the banquet hall and used his super vision to find Solomon waiting alone on the ninety-ninth floor.
• Solomon dismissed the city view, and Homelander described how standing above the city made him feel like a god who could protect or destroy it.
• Homelander praised Solomon’s defiance and views, then offered to overlook his provocations and make him second only to Homelander in the Seven if he revealed his background and obeyed.
• Solomon rejected Homelander’s offer without hesitation.
• Homelander stopped, abandoned his hope of recruiting Solomon, and turned back with murderous resolve.

Solomon demonstrated that he could withstand Homelander’s lasers and counter them with laser eyes of his own, alarming Homelander with how quickly he had grown. Homelander still overwhelmed Solomon with a physical blow, but Solomon’s healing restored him, and he warned that killing him would be difficult.

• Solomon let Homelander’s lasers hit him, and his new defenses prevented them from injuring him.
• Homelander fired again, but Solomon met his red beams with blue lasers of his own, revealing another power.
• Homelander realized Solomon’s rapid growth posed a threat and charged him with a powerful punch.
• Solomon blocked the punch but was blasted through several walls, suffering internal injuries despite his unbroken skin.
• Solomon’s healing quickly repaired his broken bones and damaged organs, and he told Homelander that killing him would be difficult.

Solomon fought Homelander, dodging his attacks with super speed and countering with Laser Eyes. After Solomon briefly overpowered Homelander by unleashing stored electrical energy, both stopped fighting, leaving Homelander to accept that he could no longer defeat Solomon easily.

• Homelander launched a lethal punch, but Solomon used super speed to evade it and dodge a second attack.
• Solomon struck Homelander in the chest with his Laser Eyes, sending him crashing into a conference room wall.
• Homelander fired his scarlet lasers at Solomon, and their beams clashed as Solomon explained that Homelander had no way to kill him outright.
• Solomon released his stored electrical energy, strengthening his blue lasers enough to overpower Homelander's beams.
• Solomon stopped his attack to avoid exposing his power source, and Homelander lowered his lasers and accepted that he could no longer do anything to Solomon.

Homelander suspected Solomon’s rapid growth made him a threat, but concealed his hostility and tried to keep him close. Solomon returned to his apartment while Homelander brooded on the rooftop, overwhelmed by the day’s betrayals and provocations.

• Homelander suspected Solomon could grow stronger by defeating other Supes and probed him about his abilities.
• Solomon denied having such an ability, and Homelander pretended to accept his explanation while assuring him he belonged in the Seven.
• Solomon called Homelander “Captain,” easing his suspicions enough for Homelander to leave the conference room while hiding his murderous intent.
• Solomon judged that he could hold Homelander off with his clones, then returned to his apartment and went to bed.
• Homelander watched Solomon resting through his super-vision, then went to Vought Tower’s rooftop and brooded over Madelyn, Edgar, and Solomon.

Homelander’s fear of losing control drove him into a deranged rooftop outburst, while Solomon infiltrated Vought’s Red River Institute to claim its Supe orphans. Solomon discovered more than a hundred Supes in the dormitories, then heard a disturbance from the recreation room.

• Homelander ranted on a rooftop that he could do whatever he wanted and control the world, giving rise to the “Crescent Moon Sky-Piercer” tableau.
• Solomon arrived at Red River Institute and recalled that Vought used its main facility to screen Supe orphans for adoption, Godolkin, or experimentation.
• Solomon decided to harvest the main institute’s promising Supes first and deal with the branch institute’s less-valued children afterward.
• Solomon used optical invisibility to enter the institute, explore its dormitories, and find over a hundred Supe orphans.
• Solomon heard a faint disturbance coming from the recreation room and turned toward it.

Solomon found Mary Moreau at the Red River Institute and decided he needed to acquire her blood-manipulation ability while keeping her alive to harvest future growth. After considering the institute’s surveillance and rejecting anesthetic as a long-term solution, he realized Mary’s power could let him silently incapacitate the children.

• Solomon entered the recreation room and recognized Mary Moreau, an Odessa Project survivor who could shape her blood into blades.
• Solomon judged that Mary’s blood manipulation could threaten most Supes and imagined using it to kill Homelander after reaching level four.
• Solomon decided not to kill Mary, believing he could defeat her again later to gain any new abilities or strength she developed.
• Solomon noticed extensive surveillance and worried that disabling cameras or attacking Mary would alert Vought and bring Homelander.
• Solomon considered using halothane to knock out the children, then realized he could use blood manipulation to cut off their brain’s oxygen and render them unconscious without a trace.

Solomon secretly anesthetized Mary Moreau at the Red River Institute and acquired her Blood Manipulation ability before teleporting away. Homelander arrived to investigate and, after discovering Mary had been injected despite no one appearing on camera, began to suspect an unseen intruder.

• Solomon teleported to a hospital, took concentrated halothane injections, and returned to the Red River Institute.
• Solomon blinded Mary, disabled the activity room cameras, and anesthetized her as the institute alarm awakened the Supe children.
• Solomon acquired Mary's Blood Manipulation ability and teleported away as security rushed toward the activity room.
• Homelander arrived at the institute and found Mary unconscious amid the bloodstains, while the director explained the alarm and missing camera footage.
• Homelander identified the anesthetic injection and, hearing that cameras showed no one entering or leaving, formed an unwelcome suspicion.

Homelander investigated the silent attack at Red River Institute but found no proof that Solomon was involved. Meanwhile, Solomon gained blood manipulation and a major increase in energy, leaving him close to a level that could break through Homelander’s defenses.

• Homelander checked Solomon’s movements and found that records showed Solomon had stayed in his apartment all day.
• Homelander returned to Red River Institute and questioned Mary after she woke up; she described a blinding flash, a disabled camera system, and being knocked unconscious.
• The director reported that the activity room’s cameras had shorted out from an apparent power, while Homelander considered whether the signs matched Starlight rather than JS.
• Solomon checked his Superpower Panel and discovered that Mary’s blood manipulation ability had joined his powers.
• Solomon’s energy rose to level 3.92, surpassing Homelander’s estimated level and bringing him close to a level 4 breakthrough.

Solomon spent the night mastering Blood Manipulation and tested its power on his clone before Ashley informed him about a staged public patrol with Black Noir. He planned to finish the publicity stunt and use the opportunity to visit Ryan.

• Solomon and his clone practiced Blood Manipulation through the night, and he learned to sense and control blood inside the body.
• Solomon struck his clone’s heart with a burst of blood pressure, severely damaging it but failing to overcome its level 3 defense for an instant kill.
• Solomon concluded that his Blood Manipulation could inflict fatal internal injuries on most Supes, though level 4 energy would be needed to destroy a level 3-defended body outright.
• Ashley visited Solomon, relieved to find him safe, and told him he had a public patrol scheduled with Black Noir.
• Solomon read that Vought had scripted the patrol as a publicity stunt and planned to use it as a chance to visit Ryan.

Solomon entered Vought’s staged factory operation, where Blindspot ambushed him with paint that revealed his invisible body. As Blindspot raged and Black Noir arrived, Noir suddenly attacked Solomon from behind, but Solomon caught the sword blade between two fingers.

• Solomon reviewed Vought’s staged hero-show script while waiting with Black Noir outside the abandoned factory.
• Solomon turned invisible along with his clothes and entered the factory, while Black Noir realized his visible outline had been an intentional disguise.
• Solomon used Echolocation to detect armed men waiting in the factory, but they fired paint that marked his invisible body and exposed him.
• Blindspot revealed himself and threatened Solomon, blaming him for their past conflict and vowing to join the Seven by killing him.
• Black Noir entered the factory, then secretly struck at Solomon from behind with his sword as Blindspot prepared to charge.
• Solomon caught Black Noir’s blade between two fingers without turning around.

Solomon faced Edgar’s layered attempt to kill him at a factory, exposing the poison and defeating Black Noir and A-Train despite their ambushes. Edgar watched the failed operation from Vought Tower as Solomon challenged him to send his remaining contingencies or face him directly.

• Black Noir attacked Solomon with an electrified sword, but Solomon effortlessly evaded his strikes and revealed that he knew about the neurotoxin in his drink.
• After Solomon exposed the poisoning plan, Black Noir launched a full-force thrust, but Solomon dodged and knocked him several meters away with a shoulder charge.
• A-Train ambushed Solomon with a high-voltage baton, but Solomon used Super Speed to evade him and manipulated his heartbeat until he collapsed.
• Solomon spotted the surveillance camera and threatened Edgar, demanding that he reveal any remaining plans or prepare for Solomon to come after him.
• Edgar watched from his office in Vought Tower and realized that Solomon had neutralized every part of his carefully arranged trap.

Edgar ordered Stormfront to attack Solomon, believing electricity was his weakness, while Black Noir tried to use an electrified sword and stun baton to defeat him. Solomon evaded Black Noir’s attacks and pretended the electricity had hurt him, leaving Black Noir uneasy when the current failed to affect him.

• Edgar reviewed Solomon’s battle abilities, identified his apparent fear of electricity, and ordered Stormfront to make her move.
• Solomon used Super Speed to grab Black Noir’s electrified sword and pierced him with it, then avoided Black Noir’s attempt to use the current against him.
• Black Noir dropped the sword and tried to flee, but doubled back with a surprise attack; Solomon anticipated him and stabbed him again.
• Black Noir grabbed Solomon and shocked him with a miniature stun baton, but Solomon only pretended to convulse, and Black Noir realized the electricity was not affecting him.

Solomon killed Black Noir and gained Breath Concealment, along with a major increase in his attributes. Stormfront arrived and attacked him with lightning, which did not harm his body but overwhelmed his newly heightened hearing.

• Solomon used an electrified sword to kill Black Noir and gained Breath Concealment.
• Solomon examined his upgraded attributes and realized Black Noir’s high mental attribute provided strong resistance to psychic attacks.
• Solomon’s hearing broke through level 3, making even faint sounds painfully clear.
• Stormfront arrived above the battlefield and descended into the factory.
• Stormfront unleashed lightning at Solomon; his body resisted the electricity, but the thunderous noise tormented his heightened hearing.