The whites of Neuman's eyes rapidly spread as strands of psychic power coiled around the blood vessels in Soldier Boy's head.
She encouraged herself inwardly, trying to make the blood surge.
This has to work...
No.
She could clearly feel the blood flowing inside Soldier Boy's head and sense its temperature.
Her extensive experience with exploding heads told her that the slightest thought would send her target's blood into a frenzy. Even someone as powerful as Homelander was no exception.
But now, no matter how much power she poured into it, she could not stir the slightest ripple.
It felt less like controlling blood and more like trying to reroute a raging river of steel through human strength alone.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!"
Cold sweat beaded on Neuman's forehead. She gritted her teeth and increased her power again. Through her tireless efforts, a miracle happened...
Soldier Boy felt an itch on his neck and instinctively scratched it. As though he had caught something, he brought his hand in front of his face.
"Weird. How did a bug get onto the ninety-ninth floor?"
Puzzled, he flicked the tiny dead bug off his hand. This little thing was what had made his neck itch.
The wild joy that had just risen in Neuman's heart instantly died down. Even a bug had elicited more of a reaction than she had.
She had squeezed out every ounce of her potential to use her power, yet Soldier Boy had not even noticed anything amiss.
Anger overwhelmed her, and her injuries suffered another shock. A metallic sweetness filled her throat as blood surged up, almost spilling from her mouth.
Fortunately, at the last moment, Neuman steadied herself and forcibly swallowed the blood, giving nothing away.
Homelander finally spoke, his voice cold. "Neuman, Edgar deserved to