The stern father's fist

Ashley stood in the distance, nearly having a heart attack on the spot. She desperately wanted to run, her heart pounding like a drum.

What had she just seen?

A World War II veteran, hailed as the strongest supe of the previous era, was trading blows with Homelander.

Having witnessed Homelander's brutality and overwhelming power, Ashley Barrett had initially thought the outcome would be a foregone conclusion.

A story like "Original hero dies horribly in the street after returning" would dominate New York's headlines.

But what had actually happened?

Homelander was losing.

Of course, that wasn't the most frightening part. What frightened her was that Homelander, who had never lost before, could lose control at any moment.

"Shit, drive!" Ashley Barrett scrambled into the car and shouted at the driver.

The driver was still holding up his phone, filming. "Where to? Aren't we here to maintain order at the scene?"

Still in the dark, he naively believed this was merely a rather unusual fight between supes, with the two biggest stars as its leads. He was already imagining posting the video he was recording online and racking up likes.

"Fuck you! If we don't leave now, we're dead!" Ashley Barrett shouted.

She knew doing this could very well cost her job and send years of hard work down the drain.

But something was wrong with Homelander.

Soldier Boy was practically squatting on Homelander's head and taking a shit, yet Homelander just stood there without fighting back.

In all her time at the company, this was the first time Ashley Barrett had seen such a complicated expression on Homelander's face.

These were all extremely dangerous signs.

"Hey, are you sure? We'll get fired." The driver was still questioning her.

Ashley Barrett couldn't worry about all that. "Drop dead, idiot."

She pulled open the car door, kicked off her high heels, and sprinted barefoot, wanting only to get as far away from Homelander as possible.

Meanwhile, at Vought International Tower.

The conference room on the ninety-ninth floor.

All of the Seven were present: a clothed Translucent, Maeve with her strong facial contours, Black Noir dressed entirely in black, the dim-witted Deep, and A-Train.

And... Homelander, broadcast live on the giant LCD screen.

"Homelander can handle this, right?" The Deep broke the silence.

In a terrible mood, Madelyn swept an icy glance over him.

The Deep immediately flinched and covered his mouth. Looking from side to side, he timidly ventured an apology. "Sorry, did I say something wrong?"

Madelyn ignored him and continued staring at the screen.

"That outfit makes you look like some slutty gay guy pretending to be a mature woman."

Soldier Boy's thunderous words boomed through the speakers, filling the conference room.

Everyone visibly froze.

An incredulous curve appeared on Queen Maeve's sharply defined face. She looked ready to enjoy the show and even wanted to grab a bucket of popcorn.

The broadcast continued. At first, events unfolded as expected: Homelander flew into a rage and fired his laser eyes.

The energy field of the brilliant red light interfered with the electromagnetic signal, briefly freezing the image.

Madelyn watched intently. Whether this man really was Soldier Boy would come down to whether he could withstand the heat vision.

One person present watched more closely than anyone else, almost wishing he could stick his head into the screen-Black Noir.

He was Soldier Boy's former teammate, a longtime victim of his bullying, and one of the masterminds behind betraying him.

In fact, he had already confirmed that this man was Soldier Boy.

That one-of-a-kind way of speaking, that look that made him feel like he was being treated as a dumb fuck even through the screen.

They were far too distinctive. There was no possibility of an impersonation.

The screen returned to normal.

The heat vision stopped. Wisps of smoke from scorched clothing dispersed in the wind, revealing Soldier Boy.

He had only backed up a few steps. Aside from that, there were just a few red marks on his skin, barely visible unless one looked closely.

"Fuck." The heart Madelyn had held in suspense finally died.

He was real.

Madelyn's mind raced through PR strategies. All she knew was that Vought International had always publicized Soldier Boy's death. A flood of doubts and abuse would inevitably follow.

Vought's stock price would plummet.

"Oh!"

The Seven cried out in unison.

Homelander had been sent flying. The bruises on his face proclaimed Soldier Boy's strength.

Black Noir clenched his trembling fists. He was afraid.

Soldier Boy was back, just as powerful as before!

The memories of being bullied were vivid. He knew Soldier Boy would come for revenge.

An intense urge to flee rose in Black Noir's heart, but he ultimately held it back. His cartoon friends appeared before his eyes, gently soothing him.

"A-Train, Queen Maeve, get down there and help Homelander right now," Madelyn ordered decisively.

Homelander's importance went without saying. Nothing could happen to him.

"And avoid fighting if at all possible. Placate Soldier Boy."

The two nodded in acknowledgment, exchanged solemn looks, and left Vought Tower together.

"Black Noir, what do you think?" Madelyn turned to Soldier Boy's former teammate. "What exactly happened back then?"

Black Noir simply kept trembling, saying nothing.

"Black Noir?!" Madelyn's tone sharpened as she struggled to suppress her anger.

It was bad enough that Homelander hadn't listened to her today. Now Black Noir was ignoring her questions too?

Black Noir pointed at the screen.

Soldier Boy had said something to Homelander, leaving him on the verge of a breakdown.

Even Vought's most advanced equipment couldn't pick up Soldier Boy's deliberately lowered voice from so far away.

"Damn it," Madelyn cursed under her breath. "Right! Ashley Barrett's there!"

As though clutching at a lifeline, she hurried to contact her.

The soles of Ashley Barrett's feet throbbed, and the phone in her pocket wouldn't stop vibrating. She had wanted to throw it away, but when she saw that Madelyn was calling, she couldn't help slowing her flight.

Was she really going to run away like this?

The hard work of her school years, the excitement of being hired by Vought, the hardships of climbing the corporate ladder-all flashed before her eyes.

Panting heavily, she looked back into the distance.

The street had been completely cleared. Police cars blocked the perimeter, their red and blue lights flashing continuously, yet not a single officer dared actually approach.

Soldier Boy and Homelander stood in the middle of the street.

One had a cigar between his lips and a roguish look all over his face. The other's cape fluttered, his expression rigid and on the verge of collapse.

Two nuclear bombs that could detonate at any moment.

Ashley Barrett's scalp prickled. She knew Homelander all too well.

The quieter he was, the more dangerous he became. Especially now, when he was both silent and breaking down. Was that complicated expression even something a human could make?

"Fuck." Ashley Barrett clawed hard at her hair.

She calmed down a little. If she really ran, once Homelander came to his senses, she would most likely be the first to die.

Homelander hated betrayal above all else.

Besides, she didn't want to give up everything she had worked so hard to gain.

At that thought, Ashley Barrett forced herself to stop, lowered her head, and answered the phone.

The moment the call connected, Madelyn's icy voice came through. "What's the situation there?"

"Bad." Ashley Barrett's voice trembled. "Something's wrong with Homelander. Very wrong."

As she spoke, she stole a glance in Homelander's direction. He was still standing in the same spot, oblivious to everything around him.

Madelyn fell silent for two seconds. "What did Soldier Boy say to him?"

"I don't know." Ashley Barrett was close to tears. "They lowered their voices toward the end. I couldn't hear."

The sound of a deep breath came clearly from the other end. Madelyn was struggling to contain her emotions.

"Listen."

"A-Train and Maeve are on their way."

"Go back now and stabilize the situation. Do everything you can to keep Homelander from losing control any further."

"If anyone else dies tonight, Vought's stock will crash tomorrow."

Ashley Barrett's lips went pale. "I..."

She had just been about to say, "I'm too scared," when the call ended. The busy tone sounded like a song heralding her death.

"Fuck!!!" Ashley Barrett nearly smashed her phone.

Her arm hung rigid in the air for a moment, but she didn't do it after all. She had bought it with her own money, and if she broke it, she would have to buy another.

So she could only grit her teeth and head back toward the street.

She had long since lost her high heels while running. Her bare feet pressed against the cold ground, small cuts opening in her soles as she stepped on bits of gravel.

But she couldn't spare a thought for the pain.