American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

494. No More………

"So..."

The Homelander opened his mouth slightly, staring at the black figure before him, a faint smile forming on his face.

"You're the mastermind behind all this, aren't you?"

Though the Homelander's voice was low, almost drowned out by the pouring rain, Alex could still clearly catch every word with his heightened senses.

Staring at the Homelander calmly, Alex's gaze was cold and indifferent.

Through the Sorcerer's Eye perspective, the Homelander before him seemed to morph into Clark Kent, while the surrounding corpses transformed into the members of the Justice League, the Justice Society, and even the Teen Titans.

As Alex's gaze moved upward, the Vought Tower behind the Homelander appeared as if it had become the ruins of the Hall of Justice.

It seemed this was another illusion born of the dissonance between the pollution and reality.

Alex wondered briefly—if all the heroes had fallen, and Superman, Clark, was gravely injured—how might he appear in others' eyes in such a scenario?

Darkseid, perhaps?

A smirk tugged at the corner of Alex's mouth as he shook off the thought and refocused.

Turning his attention back to the Homelander, Alex's gaze carried a trace of pity. This man, after all, was just another victim of the higher-dimensional entities.

Unlike Superman, Iron Man, or Thor, the Homelander had been a puppet for these higher-dimensional beings since his creation, made solely to entertain those lofty entities. Perhaps he represented the narrators beyond the mirror, but his existence was far more pitiful.

The Homelander, catching the hint of pity in Alex's gaze, instantly darkened his expression.

"Answer me!" the Homelander snapped. "I don't need your pity! I am the strongest! The most perfect!"

"Is that truly what you believe?"

Alex finally spoke, stepping forward and carefully stepping over the bodies scattered across the ground as he approached the Homelander.

"Does this not prove it?"

The Homelander, trembling slightly, gestured around him, his voice filled with a mix of pride and defiance.

"Look around! No one can defeat me! Soldier Boy, Butcher, all those who dared challenge me—they've all become cold corpses."

Following the Homelander's gesture, Alex surveyed the area. Corpses were everywhere, a chaotic field of limbs and remains. Whether superpowered or not, the scene resembled a mass grave. The sheer brutality made it nearly impossible for Alex to distinguish identities among the dead.

"Even your allies perished here. If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Atom—or rather, Termite—on your side?" Alex asked softly, glancing at a man with his chest hollowed out.

"That kind of trash? They're replaceable. I can have as many of them as I want. Without them, I'll just build a new Seven," the Homelander replied, laughing with absolute confidence in his voice.

"You never saw them as equals, did you?" Alex questioned.

"Equals?"

The Homelander rolled the word around in his mind before letting out a laugh.

"They don't deserve it! No one is my equal. Soldier Boy wasn't, and no one else ever will be. I am the greatest being in this world. I… am a god."

"I've met a few gods and seen plenty who claim to be one. I have to say—you're not like them. You've gone mad."

Before Alex could finish, the Homelander staggered to his feet, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Mad? You think I'm mad? The mad ones are them! They dared challenge my authority, these lunatics started this war! And you—you destroyed everything I built!"

The Homelander's eyes glowed ominously with destructive red light as he locked his gaze onto Alex, a cold smile spreading across his face.

"Look at what you've gained from this, you damn supervillain."

"The term is 'super-criminal.'"

"I said supervillain!" the Homelander roared, his emotions boiling over. "You ruined everything I created, and now I'm telling you—your scheme has failed. I am invincible!"

"You think I failed?" Alex tilted his head slightly.

"Didn't you? I know about your collaboration with Butcher. I know you released Soldier Boy to try and defeat me. And I know it was you who destroyed Sage Grove and unleashed the scum imprisoned there."

The Homelander bared his teeth, laughing darkly. He casually picked up a nearby corpse, waving it at Alex like a trophy.

"Aren't you curious how I know? Most of them were tight-lipped to the end, but there's always a few who choose honesty when faced with life and death."

The corpse he held was almost unrecognizable, but from the remnants of the costume, Alex identified it—it was Starlight.

"You killed Starlight too," Alex said, narrowing his eyes.

"I've wanted her dead for a long time. That damned traitor, sullying the name of the Seven. I was planning to deal with her after all this was over."

The Homelander glanced at the corpse in his hand, his gaze flickering with a hint of lingering malice.

"But I didn't expect that she would betray me outright during my fight with Soldier Boy, siding with him to attack me."

"I gave her a chance. She just didn't seize it."

Crunch!

As Homelander spoke, a sudden flash of light illuminated the area. Homelander froze momentarily, his gaze shifting to the black-clad man across from him. In the man's hand was a camera.

Following the direction of the camera's lens, Homelander turned to see that the man was photographing Soldier Boy, who was pinned lifelessly to a statue.

Frowning in confusion, Homelander looked at Alex.

"Oh, don't mind me. Carry on. Just taking a memento." Alex waved casually, then silently put the camera away.

"Hah."

Anger flared in Homelander's heart as he sneered through gritted teeth.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"I see now. I get it."

"What exactly do you get?"

Alex's words were interrupted as a crimson beam of heat vision shot directly toward him.

The destructive energy cut through the torrential rain, creating a vacuum and ripping Alex's body apart.

The heat vision didn't stop there, continuing to explode the police cars behind Alex with thunderous detonations.

"Huff… Huff…"

Panting heavily, Homelander surveyed his work with a triumphant smile.

The world had finally gone quiet once more.

No one could oppose him now. He was the strongest being in the world. With Vought gone, there were no more chains to bind him. From this moment on, the world would belong to him.

"Ha… Ha-ha-ha."

Leaning against the statue, Homelander let out a wide grin. The rain pouring down only made his laughter grow louder.

At this moment, Homelander finally seemed to find the meaning of his life. He laughed wildly, reveling in this joy that was his alone.

After so many years, from the moment he was poured out of a test tube until now, he finally had the chance to live for himself—not monitored, not constrained.

He could reshape the entire world in his image. Everyone would kneel before him. He was the supreme existence whom all must worship.

No one could stop him anymore. He was the god of this world.

"Ha-ha-ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

With arms outstretched, Homelander laughed maniacally, embracing the storm and basking in his glory.

Suddenly.

Homelander's laughter froze on his face. His voice trailed off.

His gaze lifted slowly, following the source of the rain up to the sky. There, in the boundless heavens, a terrifying shadow was forming amidst the black clouds, its vast wings unfolding.

Homelander's grin stiffened, his breath catching in his throat.

He didn't know what it was or what kind of being it might be. All he knew was the overwhelming sense of countless eerie, otherworldly eyes fixed upon him from within the mist.

It was as though he were a clown in a circus performance.

"You."

A strange voice echoed in Homelander's mind.

"What is it you think you've figured out?"

It was as if someone had slammed a hammer into his skull. Homelander stumbled backward several steps, gripping the statue to keep himself upright.

"As I thought. This world should never have allowed the existence of so-called superhumans."

"What are you saying…?" Homelander's lips trembled, his eyes locked on the heavens.

"Everything has been tainted here. Your existence is nothing more than the darkness behind the sunlight—negative emotions, psychological shadows, crushing despair. You're a pitiful mockery of the title of hero."

The voice in his mind sent a sharp pang through Homelander's chest as if his heart were being squeezed tightly.

Biting down hard, he shouted hoarsely, "I don't need your pity!!"

The voice ignored his outburst, continuing in a cold, detached tone.

"This world should never have had superhumans. In other universes, people gained powers through accidents and rose as heroes due to their innate goodness.

"But you… you were products—merchandise created by Vought for war, greed, and wealth. You have no right to call yourselves heroes."

"So what?!"

Homelander's eyes burned red as he glared at the massive shadow in the clouds, shouting with all his might.

"Edgar was right. Ever since Compound V was exposed, the seed has been planted. The world has seen the power of superhumans. They'll find ways to create more! You can't change that!"

"Can't change it?"

At these words, Homelander froze. For the first time, a chill crept from the base of his spine to the back of his neck.

"This world has seen plenty of 'major events.' But those were all just movies manufactured by Vought."

"Enough. Let me give you one of my own."

"…"

Terror welled up inside him as Homelander stared blankly at the radiant white light emerging from the clouds above.

In his ears, for the final time, he heard that cold, alien voice.

"No more—superheroes."

.....

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