…
Silence.
Then—
"WOOOOOOOO—!!!"
New York.
America.
The world.
The most unhinged, cathartic roar in human history erupted all at once.
"HOMELANDER!!!"
"Oh my God—he's a god! A god walking among men!!"
"LONG LIVE HOMELANDER!!!"
Across New York, people collapsed to their knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Strangers hugged, kissed, screamed into the sky like survivors of the apocalypse.
Even Tony Stark stood frozen, staring at that hovering figure.
"…Okay," he muttered, opening his faceplate and gulping down air, "he stole the spotlight again."
A pause.
"…But this time? He earned it."
…
And in Antony's system interface, the numbers went completely insane.
DING! Popularity Gained +150,210!
DING! Popularity Gained +121,440!
DING! Popularity Gained +138,125!
…
DING! Earth Region Popularity Rank Up: Center of All Eyes!
DING! Ability Enhancement:
Super Strength (10,000 tons)
Super Speed (Mach 400)
Invulnerability (Stellar-Class +)
DING! New Ability Unlocked — Bonded Fist
Description: Consume 5,000 Special Popularity to increase the destructive power of the next strike by 10×
The numbers cascaded so fast they made Antony dizzy.
This feels so damn good.
He roared with laughter inside his own head.
The sensation—being worshipped, arriving at the last second, turning despair into salvation—
was more addictive than anything the world could offer.
…
But not everyone found this beautiful.
"ENOUGH—!!!"
A furious roar thundered from the Dark Elf mothership.
"You disgusting… revolting insect!!"
The hangar doors exploded outward.
Malekith burst into the sky.
Dark-red fluid wrapped around his body like living armor. Aether particles erupted from within him, condensing into a tangible storm of darkness.
The heavens changed color.
The crimson tempest expanded violently—
like the gaping maw of an abyss, swallowing New York and that arrogant blond man whole.
Antony turned slowly, snorted, and narrowed his eyes.
Not impressed.
"ZZZZZZ—!!!!"
Two massive beams of high-energy heat vision slammed straight into the red storm!
SSSSSS—!!!
Energy collided violently in midair.
Then—
Something went wrong.
Antony's heat vision—normally unstoppable—
vanished inside the crimson fog, dissolving into drifting black ash.
"…Huh?" Antony blinked.
"The hell? Magic trick?"
"I am the master of darkness," Malekith sneered. "Your power is meaningless before me!"
"Heat vision's useless?"
Antony rolled his neck, joints cracking sharply.
"Fine. I'll do this the old-fashioned way."
Super-vision flared.
Through layers of red mist, he locked onto the blurred silhouette hidden within the Aether core. The resolution sucked—but it was good enough.
"Found you."
"System—load Bonded Fist!"
DING! 5,000 Special Popularity consumed!
Bonded Fist charged! Multiplier: 1000%!
"Load Team Assembly!"
DING! Nearby certified members detected:
Homelander, Jewel (2/7)
Team Assembly activated!
Current bonus: +120%!
-----
High above the city—
Antony suddenly froze midair, body coiling like a drawn slingshot.
BOOOOM!!!
A sonic cloud detonated outward, shattering the clouds below.
"MALEKITH—!!!"
His voice was still traveling.
But he had already arrived.
"EAT THIS!!"
Malekith barely registered a red-and-blue flash—
—CRAAAAAAAAASH!!!!!!!!!!
Antony's fist slammed directly into his chest.
Before pain could even reach Malekith's brain, the Dark Elf king was gone—
driven past the sound barrier, streaking across the sky, vanishing beyond the eastern horizon.
The sky over New York cleared instantly.
The crimson storm lost its master and dissolved into nothingness.
…
"…What," Deadpool muttered on the ground, trying to reattach his severed leg, "just happened?"
"Where'd the final boss go? Did he get punched into another anime?"
Tony's HUD flashed red.
"Target velocity… projected impact zone…"
He swallowed hard.
"…Asia."
"…He hit him," Tony said slowly, "all the way to the other side of the planet?"
-----
10,000 kilometers away.
Tokyo, Japan.
Shibuya buzzed with neon lights. Massive LED screens played idol promos.
Despite the war overseas, tonight was concert night.
Until—
BOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!!
A "meteor" slammed down, punching straight through Shibuya 109.
The upper floors disintegrated. Shockwaves ripped across the block. Glass exploded. Pedestrians screamed as they were hurled through the air.
Smoke rolled.
Malekith lay in the ruins.
Half his body was gone—bone exposed, black blood pooling everywhere.
"Cough… cough…"
He was still alive.
Dark Elf vitality and the Aether's protection kept a thread of life intact.
"Damn… Midgardian…"
Hatred and terror twisted together in his eyes.
That power—
pure, physical force—
how could it be this monstrous?
"HUM—"
The Aether surged.
Dark-red fluid poured from his wounds like sentient tendrils, weaving and rebuilding.
Bones regenerated.
Muscle reformed.
Skin sealed shut.
His shattered body restored itself before the naked eye.
This was the Aether's power.
"I am… immortal!"
"You think brute strength can defeat the Aether?!"
BOOM—!
The sky tore again.
A red-and-blue figure descended, hovering above Shibuya.
Antony had arrived.
And he wasn't alone.
Cradled in his arms was a pale Jessica Jones.
The famous crossing flooded with stunned onlookers.
"SUGOI!!"
"Homelander!!"
Antony landed not far from Malekith, eyebrow lifting as he watched the regeneration.
"Not bad healing, huh, Dark Elf."
He gently set Jessica down and adjusted his gloves.
"But good timing."
His smile sent chills down spines.
"That punch earlier…"
"…didn't quite do it for me."
He turned to Jessica.
"You still standing, Queen?"
She clutched her chest—the Aether's proximity made it burn like fire—but her eyes were razor-sharp.
"As long as that ugly bastard dies," she snapped, vibranium arm-shields deploying with a metallic snap, "I can fight all damn day."
"Heh. Won't take that long."
Antony smoothed her wind-tossed hair.
"Wait here. I'll end it quick—and you'll be free of the pain."
Jessica frowned, glancing at Malekith.
"That thing… doesn't look killable."
"If it's alive," Antony said calmly, straightening up, "it can be killed."
He looked around.
"Tokyo, huh…"
A low laugh escaped him.
"That means…"
His eyes gleamed.
"…I can finally stop holding back."
--------------
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