In the next second, a miracle occurred.
A brilliant and sacred radiance manifested out of thin air in the minds of every Earthling who was praying sincerely, as if they were seeing it with their own eyes.
Moreover, the vision everyone saw in their minds was slightly different, stemming from their subconscious's most beautiful conception of "salvation."
An orphan who had lost his parents saw a pair of golden wings unfolding, like a guardian Angel;
A battle-scarred veteran saw a golden double-headed eagle screaming;
An ordinary worker saw the dawn breaking through the darkness.
But no matter what form these radiances initially took, they ultimately and irreversibly converged into a majestic silhouette.
Short golden hair, a blue bodysuit, and a stars and stripes cape fluttering in the glow.
Homelander spread his arms, floating beneath the crimson sky.
The golden divine radiance centered on him, transforming into a massive halo that swept out frantically in all directions with overwhelming force.
Daravik, on the Nullarbor Plain, was also very sensible.
He performed his villainous duty perfectly. With a look of "surprise" on his face, he gazed toward the sky and secretly, bit by bit, shut down the father box's energy output.
But from the perspective of the global audience, they saw the golden divine light erupting from Homelander's body, using absolute divine power to forcibly dispel the doomsday sky that was destroying Earth!
The suffocating blood-colored clouds in the sky quickly dissolved like morning mist under the sun.
The deep blue sky reappeared, and warm sunlight once again bathed the land.
The tumbling, roaring ocean ceased its fury, and the waves returned to calm.
The World was saved.
The people were ecstatic.
"He's back! Homelander is back!"
"We survived! We survived!"
"He did it! He really heard our call!"
"God bless Homelander!"
"Forget God! Homelander is our God!"
The euphoria of surviving a catastrophe caused humanity's love for Homelander to reach its peak at this moment.
And this love was unreservedly transformed into a fanatical worship of Homelander.
But there was also a group of people who were currently in hell.
Those "Collaborators" who had actively pledged loyalty during the Skrulls' rule and even personally slaughtered their fellow countrymen.
Their dark minds were filled with conspiracy theories.
They had been certain that Homelander had died in deep space; they had believed the Skrulls' rule would be Eternity.
But now, that man was back.
"Oh holy shit, it's over... we're finished..."
They frantically tore off their federal armbands and scattered in flight.
There were many people like them; right now, they only wanted to find the darkest hole to crawl into and pray that man would never find them.
...
Homelander slowly descended from above the Nullarbor Plain.
Hundreds of "Hummingbird" drones immediately aimed their lenses at him from every angle, leaving no blind spots.
The live broadcast lit up again.
The whole World saw that long-awaited figure through their eyes once more.
Homelander did not look at the camera.
His gaze swept across the messy battlefield, passing over his companions lying on the ground.
Tony's shattered armor, Captain America's battered shield, Thor with his hollow right eye...
The drones gave Homelander a five-second close-up.
The whole World clearly saw the rage nearly overflowing from the depths of Homelander's eyes.
That anger made the air grow heavy, as if the entire plain would tremble under his wrath.
Homelander withdrew his gaze and strode toward a pile of rubble not far away.
Jessica Jones lay there quietly, her black combat suit tattered, with traces of blood remaining at the corner of her mouth.
Due to overdrawing her power, she found it difficult even to lift her hand.
Homelander knelt on one knee, gently pulling Jessica's upper body into his arms.
His fingers lightly brushed across Jessica's dust-covered cheek, his eyes filled with an undisguisable heartache.
Water shimmered in his eyes, and a single tear silently slid down Homelander's cheek, dripping onto Jessica's.
Feeling the touch on her face, Jessica slowly opened her heavy eyelids.
It was the face she thought of day and night.
"You bastard..."
Jessica used all her strength to lift her hand, her fingertips gently wiping away the tear marks from the corner of his eye.
"You finally decided to come back... If I weren't so weak right now, I'd definitely give you a hard punch."
Homelander took her hand and kissed it at his lips.
Though Jessica's words were relentless, her body honestly leaned forward.
She buried her head deep into Homelander's chest, her shoulders twitching slightly as she secretly shed tears of excitement.
Meanwhile, inside the ancient courtyard of Kamar-Taj.
Wanda saw Homelander descend like a deity to dispel the apocalypse; she was so excited she covered her mouth, tears flowing uncontrollably.
"He's back... he's really back," Wanda wept with joy.
But when the screen changed and she saw Homelander holding Jessica in his arms with a face full of heartache, even shedding a tear for her...
Wanda's expression froze.
Screech—!
The Chaos Magic dancing at her fingertips suddenly spiraled out of control, slicing a deep crack into the nearby stone pillar.
Sparks of jealousy almost erupted from her eyes.
She suddenly turned her head and gave the Sorcerer Ancient One a resentful, sharp glare.
The meaning in that look was more than obvious: It's all your fault for stopping me just now! If I had gone over there, the person lying in his arms and being held with such heartache might have been me!
Facing Wanda's murderous gaze, the Sorcerer Ancient One's face showed a rare bitter smile.
"Love is indeed the greatest obstacle on a mage's path of cultivation."
She didn't explain anything; she just shook her head and silently turned to leave the courtyard, leaving the space to this young girl who was about to be drowned in jealousy.
...
On the Nullarbor Plain.
In Homelander's arms, Jessica greedily inhaled his scent.
Then she lightly patted Homelander's chest and said, "I'm fine, I won't die."
She looked at Daravik not far away, who still radiated a terrifying aura.
"Go... kill that green-skinned scum!"
"For those who died innocently, and for our home that was almost destroyed... Revenge!"
Homelander nodded solemnly.
He slowly rose, gently placing Jessica on a relatively flat area.
Then, he walked step by step toward Daravik in the distance.
The tenderness he had shown toward Jessica completely vanished, replaced by a cold, murderous aura that enveloped his entire body.
And at this moment, the hearts of the people who had gained a new lease on life were completely different from before.
They were no longer afraid, no longer in despair.
Because their God Among Men had returned.
Hatred for the Skrulls reached an ultimate explosion at this moment.
"Kill him!"
"Tear off his limbs!"
"Avenge our fallen comrades! Crush this alien bastard!"
High-spirited comments scrolled frantically across the screens.
Daravik also acted very professionally.
"Oh... so the savior has arrived?"
He looked disdainfully at Homelander walking toward him, a hideous and cruel smile spreading across his face.
Homelander stopped ten meters from Daravik, confronting him from a distance.
"Gravik..."
"This Planet has many rules, but today I will teach you only one."
"Those who infringe upon my Earth shall find no way out but death!"