"We have been studying you, Homelander. This was prepared specifically for you from the very beginning!"
Daravik staggered to his feet, the white light on his chest growing brighter and brighter.
"...Its power is enough to blow the Earth in half! And you with it!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the hearts of all humanity, which had just begun to settle, instantly leaped back into their throats.
"Hahahaha... Since you speak of them as being so great, let's see if your greatness can actually save their lives!"
"Now, Great Homelander! You are left with only two choices!"
Daravik grinned maliciously at Homelander. "Either let me go, and I will take my people away from this Planet to find another habitat."
"Or, we all perish together right here!"
Daravik's threat caused the World, which had just been boiling with excitement, to fall silent once again.
Everyone waited for Homelander's decision.
Homelander looked at Daravik with cold eyes, but his words showed no sign of backing down.
"Gravik, the sins you Skrulls have committed on Earth must be washed away with blood."
"This is my promise to all the victims, and it is my bottom line as the Guardian of humanity!"
Homelander walked toward DarkEgo step by step.
"As for the choices you gave... actually, there is a third one."
Under Daravik's "incredulous" gaze,
Homelander suddenly lunged forward and grabbed DarkEgo by the neck.
He transformed into a streak of light that broke through the sky, charging toward the vastness of space without looking back!
In that moment, the wind ceased. The entire World was stunned...
"Anthony! No!!!"
Jessica's heart-wrenching scream echoed over the wilderness.
She struggled to stand up but fell heavily back to the ground, reaching out toward the sky in despair.
Steve closed his eyes and slammed his fist hard against the ground.
At this moment, countless people across the globe fell to their knees, covering their faces and weeping bitterly.
"For our sake... he has chosen sacrifice once again..."
"Homelander... No!!!"
"We owe him... too much."
Sorrow and touched emotions intertwined throughout the human World.
Countless people looked up at the sky with tear-filled eyes, watching helplessly as that streak of light vanished into the horizon.
...
Outer space, far from Earth.
Homelander came to a halt and released his grip on DarkEgo.
DarkEgo, who had just been full of madness and ready to drag all of humanity into the grave with him, immediately dropped that sinister facade and returned to an expressionless state.
Homelander looked at DarkEgo in front of him and nodded slightly.
DarkEgo didn't waste any words and gave a response, understanding the signal perfectly.
Meanwhile, far away at the edge of the Sun, Super Ego—who shared the same mind and a different body with DarkEgo—slowly clenched the Reality Stone in his palm, a brilliant red light emanating from between his fingers.
An unprecedented "Great Cosmic Firework" was quietly beginning.
Homelander smiled as he reviewed the script in his mind, the corners of his mouth curling upward uncontrollably.
Everything was progressing smoothly; the rhythm of the performance was flawless, and the emotional build-up was just right.
Once this Earth-shattering fireworks display was over and all of humanity was plunged into their most sorrowful moment, he would make a grand return.
Thinking about the billions of people looking at him with eyes full of worship, infatuation, and reverence as if he were a god made him tremble with excitement.
At that moment, the light began to shine.
"Here it comes! The perfect final scene!" Homelander thought to himself with secret delight.
Suddenly, an anomaly occurred!
In the space behind Homelander, a circular portal flickering with golden sparks suddenly burst open.
In this climax that was supposed to belong to only two people, a third uninvited guest barged in.
It was Wanda Maximoff!
She had actually used a portal to rush into outer space regardless of the consequences!
Before Homelander could figure out what to do, Wanda had already hugged him tightly from behind.
Red Chaos Magic erupted from her body, swirling and intertwining around them to form an airtight spherical protective shield.
"Anthony! I won't let you leave alone again!"
Homelander was completely stunned.
"What the hell?! Why did she run out here?!"
But now there was a problem.
This light was just a fake special effect created by the Reality Stone; it had no destructive power whatsoever!
If this dazzling "explosion" hit them but didn't even cause a ripple, wouldn't the act be exposed!
"This girl is just making a mess of things!" Homelander cursed inwardly.
Watching the giant fireworks that had already begun to explode and almost envelop them, ten thousand thoughts flashed through his mind.
Finally, he came to a conclusion.
"Fine, at worst I'll just say that green-skinned monster was a fraud when I get back, and that he just had a big firework strapped to him to bluff. With my current status, humanity will automatically help me rationalize this excuse."
"The effect of harvesting popularity will just be slightly worse, that's all."
Homelander had just finished concocting his remedial excuse in his head.
But DarkEgo, not far away, caught the fleeting look of shock and hesitation on Homelander's face.
As the perfect servant, he believed he had a tacit understanding and a connection of minds with his Master.
A flash of realization crossed his eyes; he could not allow his Master to risk being exposed.
Suddenly, Homelander saw DarkEgo's eyes begin to glow with a crimson light.
"What the fuck! What are you doing?! Don't fucking mess this up!"
Homelander instantly understood what he was about to do and wanted to stop him, but it was already too late.
Ssh—!!!
Two Omega Beams, appearing as "Z" shaped jagged lines, blasted out from DarkEgo's eyes!
Under the cover of the Gem's firework effects, the Omega Beams ignored the magic shield and accurately struck Wanda's back.
"Ah—!!!"
Wanda let out a shrill scream, the Chaos Magic on her body instantly dissipating. Her eyes rolled back, and she lost consciousness directly in the cold vacuum of space.
"Damn! That was a heavy blow!"
Homelander immediately mobilized The Force, tightly protecting the unconscious Wanda in his arms.
Then he turned around, transforming into a falling star as he sped back toward Earth.
...
On Earth.
People were still gazing intently at the sky.
Suddenly, an indescribably intense light erupted beyond the horizon.
Even in broad daylight, that brilliant flash momentarily stripped people of their vision.
It was only after a few minutes that people's sight slowly began to recover.
The sky was still azure, and the breeze still blew gently. But the figure draped in the stars and stripes did not reappear.
In squares, on streets, on rooftops, and in every place where the sky could be seen...
Countless people, even with stinging eyes, were still unwilling to close them or lower their heads.
Lines of tears flowed silently down from the corners of their eyes.
Grief, remembrance, and reverence.
Suddenly, someone pointed at the sky and shouted: "Look! What is that?!"
High in the sky, a tiny black dot appeared.
It was falling toward Earth at an extremely high speed, growing larger and clearer by the second.