…
With Leon's safety—perhaps even his life—uncertain, Tony's anxiety reached its limit. He refused to sit idle any longer and fired a fully charged repulsor blast at Arcee.
Vrrr—
Arcee raised her arm to block the beam. Through the holographic projection masking her form, the glow of overheated metal could be seen—her real arm reddening beneath the impact.
After deflecting several consecutive repulsor blasts, even Arcee's gold-titanium alloy chassis began showing signs of stress and partial melting.
Though she had no intention of harming Tony, she needed to preserve her operational capacity. She shifted to offense, engaging Tony—encased in the Mark IV Armor—in brutal close-quarters combat.
In an instant—
Despite being fourth-generation tech, Tony found himself completely suppressed.
As a veteran Cybertronian and one of the most agile warriors among the Autobots, Arcee vastly outclassed him in mobility and hand-to-hand combat technique.
Tony couldn't land a single clean hit.
Within the narrow, artificially excavated corridor, Arcee held the line like an impenetrable gatekeeper.
The clang of metal striking metal echoed nonstop.
Under Arcee's iron fists and rapid combination kicks, dents formed across the Mark IV's plating. Tony could even feel the warped armor pressing into his chest.
She wasn't going all out.
Otherwise, he would have already lost.
With the armor's defensive systems and J.A.R.V.I.S.'s real-time combat prediction assisting him, Tony barely managed to stay upright.
"Shit!"
"Since when are you this good in melee combat?"
Tony couldn't help complaining. He'd always assumed Arcee was a glass cannon—long-range support.
Clearly, he'd been wrong.
If he ever got the chance, he'd love to take her apart and see how she was built.
Though Leon would probably kill him for it.
"There's plenty you don't know, Leon's brother," Arcee replied proudly.
"Is that so?"
Hidden beneath his helmet, Tony raised a brow.
"Did Leon ever tell you this—flexibility is key?"
"What?"
Arcee faltered for half a second.
"That's right—now, Pepper!"
Taking advantage of the moment, Tony grabbed Arcee and executed a full-force over-the-shoulder throw, locking her down in a tight hold.
Pepper seized the opening and slipped past them into Leon's private workshop.
After all—
Defeating Arcee wasn't their goal.
Confirming Leon's safety was.
"You can't—!"
Arcee struggled desperately to break free and reach the door.
Too late.
The next second—
"Ahhh—!"
Pepper's scream echoed from inside.
Tony and Arcee exchanged a glance.
Ceasefire.
They rushed in together.
Inside—
Pepper stood frozen.
One hand covered her mouth, the other her eyes—though her fingers were suspiciously wide apart.
Leon, now fully awake, had just stored the Regeneration Cradle back into the System Storage Space—
But he was still completely naked.
"Holy shit!"
Tony stared like he'd seen a ghost.
"What did you do while you were gone—replace protein powder with rocket fuel?"
"…Huh?"
Leon blinked, still groggy.
Arcee walked over and, with visible exasperation, used one arm to shield his dignity while projecting a holographic reflection of his current physique before him.
The result—
A body like a living Greek statue.
Anyone with eyes could tell.
This was beyond peak human.
If before he was "lean in clothes, toned underneath," now—
Clothed or not, there was no concealing the godlike symmetry and explosive musculature.
Power without bulk.
Perfection without exaggeration.
He had, at minimum, nine-tenths of a cinematic Superman's physical presence.
After Tony, Pepper, and Arcee finished explaining—
Leon finally learned how long he'd been asleep.
Two and a half months.
Tony joked that Leon had probably broken a Guinness World Record.
Pepper, on the other hand, was upset he hadn't warned them beforehand. They'd nearly escalated things with Arcee—who had loyally guarded him the entire time.
Leon's explanation?
He'd grown stronger.
Through sleep.
He even gave it a dramatic name—
"Leon's Slumber."
After seeing Tony and Pepper off—
Leon immediately began testing his gains.
Defense was harder to measure.
But strength?
The reinforced blast door he once could barely dent—
Now he punched straight through it with ease.
Speed?
He and Arcee conducted offshore tests.
At full power, Leon had already exceeded Mach 20—and that was while battling increasingly violent atmospheric drag.
In space?
He'd be even faster.
In short—
Leon felt terrifyingly powerful.
But after a brief swell of pride—
He steadied himself.
With this strength alone—
Could he defeat Odin?
The Ancient One?
Thanos?
No.
He silently recited his personal mantra:
I examine myself thrice daily: I am handsome. I am rich. I am not yet strong.
Stabilized.
Grounded.
Then—
A far more pressing issue hit him.
Forgetting the Homelander persona—
He had just started a relationship with Dr. Helen Cho.
And then vanished for two and a half months.
That innocent genius wouldn't have taken that well.
"Arcee—did Helen come looking for me?"
"Yes," Arcee replied. "I turned her away in your name."
"What?!"
Leon's eye twitched.
"What else was I supposed to do? I couldn't leave this place."
"She was calm the first month. I used your account to message her. Things were fine."
"But after repeatedly refusing to meet, she grew distant in the second month."
"The last half-month? Not a single message."
"Pretty sure she blocked you."
Arcee crossed her arms, faintly smug.
Great.
What had been a warm, caring relationship was now leaking cold air from every seam.
Leon sighed.
Damage control was urgent.
Not just because she mattered—
But because she was his first.
That counted.
"Oh, and one more thing," Arcee added.
"I maintained Homelander's public activity for you. Don't go outside and say something idiotic like 'I've missed you all for two and a half months.'"
"Wow~"
"Arcee, I love you."
Leon threw an arm around her waist and planted an exaggerated kiss on the holographic cheek of her Tifa projection.
"How did you even pull that off?"
Arcee pried his hand off with regal disdain and wiped her cheek dramatically.
She tapped a finger against her temple.
"Use your brain."
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