…
Vought Tower
Crimson Countess. The TNT Twins. The Deep. Mindstorm.
One after another, members—past and present—connected to The Seven had been eliminated by Soldier Boy.
The relentless chain of revenge killings placed a pressure on Homelander unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Death.
It hung over him like a mountain pressing down on his chest.
At any moment—
He could be next.
Homelander had absolute confidence in his own strength.
But his opponent was Soldier Boy.
And what if…?
"No!"
"I don't give a damn, Ashley!"
"You're the one Vought pays to handle crisis management and PR. Fix this!"
"And if you don't, I'll laser you in half!"
With no real plan of his own, Homelander did the only thing he knew how to do—
He unloaded all his fear and frustration onto Ashley Barrett.
…
Not long after that emotional outburst, Vought's switchboard transferred a mysterious call.
The caller claimed to be Soldier Boy.
Homelander answered with unease.
What he heard on the other end turned his dread into disbelief—and then into elation.
After combing through every classified file in Vought's archives and confirming the truth of what he'd been told, Homelander's face blossomed into a childlike smile.
The feeling was surreal.
Like reaching the final boss in a one-life game. You're seventy percent confident you can win—but there's still a thirty percent chance you get crushed.
Then you open the door—
And discover the final boss is your biological father.
Relief.
Shock.
Euphoria.
"Yes!"
"Yes!!"
"YES!!!"
The emotional whiplash sent him into near-hysterical delight.
At that moment—
Ashley, still shaken from earlier, returned with Black Noir, who had fled but now come back.
The instant Homelander saw Noir, the innocent smile dropped.
Ashley quietly shut the door and hurried away.
"Black Noir."
Homelander forced a warm smile and patted him on the shoulder.
"I knew you'd come back."
Noir wasted no time.
He wrote on a sheet of paper:
Soldier Boy is coming for us. We kill him together.
After intense internal conflict, Noir had concluded that running was pointless. Soldier Boy would find him eventually.
The only path to survival was joining forces with Homelander.
Another sheet of paper:
He's a monster. We have to kill him.
Homelander didn't respond immediately.
Instead, his expression twisted—joy and sorrow colliding.
Like a child desperate for paternal love, he stepped forward and embraced Noir.
"He's my father. Did you know that?"
Noir froze.
Homelander could see through lies.
Slowly, reluctantly, Noir nodded.
"…Fuck."
Truth cut deeper than any blade.
Homelander's face shifted—relief, betrayal, devastation.
Then he drove his fist straight through Black Noir's chest.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You should've told me."
Blood dripping from his hand, Homelander walked away—grief-stricken and disappointed.
Black Noir collapsed to the floor.
Reaching out.
Grasping at nothing.
…
The Next Day – The Boys' Motel Base
Leon made preparations.
To avoid complications, he had already knocked out Queen Maeve and Starlight.
Arcee—Motorcycle Mode—had transported them to a secure location far from Vought Tower.
Today, there would be no distractions.
The entire team mobilized.
Even though the side effects of Temp V were becoming increasingly obvious, Butcher and Hughie had gone too far to turn back.
Mother's Milk and Frenchie felt the same.
They refused to be ants crushed in the shockwaves of a superhuman war.
If Homelander was going down, they would witness it.
By nightfall—
Vought Tower blazed with light.
Brighter than usual.
Like the most radiant star in the sky.
A final brilliance before collapse.
…
Black Noir's Office – Vought Tower
Homelander stood watching grainy black-and-white promotional footage of Soldier Boy.
When he sensed Leon and The Boys arrive, he turned.
"Wow."
"You must've taken quite a detour to find me."
"Yeah," Butcher sneered. "Funny how 'the only man in heaven and earth' suddenly got good at hide-and-seek."
"Where's Black Noir?" Leon asked calmly, scanning the room.
"Dead," Homelander replied.
"I killed him."
"Why?"
"Because he didn't tell me about you. That was his greatest crime."
The room fell silent.
The Boys exchanged stunned looks.
Homelander had crossed yet another line.
"Right now, it's just me," Homelander said, stepping toward Leon, palms open.
"I know what betrayal feels like. Join me. With the two of us together, these worthless nobodies couldn't threaten us. No one could."
Leon raised a brow.
"And who's in charge?"
A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"Unless we settle that first."
"Why does there have to be a winner between us?" Homelander's voice sharpened.
"You're my… father."
The word tasted strange in his mouth.
He pointed at Butcher.
"Is this because he told you to do this?"
"He's nothing. Just a pathetic human."
"Don't let that bastard manipulate you."
Butcher stepped forward quickly.
"He can't be your son. You were locked in a lab for years. That's impossible."
"Shut up, Butcher!"
Homelander shot him a glare. For a split second, heat vision threatened to fire—but he restrained himself.
Then he turned back to Leon.
"I am your son."
"Your flesh and blood."
"And that's what matters most."
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