…
When the nuclear detonation finally subsided and Leon reappeared at ground zero, the minor scrapes and bruises that had covered his body were already gone. Under the effects of Super Self-Regeneration, not even the faintest trace of injury remained.
As for the Homelander Leon had been holding—
He had resisted for less than 2.5 seconds.
There was not even bone left. Only a small handful of ashes remained in Leon's grip.
Perhaps—just perhaps—if Homelander had fled immediately, relying on his supersonic flight and pseudo "Man of Steel" durability, he might have survived the blast.
But to stand unmoving at the very center of a nuclear explosion, bathing in it like Leon had?
Survival was never an option.
"Rest in peace, John."
Leon scattered the final remains of Homelander's ashes over what was left of Vought Tower below.
The skyscraper had completely collapsed. Concrete had turned to dust. Steel rebar had melted into flowing slag, with only a few twisted pillars still fused to the foundation—faint remnants of Vought's former glory.
As far as the eye could see—
Centered on Vought Tower—
The entire skyline lay in ruin. Countless high-rises had been reduced to skeletal steel frames, swaying precariously like the ribcages of dead giants.
Under such force, even superhumans could not have survived.
And yet—
The devastation extended far beyond what Leon could see.
A 40-megaton airburst nuclear warhead theoretically produces a destruction radius of 23.8 kilometers. But in a dense urban environment, shattered buildings act like shrapnel, amplifying the shockwave's lethality.
In reality, the effective destruction radius began at 30 kilometers.
Beyond Leon's sight, the shockwave continued to travel—like the ripple of a divine finger pressing upon the Earth—sweeping outward in waves of annihilation, carving an unhealable scar into the map of America.
The Next Day
Because of the unprecedented yield of the explosion, the U.S. government did not dare send personnel into the blast zone. Radiation and fallout saturated the area.
This state of affairs could last for years.
For now, the nuclear wasteland had become Leon's personal paradise. Even Arcee—who had not been upgraded for radiation shielding—could not approach safely.
When I get back, I'll have my brother give Arcee a proper anti-radiation upgrade.
Standing atop the ruins of Vought Tower, Leon summoned the System in his mind.
After staging such a magnificent work of "art," he was very curious what today's sign-in reward would be.
[Prompt: Proceed with today's Daily Sign-In?]
"I can still hear the echo of the nuke," Leon muttered inwardly.
"Do it."
[Ding! Daily Sign-In complete.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained: Godzilla Template Fragment ×1.]
[Godzilla Template Fragment: Collect 10 fragments to automatically synthesize the complete Godzilla Template.]
[Description: Who says I can't fly? Who says I've got short legs paddling underwater? I'll blast you to death with one Atomic Breath!]
"…Well, this is awkward."
Leon's emotions were… complicated.
Sure, he'd joked before about "not wanting to be human anymore."
But jokes were jokes.
Why would he actually give up being human?
Wasn't making friends great?
Leon's tastes were broad—but strictly limited to attractive humanoids. He was not that kind of enthusiast. Snakes, lizards, exhaust pipes… absolutely not.
"System, if possible, I'd prefer to stay human."
Godzilla was undeniably powerful. Leon vaguely remembered a comic crossover—MonsterVerse meets DC—where Godzilla blasted Superman to death with a single Atomic Breath.
Fully grown Superman had shielded that troublesome kid who could transform into Shazam, tanked the beam head-on—
—and died for it.
Leon couldn't recall the exact details, but that was roughly how it went.
A beam capable of killing Superman? Of course he wanted that.
But if the price was ceasing to be human, he'd pass. He had plenty of time to grow stronger.
However—
The System seemed to read his concern and directly displayed the full Godzilla Template details.
[Godzilla Template: The monster among monsters. The king among kings. The human among humans.]
[Your species remains unchanged. You gain all of Godzilla's abilities. In human form, you receive 25% of the template's power. In monster form, you receive 100%.]
[Description: The planet cannot speak—so Godzilla appears.]
"…What?!"
"There's a deal like that?!"
Retain his human form—
Gain all of Godzilla's abilities—
Wasn't that basically a kaiju-version Ultraman?!
A true guardian of the planet?!
Leon shot upright in excitement. He instantly switched from his Soldier Boy Suit into the Super Deadpool Suit, then blasted into the sky.
Thus began what he proudly named:
"The Little Boy Lights the Nukes" World Tour Fireworks Show.
The targets?
U.S. military bases storing nuclear warheads.
Day One
Leon ignited 25 nuclear warheads.
Sign-In Reward: Endless Matches.
Day Two
Leon ignited 125 nuclear warheads.
Sign-In Reward: Ever-Burning Spark.
He immediately installed it into Arcee.
Day Three
Leon ignited 250 nuclear warheads.
Sign-In Reward: A Crate of "Pigeon-Laid Eggs."
He used residual nuclear heat to cook them. Surprisingly delicious.
Day Four
Leon ignited 1,250 nuclear warheads.
Sign-In Reward: "Man with His Own BGM."
[Man with His Own BGM: At any time, in any place, you may make anyone hear whatever background music you designate.]
[Description: Style flows like the wind—forever at my side.]
Day Five
Leon ignited 2,500 nuclear warheads.
Sign-In Reward: Another crate of Pigeon-Laid Eggs.
Day Six
America's nuclear reserves ran critically low.
Leon borrowed 5,000 more from neighboring stockpiles.
Sign-In Reward: Pigeon-Laid Eggs.
Day Seven
Leon gathered warheads from around the globe and detonated them in one apocalyptic spree.
The result?
Pigeon-Laid Eggs. Again.
At one point, every last nuclear detonation was absorbed by what he jokingly called "Nevada Test Site "—until the entire island nation was effectively erased from the map.
And still—
The System refused to drop anything worthwhile.
Leon finally accepted fate.
Luck could not be reversed by radiation.
No matter how many nukes he lit, he could not brute-force his way into collecting all ten Godzilla Template Fragments.
His dream of instantly assembling the full template was officially dead.
And so—
Leon turned his attention back to the many superhumans scattered across the world…
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