…
"Sir, the Mark V systems have rebooted."
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice echoed inside the helmet.
Tony suddenly sat upright, shoving the slab of concrete off himself. He slapped Leon's outstretched hand aside and laughed.
"Alright, alright—back off."
"That was just bad luck. Give me another minute and I'd have taken him down in two rounds. Didn't need you stepping in."
Then his grin widened.
"But hey… you finally decided to come back."
"For a while there I figured you were tied up somewhere by a woman and couldn't escape."
"Oh, please," Leon shot back. "You really do know me too well."
The two brothers pulled each other into a tight hug.
With Leon's return—
Iron Man 2 began.
And ended.
Ivan Vanko? Instantly deleted. Nothing more to say.
Granted, he had been a rare engineering talent. But with Tony alive and well, a genius harboring malice was nothing more than a liability.
Just like The Sage—
Leon would never keep someone like that around.
Monaco – VIP Lounge
With "Homelander" Leon present, the venue was arguably the safest place on Earth.
The panicked elites—once ready to flee—decided to continue the party.
Backstage—
Leon tore the battle-damaged Mark V armor off Tony piece by piece as if peeling cardboard.
Thankfully, Tony had only suffered minor bruising.
Pepper scolded him nonstop while applying ointment, her eyes brimming with concern.
"Tony, if you ever pull something like this again without telling me in advance, I quit!"
"Pepper, you're the CEO now. If you quit, what happens to the company?"
"I don't care!"
"I'm quitting anyway!"
"Ah—easy! Easy!"
"That hurts!"
"You know pain now, do you?" Pepper shot back, rubbing harder.
Nearby, Leon and Happy exchanged a look, shoulders trembling as they tried not to laugh.
Enter Black Widow
"Mr. Leon, thank goodness you were here. Otherwise, I might have been fired by Ms. Potts."
Natasha Romanoff—currently in her "Natalie Rushman" persona—bowed slightly.
Her white blouse and fitted secretary skirt were tailored to perfection. The angle of her bow was deliberate—
Revealing just enough to remain plausible, yet undeniably provocative.
Leon's eyes widened instinctively.
This woman is dangerous…
[Prompt: Proceed with today's Daily Sign-In?]
"…Huh?"
"What could I possibly get from Black Widow?"
The System was alarmingly fast.
Still, since we're already here—
"Do it."
[Ding! Daily Sign-In complete.]
[Congratulations, Host. You have obtained: Blessing of Contraception.]
[Blessing of Contraception: So long as you will it, you shall never arrive at the reality of having offspring.]
[Description: With only women in your heart, your trigger finger remains ever steady.]
"WHAT?!"
Leon nearly shouted in his native tongue.
Thank god it was controllable.
If this had been a passive, irreversible debuff—some kind of Absolute Sterility Constitution—
He didn't even want to imagine it.
He might not want children right now.
But choosing not to have them—
And being unable to—
Were two entirely different things.
A man could abstain.
But he could not accept incapacity.
"System… hypothetically speaking… is there something worse in the pool?"
[There is.]
[For example: Rooted Absolute Sterility Physique—]
"Stop!"
"I do not want further information!"
Better not to think about it.
Because as the System liked to say—
What is long remembered shall echo again.
Leon silently decided to never bring this topic up again.
Natasha, in his mental ranking system, just leveled up into the "existential threat" category.
Red Room training was terrifying.
"Mr. Leon? Are you alright?" Natasha asked, puzzled by his rollercoaster expression.
"…I need a moment."
Without another word, Leon activated a near-instant burst of speed and disappeared from backstage.
He needed to reassert his sense of manhood before this psychological shadow evolved into a permanent mental scar.
The Afterparty
Soon after, Leon reappeared—
Dressed in a tailored black suit.
The moment "Homelander" entered the VIP hall, he became the center of attention.
He raised a glass gracefully, exchanging brief pleasantries with dignitaries and moguls.
Then—
With clear purpose—
He sat down across from Justin Hammer.
More specifically—
Across from Hammer and beside Christine Everhart.
Leon casually wrapped an arm around Christine's waist as if they were old acquaintances.
Then he smiled at Hammer.
"Hey, Justin. Gotta say—your Ex-Wife works pretty damn well."
Hammer's smile twitched.
The double meaning was not subtle.
"Ah—ha. Thank you," he replied stiffly.
"To have Hammer's 'Ex-Wife' recognized by a hero like Homelander… well, that's her honor."
Outwardly polite.
Inwardly screaming.
Hammer would never dare oppose Leon directly.
But oh, the resentment simmered.
PS: I've been releasing chapters daily . Honestly, it hurts seeing almost no support on Patreon after all that work.If you're enjoying the fic, even a little, supporting me would mean a lot. It helps a student stay independent .
complete fic (all chapters ) are already up on Patreon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789