Whoosh—
The arrow tore through the sky.
Though it was broad daylight, it shone like a meteor in the night—because the prayers gathered upon it shimmered with the brilliance of human hope.
"Go!"
"Shoot it down, arrow guy!"
Bang!
As if guided by causality itself, the nuclear warhead—never designed to be struck by a mere arrow—met Hawkeye's explosive shot head-on.
First came the arrow's detonation.
Then—
A sphere of blinding light erupted outward like a miniature sun.
BOOM—!!!!!!!!
In that instant, the people of New York—especially along the western coastline—felt both relief and despair.
At least someone had stood up for them.
At least there was still a sliver of hope.
If they could survive…
Please—
Someone—
Save us.
Eyes closed.
Prayers whispered.
They waited for the end.
For the flash to blind them.
For the heat to vaporize them.
For the shockwave to grind them into dust.
But none of it came.
"…?"
Hawkeye opened his eyes in confusion—
And witnessed a sight he would never forget.
The blazing sphere of nuclear fire hung frozen in midair—
Anchored by an unseen force.
It radiated gently, like a contained sun, casting only a soft golden glow across the sky.
At its heart—
A towering, wingless dragon-shaped silhouette flickered for a split second.
Then—
It was replaced by a familiar black-clad figure.
Hum—
With a low, resonant vibration, the nuclear "sun" began collapsing inward—
Condensing—
Compressing—
Devoured by the man at its core.
And then—
The hero descended.
Clad in his classic Soldier Boy Suit, Leon stood in the sky like a sovereign upon a heavenly throne.
With the newly completed Godzilla Template combined with the Starlight Template, he absorbed the total destructive yield of the nuclear blast.
Power surged.
Hunger satisfied.
Strength—vast, yet controlled.
Leon had never felt better.
He flexed his left wrist.
Aionsega shimmered with prismatic radiance, and the War God Armor manifested in full splendor around him.
For the first time, this resplendent armored form—Homelander · Leon reborn in divine steel—was broadcast to the entire world through Arcee's livestream.
Below, the first to react were the suffering citizens of New York.
"It's him!"
"Captain Leon!"
"We're saved!"
S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier
Nick Fury slowly removed his thumb from the pager he'd been preparing to press.
"Motherf—" he muttered with a grin.
"That kid sure knows how to make an entrance."
"At least he showed up when we needed him most," Maria Hill replied softly.
Across the world—
Helen Cho, Christine Everhart, May, Eve, Sharon Carter—
All watching the livestream—
Felt the same wave of relief.
Western Coastline
Clint exhaled shakily.
He had just prepared himself to die.
Now, the crisis had evaporated in seconds.
He punched Leon lightly in the chest as the armored figure descended.
"You've got incredible timing."
"Blame me?" Leon shrugged.
Then his expression hardened.
"Reunions later."
"We finish this first."
"This is my Earth. No one gets to touch it."
With that—
Leon became a streak of rainbow light.
In the blink of an eye, he shot from the western coastline to the skies above Stark Tower.
There, across the tower's peak—
He faced his counterpart: Ebony Maw.
"Leon—"
Thor began, fury burning.
"Loki was killed by this—"
"Shh."
Maw raised a finger to nonexistent lips.
Instantly, a steel gag formed over Thor's mouth via telekinesis.
Tony wisely kept quiet.
And continued calculating.
"Leon Stark," Maw began again—
But he was interrupted once more.
This time by the Chitauri Strategist, who had boldly piloted a chariot through the portal to celebrate what he assumed was certain victory.
Cackling, he hovered nearby.
"Leon Stark. You are recognized by the Great Titan as a worthy opponent."
"I shall grant you a merciful opportunity."
"Submit to the Mind Stone Scepter."
"And I will spare their lives."
"Otherwise…"
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