Cindy might seem weak since she was instantly defeated by Stormfront, but there's an important detail most people overlooked: she escaped, and Stormfront, despite attacking her, didn't seem to do much damage.
Cindy has mental health issues, but that doesn't mean she's unintelligent.
She used the other Supes to check for danger before escaping, even if her power was strong, she knew that if Homelander or the electric b*tch showed up, she'd be killed.
Cindy quickly discovered the source of her bad feelings, and it wasn't Stormfront or Homelander.
She felt shivers as she peered out from around a corner. She saw a monster—a terrifying one capable of snatching others' powers. The Supes were like a joke to it; they couldn't even hurt him before falling powerless to the ground. To say it was like an adult playing with children would be an understatement.
Cindy felt threatened. If he were Stormfront, she could feign defeat and wait for a chance to escape.
(A/N: We all know that Stormfront subdued Cindy instantly, but interestingly, Stormfront couldn't kill her, and she ended up escaping. Plus, it seems Cindy will return as one of the antagonists in season five.)
Cindy feared losing her powers, she had no choice but to fight. Luckily, that man's power had limits; apparently, he needed a few seconds to steal power and had to make eye contact with his opponent.
Cindy sat in the hallway and used her telekinesis to weaken the structure of the entire place so it could be easily destroyed if necessary.
With that, Cindy waited for Allen, pretending she didn't know him...
...
Cindy literally tore the walls and ceiling and spun them around her. As long as Allen couldn't see her, he couldn't steal her power.
Allen used his hands to strike a chunk of concrete heading his way and deflect it, but it didn't end there. Soon, Allen was attacked by numerous pieces of debris; he created a shield to defend himself.
"Two can play at that game..."
Allen used surface manipulation to raise four walls from the ground, encasing Cindy.
Allen teleported in front of the cube and touched it. The wall cracked with his touch. The cracks in the wall lit up and then detonated like explosives.
The Tactile Detonation., as its name suggests, causes things you touch to explode; if the touched object is too resilient, it causes a blast on the surface; if it's weak, it directly destroys it. Sounds powerful but dangerous, as this power doesn't protect the user from the explosion. The original user lost an arm the only time he used this power.
"Damn!"
Cindy emerged from the explosion in pain but managed to endure most of the damage. However, she felt humiliated, frustrated, and furious at being so easily overpowered.
She glared at Allen and screamed, collapsing the ceiling. Allen looked up silently before being crushed.
Cindy used this moment to attempt escape; she ran down the hallways, looking back and not seeing Allen following her, she felt relieved thinking she had a chance to escape.
*Crack*
"What?"
A crack appeared in the wall beside Cindy, and almost immediately, Allen's hand emerged and grabbed Cindy by the neck.
"Ahhh! Damn it!"
Cindy used her powers to try to push Allen away, but it was like trying to move a mountain.
Allen broke through the wall, appearing calm and unguarded in front of Cindy. She felt humiliated as Allen didn't take her seriously.
"Why? Why are you here?!"
"It's nothing personal, and I know it's not your fault, so don't be afraid—we'll bring you back to your normal life once this is over."
"Ha... haha.... damn bastard!... you'll take my power!... you'll brainwash me with that thing!... and you try to make it look like something good?! DON'T MESS WITH ME!"
"Then tell me what should I do, let you go with all that power?... I see that you are the type of person who would not hesitate to kill others."
"SHUT UP! I DIDN'T CHOOSE TO HAVE THIS POWER, BUT NOW IT'S MINE, AND YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO TAKE IT AWAY!"
Allen released Cindy, and she attacked without hesitation; he shook his head and punched her in the stomach, bringing her to her knees.
"Isn't it hypocritical to play the victim when you clearly tried to kill me just now?" Allen kneeled, "Tell me, what would have happened if I were weaker?"
"..."
"You only resort to dialogue when you've lost, that's very unfair..."
Cindy's facade cracked, revealing a pleading expression.
"I... I need my power... please don't take it away."
Allen considers himself a person with good judgment and most of the time knows when someone is trying to deceive him or is sincere.
Allen looked up and let out a heavy sigh...
"Once... I let someone go, believing maybe they could mend their ways... he came back only to cause more harm..."
"Please..."
Allen is a rational person even if he often acts out of compassion and kindness, but he won't make the same mistakes twice, or so he believes.
Let Cindy go with her powers? What happens if tomorrow she commits a terrible act? What if she regrets this decision one day?
"..."
Allen looked into Cindy's eyes; even with everything she's done, she dares to beg for mercy.
"Will I regret this?"
"..."
Allen grabbed Cindy by her clothes, "Answer me! Will I regret this?!"
"No, I swear..."
"Alright, but you won't get off that easy..."
Allen used fragments from the system to use his demon powers and create a contract—if she harmed innocents with her powers, she would suffer a terrible fate.
Gwen – What convinced you?
[I.M] – "She said, 'I need my powers, not 'I want them'..."
MJ – I see~ she must have something she needs to do, maybe revenge, maybe a promise...
Kara – I'm not against second chances... but the reality is, often they end in tragedy
Ivy – Hmm, if you force her to sign a binding contract, it shouldn't end like with the god Loki...
Natasha – Honey, I won't judge your decision, but I'm glad you can still trust others after what happened~
[I.M] – "I'd just like to think Cindy won't be like Loki"
Allen sighed, releasing all his frustration; now he must find Butcher.
Allen knows a lot is happening outside, but there are the dolls. Speaking of which, Allen noticed something strange; it's been a while since a new doll appeared, which is very unusual.
'Maybe in the end, there weren't a hundred, and it was all an exaggeration haha...'
At that moment, three boxes fell in front of Allen.
"You've got to be kidding me!! Seriously?! Right now?! Just when I mentioned it?!"
Allen had his suspicions, but now he believed the person responsible for the dolls was watching him, maybe in the chat, or perhaps directly—it seemed like a mockery to do this right now.
Allen looked cautiously at the three boxes; he already had enough trouble with the three rogue dolls, and the current ones had adapted.
'I can feel the malice behind whoever sent me the dolls, or maybe they just thought it was funny to do it...'
...
Luke received Artoria's attack with his arms but quickly regretted it as the metal cut through his skin.
"There's a very common phenomenon among those accustomed to power..."
Artoria struck Luke with her sword, severing his shoulder, and Luke angrily detonated fire and destruction in all directions, causing a massive explosion.
"They never think they will lose, that they will never be weaker than their opponent, that they will never die..."
Artoria's voice appeared behind Luke, stunned, he was in the middle of an explosion comparable to several thousand tons of TNT, yet her voice sounded as if nothing had happened.
"You..." Luke turned and saw Artoria standing with her sword in hand.
"It's strange, don't you think, young man? Your goal is to kill others, but you're not prepared to die in the process..."
Luke felt his chest tighten; he had faced Allen before but hadn't experienced this chilling sensation so intensely. This was of course because Allen wasn't trying to kill them, or it's better to say Allen didn't see Luke and Sam as opponents.
"Damn it!!"
Luke became angry and shot his flames like incandescent plasma cannons; the intense heat had already started a wildfire that spread like gunpowder.
Artoria moved her hand slightly, and Luke felt his balance fail and fell to the ground. Quickly, he recomposed himself, knowing a mistake in a fight against someone so powerful could cost him his life.
However, as he tried to stand, he noticed he couldn't. Looking down, he was terrified to find his legs had been severed below the knee.
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"
"Golden Boy... I heard Allen say your real name is Luke Riordan..." Artoria pointed her sword tip at Luke's throat without changing expression. "Don't worry... it'll be over soon, I take no pleasure in making others suffer."
Leaving those words, Artoria's sword glowed, "If it's any consolation, it's better to end now than to fall into Allen's hands after he learns you tried to kill Kimiko..."
Amid the intense pain, the fear he felt at the sight of Artoria's eyes brought Luke back to lucidity, he knew Stan Edgar was not a good person, but he owed him everything, and that's why he was willing to kill and destroy in his name. Luke knew he had no right to complain about losing. He knew that this outcome was just and he had no right to ask for mercy.
Artoria raised her sword in front of her.
– "Once born to rule a country... failed... Twice born to save humanity... failed... Three times born to protect a single person... will not fail... Witness my oath and lend me your power once more... Ex-calibur" –
'Sam... I'm sorry...'
A flash visible from space consumed visibility for everyone, even interrupting the fight between Stormfront vs Annie and Kimiko.
When the light vanished, the fire had been extinguished, leaving only charred trees and scorched ground.
Artoria sheathed her sword before turning away, no regrets, no pity, no mercy, no kindness; she is a knight, a king, and a goddess, and her sword does not hesitate to cut down Allen's enemies.
Golden Boy has fallen...
...
(F for Golden Boy, well life goes on 🍷🗿)
...
At Vought Tower, an interview was taking place with Homelander and Sam. Everyone knew the younger brother was strong but lacked the charisma necessary to be a Vought Superhero.
"Come on Homelander, I know you have some surprises up your sleeve, tell us!" the interviewer exclaimed enthusiastically.
Homelander smiled, "Don't worry, Maria, it's still early. Why don't we get to know our young Sam first?"
Homelander patted Sam, who seemed momentarily dazed but upon catching Homelander's piercing gaze, focused.
"Haha, of course, everyone loves the brothers. They are simply bright young stars who have rightfully earned their place among the Seven!"
"That's right, Sam's strength is almost as great as mine!"
"Really... is that true, Sam?"
Sam looked bewildered for a moment but then faced the camera.
"My brother and I... it's always been just the two of us... however... he's always been one step ahead of me... I was afraid... afraid that if I didn't measure up, we would be separated... so I became strong... I became very, very strong... so that no one could separate us..."
"Wow, those few words were so intense. I see, Sam must admire his brother greatly, especially for choosing to be Silver Boy alongside his brother Golden Boy."
"Admire?... yes... you could say that..."
As the interview concluded, Sam felt an inexplicable anxiety, a need to be somewhere else.
Homelander coughed, bringing the focus back to him as he stood up in front of the camera and Maria's eager gaze.
"We've had many losses, people who won't be coming back, but not everything is sad. We have new members, and yet I know many will feel sorrowful, so I have great news for them," Homelander smiled and pointed at the door, "Today, two very beloved members are returning to us."
The door opened, and A-Train entered; he had recovered, causing a huge shock as just days ago, rumors suggested his career had ended. But the shocks didn't stop there; behind him walked a man completely clad in black—it was Black Noir.
"Ah! You can't be serious!" the reporter screamed in excitement and stood up to hug Black Noir and then A-Train. "Ladies and gentlemen, exclusively on return, two beloved members of the Seven are back!!"
There are many issues within the Seven, even more within Vought, but despite a tarnished reputation and multibillion-dollar losses, many still believe in the Seven; they believe in Vought.
It's almost ridiculous that Homelander could kill someone on camera and yet there would be those who prefer to justify his actions in the most absurd ways rather than believe he is a monster.
Homelander smiled and embraced Black Noir.
"I'm glad you're back..."
It's no secret that among the Seven, Black Noir holds a special place as the only one Homelander considers a friend and someone significant. Black Noir nodded, returning the hug.
At that moment, everyone was celebrating until they realized a detail.
Homelander, Maeve, Stormfront, Deep, Sam, and Luke. There was only one seat available, and two people had returned.
That meant someone would be expelled from the Seven; the only other case like this was with Jack the Jupiter. Being expelled from the Seven is essentially a death sentence for a Supe's career; there's nothing more to do, and you'll lose popularity and sponsorship faster than the depreciation of oil in 2008.
Homelander was aware of everyone's thoughts and also knew it didn't require much thought to decide who would leave the Seven.
In his room, Deep looked worriedly at the interview.
"No, I don't think it'll be me... Homelander and I have a very long-standing relationship," said Deep as he spoke to his octopus, Timothy.
"No, of course, it hasn't been my best season but I have faith that so many years will count for something!"
Deep stood and walked to a mirror, still sporting a bruise under his eye from a beating by Mother's Milk. Deep lowered his head, deep down knowing it was the end unless a miracle happened. The worst part wasn't being expelled for his greatest fear, which was his appearance hidden beneath his suit, but for being weak.
Deep felt frustrated; he had spent so much time being good in front of the cameras because he believed, and Vought made him think, that's what a hero needed to be at the top. Now he looked at Sam, whose charisma was zero, sitting next to Homelander.
"It's over..."
"Homelander!!"
At that moment, something happened; Ashley interrupted the interview looking scared, not terrified.
Deep watched what was happening; Homelander seemed ready to decapitate Ashley for a moment but, seeing her expression, knew something terrible had happened. The signal abruptly cut off, and Deep immediately headed to the meeting room.
===
A/N:
Artoria – Golden boy... I executed civilians for less and you think I will let you go if you are an enemy of my Allen? (Yandere Vibes) 🗿
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