A young woman emerged from one of the containment cells and appeared just as Lamplighter had been subdued.
"Cindy..."
Butcher noticed Lamplighter's reaction upon seeing the woman and went on high alert. Even though he was scum in Butcher's eyes, he was still an ex-member of the Seven. He was not weak, and if there was a supe who could scare him like that, she was definitely dangerous.
"Kenji!"
At Butcher's shout, Kimiko's brother raised his hands and used his power to strike Cindy. She was hit by Kenji's telekinesis while off guard and fell to the ground.
"Quick, everyone falls back!"
Butcher's command was firm and clear; everyone obeyed, sensing the urgency in his voice.
What had just happened was so sudden that no one noticed the oddity in Butcher's actions except Mother's Milk. He was typically the one who opposed Butcher's suicidal and dangerous plans the most.
This time Mother's Milk realized something; Fleeing? Did Billy Butcher just choose to flee? No.
'William has prioritized everyone's safety over taking down the dangerous girl.'
This might be a subtle change, but it definitely didn't go unnoticed by MM.
"Are we just leaving her there?!" Hughie asked.
Cindy, annoyed, got up and pointed at Butcher, who seemed to be the leader in her eyes, and clenched her hand as if crushing something.
"AHH!"
Butcher clutched his head and nearly fell. His nose started bleeding, and his vision became blurry.
"Butcher!" MM shouted.
Kenji turned once more. He could sense a power similar to his own but knew he wouldn't win in a direct confrontation with Cindy. He pointed to a steel door, tore it off its hinges, and hurled it at Cindy. This time, she wasn't distracted; she stopped the door without even looking at it, then proceeded to close her hand, and the door was pulverized.
Kenji growled, realizing there was another supe with telekinesis stronger than his. However, he would not die for pride, he turned and retreated.
Hughie helped Butcher run while keeping a wary eye on Cindy.
Cindy didn't attack the group again, mostly out of caution. She was used to everyone being crushed when she used her powers, but it didn't work this time.
This was unusual for Cindy, enough for her to decide not to kill them. She chose to escape but felt a bad omen as she looked down the corridor leading to the exit. So, she changed her mind and began opening all the cells to let the patients escape.
...
Allen had defeated and incapacitated many Supes. Some had confused looks after Allen used the Neuralyzer on them, others were relieved because their powers were a curse, some were frightened by Allen and his terrifying power, and a few who didn't want to lose their powers and wanted to cause harm were angry.
Allen smiled at them, giving them chills, so the last group stopped misbehaving.
The incursion wasn't clean; guards, doctors, nurses, and general staff had died. Of course, several Supes who were unfortunate enough were also killed by the Vought guards' bullets.
It was a scene worthy of "The Boys."
Allen looked at a group of surviving Vought staff who would be directly arrested by Mallory upon their exit.
This time, they would hit Vought International with everything and wouldn't give them a chance to escape unscathed.
Cate returned, and Allen tasked her with getting the Vought survivors out.
The girl put her hands behind her back with a bored look on her face, then smiled and grabbed Allen's arm. "I hope there's a reward for this~"
"..." Allen raised an eyebrow.
"Of course, if you don't want to give me anything, I'll accept it with a smile because just helping my brother Allen is a reward!~," Cate said, blinking as she playfully hugged Allen's arm. "But if you think my effort deserves something in your heart, I won't refuse ❤️ ~"
Gwen – Can you believe that girl had social anxiety a week ago?
MJ – She makes me proud~
Diana – I can't believe you support such blatant behavior.
Felicia – You don't understand, sister. Hehe being spoiled may seem bad to outsiders... but it's unexpectedly stimulating for both parties❤️~
Natasha – Hee hee, that little one thinks no one has noticed she's setting the stage~
...
"Alright, but you need to work hard," Allen said.
Cate's eyes lit up as she couldn't believe her plan was working. Of course, Allen could see what she was planning but still didn't reject it. It was good to keep Cate motivated, and Allen enjoyed seeing her happy.
"Thank you, I love you!" Cate kissed him on the cheek and proceeded to leave with the survivors. Artoria followed her discreetly, as something might happen, and she couldn't handle it alone. Allen was being very cautious due to the many Supes and unknown powers in this place.
Kimiko returned and crossed paths with a very happy Cate, looking at her suspiciously. Kimiko decided to find Allen to find out what had made Cate so happy.
Kimiko snorted as she immediately knew what had happened when she saw Allen. She approached him and, without changing her expression, used the sleeve of her suit to wipe the lipstick off Allen's cheek.
"Oh... thanks, Kimiko." Allen hadn't realized Cate had "marked" him before leaving and felt a bit embarrassed.
'You're a pervert...'
Allen coughed, not defending himself. He knew he deserved it for being so greedy.
Kimiko smiled faintly. She wasn't stupid and was sure neither Annie nor Cate were. She understood the kind of trouble she was getting into with Allen. It is like a tar pit that slowly drags you in, and by the time you realize it, you can't escape.
One night, 2B spoke with the girls. She was honest about her master and recommended they avoid developing any romantic feelings unless they were willing to accept his flaws.
Kimiko knew no one was perfect. Allen would be too good to be true if he didn't have something bad, and that bad was easy to spot. Still, it was hard to stay away, and deep down, Kimiko didn't want to.
Kimiko communicated telepathically with Allen, 'Everything seems fine. The CIA has already taken several patients, but some have murder charges and will be tried, they said...'
"It's natural..."
This place had patients with mental illnesses before Vought came to experiment. Then they started using them with Compound V, but due to the high mortality rate, they began bringing all kinds of "subjects," from criminals and vagrants to people like Andrew and Will.
Here, there were people ranging from ordinary folks to psychopathic killers.
Allen stroked Kimiko's head and left her in charge, then went towards the corridor from which everyone was fleeing.
Kimiko watched Allen's back until he disappeared, wondering if she could distance herself from him if she tried... 'maybe it's too late,' Kimiko thought, then she smiled and returned to her task.
...
Allen advanced slowly, ensuring that no supe escaped without losing most of their powers. He removed their primary abilities, but they retained their strength and endurance. Fortunately, although all Supes received increases in strength and endurance, not many were strong enough to withstand bullets and explosions.
A woman noticed Allen approaching and immediately ran. Allen was surprised by the woman's panic, but even more by her power, because out of nowhere the walls and floor moved, blocking his way.
She entered a room as if the wall were alive, it moved to close the door.
"NOO! GET AWAY FROM ME!"
Allen felt like the killer in a horror movie. He approached and used Low intangibility to pass through the wall. "Low" indicated that it was weak Intangibility, did not work through energy, or moving objects, and could not be maintained for more than ten seconds.
"NOOO!"
The woman shouted and tried to create a hole beneath Allen to make him fall, but Allen walked on air, unaffected. The woman's face twisted in terror.
"Why... what did we do to deserve this?! I did what you asked!! I didn't kill anyone; I just wanted to leave this place and return to my children!"
Allen extended his hand, and the woman closed her eyes, expecting the worst, but the pain never came. She opened her eyes cautiously, having been so frightened by the screams of many patients that she hadn't even looked at who was pursuing her.
"*Cough* Sorry, ma'am, I didn't get a chance to explain. I came, we came to get you out of here."
The woman was shocked to see the young man in front of her. ' It's said a person's gaze can express a lot... I never believed it... but I know, I have no guarantees, but I can swear on my children that this young man will not harm me...'
[Skill Acquired: Surface Transmutation]
Allen guided the woman toward the exit. On the way, he saw Annie dealing with two stubborn men who tried to escape alone.
"Starlight... is everything okay?"
"These guys think that just because they have a little strength, they don't need to obey!"
"Haha, well, it looks like you're handling them well..." Allen smiled as Starlight dragged the two men out with a rope.
Allen shook his head and gave the woman a pat on the shoulder. She seemed astonished to see all the patients shifting from madness and frenzy to depression and confusion.
She watched Allen's back as he continued forward...
...
Allen reached a peculiar hallway, with all the walls cracked and bloodstains everywhere. In the middle of the aisle, a girl was sitting with her head bowed.
"Are you one of Lamplighter's friends?"
"No, I'm an intruder..."
"You're lying... I hate being lied to."
"Nah, you hate people, which is why you think everyone is lying to you..."
The girl had dark circles under her eyes and a shaved head. She wrinkled her nose, showing a clear murderous intent.
Allen observed Cindy, who would be the most powerful supe in this place, even considering that there was an ex-member of the Seven here.
Allen's eyes sharpened, and his spider sense triggered as the entire hallway was pulverized by Cindy.
Allen's eyes flashed, but Cindy used a metal door to block his view.
"I see... you won't make it easy for me, will you, Cindy?"
...
Outside the mental institution, a line of black vans filled with CIA agents. They would guard the Supes, assess if they are safe and not criminals to let them go free or not.
Mallory and Rayner watched from a distance with binoculars.
"That kid is amazing. Did he really take away all their powers?" Rayner gasped.
"Yes, but not all. Some still have superhuman-level strength..."
Mallory smiled faintly, but the expression was quickly replaced by burning anger and pain. No matter the satisfaction of watching Vought fall slowly, she couldn't be happy, not with the painful reminder of her grandchildren's faces every day. Mallory tightened her grip on her gun as she waited patiently to have Lamplighter in front of her.
This revenge wouldn't bring her grandchildren back and would likely make her feel worse. Nevertheless, she couldn't live knowing that the responsible party was laughing somewhere.
"Damn it!" Rayner shouted.
Mallory looked through her binoculars at the sky, where a woman covered in electricity descended. She fired her lightning at one of the CIA vans, killing the agents inside.
...
Annie looked at Stormfront and quickly gathered energy in her hands to attack.
Stormfront was struck in mid-air and fell.
...
"B*tch!"
The woman got up and cursed at Starlight, who approached with Kimiko by her side. Cate, on the other hand, wasn't a fighter, so she stayed away with Timcampy on her head.
Timcampy was an intelligent creature. He knew his master was very strong and likely didn't need constant protection, but the situation was different with Cate, She is her master's weakest woman in this world, so Tim decided to pay more attention to her.
"Shut up, b*tch!" Annie retorted with contempt. "I know what you're doing. You pretend to be good to everyone, but you're a harpy just trying to get with Homelander!"
"Haha, says the bitch who went with the villain just because he's handsome!!"
"Shut up, you don't know anything about what happened that day!"
"Hehe, sure I do, sweetheart. I know Deep and Black Noir wanted a bit of your attention but you denied them. Hey, don't look at me like that. I agree; you should have castrated them. But I don't agree with your actions. This hero game, this farce of helping others is just nonsense. The people you help don't care about you. They don't care about us. We're still at war with..."
Stormfront felt she had said too much and fell silent, then looked at Annie with disdain. Seeing Kimiko, she felt a wave of disgust.
"Japanese... cowards... they should have fought to the end but gave up..."
Kimiko grabbed her phone, typed something, and showed it to Annie.
"Kimiko says to shut up, b*tch!"
Stormfront smiled but then her eyes glowed violet, and Annie's did too. Both women fired their powers, clashing in the middle with no clear winner or loser. However, soon Stormfront began to overpower Starlight.
"Ha, all you can do is talk, little girl!!" Stormfront taunted mercilessly but had forgotten that Annie wasn't alone.
Kimiko appeared from behind and used her claw to slash Stormfront's back. She screamed in pain, unable to believe she was being hurt.
Stormfront, formerly known as Liberty, was literally the first supe to exist. She was injected with the first dose of Compound V. Stormfront wasn't weak; in fact, she was one of the strongest Supes. That's why it was so shocking that Kimiko managed to wound her. But that wasn't her only mistake. She lost concentration in her power clash with Starlight and was quickly struck by Annie's power.
"Ahhh!"
Stormfront was sent flying, crashing into several trees before stopping at a building wall.
"Cate!" Annie called the girl who had been watching. Cate, being smart, understood the order quickly, stood up, and began guiding the patients to the vans. Soon, most of them had moved away.
In the forest, Stormfront felt humiliated and rose with a massive burst of electricity.
Stormfront attacked Kimiko, as the wound on her back was the most painful. Annie stepped in front of Kimiko and used her powers to stop the electric discharge.
Stormfront sneered, knowing Annie's power depended on being near sources of power. Her abilities involved absorbing and utilizing energy, usually drawing from the electricity around her. However, they were near a forest, and the nearby mental institution had limited energy—it couldn't last forever.
However, Annie smiled, and suddenly her power increased. She pushed Stormfront back.
Stormfront, who had studied Annie's abilities, was stunned. She did this with all Supes who could be threats or allies.
Annie grabbed her pendant, which glowed with a faint golden light.
"What did you do, blonde?!" Stormfront growled.
Annie didn't answer, only mocked her. "Why don't you come and find out, OLD WOMAN?!"
Electricity crackled around Stormfront, while Starlight was surrounded by a golden aura, very similar to someone else's.
Kimiko observed from a distance and did not intervene. However, she heard a boom and something landing near her—it was Golden Boy.
Kimiko immediately went on guard, but the young man enveloped in flames, looked at her with terrifying eyes. Kimiko flinched slightly, immediately realizing she wouldn't win.
She thought about buying time until someone could support her, but to her surprise, Golden Boy attacked her with everything from the start. He cleared her position and charged at high speed.
Kimiko gritted her teeth, preparing to endure terrible burns. Even with her regeneration, the pain was still unpleasant.
The intense heat enveloped Golden Boy as his cold gaze fixed on Kimiko. Just before reaching her, Golden Boy was kicked, slamming into several trees and crashing into a building wall.
In front of Kimiko appeared a woman in dazzling armor and a royal mantle.
"Young man... don't waste your life..." Artoria said, watching Golden Boy rise, pained from the kick.
'Who is she?' Luke wondered as he felt as though his neck might break. Golden Boy considered for a moment whether he should retreat but discarded the idea. He couldn't retreat any more times, or Mr. Edgar would be disappointed.
He activated his device and injected himself with Compound V.
Artoria's expression remained unchanged as she drew her sword.
"I understand. As a mark of respect for your bravery, I will fight you seriously..." Artoria's gaze sharpened, and before Luke could react, she was already in front of him. She was a woman beyond beautiful, with an aura of sanctity and nobility, but Luke could only feel fear.
The edge of the promised victory descended on Luke.
"Don't die from a single blow, young man, or the brave ones on the other side will mock you..."
===
A/N: It got intense 🍷🗿