As the energy beam finally ceased, the devastation it left behind evident.
The hospital was melted completely, debris scattered across the scorched earth.
Amidst the wreckage, a figure began to emerge, stepping through the settling dust.
It was Charys, her presence dominating the ruined landscape.
Her form was sleek and efficient, a purple humanoid.
[IMAGE FOR THOSE WHO FORGOT HER]
Her eyes, glowing with a cold, calculated light, surveyed the destruction with a sense of purpose.
She approached the spot where Niklaus had stood moments before, now reduced to mere feet and ash.
Clicking her tongue in annoyance, she muttered to herself, her voice carrying an edge of frustration. "The deviation survived," she hissed under her breath, clearly displeased.
Her right hand, previously transformed into a lethal atomizer that had unleashed the devastating beam, began to change.
The weapon deconstructed itself, nanites retreating and reforming her hand back into its original shape. As her body morphed back into her usual getup, she exuded an air of confidence mixed with irritation, her appearance now resembling the cold and efficient warrior she was.
Charys straightened, her gaze fixed on the spot where Niklaus had been. Though her attack had been devastating, she was all too aware of the unpredictability of her target. The deviation had survived—barely—but it was still a deviation, a threat to be neutralized.
With one final glance at the devastated scene, she turned and began to walk away, her mind already working on the next steps.
But then she stopped and smiled as she sensed something.
This wasn't over. Not yet.
---
Deep within the underground labs of Vought Tower, in a cold, sterile pod, Niklaus—Homelander—suddenly jolted awake.
The cold confines of the pod were nothing compared to the searing rage that blazed within him.
He remembered the attack, the beam that had obliterated his body, and the pain that had followed—pain he had mever felt.
Without hesitation, his fist shot out, smashing through the glass of the pod.
Shards flew in every direction, reflecting the red-hot glow of his eyes as they burned with fury.
He ripped himself free from the restraints, stepping out into the lab, his new body crackling with barely contained energy.
The sterile walls of the lab began to warp and twist as reality itself bent to his will.
New orders flooded his mind, a flood of commands that tore at the fabric of the world around him.
Lightning crackled and flashed wildly, filling the room with blinding light as he pushed his powers to the limit.
"No more holding back," he growled, his voice reverberating with power.
The air around him buzzed with energy as the laws of physics began to bend to his fury.
He was done playing by the rules.
In an instant, Homelander vanished, phasing through the walls of the lab as if they were nothing.
The space cracked ever so slightly as he accelerated, his speed so great that the sky was torn apart in his wake.
The metaphysical force of his passage shattered windows in buildings miles away, and a clear sky stretched for hundreds of kilometers, a testament to the sheer power he unleashed.
He hadn't been able to react to the previous attack—not because of a lack of power, but because of its nature.
It was almost superluminal, moving faster than the speed of light, and even more terrifying, it had moved backwards in time.
The implications of such an attack enraged him further, but this time, he would not be caught off guard.
Homelander tore through the city at impossible speeds, a blur of rage and power.
The sky trembled, the earth shook, and reality itself seemed to buckle under the weight of his anger.
This was no longer about defending the city or his reputation—this was just his Anger.
---
Charys barely had time to register the immense pressure bearing down on her before Homelander was upon her.
His speed was unimaginable, and the sheer intensity of his presence froze her in place.
For the first time, the normally composed and confident Charys felt a twinge of fear—just a fraction of a second too late.
Homelander's fist collided with her side, the impact carrying a power so devastating that it disintegrated half of her body instantly.
The machine flesh and bones,that made up her cyborg form were vaporized in an instant, reduced to nothing more than a fine mist.
The force of the blow didn't stop there. It continued onward, the residual energy carving a path of destruction in a perfectly straight line for 15 kilometers.
Buildings, vehicles, and anything unfortunate enough to be in the way were annihilated, leaving a gaping scar in the earth that extended far beyond the horizon.
In the blink of an eye, Charys's shattered body reformed, pieces of her mechanical and organic components snapping back into place as if they were never destroyed.
Without missing a beat, she drove a powerful punch into Homelander's face, forcing him back slightly.
The blow was strong—stronger than anything she had delivered before—but this time, it barely fazed him.
Before she could capitalize on the moment, Homelander's other hand shot forward, digging deep into her side.
His fingers curled with an unrelenting grip, crushing the internal mechanisms and synthetic flesh with ease.
But Charys wasn't done.
Her mouth opened unnqturally wide, and from within, a weapon materialized—a gun charged with the same ominous energy that had nearly obliterated Homelander before.
The weapon pulsed with light, but this time, Homelander was ready.
With a mere thought, he bent the rules of the world around him.
Reality itself warped and twisted under his influence, making it so that anything in his presence—anything he willed—could be riddled with impossibility.
Granting him an ultimate ability: to turn even the most achievable tasks into uncertainty, to defy the natural laws of the universe with a single command.
As the energy beam fired from the gun in Charys's mouth, Homelander's new reality took hold.
The beam, which once moved faster than light, slowed to a crawl, its immense power reduced to nothing more than a flickering ember in the face of Homelander's will.
The gun malfunctioned, the energy dissipating harmlessly into the air as if it had never been dangerous to begin with.
Charys's eyes widened in shock, the realization of her helplessness dawning on her.
Homelander's expression was calm, almost bored, as he tightened his grip on her. "You've already lost," he muttered, his voice cold and devoid of mercy.
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Stones and Reviews please