Night had fallen.
In Silver Tree Town's central square, cheerful music echoed through the air as circus clowns performed acrobatics, captivating the audience.
Bright fireworks erupted overhead, painting the sky with bursts of color and joy. Everyone's faces glowed with delight.
Yet, atop the highest building in town, the clock tower, another kind of fire ignited—and burst into a plume of dark green smoke.
The clock tower's keeper squinted up at the smoke. "Great, just my luck. A dud."
He grumbled under his breath, "I told them this circus was a joke. Doesn't hold a candle to what we had back in the day."
More bursts followed, with dark green mist billowing from the clock tower. Instead of drifting skyward, the mist flowed downward, carried by the wind toward the center of the town.
The keeper coughed and hurried back inside, covering his nose as the strange fog thickened around him. He closed the windows, peering out with a frown.
"Cheap fireworks, no doubt," he muttered.
Then, his body trembled. He collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
His vision tinted red, and the faint lightbulb hanging from the ceiling seemed to blaze as bright as a searchlight, making his head throb.
"What's happening to me?"
He struggled to dial emergency services, but the calls wouldn't connect. After a few attempts, his breath faltered, and his chest tightened until he finally stopped breathing.
Meanwhile, the ominous green mist spread across the entire town.
From the top of the clock tower, a clown watched with delight, a gold coin twirling between his fingers. The coin was engraved with the symbol of a bat.
---
At the same time...
High above the atmosphere, Homelander hovered, basking in the sun's radiant light. He closed his eyes, allowing the energy to soak into his body.
Golden streams of energy flowed through his veins, illuminating the intricate patterns within his very being. His blood vessels glimmered, forming an otherworldly map inside him.
Minutes—or perhaps hours—passed before Homelander opened his eyes, which now shimmered with molten gold. For a brief moment, his irises shone as if they contained miniature suns.
Golden veins glowed faintly around his eyes, like streaks of sunlight etched into his skin.
Finally, the radiant energy dimmed, and the glowing patterns faded away. Homelander exhaled deeply.
"Fully charged."
He clenched his fists. "Now I can unleash the full power of my heat vision. Let's see how many blasts I can manage."
Just then, a system alert flashed across his vision.
[Warning: Catastrophic Event Detected – 7 Hours, 14 Minutes Until Impact]
Homelander frowned. This wasn't just any ordinary incident if he was being warned this far in advance.
Without hesitation, he plummeted back into the Earth's atmosphere, streaking across the sky like a blazing comet.
---
The next morning, Homelander gently disentangled himself from Angelina's warm embrace and slipped out of bed.
A new alert appeared before him.
[Disaster Event Activated]
[Do you accept the mission?]
He smirked. "This one's going to be interesting."
[Mission Accepted]
[Event Name: Rise of the Night – Grand Performance]
[Description: The town of Silver Tree has been overrun by the 'Midnight Jester' Brad Willy and his 'Black Bat Circus.' The 2,174 residents have been transformed into 'Night Thralls.']
[Objectives: 1) Eliminate at least 50% of the Night Thralls. 2) Destroy the Black Bat Circus. 3) Kill the Midnight Jester.]
Homelander's grin widened.
"Finally, something other than saving hostages. Time to clean house."
He gave Angelina a playful slap on the backside. "Get up, we've got work to do."
Half-asleep, Angelina mumbled, "More work, Master?"
"Not that kind," Homelander chuckled.
---
In the control room, Ashley rushed over as Homelander strode in.
"Homelander, the design team has the costume concepts ready—should I bring them up now?"
"Not yet." He waved her off. "We've got bigger things to handle."
He turned toward the screen, expecting some sort of government response. But ten minutes passed, and there was nothing.
Strange.
Either Homeland Security hadn't noticed the disaster yet... or they wanted nothing to do with it.
"Doesn't matter." Homelander shrugged. "Ashley, give me the coordinates for Silver Tree Town. Get the team prepped."
Ashley nodded and hurried to relay the orders.
Soon, the newly recruited heroes—Ice Princess, Spark, Elementalist, and Starlight—assembled.
Ashley whispered nervously, "Maeve and Black Noir are still off-grid. I've sent word, but there's no response."
"No time to wait," Homelander said decisively. "Get a chopper ready. I'll meet you all there."
Before anyone could respond, Homelander shot out the window, streaking toward Silver Tree Town at supersonic speed.
In mere moments, the town came into view—a sleepy settlement surrounded by forest.
"Master, look!" Angelina, who clung tightly to him during the flight, pointed toward the outskirts.
Below, a temporary military encampment had been set up, with soldiers patrolling the perimeter in armored vehicles.
Oddly, the town itself was eerily silent, devoid of the bustle one would expect from over 2,000 residents.
Homelander descended into a wooded area, setting Angelina down among the trees. "Stay here until I call for you."
He intended to give her some field experience, but not at the cost of exposing her too soon.
With a nod, Angelina retreated deeper into the forest.
---
Meanwhile, back at the military encampment, the heroes waited for orders.
Spark glanced at the drone hovering in the distance. "Should we take that down? Doesn't look like military issue."
Elementalist shook her head. "Forget the drone. Focus on the mission. Homelander said to stop anyone from leaving the town."
Ice Princess scoffed. "Don't worry. I could handle this entire perimeter on my own."
Starlight rolled her eyes at the tension simmering between the newcomers. She turned her gaze toward the distant figure of Homelander, now hovering over the town.
"What's he planning to do?" Starlight whispered.
---
High above, Homelander surveyed the town. The mission requirements played through his mind.
"No hostages to worry about. Easy enough."
"Let's take out the Night Thralls... and that clown while we're at it."
His eyes began to glow, filling with golden light. Within moments, the radiance intensified, as if twin suns had taken residence in his gaze.
The air around him shimmered with heat. Even from the distant military camp, the rising temperature was palpable.
"What the hell? Why's it getting so hot?" one soldier exclaimed, wiping sweat from his brow.
Even the superpowered recruits felt the heat. Elementalist summoned a breeze, but the hot air only made things worse.
Ice Princess, however, blew a cool breath, casting a refreshing chill around them.
---
In the sky above the town, Homelander cranked up his heat vision to 3,000 degrees—enough to melt steel.
Golden beams burst from his eyes, scorching the air and setting the sky ablaze. A wave of heat rippled outward, forcing Starlight and the others to back away.
Ice Princess stared in awe, realizing just how much power he'd been holding back during their training.
Her breath quickened, admiration and fear mingling in her gaze.
The searing beams hurtled toward the heart of the town—only to veer off course at the last moment, drawn toward the central square.
There, a rotund figure stood with his mouth wide open, inhaling the energy as if it were mere vapor.
Homelander narrowed his eyes.
What the hell?
A quick scan revealed the man's identity.
[Name: Glutton]
[Life Level: 4 (Superhuman)]
[Ability: Dimensional Projection]
"Interesting," Homelander muttered.
From the loudspeakers in the circus tent, the Midnight Jester's mocking voice echoed through the town.
"Welcome, Homelander! I knew you'd come!"
"But I've come prepared... with a secret weapon!"
"And with that... the negotiations are over!"
At the Jester's command, waves of Night Thralls burst from the buildings, swarming toward the military and the heroes.
The battle for Silver Tree had begun.
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