After informing Quicksilver of his father's identity, Ron and Emma left Quicksilver's home. He told Emma to have someone keep an eye on Quicksilver's family to prevent the government from discovering them.
The future Mutant kingdom needs powerful Mutants like Quicksilver.
As for him being Magneto's son, what does it matter? He himself said he was irreconcilable with evil.
Finally, after spending some more time with Raven, Ron gave Emma information on several other Mutants, telling her to find a way to recruit them. Then, he returned to the Black Robe Universe with an Adamantium knife.
...
He had been there for nearly a month.
Only an afternoon and a night had passed in the Black Robe Universe.
The weather was clear and sunny.
In a low-luxury, minimalist apartment, in front of the balcony's floor-to-ceiling windows.
Ron looked at the city streets outside and drew his long blade.
The silver long blade, forged from Adamantium, had a blade as thin as paper, reflecting light, and was incredibly sharp.
Tens or hundreds of tons of force could not bend it.
"It's a good blade."
However, he didn't know if it could injure Homelander. With a flick, the long blade returned to its sheath and was casually put down.
The X-Men Universe still maintained its previous spacetime flow rate.
For him, establishing a nation was not difficult.
"But establishing a nation that could fully independently take in all Mutants globally is not an easy task."
A nation primarily composed of Mutants would easily find itself at odds with the entire world, and Mutants gathered together could very likely become targets for nuclear bombs.
He was controlling the progress of things and needed to resolve this matter before officially establishing the nation.
Otherwise, if he became the Mutant leader right after establishing the nation, a nuclear bomb might explode in his country soon after, and he himself wouldn't have the ability to survive a large-yield blast.
The exclusion and hostility of humans towards Mutants in the X-Men Universe should never be doubted; Mutants have been exterminated by humans more than once.
Moreover, the relationship between the two in the X-Men Universe is now even more tense and dangerous.
"I just dealt with two robbers on a nearby street and was heading back to the company when I happened to see you, Dark Star."
A voice suddenly came from the balcony. Homelander, with his arms crossed, slowly descended from the sky, a brilliant smile on his face.
"My new teammate, Vought Tower assigned private rooms to each member of The Seven. Are you not comfortable living there?"
He looked very friendly, like a Captain caring for a new team member.
"I'm not used to living in other people's places."
Ron looked coldly at Homelander descending from the sky, not believing his words at all.
Happened to meet?
He probably came specifically to find him.
"How is it someone else's place?
You've joined The Seven; we're all family."
He smiled and walked in.
But Ron gave him no face at all.
"Is there something you need?"
Homelander's smiling expression remained unchanged.
"Nothing, just..."
Mid-sentence, he suddenly moved. The surrounding space seemed to slow down, and he reached out to press Ron's shoulder at a speed exceeding ten times the speed of sound.
"Let me see what you've got, kid.
Do you have powers approaching that of a god!"
His expression was unmoving, but he sneered inwardly.
Homelander was merely testing, not intending to truly fight. Faced with sudden movements from others, everyone usually reacts instinctively.
He could thus judge Ron's speed.
One meter... half a meter... getting closer and closer.
Ron showed no reaction or movement, his eyes coldly fixed on him, as if completely unaware.
"Too slow, I knew it..."
After half a meter, Ron still hadn't reacted. A faint smile blossomed on Homelander's face, and arrogance welled up in his eyes.
No one could approach a god!
He was a great miracle; even Vought, who created him, could not replicate another him.
Homelander prepared to complete his action, naturally pressing Ron's shoulder and saying a word or two of concern and encouragement to the new team member.
"This pathetic counterfeit won't know that I've seen through him in less than a millisecond."
But the next instant.
Just as Homelander was about to press Ron's shoulder, with only about ten centimeters left.
Splat!
"Just talk, don't use your hands and feet."
Ron was expressionless, not even looking, and with a speed nearly twice as fast as Homelander's, he casually grabbed his wrist and slowly said,
"Are we very familiar?"
"..."
His wrist was grabbed, and Homelander's smile instantly froze.
Ron had reacted, and Ron's speed just now was even faster than his, nearly twice as fast.
"Impossible!"
"What's impossible?"
Homelander exclaimed, then immediately sneered in response.
Ron saw that Homelander had just wanted to test his strength.
"How can you possess such speed!"
Homelander's face turned grim, unable to accept it. He violently flung Ron's hand away, his eyes glowing red, his gaze fierce.
An unprecedented panic and rage spread through his heart.
From childhood, accustomed to being unique, accustomed to being far stronger than everyone else, with arrogance deeply ingrained in his bones, he could not accept this.
"There can only be one Homelander in the world!"
With a distorted expression, he grabbed Ron's collar, looking as if he wanted to devour him alive and erase him from Earth.
"Want to fight?"
Knowing that this was anger born from fear and confusion, Ron's expression was calm. He casually picked up the blade standing beside him and said.
"You think I wouldn't dare? You damn kid!"
Homelander took it as a provocation, replying fiercely, word by word, as if on the verge of berserk.
"In that case, let's go."
Ron was actually inviting him, genuinely wanting to fight him to see if he could defeat Homelander now.
Bang~
On a deserted island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Ron appeared there with Homelander.
An endless sea, waves, a deserted island, a beach.
"Where is this?"
The surrounding scenery suddenly shifted. Homelander stepped back and looked around, asking in a grim tone.
Having seen Ron's ability before, he wasn't surprised at all, only asking where this was.
"Somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. Here, you can freely unleash your power without worrying about destroying anything, losing fans, or your popularity dropping.
There's only endless Water here."
Red flames surged around his body. Ron spread his hands, as if showcasing this world to Homelander, his tone mocking.
"Of course, without your favorite audience, spotlights, and cameras, I wonder if you'll be able to get excited!"
"Good, very good!"
Clenching his fists, Homelander, like a surging volcano about to erupt, stared intently at Ron, gritting his teeth and roaring.
"Since I was a child, no one has ever dared to tell me I can unleash my power without restraint."
Although he was slightly slower than Ron, the difference wasn't significant. Speed was merely his weakest attribute.
"Do you think you can challenge me with just speed?
Challenge the strongest superhero on this Earth?!"
He stomped his foot, creating a several-meter-deep crater, and sea sand flew up. In an instant, he appeared before Ron and threw a punch.
"I'll show you how ridiculous you are!"
Tens of thousands of tons of terrifying force almost compressed the air into a solid.
The wind from his punch tore through the air, roaring fiercely.
Swish!
Ron dodged with a twist of his body, and his long blade came out of its sheath.
"You talk too much."
The battle suddenly began!