After replacing his pen with a freshly refined one, Sebastian finally had time to sit down and chat properly with Homelander.
Homelander immediately started complaining, asking where Sebastian had disappeared to lately—and loudly proclaiming how exhausting it had been helping him hide his whereabouts from Theresa.
Apparently, dodging a mother's intuition was harder than fighting supervillains.
As for the fact that his nano-clone had failed to fool Homelander's vision, Sebastian didn't care much.
After all, Homelander's eyes could see through atomic-scale structures. A construct made entirely of solid nano-materials was never going to pass undetected. In front of true clairvoyance, any disguise was meaningless.
Sebastian didn't bother hiding anything.
Instead, he casually told Homelander about the new world he had discovered—and promised to take him there someday.
Homelander practically jumped on the spot.
He'd been reading a lot recently, and with his newfound understanding of parallel-world theory, his excitement skyrocketed.
At the same time, Sebastian suddenly realized something important during their conversation.
The flow of time between worlds was completely different.
More than a year had passed in the cyberpunk world—
yet only a little over half a year had elapsed in the Black Robe World.
After chatting for a while, the two agreed to head home and have dinner together.
After more than half a year apart, Theresa looked radiant—her complexion rosy, like a flower in full bloom.
In contrast, Sebastian's father, Xiao Xingxiu, looked noticeably thinner.
Dark circles hung beneath his eyes, his expression worn and weary. It was obvious he'd poured all his energy into creating their second child—eating, sleeping, repeating the cycle endlessly.
Unfortunately, the results didn't seem particularly impressive.
"If it really doesn't work," Sebastian said with a grin, patting his father on the shoulder,
"just let it go. You're not young anymore—no need to push yourself so hard."
The reaction was immediate.
"Get lost!" Xiao Xingxiu exploded. "You can't do it, but I can! I'm still young!"
He grabbed a clothes hanger and roared like an enraged lion.
After all—
A man could endure being scolded for anything.
Except being questioned about his ability.
"Enough!" Theresa snapped, rolling her eyes.
"You've barely walked in the door and you're already making noise. Come eat!"
And just like that, the family sat down together, laughter filling the room.
At the dinner table, the topic inevitably returned to the hottest issue of the moment—
Who truly represented "justice"?
Sebastian, or Homelander?
The Xiao family understood the truth perfectly.
The so-called confrontation had been nothing more than a carefully orchestrated hype campaign, jointly planned by Sebastian and Homelander to stir controversy, attract attention, and—most importantly—make money.
What none of them had expected was how far it would spiral.
Public debates had turned into verbal abuse.
Verbal abuse had escalated into physical clashes.
Factional conflicts were erupting everywhere.
Even Vought's upper management was at a loss.
After all, when superheroes got involved, ordinary people were as fragile as ants.
Without heavy weapons, civilians stood no chance.
But the moment heavy weapons entered the equation, it meant total war.
And so, the responsibility of ending the chaos fell squarely on Sebastian and Homelander.
Only the two of them could step forward and provide an answer capable of calming both humans and superhumans alike.
Theresa wasted no time launching into a stern ideological lecture, ordering them to resolve the matter immediately—before the situation deteriorated further.
Every second of delay meant more injuries. More deaths.
Sebastian and Homelander quickly agreed.
They promised to hold a press conference the very next day.
In truth, the two of them had already reached a conclusion long ago.
They had even consulted Congress in advance.
Everything was settled.
The only reason it hadn't been announced yet was simple—
The profits hadn't peaked. (T/N: They're such terrible people that it's actually funny.)
During the half-year standoff, merchandise sales related to both of them—films, comics, books, peripherals—had exploded.
Money poured in daily.
But now that Theresa had spoken, even earning a little less was acceptable.
After all, a mother's face still had to be respected.
Besides, the harvest was nearly complete.
The leeks had been cut clean.
Drag it out any longer, and diminishing returns would follow.
It was time for this farce to end.
Early the next morning, Sebastian issued a notice to reporters from major global media outlets:
"In one month, I will appear alongside Homelander to jointly conclude this ideological dispute."
That single sentence detonated like a bomb.
Newspapers sold out overnight.
Media servers crashed.
The world erupted.
Journalists from every country swarmed toward the metropolis like starving wolves, desperate for exclusive coverage.
Meanwhile, organizations that had been locked in open confrontation abruptly ceased hostilities.
The entire social atmosphere shifted.
Everyone waited.
Quietly.
Expectantly.
One month passed in the blink of an eye.
At last, the day arrived.
The plaza outside Vought Tower was packed to the brim, the atmosphere electrifying.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, Sebastian and Homelander—both clad in resplendent battle attire—slowly descended from the sky and landed atop the high platform.
Like twin stars falling into the mortal world, they commanded instant attention.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
They basked in it—
until Sebastian slowly raised a single finger.
In that instant, an almost imperceptible yet overwhelming overlord's aura spread outward.
The noise died instantly.
The world held its breath.
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSims