Power... endless power... just as Superman was immersing himself in the pleasure of his power returning.
"This is your trump card? Photosynthesis?"
A voice with a hint of mockery vibrated directly against his eardrums.
Superman stood in space, his eyes calm and undisturbed. Confidence and composure reappeared on his face as if victory was already in his grasp.
"You made one biggest mistake."
Superman adjusted the vibration frequency of his vocal cords, transmitting his voice into Homelander's ears as well.
"You shouldn't have chased me."
"Is that so?"
The corner of Homelander's mouth quirked up, his gaze steady and unyielding.
"But I'm already here."
"This place is nice," Homelander remarked. "It's vast and quiet. The only downside is—there's no soil here to bury you in."
Hearing this, Superman finally turned around.
The Sun was behind him, bathing his entire figure in a golden silhouette, like a deity.
"You will pay for your arrogance..."
Superman's words got stuck in his throat halfway through.
When his vision truly focused on Homelander, even in his peak state, he froze for a moment.
That was not the "red and blue knockoff" he had been fighting back and forth with just now.
Standing before him now was what seemed like a projection from the abyss.
The iconic red and blue stars and stripes bodysuit Homelander wore had now turned into a deep midnight black.
A never-before-seen aura of energy tightly coiled around his body, causing the surrounding light to collapse toward him.
Even the Sun behind him seemed to dim slightly because of this man's appearance.
"You..." Superman opened his mouth, an instinctive biological fear making him subconsciously pull back to create distance.
"Playing tricks!" But this display of weakness immediately made him feel ashamed.
He let out an immediate roar, his newly restored power giving him a surge of confidence. "No matter what color clothes you change into, the result is the same! Die!!"
"Since you're fully charged... let's start round two."
The next second.
Two figures vanished from their spots simultaneously... Down on the ground, in the abandoned cornfields of Smallville.
The wind and sand continued to howl, but Harley didn't seem to feel it.
She kept her head tilted up, staring unblinkingly at the murky, heavy cloud layer.
Suddenly, Harley pointed deep into the clouds. In her vision, that grayish-yellow sky was quite lively.
"Wow..."
On Harley's retinas, the originally oppressive clouds were turning into pink cotton candy, and brilliant fireworks exploded in the sky from time to time.
"Whoo-hoo!! Such beautiful fireworks! So romantic!!"
She shouted excitedly, grabbed the camera next to her, skillfully adjusted the focus, and aimed it at that dazzling patch of sky.
One minute later.
The thick dust clouds were suddenly pierced through the middle, creating a massive circular hole.
A beam of golden sunlight, long-awaited, broke through the haze like a stairway to heaven, shining straight down onto the scorched Earth of Smallville.
Within this beam of holy light, a black dot rapidly enlarged.
The lens auto-focused.
The World's breath hitched at this moment.
It was Homelander.
But his current appearance made the hearts of everyone watching skip a beat.
His originally glamorous uniform... was now in tatters.
The fabric of his top was torn, revealing the solid muscles beneath, and his face, neck, and arms were covered in shocking bloodstains. Some had already dried into scabs, while others were still slowly flowing.
And this visually impactful "battle-damaged style" gave him an extra sense of heartbreaking heroism.
Scars are a man's medals, especially for a man fighting to save the World; this battle-damaged look was ten thousand times sexier than any magnificent formal wear.
Homelander was very satisfied with his current look, but he couldn't help but complain inwardly.
"This damn DCEU..."
"The Infinity Stones really are 'bound equipment limited to their original Universe'; the light and shadow special effects of the Reality Stone won't work at all!"
"Good thing I had the foresight. When I was filming the 'Homelander' movie series, I specifically had the prop team make several sets of 'battle-damaged' prop suits and stuffed them in my magic pocket..."
As for the blood on his face and body?
That was real, of course, but it was all Superman's blood.
Wiped right off Superman's wounds—authentic Kryptonian blood, extremely fresh.
But most importantly... in his hand, he was carrying a person.
Superman.
The Kryptonian tyrant who had ruled Earth with blood for half a year was now like a dead dog with its spine removed, hanging limply in Homelander's hand.
Under the lens, Homelander gripped Superman and descended slowly. He looked exhausted to the extreme, as if every meter of descent was consuming the last of his strength.
Thud.
Homelander's feet finally touched the ground.
He staggered, as if his strength had failed him, and knelt on one knee.
Then, he looked up at Harley's camera.
He didn't speak; he just let out a sigh of relief and showed a relieved smile.
"We won..."
A mother hiding in the ruins stared at the screen in disbelief.
"We... won?"
"We won!!!"
"Long live Homelander!!"
"That tyrant has fallen!!"
In the city ruins, in underground shelters, and even in refugee camps in the wilderness.
Screams of joy broke the shadow of death, and everyone erupted in excitement.
Men gripped their guns and roared at the sky; women embraced and wept, thanking God for His mercy; children, though not understanding what was happening, cheered and jumped along with the adults.
Because Superman had fallen to darkness so quickly, most people didn't know about Darkseid's existence or the terror of Apokolips.
In their understanding, that red-caped Superman was the source of all these disasters—the invincible final BOSS.
And now, the BOSS had fallen.
Thrown onto the ground like a dead dog by the new hero.
This was victory! This was liberation!
"Mr. Milk Candy!!"
A scream broke the atmosphere Homelander was building.
Harley tossed the camera onto the ground and charged over like a fired cannonball.
"You did it! You really did it!"
"I knew you were the hardest!"
She leaped up, her legs wrapping around Homelander's waist like a koala, her hands cupping Homelander's blood-stained face as she kissed him recklessly.
"Mmm—"
Harley kissed him frantically, her tongue wildly prying open Homelander's teeth as if she wanted to suck out his very soul.
Popularity surged wildly during her passionate kiss!
Prompt! Gained popularity value +1,440,221!
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...And immersed in the passionate kiss, Harley was clearly excited to the extreme. Her restless hands even reached into the gaps of the damaged uniform, roaming over Homelander's pectoral muscles and attempting to tear away the little fabric that remained.