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"I must admit... such a biological design is a match for my own."
Ego sighed with emotion. It had taken him millions of years and the assimilation of countless amounts of matter to evolve into his previous Living Planet form.
Yet this race could become so powerful simply by basking in the Sun, which made him feel a hint of jealousy.
"Then the question is..." Homelander smiled slightly, looking at Ego. "Is there a way to transplant this ability to grow stronger by basking in the Sun into me?"
"Theoretically, it is possible, Master. It would require restructuring your genetic architecture." Ego's voice became cautious. "But I do not recommend you do so."
"Why?" Homelander asked.
"First..." Ego explained.
"This evolution is flawed; his source of power is too singular."
Ego pointed at the hologram, showing the energy reactions within the cells rapidly dimming once the light disappeared.
"Once there is a long-term lack of radiation from a yellow Sun, the energy in his cells will only go out and not come in. His superpowers will gradually weaken until they completely disappear, regressing him into a mortal. Furthermore, he will have unpredictable negative reactions to certain specific radiation wavelengths."
"The gains do not make up for the losses, Master."
"The strength of this Kryptonian body follows a traceable path. He relies on the gifts of the external environment and the radiation of stars, presenting obvious weaknesses."
Ego's tentacles gestured in mid-air.
"But you are different. Your power... is illogical."
"If you transplant this 'flawed' gene, it is highly likely to disrupt your own flawless power system, and may even cause your existing abilities to disappear. It is not worth it, Master."
After listening, Homelander pondered for a moment: "Losing my abilities is unlikely; after all, they are solid rewards from the system, unlike the superficial superheroes in U.S. comics who lose their powers or lose control and explode at every turn."
"But then again, there's no need to add weaknesses to myself for no reason when I don't lack power."
"I suppose you have a point," Homelander said. "Then forget about the transplant. Are there any other discoveries?"
Ego's brain drew close to Superman's corpse again.
"Yes, Master. While analyzing his cerebral cortex and the depths of his bone marrow, I discovered an extremely vast flow of information hidden within this body."
"A flow of information?"
"Yes, it is a database etched deep within the genetic code. I tried to read a few fragments, but upon contact, this body's cell clusters immediately activated a self-destruct mechanism. If I force a reading, he will disintegrate at the molecular level, turning into a pile of worthless ash."
Homelander understood immediately.
The Codex.
That artifact, which recorded the genetic map of Kryptonian artificial cultivation, was injected into Clark's cells by Jor-El when he was born. It contained all of Krypton's technology, history, and genetic tree.
"That's a good item. Is there any way to get it?"
"There is... I wish to transform this body into my avatar."
Ego made his request.
"If I can occupy his shell and completely assimilate with his brain, I won't need to read that information. I will become a part of him, and those secrets will naturally open up to me."
"Furthermore, a shell with such powerful destructive force would allow me to serve you better."
Homelander stared at Ego's blue brain, his eyes flickering.
So... this old guy wants to play at body-snatching and get himself an external avatar?
Homelander's mind raced.
This deal didn't seem like a loss. Ego was already controlled by the master ball, so his loyalty was reliable.
If Ego could truly occupy Superman's body, it would be equivalent to gaining a super enforcer with the wisdom of a God and the physique of a Kryptonian out of thin air.
When he brought this fellow back to the Marvel Universe later, he could serve as a planetary governor to protect his 'leeks,' which would definitely be useful and make things easier for himself.
The only concern was... could Superman's body, after being transformed by Ego, still be stored in the master ball?
"Answer: The Superman assimilated by Ego is not human, but Ego's humanoid form. They can be stored together."
Having received an affirmative answer, Homelander dismissed his final doubts.
"Fine," Homelander nodded. "Do as you wish."
"Thank you for your generosity, Master!" Ego was moved to tears of gratitude.
"His cells are in a state of deep dormancy near death. To complete the assimilation, I need to activate his cellular vitality. This requires a large amount of yellow Sun radiation."
"Understood. Let's go. We're going to bask in the Sun."
Homelander stepped forward, grabbed the suit on the chest of Superman's corpse with one hand, and withdrew Ego into the master ball.
...
Ten minutes later.
Outside the atmosphere, in Earth's geostationary orbit.
Homelander held Superman's corpse with one hand, floating in the cold, silent vacuum.
"This should do." Homelander let go, and Superman's corpse drifted slowly in the weightless environment.
The unobstructed starlight poured onto Superman like a golden waterfall.
Under this pure yellow Sun radiation, Superman's originally gray skin began to take on a faint golden luster.
The Kryptonian cells that had not yet completely dissipated began to greedily devour the sunlight, recovering a hint of vitality.
"Go, Ego!" The master ball was thrown out.
Ego did not hesitate in the slightest.
The light on the blue surface turned inward, and his massive volume began to compress sharply.
He then turned into streaks of light, drilling into Superman's mouth, nose, and ears.
Immediately after, Superman's body began to twitch violently in space.
His closed eyes snapped open, his pupils filled with a rich blue radiance.
His muscles began to bulge and contract irregularly, and the veins in his neck slithered under his skin like blue earthworms.
Superman's mouth was wide open; although no sound could be made in the vacuum, Homelander could sense the shockwaves of consciousness erupting from deep within the body.
This was a brutal war between two different species at the microscopic level.
Even though the Kryptonian's original brain was dead, the instincts recorded in the genes were still frantically resisting the intruder.
Blue light flickered under every inch of Superman's skin.
Homelander floated a few meters away with his arms crossed, watching the body-snatching drama with a cold eye.
About ten minutes passed.
The twitching of Superman's body gradually subsided. The bulging blood vessels returned to normal, and the tense muscles relaxed.
The churning blue light in his eyes gradually faded, returning to their original color.
He slowly stood upright in the vacuum and stretched his slightly stiff body.
That face belonging to Henry Cavill no longer held its former compassion, nor the violence after turning dark; only a sense of piety remained.
He bowed his head to Homelander and knelt on one knee in the void.
"Assimilation complete, Master."
The voice was still Superman's deep baritone, but the tone and phrasing were entirely in Ego's style.
At this point, Superman Ego was born.