The TV station's only remaining camera was now filming the scene, allowing viewers on television and online to see Homelander fire a thick stream of energy that blasted into the Hive's huge abyssal mouth.
In an instant, dazzling lights of different colors lit up inside the Hive.
The reporter in the helicopter grabbed his headset and shouted, "I think we should get farther away. Seriously."
He didn't need to say it. The pilot had already pulled up on the controls, raising the helicopter before flying toward New York and steadily increasing the distance from the Hive.
The cameraman turned the equipment around and continued filming the scene in the distance.
[What is Homelander trying to do?]
[What else could he be doing? Obviously blasting straight through the Hive.]
[But why do I feel like he's feeding the Hive?]
[Now that you mention it, it really does look like that.]
[Shut up, all of you above. What do you know? Based on my analysis of Homelander, his laser has kinetic energy. In other words, Homelander is trying to push the Hive out of Earth and send it into space!]
People were discussing it all over the internet. On the screen, the Hive's body grew brighter and brighter, like a high-powered light bulb.
Finally, the screen flashed, and the entire image turned completely white.
[What happened?]
[Did the camera explode?]
[Get the picture back! I want to know what happened.]
[What the hell is the TV station doing?]
Amid the complaints, several seconds passed before an image finally began to appear.
At this moment, the sky and earth in the footage were dyed red by the firelight.
Like the scene of a nuclear explosion, red light surged from inside the Hive. The light flashed continuously, and countless fireballs exploded every second.
Gradually, that dazzling red light took the shape of a mushroom cloud. Red patches still flickered within the hideous black 'mushroom.'
[Holy crap! A nuclear explosion! So Homelander can just throw nuclear explosions around now?]
[Is Homelander really that strong?]
[Hasn't he always been this strong?]
[But this level is already ridiculous!]
[No matter what, the stronger Homelander is, the more hope we have, right?]
[True. Look, that jellyfish has shattered.]
BOOM!
Terrifying heat swept past Alex. An ordinary person standing here probably wouldn't last even one second before turning to ash.
At this moment, the temperature in this area was so high that life could not exist. Even bacteria were burned away under temperatures approaching ten million degrees.
On top of the extreme heat, there was also a massive amount of nuclear radiation. Alex had triggered a chain reaction within the 'Thermonuclear Heat Vision,' creating a terrifying nuclear explosion.
The nuclear explosion that shattered the 'Hive' was equivalent to more than a hundred nuclear bombs exploding at once, but all that power was concentrated inside the Hive, with only a small amount of energy leaking out.
Alex had now deployed the 'Absolute Domain,' isolating the radiation from the nuclear explosion high in the sky and preventing it from affecting the ground.
As for the 'Hive,' which had taken the full force of the nuclear explosion, it had naturally been torn apart. Clearly, the structure of its body was not yet strong enough to withstand such a massive nuclear blast.
But amid the flames filling the sky, Alex saw something reflecting the firelight. Then, the fragments of the Hive that had been blasted apart were pulled by an invisible force. Like fish returning to the sea, they all gathered toward one central point.
In the blink of an eye, beneath the mushroom cloud that had yet to disperse, the 'Hive' was reborn.
"Can't it be killed?"
Alex narrowed his eyes slightly. Then 'Quantum Split-Brain' rapidly replayed and analyzed what had just happened, allowing Alex to discover some details.
"Hmm! It has something similar to a 'core' that can recall the parts that were blown apart and allow it to regenerate."
"It's somewhat like my 'Super Regeneration,' but much more advanced."
"In other words, unless the 'core' is destroyed, this thing can keep regenerating?"
"However, even if it can regenerate, it still comes at a cost."
"It clearly consumed some energy. Sure enough, there's no such thing as a free lunch."
At this moment, Alex felt a gaze watching him.
The 'Hive'!
A crack opened across the giant jellyfish's body, and an eyeball whose color constantly changed emerged from the crack, staring at Alex.
Then the seven or eight strange tentacles tapped the air, and the 'Hive' violently charged toward Alex.
It slammed hard into Alex's 'Absolute Domain'.
Buzz!
The 'Absolute Domain' trembled slightly but was not broken by the Hive's impact. The giant jellyfish was like jelly pressed against glass. No matter how hard it tried, it could not squeeze into the 'Absolute Domain.'
It seemed to realize this. It shifted slightly to the side, then several tentacles suddenly stabbed down. They pressed several white points into the diamond-shaped light patterns of the 'Absolute Domain' and sent large amounts of sparks flying.
The 'Hive' wanted to tear open the 'Absolute Domain,' but this conceptual domain could not be opened through physical or energy-based impact alone.
The existence of the 'Absolute Domain' allowed Alex to calmly lock onto the Hive's mind.
If an ordinary human's mind was like a faint candle flame, and a superhuman's mind was like a blazing fire, then the Hive's mind was practically like a sun.
It was huge, bright, and extremely clear.
Alex then sent an invisible storm toward that light of consciousness.
Mental Storm!
This mental-level storm obviously could not extinguish the Hive's mental flame in one blow. After all, the Hive was a lifeform capable of crossing interstellar distances and traveling through space.
But it could still affect the Hive. The colors of light across the jellyfish's surface changed violently, clearly showing that its mind and will had suffered a tremendous impact.
Alex took the opportunity to fire the 'Thermonuclear Heat Vision.' The golden beam, crackling with electric arcs, struck the Hive.
At that moment, the force fields around the jellyfish changed. The 'Thermonuclear Heat Vision' were affected and actually veered away from their target, passing by the Hive.
But Alex possessed the 'Absolute Hit' talent. As long as the target was within his field of vision, he was guaranteed to hit it.
Thus, the 'Thermonuclear Heat Vision' curved around in midair and came back.
At this moment, the Hive raised a tentacle and tapped the air. A gap immediately opened in space. Looking through it, one could see all kinds of bizarre things completely beyond human understanding.
The 'Thermonuclear Heat Vision' shot straight into the opening.
Almost at the same time, another opening opened right beside Alex's 'Absolute Domain.' The 'Thermonuclear Heat Vision,' still crackling with arcs of light, had no time to change direction before crashing into the 'Absolute Domain,' igniting a dazzling blaze.
The flames spread outward, forming a curtain of fire that seemed intent on enveloping Alex.
Alex immediately stopped firing the 'Thermonuclear Heat Vision,' because there was no point in continuing.
Taking advantage of this, several of the Hive's tentacles thrust forward one after another. They entered the spatial openings it had created and, by ignoring distance through the dimensional space, appeared directly in front of Alex to attack.
However, they were still blocked by the 'Absolute Domain.' The 'Absolute Domain' rejected everything that Alex denied.
Even though the Hive could travel through space, it still could not send its tentacles across the 'Absolute Domain' to reach Alex.
Alex took the opportunity to activate 'Mental Transmission.' His entire body disappeared from the air, then appeared beside the Hive.
Dark-red energy flames erupted like a volcano, and the ornate patterns on the 'Hercules Bracers' lit up.
Alex's movement was simple. He punched the Hive's body.
With 'Divine Power 200% Output' amplified tenfold, Alex's punch blasted a huge hole through the Hive like it was jelly. Large amounts of fragments sprayed out of the hole all at once, scattering across the sky.
The hole was large enough to easily fit a Boeing aircraft through it, and the ground below could be seen through the opening.
The force capable of punching straight through a continental plate was concentrated to the greatest extent possible through 'Power Concentration,' allowing it to blast straight through the Hive's body.
[Nice! That punch was beautiful. It has the style I had back in the day.]
[Who exactly are you, buddy? Aren't you worried about biting your tongue with all that bragging?]
[Not to brag, but if that punch hit me, you wouldn't be able to find even a single cell of mine.]
[I've got nothing to say. Homelander is awesome, that's all there is to it.]
[Brothers, if you're enjoying the show, don't forget to send me a rocket!]
Just as the viewers were cheering for Alex's punch, they suddenly saw the Hive wrap its tentacles around Alex.
It then opened a dimensional entrance beside itself and dragged Alex into it. The two disappeared into the entrance and vanished from the air.
[Hey, where did they go?]
[They're gone! Look, everyone. Homelander and the Hive disappeared together.]
[So the Hive is a magician now? Is this some kind of disappearing act?]
[Cameraman, hurry up and find them! If you find Homelander, I'll buy you an extra chicken leg tonight!]
The cameraman didn't need the viewers to urge him. He was already frantically searching for traces of Homelander and the Hive.
But no matter where he pointed the camera, he simply could not find Alex.
That was only natural.
Alex had now been dragged into a dimensional space by the Hive. How could the cameraman possibly find him?
———
This dimensional space was strange and bizarre, impossible to describe in words. Violent energy constantly transformed into lightning of various colors, bombarding the world relentlessly.
The Hive formed layers of force fields around itself to block the incoming lightning.
As for Alex, his 'Absolute Domain' rejected these violent energies. Instead, the space around him was the calmest and most peaceful place in this dimensional world.
Alex looked around and saw many incredible things. Some looked like hot-air balloons when viewed from behind, but when they turned around, they became things with human heads. There were also creatures that looked as enormous as bridges when their bodies were spread flat, yet when they rotated their bodies, one discovered that they were as thin as a strand of hair.
Besides these, there were countless bizarre things beyond human knowledge and even beyond human concepts.
"What an interesting place."
"But you don't actually think you can kill me in a place like this, do you?"
Alex looked back at the Hive and saw it open an opening for itself. Its body slipped through, and it immediately disappeared into the dimensional space.
Alex was stunned for a moment.
So the Hive had never intended to kill him. It had trapped him in the dimensional space instead.
———
[Chicago]
As one of the Federation's important cities, Chicago had also been hit by the meteorite rain. The Willis Tower, the tallest building in Chicago, had even had its upper half smashed off.
At this moment, the sirens of ambulances continued to ring throughout Chicago, and rescue operations were still ongoing.
"Keep your head down. That's right. I'll get everyone out of here."
A firefighter used an axe to chop through the lock on a door. He kicked it open, then waved his hand.
"Quick, get out of here!"
People hurried out through the door. After everyone had left, the firefighter walked out as well and came to the fire truck. He took off his helmet and poured water over his head.
He sat down, panting. He had not closed his eyes since last night and was now exhausted.
"You okay?"
A colleague came over and patted him on the shoulder.
The firefighter nodded, "I can keep going."
"Then keep going."
"Homelander is dealing with that 'Hive' right now. We have to put in more effort too."
At this moment, the two firefighters suddenly felt the light above their heads dim.
They looked up and saw a huge jellyfish appear over the city.
Its surface was covered in many colors. There was a huge hole in its body, and the hole was currently being repaired, though clearly not fast enough.
"No way."
The firefighter cried out, "It's the 'Hive.' How did it end up here?"
"Where's Homelander? Where is Homelander?"
The two firefighters kept searching the sky, but there was no sign of Homelander.
At this moment, everyone on the streets was drawn to the jellyfish in the sky. They took out their phones, some taking photos and others recording videos before uploading them online.
Soon, the news that the 'Hive' had appeared in Chicago spread rapidly across the internet and immediately became the top trending topic.
[Where's Homelander? Where did Homelander go?]
[Homelander disappeared together with the 'Hive' earlier. Now only the Hive has appeared. I speculate that Homelander either died or was left somewhere.]
[This is bad. Are there any superheroes in Chicago?]
[There are, but do you really think Chicago's superheroes can deal with the 'Hive'?]
[Let's pray for Chicago.]
One of the firefighters glanced at the messages on his phone and said, "The internet says Homelander disappeared together with the 'Hive,' but now only the Hive has appeared. Homelander may have died or been left somewhere."
"Forget about all that."
The other firefighter shouted at the people on the street, "Hey, stop taking pictures and get out of here!"
At this moment, the huge abyssal mouth beneath the Hive opened. It then began inhaling, creating an extremely violent airflow.
The airflow rose upward, and the pedestrians beneath the Hive were immediately sucked into the air.
People screamed and cried, but it was useless.
Next, the cars, streetlights, and pieces of rubble of all sizes on the road were all sucked into the air and thrown toward the Hive's abyssal mouth.
A crimson glow shone inside the Hive's mouth. No matter what entered it, it immediately began to burn.
The impurities were then burned away, leaving behind what the Hive needed and transforming it into the basic materials required to repair its body.
This suddenly accelerated the repair of the hole Alex had punched through it. The wound began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.