Chapter 136: Soldier Boy Loses Control

No one except Richard himself had anticipated his sudden attack on Stormfront.

Especially not Stormfront herself.

The gravity, instantly amplified by hundreds of times, left her no opportunity to react before pinning her mercilessly to the floor.

Had she not possessed considerable enhanced durability, the crushing gravitational force would have reduced her to paste.

As Richard demonstrated his power by disciplining Stormfront, Homelander, A-Train, Starlight, Queen Maeve, and the others all turned to stare at him.

"This is the Seven's conference room. We are conducting an official team meeting," Richard stated coolly.

"Since you're new, I'll limit myself to this simple lesson today."

"Should there be a next time, don't expect me to show consideration for Edgar's position."

Richard's tone remained measured and deliberate.

Having known Stormfront's identity from the beginning, he understood the purpose behind her deliberately casual behavior—a calculated attempt to lower others' guards and manipulate perceptions.

After delivering his warning, Richard released the gravitational field binding Stormfront without further comment.

When the crushing pressure lifted, Stormfront first glanced up at Richard with restrained fury, then rose and took the seat formerly occupied by Translucent.

"There won't be a next time," she stated immediately after sitting down.

"See that it remains that way," Richard replied. "Now that everyone is present, let's begin this week's meeting."

Upon hearing this, Ashley promptly exited the conference room.

Following her departure, Starlight, Homelander, and the others began reporting on their activities and progress from the previous week.

Richard remained silent throughout these presentations, listening attentively to each report.

With the exception of newly-inducted Stormfront, all five existing members delivered concise summaries of their recent work.

After absorbing their reports, Richard addressed the group: "Translucent's funeral will be held the day after tomorrow. We need to send two representatives. Homelander and Queen Maeve, you'll attend."

"Understood," Homelander and Queen Maeve responded simultaneously.

"Additionally," Richard continued, "Homelander's operation last night failed and generated unnecessary public backlash."

"Although our PR department is already managing the situation, public sentiment won't subside immediately."

"After attending Translucent's funeral, Homelander, you'll participate in a televised interview to address these concerns."

"Stick precisely to the prepared script. Don't improvise or elaborate."

Richard turned his gaze directly to Homelander as he delivered these instructions.

"Got it," Homelander nodded, masking his resentment with practiced ease.

"Finally, with Stormfront joining, the Seven now includes three female members. Marketing is developing a 'female empowerment' campaign that will require all three of you to participate."

"That concludes our agenda. If you have other commitments, you're dismissed."

Richard ended the meeting with characteristic efficiency.

Upon hearing this, Homelander, Queen Maeve and the others stood and prepared to exit.

At this moment, Richard suddenly added: "Starlight, please remain behind."

"Of course," Starlight nodded, pausing mid-stride.

After everyone else had departed, Richard asked Starlight to approach and spoke quietly: "I may be leaving in a week or two. Before I go, I'll transfer the captaincy of the Seven to you."

"I'll also provide you with certain contingencies to ensure your position remains secure."

Starlight regarded Richard with undisguised surprise.

Though aware that Richard intended to leave eventually, she hadn't expected his departure to be so imminent.

"Where are you going?" she asked, brow furrowing with concern.

"That information isn't relevant," Richard replied evenly. "What matters is that, barring unforeseen circumstances, I likely won't return."

Richard's decision to depart within two weeks wasn't a spontaneous impulse but rather the result of careful consideration the previous night.

Simply put, he had grown weary of this reality.

Chronologically, his time in this world had been relatively brief—approximately two months.

Yet little remained that captured his interest.

He had already thoroughly enjoyed Starlight's company, acquired the Compound V formula, and collected extensive research data.

As for physical samples of both standard Compound V and its temporary variant, he had stored substantial quantities in his dimensional storage space.

Had he not completed this world's challenge—enabling his return to the Marvel Universe—he would have departed much earlier.

Though curious about Richard's destination, Starlight refrained from further questioning.

After spending these past months with him, she understood his character better than anyone.

...

Time flowed steadily onward.

Another week passed almost imperceptibly.

Thanks to Vought's relentless public relations campaign, the concept that other nations possessed superhumans and "super villains" had begun taking root in the American consciousness.

Simultaneously, Soldier Boy's true history had been strategically leaked to major media outlets by anonymous sources.

While this revelation had initially triggered a decline in Vought's stock value, Edgar—seasoned by decades in corporate warfare—swiftly mitigated the negative impact.

Edgar instructed the public relations department to position Vought as a victim, transferring culpability to historical government officials who had allegedly pressured the company to promote Soldier Boy as a heroic figure.

Specifically, blame shifted to political administrations from decades past.

The period when Vought had intensively marketed Soldier Boy coincided with either World War II or the Vietnam War—times when America desperately needed inspirational icons.

Under government directive, Edgar claimed, Vought had reluctantly transformed the temperamental Soldier Boy into a manufactured national symbol.

Though this narrative crumbled under serious scrutiny, in a nation where conspiracy theories flourished, many Americans readily accepted the explanation.

After all, Vought was merely a corporation.

Faced with governmental pressure, what choice did they have but to propagate falsehoods about Soldier Boy?

Edgar's strategic maneuvering not only arrested Vought's stock decline but eventually generated modest growth.

Witnessing these results, Richard had to acknowledge that Edgar, despite lacking superhuman capabilities, proved himself an exceptionally skilled businessman.

While Edgar managed the financial and public relations fallout from the Soldier Boy revelations, Richard—leveraging his position as Seven captain—negotiated an agreement with federal authorities to combat "super villains" attempting to infiltrate American borders.

To prevent Homelander, Stormfront, or others from monopolizing the publicity generated by these confrontations, Richard personally handled most significant threats. He didn't claim every victory, however, assigning less formidable opponents to Starlight.

Unlike Richard's approach, Starlight employed considerably more restraint.

When Richard engaged superhumans, they were fortunate to survive with bodies intact.

Starlight, by contrast, subdued these "villains" and transferred them to federal custody for lawful prosecution.

Edgar and Richard weren't the only ones occupied during this period.

Butcher, Hughie, and their associates had been equally industrious.

Though they had acquired Temporary Compound V, witnessing Richard's capabilities against various super villains prompted them to revise their strategy.

After successfully eliminating Translucent using the temporary enhancement, they had initially planned to methodically dismantle the Seven one member at a time.

Their reasoning: once Vought's premier superhuman team was neutralized, dismantling the corporation itself would become vastly simpler.

Reality proved their assessment flawed—they had significantly underestimated Richard's capabilities while overvaluing Temporary Compound V's enhancement potential.

As they struggled to formulate a viable strategy against Richard—whose powers exceeded even Homelander's—news broke that Soldier Boy had survived.

While they, like ordinary citizens, initially lacked information regarding Soldier Boy's location within Russian custody, their intelligence network afforded unique advantages.

Through persistent investigation, they successfully identified Nina—a contact with knowledge of Soldier Boy's confinement site.

After eliminating one of Nina's rivals as a gesture of goodwill, they secured the precise coordinates of the military facility housing Soldier Boy.

Subsequent events diverged from the television narrative Richard recalled.

In that version, though they had located Soldier Boy, they failed to extract him from Russia. Instead, Soldier Boy had independently made his way back to American soil.

In this reality, however, fortune favored them more generously.

Not only did they successfully locate Soldier Boy, but they persuaded him to accompany them back to the United States.

The sole complication: Butcher's alliance with Soldier Boy enraged Mother's Milk, whose family members had been among Soldier Boy's accidental victims years earlier. This betrayal prompted Mother's Milk's immediate departure from the team.

Though regrettable, Butcher didn't attempt to prevent his exit.

From a tactical perspective, Soldier Boy's combat potential far outweighed Mother's Milk's contributions.

Butcher and Hughie had anchored their hopes of defeating Richard and Homelander entirely on Soldier Boy's capabilities.

What Butcher could never have suspected was that Richard had monitored their every movement.

Moreover, the day after their return to New York, Richard had covertly altered Soldier Boy's subconscious, redirecting his hatred from his former teammates toward Richard himself.

This manipulation wasn't motivated by altruism toward Soldier Boy's former comrades, but rather to ensure Soldier Boy would inevitably confront Richard directly.

Otherwise, who could predict whether Soldier Boy might abruptly abandon Butcher's agenda after eliminating his historical enemies?

Though this possibility seemed remote, Richard preferred eliminating even minimal uncertainty.

After restructuring Soldier Boy's subconscious priorities, Richard ceased actively monitoring their movements, patiently awaiting the inevitable confrontation with Soldier Boy and Butcher.

...

Night had fallen. Seven Tower. Starlight's luxury apartment.

Following an intense physical encounter with Starlight, Richard entered the bathroom to clean himself.

Just as he prepared to teleport back to his own quarters, his expression darkened with sudden concentration.

Though nothing tangible had occurred, his intuition—honed through countless battles—signaled imminent danger.

His premonition proved accurate. As he extended his telepathic awareness to scan the surroundings, a massive explosion erupted at the base of the Seven Tower.

BOOM!

The thunderous detonation shattered the night's tranquility and sent vibrations through the entire structure.

Though insufficient to compromise the tower's structural integrity, the tremors testified to the explosion's considerable magnitude.

The moment the blast registered, Richard instantly channeled energy through his body, manifesting a black coat reminiscent of Sephiroth's iconic style.

He teleported to the bedroom where Starlight lay awakened by the commotion. "Get dressed immediately," he instructed. "I'll investigate the situation."

"On it," Starlight responded without hesitation, leaping from bed and rapidly donning her uniform.

Simultaneously, Richard teleported outside, materializing above the tower.

From this vantage point, he immediately observed that the building opposite the Seven Tower had been reduced to rubble.

Standing before the ruins stood Soldier Boy in full military regalia, clutching his iconic shield.

Soldier Boy's expression betrayed intense anguish, as though experiencing severe physiological distress.

Though uncertain about the precise circumstances, Richard wasted no mental energy on speculation. He immediately deployed his telepathy, penetrating Soldier Boy's consciousness.

Within moments, he understood the situation completely.

Butcher and Soldier Boy had indeed planned their assault for tonight.

However, upon reaching the plaza before the Seven Tower and noticing the absence of a statue that had once occupied the space, Soldier Boy had experienced a traumatic episode, losing control of his abilities.

Fortunately, his destructive energy had targeted the adjacent building rather than the tower itself.

Had the Seven Tower been the recipient of that blast, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

Having assessed the situation, Richard summoned the Masamune from his dimensional storage without hesitation.

This marked the first time he had drawn this weapon since arriving in this reality.

Gripping the blade's handle, he raised it horizontally before him and murmured with genuine sentiment: "It's been too long, old friend."

Since his arrival in this world, Richard had indeed terminated numerous individuals—many with superhuman abilities.

Yet none had warranted the deployment of Masamune.

In his estimation, only three beings in this entire reality deserved to face this legendary blade: Soldier Boy, Homelander, and Stormfront.

Beyond these three, no opponent qualified to witness its unsheathing.

As Richard prepared to descend and confront Soldier Boy directly, Homelander arrived first, immediately projecting crimson heat beams from his eyes.

Concurrent with Homelander's attack, Stormfront emerged from the tower, landing gracefully in the plaza.

She immediately unleashed a brilliant lightning bolt toward Soldier Boy.

Observing this intervention, Richard's expression soured with displeasure.

Soldier Boy represented prey he had meticulously prepared for himself—he had no intention of allowing others to claim his quarry.

Without hesitation, he moved toward Homelander and Stormfront.

Matter Manipulation!

Before physically reaching them, Richard employed his molecular control abilities, locking onto both Homelander and Stormfront mid-attack and forcefully projecting them away from Soldier Boy.

This unexpected action caught not only Homelander and Stormfront off-guard, but also visibly surprised Soldier Boy, Butcher, and their associates.

Though uncertain about Richard's intentions, Butcher—enhanced by Temporary Compound V—hesitated only briefly before charging toward the disoriented Homelander.

For the moment, Richard remained a secondary concern.

...