Chapter 90: A Surge in Power — The Truly Perfect Homelander!
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"Charles, you promised you wouldn't read my mind."
"I made you a lot of promises... but I'm afraid I won't be able to keep them all."
"Take care, Charles."
After bidding farewell to Charles, Raven turned and began walking away from the X-Men, heading toward the distant beach.
Erik couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile.
He hadn't misjudged her.
Raven was different from Charles.
"Sorry, Erik. But I didn't choose you."
Suddenly, Raven halted mid-step and turned to Erik with a calm but resolute expression.
Erik's smile froze ever so slightly.
Then, to his surprise, Raven changed direction—walking not toward him, but toward Alex.
To be honest, Alex was slightly taken aback at first. He hadn't expected Raven to choose him over Erik.
But after a brief moment of reflection, it made perfect sense.
Raven may have grown up alongside Charles, but she had never agreed with his idealistic worldview. That much was obvious. In the original timeline, she left with Erik precisely because she didn't buy into Charles' vision.
But the truth was, Raven didn't fully align with Erik's beliefs either—not completely.
That was why, in the years following her departure with Erik, she eventually left him too and chose to walk her own path.
Erik was... too extreme.
Back then, Raven had no other choice.
But now—now she did.
She now had a third option. Someone who wasn't as naïve as Charles, yet not as radical as Erik.
Resolutely, Raven stepped forward and came to stand beside Alex and Hank.
As for Havok, Banshee, and Darwin, the remaining three glanced at each other and ultimately chose not to follow anyone. They stayed behind.
"Well then, until we meet again."
Alex nodded toward both Charles and Erik, not bothering with long goodbyes. Then, with Raven and Hank at his side, he turned and walked away.
"Farewell, Charles."
Erik, too, offered Charles a parting glance before turning his back and leaving without hesitation, taking along Angel and Tempest.
And just like that, Charles, Moira, and the few left behind stood in silence, the weight of loss heavy in the air.
---
U.S. Department of Defense
"We've lost contact with the fleet!"
A high-ranking admiral stood stiffly before a round table full of brass and top officials, his voice grave.
All at once, the expressions around the table darkened.
They had just given the order to attack the mutants—and now, in a flash, their fleet had gone dark?
This wasn't just a dropped call. This kind of radio silence could only mean one thing: something had gone terribly wrong. Something... irreversible.
The fleet was gone.
"What about the Soviets?"
The Secretary of Defense turned sharply to the admiral.
"They're in the same situation. Radio silence."
The admiral's reply was equally grim.
Brows furrowed all around. A chilling sense of dread filled the room.
The American and Soviet fleets had vanished simultaneously? What the hell was going on?
And more importantly—had the mutants been eliminated or not?
Under normal circumstances, given the overwhelming firepower of those fleets, wiping out a handful of enhanced individuals should've been child's play. They should've turned them to ash a hundred times over.
And yet—nothing.
No reports. No survivors. No signals.
The whole situation defied all logic.
---
Cuban Shoreline
"Hank, Raven—hold up."
Not long after parting ways with Charles and the others, Alex suddenly stopped and called out.
"What's wrong?" Raven asked curiously.
Hank merely adjusted his glasses without a word, silently waiting for the explanation.
"It's nothing serious," Alex replied. "I think… my powers just got stronger again during the fight with Shaw."
Stronger again?
Both Raven and Hank were momentarily speechless.
Wasn't Alex already overpowered to the point of absurdity?
And now he was getting stronger again?
Was he trying to make the rest of them obsolete?
Still, it was undeniably good news, and neither of them could hide their excitement.
Without wasting any more time, Alex opened up his system interface.
---
[Host: Alex]
[Age: 16]
[Speed: 164.4 m/s]
[Strength: 127.2 tons]
[Physique: 308 (10 = healthy adult male)]
[Mental Power: 271 (10 = healthy adult male)]
[Current Template: Homelander (Unlocked: 15%)]
[Abilities: X-Ray Vision (Beginner), Super Hearing (Beginner), Heat Vision (Beginner), Flight (Locked)]
[Origin Points: 2026]
Alex couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement when he saw the number: 2026 Origin Points.
He had never been this "wealthy" before.
That was a huge amount of energy.
[Host has unspent Origin Points. Would you like to begin enhancement now?]
The system prompt chimed again. This time, Alex didn't hesitate.
"Enhance!"
[Congratulations. Homelander Template Unlocked: 35%]
Thirty-five percent!
Alex's heart surged with elation.
This was the largest single boost he had ever received. He was beyond satisfied.
---
[Host: Alex]
[Age: 16]
[Speed: 378.2 m/s]
[Strength: 341 tons]
[Physique: 510 (10 = healthy adult male)]
[Mental Power: 581 (10 = healthy adult male)]
[Current Template: Homelander (Unlocked: 35%)]
[Abilities: X-Ray Vision (Intermediate), Super Hearing (Intermediate), Heat Vision (Intermediate), Flight (Locked)]
[Origin Points: 26]
A massive leap in power!
Alex nearly let out a whistle. Now this—this was what a real power boost looked like.
His speed had jumped from subsonic to supersonic in one go. His strength was now over three hundred tons. Both his physique and mental power had more than doubled.
And his core abilities—X-ray vision, super hearing, and heat vision—had all leveled up from beginner to intermediate.
A massive haul. A huge win.
[Template unlock has reached 30%. Flight ability now available. Would you like to unlock it?]
And that wasn't all.
Another prompt sounded in his mind.
The one ability he'd been anticipating the most—flight—was finally here.
His breath caught slightly in his throat. There was no hesitation.
"Unlock it!"
Whoosh—!
In an instant, Alex felt something indescribable shift inside him.
He couldn't quite put it into words, but one thing was absolutely clear:
He could fly now.
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