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Everyone fell silent.
Although those words hurt their pride, the cruel reality was right before their eyes. If Homelander hadn't arrived, that wave of tentacle attacks would have wiped them all out.
"He's right."
Yondu spat out some bloody phlegm; as a veteran of the galaxy, he knew best when to cut his losses.
"Staying here makes us a liability. Let's go! Take Quill!"
Drax hoisted the unconscious Mantis onto his shoulder, while Gamora supported the weakened Quill.
"If you die, I will avenge you, I promise." Nebula gave Homelander a deep look, her pitch-black eyes unreadable.
"Haha, thanks, sweetheart. But I haven't lived long enough yet." Homelander smiled faintly.
Supported by Gamora, Quill approached Homelander and said with a serious expression:
"Listen, man."
"To destroy him completely, you have to find his brain!" Quill pointed toward the ground. "It's down there... deep in the core. There's a massive cavern, and his brain is there, encased in a very thick shell."
Homelander nodded and patted Quill's arm.
"Got it. Brain, shell, blow it up. Sounds like a simple surgery."
"Go on, get to the ship, have a can of vought functional drink, and watch how I beat his brains out."
Quill nodded and stumbled away with Gamora's support.
Everyone began to evacuate the temple.
Only one person didn't move.
Jessica Jones remained where she stood, still holding that all-domain quantum livestream device.
"Jessica?" Homelander asked, puzzled.
"I'm not leaving." Jessica shook her head stubbornly and pointed to the camera in her hand.
"I'm your eyes, remember?"
"Without me, who will record your heroism? Who will livestream this to the billions on Earth?"
"I have a holographic spacesuit, and I can teleport. If things go south, I can run faster than anyone."
"You can't drive me away, Anthony. Just like you couldn't drive away that little bitch named Wanda."
Homelander looked at Jessica.
He knew that once this woman's stubborn streak was triggered, not even ten bulls could pull her back.
However... she had a point.
"Fine."
Homelander sighed and nodded.
"You can stay."
"But..." He raised a finger and pointed toward the sky.
"Keep your distance. If you feel something is wrong, teleport back to the ship immediately. That's an order."
"Make sure you protect yourself." Homelander's voice softened slightly. "I don't want to lose my best photographer."
The phrase "don't want to lose" made Jessica's heart skip a beat.
Is he worried about me? Or that damn camera?
Jessica opened her mouth, wanting to say something sentimental, like "I ordered a Catwoman-style leather suit on Amazon," or something like that.
"ENOUGH—!!!"
An angry roar interrupted this tender moment.
It was Ego's voice.
Ego stood in the center of the hall, his face livid, his hair bristling with rage.
He looked at this group of people.
He watched them in his temple, on his territory, chatting, saying goodbyes, and even flirting as if no one else were there.
They were treating him, a Celestial of the Universe, like he was invisible!
"You filthy! Lowly! Vermin..." Ego was shaking with fury.
"Where do you think you are? This is my Planet!!"
"How dare you ignore me?!"
"Did I give you permission to leave?! I..."
"Zzzzt————!!"
Ego's voice stopped abruptly; the end of the word "I" was still caught in his throat.
Two thick, crimson beams of Heat Vision slammed into his face without warning.
Immediately after, the Heat Vision sliced back and forth across his body, shredding his remaining form into countless fragments that dissolved into points of blue light in the air.
"..." The scene became very quiet.
Homelander retracted his Heat Vision, cursing inwardly: "I haven't even received my special popularity value yet, and you old bastard come to ruin the mood. So damn rude!"
He turned back to Jessica, a gentle smile appearing on his face again.
"Continue what you were saying, my dear Jessica."
Jessica: "..."
Livestream viewers:
[Hahaha! Homelander is awesome!]
[It has to be you, Homelander.]
[Villain: I'm not finished yet! Homelander: Don't want to hear it.]
[That Heat Vision blast just cured my OCD.]
[So embarrassing, he's supposed to be a God, and he just got sliced like that?]
...Outside the temple.
The engines of the "Homelander One" spaceship had finished preheating, and blue exhaust flared out.
"Quick, quick, quick! Everyone get on!"
Rocket shouted from the hatch, urging everyone to board.
Once Groot was the last to jump onto the ship, the hatch closed quickly.
"Takeoff!!" Yondu roared from the pilot's seat.
The ship rose from the ground and soared toward outer space.
Just as the ship had risen about ten meters into the air...
"BOOM RUMBLE RUMBLE————!!!"
The entire Planet let out an angry roar.
"Move!!" Homelander barked at the still-dazed Jessica.
Jessica didn't hesitate; she activated her ability, and with a "shua," she teleported a hundred meters into the air, keeping the camera steady.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The ground outside the temple suddenly exploded.
Seven or eight giant rock tentacles, glowing with blue light and over five meters in diameter, burrowed out from underground like the legendary Kraken.
They twisted wildly, and several tentacles lashed out with incredible speed, tightly wrapping around the ship's hull and wings.
"We're caught!!" Gamora shouted. "The engines can't push through!"
"Cut them off! Fast!!" Rocket desperately pushed the control stick.
Homelander looked at the ship being dragged down outside the hall, the red light in his eyes igniting again.
"Really... you just don't know when to quit."
He slammed his feet against the ground.
"Bang!"
The ground cracked, and his body shot into the sky like a cannonball.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived beneath the ship.
"Zzzzt————!!!"
Heat Vision shot out, sweeping across those rock tentacles.
"Sizzle—"
The red laser cut into the rock, producing a piercing scorching sound.
The surface of the rock melted instantly, turning into scalding lava.
But... Homelander's brow furrowed.
"Hmm?"
He felt that this cut was noticeably less smooth than before.
Inside those tentacles, high-density blue divine power was flowing; it was resisting the high temperature of the Heat Vision and even constantly repairing the wounds being sliced open.
Something that should have been cut instantly was now showing resistance.
"Gotten harder?"
"Then I'll just increase the output!"
He gave a furious shout, the red light in his eyes surging as he went to full power.
"Crack! Crack! Crack!"
Several massive rock tentacles snapped in response.
Freed from its restraints, the ship's engines roared, and it finally broke free from the gravity, surging toward the upper atmosphere.
"Thanks, man!" Yondu's voice came through the comms.
Prompt: Received special popularity value +5000! (From Yondu Udonta)
Prompt: Received special popularity value +5000! (From Gamora Zen Whoberi Ben Titan)
Prompt: Received... Watching the ship leave safely, the popularity value was safely in his pocket.
But Homelander didn't relax.
Because he truly felt that the Planet beneath his feet was now fully awake.
"BOOM RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE——————"