Seeing the Head of Promotion slowly regain his confidence, Axel stood up, satisfied.
As the Head of Equipment took his measurements, Axel casually patted the promoter on the shoulder.
"I'm trusting you with my image. Don't make me regret it."
"Never, Ancestor! You will become the future face of the corporation. I swear I will dedicate everything to building your brand. You'll be making serious Dollars."
The Head of Promotion bit his lip in excitement, convinced he had passed an important test.
Axel nodded, pleased, then turned to Ashley.
"Ashley."
"I'm here!" she snapped, standing straight.
Axel chuckled.
"What kind of reward system does this company have? I don't care about the details, just give this guy the full package. I like how he thinks."
"Understood, Ancestor."
Ashley nodded firmly, and the Head of Promotion's face lit up with relief.
With multiple departments working together, the chaos Axel caused was quickly contained. Online discussions were suppressed, and the situation was reshaped into something manageable.
After taking a shower, Axel put on the modified Soldier Boy suit. He looked down at the star on his chest, then at the eagle emblem attached to it.
Without hesitation, he tore the eagle off and tossed it aside.
"Better, but still not quite right."
His eyes shifted to the shield nearby. After a brief glance, he shook his head.
"I don't like shields. Get me a sword instead. Make it look good. I'll carry it around."
"Understood, Ancestor."
The Head of Equipment nodded repeatedly.
Dressed in the suit, Axel walked out of Madelyn's office. Ashley followed closely, trying to keep up despite her nerves.
"Take me to The Seven's meeting room," Axel said.
"Yes, Ancestor."
She led the way.
Inside the meeting room, Maeve had already gathered the others.
The sudden meeting had annoyed several of them. The Deep in particular looked irritated.
"Maeve, what is this about? Why call us in like this, and Homelander isn't even here..."
"Shut up."
Maeve cut him off coldly. She looked around at the others, some confused, some uneasy.
"It seems not all of you are as clueless as him. Deep, are you completely oblivious? Something this big happens and you know nothing?"
"I... what am I supposed to know?"
The Deep glanced around nervously.
Black Noir revealed nothing, as always. Translucent remained unreadable. Lamplighter stayed silent, clearly uninterested.
With Homelander and A-Train out of commission, only a few of them were left in the room.
Seeing no help coming, The Deep pressed his lips together.
Maeve scoffed and tossed her phone at him.
"Most of the footage has already been wiped, but I saved a few clips. Watch carefully, then decide how you want to act."
The Deep scrolled through the videos.
The moment he saw Homelander's limbs being broken by Axel, he let out a panicked cry and jumped to his feet.
"What the hell is this? Someone like that exists? Even Homelander lost? I'm just here for appearances. You can't expect me to fight someone like that. Homelander is supposed to be unbeatable, and he got crushed. What do you want me to do, call in whales for backup?"
"That actually sounds interesting."
The door opened as Axel walked in.
He stepped toward Homelander's former seat, nodding slightly to Maeve. Her eyes flickered with recognition.
Then he looked at The Deep and smiled.
"I like water shows. If you get the chance, bring your ocean friends and put on something decent. If I enjoy it, I might support your efforts to protect dolphins in Japan."
His smile widened slightly.
"And if anyone tries to stop you, I might let you deal with them however you want."
He sat down casually.
At that moment, Black Noir suddenly let out a panicked sound and rushed for the door.
He did not get far.
Axel appeared in front of him instantly and grabbed him by the neck.
"We haven't even met, and you're already trying to run?"
Axel tilted his head slightly.
"Let me guess. It's the suit. You've got history with Soldier Boy."
Without warning, Axel struck him across the head.
The impact cracked Black Noir's helmet, and he collapsed unconscious.
Axel casually tossed him back into his seat.
He then walked over to Translucent and placed a hand on his shoulder.
Translucent stiffened.
"I mean no harm, sir..."
"I don't like people hiding in front of me."
Axel grabbed him by the neck and lifted him into the air.
"I heard your skin is nearly indestructible."
Without waiting for an answer, Axel drove his finger into Translucent's shoulder.
A sharp sound followed, then blood.
Translucent screamed.
Axel looked unimpressed.
"Doesn't seem that tough to me. So where exactly is this so called durability?"
"I meant no offense, sir, I swear..."
"Call me Ancestor."
"Yes, Ancestor, please, I'm sorry."
Translucent immediately dropped his invisibility, revealing himself.
Axel twisted his finger slightly before pulling it out, then glanced at The Deep, who was shaking nearby.
Axel extended his bloodstained finger toward him.
"Clean it."
"As you wish, Ancestor."
The Deep rushed forward, opening his mouth.
Before he could touch it, Axel slapped him away.
"I said clean it, not lick it."
"Yes, yes, my mistake."
The Deep scrambled back up and hurriedly wiped Axel's finger clean with his suit, his hands trembling the entire time.