284 The Boys: Homelander appears, trying to help Kimiko and Madelyn's plan.

(Vought International)

Stan Edgar opened his eyes in astonishment as he approached the screen. Being a man of a hardened and stoic mindset, seeing him surprised in this manner was remarkable.

No one could guess what was going through the mind of the man at the top of Vought as he watched Allen on the screen.

"You are..." said Stan tapping the screen before being interrupted.

The office door opened, and Black Noir entered with Homelander slung over his shoulder. Black Noir said nothing, but it wasn't necessary.

with a shattered arm and a gaping wound in his stomach, Black Noir stood silently before Stan. Homelander wasn't as severely injured as Black Noir, but he was unconscious.

Stan Edgar frowned, knowing that this was the result of both of them confronting the young albino.

...

(Shopping mall)

It didn't take Allen long to find Kimiko because he already knew where she was going. Kimiko had come to take revenge on a woman who was also involved in everything that had happened to her.

Allen arrived well ahead of the others because he could fly.

...

With disheveled hair and dirty clothes, Kimiko looked like a vengeful spirit risen from a grave.

It wasn't a pretty sight...

The woman in question, of Asian descent, was counting money in a small office and didn't realize what was happening until it was too late. Kimiko came up behind her and attacked, slashing her face and neck until she was dead.

Kimiko quickly left the scene, feeling lost and unsure of what to do next. She was in an unfamiliar place and had no support.

She wandered through a shopping mall, drawing the attention of some people, but when they saw the bloodstains, they chose not to get involved.

Kimiko was about to enter an electronics store when she suddenly heard a voice in her head.

"Don't be scared..."

Kimiko immediately went into battle mode but couldn't locate the source of the voice.

"I know you're frightened, but I don't intend to hurt you..." Allen tried to sound reassuring, but he wasn't sure if he could convince her not to attack.

Kimiko growled like a wild animal, warning that if Allen came closer, she would fight him to the death.

"I know who made you go through all this; they're a bunch of damned bastards. I understand that everyone seems like an enemy to you right now, but..."

"Get out of my head!!"

Kimiko didn't speak, but in her mind, she yelled at Allen. It definitely wasn't the best plan.

Gwen – Allen, what are you doing?

Kara – I can see it. Allen doesn't want to make the girl fall in love with him, so he's using this ridiculous method.

Felicia – Imagine being scared, resentful, and only being treated as a weapon and a beast in the past. After escaping, suddenly a voice in your head says it won't hurt you.

MJ – Sounds very suspicious. I'd run far away.

Natasha – Dear, that's enough...

Diana – Allen

Allen sighed and decided to approach Kimiko.

"Okay, I got it"

...

Kimiko took refuge in the emergency stairs where she squatted. She soon heard footsteps. Allen came down the stairs to where she was.

She noticed him and tensed, ready to fight. Allen raised his hands and stopped at the top of the stairs while Kimiko watched him suspiciously.

Whether it was Allen's natural aura of non-hostility or his appearance, she didn't attack him immediately or flee.

Allen didn't say anything this time and smiled sincerely. This confused Kimiko. She considered fleeing, but curiosity got the better of her, and she approached Allen while maintaining a hostile stance, crouched with her hands ready to strike.

She looked like a wild animal as she observed him from head to toe. When she looked into his eyes, Kimiko was startled. She didn't remember ever seeing a human like him before.

Kimiko unexpectedly sniffed Allen, which was unusual, and then she stepped back, perhaps to make it seem like she no longer considered him a threat.

Kimiko growled and turned to attack Allen with her claws. However, Allen didn't defend himself, and Kimiko halted her fingers an inch from Allen's face.

She opened her eyes in surprise. She had expected Allen to be frightened and show his real face. But the young man in front of her showed no fear, hostility, or malice. Instead, he continued to smile slightly at her, with a look of sorrow, as if expressing how unfortunate it was that she had been turned into someone like this.

Kimiko lowered her claws and felt uneasy. She didn't know how to react to Allen's unusual response. People either feared her, hated her like a wild beast or viewed her as a worthless object, but never like this.

She might seem wild, but she wasn't foolish. She understood perfectly well what was happening around her, but her heart was too damaged. She didn't trust Allen, yet he showed no hostility even when she attacked him.

Kimiko stepped back and sat on a step, then looked at Allen with distrust but without hostility. 'I told you... to leave me alone...' Kimiko thought, knowing that Allen would hear her thoughts if she intended to communicate.

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have contacted you like that," Allen said as he sat next to her. Kimiko tensed for a moment but didn't move away.

"Who... who are you?"

"I'm Allen..."

Kimiko had limited English skills, but thanks to the universal translation capability of the system, Allen was speaking in Japanese to her. This made her more receptive to communication. After all, language is a powerful barrier. What truly allowed Kimiko to trust Allen was that he had risked his life to show her he wouldn't harm her.

'How did you find me?'

She wanted to know if there was a way to track her to prevent being found again.

'You've already met my companions; they freed you. They might seem like a rough group, but they had no intention of harming you...They tipped me off and I have some skills....'

'... and what do you want to do with me?'

Kimiko thought Allen might recruit her since she was a powerful ally. However, Allen raised an eyebrow and looked at her.

Although Kimiko was supposed to be part of The Boys for several reasons, Allen wondered if it might be better to give her a more peaceful life. After all, Kimiko had suffered many severe injuries and painful fractures from fighting other Supes.

Allen shook his head and smiled. "I want..."

"Allen!"

Butcher, Hughie, MM, and Frenchie burst in and rushed down the stairs.

"Damn it."

Allen regretted telling them where Kimiko was. They approached both of them.

"Wait, we're not your enemies..." Frenchie said, but he forgot to hide the gas he had in his hand.

Kimiko growled menacingly. She looked at Allen, hesitated to leave, but ultimately decided to escape. Allen glared at these fools who lacked delicacy in such situations.

Felicia – "Allen, follow her now, remember A-Train!"

Allen recalled that A-Train had encountered Kimiko and attacked her in the subway. Although there was a chance that it wouldn't happen, they couldn't take the risk. Allen ran after Kimiko, followed by everyone.

...

(Subway)

Moving through the crowd was difficult, but Allen caught up with Kimiko just as she entered the subway. However, A-Train appeared immediately and attacked Kimiko, grabbing her by the head and smashing it against the wall.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!!"

Allen was furious. He grabbed A-Train by the arm and slammed him against a column with ten times the force he had used on Kimiko. For a moment, he was about to kill him, but then he remembered something his Chat had told him and let him go.

A-Train fell to the ground, coughing up blood. "Who are you?! Why?!"

"Get out before I change my mind!"

A-Train looked terrified at Allen, then got up and disappeared.

Among the Supes, A-Train is the only one who shows potential for redemption throughout the story. Allen followed his Chat's advice, which said if he was going to show mercy to a Supe, it should be A-Train.

Allen decided to please his Chat and let him go. However, he hesitated because A-Train's future redemption was still uncertain. And at this moment, A-Train was just another Vought bastard.

Allen picked up a semi-conscious Kimiko in his arms.

"I'm sorry..." Allen apologized. There were too many people around, and he didn't want to risk injuring anyone by moving too quickly.

"..." Kimiko looked at Allen in silence, not resisting being carried.

The Boys approached. Allen glanced at them for a moment and wondered if he could entrust Kimiko to them. But in the end, they were all men, so he thought of Starlight. She was the best option to look after Kimiko and help her.

Allen looked at Frenchie and felt he needed to confirm one thing before taking Kimiko away. "Frenchie, do you happen to know someone named Colin?"

Frenchie shuddered at the mention of that name, confirming that it was indeed "that" version of Frenchie.

Allen just smiled and proceeded to leave the place.

...

(Private hospital)

Homelander opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling. He looked around and realized he was in a hospital room.

As he scanned the room, Homelander's breathing began to quicken, his muscles tensed, and his teeth clenched.

Homelander wasn't badly hurt, but he was injured; he felt pain and had been beaten without being able to defend himself.

He didn't understand it. He was faster, but it seemed his opponent could anticipate his movements. He was stronger, yet couldn't land a single blow. He was more durable, but his opponent's hits still hurt.

Homelander felt humiliated. That's how he felt seeing someone else capable of doing what he had resigned himself to. It shouldn't have been possible; the plane should have been destroyed when he tried to lift it, but that didn't happen.

For the first time in his life, Homelander felt he wasn't the strongest Supe.

He knew he lost his composure and attacked his opponent, resulting in his loss of consciousness. What frustrated Homelander the most was that he wasn't badly hurt; his injuries weren't severe; he was merely knocked out due to his own carelessness.

I'm going to kill him...

I'm going to kill him!

I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!!!

Just as Homelander was about to lose his composure and leave the hospital to find Allen, he noticed Madelyn by his side.

"You're awake?" the woman said with a tired expression.

"What are you doing here?"

Homelander was pleasantly surprised to find Madelyn by his side while he was unconscious. He understood, though he wouldn't admit it, that Madelyn didn't really love him, didn't even care for him, and most of their interactions were superficial. However, the fact that she was here after he had failed and ended up like this made him feel somewhat better, enough to calm his rage.

"I was waiting for you to wake up..." Madelyn paused and sighed. "We're screwed..."

"What?"

Madelyn explained everything, from Allen taking his glory to the entire incident being revealed with videos included.

Homelander began to feel anxious and checked all his social media, only to realize he was losing followers on all platforms.

He checked the news and saw numerous accusations against him—claims of being a fraud, a murderer, and a madman.

Homelander got up, still naked, and quickly began dressing. He felt extremely angry but controlled himself. More important than killing Allen was maintaining his popularity. He was a narcissist, and the adoration of the public was his fuel; without it, killing Allen wouldn't mean anything.

Homelander hadn't asked for the head because he knew Madelyn well enough to know she wouldn't give up easily.

"What's next?" Homelander asked with a fixed gaze and clenched jaw. He was keeping calm on the outside, though he was filled with many emotions inside.

"..." Madelyn didn't respond immediately but was lost in thought. Was Vought finished? Was this the end of their ambitions?

Homelander finished dressing and walked over to her. "What should we do, Madelyn?" he asked again, his gaze showing seriousness and cruelty. Homelander was prepared to commit a massacre if necessary.

Madelyn stood up and walked past Homelander towards the window.

"We'll lie..." she said.

"...!"

Her statement may sound simple but she said it in a serious tone with no possibility of negotiation.

...

(Vought International one day later)

One single day was enough for Vought to launch its counterattack.

Homelander appeared at a press conference surrounded by boos and protesters.

"Murderer!!"

"Monster!!"

Homelander imagined he could kill them all with his heat vision; he could almost smell the scent of burning flesh and hear their screams. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, then smiled brilliantly.

Homelander had practiced that smile for years. If he hadn't broken his mask on the plane, people would never have known the truth. But was this the end?

NO!

Homelander stopped smiling and appeared sad and angry.

"I know many things have been said about me!"

"I know you've seen horrible things about me!"

"I understand that for many of you, I'm just a monster right now."

"My whole life I've been your hero. I've been protecting and serving beyond my limits from all dangers," Homelander looked around at the cameras and then at the audience. "But I find it hard to believe that you would lose your trust over a crude lie!"

Several people stopped shouting and insulting; Homelander's look of disappointment and regret was very convincing and manipulative.

Some began to doubt. Despite the videos, the witnesses, and everything, Homelander had been a superhero for years. People couldn't simply forget that.

The same has happened with Superman in rare instances where he turns bad, like in "Injustice". Even after witnessing his actions firsthand, many continued to believe he was good.

Homelander helped orphanages, spent time with sick children in the hospital, and saved the world on several occasions. Of course, many of these things were mere narratives and never happened, but the point is that people believed they did.

At that moment, many who were disappointed in Homelander started to doubt whether there was something wrong with the videos that were spread.

However, many others weren't buying Homelander's story. How the hell did they have time to alter the videos?!

People weren't so foolish as to swallow that tale easily. Nevertheless, Madelyn and Homelander's plan was clear.

Lie, lie a lot, lie so much and so shamelessly that even the most skeptical would believe it.

Homelander took the microphone and addressed everyone with a frown.

"Tell me, what happened with Místico, the villain?!" asked Homelander.

The crowd fell silent.

Homelander pointed at a reporter present. "That villain could create illusions so powerful that even I was trapped in them,"

"Tell me, what happened to that villain?"

The reporter felt intimidated but managed to respond, "Místico used his abilities to make the Seven fight each other..."

Homelander nodded, lowered his eyes in frustration, and then raised them with a sense of justice, "I am the strongest, but even so, the world generates dangers that we can't explain..."

"Does that mean a villain altered the videos with his power and even the passengers' memories?"

The reporter couldn't believe the absurdity of the words, but Homelander gave him a look of confidence.

"I can't deny more than what has already happened. I was cowardly attacked, and when I reacted, everyone pointed at me and looked at me like a monster."

...

"Damn it!!" MM cursed while watching this.

"That son of a bitch is trying to pretend it's all a lie," Butcher spat on the ground but wasn't surprised.

Vought International had been deceiving everyone for years, with hundreds of stories portraying them as heroes and thousands of news articles showing Vought's superheroes as the good guys.

For once they were seen as the villains, many could turn against them, but some deep down wished it wasn't true. No matter how absurd it seemed, a response would eventually be accepted. That's why many tyrants and dictators in the world have so much support, even when their actions are terrible.

The Boys were frustrated because, at this rate, even if Vought couldn't erase this, it definitely wouldn't destroy them.

...

Ashley approached Madelyn, saying that the company's actions had halted its depreciation; audiences were increasing, and the opinion had shifted from bad to divided.

Madelyn celebrated, "Yes!" Then she regained her composure. It had been years since the company had faced a crisis of this level. However, it took more than a scandal to destroy Vought.

...

(Allen's temporary apartment)

Allen watched the television in silence with Starlight beside him and Kimiko peeking through a half-open door.

Kimiko dug her fingers into the wall as she watched the news with frustration.

Starlight held Allen's hand and looked at him with concern. Allen smiled; he hadn't expected to end Vought with just the previous attack. In fact, the plan was never to destroy them but to make them bleed.

From Homelander to Black Noir, Madelyn Stillwell to Stan Edgar, all of them felt the company shaking from its foundations.

Allen laughed at this. "Well, I guess it's time for phase two, isn't it, Butcher?"

===

A/N: Homelander is... @#$& XD

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