It's over!
After reducing Soldier Boy to scattered fragments with his Octoslash, Richard felt a sense of finality wash over him.
Though he harbored no personal animosity toward Soldier Boy, the man's death was necessary for Richard's swift return to the Marvel Universe.
Without this decisive victory, Richard would have been forced to remain in this reality for several more months—a prospect he found increasingly unappealing.
Having dispatched Soldier Boy, Richard turned his attention toward the ongoing conflicts between Butcher, Homelander, and the others.
Butcher and Homelander remained locked in one-on-one combat.
Hughie, employing his teleportation ability, was successfully preventing Stormfront from interfering in the primary duel.
From Richard's assessment, Butcher and Hughie weren't currently at a disadvantage.
However, it was equally apparent that the best they could hope for was maintaining this stalemate—they possessed no realistic path to defeating Homelander and Stormfront.
After briefly observing their struggle, Richard extended his telepathic awareness to scan the surrounding area.
With Mother's Milk having abandoned the team, the Boys now consisted of only three members: Butcher, Hughie, and Frenchie.
Kimiko, who should have been part of their group according to the timeline Richard remembered, had never joined due to the cascade of changes Richard had initiated upon his arrival.
His telepathic sweep quickly located Frenchie, who hadn't appeared in the plaza.
The Frenchman wasn't participating in the direct confrontation but had instead infiltrated the Seven Tower. Specifically, he had breached the laboratory and was frantically gathering samples of both standard Compound V and its temporary variant.
After pinpointing Frenchie's position, Richard teleported without hesitation.
In an instant, he materialized within the laboratory, transitioning seamlessly from the plaza outside.
His sudden appearance immediately captured Frenchie's attention.
Upon recognizing Richard, Frenchie drew his weapon and fired without hesitation.
Richard calmly swung Masamune, deflecting each bullet with precise, almost casual movements.
For ordinary individuals, intercepting bullets with a blade occurred exclusively in video games and action films.
For Richard, however, this feat presented minimal challenge. It required only sufficient reaction speed and the ability to accurately track bullet trajectories.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Frenchie quickly emptied his magazine.
Rather than reload, he immediately reached for a syringe containing Temporary Compound V.
Just as he prepared to inject himself—seeking the enhanced capabilities necessary to confront Richard—his opponent seemingly vanished, only to reappear directly before him. Masamune descended in a fluid arc.
SLASH!
The legendary blade cleaved through Frenchie's neck with the effortless precision of silver lightning, completely severing his head.
Frenchie's decapitated body remained upright for several seconds before succumbing to gravity and collapsing to the floor.
Having eliminated Frenchie, Richard teleported from the laboratory, returning to the plaza.
Though his absence had been brief, both Butcher and Hughie had discovered Soldier Boy's remains.
Upon witnessing Soldier Boy reduced to unrecognizable fragments, Hughie immediately teleported to Butcher's position, intent on extracting him from the battlefield.
Soldier Boy had represented their greatest asset!
Without him, they lacked the necessary strength to confront Richard and Homelander directly.
Hughie's teleportation velocity was impressive—not significantly slower than Richard's own spatial transitions.
Had Richard been absent, Hughie might have successfully evacuated Butcher despite Homelander and Stormfront's presence.
Unfortunately for them, Richard had returned.
As Hughie materialized beside Butcher and prepared for their escape, Richard simultaneously appeared at Butcher's location.
Gravesong!
Richard executed his technique—slightly less devastating than Octoslash but no less lethal in this context.
Four lightning-quick slashes instantaneously passed through Butcher's body.
The outcome proved unequivocal. Despite possessing physical attributes approaching Homelander's and wielding heat vision, Butcher was immediately sectioned into more than ten distinct pieces by Masamune's edge.
Blood sprayed outward as the fragmented remains collapsed to the ground.
Witnessing Richard eliminate Butcher with a single technique, Hughie's expression transformed into pure, unfiltered horror.
As Hughie froze in shocked indecision, Richard's voice cut through the momentary silence.
"Don't let me see you again, or Butcher's fate will become your own."
Following this pronouncement, Richard habitually flicked Masamune's blade, removing the minimal blood that had adhered to its surface.
He then returned the weapon to his dimensional storage space.
Hearing Richard's warning, Hughie didn't immediately teleport away. Instead, he regarded Butcher's remains with a complex expression.
After several seconds of silent contemplation, he activated his teleportation, vanishing from the sight of Richard, Homelander, and the others.
"Why let him go?" Homelander inquired, flying to position himself before Richard, his expression conveying genuine confusion.
"I do as I please," Richard replied with evident irritation. "I don't owe you explanations."
Though Homelander clearly disapproved of this approach, he wisely chose to remain silent.
He understood the necessity of restraint.
If Richard became truly angered, Homelander had no doubt that his own dismemberment would follow with equal efficiency.
As Hughie departed, Starlight, Queen Maeve, and the other Seven members arrived at the plaza.
"The cleanup is your responsibility," Richard instructed them.
He then teleported from the scene, returning to his luxury apartment on the 96th floor.
Soldier Boy, Butcher, and Frenchie had all perished. Mother's Milk had abandoned the team.
Even with Hughie still alive, the Boys would never resurface as an operational unit.
Without Butcher and Frenchie's networks and resources, Hughie—originally just an electronics store salesman—could accomplish little despite his temporary powers.
Upon returning to his apartment, Richard dissolved the magically-manifested black windbreaker, entered the bathroom, and briefly cleansed himself.
He then returned to the bedroom, reclining on the bed with a placid expression, preparing for the night's rest.
Though sirens continued wailing outside, they failed to disrupt his tranquility.
A simple release of mana created a barrier that completely isolated him from external sounds.
...
The following day, at noon.
Richard entered the Seven's private restaurant alone, instructing the server to bring lunch prepared by the Chinese chef.
After assuming leadership of the Seven, he had arranged for several Chinese culinary experts to join the kitchen staff.
While enjoying his meal, he browsed the day's trending news stories on his phone.
Unsurprisingly, Soldier Boy's attack from the previous night dominated headlines across major media outlets.
As he reviewed the relevant coverage, system information suddenly materialized in his field of vision:
[World Challenge Completed]
[Challenge rewards have been sent]
[Second Template: Superboy-Prime (Fusion Degree 17%)]
[Do you want to return to the original universe now?]
Observing this notification, Richard smiled with profound satisfaction.
Finally, this world challenge had reached its conclusion!
He had anticipated that after eliminating Soldier Boy, several days or even weeks might pass before the system recognized his status as this world's most celebrated superhero.
Instead, his decisive victory over the established "super villain" had rapidly elevated his fame to system-recognized prominence.
Though he had completed the challenge, Richard opted not to return to the Marvel Universe immediately, selecting "No" from the prompt.
Having made his decision, he dismissed the system interface and resumed enjoying his lunch.
Shortly thereafter, he finished his meal.
With his appetite satisfied, he departed the restaurant, proceeding toward Starlight's apartment.
The world challenge might be complete, but he still needed to leave certain contingencies for Starlight before his departure.
He soon reached her quarters.
Starlight, dressed in her platinum uniform, sat on the living room sofa watching midday news coverage.
As Richard entered, she immediately stood and approached him. "The casualty reports from last night and our subsequent PR strategy have been finalized," she said softly. "Would you like to review them?"
"No," Richard replied evenly. "Those decisions are yours to make."
"Alright," Starlight nodded.
"I plan to leave the Seven within days," Richard continued. "You should prepare yourself to assume leadership."
"Before I depart, I'll eliminate both Homelander and Stormfront for you, and provide certain safeguards to ensure your position as captain remains secure."
"Whether you subsequently maintain the Seven or transform them into a genuine heroic team will be entirely your decision."
Leaving within days?
Though Richard had previously mentioned his eventual departure, Starlight still appeared taken aback by the imminent timeline.
Moreover, she hadn't expected Richard to eliminate both Homelander and Stormfront.
His intention regarding Homelander seemed somewhat comprehensible.
She already understood that Homelander fell considerably short of his public persona.
However, she couldn't immediately grasp why Richard would target Stormfront as well.
Though Stormfront had only recently joined the Seven, Starlight's impression of her was considerably more favorable than her assessment of Homelander or A-Train.
Despite Stormfront's occasional eccentricities and hidden agendas, her overall impact on Starlight had been relatively positive.
Noting Starlight's puzzled expression, Richard elaborated: "Stormfront isn't what she appears to be. She merely pretends to be better than Homelander."
"Her true identity is the wife of Vought's founder. During the 1970s, she operated publicly as Liberty."
"Furthermore, she's an unrepentant Nazi who has eliminated more individuals than you've ever apprehended."
Stormfront is a Nazi?
Starlight regarded Richard with undisguised shock.
Had anyone else made such a claim, she would have dismissed it as absurd fabrication.
"Let's set that aside for now," Richard continued. "Let's discuss your abilities instead."
"Your powers aren't significantly inferior to Homelander's or Stormfront's."
"Though your capabilities aren't as diversified as theirs, your potential remains substantial."
"Your primary limitation is that you haven't developed your abilities to their maximum capacity, particularly your inability to store electrical energy within your body for extended periods."
"This necessitates drawing external electrical energy whenever you need to activate your powers, converting it into light energy."
"If you could resolve this energy storage limitation, your effectiveness would increase exponentially."
Richard's expression conveyed genuine seriousness as he spoke.
"I understand the issue you're describing," Starlight replied, her brow furrowing. "But that's not something I can modify."
"Your inability to address it doesn't mean I share the same limitation," Richard countered.
"Over the next few days, you'll assist me with certain experiments."
"If successful, your energy storage problem can be resolved quite efficiently."
Though not a scientist by training, Richard possessed considerable understanding of physical enhancement.
More importantly, he commanded hundreds of X-gene-derived abilities.
Combined with his magical capabilities, these powers gave him unique insights.
In his assessment, Starlight's inability to maintain electrical energy stemmed from the absence of a specialized "organ" dedicated to long-term energy storage.
Developing such a biological component would effectively eliminate her weakness.
He had already formulated a solution: creating an artificial magical reservoir within Starlight's body using his own mana.
While Starlight couldn't generate mana independently, Richard could establish this artificial wellspring within her physical form.
With this reservoir in place, Starlight could store electrical energy within this magical construct.
To ensure this artificial mana source remained viable indefinitely, Richard would employ his matter manipulation abilities to create specialized biological adaptations compatible with the magical reservoir.
By addressing these two requirements, the artificial mana source would continue functioning even after Richard returned to the Marvel Universe.
"I'll cooperate with whatever you require," Starlight replied without hesitation.
"Excellent. Let's proceed to the laboratory now. I need to conduct a thorough analysis of your physiological baseline."
Starlight nodded silently.
Shortly thereafter, they arrived at one of the Seven Tower's research facilities.
Upon entering, Richard immediately dismissed all laboratory personnel.
Once alone, he instructed Starlight: "Remove all clothing and position yourself on the examination table."
Without reluctance, Starlight complied, removing her platinum uniform and reclining as directed.
Though Starlight's physique was undeniably attractive, Richard maintained complete clinical detachment. He activated his Super Senses and perceptual abilities to thoroughly examine her internal physiology.
...
Time passed rapidly.
Three days elapsed almost imperceptibly.
Throughout this period, Richard and Starlight remained within the laboratory.
No one except them knew precisely what transpired behind those sealed doors.
Though Richard had never previously established an artificial mana reservoir for another individual, nor employed his matter manipulation abilities for precise physiological modifications, his meticulous approach yielded success in what represented his first true human transformation experiment.
This success stemmed partially from Starlight's enhanced durability, which allowed her to endure the transformation's physical stress.
Equally important was Richard's diverse array of abilities and precise control.
Without these advantages, Richard—lacking formal training in this field—might have accidentally terminated Starlight during the process.
Despite the extended timeframe, Richard successfully established both the artificial mana reservoir and the complementary biological adaptations within Starlight's body.
Beyond this immediate achievement, the procedure provided Richard valuable experience and inspiration.
Upon returning to the Marvel Universe, he could conduct similar enhancements on individuals like Sharon Carter and Black Widow, who lacked inherent superhuman capabilities, substantially increasing their physical attributes and combat effectiveness.
After completing Starlight's transformation and meticulously examining the artificial mana reservoir and its biological interface, Richard addressed her: "The transformation is complete. Now you can activate your abilities and experience the new energy storage mechanism."
Upon hearing this, Starlight immediately sat upright and engaged her powers.
As she activated her abilities, the laboratory lights began fluctuating. Electrical energy throughout the facility was drawn into Starlight's body through a process invisible to the naked eye.
Once Starlight had absorbed sufficient energy, the lights stabilized.
"How does it feel?" Richard inquired.
"Different from before," she replied softly. "Though I can't yet determine how long this electrical energy will remain viable in my system."
"By my calculations, the energy currently stored in your body should remain accessible for at least one month without degradation," Richard observed, using his Super Senses to monitor the artificial mana reservoir.
"In practical terms, you'll only need to 'recharge' monthly from this point forward."
...
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