By the time The Seven arrived, the clone was already deep in battle with Queen Maeve.
Through his energy screen, Marcus observed the fight from a safe distance. While the clone's combat power was slightly weaker than his true strength, it still utterly dominated these counterfeit heroes.
If the clone weren't holding back, Queen Maeve would have been pulverized by that first punch.
"Compound V's effects are really pathetic. If this were Diana, that blow wouldn't have even staggered her!"
As Wonder Woman's knockoff, Queen Maeve had simply received enhanced physical capabilities—enough to crush cars, nothing more. She lacked any of Diana's divine artifacts or millennia of combat experience, relying purely on brute force.
Facing the clone's assault, Queen Maeve could only dodge desperately, constantly evading attacks she couldn't hope to block.
"This is what Vought relies on? Truly pitiful!"
Marcus's voice echoed through the clone as it threw another punch, the surrounding air exploding with a terrifying sonic boom.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A figure suddenly interposed itself between the clone and Queen Maeve.
THUD!
The clone's fist connected solidly, launching the newcomer backward into Queen Maeve. Both crashed through the wall of a nearby convenience store.
"Homelander? My apprentice Peter is stronger than you!"
Marcus chuckled as the clone flexed its wrist. The clone leaped skyward just as a blue blur streaked beneath it at superhuman speed.
"Enhanced by void energy and you're still this slow!"
The clone swung horizontally, clotheslining A-Train and sending the speedster flying again.
Marcus had confirmed his suspicions—while these beings possessed superpowers, their abilities were laughably weak compared to their originals.
When The Deep arrived as backup, the clone instantly appeared behind him and kicked the aquatic hero into the pavement.
The Deep was supposedly Aquaman's counterpart, but he couldn't compare to Arthur Curry. Rather than commanding the oceans, he was more like a marine life trainer. Communication with sea creatures and underwater breathing were his only real abilities.
These were just Aquaman's most basic powers. The real King of Atlantis could summon tsunamis and command storms, while this pretender could barely ride dolphins.
"You're all utterly useless. No wonder Vought can control you!"
Light suddenly blazed in the clone's hand as it hurled something skyward. The Ruyi Jingu Bang fell from above, rapidly expanding until it became a massive celestial pillar that crashed down with devastating force.
CRASH!
The impact shattered the street, launching all of The Seven through the air. Even Homelander, who'd just regained his footing, was blasted away again.
"Heh. Garbage."
Marcus spoke mockingly before casually dismissing the ability, causing the clone to vanish from the battlefield entirely.
"Compound V isn't completely worthless—at least these guys would make decent supervillains in other worlds."
Marcus had gauged Compound V's enhancement limits. The so-called Seven were just Vought's guinea pigs and profit machines. Even Homelander, their strongest asset, posed no threat to him whatsoever.
His body shifted back to normal appearance as Marcus prepared to explore this world of corporate superheroes firsthand.
On the battlefield, Homelander's eyes blazed with heat vision, firing lasers into the dust cloud where the clone had stood. He wanted to incinerate that armored bastard, regardless of public exposure or corporate consequences.
His beams found no target—no feedback, no screams, nothing.
Activating his x-ray vision in rage, Homelander discovered the area was completely empty. His opponent had simply vanished.
The furious supe launched himself skyward, rampaging through the air to vent his humiliation.
The other Seven members shared similar frustration, desperate to find and destroy whoever had embarrassed them so thoroughly.
Within hours, news of The Seven's defeat spread across the internet. Video footage of the mysterious armored figure dominating Vought's premier superheroes went viral.
In the clips, The Seven looked like ordinary people facing a god. Even the supposedly invincible Homelander and Queen Maeve were helpless against the armored warrior.
The viral spread devastated Vought's corporate image. A two-hundred-million-dollar contract that had been nearly finalized was suddenly under renegotiation as clients demanded massive price reductions.
Previously, Vought could have used their superhumans to intimidate difficult partners. But with their brand defeated and their headquarters bombed, many felt emboldened to challenge the corporation.
For several consecutive days, Vought's stock price plummeted, driving the CEO into a fury.
"I don't care what methods you use—find that bastard! As for The Seven, if they can't defeat this threat, replace them with our new products!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Tension suffocated Vought Tower as employees walked on eggshells, terrified of drawing executive wrath.
Everyone wondered the same thing: who was this impossibly powerful attacker, and why had he targeted Vought specifically?
Meanwhile, Marcus was laughing at Vought's damage control efforts on television.
"Hahaha! The Kree portable computer is incredibly useful. The conflict between Vought and The Seven is really heating up now."
He'd released the footage himself, recorded by the advanced Kree technology integrated into his armor.
The Seven's defeat and Vought's bombed headquarters had shattered the corporation's perfect image. Their supposedly protective superheroes had been humiliated by a single opponent.
Even Homelander—their most powerful asset—had been helpless against the armored warrior, unable to mount any meaningful resistance.
This was The Seven's true nature revealed. While impressive against ordinary humans, they crumbled when facing opponents of comparable strength. They had no real combat experience against serious threats.
"Continue the show. Let me see what kind of fireworks you'll create!"
Marcus activated the Celestial Twin ability again, sending his Wukong clone soaring through the sky in cloud form toward its next target.
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