Asgard.
In the Royal Palace of Valaskjalf, Thor stood hand in hand with Jane Foster.
"Father," Thor said firmly, his voice echoing through the hall. "Though the Aether has been removed from Jane's body, her life force has been severely damaged. Only Asgardian medicine can truly restore her. I want her to stay—to become part of Asgard."
From the throne, Odin regarded his stubborn son with his single eye, then shifted his gaze to the mortal woman beside him.
"She is mortal," Odin said, his voice still commanding, though noticeably less rigid than before. "A mortal life burns like a mayfly. If you bind yourself to her, you are destined to suffer the pain of loss."
"I don't care," Thor replied, tightening his grip on Jane's hand.
"But I do," Odin snorted.
At that moment, Frigga stepped forward and whispered softly into Odin's ear.
"Homelander saved my life," she said gently. "He changed fate itself. Perhaps… it is time we allow ourselves to change some of our old rules."
Odin fell silent for a long while.
He remembered that arrogant "god" of Midgard.
Remembered the battlefield.
Remembered the way the world had shifted.
The age had changed.
"…She may stay," Odin finally said. His tone still carried divine pride. "As a guest—until she fully recovers. As for whether she may one day become Asgardian… that will be left to fate."
Thor's face lit up instantly. "Thank you, Father!"
Jane let out a quiet sigh of relief. She didn't particularly like the one-eyed old man—but for Thor's sake, she'd endure it.
------
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters — The Triskelion.
To reinforce S.H.I.E.L.D.'s relevance and public image, every available agent was ordered into the streets.
"We need the public to SEE the S.H.I.E.L.D. insignia!" Alexander Pierce roared during the briefing.
"Go arrest criminals using alien weapons! Break up gang wars! Help grandmothers cross the street! Rescue cats from trees! I don't care what you're doing—do it in uniform!"
For the next few weeks, S.H.I.E.L.D. agents became New York's busiest "community volunteers."
But beneath the surface, dark currents flowed.
Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton, and Bruce Banner quietly vanished under Nick Fury's secret orders.
No one knew where they went.
Meanwhile, Pierce used the excuse of "an increasingly chaotic world requiring more efficient defense systems" to aggressively push for the accelerated deployment of Project Insight at the World Security Council.
With little success.
Because the world's attention was now firmly locked onto Vought.
Many believed that as long as Homelander existed, the sky itself could fall and someone taller would hold it up.
One council member even asked bluntly,
"Do we really need Project Insight? We just need to call Vought."
Pierce shattered three glasses in his office that afternoon.
-----
The White House. Washington, D.C.
President Matthew Ellis was in excellent spirits.
Seated in the private screening room, he watched a video on loop, grinning ear to ear.
Vought Studios had dispatched a top-tier production team to create a custom short film just for him:
President: The Last Line of Defense
In the film, Ellis was no longer the politician hiding in a bunker.
He wore body armor, gripped an M4 rifle, and fought shoulder to shoulder with Vought's heroes amid the smoking ruins of Washington.
The camera lingered on a close-up:
the President's face smeared with soot, eyes sharp, gunning down Dark Elf soldiers one after another.
Then he spat out his cigar and said coolly to the camera:
"Don't forget—I'm a veteran too."
The video went viral instantly.
"Badass President!"
"This is the leader we want!"
Ellis's approval ratings skyrocketed. Re-election was practically guaranteed.
"Brilliant work, Antony," Ellis laughed over the phone. "At this rate, I might try Hollywood after retirement."
"Excellent idea, Matthew," Antony replied cheerfully. "I'll cast you in my film franchise myself."
Ellis did have one regret.
His proposal to carve his own face onto Mount Rushmore had been unanimously rejected by Congress on grounds of "protecting historical and cultural heritage."
"Bunch of tasteless idiots," Ellis grumbled.
…
Public Opinion.
Antony's Popularity kept climbing.
But dissenting voices had begun to appear.
Japan. Tokyo.
After Antony hurled Malekith into Mount Fuji, the dormant volcano—silent for three centuries—briefly erupted.
Ash clouds blanketed the Kanto Plain.
Much of Tokyo was buried under volcanic ash.
Power grids failed.
Transportation collapsed.
There were even early signs of a "volcanic winter."
The Japanese Cabinet was furious.
They dared not openly criticize Homelander—but at international summits, they repeatedly hinted that "certain superhuman acts of violence caused excessive collateral damage."
Online, some Japanese citizens launched protests demanding:
"Homelander, get out of Asia!"
"Sir," Ashley Barrett said cautiously while reviewing reports, "the Japanese media sentiment is… getting difficult."
"Difficult?"
Antony smiled.
He opened the Popularity System and filtered the data.
Popularity Source: Asia — Japan
Popularity Gained: –3,120
Popularity Gained: –4,399
…
But his eyes locked onto another dataset.
Positive popularity—ten times larger than the Japanese losses.
Source: a certain large Asian mainland nation, plus two neighboring peninsula states.
Popularity Gained: +42,520
Popularity Gained: +32,421
Popularity Gained: +41,122
…
Antony picked up his phone.
Online, videos titled "Homelander Smashes Mount Fuji" were being shared like wildfire in those regions.
"Holy sh*t—Homelander is INSANE!!"
"That punch was for my great-grandma!"
"Fuji erupting?! This plot is god-tier—do it again!"
"Homelander is my god now—instant fan!!"
Antony laughed so hard he nearly spilled his soda.
"Hahahaha…"
"This," he said smugly,
"is what you call a blessing in disguise."
"Ashley, ignore the Japanese protests. Post a tweet for me."
She hesitated. "What should it say?"
"For the peace of Earth, some sacrifices are necessary. I regret what happened in Tokyo—but I'd do it again."
"…Sir, are you sure about the last part?"
"Relax. I'm joking," Antony waved her off.
"Delete that line. Replace it with—"
"'We will provide humanitarian aid: two hundred and fifty crates of Vought Energy Drinks.'"
--------------
T/N:
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