Homelander: New Legacy

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'There are no eternal enemies, nor eternal friends.'

Edgar had always believed in this saying, from the moment he became the CEO of Vought International to the present day, where the corporation had fallen, and the colossus known as "Super Entertainment" had risen in its place.

Superheroes, trying to save the world?

Such a storyline existed only in movies. Edgar was convinced that everything Roger was doing was driven by some benefit unknown to him.

And as long as there was a benefit, Edgar believed he had the confidence to negotiate.

Roger could see the confidence in Edgar's eyes. Even in this situation—where Roger could easily kill them all in the next moment—that confidence never wavered.

"So, how do you propose we collaborate?"

Although Roger had no intention of cooperating with Edgar, he was curious to hear his ideas and see what he had to say.

Edgar's tone remained calm, his voice soft and refined:

"I've observed Super Entertainment and the so-called Super League you lead. Everything you do seems aimed at saving more people, becoming the kind of true superheroes seen in movies.

"While I don't believe your motives are so naïve, for the sake of argument, let's assume they are. Let's say you want to save people."

"Mm-hmm?"

"If that's the case, the problem becomes simple. As superheroes, you are indeed trying to save the people of this world. But everything you've done so far is superficial."

"Save a few people, dismantle some corporate conspiracies, bask in the admiration of the public, and then rush out to solve the next crisis when it arises. It's a cycle."

"Superman, you must know that no matter how hard superheroes try, the ones who truly control this world—those who decide its direction and shape the lives of ordinary people—are not you. They are the ones in power."

Edgar paused deliberately before continuing:

"Politicians, businessmen, philanthropists... including our dear president, who often graces our screens. These are the ones who steer this world. Superheroes, no matter how much they accomplish, merely operate within the rules they establish."

"So what?" Roger asked. "Average people have their rules, superheroes follow those rules. What's wrong with that?"

"That's the limitation of superheroes," Edgar replied. "First, you must decide whether you truly want to save all those in need or if you simply enjoy the fame and adoration that come with being superheroes.

"If it's the latter, then following the rules is fine. But if it's the former… to put it bluntly, if you're living by the rules, you're just another dog bound by them."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Roger frowned, his patience thinning.

Edgar chuckled and pressed on:

"Creating rules, abiding by them—this world is a game of rules. What you think benefits ordinary people is built on those rules. But what if some rules are wrong?

"What if the rules dictate that some ordinary people must be sacrificed? If sacrificing a few could save the many, and the rules deemed this correct, what would you superheroes do?"

Roger didn't respond immediately, lost in thought.

To be honest, Edgar's argument sounded like sophistry, yet Roger recognized it as something worth pondering.

Superheroes saving people was inherently good. But the ability of superheroes to save people stemmed from the existence of a functional set of rules.

Whether in Marvel's New York or DC's Gotham and Metropolis, the efforts of Iron Man, Captain America, Batman, and Superman were all underpinned by a foundation of sound rules.

But if one day, the rules were flawed—if crimes were reduced, penalties were loosened, and society operated under a corrupted system—what could superheroes do?

Could they lead a revolution to overthrow the system?

No, they wouldn't. Because they were superheroes.

Their role was to save humanity and the world. When humanity faced crises, they resisted with all their might. When disasters struck, they found solutions.

Such actions, rooted in personal strength, defined superheroes.

When the title of "superhero" was bestowed upon someone, their future actions were already shaped.

Those who sought to overthrow systems and create new ones weren't superheroes.

They were revolutionaries.

"Superman, isn't the answer obvious?" Edgar said.

"If you truly wish to make this world better and protect everyone from harm, you must establish a system built around yourselves.

"Vought International can help you. Compound V, capable of advancing human evolution, will be your greatest tool in creating a new set of rules. Vought can also disseminate and enforce those rules on your behalf.

"By working together, we can—"

Splat!

Before Edgar could finish, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The rest of his words turned into blood spilling from his mouth.

His confident gaze faded, and he looked down in disbelief at his chest.

Roger's hand had pierced through him.

Standing beside him, Clone One and Clone Two hadn't even had time to react.

"I thought you might say something different, but it's the same old story: you control the world from the shadows while we're the public-facing stars. Sorry, but I'm not interested in your so-called collaboration. After all..."

Roger slowly withdrew his arm from Edgar's body, adding, "I don't trust Vought International."

"!"

As Roger pulled his blood-soaked arm free, Clone Two finally reacted.

This clone, resembling Roger but bulkier, clenched his right fist, muscles bulging, and swung at Roger's head with the force to shatter sound barriers and air alike.

But in less than a blink of an eye, Clone Two felt the world spin. The entire universe seemed to turn upside down.

When he saw his own body from his perspective, he realized that Roger had decapitated him in less than a tenth of a second.

Using just his right hand.

"Too slow, impostor."

Roger casually swatted away the dismembered clone's final punch.

Without a way to weaken Roger further, this was the limit of what the clone could achieve.

Perhaps in the beginning, this clone might have overpowered Roger. But now? It was no contest.

With the clone defeated, only Clone One remained—capable of nullifying others' superpowers.

Roger turned to him, recognizing his superhuman durability and strength. A combination of traits designed to make him the perfect superhuman killer.

But unfortunately for him, they were useless against Roger.

Snap—

Roger effortlessly snapped Clone One's neck. Tossing the lifeless body aside like garbage, he turned to the blood on his left hand and then to Edgar, who was kneeling and on the verge of death.

"Any last words?"

"Why…?"

Edgar's voice was weak, filled with disbelief.

He would never understand the mind of someone like Roger—a laid-back individual uninterested in power games.

Setting rules, becoming a puppet master... Roger couldn't care less. Edgar's arguments might have sounded compelling, but they were hollow to Roger.

He had his own principles and wouldn't let others sway him.

Moreover, after all the trouble he'd gone through to bring down Vought, suddenly agreeing to collaborate would make him seem utterly spineless.

"Any final requests? Perhaps a will?"

"Why…"

Edgar's life ebbed away. His only lingering thought was why Roger had done this.

Roger grabbed Edgar by the head, lifting him off the ground. His voice was cold as he answered:

"No reason. I do what I want. I don't need to explain it to you."

The light in Edgar's eyes faded. Once the head of a massive corporation, he now perished in an unknown corner of the world.

With Edgar's death, Vought International's era officially ended.

But as Edgar had said, Vought's vast influence wouldn't disappear overnight. Fractured pieces of the organization could still continue its work under new banners.

Thus, the fight wasn't truly over. Roger glanced at the collapsed underground base of Vought, scratching his head in frustration.

"If I'd known, I would've gone easier on them. Now I have to dig up all that rubble just to retrieve any remaining intel."

Roger sighed. "Guess I'll call Tek Knight to send a team."

He had no interest in manual labor. Better to let the professionals handle it.

Meanwhile, the Super League had taken losses—two members had been killed, one an unlucky recruit, the other a deserter attempting redemption.

Even Queen Maeve and the others hadn't fully recovered their powers, likely due to Vought's widespread ability-nullifying tech.

With no remaining threats in the area, the conflict with Vought International had finally reached its conclusion.

Ensuring no Vought personnel had escaped, Roger escorted Maeve and the others to safety.

There was still much to be done.

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