The Deep, Queen Maeve, Starlight, and Black Noir were doing their press rounds, fielding interviews from various media outlets.
The most popular among them remained the naturally radiant, old-school superhero, the Amazonian Queen—Queen Maeve.
Clad in sexy armor that exposed a pair of snow-white shoulders, with a bustier barely containing her deep cleavage, she drove countless fans wild with the exotic charm of her wavy reddish-brown hair and burgundy eyes.
Whenever the stadium’s jumbotron cut to Queen Maeve, cheers echoed through the clouds.
At the moment, she was discussing racial equality, rejecting racial discrimination, and championing Black Lives Matter with a Black female reporter from *The New York Times*.
It was as if she had completely forgotten what The Deep had just done.
Pure political correctness!
The golden rule of any press release.
A sizable crowd of media surrounded The Deep as well.
Ever since he shaved his beard, his female fanbase had grown by leaps and bounds, to the point where he couldn’t even keep up with all the spicy DMs and private photos sent to his Instagram.
Although Starlight was the newest addition to The Seven, her all-American sweetheart looks and devout Christian background helped her surge in popularity.
She ranked just behind Queen Maeve and The Deep, outpacing both A-Train and Black Noir.
As for Black Noir, unable to speak, he could only strike a few poses for the press photographers, making his presence noticeably subdued.
The four members of The Seven performed their duties diligently, chatting effortlessly before the cameras (except Black Noir), spouting all manner of politically correct talking points to pull in more fans.
Suddenly, a sonic boom detonated across the entire stadium.
The entire audience, the reporters, and the four members of The Seven all turned their eyes to the sky.
Against the azure sky, a silhouette was circling above the stadium, encircled by a ring of white vapor—flying so fast that it produced Mach rings.
Boom after sonic boom rolled across the arena.
The blue figure moved like a bolt of blue lightning, circling the stadium dozens of times, pulling the gaze of tens of thousands of spectators along with him.
The sonic booms abruptly ceased, and the eyes of the tens of thousands converged onto a single point.
Hovering in midair right above the center of the stadium, Homelander hung suspended like a god.
Amid the roar of tens of thousands of fans cheering so loudly it nearly split the heavens, Homelander plummeted like an artillery shell, slamming into the ground.
*Boom!*
A spiderweb of cracks a meter wide fractured the concrete.
In the slight crater where the ground gave way, Homelander rested on one knee.
*Click!
Click!
Click!*
Countless flashes went off, capturing the moment.
Bathed in the flurry of camera flashes, Homelander rose in deliberate slow motion.
Dressed in a form-fitting blue suit accentuating his sculpted physique, with fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes—the quintessence of Anglo-Saxon pedigree, the archetypal American son.
Behind him, the Stars and Stripes fluttered and snapped in the wind, serving as his cape.
With Homelander’s entrance, the stadium reached a fever pitch, the deafening cheers ringing out without pause.
Some fans were so overcome with excitement at the sight of him that they fainted on the spot.
Wearing a boyish, innocent grin that showed eight perfect white teeth, Homelander waved in every direction.
Everywhere he turned, the roar of the crowd jumped up another notch.
Such was Homelander’s popularity: the biggest celebrity influencer in the world.
The Deep watched Homelander’s grand entrance—the circling, the Mach rings, the superhero crater landing.
He couldn’t help muttering internally, *Isn’t this just pure American showmanship?!*
But then again, what guy could say no to an entrance like that?
Who wouldn’t want to pull Mach rings and slam down like a meteor just like Homelander?
Right now, Homelander truly was the Superman of the *The Boys* universe.
Reporters and camera crews swarmed in, packing tightly around him.
Homelander took a microphone as the jumbotron switched from Queen Maeve to him.
On the massive screens, Homelander radiated a warm, dazzling smile, looking as bright and approachable as the boy next door.
“First of all, thank you to everyone here today.
Without your support, there would be no Seven.”
Deafening cheers erupted.
Homelander waved his right hand warmly in response to the crowd’s passionate cheers.
“Looking at all your lovely faces truly makes me feel like I’m looking at my own family.
I…”
Homelander pointed to his eyes and smiled.
“I…
Homelander…
will always remember the fans who love me.
You aren’t just my fans—you’re my family.”
The cheering swelled to an overwhelming crescendo.
Gripping the mic with both hands, Homelander called out with the deepest emotion, “I love you all.
We are family!”
The on-site paramedics were overwhelmed, with fans fainting one after another under the weight of Homie’s heartfelt speech.
Truth be told, when it came to manipulating hearts and minds, Homie was slick as a brand-new condom—he definitely had the magic touch.
“Family” this and “family” that right now, but later down the line, it’d be laser-beaming those very same “family” members in droves.
Having whipped the crowd into a frenzy, Homelander gestured toward the two competitors doing their final warm-ups on the track.
“And now, let’s find out who truly is the fastest man on Earth.”
“Please welcome a member of The Seven, the man said to outrun light itself—A-Train, Reggie Williams!”
Clad in his signature blue suit, A-Train held his head high, pointing both hands to the sky before blowing a kiss to greet the spectators.
Once the cheers subsided slightly, Homelander continued, “And beside him is today’s challenger—a man of fearless courage, bold enough to defy authority, undaunted by defeat, possessing a truly commendable spirit.
Said to shatter the sound barrier, stir temporal turbulence, and strike terror into hearts everywhere—the blazing speedster, Shockwave!”
A Caucasian man in an orange suit spread his arms wide, acknowledging the crowd around him.
The cheers from the stadium were even more thunderous than those for A-Train.
A-Train shot Homie an aggrieved look.
*Captain, you used way more adjectives on him than on me.*
*But this time, I have reasons I cannot afford to lose.*
A-Train looked down, glancing at the needle mark in the crook of his arm.
*How can a coward who doesn’t even dare to juice ever beat me?*
Homelander had the crowd thoroughly hyped, but the race didn’t start right away.
Like a commercial break before the climax of a TV show, the jumbotron began playing promotional documentaries about A-Train and Shockwave.
Queen Maeve was giving interviews alongside Homelander, recounting how the two of them had subdued the robbers at Platinum Tower, her strained, performative smile obvious to anyone watching.
Black Noir had slipped away to who knows where.
The Deep called over Starlight, intending to rest in the lounge for a bit before heading up to the private box to watch the race.
Just as they stepped toward the lounge, a man’s voice called out, “Starlight!”
The two turned around in unison, searching through the crowd for the source of the voice.
With a single glance, they spotted him.
Leaning in, The Deep whispered into her ear, “Starlight.
Your boyfriend is here.”
The one calling her was none other than the boyfriend Starlight had personally admitted to having—the protagonist of *The Boys*, Hughie.
Starlight wished she could find a hole in the ground and crawl into it.
*You bastard!
You know my “boyfriend” is right there, and you’re still acting so intimate with me?
Aren’t you afraid my “boyfriend” will get the wrong idea?!*