A new live broadcast signal forcibly hijacked most media feeds.
On the screen was Homelander's face.
Only now, a hideous bloody cross mark tore across his face like a demonic tattoo.
He stood at the top of Vought Tower, the shattered floor-to-ceiling windows behind him, the howling wind whipping his signature Stars and Stripes cape.
"My dear friends," he said, his voice carrying a sickening madness through the microphone, broadcasting across the globe.
"Recently, there have been some... unpleasant little episodes."
He smiled, as if the bank massacre and the plummeting airliner were nothing but harmless jokes.
"Some unruly guests from the East have disrupted our order."
"Therefore, I, Homelander, and my brand-new 'Seven', hereby issue a public, friendly invitation for an exchange to the 'Huaxia Justice League'."
His smile widened, revealing stark white teeth.
"The location: Las Vegas. The time: seven days from now."
"Let us use a fair fight to prove to the whole world who the true protectors of this planet are."
He paused, the madness in his azure eyes practically spilling through the screen.
"The losers will roll out of the public eye forever."
"I promise, this will be an event... you will never forget for the rest of your lives."
"Of course, if you're afraid, you don't have to come."
This was no longer a challenge; it was a declaration of war.
...
Vought Tower was no longer the headquarters of a glamorous commercial empire.
It had become a demon's lair.
In the top-floor hall, the stench of debauchery mixed with the metallic tang of blood, creating a nauseating atmosphere. Dozens of superhumans summoned from all over were reveling here.
Violence and lust were infinitely magnified in this place.
Homelander sat high upon his golden throne, indulging himself while coldly looking down at the twisted superhumans below.
Every act of indulgence, every slaughter, made the bloody cross mark on his face burn a fraction hotter, while the power within his body grew a fraction stronger.
The heroine indulging with him was Firecracker, and Homelander was highly satisfied with the little drinks she provided.
However, Homelander used too much force and hurt her, prompting her to subconsciously reach out her hand.
Her hand, unsteady from the drugs she had taken earlier, accidentally brushed the edge of the bloody cross on Homelander's cheek with her fingertips.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
The manic smile that had hung on Homelander's face a second ago instantly vanished.
In his eyes, there was only cold, pure killing intent.
The next second.
*Sizzle—!*
Two beams of scorching red heat vision shot from his eyes.
Firecracker didn't even have time to let out a scream before her entire upper body was completely vaporized.
Her charred lower half slumped weakly to the floor with a dull thud.
The party music came to a screeching halt.
Everyone froze in place, terror extinguishing their lust.
Homelander slowly stood up, feeling the surge of power within him that had skyrocketed once again due to the slaughter.
He swept his gaze over the terrified faces below, that sick, satisfied smile resurfacing on his face.
On his forehead, the bloody cross mark seemed to glow a few shades redder.
...
Huaxia, Supreme Military Command Center.
The giant screen was playing Homelander's mad declaration on a loop.
The atmosphere was as heavy as iron.
"Lunatic! He's an absolute lunatic!"
"Accept the challenge? This is definitely a trap!"
"But if we don't accept, our international prestige will plummet. The newly established authority of the Justice League will take a massive hit."
Amidst the endless arguing, a figure silently appeared in the main seat of the conference room.
It was Ian.
Wearing his trench coat, he looked at the screen with a calm expression.
"This isn't a trap," Ian said lightly, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
"This is a sacrificial ceremony."
He informed everyone present that the Crossed virus was about to arrive and that the merging of the two worlds was nearing completion.
"Homelander has been completely corrupted by the virus. His mind has been twisted, and his desires have been magnified."
"Seven days from now won't just be the day of the final battle."
Ian's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, seeing the bloody landscape of the future.
"On that day, the rules of the two worlds will completely merge. The Crossed virus will sweep across the globe at an unimaginable speed."
"This battle is Homelander's opening ceremony... dedicated to the apocalypse."
The entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.
After a long while, the supreme commander looked at Ian and asked with a hoarse voice, "What... should we do?"
The corners of Ian's mouth curled up into a smile, his eyes filled with absolute confidence.
"Of course, all of that is based on the premise that I don't intervene."
"If he wants to play, we'll play with him to the very end."
"Announce it to the world: we accept the challenge."
...
In an instant, the world erupted in a frenzy!
Huaxia's official response ignited this global spectacle.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the date seven days away.
And during these seven days, the massive state machinery of Huaxia began to operate at an unprecedented peak efficiency.
Countless strategic supplies were secretly mobilized.
The massive network of underground shelters hidden beneath the cities entered the final testing phase before full activation.
Millions of troops entered the highest state of combat readiness.
Everyone knew that a war deciding the fate of civilization was imminent.
...
Huaxia Justice League Base.
Martial arts insights, fusing the essence of the [Fourteen Ultimates] and [Sea Tiger Martial Arts], flooded into the minds of Evil God and the others like a torrent.
Boom!
The red-gold lightning surrounding Evil God instantly surged, unexpectedly synergizing with the Sea Tiger martial arts.
Perhaps it was because the comic world he originated from shared the same author as Sea Tiger.
Their martial arts talent and compatibility with the Sea Tiger martial arts were astonishingly high.
...
Las Vegas, the desert outside the city.
In just a few days, Vought International had constructed an arena of extreme luxury and extravagance.
Countless camera lenses were aimed at the center of the venue.
Homelander stood there, basking in the gazes converging from all over the world—a mixture of worship, fear, and anticipation.
The power within his body was boiling.
The bloody cross on his face was burning.
He couldn't wait to taste the blood of the Eastern Justice League.
The seven-day deadline had arrived.
The sky suddenly darkened.
A majestic aerial base slowly descended.
Ian stood with his hands behind his back at the very front of the base.
Behind him, Evil God, Evil Dragon, Tian Hu, Shangguan Lieyang, and Azure Dragon wore military green trench coats, their auras completely unsuppressed.
Beside them, Archangel Starlight spread her holy wings of light, looking down at the ominous arena with a compassionate gaze.
Ian's gaze crossed thousands of meters, meeting the eyes of the figure looking up from below.
He could clearly see the hideous bloody cross on Homelander's face, as well as those crimson eyes completely swallowed by madness and brutality.