"I... I... wuwuwuwu!!!"
Facing Axel's relentless curses, Homelander trembled as he slowly reached into his mouth.
After hesitating for a long moment, he chose a molar on the lower left side.
Under Axel's cold, dangerous gaze, Homelander carefully wiggled the tooth.
But it was his own tooth. Even with his immense strength, pulling it out was far from easy.
With a slight tug, a sharp pain shot through his nerves, and tears immediately streamed down his face.
Crying loudly, he looked at Axel with desperate pleading, but Axel only urged him forward without mercy.
"Hurry up. Otherwise, I'll have The Deep shove his big eight groove into your mouth and knock it out for you, you bastard."
"Yes... wuwuwu, at your command...!"
Homelander trembled at Axel's words. Nearby, The Deep looked up in shock, his mouth slightly open as he stared at Homelander.
Even through his fear, Homelander caught something unsettling in The Deep's gaze, a strange hint of anticipation.
Terrified, he clenched his teeth and grabbed the molar firmly.
Then he yanked.
Crunch!
"Ahhhhhh!!!"
Even though his scream could have shattered glass, only half the tooth came out.
Blood filled his mouth instantly. Still sobbing, he looked pitifully at Axel and continued pulling with trembling hands.
"Ah!"
With a final cry, Homelander ripped the rest free and held it out with shaking fingers.
Axel glanced at the tooth, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled.
"Good. Now eat it."
"Yes... yes, I'll... wuwu!"
Still crying, Homelander placed the tooth back into his mouth and swallowed it along with the blood.
Afterward, he forced his mouth open, trying to show Axel his throat.
Axel patted his shoulder with a faint smile.
"Not bad, Buddy. You did well. But don't get proud. You still have a long way to go."
As he spoke, Axel raised his hand and reached toward his own eye.
Pfft!
To everyone's horror, he pulled out his eyeball.
Plop!
Even Axel inhaled sharply from the pain.
"Hiss... damn, that hurts."
He shook off the blood and held the eyeball up, letting everyone see it, especially Homelander.
Under Homelander's horrified stare, Axel brought the eyeball close to his mouth.
"See this, Buddy? This is willpower. Want to try it? Fresh, nice and tender."
He pushed it closer.
After a moment of stunned silence, Homelander suddenly turned and vomited violently.
Axel stepped forward without hesitation and pressed Homelander's face into the vomit.
"I gave you a chance, and you wasted it."
Then he released him, chuckled, and casually tossed the eyeball into his own mouth.
He chewed.
"Ugh!"
The sound alone made several people retch.
At that moment, Axel burned himself into their minds.
Then, flames flickered from his empty eye socket.
Seconds later, his eye was completely restored.
Axel casually clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention.
One by one, they looked up.
And froze.
"No... no, no, no! How is this possible?! No!!!"
Homelander screamed uncontrollably, pounding the floor so hard it caved in beneath him.
Before he could continue, Axel appeared in front of him and grabbed his hair.
Pulling his face closer, Axel spoke softly.
"Why are you crying? Mourning me?"
"No, no, I... I'm just... wuwuwu, I'm just happy. Happy about your recovery ability... wuwuwu...!"
Homelander sobbed uncontrollably.
Maeve and the others swallowed hard, their tension rising.
Axel kicked Homelander in the stomach without warning.
Homelander was sent flying out of the tower.
Moments later, he returned, trembling, and knelt heavily before Axel.
Only then did Axel pick up half a broken chair and sit down casually.
He raised his hand toward Queen Maeve.
Understanding immediately, she nervously handed him a cigarette.
Axel took a slow drag, exhaled, and smiled.
"By now, you all know who I am, right?"
"Yes... you are the Ancestor. The strongest superhuman in the world. And... the leader of The Seven."
Homelander spoke with difficulty, tears still streaming down his face.
After a brief silence, the others shuffled forward on their knees, surrounding Axel and praising him repeatedly.
Axel nodded, patting their shoulders one by one.
When he reached Black Noir, the man fainted again on the spot.
Axel gestured for The Deep to hold him up, then turned toward Ashley and waved her over.
Ashley stiffened, tears streaming silently as she crawled forward.
Only when her neck rested in his palm did Axel gently pat it.
Then he turned to Madelyn.
"Madelyn, now that you are CEO, don't rush to expand Vought. You don't need to prove anything anymore. What I want is comfort, not more money."
He paused, his tone softening slightly.
"Take time for your child. I don't need to threaten anyone using family. I don't need threats at all. This is advice, not pressure."
Madelyn lowered her head slightly.
"As a single mother, you've carried enough. From now on, I'm your support. Even in front of the president, you don't need to force a smile."
He gently rubbed her head.
Then his attention shifted to Ashley.
"And you, Ashley. Being Vice President isn't easy. We are not easy people to deal with."
He chuckled lightly.
"I'm probably the calmest among us. The rest are worse, one after another."
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Ashley nodded rapidly, not daring to disagree.
Axel gripped her shoulder lightly.
"Don't just agree. Learn what to do. Listen more, report more, and keep me informed, whether it seems important or not."
He leaned slightly closer.
"I may not respond every time, but hearing it might put me in a good mood. And when I'm in a good mood, your life improves."
Ashley froze, listening carefully.
"Whatever you want, I can make it happen."
He glanced at Homelander with a faint smirk.
"Even if you want him as your personal SM partner, I can arrange that."
Ashley's expression froze for a moment.
Then, unexpectedly, her eyes lit up with excitement.
Her secret had been exposed.
And now, she could only wonder.
How did Axel know?
===
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