Explosive flames continued to light up the sky above Apokolips.
Deep within the mantle, Ego wasn't idling either.
Ego's brain had successfully breached the crustal defenses of Apokolips, reaching the core of that searing, churning Planet.
"What surging power..."
Ego felt the dense Omega Energy around him, his mental fluctuations filled with ecstasy.
He wasted no more time, as blue divine power tentacles spread frantically in all directions.
Ten, a hundred, ten thousand...
He began to seize the life of this Planet at an astonishing speed.
As Ego's assimilation process began, the entire Apokolips started to emit a secret, low-pitched wail.
On the surface, the fire pits that had been erupting magma year-round began to dim.
Homelander felt the faint tremors coming from beneath his feet, and the smile on his face grew even brighter.
"Good progress."
He happily pulled a bag of potato chips from his magic pocket and continued to watch the chaotic battle ahead with great interest.
"Tsk, Super Ego's combat intelligence is indeed much higher than that big dummy Clark's."
"Not wasting a single bit of extra power, every move is fatal. This is how a Kryptonian should fight."
He tossed a handful of chips into his mouth, commenting indistinctly.
At that moment, a small squad of Parademons let out hoarse screams, flapping their wings as they charged toward Homelander.
"Shh—"
Homelander put his index finger to his lips.
Then, tilting his head slightly, a piercing red light flashed through his eyes and vanished.
Sizzle—
Crimson Heat Vision swept back and forth through the air.
That squad of Parademons, still two hundred meters away from Homelander, was instantly shredded, their body parts falling into the magma pools on the ground.
Homelander brushed the crumbs off his hands, pulled out a bottle of milk, and used his Heat Vision to warm it up.
He continued to watch this naked-eye 5D high-definition blockbuster.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three hours.
Kalibak truly lived up to his name as the second tyrant of Apokolips; his toughness was outrageously thick. He was smashed into the ground by Super Ego time and again, only to roar and charge back out every time.
And the Parademon legions were even more endless, as if they could never be fully slaughtered.
Homelander yawned, getting a bit bored of the sight.
"So boring... Aside from their numbers and durability, these guys have no entertainment value at all."
Just as Homelander was feeling bored and even considering whether to personally step down and stretch his muscles.
Deep within his mind, things exploded without warning!
The system's notification sounds poured out frantically, like a machine gun.
"Notice! Gained popularity value +1,351,252!"
"Notice! Gained popularity value +1,398,851!"
"Notice! Gained popularity value +1,413,200!"
"Notice! Gained popularity value +1,520,212!"
...
The speed of the screen-scrolling and the exaggerated numbers made Homelander jump up from his chair with a 'whoosh'.
Homelander was momentarily stunned.
"Where the hell did this come from?!"
Clearly, his current round of popularity harvesting on Earth had ended, and the subsequent plot hadn't started yet.
Before he could figure it out, the system's notification tone changed, and new announcements followed one after another.
"Current Milky Way Galaxy reputation level increased: Rising Fame!"
"Current Andromeda Galaxy reputation level increased: Making a Mark!"
"Current Triangulum Galaxy reputation level increased: Making a Mark!"
"Current Pinwheel Galaxy reputation level increased: Making a Mark!"
"Current Sunflower Galaxy reputation level increased: Making a Mark!"
...
He stared blankly at the names of these galaxies before him.
Milky Way? Andromeda? Triangulum?
The names of these galaxies, the sources of his popularity, absolutely did not belong to the DC Universe he was currently in.
Those Earthlings, who were beaten like hiding rats by Black Super, couldn't even leave the Solar System, let alone spread his name to other galaxies.
After calming down a bit, Homelander's brain worked rapidly.
Spanning countless galaxies, causing such a massive sensation... and all of it was cosmic-level reputation.
Connecting all the clues and eliminating all impossible options, only one answer remained.
The Sovereign!
"Ayesha, that gold-skinned woman..." Homelander finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! This woman is actually so helpful?! When I get back, I'll definitely make you feel good!!"
He immediately understood that the Sovereign's drone fleet must have recorded the footage of him soloing a God on Egos Planet, and Ayesha had broadcasted this video to the entire Universe!
Now, not just Earth, but thousands of civilizations and countless Planets in the Marvel Universe knew he was the Savior of the Universe.
Intergalactic-level traffic monetization!
While he wouldn't say he was a top star yet, after two and a half years on Earth, it was time to make his debut in the Universe!
The system's notifications didn't end there.
Along with the comprehensive breakthrough in reputation levels, a wave of epic-tier enhancements descended upon Homelander.
"Ability Enhancement: Super Strength (888,000 tons)!"
"Ability Enhancement: Super Speed (Mach 22,000)!"
"Ability Enhancement: Heat Vision (318,000°C Focused State)!"
"Ability Enhancement: Steel Body (Skyfather Level)!"
Skyfather Level! Homelander was wild with joy!
Finally, without any buff states, he had stepped one foot into the Universe's first-tier ranks!
Before he could be happy for long.
Boom—!
Homelander found he simply couldn't control the power that had suddenly surged within his body.
The hillside made of black steel rock beneath his feet turned into a cloud of powder with a "bang," just from the slight reaction force of his subtle movements.
His entire body floated in mid-air.
"The power expanded too quickly; I'm having a bit of trouble controlling it."
Homelander frowned. If he returned to Earth in his current state, a single sneeze might cause a magnitude ten earthquake in Metropolis, or he might accidentally pat Harley's butt and turn her into a mist of blood.
Fortunately, the system was always so considerate.
"Unlock New Function: Basic Ability Auxiliary Regulator!"
"Function Description: The host can freely set the output threshold and upper limit of various basic abilities, achieving precise control from 0% to 100%. Once activated, the system will assist in locking your basic ability burst threshold, ensuring that no accidental destruction occurs in daily life due to loss of control."
"This thing came just in time."
Homelander immediately set the normal output of his strength and speed to around 1%.
The feeling that he might break the World at any moment vanished, and he once again felt perfect control over his body.
But it wasn't over; the system upgrade notifications continued.
"Unlock New System Module: Superhero Skin Blind Box!"
"Activation Condition: Consumes 100,000 special popularity value each time."
"Function Description: By drawing skins, the host can not only obtain specific appearances but will also gain exclusive passive effects and active skills tied to the skin's theme upon wearing."
Homelander raised an eyebrow.
Skin blind boxes? This system was becoming more and more like those money-grabbing mobile games.
However, he was wealthy and influential now.
Although special popularity value was precious, luckily he had Harley, that super leek.
"I'm idle anyway. System, give me a shot!"