Seeing his father awaken from a coma, Mark immediately lunged forward in excitement, chattering nonstop about everything that had happened during his father's unconsciousness—how Russell awakened his powers, how they became superheroes, and how they repelled two alien invasions together.
"Russell..."
"Slow down, slow down," Omni-Man said with a smile, motioning for them to sit down.
Russell felt a surge of complex emotions.
An ominous sense of crisis rose in his chest.
Omni-Man was awake now—or rather, he was no longer pretending to be in a coma.
Who knew what he'd been thinking while lying silently in bed these past few days, listening to his family worry over him? Was he struggling with whether to stop here and retreat, or had he used the time to steel his resolve and carry his brutal plan through to the end?
"My children, I'm truly proud of you. While the Global Defense Agency was in crisis and I was missing and injured, you protected the Earth in my place," Omni-Man said gently, sitting up and embracing his wife, Debbie, with a soft smile.
"Father, saying we protected Earth in your place is an exaggeration. It was mostly Russell—I didn't do that much..." Mark scratched his cheek sheepishly, though he was clearly happy. He felt his father had changed since waking up—less stern, more willing to smile.
But Russell felt a chill in his heart.
Could this newfound warmth just be the calm before the storm—Omni-Man's last tenderness before he made his move?
"Hey, I want my suit. Damaged or not, it's classified equipment—I'm taking it back."
Omni-Man was well enough to be discharged immediately, and before leaving the hospital, he went straight to the front desk to retrieve the super-suit he'd worn before falling into a coma.
"Go fetch it. Now."
Aunt Debbie, standing nearby, looked a little off.
Russell noticed her subtle expression—typical of a woman's intuition. It seemed she was starting to sense that something wasn't quite right.
Nolan had smiled warmly to his family, but toward everyone else, he seemed colder, more commanding—as if barking orders was simply second nature.
Back home, to celebrate Nolan's recovery and release, Debbie prepared a table full of delicious dishes.
At dinner, slightly tipsy from wine, she praised Russell and Mark for saving many lives during the alien invasion. She called them her pride—two boys who had grown into fine young men.
Mark beamed with joy, feeling like a happy, close-knit family.
But he didn't realize that two people at that table had very different thoughts running through their heads.
After dinner, Russell returned to his room and locked the door behind him.
[Conquest Points: 1285]
The world had taken notice of the Flaxan threat, and as someone who had driven back their invasion twice, Russell was now under increasing scrutiny and attention.
Many recognized his contributions to Earth's safety. A growing number pinned their hopes on him as one of Earth's key defenders against future Flaxan invasions.
In just a day or two, his conquest points had skyrocketed several times over—and they were still climbing rapidly.
Still, it wasn't enough to solidify any of the Global Guardians' powers.
[A-Train Template – Conquest Points Required: 600]
[Proceed with Solidification?]
[Yes]
Russell chose to solidify the A-Train ability template. Instantly, he felt a surge of strength in his muscles, and his skin seemed more resilient.
Since he was still using the Red Rush template, the difference wasn't immediately obvious.
Conservatively, he estimated an increase of 70 to 80 tons in strength.
But it was far from enough.
Solidifying the A-Train template barely moved the needle on his power.
According to the plot, there was still some time before Nolan fully shed his mask and acted.
"I need stronger templates… or perhaps, I need to win in unexpected ways—solidify abilities the Viltrumites don't possess."
Russell narrowed his eyes and teleported himself to The Boys universe. The next second, he vanished from his bedroom.
…
The timeline in Invincible's Earth and the Viltrumite dimension flows differently. The Boys universe also runs slightly faster than Invincible's.
Sometimes both worlds shared night; other times, it would be night in one and daytime in the other.
In a long-abandoned diner kitchen in Detroit, Frenchie—with a buzzcut—dragged out a dulled chainsaw and collapsed like a dead dog onto the floor.
Butcher, frustrated, tossed aside a flamethrower and glared at the iron cage in the storage room where the Invisible Man was locked up, a mix of helplessness and fury in his eyes.
Hughie paced around like an ant on a hot pan, holding his head in frustration.
The Invisible Man's defenses were too strong. Despite capturing him days ago, they hadn't been able to crack him. If they didn't get something out of him soon, Vought would surely track him down using the locator inside his body.
They'd tried burning him, electrocuting him, shooting him—hell, they even used a Barrett sniper rifle. Nothing even scratched him.
The thought of Vought arriving at any moment was terrifying.
"Why not try pouring a bottle of strong acid into his stomach?"
Just when the trio was at their wits' end, a relaxed young voice spoke from behind them. Frenchie, the quick-witted weapons expert, perked up. His eyes lit up like a fog lifting from his brain.
"Damn! That's a bloody genius idea!
No matter how tough his skin is, it can't protect his guts!"
"Wait... who just spoke?"
Elated for only a second, Frenchie suddenly realized something was off. There were only three of them—Butcher and Hughie were right in front of him. Who the hell had just spoken behind him?
Butcher and Hughie also turned their heads and saw a handsome young man leaning back in a chair. His long legs were casually propped up on the table, arms crossed, a faint smirk playing on his lips as he watched the three of them like he was enjoying a show.
"Who the f*** are you?!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
The back kitchen had no windows, and no one had come through the door. This guy had appeared out of nowhere like a damn ghost.
The trio jumped back in unison. Butcher instantly drew his gun, aiming with clear tension in his voice.
"You a Supe?"
Only a Supe could show up in such a freaky way.
The air in the room suddenly felt like it froze.
Had Vought found them?
Sweat beaded on Hughie's forehead, and Butcher's body was taut, ready for a fight. The only one who remained relaxed was the young man, sitting there casually.
"Don't be nervous," he said. Butcher assumed he was trying to calm them down—afraid they might shoot out of panic.
Then he added, "Because being nervous won't help you."
"What, are you the Invisible Man from the Seven too?" Frenchie grabbed the Barrett sniper rifle off the table—a weapon designed to pierce armored vehicles. It gave him a huge boost of confidence.
Hearing the young man's dismissive tone, he couldn't help but snap back.
Hughie, meanwhile, trembled in fear and grabbed a frying pan, holding it in front of himself while hiding in a corner.
Last time, Russell had worn a mask while subduing the Invisible Man. This time, without a mask, Hughie didn't recognize him.
"Guns—those are for children.
Oh, and before you point a gun at someone, shouldn't you make sure it's actually loaded?"
To Russell, these pistols and rifles posed about as much threat as toys. He scoffed and casually pointed at their weapons.
.....
[300PS= 1Bonus chapter]
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