"No… Please, no…"
The so-called Great Miracle was dragged into space, the immense, blazing sun above and the beautiful Earth beneath. Russell paused slightly, then flew at high speed, dragging the other man toward the near-Earth orbital belt of space debris.
"Spare me! I'm the Great Miracle! We're both superhumans—we're the same kind!"
The Great Miracle begged for his life in despair, screaming and sobbing—but it didn't change anything.
"Who said I'm the same as you?"
After scorching the Great Miracle until his flesh split and he writhed in agony—
"Scum who enjoy toying with lives deserve to end up as garbage," Russell growled coldly. He gripped the Great Miracle with an iron hand and, flying at hundreds of times the speed of sound, slammed him against the space junk, grinding half his body off through sheer friction, leaving him howling in agony.
In the end, Russell casually tossed the mangled corpse away—another piece of trash forever drifting among the orbital garbage.
[Template of "Great Miracle" acquired.]
[Template solidification requires 700 Conquest Points. Proceed?]
[Yes.]
Hovering high above the Earth, Russell felt his body grow even stronger. He clenched his fist.
Even without using any templates, he now stood at the top tier in The Boys universe—just beneath Homelander and Soldier Boy.
Of course, in the Invincible universe, that level wouldn't be enough.
Russell had grown up in a world filled with monsters and demons. Even after Mark transformed into the blue-and-black version through training, there were still people on Earth who could beat him bloody—some might even kill him.
"Where are the heroes of the Global Guardians?"
"This is a question many citizens are asking.
They haven't appeared for nearly a week. Local superheroes have been stumbling to fill the gap…"
Coming down the stairs, Russell saw Omni-Man and Aunt Debbie watching the news.
The global public was still in the dark. They had no idea that the famed superheroes who had protected them were dead—gone forever. Aunt Debbie looked a bit somber.
As the wife of a superhero herself, she knew many of them and their families—she was even close friends with Red Rush's girlfriend, Olga.
Omni-Man, who usually comforted his wife when she was upset, now sat stone-faced on the couch. It was as if the news wasn't about the fate of the Global Guardians at all, but just another weather report.
"Russell, you're finally up! Any later and we would've been late," said Mark, wolfing down breakfast at the table.
Debbie had made ham sandwiches that morning, and he'd already devoured two or three. Ever since awakening his powers, his appetite had grown massively.
"Come eat! Dad went all the way to the best ham shop in London this morning to buy smoked ham."
After breakfast, Russell and Mark headed to school.
In the hallway.
Hands in the pockets of his hoodie, Russell walked silently, thinking about the news report that morning.
He hadn't known any of the Global Guardians personally. If he'd had the strength at the time to save them, he wouldn't have minded doing so—but he hadn't.
And without their deaths, he wouldn't have the powers he had now. In the coming Earth-wide crises, he might not even survive without them.
Live or let others live.
Russell would always choose the former—and only offer a belated "sorry" to the latter.
"Russell, check this out," said Mark, glancing at him sideways, trying to act casual. He handed over his phone.
A friend request had been approved. The profile picture was a pretty girl.
"You showing off that a girl added you, and I didn't get any?" Russell raised an eyebrow.
Mark didn't know that just last night, his cousin had already stepped into adulthood in a certain respect.
"That's Amber Bennett—the girl I helped the other day," Mark offered, trying to jog his cousin's memory.
"Helped?" Russell crossed his arms. "You mean how you helped by diverting the football team's attention from harassing that girl… straight onto beating you up?"
"Okay, okay, I know I embarrassed myself that day—and you had to clean up my mess." Mark scratched his head awkwardly. "But maybe she remembered how pathetic I looked getting beat up. I think… she might like me."
"What do you think I should do…"
Mark was facing a major adolescent dilemma: Should he accept her feelings and go on a date? He wanted advice from his cousin, who'd grown up with him.
Lately, the image of a girl in a pink suit kept flashing through his mind.
But he knew Atom Eve already had a boyfriend. No matter how sour he felt inside, reality was reality.
"I'd say proceed with caution."
"Why?" Mark's voice rose slightly.
That alone revealed his subconscious desire to jump into a sweet first romance—after all, it was rare that anyone noticed someone like him, a nobody at school.
"Because you're a superhero," Russell said flatly.
Amber Bennett—strong-willed, bold, and independent—was Mark's first love in the Invincible timeline. And it ended miserably because he couldn't balance being a boyfriend and a superhero.
It was like Peter Parker and Spider-Man—constantly late, constantly bailing.
Even after Mark confessed his identity and explained everything, Amber couldn't forgive the lies.
"If you're willing to tell her the truth from the beginning, maybe you two could have a happy ending."
"I can't do that! We haven't even known each other that long. What if we don't work out? How could I reveal everything right away? That would be irresponsible to Mom, to you, and—well, not to Dad, but still. It's not fair to you guys."
Mark shook his head like a rattle drum.
Being a superhero meant making enemies. If his identity got out, his family would be in danger.
"That's the issue," Russell said. "You want to build a deep relationship first and then reveal your identity—but because you'll be disappearing, showing up late, and constantly bailing due to superhero stuff, how are you going to build that relationship in the first place? She'll just think you don't care."
He shrugged. "Think it through."
"…That actually makes sense."
Mark scratched his cheek, lost in thought. Then he looked up again.
"Russell, how do you know so much? You're not even older than me, but you see everything so clearly."
Russell had always been mature and smart. He never made trouble for the family. He could spot the fatal flaw in a relationship at a glance. Compared to him, Mark felt like a clueless kid. It was frustrating—but also a little admirable.
"Just think more before you act," Russell said, tapping his temple.
After a day of classes, the two returned home that evening.
At the dinner table, Uncle Nolan sat with his arms crossed. He looked at his son—cheerfully stuffing his face like he didn't have a care in the world—and then at his nephew, who was chewing slowly, brows furrowed in thought.
Then, he spoke.
"Russell… do you also want to be a superhero who helps others, like Mark?"
.................
[300PS= 1Bonus chapter]
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