Chapter 138: Godfather Owl: Guardian of Batman [138]
Homelander's pride was unshakable.
Only a day ago, Butcher had managed to wound him—just barely. But since emerging from his cocoon of Nth metal, he considered himself reborn.
His abilities had grown to unimaginable heights, making him believe he was above all mortals.
And now, a black bat dared to challenge him? It was the ultimate blasphemy.
How could a human even dare to gaze upon a god?
BOOM—
Homelander rocketed toward Prime Bruce, his acceleration so explosive that the air itself ruptured, leaving a deafening sonic boom in his wake.
In an instant, he was upon Prime Bruce, fist clenched tightly, ready to deliver a crushing blow.
The sheer force of the attack was immense—enough to shatter mountains and pierce through the earth itself.
But Prime Bruce simply raised a hand and caught Homelander's punch.
The entire building trembled violently, debris flying everywhere as the rooftop beneath them cracked and splintered under the pressure.
Yet, Prime Bruce stood firm, unmoving.
"Is that all you've got?"
Red sparks of electricity crackled around Prime Bruce, radiating from the Hellbat armor.
Thanks to Queen Maeve's strength and the enhancements of the Nth metal, his power now rivaled Homelander's.
"You talk big for someone so weak," he taunted, his tone dripping with mockery.
Homelander's face twisted with rage, his eyes glowing a furious red.
In a flash, twin beams of laser vision shot forth, aiming straight for Prime Bruce's face.
But before they could connect, a bolt of crimson lightning descended from the heavens, striking Homelander squarely.
CRACK!
The blast sent Homelander tumbling backward, his body skidding across the rooftop before rolling to a stop. His laser beams veered wildly into the sky, dissipating after several long seconds.
The lightning was a combination of Starlight's electromagnetic power and the Hellbat's high-tier magic, designed to counter even the strongest foes.
Homelander struggled to rise, red lightning dancing across his body and draining his strength.
He managed to get to his knees but immediately stumbled, collapsing again.
This was a move Bruce had once used to incapacitate Deathstroke, and now Prime Bruce was using it against Homelander.
"You…" Homelander gritted his teeth, his fury palpable. He wanted to curse Bruce for his underhanded tactics, but Prime Bruce had no patience for his outrage.
"You're not strong," Prime Bruce said, striding forward, his cape billowing behind him like massive black wings.
"Humanity is strong."
BOOM—
Prime Bruce moved faster than sound.
With A-Train's super speed and the Nth metal's ability to defy physics, Prime Bruce unleashed a devastating punch straight into Homelander's face.
The blow, charged with crimson lightning, sent Homelander hurtling downward. He smashed through one floor after another, plummeting hundreds of meters through the building.
It was as if Prime Bruce intended to drive him straight into hell.
Standing at the edge of the gaping hole, Prime Bruce peered down.
Homelander was nowhere to be seen amidst the debris and smoke.
But Prime Bruce wasn't fooled. He knew the man wasn't dead.
Sure enough, a blue streak shot out of the wreckage. Homelander emerged, hovering at eye level with the rooftop once more.
Half his face was mangled, revealing exposed bone where his flesh had been obliterated by the punch.
Red lightning coursed through his wounds, hindering his regeneration.
Despite his arrogance, Homelander's body was not indestructible. He wasn't impervious to damage.
Prime Bruce remained calm, his expression unreadable. "Just as I thought."
Even now, victory was far from assured.
Homelander's exposed bone glinted metallically, coated in a silver-like substance that seemed to flow and shimmer.
Under its influence, the red lightning began to fade, and the damaged flesh started to knit itself back together.
This wasn't Homelander's doing—it was the power of the Nth metal.
Martha's intent had been for this body to serve as Bruce's perfect vessel. The cocooning process was meant to infuse Homelander with the Nth metal's properties, transcending the limits of both physics and magic.
"You said humanity is strong?"
Homelander's cold voice cut through the air.
Prime Bruce's punch had bruised both his body and his ego, leaving him humiliated and enraged.
Crossing his arms in front of his face, Homelander shot skyward, breaking through the clouds.
Then, from above, an unprecedented blast of laser vision descended.
The beam carved through the city, obliterating everything in its path. Entire streets were reduced to ash, and buildings crumbled into dust.
Homelander reappeared, now standing mere feet away from Prime Bruce.
"If that's the strength you're so proud of, I'll destroy them all," he sneered.
His smile widened, cruel and deranged. "Every single one of them will die because of you. Their blood is on your hands."
"It doesn't matter," Prime Bruce replied, his voice steady.
"I was born for vengeance."
If Homelander thought guilt or moral condemnation could sway Prime Bruce, he was gravely mistaken.
Prime Bruce wasn't Bruce Wayne. He had no qualms, no hesitation.
Collateral damage in the name of saving the world? To him, it was merely the cost of victory.
His cape flared dramatically as he rose into the air, now eye level with Homelander.
"You being enhanced by Nth metal?" he said. "I anticipated that."
He clenched his fists.
"Now, let's start round two."
With that, Prime Bruce lunged forward, grabbing Homelander by the shoulders and propelling him upward.
The two of them vanished into the clouds, their forms merging into a blur of black and blue.
From the ground, explosions echoed like thunder across the sky.
The battle raged across the city, their movements leaving long, white contrails that stretched from one end of the skyline to the other.
Eventually, their clash carried them to Manhattan.
Laser beams and crimson lightning collided in the skies, their destructive force obliterating the Statue of Liberty.
Below, the terrified people of the city could only watch.
To them, it wasn't just a battle.
It was the wrath of gods.
For the humans on the ground, even the smallest action from either combatant brought devastation akin to the apocalypse.
---
A stray laser beam struck a skyscraper, causing it to collapse. The falling debris threatened to crush the fleeing crowd below.
Disaster seemed inevitable.
Suddenly, a blue streak zipped through the panicked masses, a blur of motion so quick it was almost imperceptible.
It was A-Train, one of the Seven.
With blinding speed, he scooped up those who were too weak to escape, carrying them out of the danger zone.
But there were others he couldn't reach in time. A massive chunk of a crumbling wall plummeted toward a cluster of people, their screams frozen in the air.
A flash of red hair leapt into action.
Queen Maeve sprang upward, meeting the falling debris head-on. She shattered it with her immense strength, sending shards scattering.
Starlight followed close behind, a surge of electrical energy radiating from her hands. The shards were disintegrated into harmless dust by her glowing charge.
As the dust settled over the crowd, all that remained was a thin haze of smoke, causing some coughing but sparing everyone from further harm.
Maeve and Starlight had arrived just in time.
While Bruce faced Homelander head-on, the remaining members of the Seven had not been idle.
Spread throughout the city, they worked tirelessly to minimize the collateral damage, rescuing civilians and containing the chaos.
Meanwhile, The Deep stood on the sidelines, wringing his hands as he watched the others.
This is what being a hero looks like, he thought with a mixture of awe and self-pity.
The truly powerful, like Bruce, faced the impossible battles, taking on monsters like Homelander.
The rest, like the Seven, used their abilities to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.
And himself?
Sometimes doing nothing is the biggest help I can offer.
If he tried to intervene, others might have to save him.
"I mean, what else can I do?" he muttered to himself. Maybe I could go underwater and protect the fish?
---
Far above the city, Prime Bruce had Homelander by the throat, dragging him through the sky with relentless force.
The two had clashed countless times already, their battle seemingly without end. Neither could fully defeat the other.
"You can't beat me!"
Homelander gripped Prime Bruce's wrist, his free hand slamming punches into the Hellbat armor's torso.
His lips twisted into a sadistic grin. "I've transcended everything I once was!"
Homelander wasn't lying. Empowered by the Nth metal, he was no longer just a laboratory experiment.
He had become something truly extraordinary.
Despite the Hellbat armor's enhancements, Prime Bruce couldn't deliver the killing blow.
"I know," Bruce said coldly.
"That's why I've been ready to die with you from the start."
They broke free of the city's borders, hurtling out over the ocean.
This was the battlefield Prime Bruce had chosen for their final confrontation.
Even a piece of toilet paper has its value, Kathoom had once told him.
In this case, The Deep's powers perfectly embodied that philosophy.
Prime Bruce pushed the Hellbat armor to its limits, crimson lightning crackling furiously around him.
With one last surge of speed, he dove into the sea, dragging Homelander with him.
Blub-blub-blub—
As soon as they hit the water, Homelander's movements became labored.
He wasn't equipped to function underwater. Unlike The Deep, he had no gills—just lungs that could hold his breath for a time.
"Uncomfortable, isn't it?"
It was Prime Bruce's turn to taunt.
Thanks to The Deep's borrowed powers, Prime Bruce could move freely even at the ocean's deepest depths.
Homelander, however, was vulnerable.
Deprived of air for too long, his body would inevitably weaken.
Yes, he could survive in space and endure extended periods without oxygen. But underwater?
It doesn't matter.
From the moment Prime Bruce had decided to fight Homelander, he had been prepared for this outcome.
Dragging him into the ocean wasn't about defeating him. It was about limiting him.
"I know I can't beat you," Prime Bruce admitted, his teeth clenched as he forced Homelander deeper into the water.
"I'm not the true owner of this body. I'm not the chosen one."
"But defeating you was never my mission."
"My job is to stop you—to make sure you can't hurt anyone else, to make sure you can't do anything at all."
"As for erasing you completely? That's Bruce's task."
Homelander struggled, his motions becoming increasingly erratic.
"What do you mean by 'erasing me'?"
His voice, garbled by the water, betrayed his unease.
Did Bruce have another plan? Some hidden scheme to finish him off?
"Don't bother trying to figure it out," Prime Bruce said, his voice muffled but unwavering.
"Just accept your fate."
"Death is the only peace waiting for you."
"And until then, I'll stay with you."
They sank deeper and deeper into the dark abyss.
Prime Bruce looked up. The ocean surface was no longer visible; only endless black surrounded them.
Dark. So dark.
He let out a small sigh, feeling the weight of his existence.
This beautiful world was Bruce's, not his.
Bruce, Kathoom, and even Martha—they had never chosen him.
And now, his first journey to this world would also be his last.
He would drag Homelander, another unwanted presence, into the depths with him.
Prime Bruce glanced around. No light penetrated the void.
It was all-consuming.
---
Inside Homelander's Mind.
Bruce had led Little Robin to the Empire State Building.
Constructed in 1931, it had once been the tallest building in New York. Though the Twin Towers had surpassed it, the events of September 11 had returned it to its former glory.
For now, at least, it was the pinnacle of Little Robin's imagination—a symbol of his ultimate dream.
"We're here," Bruce said as they stepped onto the rooftop.
This was the place where Little Robin had always dreamed of performing his Crescent Moon Slash.
But someone was already waiting for them.
The figure stood at the edge, clad in a steel-blue suit with an American flag cape draped across his shoulders.
It was the adult Homelander.
When he turned to face them, however, his face was painted white with a ghastly clown smile.
Even Little Robin recoiled.
"A clown!" he exclaimed.
Indeed, the adult Homelander's face resembled the exaggerated makeup of a carnival clown, complete with a red nose.
"I've found you," Bruce said, his voice low and steady.
This was destiny.
Even in a world far removed from Gotham, Batman would always find himself facing a Joker.
---
T/N: :( im gonna cry for prime bruce
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