...
Afterward.
Leon and the completely blackened Mother's Milk each took almost half.
They completely expelled every last one of the remaining superhuman bastards from the Villa that the TNT Twins used to host The Seven's gathering...
Oh no, eliminated!
"Let's go."
Looking at the Villa that had completely turned into ruins before him, Leon shook off the blood spatters on his shield, then turned to The Boys and said:
"This time, the commotion was a bit too big, and we even killed a member of The Seven. I estimate that Homelander, the one You want me to deal with, will be here soon."
"Wouldn't that be even better?"
Butcher stepped forward, eagerly suggesting to Leon, "Why don't the few of us team up, wait here directly, and then just kill him? Our previous agreement can proceed as usual!"
"Butcher, are You telling me what to do?"
Leon expressionlessly looked at Butcher, who was in a state of excitement.
"No, no, You're the Boss, You call the shots."
Facing Leon's indifferent gaze, which looked as if he was staring at a dead man, Butcher's previously excited and bloodshot fanatical eyes instantly cleared up a lot.
"It's not time yet, Butcher. We agreed before: You help me find Payback, and then I'll help You deal with Homelander."
"Moreover, it's my habit to save the best dish for last when eating."
"So don't try to tell me what to do, Butcher."
"I've warned You."
"Don't let it happen again."
Leon pointed at Butcher's hooked nose, enunciating each word.
"I understand."
Butcher nodded, sweating profusely.
He clearly knew that he had just walked through the gates of hell.
...
After Leon and his group dealt with the TNT Twins and returned to the hotel temporarily serving as The Boys' base, Butcher came back to find Leon not long after he had just left.
Because his investigation into Mindstorm had hit a dead end.
"Bro, what You need to know is that Mindstorm likes to stay in remote places because he can hear everyone's thoughts."
"For this, he bought dilapidated cabins in many remote places, wandering aimlessly near them like a madman."
Leon said, his back to Butcher.
Before him was a color television produced in the last century, and he held a game controller in his hand, remotely playing King of Fighters '97 against Arcee.
"The clues You're giving are too vague."
Butcher said with some difficulty, "If we investigate all the places that fit the description, it would take at least weeks, or even months. We don't have that much time to waste."
"I said, Mindstorm is a lunatic; he's a damn bipolar patient. Besides me, the others in Payback usually stay far away from him..."
"Wait!"
Butcher suddenly interrupted, "Bipolar patient?"
"That's right."
"Didn't I tell You before? I clearly remember saying it..."
"No."
"You did, I just forgot."
To avoid provoking Leon as much as possible in their daily interactions, Butcher's ability to lie through his teeth had reached perfection.
"Oh, sh*t!"
"Arcee, won't You just let me win?"
On the last-century TV screen, Leon's Iori was taken down from full health by Arcee's remotely controlled Ryuji with a smooth combo, without even putting on a show.
Seeing this, Butcher raised an eyebrow. After getting the crucial information, he quickly left Leon's room to avoid being angered by him again for some baseless accusation.
After Butcher left.
Leon, who didn't believe in evil, was directly abused by Arcee, who didn't know what it meant to go easy, to the point where he quit his gaming addiction. After punching and destroying the TV.
Leon took an entire bottle of sleeping pills and lay very peacefully on the bed, sleeping his beauty sleep.
He closed and opened his eyes.
Time quickly arrived at late night.
Knock, knock, knock~
A slender figure, like a stealthy cat, tiptoed to Leon's room door, then carefully knocked on it with extremely light force.
Creak!
The room door opened.
"Leon, it's me..."
Starlight hadn't even finished speaking when Leon pulled her into the room.
Wall slam!
"Annie, I've been waiting for You, I haven't slept all night."
Although Leon's ability to lie through his teeth wasn't as good as Butcher's, the master of that art, it wasn't far behind.
"I'm, I'm sorry."
"Because I was afraid Hughie would misunderstand, I specifically waited until he fell asleep before coming."
Starlight weakly pushed Leon with both hands, symbolically preventing him from getting any closer.
Thump!
Inadvertently meeting Leon's gaze, which was so affectionate it seemed he was looking at a dog, Starlight's heart suddenly skipped a beat. After taking a deep breath, she, as if by a ghost's whim, closed her eyes.