"I called the earlier mode the Speed Type. Now, I'm calling this the Aerial Type."
Russell's words from this morning still echoed in Mark's ears.
Ever since they were kids, Russell had always been the golden boy—top grades, athletic, the kind of cousin who put constant pressure on him just by existing.
Mark thought that awakening his powers would finally give him an edge over Russell.
But not only did his cousin awaken powers soon after—he could fly now.
"Speed Type, Aerial Type...Russell, are you going to end up with a Power Type, Composite Type, and eventually an Ultimate Form... a Final Form or something?"
Mark scratched his cheek, unwilling to go back to being completely overshadowed again.
"Mark, have you been watching too much anime? Ultimate Form? Final Form?" Russell raised an eyebrow as they both landed in a quiet alley.
Still, he had to admit…
If things kept progressing this way—gaining stronger and stronger templates—it was only a matter of time before he really did unlock something like a Composite Type or Ultimate Form. Otherwise, it'd be hard to explain all the power stacking.
Just from yesterday to today, Russell had grown noticeably stronger again.
[Conquest Points: 7]
Templates Acquired: …
Template Solidified: Invisible Man
Current Template in Use: War Woman
After annihilating the alien army yesterday, global media coverage of the invasion brought Russell into the spotlight. Even though his superhero alias remained unknown, many had already begun admiring the new hero who saved hundreds from the alien onslaught.
By the time he woke up this morning, his Conquest Points had climbed to just over 300.
"It's a shame this world is constantly hit by disasters—monsters, demons, sorcerers, gods… they're nothing new. Even alien invasions aren't exactly rare, so public reaction has dulled."
"But they don't realize this alien force is different from previous ones. If they knew, the world would be paying a lot more attention…"
Once Russell noticed he had enough Conquest Points to solidify the Invisible Man template, he didn't hesitate to test it out.
Just like before, using the Invisible Man template made his skin feel like some kind of flexible, specialized alloy. But now, even after switching to a different template, the durability remained—that's what solidification meant.
The Invisible Man's powers were mostly garbage aside from his defense and the ability to go invisible by throwing some dirt on himself.
But the fact that such mediocre abilities still earned him a spot among the elite Seven in The Boys universe said everything about how valuable his defense was.
Just with the Speed Type template active, Russell could feel that his durability had nearly doubled. That would give him a massive advantage in battles against powerful enemies—more room for error, higher survivability.
"Hey, Russell, look! That's Eve Wilkins—the girl every guy in school wants to ask out."
On the way to class, Mark suddenly stopped in his tracks. A girl with bright orange hair was chatting with a few classmates in the hallway, books in hand.
Eve Wilkins—young, beautiful, with fair skin, a slim figure, and long orange-red hair that flowed over her shoulders. Her green eyes sparkled with intelligence and charm.
"I've seen her before," Russell replied casually, glancing over.
Atom Eve. Mark's future wife. The mother of his daughter.
"I mean, she's the same girl from yesterday—the superhero Atom Eve. Didn't you recognize her?" Mark looked dumbfounded, staring at the girl.
"That's weird... Eve Wilkins is famously the prettiest girl in school. I've seen her tons of times. How did I never realize she's the same person who keeps showing up in the news as Atom Eve?"
"It's not like we've never seen superheroes before. What's the big deal, Mark?"
Russell had long known that Eve Wilkins was Atom Eve. She used psychic suggestion to prevent people from connecting her school identity to her superhero persona.
Except for those who already knew the truth.
Russell understood why Mark was acting like a giddy schoolboy—he was a teenage boy who'd just discovered that his campus crush was not only approachable, but also a superhero... and now, he had powers too.
"This is incredible, Russell! How does she even do that?" Mark asked, wide-eyed.
Pulling Russell over, he eagerly stepped up to Eve and waved hello.
"Hi."
"Hi," Eve replied smoothly, already used to being approached by guys out of nowhere.
"I'm Mark Grayson. Can you believe we actually go to the same school? What a coincidence!"
Mark scratched his head, clearly thrilled.
I mean, what are the odds—two superheroes going to the same high school and not knowing each other?
"…Huh?"
Eve looked confused. The two classmates beside her glanced at each other like they were watching a clown act.
Seriously?
That's your opener?
You might as well have said, "Wow, you're human too?! What a coincidence!"
"Mark, did you forget something important?" Russell muttered, rubbing his temples as he felt the stares closing in.
"Oh—right, right! I'm the guy from yesterday, the, uh…"
Mark's face turned beet red. He flailed his hands in the air, mimicking a flying motion.
"I was the one in the yellow and blue outfit yesterday—the guy flying!"
"I know," Eve responded immediately, recognizing him the moment he started flapping. Then she turned to Russell with a flicker of surprise.
"So… is he your cousin? The one who runs super fast—Russell Hansen?"
"Wait, how do you know his name?" Mark blinked.
Unlike Mark, who was pretty invisible in school, Russell was a known top student on a scholarship—destined for a prestigious college. He wasn't as popular as the football team captain, but he was definitely well-known.
"Wanna check out our team's base after school?" Eve asked softly, dismissing her two friends before turning back with an inviting smile.
"The superhero team's secret base?
Of course!" Mark replied instantly, barely containing his excitement.
Eve looked over at Russell.
"I wouldn't mind meeting a few superhero friends," he replied with a calm nod.
After school, midday.
The three of them soared through the sky.
"You can fly too?" Eve was visibly surprised to see Russell keeping up with ease.
"My cousin just discovered that this morning! He only awakened his powers recently, like me." Mark, hands behind his head, was trying out a flashy flight pose—clearly hoping to impress.
"How fast can you fly? As fast as when you run?" Eve asked Russell, ignoring Mark's antics.
"With a bit of buildup, I can hit over a hundred Mach. Not quite as fast as my running, though," Russell shrugged.
Of all the templates he had from the Global Guardians, only three could fly—Immortal, Martian, and War Woman.
He had tested them that morning. Immortal topped out at Mach 3. Martian could hit over Mach 10. War Woman wasn't as strong, fast, or durable as Immortal, but she was the fastest flyer.
That's why he used her template as the Aerial Type.
Of course, when not flying at top speed, Russell could freely switch between the three templates. As long as he didn't use the Martian's shapeshifting, no one would notice the difference.
"Over a hundred times the speed of sound? That's insanely fast! Aside from Omni-Man, I doubt anyone on Earth can fly faster than you," Eve said, astonished.
........
[300PS= 1Bonus chapter]
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