As mentioned before, Kevin's skill tree, after he transmuted to an Ocean Lord, had the remaining paths enveloped in a golden glow.
It felt as if something was brewing.
Since he couldn't figure out why, Kevin just left it alone.
But now…
Kevin's series of actions just now, he didn't know which point on the skill tree he touched, but a blurry skill icon emerged from the golden mass.
The skill icon was still unclear for now, but at least it proved that the skill tree hadn't reached its end.
It simply lacked the necessary activation conditions.
"But I don't quite understand, did I do anything just now?"
Kevin found a random spot in the park, sat down, and stroked his chin in thought.
The 'performance' Kevin had just gone out to do was mainly because he was bored and wanted to have some fun in this world.
He wanted to earn skill points while relaxing and entertaining himself as a villain.
That's why he had Butcher kill Neuman and, incidentally, fabricated the identity of 'God of Mist' to stand on the stage and challenge Vought.
His original intention was simply to pass the time.
But he didn't expect it to change his skill tree.
Thinking carefully about what he had just done—killing Neuman and posing as the God of Mist to cause public shock and panic—the former was likely unrelated to the skill tree, so only the latter could have caused the change.
"…God of Mist? No way, right?"
Repeating the name he had come up with on the fly, Kevin looked at his skill points with a strange expression.
Public, fear, deity… Kevin quickly summarized a key word with his not-so-bright mind.
Faith.
Perhaps it was Kevin's appearance and the fabricated existence of the 'God of Mist' that made some people aware of this name, and the fear and faint faith they exuded wove a new professional system onto his skill tree.
But if that were truly the case, why couldn't Kevin gain faith when he was in the DC Universe?
He had saved the DC Universe, after all!
So many people spontaneously worshipped him as the Sea God, even erecting monuments and statues for him, bowing in reverence before his sculptures!
By all accounts, the faith he gained in the DC Universe should have been much more than what the so-called 'God of Mist' gained now.
Why didn't it work in the DC Universe, but it worked in the The Boys world?
Are the two worlds different?
…Well, it seems they are. The DC Universe is not Kevin's native universe, but the The Boys Universe is. Perhaps the difference lies there.
But if that's the case, Kevin's soul isn't a native soul of the The Boys Universe either; he's an outsider. Yet, he can gain faith in the The Boys Universe. Isn't that very strange?
"Currently, it's just my guess…"
Whether it's faith or something else, without suitable references, these can only be Kevin's guesses.
Speaking of which, this skill tree has been a 'three-no' product from the start.
There isn't even an instruction manual; Kevin has to figure everything out himself. It's normal to be in such a state of confusion now.
However, since there's a guess, he might as well work towards that direction. Perhaps he'll gain something.
"God of Mist… I suddenly regret it, what should I do?"
If faith is truly the fundamental reason for the next stage of the skill tree's professions to appear, then the title of 'God of Mist' is clearly too thin.
Moreover, Kevin has always followed the ocean path, so the Sea God should be more appropriate.
But since things have come to this, Kevin can only proceed with it for now.
It won't be too late to consider changing God of Mist to Sea God once he understands the true reason for the skill icon's appearance.
…
What is that guy doing?!
When Butcher ran out unhindered and realized what had happened after he killed Neuman through the TV broadcast, his mind went blank for a moment.
Even though Kevin wore a suit, a mask, and his powers weren't ice and water but mist, Butcher could guess with his toes that the person who showed up was Kevin.
At the very least, it was someone related to Kevin!
Think about it, Butcher had just killed Neuman, and then someone immediately jumped out and said, 'I'm responsible for this.' Who else could do such a thing besides someone in the know?
And the only person Butcher knew in the know, besides Mallory, was Kevin!
Mallory certainly wouldn't do such a thing, so that left only Kevin.
Butcher couldn't understand Kevin's motive for doing this.
If he wanted to use their hands to eliminate Neuman, that would be understandable.
But he had already let Butcher and his team kill Neuman, and then he jumped out to announce he did it…
So why didn't he just kill Neuman himself from the start, instead of using Butcher and his team's hands?
He couldn't figure it out.
Butcher really couldn't figure it out!
While he was thinking about why Kevin would do this, Mallory called.
"Butcher, are you still at the scene?"
After connecting the call, Mallory asked first.
Butcher, who had found a safe place and was with The Boys, looked at the scene in the distance, which was already surrounded by the police, and replied:
"Yes, what's up?"
"Can you confirm that the God of Mist is Kevin?"
"Not certain, but it's most likely him. Heh, this is going to be fun now."
Butcher suddenly laughed at the end of his sentence.
Regardless of why Kevin did this.
Publicly admitting that he killed Neuman, then provoking Vought, and even pointing out Vought's relationship with Neuman.
Now, Edgar of Vought must be furious, ready to explode.
Admitting Neuman's relationship with Vought means Vought admits they have extended their reach into politics, which will lead to congressional accusations and a loss of public trust.
But what if they don't admit Neuman's relationship with Vought…
His adopted daughter, whom he personally raised, died out there like that, and Edgar, as her adoptive father, couldn't even attend her funeral.
Just thinking about it made Butcher quite happy.
Nothing made him happier than seeing Vought suffer.
Oh, except finding his wife.
All in all, no matter what Kevin wanted to do, his act of killing and condemning the heart deeply pleased Butcher.
This guy is a ruthless character, truly worthy of being the CEO of Vought in a parallel universe.
But Mallory clearly didn't think so.
"Yes, it's fun, but now we're even more passive."
"Huh? Why?"
"Do you think that with the appearance of such a 'Super Villain' who openly attacked a congressman, Congress will still resist Vought's advancement of Compound V?"
"Why wouldn't they? Compound V will create more Supes, and the more Supes there are, the more Super Villains there will be. If they don't want the world to become more chaotic…"
Butcher paused there.
He suddenly thought of something.
Mallory said tiredly:
"Either they prohibit the advancement of Compound V, or… the military fully accepts the existence of Compound V and creates more Supe soldiers. And based on my understanding of Congress, they will definitely choose the latter."
"So Kevin's move helped Vought…"
Butcher frowned.
The appearance of the God of Mist certainly disgusted Vought, but at the same time, he also set up a real target for Vought.
It made it easier for Vought and Congress to get entangled.
Looking at it this way, Butcher really didn't know if Kevin wanted to disgust Vought or help Vought.
"Forget it, you come back first. We still don't know Kevin's purpose for doing this. When he returns, you can ask him."
Mallory, equally confused, sighed and gave up thinking, deciding to discuss it after Butcher returned.
Anyway, Kevin seemed like a normal person and could be communicated with.
If all else failed, they could just ask him directly.
…
A lot happened that day.
Neuman was killed, a Super Villain calling himself the God of Mist appeared, declared war on the entire Vought, and also exposed the relationship between Neuman and Vought.
Regardless of whether this relationship was true or false, when it openly appeared before the public, people couldn't help but suspect whether Vought had truly installed Supe politicians in the government.
Vought would also be questioned by the government.
Hughie wasn't particularly concerned about these matters, mainly because he was staying at Mallory's villa, watching adult films with Lamplighter.
Lamplighter, a former member of The Seven, had disappeared without a trace after leaving The Seven; no one knew where he went.
But after the Sage Grove incident, members of The Boys found him at the Sage Grove Center and also learned where he had gone after retiring.
He was working as a caregiver at the Sage Grove Center, responsible for 'taking care' of the test subjects.
Of course, it was nominally care, but in reality, it was 'eliminating' these test subjects when they were disobedient.
Simply put, he was a cleaner.
Stormfront's personal cleaner.
However, the good thing was that Lamplighter wasn't that much of a jerk, at least not as much as the other members of The Seven.
He still retained the conscience of an ordinary person.
At least he had always been bothered by burning Mallory's grandson to death. After they talked it out, he even helped conceal The Boys' tracks at Sage Grove.
And he promised to be a star witness, confronting Vought at the hearing and exposing their crimes.
And it was precisely for this reason that he was sitting here, watching adult films to pass the time until the hearing began.
"Honestly, I'm really getting tired of this. I need to change the channel."
But Hughie could no longer tolerate Lamplighter's behavior.
Hughie knew that for someone who had worked in a place similar to a mental hospital for a long time, it was normal to want to find a reasonable outlet for their suppressed energy after leaving.
But no matter what, he couldn't watch it every day!
Hughie was a hot-blooded young man, and watching this kind of stuff every day was really getting to him.
Especially since his girlfriend Starlight wasn't here.
So Hughie, somewhat intolerably, picked up the remote and changed the channel.
Ignoring Lamplighter's protests, Hughie immediately switched channels, changing the adult program on the TV to recent news.
If nothing unexpected happened, Hughie might see news about Neuman's death or the appearance of someone calling himself 'God of Mist' after changing the channel.
However, perhaps Hughie switched to the wrong channel, or the news about Neuman was deliberately suppressed.
The news broadcast currently on the TV was Homelander's 'speech' with Stormfront.
If it were just this pair of scoundrels giving a speech, that would be fine.
The crucial point was that behind this pair of scoundrels, on the screen, there was a photo of Starlight as a hero.
And, Homelander announced to the camera:
"It's regrettable, but Starlight, like The Deep, has betrayed us. Of course, I have reason to believe they were misled by Super Villains into betraying us, but I must say, they are very dangerous."
"Yes, they are very dangerous."
Stormfront echoed from the side, then said to the camera after Homelander:
"So we have her under control now. Don't worry, she won't harm anyone now. We will make her go back to being the Starlight she once was. We just need time."
As Stormfront spoke, she and Homelander exchanged smiles.
Their flirtatious glances proved that they had reconciled.
It was just unknown when that happened.