*Chapter 218: A National Hero's Tirade*

After acquiring the Blessing of Hermes, Atreus speed, thanks to his winged boots, had reached the level of *godspeed*.

Unless it was someone like Superman, who could break the sound barrier without any external help, no ordinary superhuman could outrun him.

With this newfound power, Atreus finally felt a bit relieved and less on edge. In this lifetime, with him as a traveler from another world, Thanos was destined not to gather all six Infinity Stones.

With the strength to take on even Thanos, Atreus could confidently face most enemies. Yet, despite his desire to stay low-key, circumstances wouldn't allow it.

At this moment, the recently renowned *Homelander* appeared on television.

The brash, golden-haired man shouted arrogantly, his voice loud and his neck flushed red, jabbing a finger at the camera and yelling into the microphone:

"Protecting America shouldn't depend on these damn Greeks! Kryptonians! Asgardians! Or some green-skinned monster! A bat who hides in the shadows! I am stronger and smarter, better than all of them! I exist because you mere mortals need me—Kratos, Superman, Thor, Hulk, Batman—they aren’t true heroes! *I* am!"

As he finished, the frenzied crowd cheered like fanatical followers, with some young, excited women fainting on the spot.

The people's screams soared to the skies, the sheer volume overwhelming the microphone on the camera, causing a loud buzzing sound.

In Atreus villa, watching this, *Fiora* shot to her feet. The former Kryptonian lieutenant clenched her fists.

"My Lord, I want to tear that bastard's mouth apart."

What Fiora didn't expect was that Atreus had... no reaction.

"Fiora, if you're flying low at high speed and a dog starts barking madly at you, would you feel offended by that dog?"

"Uh..." Fiora's mind short-circuited a bit. Still feeling unwilling, she asked, "But what if he attacks us?"

Atreus lips curled into a cold smile. "A dog that bites! If it's rabid, put it down humanely. If it's not, well, then it's time for some dog meat."

Fiora paused, then immediately understood.

Her master was no longer an ordinary Superhero.

Even if he had ascended to godhood in a mortal body, he still carried himself with the dignity of a deity.

"I understand." Fiora bowed and then sat back down.

As Atreus reached out his hand, Helen dutifully handed him popcorn and soda.

Atreus casually munched on the popcorn, staring at the boastful Homelander on the screen and smirked, "These days, being cocky without the strength to back it up will get you killed."

Unbeknownst to Atreus, at that moment, *Nick Fury* at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters was also watching the live broadcast.

Opposite his desk, Agent Hill was already frowning, her expression peculiar.

Nick threw up his hands in exasperation. "Alright, Agent Hill, you can voice your opinion now."

The beautiful agent couldn't hold it in any longer: "And some people in the upper ranks have the nerve to call the *Avengers* a bunch of freaks? Who's the real freak here?"

Nick rolled his eyes.

There were some things Hill could say, but he couldn't.

The Avengers might have their quirks, but at least they acted like normal people who could be reasoned with.

Homelander, on the other hand, was a complete psycho. Since his rise to fame, he'd become increasingly unhinged.

And yet, his immense popularity with the public made it difficult to find any immediate reason to act against him.

Just as Black Widow was infiltrating an enemy base but hadn’t yet retrieved any key intel, an unexpected person made a move.

In an emergency news broadcast, *Tony Stark* stepped forward.

Standing before a throng of reporters and their flashing cameras, Tony, being his straightforward self, didn't mince words:

"I’m giving *Homelander* a formal warning. Kratos, Thor, Superman, Hulk, and Batman—the heroes you slandered—I’ve worked with every single one of them. We all share the same goal: protecting Earth. We’ve fought alien invasions together and have a record of success. You can insult others all you want, but you shouldn't spit lies about heroes with actual achievements. I’m giving you three days to publicly apologize, or it won’t end well for you!"

Though many of Tony's old comrades were notoriously hard to reach, and Atreus was ignoring his private messages, that didn’t mean Tony would stay silent while his friends were publicly humiliated.

He ignited a media firestorm.

Reporters, delighted by the brewing feud, were practically fainting from excitement.

As expected, Tony Stark was always a goldmine for headlines.

With a high-profile clash between celebrities, the newspapers were bound to sell like crazy.

Reporters, eager to fuel the fire, immediately relayed Tony’s message back to *Vought International*.

Backstage, Homelander nearly lost it.

"That piece of crap, Tony! That washed-up old man! His era is long over! He's nothing but a rotting relic resting on his laurels. How dare he speak to me like that? I’ll kill him and—" His laser eyes began to glow red as his fury escalated.

Just as he was about to lose control, Vought’s board representative, *Stan Edgar*, called: "You’re not allowed to touch Tony Stark! None of the big corporations can touch him!"

"Why not?"

"Congress is backed by his people. If Congress doesn’t approve the purchase of Compound V, you won’t see a penny of that profit."

Homelander, ever loyal to his desires and to money, instantly calmed down.

But, being the twisted psychopath he was, he quickly concocted another plan.

He gathered six of his cronies: "I can’t directly go after Tony, but we can do this..."

That night, atop Stark Tower, Tony was tinkering with his new suit when he sensed something behind him. Turning around, his surprise turned into joy: "You bastard! Finally decided to show your face? I thought you were stuck in some parallel universe!"

Atreus, suited up, laughed, "I’m not kidding; I was in serious danger."

"Who?"

"Ares, the god of war!"

"Fxck!"

Atreus next words almost made Tony freeze.

"Relax, I’m the new god of war now."

Tony, in disbelief, swung a punch at Atreus chest. Instinctively, a piece of Iron Man armor flew over and latched onto his hand just before the punch landed.

Naturally, the punch did nothing.

Tony winced in pain and joked, "Damn it! Looks like even building a suit to counter Kratos is out of the question now."

"Exactly! I’m growing at an incredible rate," Atreus said with a smirk, then suddenly furrowed his brow. "You developed a stealth suit?"

"No, why?"

Before Tony could finish his sentence, a gust of wind rushed past him. When he turned around, Atreus had already stomped something to death.

Yet Tony saw nothing.

(End of the chapter)