"You won't succeed," Edgar said sternly to Roger, his face darkened. "This world doesn't reward those with the strongest power. Governments, corporations, families… these forces, which stand above ordinary people, are the true rulers of the world.

"And for you to think you can break free from any of these powers? That's simply impossible. They won't allow such a powerful force to go unchecked, and neither will we allow you to act recklessly!"

Edgar's tone was resolute. After all, this world still belonged to humanity. No matter how powerful superhumans were, they could never escape the control of corporations or governments. Humanity would never permit such a thing to happen.

"Is that so?" Roger disagreed, slowly rising into the air, spreading his arms as if to showcase something. "Then why don't we ask the people what they think?"

"What do you plan to do?" Edgar inquired.

"Nothing much. I'm just curious to see what happens when the public finds out that their favorite superheroes are merely the creations of a corporation," Roger said, floating in the air. "I think it'll be quite interesting."

Edgar's eyebrows twitched as he began to suspect Roger's intentions. Roger was likely planning to expose the truth about Compound V to the public, along with the dirty secrets of the other members of The Seven, perhaps even including those of Homelander himself.

Vought International had invested enormous resources into creating these gods among men, and Roger wanted to tear it all down, only to build a new pantheon upon its ruins.

Edgar couldn't yet figure out how Roger intended to extricate himself from the situation. Even though Edgar and the others knew Roger wasn't really Homelander, the public didn't know that. Homelander's scandals would also be Roger's, and once Homelander's image was shattered, how would Roger distance himself from it all?

Did he truly not care about Homelander's reputation or the benefits that came with it?

Regardless of Roger's plans, Edgar wasn't about to let him carry them out. Taking a deep breath, he recognized that since Roger had come to negotiate, there was still room for discussion. So, he asked, "Do you have any conditions other than breaking away?"

"Just that one," Roger replied seriously.

Edgar stared at Roger for a long moment before finally saying, "Alright, I agree."

"!" Madelyn looked at Edgar in shock. Edgar didn't meet her gaze and continued speaking to Roger, "I agree to let you, Starlight, and Maeve leave The Seven and form your own team, but on the condition that you don't reveal anything about Compound V."

Roger chuckled softly and nodded. "Good. Then we have an understanding. I look forward to our next meeting."

With that, Roger shot into the sky, quickly disappearing from Edgar and Madelyn's sight.

Madelyn stared blankly in the direction Roger had flown, feeling a sense of loss. She then turned to Edgar and asked, "This condition…"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"There was no other choice. You and I both know that with Homelander's power, if he decided to do whatever he wanted, no one could stop him," Edgar replied, his face grim as he walked back inside.

"Moreover, Madelyn, you need to remember that Vought is a pharmaceutical company, not an entertainment company. Even if we have to abandon our entertainment ventures, we cannot lose control of the situation."

"So now…"

"Now, everything is still within our control. As long as Compound V isn't exposed, we can manage. But we also need to prepare for the worst, if Compound V is revealed, we need an emergency plan. Homelander may have promised not to expose it, but that was just a verbal agreement. We didn't even sign a contract."

"And even if we had signed one, it wouldn't mean much to someone like him," Edgar continued. "So we must prepare for the possibility that Compound V could be made public. After all, the government's FBI and CIA are watching Vought closely."

"A significant event like The Seven breaking away won't go unnoticed," he said, his eyes cold as he looked back at Madelyn. "You should focus on managing The Seven's morale and selecting new members."

"…Can The Seven continue to exist?" Madelyn asked hesitantly.

"Who said there can only be one superhero team? Bring The Deep back. Although Black Noir is dead, his presence is easy to fake. We just need to find four more superhumans," Edgar responded.

Vought lacked nothing if not superhumans. While Black Noir was indeed killed by Homelander, this had not been made public. Finding another superhuman skilled in combat with steel-like skin to impersonate him wouldn't be difficult.

Madelyn nodded and left to begin preparations. However, both she and Edgar were well aware that The Seven was now a shell of its former self. The "celebrity team" that Vought had spent so much time building would no longer exist as it once did.

Even if The Seven continued to operate, it would never regain its former fame. Because… the world's strongest superhuman, Homelander, was gone.

...

Roger landed at another secret base of Tek Knight's, where Maeve and Starlight were sitting, holding their necks and watching the news. The chips in their necks had been removed and destroyed, so they no longer had to worry about Vought tracking or controlling them.

Seeing Roger return, Tek Knight, who was cleaning blood off some tools, looked up and asked, "Did you take care of everything?"

"Yes, at least on the surface, we don't have to worry about Vought causing trouble," Roger replied.

Negotiating with Vought had been Tek Knight's idea. Since Roger planned to break away, it was best to sever ties with Vought as soon as possible and establish clear terms.

Tek Knight had been sure that Vought wouldn't want to lose a superhuman as powerful as Roger, nor would they want to be on his bad side. So, as long as Roger didn't reveal the secret of Compound V, Vought would likely accept his terms.

Conveniently, Roger had no intention of making Compound V public, which had led to the negotiations.

"That's good. By the way, a deputy director from the CIA wanted to meet you earlier, but you weren't around. Do you plan to see him?" Tek Knight asked.

The CIA deputy director had been contacted by the Boys. After learning that Homelander had severed ties with Vought and planned to establish his own team, the CIA had set its sights on Vought.

Their main concern had been Homelander, but now that he was no longer with Vought, what reason did they have not to go after the company?

Roger raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does the CIA know about Compound V?"

"Not yet."

"Then there's no need to meet them. Maybe later," Roger replied, shaking his head.

Avoiding the CIA was also for their own good. Roger still remembered that in the second season, there was a superhuman who could make people's heads explode just by looking at them. This person was likely associated with Vought, though not under Edgar's control.

Regardless of who controlled this superhuman, if the CIA made any moves against Vought, they would likely end up with their heads blown off, one by one.

So, for their own safety, Roger thought it best not to meet them. It definitely wasn't because he found it bothersome.

Probably…