Homelander: New Legacy

[182] : Darkseid?

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In the gaming room Roger had set up for Thor, the sound of frantic button mashing filled the air.

Thor and Roger, dressed like stereotypical couch potatoes in oversized shirts, clutched their controllers tightly, eyes glued to the game screen with unwavering focus.

Jean lay on the couch, casually scrolling through her phone. As she browsed, her telekinesis tidied up the room—hanging washed clothes to dry or cleaning up the trash from snacks consumed by Roger and Thor.

Meanwhile, Clarice...

She had initially been excited for an adventure, but now, watching her teammates' behavior, she couldn't help but twitch at the corners of her mouth.

"Roger... are we just going to stay here like this?"

"Of course," Roger replied, eyes never leaving the screen as he battled Thor in the game. "This world doesn't need us for now. Even if we're heading to another world, I'll wait until Ryan learns more from Superman. Until then—ah—!"

K.O.!

Roger's cry of defeat synced perfectly with the game's announcement. He glanced at his fallen in-game character, then at Thor, who looked almost transcendent in his concentration. With a sigh, Roger tossed the controller aside and turned to Clarice.

"...Until then, we'll just relax in this world. Besides, aren't there plenty of things here you've never seen before? Why not take the chance to enjoy yourself?"

"I didn't come here to play around," Clarice retorted with slight frustration.

She had decided to follow Roger and Jean to help them, not to sit idly.

But before she could continue, Jean reached over, gently ruffling Clarice's hair. "You're at the age where playing is exactly what you should be doing. Don't worry about other stuff."

Clarice glanced at Jean, who was still engrossed in her phone, and couldn't help but feel speechless.

Back at the academy, Jean had always seemed calm and mature. But here, she'd transformed into a phone-addicted social media enthusiast.

Is a phone really that entertaining?

Clarice, completely unable to grasp the appeal of social networking, deeply doubted it.

"...Fine, you all stay here. I'll go find Ryan."

Resigned, Clarice opened a portal to seek out Ryan. Compared to watching her team lounge around playing games, observing Ryan train with Superman seemed far more interesting.

Plus, Ryan was close to her age, so spending time together wasn't a bad idea.

Watching Clarice step through the portal, Roger didn't stop her. He simply waved and said, "Don't stay out too late," before picking up his controller to resume gaming with Thor.

To be honest, Roger wasn't intentionally being idle—he just didn't know what to do next.

Although Andrea, who seemed connected to his past life, had mentioned a multiverse crisis, Roger had yet to see any tangible evidence of it.

In contrast, Darkseid's impending arrival felt far more real and threatening than any vague multiversal crisis.

So, until Darkseid was dealt with, Roger decided to put those other concerns aside. And since he wasn't worrying about them, he'd become a full-blown couch potato in the meantime.