Reigning Supreme in Every Reality

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"The next ability... Hmm, that's it I guess, all the tests are complete, Tony." Lyon spread his hands out.

"All done?" Tony perked up as if he'd just heard some good news, straightening his back once more.

He zoomed in on the chart on the computer. "I thought you were going to give me a whole page of abilities."

"A whole page? That's way too exaggerated." Lyon flew toward Tony.

"Why not?" Tony said in an exaggerated tone. "I remember you saying you had all of Superman's abilities."

"I was expecting you to demonstrate something like reversing time, like in Superman I, or using heat vision to heal wounds or something."

Lyon landed in front of Tony. "Don't be ridiculous, how could I have those kinds of powers?"

"You said it yourself, that you have all of Superman's abilities." Tony emphasized, "I still remember the confident look on your face when you said that in the garage!"

Lyon was at a loss for words; he'd really shot himself in the foot this time.

After all, in this world, there was no Man of Steel Superman played by Henry Cavill yet.

The other cinematic Supermen were far more powerful than Henry's version.

So at the time, what he was comparing himself to was actually Henry's Superman.

Lyon sighed. "Alright, I take that back. I only have the abilities of a Kryptonian."

"Superman is so strong because he's the protagonist in the comics," Lyon said. "His fellow Kryptonians aren't as powerful as he is."

"And the same goes for me." Lyon walked over to the computer to check the records. "Don't be fooled by how quickly my strength is increasing right now."

"My guess is that at the current pace, I'm not far from reaching my limit."

Tony found this to be an interesting topic. "Is that so? Actually, that makes sense. A species capable of reproduction shouldn't have the ability to evolve indefinitely."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we could run a simple experiment, create a model, and estimate your future growth curve?"

"That's exactly what I want to do," Lyon agreed with a smile. "But I'll need your help with the tests down the line."

"No problem," Tony took it upon himself.

Lyon chuckled and patted Tony on the shoulder. "Thanks, Tony."

"But for now, we should probably head back home. There's a basement waiting for us to repair."

"Damn it, you shouldn't have mentioned the basement. I'm already imagining how angry Pepper's going to be," Tony sighed, looking up at the sky, where countless raindrops were falling endlessly.

"How about this? You handle Pepper, and I'll take care of the basement."

"I'm not too thrilled about that trade, but fine, deal!" Tony conceded.

...

Nightfall.

Lyon used his freezing breath to solidify the last section of the newly rebuilt wall. He casually wiped the cement off his palm onto his denim coveralls.

"Phew... Done!"

Leaning against the wall, he surveyed the room, satisfied with his work for the night. The basement, once riddled with damage from battles, had been completely refurbished, even receiving a fresh coat of paint. 

All he could say was that superpowers really boost productivity!

After making sure everything was in order, Lyon headed upstairs. 

He stepped into the yard, slipped off his coveralls, and dived into the pool.

After swimming several laps, he surfaced, pushed his hair back, and leaned against the edge of the pool, gazing up at the starry sky.

"Haah~"

The mist rising from the summer night's pool and the sound of waves crashing on the shore brought him a sense of tranquility. Water droplets gathered and streamed down his chest, accentuating every defined muscle on his body.

"Exhausted, huh? Congratulations, you've just been promoted to the Stark family handyman. Now we'll never have to worry about repairs again," Tony's voice suddenly appeared from behind.

Lyon didn't even turn around. "Just this once. Next time something gets broken in the house, Tony, you're fixing it yourself."

Tony handed him a glass of red wine. "Then next time, you can deal with Pepper. She just left, and she kept nagging about how I only manage to destroy things around the house and urging me to get back to work."

"She's not wrong. You really should go back to work, Tony."

Lyon couldn't help but laugh.

"What kind of CEO stays home all day and never shows up at the office? A company like that is bound to go under sooner or later."

Tony swirled his wine. "Maybe there's one such CEO sitting right next to me?"

"Screw you. I'll find a replacement soon enough—unlike you." Lyon took a large sip from his glass.

The conversation between the two ended there.

The pool grew quiet again, with only the sounds of the night breeze and the water softly echoing.

After a while, Tony suddenly plunged into the water with a splash.

He swam a few laps, then stopped beside Lyon, slightly out of breath, and mimicked him, gazing up at the starry sky.

"Lyon…" Tony suddenly spoke, but then fell silent, hesitating to continue.

"What is it? If you've got something to say, just say it. Why are you hesitating?" Lyon immediately saw through Tony's hesitation.

Tony shrugged. "I just think maybe the two of us should have a proper talk."

"Why do you suddenly want to talk? What is this, some unexpected fatherly concern from The one and only Tony Stark? Did I scare you today or something?"

Tony nodded. "You did scare me, but also not really."

"I just honestly didn't expect your power to become as outrageous as what you showed today."

He paused, sipping his wine before continuing, "That level of power has gone beyond what the world can comprehend."

"The impact of one punch was equivalent to 3.6 million tons of TNT. There's no one left in this world who could stop you from doing anything!"

"Including me," Tony added with a sense of awe.

He looked at Lyon's perfectly sculpted physique. "You're too strong! If anyone else had participated in today's test, they might be too terrified to sleep tonight!"

"Are you?" Lyon asked directly.

"Of course not! I'm your dearest older brother!"

"The same brother who, even after you peed on me when you were two, would still take you to parties to check out beautiful women!"

"Why would I ever be worried or afraid just because you've gotten stronger? I'd only be happy for you!"

Tony was speaking with genuine sincerity.

Lyon knew that Tony never lied; no one had the right to make him choose to lie. Moreover, Tony's tone at this moment was so gentle, like a flowing stream, that it was easy to believe him naturally.

"I know, Lyon, that you've never been the type to abuse your power, or wealth, or anything like that to do whatever you want."

"After all, in these past eighteen years… almost nineteen years, you've never used money or other people's admiration to do anything wrong."

"Just like me!" Tony added, making sure to include himself.

"So I wanted to ask if you have any plans for the future?"

At this moment, Tony really seemed like a concerned father, earnestly and patiently advising his son who was about to enter society.

His words revealed his worry that Lyon, now suddenly possessing such immense power, might lose balance like a nouveau riche who couldn't handle his new status.

Even though Lyon felt that this concern slightly underestimated him, he couldn't deny that Tony's concern, once he put aside his usual pride, was genuinely touching.

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