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Chapter 805: The Dust Settles
Complex gazes fell upon Tony, filled with all sorts of emotions: rage, helplessness, understanding, composure, hatred, indifference...
During the Blackest Night, far, far too many people had died. Countless universes had been wiped clean by Nekron. Too many had perished.
But now, they had witnessed the Life Entity resurrect the dead with their own eyes.
A covetous longing naturally stirred in their hearts.
Tony swept a cold gaze over everyone present. A powerful fluctuation surged from him, radiating a biting chill.
The White Lantern Ring was a good thing, and so was the Life Entity. Everyone wanted them. Everyone had friends and family who had died, and they all wanted to use the power of the White Lantern to bring them back.
But... that was impossible.
The Life Entity was no philanthropist, and its limited power could not possibly support the rebirth of so many of the dead.
Even in the original comics, the Life Entity went to great lengths just to resurrect a dozen or so of the dead, granting them White Lantern Rings to serve as its White Lantern Warriors to fight across multiple timelines and other worlds, carrying out the heavy responsibility of guarding the light.
Once the mission was complete, the first thing the Life Entity did was strip those dozen-plus individuals of their White Lantern Rings and reclaim its White Lantern power.
In the comics following the Blackest Night, although Nekron was entombed by the White Lantern, it didn't mean the darkness had receded. At the time, the Life Entity was forced to expend a massive amount of power to bring about the Brightest Day in an attempt to save Earth.
Therefore, wanting the Life Entity to resurrect all the dead was nothing more than a fool's dream.
But the superheroes present wouldn't think that way. Their sense of justice compelled them to seek any possible method to restore the devastated world to its original state.
Someone else was about to speak, but Tony cut them off with a cold voice.
"I know what you're thinking. Let me repeat myself: a large-scale rebirth of the dead is impossible! The Life Entity is the product of some kind of rule; she is not a god!"
"But why did you use the White Lantern Ring to try and resurrect your person? That old man who disappeared was close to you. On what grounds is your selfishness justified, while everyone else's is a crime?"
Vibe could no longer hold back. He shouted, his face filled with rage.
Vibe, also known as Cisco, was The Flash's assistant, a short hero with a strong sense of justice.
Some of the superheroes showed agreement on their faces, but the supervillains couldn't help but sneer, as if mocking the naivety of Cisco's thoughts.
"There's a type of legitimate income in the world called a salary." Doctor Octopus, his face dripping with sarcasm, shot a disdainful glance at the emotional Cisco before turning to leave.
Peter Parker scratched his head, which was covered by a tattered mask. After a moment's hesitation, he followed after Doctor Octopus, worried his old nemesis might try to rob a bank again.
Cisco froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.
Everyone fell silent.
Even Tony couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, looking at Cisco in astonishment, momentarily rendered speechless by such a vague sense of justice.
Justice is a wonderful thing, and being a saint who sacrifices themselves for others is not a derogatory term. On the contrary, such people are the most worthy of respect.
But if they're a hypocritical do-gooder—the kind of scum who would abandon those around them to save strangers—then that's a different matter. Theoretically, people like that should be killed on sight.
"I can't even count how many times I've saved Earth over the past twenty-odd years, how many times I've saved the Prime Universe."
Tony slowly removed the White Lantern Ring and took a deep breath of the fresh air that followed the Blackest Night. It was a truly fresh scent, free of the stench of rotting corpses. On the horizon, dawn had arrived, and the darkness was rapidly receding.
"Stark, Clark, Bruce... can you honestly say, hand on your heart, that without me, you would have survived until today? I'm afraid that after you died, even your souls would have been snatched away by some unknown evil god!"
Tony said sarcastically.
Stark shrugged, his shattered armor letting out an unpleasant metallic groan. He took a step back and held up his hands. "I didn't say anything, pal."
Tony's gaze skipped over Stark and landed on the others.
In truth, superheroes were also extremely complex creatures, so complex that onlookers found them impossible to understand.
Stark could be corrupted; Ultimate Iron Man went from being a hero to a supervillain—cold-blooded, cruel, and slaughtering the innocent.
And there was no need to even mention Bruce.
In the original comics, Green Lantern Hal had also gone mad. This greatest Green Lantern of all time had committed the atrocious acts of slaughtering the Green Lantern Corps and bathing Oa in blood, all to seize the Central Power Battery and gain more willpower to manifest the destroyed Coast City. He was later accepted back into the Green Lantern Corps after atoning for his actions.
All of the above was merely the tip of the iceberg from a few major events. On a daily basis, the scenes of superheroes coming to blows over ideological differences were countless. Many times, it was simply because they couldn't stand the sight of each other; trading insults and losing their tempers, they would use their superpowers to attack each other wildly, with every move a killing blow.
The perfect, righteous image from the movie storylines was weakened significantly by all sorts of events in the comics. The heroes in the movies were more like sages with minor emotional issues, whereas in the cold, realistic comics, the heroes were people of flesh and blood.
And as people, they would get angry, they would be irrational, they would act recklessly without considering the consequences. Only after their hands were stained with blood—whether it was the blood of a comrade or a bystander—would they come to their senses, weep in agony, and, bearing immense pain, once again take up the mantle of a superhero.
Sometimes, living is harder than dying. This is the realization a superhero should have after enduring the cruel torment of numerous major events. Their consciences, riddled with holes, were already densely covered in scars.
Tony's icy gaze swept over the silent crowd, and he shook his head slightly.
Light continued to descend. The Life Entity floated silently, gleefully watching the drama unfold. Its eyes were wide, probably sizing up potential candidates who could give Tony a good beating.
The group that had rushed over from Cybertron silently removed the White Lantern Rings from their fingers and tossed them to the Life Entity. The Entity eagerly swallowed the rings in one gulp, flapping its wings in satisfaction.
"All of you, remember this: I don't owe you anything! When I resigned from my post as Sorcerer Supreme more than a decade ago, I told you then that I don't owe any of you!"
"How I choose to act is my right, something I've earned after risking my life to defeat a powerful enemy!"
Tony swept a cold glance over everyone present, then opened a portal and flew inside with his dozen or so warriors.
His last glance was towards the Life Entity.
The Life Entity thought for a moment and vanished on the spot.
(end of chapter)
Complex gazes fell upon Tony, filled with all sorts of emotions: rage, helplessness, understanding, composure, hatred, indifference...
During the Blackest Night, far, far too many people had died. Countless universes had been wiped clean by Nekron. Too many had perished.
But now, they had witnessed the Life Entity resurrect the dead with their own eyes.
A covetous longing naturally stirred in their hearts.
Tony swept a cold gaze over everyone present. A powerful fluctuation surged from him, radiating a biting chill.
The White Lantern Ring was a good thing, and so was the Life Entity. Everyone wanted them. Everyone had friends and family who had died, and they all wanted to use the power of the White Lantern to bring them back.
But... that was impossible.
The Life Entity was no philanthropist, and its limited power could not possibly support the rebirth of so many of the dead.
Even in the original comics, the Life Entity went to great lengths just to resurrect a dozen or so of the dead, granting them White Lantern Rings to serve as its White Lantern Warriors to fight across multiple timelines and other worlds, carrying out the heavy responsibility of guarding the light.
Once the mission was complete, the first thing the Life Entity did was strip those dozen-plus individuals of their White Lantern Rings and reclaim its White Lantern power.
In the comics following the Blackest Night, although Nekron was entombed by the White Lantern, it didn't mean the darkness had receded. At the time, the Life Entity was forced to expend a massive amount of power to bring about the Brightest Day in an attempt to save Earth.
Therefore, wanting the Life Entity to resurrect all the dead was nothing more than a fool's dream.
But the superheroes present wouldn't think that way. Their sense of justice compelled them to seek any possible method to restore the devastated world to its original state.
Someone else was about to speak, but Tony cut them off with a cold voice.
"I know what you're thinking. Let me repeat myself: a large-scale rebirth of the dead is impossible! The Life Entity is the product of some kind of rule; she is not a god!"
"But why did you use the White Lantern Ring to try and resurrect your person? That old man who disappeared was close to you. On what grounds is your selfishness justified, while everyone else's is a crime?"
Vibe could no longer hold back. He shouted, his face filled with rage.
Vibe, also known as Cisco, was The Flash's assistant, a short hero with a strong sense of justice.
Some of the superheroes showed agreement on their faces, but the supervillains couldn't help but sneer, as if mocking the naivety of Cisco's thoughts.
"There's a type of legitimate income in the world called a salary." Doctor Octopus, his face dripping with sarcasm, shot a disdainful glance at the emotional Cisco before turning to leave.
Peter Parker scratched his head, which was covered by a tattered mask. After a moment's hesitation, he followed after Doctor Octopus, worried his old nemesis might try to rob a bank again.
Cisco froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning.
Everyone fell silent.
Even Tony couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, looking at Cisco in astonishment, momentarily rendered speechless by such a vague sense of justice.
Justice is a wonderful thing, and being a saint who sacrifices themselves for others is not a derogatory term. On the contrary, such people are the most worthy of respect.
But if they're a hypocritical do-gooder—the kind of scum who would abandon those around them to save strangers—then that's a different matter. Theoretically, people like that should be killed on sight.
"I can't even count how many times I've saved Earth over the past twenty-odd years, how many times I've saved the Prime Universe."
Tony slowly removed the White Lantern Ring and took a deep breath of the fresh air that followed the Blackest Night. It was a truly fresh scent, free of the stench of rotting corpses. On the horizon, dawn had arrived, and the darkness was rapidly receding.
"Stark, Clark, Bruce... can you honestly say, hand on your heart, that without me, you would have survived until today? I'm afraid that after you died, even your souls would have been snatched away by some unknown evil god!"
Tony said sarcastically.
Stark shrugged, his shattered armor letting out an unpleasant metallic groan. He took a step back and held up his hands. "I didn't say anything, pal."
Tony's gaze skipped over Stark and landed on the others.
In truth, superheroes were also extremely complex creatures, so complex that onlookers found them impossible to understand.
Stark could be corrupted; Ultimate Iron Man went from being a hero to a supervillain—cold-blooded, cruel, and slaughtering the innocent.
And there was no need to even mention Bruce.
In the original comics, Green Lantern Hal had also gone mad. This greatest Green Lantern of all time had committed the atrocious acts of slaughtering the Green Lantern Corps and bathing Oa in blood, all to seize the Central Power Battery and gain more willpower to manifest the destroyed Coast City. He was later accepted back into the Green Lantern Corps after atoning for his actions.
All of the above was merely the tip of the iceberg from a few major events. On a daily basis, the scenes of superheroes coming to blows over ideological differences were countless. Many times, it was simply because they couldn't stand the sight of each other; trading insults and losing their tempers, they would use their superpowers to attack each other wildly, with every move a killing blow.
The perfect, righteous image from the movie storylines was weakened significantly by all sorts of events in the comics. The heroes in the movies were more like sages with minor emotional issues, whereas in the cold, realistic comics, the heroes were people of flesh and blood.
And as people, they would get angry, they would be irrational, they would act recklessly without considering the consequences. Only after their hands were stained with blood—whether it was the blood of a comrade or a bystander—would they come to their senses, weep in agony, and, bearing immense pain, once again take up the mantle of a superhero.
Sometimes, living is harder than dying. This is the realization a superhero should have after enduring the cruel torment of numerous major events. Their consciences, riddled with holes, were already densely covered in scars.
Tony's icy gaze swept over the silent crowd, and he shook his head slightly.
Light continued to descend. The Life Entity floated silently, gleefully watching the drama unfold. Its eyes were wide, probably sizing up potential candidates who could give Tony a good beating.
The group that had rushed over from Cybertron silently removed the White Lantern Rings from their fingers and tossed them to the Life Entity. The Entity eagerly swallowed the rings in one gulp, flapping its wings in satisfaction.
"All of you, remember this: I don't owe you anything! When I resigned from my post as Sorcerer Supreme more than a decade ago, I told you then that I don't owe any of you!"
"How I choose to act is my right, something I've earned after risking my life to defeat a powerful enemy!"
Tony swept a cold glance over everyone present, then opened a portal and flew inside with his dozen or so warriors.
His last glance was towards the Life Entity.
The Life Entity thought for a moment and vanished on the spot.
(end of chapter)
