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Chapter 341: Yellow Lantern Guardian
"A Guardian?"
Hal was shocked.
"Infected by the yellow spectrum... But how? The Guardians abandoned their emotions long ago."
A corner of the Guardian's mouth twitched into a savage sneer. The light of Fear spilled from his small body, making the Little Blue Man look as though he were entirely engulfed in flames.
"Don't you understand yet, Hal Jordan? The answer is obvious," he bellowed, thrusting his palms forward as an astonishingly powerful golden light erupted.
"Because we lied to you!!!"
Hal felt as if a heavy hammer had slammed into his chest, and cracks spiderwebbed across his protective force field. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as he was sent tumbling backward.
Hal pushed himself up into a half-crouch, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
So strong. Although he was also using the energy of Fear, he was in a completely different league from those Yellow Lanterns.
The Guardians were known as "the Immortals." They had been steeped in the technology of the Emotional Spectrum for billions of years, accumulating a level of power and knowledge that no ordinary Lantern could hope to match. Not only that, but this Guardian had now come into contact with the power of Fear, which the Council had once deemed forbidden.
The Guardians claimed to have abandoned emotion, but the truth was that they still felt fear. In fact, Fear itself was the one power in the spectrum they dreaded most.
In the Green Lantern movie, the modified Parallax was created from a Guardian who fell after being exposed to the energy of the yellow light. That Guardian, having gained the power of Fear, was able to single-handedly sweep through the entire Green Lantern Corps, leaving his fellow Guardians in a state of constant dread.
"I can smell your fear, Hal Jordan! I know that deep down, you're still that sniveling child, unable to escape the shadow of your father crashing right before your eyes!
"Want to know what he said as he dove to his death?"
With a flash of a yellow shadow, the Guardian appeared in front of Hal.
Hal was startled once more.
So fast!
He didn't even have time to form a construct for defense and could only raise his arm to block. But the Guardian swatted his arm aside with a single palm, grabbing his head and smashing it into the ground.
Hal's face slammed into the ground. He could feel the planet's surface shattering just beyond the thin layer of his force field. The shockwave exploded outwards dramatically, and gravel flew up as if it had broken free from the planet's gravity.
"My colleagues all refused to accept the truth, but now I have been liberated," the Guardian shouted. "Did you think Willpower could prevail this time? No.
"We deceived you, made you believe the Green Light was the strongest force for protecting the universe. But the truth is, the Green Light is merely the color of balance at the center of the spectrum, while the yellow light is what truly matters!
"We gave you the power of the Green Light, we shaped you into the greatest Green Lantern, Hal. But now it is time to cast aside that feeble color of balance and embrace the power of Fear! What do you say, Hal?"
Held up by the Guardian, Hal gasped for breath twice before lifting his heavy eyelids.
"I say... boom."
The Guardian: "?"
BOOM!
That was the sound of a giant hammer construct made of green light smashing into the Guardian.
Caught off guard by the sneak attack from behind, the Guardian was sent flying by the heavy hammer, crashing into a nearby mountain peak with a boom. The mountain rock rumbled and collapsed, burying the Little Blue Man beneath it.
It was Kilowog.
Behind him was an entire team of Green Lanterns, flying in from the far side of space.
Hal climbed to his feet, shaking his dizzy head. "What took you so long?"
"There was a bit of trouble back on Oa. More Yellow Lanterns showed up after you left. We had a hell of a fight," Kilowog said.
Hal frowned. "Were the casualties heavy?"
"A few rookie Green Lanterns died, poor guys. We repelled that batch of Yellow Lanterns, but..." Kilowog paused, his gaze turning somber as he looked in the direction where the Little Blue Man had been knocked away.
"...we may have lost a Guardian."
In the midst of the chaotic battle, a yellow ring had captured this Guardian. Fear infected him like a virus, and he was transformed into his current state.
"I thought Guardians were incapable of fear," said a Green Lantern who landed after them.
"Yeah, well, it seems they weren't being very honest," Kilowog said. "I just heard one of the Yellow Lanterns mention something the Guardians are afraid of, a forbidden chapter sealed by them in the Book of Oa. They called it the 'Blackest Night'. I don't know what it is, but they seem terrified of it."
"The Yellow Lanterns found that out and exploited this fear," Hal frowned. "Just great."
A burst of golden light erupted, and the Guardian broke free from the gravel, soaring back into the air. He spoke coldly.
"We chose you, gave you an extraordinary opportunity. And now, I will expose that lie and show you... Willpower is fragile!"
The Guardian spread his arms, and golden light burst from his body, transforming into a sky full of constructs! Each Green Lantern was confronted by a group of yellow constructs, so lifelike they seemed to have been pulled from the depths of their memories.
It was each of their personal fears.
"Green Lantern Hannu of Sector 2, you fear relying on your power ring instead of your own strength..."
Lantern Hannu let out a great roar and punched through the constructs surrounding him. "I don't need any light-based weapons when I'm enforcing the law on my own planet!"
Hal created a swarm of missiles that scattered toward the surrounding constructs, shouting at the same time, "Everyone, be careful! The yellow power can use our fears..."
Before he could finish, a Lantern was ensnared by a yellow construct.
"Lantern Sansi of Sector 17, always putting on a tough act, shaping yourself into the Corps' hard case, but it's all to hide the terrified little boy inside. The boy who was beaten every night, mocked by his brothers as useless, burned, and humiliated..."
Seeing his teammate falter, Hal hurriedly turned and tried his best to get to him. "Sansi! Don't listen to him! He's using... urgh!"
A dragon formed of yellow light lunged forward, snapping Hal into its jaws. Hal had to focus his energy on creating a green construct to resist it, momentarily unable to spare any attention.
The Lantern's expression twitched, clearly shaken.
"Sansi!" his teammates nearby were also shouting his name.
"Too late!" the Guardian bellowed. "Surrender to the power of Fear!"
He spread his fingers, and a torrent of yellow energy erupted, impaling the wavering Lantern through the chest. The Green Lantern Ring immediately flew off his hand.
"Ring status report: Green Lantern of Sector 17 deceased. Scanning for suitable successor..."
The Guardian flew forward, his arm extending, and the dislodged ring slammed into his palm.
"Scanning for a successor? I don't think so. There will be no more Green Lanterns!"
He clenched his fist forcefully. With a burst of green light from his fingertips, the ring was instantly crushed to dust in his fist.
"No!"
Green Lantern Boodikka's eyes were bloodshot. Her entire body erupted with green light as she charged recklessly toward the Guardian.
"You'll pay for that! I don't care if you used to be a Guardian, I'm going to kill you! I'll vaporize you with my ring, I'll..."
But at that very moment, the green light around Boodikka suddenly extinguished. The charging Green Lantern lost the support of her ring and tumbled to the ground.
"Green Lantern attempting to use lethal force."
The Green Lantern Ring stated coldly.
"Illegal action registered. Energy levels shutting down. Ring locked."
"Hah, it seems you've all forgotten who gave you the rings, and who wrote the laws of the ring."
A savage grin spread across the Guardian's face.
"Your little toys can't kill anyone."
(end of chapter)
"A Guardian?"
Hal was shocked.
"Infected by the yellow spectrum... But how? The Guardians abandoned their emotions long ago."
A corner of the Guardian's mouth twitched into a savage sneer. The light of Fear spilled from his small body, making the Little Blue Man look as though he were entirely engulfed in flames.
"Don't you understand yet, Hal Jordan? The answer is obvious," he bellowed, thrusting his palms forward as an astonishingly powerful golden light erupted.
"Because we lied to you!!!"
Hal felt as if a heavy hammer had slammed into his chest, and cracks spiderwebbed across his protective force field. He coughed up a mouthful of blood as he was sent tumbling backward.
Hal pushed himself up into a half-crouch, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
So strong. Although he was also using the energy of Fear, he was in a completely different league from those Yellow Lanterns.
The Guardians were known as "the Immortals." They had been steeped in the technology of the Emotional Spectrum for billions of years, accumulating a level of power and knowledge that no ordinary Lantern could hope to match. Not only that, but this Guardian had now come into contact with the power of Fear, which the Council had once deemed forbidden.
The Guardians claimed to have abandoned emotion, but the truth was that they still felt fear. In fact, Fear itself was the one power in the spectrum they dreaded most.
In the Green Lantern movie, the modified Parallax was created from a Guardian who fell after being exposed to the energy of the yellow light. That Guardian, having gained the power of Fear, was able to single-handedly sweep through the entire Green Lantern Corps, leaving his fellow Guardians in a state of constant dread.
"I can smell your fear, Hal Jordan! I know that deep down, you're still that sniveling child, unable to escape the shadow of your father crashing right before your eyes!
"Want to know what he said as he dove to his death?"
With a flash of a yellow shadow, the Guardian appeared in front of Hal.
Hal was startled once more.
So fast!
He didn't even have time to form a construct for defense and could only raise his arm to block. But the Guardian swatted his arm aside with a single palm, grabbing his head and smashing it into the ground.
Hal's face slammed into the ground. He could feel the planet's surface shattering just beyond the thin layer of his force field. The shockwave exploded outwards dramatically, and gravel flew up as if it had broken free from the planet's gravity.
"My colleagues all refused to accept the truth, but now I have been liberated," the Guardian shouted. "Did you think Willpower could prevail this time? No.
"We deceived you, made you believe the Green Light was the strongest force for protecting the universe. But the truth is, the Green Light is merely the color of balance at the center of the spectrum, while the yellow light is what truly matters!
"We gave you the power of the Green Light, we shaped you into the greatest Green Lantern, Hal. But now it is time to cast aside that feeble color of balance and embrace the power of Fear! What do you say, Hal?"
Held up by the Guardian, Hal gasped for breath twice before lifting his heavy eyelids.
"I say... boom."
The Guardian: "?"
BOOM!
That was the sound of a giant hammer construct made of green light smashing into the Guardian.
Caught off guard by the sneak attack from behind, the Guardian was sent flying by the heavy hammer, crashing into a nearby mountain peak with a boom. The mountain rock rumbled and collapsed, burying the Little Blue Man beneath it.
It was Kilowog.
Behind him was an entire team of Green Lanterns, flying in from the far side of space.
Hal climbed to his feet, shaking his dizzy head. "What took you so long?"
"There was a bit of trouble back on Oa. More Yellow Lanterns showed up after you left. We had a hell of a fight," Kilowog said.
Hal frowned. "Were the casualties heavy?"
"A few rookie Green Lanterns died, poor guys. We repelled that batch of Yellow Lanterns, but..." Kilowog paused, his gaze turning somber as he looked in the direction where the Little Blue Man had been knocked away.
"...we may have lost a Guardian."
In the midst of the chaotic battle, a yellow ring had captured this Guardian. Fear infected him like a virus, and he was transformed into his current state.
"I thought Guardians were incapable of fear," said a Green Lantern who landed after them.
"Yeah, well, it seems they weren't being very honest," Kilowog said. "I just heard one of the Yellow Lanterns mention something the Guardians are afraid of, a forbidden chapter sealed by them in the Book of Oa. They called it the 'Blackest Night'. I don't know what it is, but they seem terrified of it."
"The Yellow Lanterns found that out and exploited this fear," Hal frowned. "Just great."
A burst of golden light erupted, and the Guardian broke free from the gravel, soaring back into the air. He spoke coldly.
"We chose you, gave you an extraordinary opportunity. And now, I will expose that lie and show you... Willpower is fragile!"
The Guardian spread his arms, and golden light burst from his body, transforming into a sky full of constructs! Each Green Lantern was confronted by a group of yellow constructs, so lifelike they seemed to have been pulled from the depths of their memories.
It was each of their personal fears.
"Green Lantern Hannu of Sector 2, you fear relying on your power ring instead of your own strength..."
Lantern Hannu let out a great roar and punched through the constructs surrounding him. "I don't need any light-based weapons when I'm enforcing the law on my own planet!"
Hal created a swarm of missiles that scattered toward the surrounding constructs, shouting at the same time, "Everyone, be careful! The yellow power can use our fears..."
Before he could finish, a Lantern was ensnared by a yellow construct.
"Lantern Sansi of Sector 17, always putting on a tough act, shaping yourself into the Corps' hard case, but it's all to hide the terrified little boy inside. The boy who was beaten every night, mocked by his brothers as useless, burned, and humiliated..."
Seeing his teammate falter, Hal hurriedly turned and tried his best to get to him. "Sansi! Don't listen to him! He's using... urgh!"
A dragon formed of yellow light lunged forward, snapping Hal into its jaws. Hal had to focus his energy on creating a green construct to resist it, momentarily unable to spare any attention.
The Lantern's expression twitched, clearly shaken.
"Sansi!" his teammates nearby were also shouting his name.
"Too late!" the Guardian bellowed. "Surrender to the power of Fear!"
He spread his fingers, and a torrent of yellow energy erupted, impaling the wavering Lantern through the chest. The Green Lantern Ring immediately flew off his hand.
"Ring status report: Green Lantern of Sector 17 deceased. Scanning for suitable successor..."
The Guardian flew forward, his arm extending, and the dislodged ring slammed into his palm.
"Scanning for a successor? I don't think so. There will be no more Green Lanterns!"
He clenched his fist forcefully. With a burst of green light from his fingertips, the ring was instantly crushed to dust in his fist.
"No!"
Green Lantern Boodikka's eyes were bloodshot. Her entire body erupted with green light as she charged recklessly toward the Guardian.
"You'll pay for that! I don't care if you used to be a Guardian, I'm going to kill you! I'll vaporize you with my ring, I'll..."
But at that very moment, the green light around Boodikka suddenly extinguished. The charging Green Lantern lost the support of her ring and tumbled to the ground.
"Green Lantern attempting to use lethal force."
The Green Lantern Ring stated coldly.
"Illegal action registered. Energy levels shutting down. Ring locked."
"Hah, it seems you've all forgotten who gave you the rings, and who wrote the laws of the ring."
A savage grin spread across the Guardian's face.
"Your little toys can't kill anyone."
(end of chapter)
