Chapter 302: The Seven Lantern Corps Defect as One
The Void Realm.
With the Zerg War over, most bounty hunters had returned.
After dancing on the edge of death, they needed time to rest and calm their minds before preparing for their second bounty mission.
However, the streets now held many new faces—ones that struck fear into the hearts of these bounty hunters.
They were the Lanterns of the Seven Lantern Corps.
These Lanterns were completely leeching off Allen, waiting for the Spartan Empire to come seeking revenge. When that time came, they'd simply throw him out as a scapegoat.
"Boss, can I join the Seven-Color Corps? My childhood dream was to become a Lantern. Any color is fine," Yondu said obsequiously.
"Yondu, I remember your dream was to become the leader of the Ravagers," Allen said, eyeing Yondu up and down. It didn't seem like any of the Lantern Rings suited his temperament.
"Yondu, being a Lantern's boring. Didn't we agree to roam the cosmos together?" Illlusion said as he smoked casually.
No mistake—after being bonded with Illlusion for a while, Allen had clearly picked up some bad habits: smoking, drinking… all that was missing was a perm. But that was out of the question—no hair, no style.
"Who doesn't have a hero dream?" Yondu joked.
"Here you go."
Allen pulled out a device from under his lab coat.
It was a headpiece and a specially crafted arrow.
"Daddy, I want a gift too," Ayesha said, looking enviously at Yondu.
"That was it. I already gave you my original psychic gear—how are you still not satisfied?"
Allen lifted his dust-covered foot, his tone tinged with melancholy. "I haven't worn shoes in forever."
It was true. Ever since rescuing Ayesha, the hospital gown and hard blue rubber slippers he had crossed dimensions with had been given to her.
His current lab coat was stolen off a beastman scientist.
The rest of the team exchanged awkward glances. They clearly remembered trying to get him to buy clothes back on Sakaar.
But Allen had flat-out refused.
Buying clothes? No way.
He was fed and clothed by the orphanage as a child, and then by the psychiatric hospital as an adult. He'd gone from freeloading as a kid to freeloading as an adult without missing a beat.
"Sorry, Daddy."
Ayesha lowered her head, ashamed. "I shouldn't be so greedy."
"Kindness should be rewarded. Father approves," Allen said, wearing the satisfied look of a doting dad.
The others turned away, sipping their drinks and playing chess. No one wanted to watch a lunatic con a simpleton. They made a mental note to spend more time educating the still-impressionable Ayesha—otherwise, she'd grow up a total ditz.
"Boss, what is this thing?"
Yondu had strapped the headpiece on, which now made him look like a rooster, and was fiddling with the arrow, completely clueless about how to use it.
He was a marksman, sure—but without a bow, how was he supposed to fire it?
"It's a whistle arrow. You control its flight path by whistling. I designed it specifically based on how you'll look in the future."
The current Yondu was still a teenager—his head hadn't been cracked open yet, and he hadn't grown into the grumpy old man who could whistle like a champ.
Fweee…
Thunk!
"Yondu, you dumbass! You stabbed me!"
The arrow, guided by his whistle, zipped through the air and nailed Illlusion, who had been watching with amusement.
"Sorry, first time using it."
Realizing how amazing the new gear was, Yondu eagerly dragged Illlusion outside to practice.
Ayesha cuddled Mimi while sipping juice, and the rest of the crew went on with their usual laid-back routine.
With a million energy credits, who'd bother working hard?
Allen lay on Hela's back, arms wrapped around her neck, and asked playfully, "Mommy, if I lead the Seven Lantern Corps, can I beat the Cyclops to a pulp?"
"Unfortunately, no," Hela replied matter-of-factly. "The gods of Asgard are unique in that the longer they live, the stronger they become. Right now, Odin's at his peak…"
At present, Odin was in his prime—not only powerful, but with remarkable stamina and endurance.
The Odin we saw in the Thor movies may have had even more terrifying power, but after a couple of big moves, he'd be drained, forced into slumber to recover his energy—and to pacify the raging force inside him.
This was the Asgardian gods' weakness: the stronger the power, the more robust the body needed to be. Without that physical resilience, overuse of power would lead to bodily collapse and death.
"Guess that Cyclops got lucky. Give it a thousand years and I'll bully that old man myself," Allen said with a sneer.
"Yeah, right. Before that happens, I'll have already kicked him off the throne," Hela scoffed.
"Well, damn!"
Allen gave a mock-surprised look. "Mommy, your family sure is full of fatherly love and filial piety."
"It's complicated… very complicated," Hela said, her eyes reflecting a tinge of sadness. She clearly didn't want to explain in front of everyone.
Normally, Allen would've teased her relentlessly, but he had already seen her in the future, ruling the underworld, and knew the truth behind her pain.
"Something's happened—everyone, check the StarNet news!"
A shocked bounty hunter shouted, as if he'd just seen something unbelievable.
Sure enough, the headlines on every major galactic platform felt like something out of a dream.
The Three Great Galactic Empires… had been defeated.
All three had surrendered to the Annihilation Zerg civilization.
Barely a week had passed since the Zerg War ended.
And now, a completely new force—the Annihilation Zerg—had appeared and crushed what the average interstellar civilization viewed as godlike empires.
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned.
To achieve such a sweeping victory in such a short time… just how terrifying were the Annihilation Zerg?
"Holy crap, the Spartan Empire's withdrawing from their occupied zones and retreating to the Behemoth Ring!"
Another piece of breaking news—just as shocking.
From the moment the Spartans invaded, their information had spread across the StarNet, making the entire universe aware of just how fearsome they were.
Now, even such a powerful empire was retreating. That spoke volumes about the Annihilation Zerg's unimaginable strength.
Allen sneered. "The only ones I consider worth my attention are the Tyranids and the Zerg."
"What the hell are you planning now?"
Seeing Allen pick up the Mjolnir, Hela called out urgently, "Don't do anything stupid!"
"I must."
Now that Allen had maxed out his warrior class, his very existence revolved around doing reckless things.
Outside the tavern—
Allen raised Mjolnir high and faced the seven Lantern leaders.
"The Annihilation Zerg from the Oblivion Dimension are threatening the order of this universe. As the leader of the Seven-Color Corps, I call upon the Seven Lantern Corps to join me in resisting this foreign threat!"
As soon as he finished speaking…
Silence.
No one responded.
The three great galactic empires had already surrendered. Everyone knew joining Allen now was basically suicide. Of course they weren't going to make such a meaningless sacrifice.
As long as they stayed alive, there was still hope to defeat the enemy. And now that the Spartan Empire had pulled back, there was no need to keep appeasing a lunatic.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Allen pressed. "Is it because you're just not talkative?"
"No thanks."
Sinestro raised a hand and led the Yellow Lantern Corps straight into space.
The others followed suit—without exception, they all withdrew.
Watching all his subordinates defect in unison, Allen was furious. He shouted after them, "Fine! Leave! I alone am enough to save the universe! Cowards! Don't you dare act tough in this universe again—bunch of gutless fakes!"
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