Chapter 567: Reality Warping
The Waiting Game
Jupiter, inside a secluded natural cavern.
Two Green Lantern Corps warriors were hiding here, using Oa's technology to observe energy fluctuations across the entire Solar System.
They had been stationed here for over fifty days, yet they hadn't detected any abnormal energy signatures.
Both were impatient but helpless. The order was issued by the Guardians, requiring them to hold the Solar System and report immediately if any sign of the Sinestro Corps appeared.
Twelve other equally miserable Green Lanterns were stationed separately on Mars, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and aboard a spaceship hidden in the void.
The cause of all this was Hal Jordan.
When Luke claimed Sinestro would arrive on Earth within two months, Hal, unable to verify the information, told the Acting Corps Leader, Ganthet. Ganthet then passed the information to the High Guardians. Hal had expected the matter to be dismissed, but to his surprise, the Guardians took it seriously, deploying a full fourteen Green Lanterns to guard the Solar System. They had been there for over fifty days now.
With the two-month deadline approaching and no sign of Sinestro, the Lanterns were understandably annoyed.
Hal was beside himself. He felt he had been set up by Luke, calling himself a fool for believing his "love rival." Now, he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
The long-furred Green Lantern warrior with him, Tazzel, stated deeply,
"You should arrest that Earthling named Luke Shaw and ask him if he was lying."
Hal's mouth twitched.
"He has a Kryptonian bodyguard with him."
Tazzel immediately fell silent, feeling miserable as if he'd swallowed a fly. A Kryptonian under a yellow sun was nearly invincible. Although Tazzel was powerful, he wasn't confident enough to wrestle with a Kryptonian.
In the midst of their anxious wait, the two suddenly received a message from headquarters. After reading it, their expressions instantly changed.
Sinestro was attacking Headquarters?
He's insane!
The Fall of Oa's Defenses
Oa, the Green Lantern Corps Headquarters.
An eggshell-like shield tightly enveloped the massive planet located at the center of the universe. Nearly a thousand Green Lantern warriors gathered beneath the "eggshell," staring grimly at the vortex that had appeared above them.
Accompanied by a piercing, deafening buzz, a golden claw the size of a three-story building emerged from the vortex, followed by a huge, fanged mouth and an immense, seemingly endless body.
Its outer shell was golden-yellow and covered in barbs. Its limbs were dense, like tree branches, and its tail was terrifyingly long, spanning dozens of kilometers. It lay coiled in the void, resembling a prehistoric giant beast.
Fear, like a tsunami, washed over them, making everyone's mind tremble uncontrollably.
Ganthet stepped forward, his eyes locked on the figure beneath the giant beast. That person was tiny, like an ant compared to the massive Parallax, yet at this moment, he was the center of the world.
"Thaal, what should I call you? The peacekeeper who championed Will? Or the demon who wields Fear?"
"You may call me the Corps Leader."
A Green Lantern warrior roared,
"You've destroyed sixteen civilizations and devoured hundreds of billions of sentient lives! Your hands are stained with innocent blood. You don't deserve to be called a Corps Leader!"
Sinestro said indifferently, "I was referring to the Sinestro Corps Leader."
Ganthet's face shifted slightly. He subconsciously looked around.
"Where are your soldiers? Why haven't they come?"
"To deal with you, I am enough."
Sinestro raised his right hand. The gigantic Parallax dissolved into countless lines and merged into his body. His power continuously climbed. The terrifying energy fluctuations affected space itself, sending out rippling waves.
"Allow me to show you what true fear is."
With a flash, Sinestro appeared above the "eggshell," spreading his palm and pressing it against the barrier.
"The emotions of the universe—Rage, Avarice, Fear, Will, Compassion, Hope, and Love—are all intangible, void powers. When this void power develops to its extreme, it can manipulate reality."
"Watch closely, at the defense system you are so proud of."
An elusive power emerged. Time and space seemed to shift. Reality blurred. A patch of white foam appeared on the barrier. The foam rapidly expanded, consuming the entire field of vision.
A massive foam ball appeared overhead, and the eggshelled barrier disappeared at a visible speed.
In just over ten seconds, the defense barrier—hundreds of meters thick and strong enough to withstand star-destroying cannons—was gone, transformed into countless frothing bubbles.
Everyone was stunned, bewildered and shocked by the absurdity of what they saw.
That was the "eggshell!"
And it just shattered.
Sinestro clenched his fist, staring coldly down.
"That is the power of Reality Warping. Now, it's your turn."
The sky filled with dense energy cannons.
Boom!
Hundreds of light beams rained down. Some Green Lanterns were too slow to react and were instantly vaporized by the beams, dying instantly.
Ganthet yelled,
"Scatter! Surround him!"
The clustered Green Lanterns spread out, attacking from all directions. Long swords, bows and arrows, javelins, bullets, cannons, energy waves... Attacks of every form arrived almost simultaneously, with jaw-dropping results.
The long swords turned into wood. Javelins became noodles. Bows and arrows turned into toothpicks. Energy blasts turned into bubbles. No matter what the attack, it became completely harmless upon reaching Sinestro.
A Green Lantern materialized a flight platform, sped toward Sinestro, and swung a scythe at his head.
Puff!
The scythe dissolved into a stream of water, which Sinestro caught in his hand. He slapped the water back into the Green Lantern's chest. The moment the water entered the body, it turned into an ice spike, instantly piercing the heart.
"You are too weak. You are not worth my effort."
Sinestro released his grip, letting the Green Lantern's corpse plummet. His eyes glowed. Vast energy gathered within his body.
Boom!
A sun appeared in the sky. Endless brilliant light and several thousand degrees of heat combined to form a destructive radiation pulse. Green Lanterns nearby were instantly vaporized. Those further away clutched their heads, letting out agonizing screams.
Armor melted, bodies burned. Wherever the light wave reached, Green Lanterns dropped from the sky like dumplings.
Ganthet's eyes were bloodshot. He materialized energy claws and charged up, mad with grief, only to be grabbed by Sinestro by the neck and suspended in the void.
"You want to oppose me too?"
Ganthet thrashed his arms. His arms shattered into pieces. He tried to kick with his legs, and his legs split into eight shards.
"It's useless, Gig. No matter what you do, it will have no effect on me."
Sinestro casually tossed his former comrade aside. He quickly flashed away, reaching the core center of the Central Power Battery complex. This was Oa's energy supply heart. If it failed, the entire planet, including the entire Green Lantern Corps, would descend into chaos.
The core center was an absolute sanctuary. It had no defensive installations, nor did it need any, because the seven High Guardians were guarding it.
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