Chapter 569: Parallax vs. The Justice League (Part 1)
The Green Lanterns Are Cut Off
Solar System, on a hill somewhere on Jupiter.
Upon learning that Oa had been invaded by Sinestro, the sixteen Green Lantern warriors stationed here immediately gathered, including Hal Jordan.
They maintained contact with headquarters, constantly monitoring the war's progress, ready to use their rings to teleport back immediately if needed.
The battle was more intense than anticipated.
Sinestro alone had shattered Oa's vaunted defense system. Facing the Green Lantern Corps' attack, he displayed unimaginable power; no matter what kind of attack was launched, it would transform into a harmless existence upon reaching him.
Interfering with reality, warping reality!
A power that existed only in legend had truly appeared.
The Green Lanterns exchanged glances, feeling both angry and uneasy. Just as they were asking headquarters if support was needed, communication was cut off.
What was going on?
Hal Jordan quickly activated his ring's communication device—no response. The others fared the same.
They looked at each other, all sharing a sense of dread.
The long-furred Green Lantern warrior, Tazzel, said heavily,
"I need to go back and check."
He activated the ring's teleportation function. Nothing happened.
He was stunned. The others, seeing this, quickly activated their rings. Without exception, everyone's teleportation function was disabled.
The universe is too vast, with a diameter of tens of billions of light-years. The loss of the teleportation function meant they would be stuck in the Solar System forever.
"Why is this happening?"
A young Green Lantern warrior asked in confusion, "This has never happened before."
"Maybe it's just temporary. It should recover soon."
The atmosphere turned silent. They waited for two full hours, but nothing returned to normal.
"We're in trouble."
The oldest Green Lantern, Collins, shook his head, his expression unusually grim.
"The ring's communication and teleportation capabilities are controlled by the Central Power Battery's core center. In hundreds of millions of years, there has never been an outage."
"It was Sinestro."
"He must be the one responsible! Destroying the core center to sever our link with headquarters and prevent us from providing support."
Hal hesitantly raised his hand. "I have a question: Is the ring's connection to Oa one-way or two-way?"
At his words, everyone's face changed instantly.
Someone couldn't help but say, "Could his target be Earth?"
"There's no saying it isn't possible. In any case, heighten our vigilance. We absolutely cannot give him an opportunity."
After exchanging information, everyone returned to their posts with apprehension, monitoring the Solar System's energy fluctuations while praying for a turn of events.
Unfortunately, after three full days, the rings still hadn't returned to normal. Instead, the worst-case scenario materialized: a vortex appeared in space near Uranus.
Three spaceships bearing the Sinestro Corps emblem sailed out of the vortex, closely followed by a gigantic, incredibly hideous golden insect.
The moment it appeared, all life in the Solar System felt a fleeting shadow of Fear.
Fear assaulted them from above, taking root in their hearts.
The Justice League Deploys
Metropolis, Tesla Headquarters. Luke, who was giving a presentation, suddenly left his office. Simultaneously, Clark, J'onn, Barry Allen, and Diana, having received the alert, rushed to the Justice League Headquarters at top speed.
The six gathered there and boarded the Conquest, heading for outer space.
"Boss, he's really here."
Luke nodded grimly. "I can feel it. He's not far from Earth."
Barry took a deep breath, feeling a mix of nervousness and fear. The performance of his space armor was robust enough to ensure all his needs in a vacuum, but it was still outer space—no air, no gravity. If his armor breached, he was finished.
Luke glanced at him.
"Don't worry too much. We'll handle the killing blow. You just need to be ready for support."
He then took out five beautifully crafted jade stones that glowed with a fluorescent light and were inscribed with talismans.
"Place this over your heart."
Diana took the jade stone. As soon as it touched her hand, her eyes lit up. A coolness flowed from the smooth jade, circulating through her body and mind, immediately calming her nerves.
"What is this..."
Luke smiled. "The jade contains a Heart-Calming Spell I cast. It will help you maintain your resolve when subjected to Fear. The effect is limited, so use it sparingly."
Hearing this, everyone's movements became gentle. Barry examined the jade stone up and down, unable to resist asking,
"Is this a legendary magical artifact?"
"You could put it that way."
"Then why didn't you make more?"
Luke grimaced. "You think it's cabbage? It took me twenty full days to cultivate just five. Be careful not to break it."
As they spoke, the Conquest left the atmosphere and entered outer space. It accelerated, the surrounding scenery flashing past. In just a few dozen seconds, they had passed the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Upon reaching the vicinity of Uranus, a strong wave of Fear struck them. The team's bodies stiffened. Barry even shivered uncontrollably.
In the blackness of space, an impossibly huge golden insect lay coiled in the void. Its body, covered in dense limbs and shell, was full of barbs. Its mouth was enormous, taking up half its head, with rows of terrifying, saw-like fangs.
Its appearance was utterly grotesque, causing a feeling of profound horror just by looking at it.
Barry swallowed hard.
"Parallax?"
Luke remained silent, his gaze sweeping the surroundings. He saw over a dozen green-glowing figures and dozens of yellow-glowing warriors fighting them. If he was right, these were the Green Lantern Corps soldiers stationed there and Sinestro's subordinates.
"Boss, I want to ask: how did you seal it back then?"
Luke waved his hand in annoyance.
"Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
Linda chimed in. "The Parallax that appeared on Earth back then was less than one ten-thousandth of its current size."
The air became utterly silent.
Barry Allen's mouth dropped open. "So, its power is now more than ten thousand times stronger than before?"
Linda glared fiercely at him. This guy is truly asking for a punch. It was one thing for him to be scared, but why spread it to others?
Diana put on her face mask, drew the Sword of Hephaestus, and her eyes glowed like a wild beast's.
"I have slain countless monsters, but I have never encountered an insect this enormous. Today, I might have a new achievement."
Clark clenched his fist. "It chose the wrong target."
J'onn laughed.
"Luke, when we go back, can we stop at Mars? I'd like to take a look home."
"No problem. You can look for as long as you want."
Linda snorted coldly. "You all talk too much."
With that, she opened the hatch and flew out.
Diana immediately followed, then Clark and J'onn. Barry and Luke were the last. Thinking about the future, Barry suddenly made a suggestion.
"We should film the battle video. It would make a great movie."
"What movie?"
"Parallax vs. The Justice League. What do you think?"
Luke curled his lip. "Simple and direct, completely devoid of artistry."
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