Chapter 580: The Fastest Man Alive!
The Chase
It took a good few minutes for the residual shockwaves from the explosion to finally subside.
The blast severely damaged the forces opposing Parallax. Half of the eight Green Lantern warriors were gone, and the remaining four were all wounded. The Earth contingent, however, was relatively unscathed. Clark and Linda were Kryptonians, fearless of energy attacks. J'onn's unique physiology allowed him to recover quickly from his minor injuries.
Luke, protected by Barry, had fled the battlefield at high speed and was completely unharmed.
Looking at the receding sun where the blast had occurred, Barry couldn't help but ask,
"Surely, it's dead now?"
Luke closed his eyes, sensing the surroundings carefully. Suddenly, a special energy fluctuation emanated from the explosion's center: the aura of the other half of the Fear Essence.
"Damn it! It's trying to escape."
Before he finished the sentence, he shot forward.
Clark and the others, having been alerted, followed closely. Upon reaching the blast zone, Clark instantly spotted the miniature form of Parallax. It was now only about two meters tall, constantly shimmering with light, and speeding away into deep space at an incredibly high velocity, indiscernible to the naked eye.
Its speed was so great that the light flashed, and its figure vanished on the distant horizon.
"We can't let it escape."
"That bastard holds a grudge. If it gets away, it will come back for revenge sooner or later."
The group set their course and pursued with all their strength, but the outcome was grim. The enemy's speed was simply too fast, like a streak of light slicing through the cosmos, covering dozens of kilometers in the blink of an eye.
After two minutes of chasing, the distance hadn't shrunk; it was growing wider.
Damn it!
Luke clenched his fist, his gaze dangerously cold. Everyone else's expression darkened. After expending so much effort and resources, they were letting the enemy get away. Letting a tiger loose would lead to endless trouble. If Parallax was allowed to recover, it would surely unleash a furious vengeance upon Earth.
No one wanted to see that scenario unfold.
Linda urgently asked, "Luke, do you have any way to stop it?"
Luke was grim-faced, unwilling to say a word.
"Maybe, I can try."
Barry stepped forward, awkwardly rubbing his head at the confused looks he received.
"I'm not entirely sure, but at full speed, I should be able to catch up. The thing is..." He paused, embarrassed. "...My strength isn't enough."
Even as a two-meter "little bug," Parallax's combat power still vastly exceeded Barry Allen's.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you can catch it, I can make it stop."
Luke hardened his resolve. He manifested a piece of paper talisman, then stabbed himself in the shoulder with a knife. Blood gushed out and floated in the void. He quickly formed a magical gesture with his hands. Golden talismans spilled from his palms and were controlled by a mysterious power, merging with the droplets of blood to form a Deification Seal glowing with golden-red light.
Go!
The seal landed on the paper talisman, the two combining perfectly.
Buzz!
A powerful divine fluctuation radiated outward. In that moment, the small piece of paper seemed to transform into a towering, unreachable mountain.
Luke gasped for breath, trembling slightly as he handed the talisman to Barry.
"Slap this onto it."
Barry nodded seriously, not asking for an explanation. After securing the talisman, he flexed his legs and vanished several kilometers away. The fully activated Speed Force enveloped his body, causing time itself to warp.
A lightning bolt streaked across the void. Barry Allen's figure slowly faded only at the edge of the visible universe.
"So fast!"
Clark couldn't hide his astonishment. Of everyone present, only he and Linda could barely make out Barry's movements. That lightning-wrapped figure was unimaginably fast. Wherever he went, time seemed to hit the pause button.
Perhaps, he's racing against time itself.
The Man Who Races Time
Barry had never run at his absolute full speed before. He didn't know what level his velocity would reach when pushed to the limit.
Now, he decided to find out.
To defeat Sinestro, Diana had lost half a shoulder. Luke had risked his life repeatedly. Clark had plunged recklessly into the creature's core. J'onn's mind had suffered a fissure.
Of the six founding members, Barry had contributed the least, becoming an almost negligible player.
As an optimist, Barry didn't usually mind this, but indifference didn't mean he lacked ambition. In the Justice League lineup: Luke was the leader and the mage/caster; Clark was the ultimate defense and tank; Linda and Diana were the shock troops; J'onn possessed formidable psychic power. Only he... had nothing but speed.
He had always been on the periphery of every battle, watching his teammates clash with enemies while he stood on the sidelines. This feeling wasn't good.
He wanted to prove himself, to prove he was worthy of the Justice League title. This was his best chance.
In the blackness of space, the yellow streak of light flashed and faded. Moments later, a bolt of lightning streaked forward with extreme speed.
The former flew at near the speed of light. The latter was running on the timeline.
What is the fastest speed in the universe? Unquestionably, Time. Nothing can compare to Time.
Parallax initially didn't sense anything. Gradually, as an inexplicable sense of danger reached it, it couldn't resist looking back. That single glance became an eternity.
Barry Allen, running at full throttle, was running on the nodes of time. With every step, the surrounding environment changed. Time stopped. Space looped. He wasn't just running; he was traveling back through time.
Parallax was the end point of the loop.
Barry found it. He saw the ugly face and the look of astonishment in its eyes.
Joy surged through his heart!
"I finally caught you!"
"Big bug, you can't run away."
"I am the Flash, the Fastest Man Alive! How could you possibly outrun me!"
Barry tremblingly pulled out the talisman and slapped it onto Parallax's forehead, then collapsed forward.
Time returned to normal, yet also seemed not to. Barry lay motionless in the void. The large bug's eyes were vacant, like a statue cast in gold.
The Aftermath
An hour later, the rest of the team arrived at the scene.
Luke immediately examined Barry's body. Confirming that he was only suffering from exhaustion and was not in danger, Luke burst out laughing.
"Good kid! You truly amazed me!"
The others were also filled with surprise and admiration. Parallax's speed was near light-speed, far beyond even Clark and Linda, yet Barry, the one with the lowest combat power, had become the key to victory.
Remarkable. Truly remarkable!
Linda's gaze shifted to the large bug, now sealed by the talisman.
"What are you going to do with it?"
The atmosphere immediately grew serious. Parallax's terrifying nature was obvious. If it escaped again, the consequences would be dire.
J'onn made a gesture of slicing his throat.
Luke shook his head helplessly. "Parallax is the physical embodiment of the emotion of Fear. It represents a fundamental force. As long as there is fear in the universe, it will never be destroyed."
"Then what do we do? We can't just keep it locked up forever."
Clark looked at Luke.
"Can you seal it permanently?"
Luke frowned, remaining silent. With his current ability, he could technically devour the other half of the Fear Essence. The problem was that if the two halves combined, Parallax would become complete.
A complete Parallax is a being that transcends gods.
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