Chapter 586: Instant Massacre
The Veil Drops
The Green Lantern warriors, realizing the severity of the situation, quietly intensified their power. Some even used their full strength.
Clark and the others' pressure multiplied.
Suddenly!
A green energy beam slipped through a gap in the defense and struck the formation.
Buzz!
The formation rippled like water. The next second, two more attacks hit. The water ripples shook violently, and with a bang, the shimmering light vanished. Everyone finally saw what was inside.
A pale-faced young man was sitting on the ground. Five exquisitely shaped Yellow Lantern Rings floated in front of him.
They looked around but found no trace of Parallax!
The Green Lantern warriors stopped simultaneously, their expressions showing confusion.
Didn't they say Parallax was on the island? Where did it go?
Linda ignored everyone else, asking in a tense voice,
"Luke, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Before she finished speaking, an unimaginable wave of Fear Essence erupted from the center of the island.
Boom!
The almost solidified wave pushed outwards. Everyone felt a shadow fall over their hearts, as if their bodies were plunging into an abyss.
Luke quietly opened his eyes. Light flowed within them, distinguishing an illusionary figure. The illusion solidified and grew against the wind, becoming a six-armed giant over five meters tall.
A sword, spear, saber, mace, bow, and arrow appeared one by one in its hands.
Green flame burned fiercely, mixing with the Fear wave to form a terrifying domain that made everyone tremble. All the Green Lantern warriors had their souls utterly terrified, standing paralyzed and horrified where they were.
Diana realized what was happening and quickly shouted,
"Luke! Don't!"
Unfortunately, it was too late. The illusion rose into the sky, raising the longsword wrapped in flame.
Whum!
A blade-light dozens of meters long flashed and faded. Time seemed to freeze, followed by horrific screams and the bursting of blood like watermelon juice.
Over thirty Green Lantern warriors were instantly cut down. The sky rained blood.
Luke drew his bow, nocked ten arrows, and fired. With a series of dull thuds, another ten men fell.
The horrifying scene made everyone's scalp crawl.
Already restricted by fear, the Green Lantern warriors felt endless despair. When they saw the sword raised again, their hands and feet trembled uncontrollably.
"Die!"
The sword's edge spat out a column of green fire, ready to strike, when an energy cannon blasted from a distance, hitting the sea and kicking up massive waves.
Luke turned his head. Green light sped toward them from the distance, and before it even arrived, Hal's panicked voice carried across the water.
"Stop! Stop, everyone! Don't fight!"
Diana, Clark, and J'onn rushed forward, shielding Luke. Seeing them, Luke snorted, put away his weapons, and reverted to his normal form. At the same time, the terrifying domain covering the area vanished.
The Green Lantern warriors, whose mobility was restored, stood stock-still, their eyes dim and lifeless, completely devoid of their earlier vigor.
Kilowog, Hal Jordan, and a few other Lanterns quickly flew in. When they saw the shattered corpses floating on the sea, their cheeks twitched uncontrollably.
They had hurried as fast as possible, but they were still too late. In just a few seconds, over forty of their comrades had been brutally killed.
Rage boiled in Kilowog's heart. He clenched his fist, staring intently at Luke. The others were also grim-faced, cold light visible in their eyes.
"It seems you are not convinced. Good, come at me all at once then!"
Luke's figure grew taller, and the terrifying domain reappeared, hanging over everyone like the Grim Reaper's scythe. Unlike Parallax's ability, the fear Luke released penetrated the soul. Beings affected by the domain felt the pain of their soul being scorched, frozen, and devoured. This pain evolved into fear, infinitely compounding.
This was the new ability Luke had gained from devouring the Essence. He had become a master of crowd control. Anyone whose soul strength was insufficient would be tortured by the domain.
The Green Lantern Corps was the first to experience this power. Even with their iron-clad willpower, they involuntarily shivered. In this state, fighting was difficult, let alone acting normally.
Fear!
Fear was everywhere.
It was born from the depths of the soul and spread to every corner of their being.
"That's enough, Luke."
Diana grabbed his arm, gently shaking her head. Clark and J'onn stepped in to dissuade him. Linda also joined, though she disliked the Corps, she didn't want the conflict to escalate into a war of total annihilation.
With all five urging him, Luke had no choice but to retract the domain, standing aside with a look of displeasure.
Kilowog took a deep breath, raised his right hand, and ordered the Lantern warriors to retreat. Once everyone had pulled back, he and Hal walked forward.
"Luke Shaw?"
"That's right. Who are you?"
"Kilowog, acting Corps Commander of the Green Lantern Corps."
Luke instantly realized. No wonder he looked familiar. He's a key character. "Since you're the Corps Commander, am I to assume that the attack just now was ordered by you?"
"No, the Green Lantern Corps is an egalitarian organization. There is no hierarchy of superiors and subordinates. Every member of the Corps is an equal."
Luke sneered. "You're trying to shirk responsibility."
Hal couldn't help but interject,
"That action was a private one. We were unaware of it. You can't pin the blame on Kilowog."
Luke glanced at him, slightly suspicious of his fence-sitting attitude.
"Regardless, the attack happened. You must give me an explanation."
Kilowog ground out angrily, "If anyone owes an explanation, it's you."
Luke chuckled. "My Orc friend, I think you've mixed up cause and effect. You attacked first. My actions are, at most, excessive self-defense. And Sinestro, we risked our lives to capture him, yet you came and took him away without any compensation."
"How is that any different from being a bandit?"
Kilowog: "..."
"I'm not talking about that."
"Then what is it? Go ahead and say it, so I can at least know why I'm dealing with this."
Kilowog asked, word by word,
"I ask you, did you tell Hal that Sinestro would travel to Earth within two months?"
"Yes."
"How did you know his plans? Do you have some leverage over Sinestro?"
"You could put it that way."
Kilowog took a deep breath, asking the most critical question. "Do you know how many people Sinestro killed on Oa?" Without waiting for an answer, he provided the number himself.
"Over five hundred accomplished Green Lantern warriors, and millions of civilians affected. All of this happened because of you, because of your concealment. Oa suffered unprecedented damage."
Luke couldn't help but laugh. "Your logic is truly strange. You lack the ability to protect yourselves, yet you shift the blame onto an outsider."
"Is that not true?"
"Of course not."
Luke stopped smiling, grabbed Kilowog's uniform, and pulled him close. "Half-Orc, you listen to me. The reason Sinestro acted early is because I was bluffing him. You know how I bluffed? It's simple: I told him that if he didn't come, I would send the other half of Parallax's body to the Green Lantern Corps headquarters."
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