"What's going on? I haven't seen you this happy in a while," Tony Stark asked Robert, noticing the amused expression on his face. Then he put two and two together about Robert asking for Oa's coordinates, and began chuckling as well. "So, could it be that after we killed Parallax's minion, he got scared and decided to run? And now he's heading straight for Oa?"
The other Avengers turned their attention to Robert, who shrugged and laughed. "He hasn't actually reached Oa yet, but he's getting close. I'd imagine the Green Lantern Corps will get an alert soon enough. After all, they did detect Parallax heading towards Earth initially."
As Robert spoke, the Avengers burst into laughter. It was a sort of cosmic justice, considering the Green Lantern Corps had planned to sacrifice Earth as a decoy to buy time to gain stronger power. Even if they hadn't succeeded, it was undeniable that all the planets Parallax had devoured along the way were a consequence of their actions. The Corps, after all, had given birth to Parallax, the source of such evil.
Now, the tables had turned. With Earth out of immediate danger, Parallax, wary after Hector's defeat, was heading for Oa first. Most of the Avengers found a great sense of satisfaction in this reversal.
"Well, to be fair, not everyone in the Green Lantern Corps is bad. At least Tomar-Re warned me about Parallax…" Hal admitted, feeling some relief but still a bit concerned for Tomar-Re, who had given him crucial information.
"Hal's right. We shouldn't judge the entire Green Lantern Corps. Otherwise, how would we be any different from them?" Steve Rogers nodded thoughtfully before adding, "Hal, go ahead and reach out to Tomar-Re. Let him know what's coming, and tell him the Avengers will do what we can to help… though we'll need a little time."
"Wait, what?" Hal was initially filled with admiration at Steve's response, touched by the Captain's moral compass and forgiving nature. However, Steve's follow-up completely threw him off. Hal had assumed the Avengers would act immediately, yet here was Steve saying they needed to wait.
"If we repay wrong with kindness, what are we supposed to do for kindness itself?" Steve explained calmly. "We're Avengers, not saints. Even Superman wouldn't rush to save the Green Lantern Corps after what they tried to pull. They need to learn a lesson, or else they'll just take Earth for granted and drag us into trouble again in the future."
Steve continued, "Still, we're not going to stand by and let Oa be destroyed. That would make us no better than they are, right?"
"Got it. I'll reach out to Tomar-Re and tell him to be cautious," Hal agreed, understanding now that the Avengers planned to give the Green Lantern Corps a taste of their own medicine, but wouldn't allow innocent lives to be sacrificed. He didn't worry too much about the Avengers' confidence in this decision. After all, they had a wealth of experience defending Earth against all manner of threats.
"Parallax is coming back?!" Meanwhile, on Oa, the Green Lantern Corps was fully assembled, waiting for Sinestro to master the power of the yellow fear ring and teach them how to wield it. In a secluded corner, Tomar-Re anxiously checked his messages and saw Hal's warning.
"What? Hal's okay? Parallax didn't attack Earth?" Tomar-Re's eyes widened. "What is that monster up to? Is he running a relay race? First, he goes to Oa, then turns to Earth, and now he's coming back here again? Is he out of his mind?"
Tomar-Re cursed, but he didn't waste time. Sinestro had yet to fully master the yellow power ring, and if Parallax attacked now, they wouldn't stand a chance. Though Hal had mentioned that the Avengers would support them, Tomar-Re didn't trust that Earth's "primitive" heroes could stand up to Parallax.
Thus, he knew they could only rely on themselves. His priority was to confirm Parallax's position and prepare the Corps for battle. If push came to shove, they'd have to convince Sinestro to grant access to the yellow ring's power immediately.
"What's up with Tomar-Re?" Several Green Lanterns looked over in confusion as Tomar-Re paced frantically. All eyes fell on Kilowog, his partner, hoping he might know.
"Don't look at me—I have no idea either," Kilowog said with a shrug. "I'll go check in with him. Looks like Sinestro needs a bit more time anyway."
"Bad news! Parallax is really coming! He's controlling a lifeform in a spaceship and is almost at Oa!" Tomar-Re shouted in panic as he rushed back.
At that moment, Sinestro's eyes snapped open, a gleam of yellow light flashing through them as his green uniform turned entirely yellow, though the style remained largely the same.
"The power of fear… So this is how it works," Sinestro murmured to himself. "Tomar-Re's fear has spread throughout the Corps, enabling me to grasp this power more quickly… Wait! Parallax is on his way here? Isn't Earth supposed to be an easy target? And isn't Parallax supposedly mindless? Why would he bother with a spaceship?"
Still savoring the distinct energy of the yellow ring, Sinestro snapped to attention at the news.
"Sinestro! No time to waste! Have you fully mastered the yellow—wait, you have?!" Tomar-Re's relief was evident as he approached, thrilled that Sinestro had unlocked the yellow ring's power. "Great! With the yellow ring, we'll be able to withstand Parallax!"
"Not everyone can wield the power of fear," Sinestro said gravely. He sensed the enormous pressure Parallax exerted on them, but knew they couldn't afford to falter. He needed to build a Yellow Lantern Corps. Only by combining the power of two corps could they have a chance of halting Parallax.
"Choose quickly. We're running out of time!" Tomar-Re urged, as a new wave of fear welled up in his mind. In the past, Sinestro would have scolded him for his lack of resolve, but now, even Sinestro was feeling the strain, despite wielding the yellow ring himself.
Hastily, Sinestro ordered the Guardians of the Universe to continue crafting yellow power rings and distributed them to the qualified Green Lanterns, converting them into Yellow Lanterns. But their numbers were still nowhere near those of the Green Lanterns.
"You must stop Parallax outside Oa, or the planet will be destroyed in the ensuing battle!" The voice of the Guardians resounded just as the Yellow Lantern Corps was formed. "He has reached our galaxy. Act quickly!"
Though the Guardians' voices were calm, the Yellow Lanterns sensed fear within them. This realization shifted the Yellow Lanterns' perspectives; the once revered Guardians suddenly seemed less awe-inspiring.
Despite this change in sentiment, the Yellow Lantern Corps and the Green Lantern Corps shot out from Oa as twin streaks of light. After all, Oa was their home, and they couldn't let it fall.
"Do you think they'll succeed?" the Guardians murmured among themselves once the Lanterns had left.
"They should be able to. Sinestro is exceptionally talented. He has grasped the power of fear and shared it. Though he doesn't control it as well as Parallax, he should at least help the Corps to resist him…"
"If only we had realized Sinestro's potential earlier; he might have prevented Parallax from ever being created."
"That's not necessarily true. Sinestro wouldn't have been easy to control, either. Besides, the fear power he wields isn't the same as Parallax's core energy. If he ever came face-to-face with the true source of fear, he might not fare any better than Parallax has."
"We can discuss Sinestro's future later. For now, we have a new problem. Once Parallax is defeated or driven off, what will we do with the two Corps? We can't keep them both on Oa, can we?"
"Remember, the power of the yellow ring is designed to counter the green. Even though there are fewer Yellow Lanterns, the Green Lanterns wouldn't be able to match them in battle…"
"That is indeed a dilemma."
The Guardians nodded in agreement, already grappling with the consequences of Parallax's defeat even as the battle was about to begin.
Meanwhile, in the depths of space, the Yellow and Green Lanterns flew in synchronized but distinct paths, creating two luminous trails that, to an outside observer, looked breathtaking.
Ahead of them, Parallax's eyes gleamed from within a spaceship, a ravenous glint in his gaze. "The power of fear! Fear energy! Perfect… Absolutely perfect!"
With a massive explosion, the spaceship disintegrated, revealing Parallax's colossal form as he hurtled toward the two Corps with glee.
"Stay alert! Coordinate your attacks and go all out! With the yellow rings, you don't need to fear him anymore. Your fear won't feed him!" Though now a Yellow Lantern, Sinestro still took command, directing the Green Lanterns. Streams of green and yellow energy blasted toward Parallax in varied forms, hitting him with full force.
Parallax roared, though his scream didn't carry through the vacuum of space, and his energy began breaking apart the Green Lanterns' constructs.
Even with fear taken out of the equation, the Green Lanterns couldn't match Parallax's raw power. Their previous defeat had less to do with fear than with the overwhelming strength disparity between them.
When the green energy shattered completely, Parallax's own yellow
fear energy began to pulse, pushing against the Yellow Lanterns' energy.
"Yellow Lanterns, increase output! He can't break our constructs!" Sinestro shouted, believing the yellow power to be stronger than green. He ordered the Yellow Lanterns to intensify their attacks.
But in the next moment, Sinestro's worst fears came true. Parallax's yellow energy overwhelmed theirs, binding the Yellow Lanterns as if with chains, immobilizing them all.
Sinestro realized with horror that the Yellow Lanterns weren't weakening Parallax; they were feeding him. Their fear energy streamed directly into him, turning them into a sumptuous feast for the monstrous entity.
Finally, Sinestro understood: Parallax was fear incarnate, the very source of the power they wielded. How could they ever hope to harm him with it?
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