With a loud "buzz," as the energy of fear surged forward, the Avengers grew serious. Robert showed no intention of intervening, and Kara merely watched in silence. Peggy Carter, Lorna, and Susan Stone exchanged glances, then took the lead, releasing their psychic powers.
In an instant, the yellow fear energy collided with their invisible psychic power, and the two forces clashed continuously. It was evident that even with the combined psychic powers of Peggy, Lorna, and Susan, they couldn't fully overpower the Parallax's fear energy. Still, they were managing to hold it at bay, and the psychic energy wasn't immediately overpowered.
This demonstrated that while the psychic powers of Peggy, Lorna, and Susan weren't enough to defeat or fully counter the Parallax, they were still stronger than the Green Lantern Corps and the Yellow Lantern Corps combined. After all, the Green and Yellow Lantern Corps couldn't withstand even a single blow of fear energy from Parallax, especially not a strike in anger.
"They stopped it?!" On the other side, seeing Parallax attacking the Avengers, the Green Lantern Corps prepared to fight. However, before they could act, they saw Parallax's attack blocked by an unseen force, which left Sinestro and the other Lanterns wide-eyed, stunned and forgetting to attack.
Even if they had acted, it wouldn't have made a difference. Their power was nowhere near strong enough to harm Parallax, who had devoured countless planetary life forces and fears, far exceeding what the Green Lantern Corps could handle now.
"Roar?!" Parallax, equally surprised, had overestimated the Avengers' strength and still hadn't expected his attack to be so easily repelled.
Parallax sensed that there wasn't the slightest panic or fear among the Avengers. In fact, only three people were engaging him, while the rest merely observed, as if they were holding a trump card. Even as his fear energy took the upper hand, they showed no signs of fear...
Frankly, this situation left Parallax frustrated. His greatest strength was his ability to exploit his enemies' inner fears. Once fear took root in their hearts, he could erode their minds, gradually stripping away their ability to resist until they became his fuel.
But now, there was no fear to exploit among the Avengers, and even the Green Lantern Corps, seeing the Avengers' strength, began to sense a glimmer of hope for defeating Parallax and surviving, gradually forgetting their fear...
With a sharp hiss, Parallax intensified his output as he sensed the fear around him diminishing. The fear energy he unleashed grew thicker but also more clouded and murky, becoming infused with an even stronger emotional energy.
As the source of Hector's powers, Parallax was well aware of psychic abilities, which could battle not only in the physical realm but also on the mental plane!
With a hum, the consciousness of Susan Stone, Lorna, and Peggy Carter grew hazy as a massive creature appeared in their minds—the image of Parallax itself.
Inside their minds, Parallax wreaked havoc, aiming not only to disrupt their psychic output but also to stir up inner fear, allowing him to unleash his full power and use the distress of the three women to trigger fear in the other Avengers!
Most Avengers, unaware of the attack on the mental plane, couldn't perceive it due to their lack of psychic abilities. Only Robert and Miss Martian sensed Parallax's mental assault.
"Should I step in to help?" Miss Martian hesitated, casting a worried look at Robert.
Having faced Parallax before, she knew just how terrifying he was in the realm of consciousness. Although Parallax had an advantage due to his dominance in Hector's mind, his strength on the mental plane was formidable.
"No need," Robert shook his head, reassuring her. "If it were just one person, they wouldn't be able to endure it, but with three of them, they should be fine. Let them try for now, and I'll step in if needed."
In Robert's view, Parallax wasn't strong enough to kill them or destroy their spirits. This clash on the level of consciousness was, at best, a chance for growth.
After all, Susan Stone and Lorna had faced countless supernatural challenges since awakening their powers. Even if they hadn't always participated in the highest-stakes battles, they had certainly confronted numerous enemies. As a result, both Susan and Lorna had developed elite levels of resilience and combat awareness.
As for Peggy Carter, though her powers were more recent, she was a contemporary of Steve Rogers. While she hadn't directly fought in the same battles, her experiences establishing S.H.I.E.L.D. and engaging in various forms of conflict had honed her mental fortitude.
"Are you not afraid of me?" Parallax's vast form filled Lorna's consciousness, pressing her with an overwhelming, invisible force as he tried to sway her with words.
"Afraid? Of an ugly beast like you?" Lorna remained unfazed by his massive form, instead scoffing, "You might scare people who haven't seen real power, but anyone who has wouldn't fear the likes of you."
"True power? All life can only serve as my fuel! You're no different," Parallax roared in rage at Lorna's taunt. No one had ever maintained their composure in his presence while mocking him, not even Abin Sur.
As Parallax raged, Lorna's consciousness began to change. A subtle, invisible energy enveloped her mind and spread outward.
With a sudden hissing sound, Parallax's form began to dissolve, catching him off guard as he exerted pressure on Lorna's consciousness. He had no idea what was happening.
This dissolution was only the beginning. As time passed, his form continued disintegrating. Afraid of further depletion, Parallax hesitated to invest more power into Lorna's mind.
"What kind of power is this? It's breaking down my consciousness. How is she doing this?" Parallax's physical form looked gravely toward Lorna. As his power within her mind was entirely obliterated, his fear energy faced the same effect.
Lorna's power to dissolve not only worked on the mental plane but also in the physical realm. In fact, this mental application was a new development—Parallax was her first test subject.
As Lorna continued to dissolve Parallax's fear energy, Susan Stone and Peggy Carter, previously suppressed, found their situation easing. With Parallax's fear energy dwindling, they were able to drive his presence from their minds and rejoin the fight.
"Not bad," Robert nodded approvingly, seeing the three gaining the upper hand. The Avengers were now capable of standing on their own; after all, they were suppressing a monster that had decimated the Green Lantern Corps.
On the other side, Sinestro and the other Lanterns, observing Parallax's fear energy depleting with no casualties among the Avengers, were shaken, even questioning their role in the universe.
"Who's the real primitive race here? Are we really at the center of the universe? Are we really its protectors?" Tomar-Re and the others pondered, feeling as though they'd stumbled into an unfamiliar universe.
"Advance!" With Parallax's fear energy neutralized, Lorna nodded to Tony Stark and the others, and Steve Rogers gave the order, flying ahead.
In space, Steve's movement was made possible by a suit of armor marked with stars and stripes—something Tony had prepared for him in case of an emergency in space.
Following Steve's lead, Peggy, worried for his safety, quickly followed, and the other Avengers joined in. Their numbers were modest by cosmic standards, still far from the size of the Green Lantern Corps. Yet, Parallax felt a distinct pressure from the Avengers.
"Aren't you going to join in?" Robert held back Miss Martian, looking at Kara with a smile.
"If I get involved, they won't get a chance. This guy's big and durable but not that strong. Diana or I could take him down solo," Kara replied confidently.
"True. They might be able to defeat him, but it'll take you to finish him," Robert agreed with a nod.
As Robert spoke, the battle resumed. Surprisingly, the first strike wasn't from Steve or any of the Avengers but from Sinestro, who, growing self-conscious about being sidelined, launched an attack. However, it barely affected Parallax, only drawing his attention.
"I'll devour you first!" Parallax, sensing the threat from the Avengers, turned to the Green Lantern Corps, viewing them as fuel for his power boost.
With a roar, he directed a wave of yellow fear energy toward them. A thunderous explosion followed as the fear energy hit Parallax's body, causing him to tremble and miss his target slightly, striking only a few Green Lanterns, who were instantly consumed as fear energy.
"Get them to back off!" Lorna scolded Hal, "It's fine for you to hang back here, but they're too far and too careless. Johnny can't always save them."
"I understand!" Hal transmitted Lorna's message to Tomar-Re, though he himself felt a twinge of disappointment. He had once considered the Green Lantern Corps to be equals with the Avengers, but now it seemed almost laughable to make that comparison.
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