Next to Alfred's hand was a mechanism Bruce Wayne had personally upgraded as part of his contingency plans. Ever since his body began manifesting two conflicting energies—the yellow light of fear and the black power of the Dark Dimension—Bruce had been deeply worried about losing control. True to his calculating nature, he had prepared for the worst. No one could accuse Bruce Wayne of not being thorough—or ruthless with himself.
"I'm still holding it together for now," Bruce said, his eyes remaining closed as he focused on the warring energies within him. Despite this, he recognized Alfred's presence simply by his footsteps. His voice was strained as he issued his order. "But I can feel it... If the yellow light overtakes the black, you press that button. No hesitation. Until then, contact the Avengers. Gotham has another Yellow Lantern running loose. Let them handle it while I deal with this."
"Understood, sir," Alfred replied, his tone unwavering. Though there was a flash of sorrow in his eyes, he had no intention of questioning Bruce's decision. Alfred had long accepted that Bruce Wayne would go to any length, even sacrificing himself, to protect Gotham and the world.
In the Avengers Tower…
"Something's wrong in Gotham?" Tony Stark said as he received the distress call from Alfred. Without delay, he had J.A.R.V.I.S. scan for activity in Gotham.
Out of respect for Bruce Wayne, the Avengers generally avoided interfering in Gotham's affairs. Gotham was considered Batman's domain, and Bruce rarely needed assistance from anyone. However, Alfred's request for help was unprecedented, and it signaled a dire situation.
"I'm detecting a massive scarecrow-like figure wreaking havoc in Gotham. The energy signature is highly similar to that of Parallax," J.A.R.V.I.S. reported, projecting an image of the chaos in Gotham onto the screen.
On the display, the Scarecrow loomed over Gotham's streets, his monstrous form larger than when he had first emerged from Arkham Asylum. His scythe and rake had grown to immense sizes, and every swing brought death to civilians and destruction to buildings. Entire blocks were collapsing under his rampage.
"Fear!" the Scarecrow bellowed. Even through the video feed, the Avengers could hear the terrifying resonance of his voice. Yellow energy and gas radiated from his form, spreading terror across Gotham. The affected area grew wider, and the number of people succumbing to fear increased exponentially.
"That's a Yellow Lantern ring!" Tomar-Re, the Green Lantern Corps member stationed on Earth, immediately recognized the glowing yellow ring embedded in the Scarecrow's chest.
Rather than a typical ring on his finger, the Yellow Lantern ring had transformed into an amulet hanging on the Scarecrow's chest. It radiated a blinding yellow light, continuously feeding power into his monstrous form and pushing his abilities to new heights.
"But wasn't Parallax and the fear energy completely eradicated? How is there a Yellow Lantern ring here?" an Avenger asked as the team suited up and prepared to head to Gotham.
"I don't know!" Tomar-Re admitted helplessly, spreading his hands. "Emotional spectrum energy is a universal force. Even if we thought Parallax was destroyed, it's possible for fear energy to reemerge and condense again. This isn't something we fully understand."
As the Avengers, the Green Lantern Corps, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj, and even the Guardians of the Galaxy arrived in Gotham, the timing couldn't have been worse for the Scarecrow.
The powerful heroes weren't in Gotham specifically to deal with the Scarecrow. They had gathered on Earth to prepare for the ongoing threat posed by Darkseid, Steppenwolf, and their army of Parademons. The intergalactic battle had paused briefly, allowing the various teams to remain on Earth. This coincidental gathering now placed an unprecedented number of powerful beings in Gotham at the exact moment the Scarecrow launched his attack.
The Scarecrow (internal monologue):
"I'm just a scarecrow... a scarecrow! Sure, I have a Yellow Lantern ring and fear powers, but come on! Did it really take this many superheroes to stop me? Why do I have to fight the Avengers, the Green Lantern Corps, Kamar-Taj, and the Guardians of the Galaxy all at once? What is this, overkill?!"
The Battle in Gotham
The sky above Gotham erupted with explosions and energy beams. The sounds of combat filled the air as attack after attack rained down on the Scarecrow.
"BOOM!"
"WHIRRR!"
"SWOOSH!"
"CRACK!"
The combined forces of Earth's mightiest heroes continuously bombarded the Scarecrow, interrupting his rampage. Though his monstrous form tried to fight back, the overwhelming force of so many opponents left him no time to retaliate. Instead, he was forced to use his fear energy to heal his injuries.
To his credit, the Scarecrow's power had reached impressive levels. He had pushed the Yellow Lantern ring to near its full potential, though this was less a result of his own efforts and more due to Kuur's manipulation from afar. Under Kuur's influence, the Scarecrow's power was nearly on par with Parallax before it consumed large amounts of fear or fused fully with the fear energy.
However, the Scarecrow lacked Parallax's durable body, making him easier to deal with in a direct confrontation. More importantly, while Parallax could grow stronger by absorbing fear, the Scarecrow could not. All the fear and terror he generated was siphoned across the cosmos to Asgard, where Kuur absorbed it to bolster his own strength.
In truth, the Scarecrow was little more than a pawn—a tool for Kuur to harvest fear energy. The destruction and terror he caused were not even his own intent. While his rampage reflected his deepest desires, he had no control over his actions, as he was entirely under the Yellow Lantern ring's influence.
"Restrain him! We'll drag him into the Mirror Dimension. If this continues, the casualties in the city will only increase!" Kaecilius from Kamar-Taj shouted to the Green Lantern Corps.
"Understood!" The Green Lanterns responded swiftly, using their constructs to form chains and bind the Scarecrow. He struggled to break free but was unable to overcome the combined power of the Green Lanterns.
WHOOOSH!
Moments later, the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj opened a portal to the Mirror Dimension. Those with weaker abilities helped stabilize the portal, while the stronger sorcerers worked to pull the Scarecrow into the alternate plane.
Gotham Citizens React
As the Scarecrow vanished from the streets, the surviving citizens of Gotham let out collective sighs of relief.
"The monster's gone…"
"Thank God the superheroes showed up…"
"But where's Batman? Why didn't he come out this time? Why is the Avengers team here? And wait… are those Green Lanterns? Since when were there so many of them?"
Gotham's citizens, much like those of New York, were hardened survivors who had grown accustomed to extraordinary events. However, Gotham was typically Batman's territory. The absence of their protector during such a major crisis left many feeling uneasy.
The Avengers, however, weren't concerned with explaining themselves. They had come to help, and now that the immediate threat had been neutralized, they were content to leave the rest to Bruce Wayne. Whether it was repairing the city, calming the citizens, or reestablishing Batman's presence, those were matters for Bruce to handle.
In the Mirror Dimension
The Scarecrow, still under the Yellow Lantern ring's control, continued to lash out violently. However, he soon noticed something strange. The "city" around him was eerily quiet. No ground-level civilians remained. All the beings he could sense were in the air above him.
The Yellow Lantern ring hesitated, its rudimentary intelligence unable to process the new situation. Without direct orders from Kuur, who was still in Asgard, the ring had no strategy for dealing with the unique properties of the Mirror Dimension.
The Scarecrow also froze, his movements halting as the ring's lack of guidance left him aimless.
"What's going on? Did he break?" an Avenger asked, puzzled by the Scarecrow's sudden inaction.
This did nothing to stop the heroes from neutralizing him. With coordinated precision, Susan Storm and Lorna Dane used their powers to telekinetically remove the Yellow Lantern ring from the Scarecrow's chest.
As soon as the ring was removed, the Scarecrow reverted to his human form, collapsing to the ground. His consciousness returned, and he was flooded with memories of the chaos he had caused.
Despite his monstrous actions, the Scarecrow had been fully aware of everything that had happened. Deep down, he had enjoyed every moment of it. For once, he had achieved his lifelong dream of spreading terror and death on a massive scale.
But now, surrounded by Earth's mightiest heroes, the Scarecrow realized the nightmare was over—both for Gotham and for him. And he couldn't escape the sinking feeling that his punishment would be far worse than a cell in Arkham Asylum.
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