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The battle had gone still, the black hole construct that had been tearing the battlefield apart dissolved into a slow swirl of violet dust, fading into nothing. The sudden silence was almost worse than the fighting Green Lantern constructs flickered uncertainly.
Kara was tired from deflecting the last attacks. She glanced around at the frozen lanterns, at Arthur's lowered arm, then back to the violet glow in his eyes.
Her voice broke the uneasy quiet. "Arthur… what's going on? Why did we stop? Why did they stop?"
Arthur's gaze was fixed far away, pupils narrowing like he was listening to something only he could hear.
"I told you before," he said, calm but edged with something colder, "something about all this felt wrong. Now I know why..Oa is under attack."
Across from them, Kilowog's head snapped toward him, his tusked jaw tightening. "Was this your doing?!" he growled.
Arthur turned his head, the movement slow, almost predatory. "No, you fucking idiot. I'm not a dirty fighter. If I wanted to wipe you out…" he gestured with one short blade of shadow, "…you wouldn't be standing here asking me these stupid questions."
Kilowog bristled but didn't move. Arthur's eyes swept the scene, dead Lanterns drifting in space, the wounded clinging to flickering constructs, Kara hovering between them all with a frown carved deep into her face.
"Now listen carefully, you overgrown hippo," Arthur continued, his voice cutting through the void like a blade. "This entire assault was strange from the start, wasn't it? They send you after me… and right now, right when you're here getting slaughtered by me. Oa just happens to come under attack? Think, idiot."
Kilowog's glare faltered. His head lowered a fraction, shoulders sagging as the weight of what Arthur said settled in. Without another word, he barked "All Lanterns..break off! Fall back to Oa immediately!"
The corps began to pull away, battered and bloodied light trailing after them like wounded comets.
Arthur floated there, arms loose at his sides, watching them. "Normally," he said, almost to himself, "I wouldn't let you walk away this easily."
Kara turned sharply toward him. "Arthur…" There was a sense of plea in her voice.
He didn't look at her. "But I want to see what's really happening on your precious little homeworld." His eyes narrowed in thought, the violet glow sharpening.
Kara stepped closer, her cape drifting. "So… should we go there as well?"
Arthur was silent for a moment, gaze distant, almost calculating. "…No. I have a bad feeling about this so I'll keep my distance."
She arched a brow. "Bad feeling? That's new for you to be cautious."
"Besides," Arthur went on, ignoring the jab, "someone powerful is already heading there with Jordan, I'm not really needed nor am I obliged to defend the people who just tried to capture me. I'll go back to Earth."
He didn't say it out loud, but the thought ran cold and clear in his mind 'Through my shadows' eyes, it looks like Lanterns are fighting escapee prisoners from the sciencells… but there's more to this. I can feel it.'
With a twist of his hand, the ring carved a jagged oval in space. violet light tearing reality open into a portal rimmed in shadow.
"You can go and help them if you want, Kara." he said, his voice neutral but not unkind.
Kara hesitated, glancing back at the retreating Lanterns, then at him. But Arthur didn't wait for her answer. He stepped through and vanished into the darkness of the portal.
****
OA -
The emerald world of Oa glowed against the darkness of space, but its beauty was marred by chaos. The barrier that surrounded the planet rippled violently, cracks of red and green energy spider-webbing across it. From within came the sound of battle ring-constructs clashing, roars of alien beasts, and the unending flare of lethal light.
Hal Jordan's jaw tightened as he slowed his approach, his ring projecting tactical readings in front of him.
"Clark… no time for subtlety. We're punching through."
Superman didn't argue. His eyes swept over the damaged shield hundreds of lives on the other side, all in danger. The next moment, he was gone in a blur. Airless space offered no sound, but the impact spoke through light alone two beams of crimson heat vision tore into the barrier like molten blades, carving it apart in a burst of debris. The breach was still sealing when Superman shot through, a comet of blue and red, his cape snapping in the vacuum.
Inside, the scene was worse than Hal had imagined. The air was blinding with the glow of rings, green, crimson, each tied to constructs battering one another. Hulking creatures of unknown origin only known to the Guardians tore through Lantern formations, some so warped and furious that even the rings' translations returned nothing but guttural static.
Superman hit the ground like a thunderclap, a wave of displaced dust rolling outward. He moved before the first creature could even register him, blurring between attacks, fists breaking through alien armor, eyes burning through abominations.
Above him, Hal's emerald light swept the battlefield. He was faster than any of the Lanterns present, constructs snapping into existence with precision, a blade to decapitate a charging beast, a wall to block a torrent of red blood from red lanterns, a sniper's shot to drop a winged monstrosity before it reached another fellow lantern.
A massive, red construct of a tusked brute came for Hal from behind, jaws dripping blood. Heat vision flared and the thing's head dissolved in a burst of red energy sparks before it could strike. Superman landed beside him, his eyes still glowing faintly.
"They're not stopping," Clark said, scanning the chaos. "We have to try and contain..."
"Contain?" Hal barked, whipping his arm out to slice a smaller creature clean in two. "Clark, some of these things aren't going in a cell. You can't reason with them."
Superman's frown deepened. "There's always a..."
That hesitation cost him. A serpent-like creature, faster than sound, wrapped itself around his torso, its jagged teeth biting into the 'S' on his chestplate. Superman grunted, heat vision flashing, but it only tightened its coils.
Hal didn't waste time to help. A massive emerald spike slammed through the creature, its coils exploding into chunks of black ichor. Superman caught his breath, staring down at the dissolving remains.
"Forget the no-kill rule with these things, Clark," Hal said flatly. "Or you're going to get someone killed. Maybe you."
Superman's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue again. This time, when the next wave came, he didn't hold back.
Kilowog arrived with the major wave of reinforcements, the surviving lanterns from Arthur's fight. His booming voice cutting through the din. Lanterns poured in behind him, light from their rings filling the ruined streets in a storm of green. With fresh numbers and coordinated formations, the tide began to turn. The most dangerous creatures those too far gone were eliminated. Others, like the escaped Red Lanterns, were battered into unconsciousness and shackled in reinforced constructs.
It was over in less than an hour.
The once-pristine training grounds of Oa were now scorched craters and shattered halls. Smoke and dust curled upward into the green-lit sky. Lanterns tended to their wounded while power batteries floated overhead, their glow dimmer than usual.
Hal stood with his hands on his hips, his face a bit saddened. "This is a first..." he muttered, eyes sweeping over the devastation. "Nothing like this has ever happened here. So much death. So much destruction."
Superman, still catching his breath, looked around at the broken city. His cape fluttered in the breeze, the silence between them almost as loud as the battle had been.
"I don't know what to say, Hal. As long as we stopped it… that's what matters now."
Hal turned his head, giving him a faint nod. "Thanks for your help, Supes."
Clark smiled faintly. "It's my duty, Hal. I didn't come here just as a friend. The Green Lanterns represent order and they are basically the police of the universe. Can't just stand by while they get wiped out."
A shadow fell over them as Kilowog landed heavily, his massive frame denting the cracked ground.
"Hal," he rumbled, "you been to the Guardians yet?"
Hal shook his head. "Not yet. Been a little busy here you know ?" He gestured at the carnage around them. Then his gaze sharpened. "Where the hell were you guys, anyway? We were running thin here, short on the best Lanterns. What the hell happened?"
Kilowog's expression darkened, his tusked mouth tightening. "That's why I asked. We were ordered to leave to go after someone. Arthur Blackwynd. From Earth."
Both Hal and Superman stiffened. "You went after Arthur?" Hal's voice was incredulous.
Kilowog nodded. "We engaged him. His shadow constructs…" He shook his head. "They're stronger than you can imagine. But that wasn't the real problem."
He gestured around them at the ruins. "This happened the moment we were in battle with him. You think that's a coincidence?"
Hal's jaw clenched. "Not for a second."
"I'm going to the Guardians," Kilowog said. "And I want answers."
Hal's lips curled into a grim smile. "Count me in."
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want