Meanwhile, in space, far from the solar system-at a distance unimaginably vast by human standards.
Groups of Green Lanterns formed battle arrays, standing in solemn silence as they awaited Parallax's arrival.
A streak of yellow light and a streak of green light arrived together.
Bruce and Hal.
"Parallax will arrive soon," Abin Sur said as he met them, his gaze briefly lingering on Bruce. "This is the fastest space-jump node on its route to Earth. The Corps has already formed its arrays. The moment Parallax appears, they will attack together."
He paused.
"However, your fear energy will conflict with the power of will. When the time comes, do not use fear energy."
"I know," Bruce replied, nodding.
He had no intention of acting first.
He wanted to observe Parallax-its strength, its weaknesses. If the Green Lanterns could handle it, he would stay out. If they couldn't, he would step in.
And if even that wasn't enough-
Then it would be time for the final option.
Calling for backup.
Using Green Lantern energy was not on the table.
Although Bruce had already drained the Green Ring dry in his manor's basement, used fear energy to forcibly destroy its control program, and then recharged it afterward, he still had no intention of relying on it unless absolutely necessary.
The reason didn't need explaining.
"What about me?" Hal asked eagerly. "What about me?"
"...You'll act as an energy conduit," Abin Sur said after a moment. "When the time comes, feed your energy into the core. We haven't trained together, there's no synchronization, and you don't understand the arrays. There's no time to teach you now."
Abin Sur couldn't see anything particularly exceptional about Hal yet.
Still, considering how many powerful beings had emerged from Earth recently, maintaining goodwill was the sensible choice.
In the vast universe, the number of individuals Abin Sur considered truly powerful could be counted on one hand.
Earth alone had produced several.
That was not normal.
At that moment, a clear wave of energy radiation swept through the void.
Everyone turned.
Ripples appeared in empty space.
The expressions of every Green Lantern tightened.
They all recognized it.
The sign of a space jump ending.
And they all knew what kind of existence would emerge from that node.
"Prepare for battle!" Abin Sur roared.
Boom!
On Mars, a violent collision produced a shockwave strong enough to peel away layers of ground, sending debris scattering in all directions.
A black figure.
A blue-and-red figure.
They crashed into each other.
And that was only the beginning.
"Decent power," Zod said, clad in his combat suit and helmet. "But far from enough!"
As he spoke, the ground beneath his feet exploded from the recoil, launching him forward like a cannonball. His speed instantly broke the sound barrier.
Bang!
Clark drifted backward through the air, taking the blow head-on.
He didn't move an inch.
What looked impossible was simply Clark linking his bio-magnetic field with Mars' magnetic field, dispersing the force evenly.
Zod was strong.
But he had not absorbed solar radiation.
And he was still wrapped in Kryptonian gas.
Under those conditions, the outcome was never in doubt.
"...Impossible."
Zod stared at Clark's hand, which had effortlessly caught his fist. Disbelief crept into his eyes.
How was this possible?
"If this is all the strength you have," Clark said calmly, driving a punch into Zod's torso and sending him flying, carving a trench across the Martian surface, "then your failure is inevitable."
"General!" Faora stepped forward instinctively.
"Stop," Diana said, moving to intercept. "Or would you like to fight me?"
"I have no interest in a fight with a predetermined outcome," Faora replied coldly.
"You mean the outcome where you lose?" Diana shot back.
After spending so much time with Morin, she'd picked up a bit of sarcasm.
"You-!" Faora's anger flared. "Fine. Then let's fight!"
"Gladly," Diana said, licking her lips.
A new battlefield opened.
The remaining Kryptonian soldiers exchanged looks.
Then, in unspoken agreement, they all turned toward Morin, who stood there looking thoroughly uninterested.
"...What?" Morin waved a hand lazily. "Planning to take me on? Honestly, my professional advice is to stay where you are and wait for the results."
He shrugged.
"Exploration is instinct. Suicide is not."
The Kryptonians' rage spiked instantly.
There were no direct insults.
Just layered mockery.
If they could tolerate this, they wouldn't have followed Zod into rebellion.
Even if they couldn't win-
They had to fight.
They stomped the ground in unison and charged.
"Even if it doesn't sound nice," Morin sighed, "I really am telling the truth."
He threw a punch.
Casually.
The first Kryptonian soldier was sent flying.
Then another.
Then another.
Punch after punch, Morin knocked them back.
He was holding back.
And yet, it was still boring.
This wasn't even a fight.
They were not elite Kryptonians.
They hadn't absorbed solar radiation.
They were surrounded by Kryptonian air laced with Kryptonite.
Under those conditions, compared to Morin, they were weak.
Pathetically weak.
After knocking them back once more, Morin waved his hand again.
"I'm bored. This doesn't even count as a warm-up. I have to keep restraining myself to avoid killing you, which is tedious. How about we stop here and wait?"
"Aaargh!"
Their rage peaked.
Morin lost interest.
Massive electromagnetic force erupted, forming powerful magnetic fields that locked the Kryptonian soldiers in place, completely immobilized.
Meanwhile, Diana and Faora's battle had reached a fever pitch.
Steel met steel.
Speed against strength.
Beauty and violence intertwined, forming a strangely pleasing contrast.
Morin watched with mild appreciation.
As for Clark and Zod-
Zod crawled out of the trench, coughing. His gaze was filled with suspicion and alarm.
"Your abilities," he said slowly. "Why?"
"I grew up on Earth," Clark replied, hovering in front of him. "I adapted. I absorbed stronger energy."
He continued calmly.
"Take off your helmet. Krypton suppressed its people for too long. Even the air. You should have been stronger. Krypton could've had a future, but it was destroyed by feudalism and isolation."
He looked directly at Zod.
"Are you still clinging to that tradition?"
"The air..." Zod shuddered.
"Right now, you're too weak," Clark said, battle intent rising. "Remove your mask. Let the Kryptonian air disperse. Absorb sunlight. Show me the power you were meant to have."
"Then fight me."
"I... am weak?" Zod took a deep breath. "In all my years, you're the first to say that. I am Krypton's General. The embodiment of its military might!"
"So that's why you lost to my father?" Clark raised an eyebrow.
Prolonged exposure to Morin had consequences.
Clark had learned sarcasm.
"...!"
Zod couldn't deny it.
And it made him furious.
He removed his helmet.
Kryptonian air dispersed, fading like the memory of Krypton itself.
The Kryptonite particles drifted away.
Unfiltered sunlight poured down onto Zod's body.
Mars' atmosphere was thin-barely one percent of Earth's density.
There was almost no filtering.
Cells that had been suppressed for years finally drank in sunlight like nectar.
Energy surged violently through Zod's body.
"Aaargh!!!"
He clenched his teeth, but a roar still tore free.
Clark had spent decades adapting under Earth's dense atmosphere, gradually mastering his abilities.
Zod had no such luxury.
This was raw, brutal absorption.
Every cell trembled.
Satisfaction and mutation arrived together.
Pain followed.
Even Zod couldn't suppress it completely.
But his will kept him conscious.
After dozens of seconds-
"How long did it take you?" Zod asked hoarsely, head lowered.
"Decades," Clark replied.
"And I needed fourteen seconds." Zod lifted his head, eyes glowing red. "You have top-tier combat genes. But you were born naturally. I was engineered."
Red beams erupted from his eyes.
Clark's heat vision met them head-on.
The clash ended as both withdrew and collided again.
This time-
Zod only stepped back twice.
"So even as a weapon of war," Clark said, slamming his head forward, "you still couldn't beat my father?"
"Aaargh!"
Zod exploded with rage.
That wound would never heal.
Dead men couldn't be challenged.
Not in this universe.
The battle resumed.
This time, it was even.
Boom!
In space, thousands of green beams surged forward, pouring into a massive green crystal.
It expanded.
It contracted.
Inside, a colossal entity thrashed violently.
Parallax.
Born of fear.
A Guardian corrupted.
"Green Lantern Corps," Parallax's voice echoed directly into their minds. "Your destruction is today. Abin Sur, your luck ends here!"
Sound didn't travel in vacuum.
Fear did.
As long as fear existed, Parallax could feed.
Civilizations had fallen.
Star systems had burned.
Once sealed by Abin Sur and a few Lanterns, Parallax had grown far stronger since then.
Now, even with thousands of Lanterns in formation, the seal wavered.
The crystal cracked.
Reformed.
Cracked again.
The intervals shortened.
A thought surfaced among the Lanterns.
We can't seal it.
What now?
Will I die?
Fear crept in.
"Hahahaha..."
Parallax laughed.
"I see it."
"I see fear in your hearts."
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