"Aaargh!"
A massive, twisted creature released a "sound" that everyone could somehow hear.
Within it, what had once been nothing more than a trace of fear had steadily grown-until fear was all that remained.
From the perspective of the onlookers, this scene was easy to understand.
Dense swarms of bats wrapped around the creature, rising and falling with its movements, gnawing endlessly. At first glance, it was grotesque. Terrifying.
When they heard those "cries," many Green Lanterns' expressions flickered.
The fear spilling out of Parallax resonated with the fear inside them.
Fear of-
Bruce.
As they watched Parallax being devoured, a question surfaced in their minds, uninvited.
What if Bruce devoured Parallax completely... became incomparably powerful... and then lost control to fear energy?
What if he became another Parallax?
A single Parallax-limited to crude, instinctive emotional attacks-had already caused catastrophic losses to the Green Lantern Corps.
If it were replaced by a Fear Lantern with intelligence, a ring, and imagination...
Wouldn't that spell the end?
The thought spread.
Was letting Bruce succeed really a good idea?
Should they seize this opportunity and seal both Bruce and Parallax together?
The idea surfaced among many Lanterns.
Some began to hesitate.
Some were tempted.
Bruce, controlling the countless bats as they gnawed relentlessly at Parallax, frowned slightly.
Fear.
As the wielder of the Yellow Ring, he sensed it with absolute clarity-especially fear directed specifically at him.
And right now, that fear was coming from the Green Lanterns.
So this is how it is.
Bruce immediately considered the possibility.
He had always been cautious. Suspicious by nature. From the beginning, he had never fully trusted the Green Lantern Corps-an off-world organization.
At best, they were temporary allies.
This situation needed to be handled.
Bruce wasn't afraid of the Lanterns becoming hostile.
First, he trusted his own strength.
Second, even if things went south-
He could call Morin.
That confidence was absolute.
It had been forged through countless painful lessons.
Through a mountain of dark history that could restart the universe.
Unshakable.
Bruce split off a portion of the bats.
He explained to Abin Sur that Parallax was attempting to reverse the situation through fear-which was entirely true-then redirected the bats toward the surrounding Lanterns.
They began to siphon fear from their hearts.
This time, Bruce added something extra.
A bit of... flavor.
If you're plotting against me, I can plot against you too.
Strike early. Prevent future trouble.
That's how I operate.
Bruce adjusted the bats' behavior.
He allowed fear to continue forming-then drained it.
Again and again.
The Lanterns became living generators.
It was worth mentioning that Bruce subtly changed the source of their fear.
If I remember correctly, Morin once mentioned he gave the Green Lantern Corps a thorough beating...
So the Lanterns' memories shifted.
They recalled that moment not long ago.
That human.
The one who looked harmless-just good-looking.
The one who turned into a Great Demon King.
The one who nearly shattered their spirits.
The one who seemed to still be holding back.
Terrifying.
And wait.
That Great Demon King... was also an Earthling?
And he was on very good terms with this Fear Lantern?
Then-
Any action against Bruce needed careful reconsideration.
Maybe dealing with Parallax alone was safer.
That Demon King was scary.
Their internal logic quietly shifted.
"No! Damn it, you fools!"
Parallax howled in rage as events spiraled far from its expectations.
It had already realized that brute force wouldn't break the Lanterns' seal.
And under the endless gnawing of the bats, it was only growing weaker.
Continuing like this meant death.
True death.
So Parallax devised a plan.
Feign weakness.
Feign terror.
Secretly amplify the Lanterns' fear of Bruce.
Push them to become wary.
Even to the point of sealing Bruce alongside it.
If it worked-
Bruce would become its own.
The situation would reverse instantly.
It could even score a double kill.
Against a human who had only recently obtained a Fear Ring, no matter how talented-
How could he compare to a being born directly from fear itself?
Once the Lantern Corps was dealt with, Parallax had a hundred ways to torment Bruce to death.
But-
The plan failed.
The Lanterns had followed the expected path.
But Bruce noticed immediately.
He sent fear bats without hesitation.
The fear hadn't reached its peak yet.
There was precedent.
So there was no resistance.
Hesitating Lanterns had their fear drained completely.
Resistance became impossible.
What enraged Parallax even more-
Bruce had realized something.
Fear was still growing.
But this time, it wasn't coming from Parallax.
It was coming from Bruce.
He had figured out how to stimulate others' internal emotions-
And harvest them.
Dammit!
Parallax howled.
Its thoughts raced for another escape.
Meanwhile-
"This... how is this possible?"
Aboard the Kryptonian ship, Zod stared in disbelief.
After reconnecting with Kryptonian air, weakness crept into his body.
He noticed it.
He ignored it.
One thought repeated endlessly in his mind.
How could I lose?
I am General Zod.
Born a warrior.
The strongest soldier.
A master of war.
The restorer of Krypton.
How could I lose?
"How could I lose..." Zod muttered.
"While I am somewhat surprised myself," Jor-El's projection said pleasantly,
"It doesn't matter."
"Consider this."
"You couldn't defeat me in combat."
"Now you can't defeat my son."
"And you lost in tactical planning as well."
"Isn't that perfectly reasonable?"
Just moments earlier, in a simulated military command duel using Kryptonian AI-
Zod had been utterly defeated.
Silence followed.
Everyone present understood the history.
Between the man and the AI.
Jor-El's mockery was justified.
And worse-
It was accurate.
Zod couldn't argue.
He couldn't fight an AI either.
So he stayed silent.
"Of course," Jor-El continued, twisting the knife,
"If you truly can't accept this, that's fine."
"According to our agreement..."
"We've won."
"Three to zero."
"Unless someone intends to go back on their word."
"Or launch another sneak attack."
"Oh-right."
"There's no way you'd win regardless."
Brutal.
Morin, watching from the side, felt genuine admiration.
A fellow practitioner.
At this level?
Impressive.
They could discuss sarcasm cultivation later.
Zod clenched his fists.
It's just an AI.
No reason to get angry at a dead man.
He suppressed the urge to fire heat vision.
Then remembered-
He couldn't.
Inside the ship, under Kryptonian conditions, he was weakened.
Damn it.
Everything the other said was true.
"...Fine."
Zod finally spoke.
Given the situation, reneging wasn't an option.
He would wait.
Look for another opportunity.
Accept fate?
Natural reproduction?
Impossible.
...
"Aaargh!"
Parallax continued its pitiful howls.
If one looked closely, it had shrunk slightly.
Not much.
But real.
Given its massive size, that "thin layer" was enormous.
Many fear bats left as palm-sized shapes.
They returned the size of giant fruit bats.
Bruce recalled them before they grew further.
Anything bigger would've looked strange.
He poured the energy back into the ring.
The cycle continued.
Back and forth.
Parallax shrank.
The yellow light on Bruce's ring grew brighter.
No recharge required.
In fact-
As fear energy increased, subtle changes began within the ring itself.
A perfect example of sustaining war through war.
Parallax understood now.
It had sensed danger earlier.
Now it was certainty.
If it didn't make a decision-
It would die.
Forever.
Despite having caused countless deaths, Parallax felt fear.
Death.
The final unknown.
The ultimate instinctive terror of all life.
"I surrender!"
Parallax shouted in desperation.
"I am willing to become your guardian beast!"
"I will stop resisting!"
"I will reside within the Fear Ring!"
"At your command!"
The Green Lanterns turned toward Bruce.
Including Abin Sur.
They all understood what that meant.
A Lantern Entity.
A guardian beast of a ring.
Immense power.
Rarely summoned.
Usually only providing buffs through possession.
Difficult to call.
Appearing only during major events.
But-
If Parallax truly resided within the ring-
Bruce would become the future leader of the Yellow Lantern Corps.
And his strength would skyrocket.
The thought...
Wasn't entirely unacceptable.
The Lanterns watched Bruce closely.
Waiting.
What would he choose?
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