Just as Nick and the others expected, Darkseid's greatest foe is the Primary Universe Batman. So when he acquired great power and ascended above the Individual Universe, the first thing he did was cause trouble for the Primary Universe Batman. At this moment, the Manhattan Batman and the Super Body are already engaged in battle with Nightmare Darkseid.
Indeed, the two together can only barely hold their own against Nightmare Darkseid. After all, Nightmare Darkseid wields two types of origin power, and they are well-combined, making both his physical and psyshock attacks formidable. As long as one possesses wisdom, they inevitably get affected, making this battle quite arduous.
The Manhattan Batman, though capable of using high-dimensional suppression against mages, isn't effective against Nightmare Darkseid. The opponent is of a Multiverse level existence, making dimensions incapable of restricting him, especially since he has the Nightmare Domain. This entity does not belong to any dimension and cannot undergo quantum conversion.
Luckily, the Life Force of the Super Body can suppress the power of darkness, but they have no means against the Power of Dreams. Thus, the two of them revert to a back-and-forth with quantum attacks combined with Life Force assaults, but still cannot drive Nightmare Darkseid away.
Not to mention that the Nightmare Domain is continuously spreading in this direction, and it won't be long before it fully envelops this area. Although Manhattan Batman and the Super Body aren't afraid of him, there are still ordinary heroes here who need to retreat now.
"We still have to go to Earth," Arkham Batman said, "The Magical Defense Network inherently counters all energies. Even if Darkseid expands the Nightmare Dimension across the entire universe, it may not shake Earth's Magical Defense Network."
"I understand," the Primary Universe Batman said, "It's just that we can't leave yet; we have to wait a little longer."
"Although it might be better to let them come to us, this is clearly not the time to worry about pride," Big Adventure Batman advised. He thought that the Primary Universe Batman wanted to assert control, hence wanting the other party to approach them.
Yet, the Primary Universe Batman shook his head and said, "We've invited Dr. Pym from the Primary Universe, and he's currently deciphering the effect of the Pym particles on a mysterious object. The experiment is at a critical stage and cannot be moved easily. We need to hold out here for at least 10 hours."
"Ten hours should be fine," Arkham Batman said with a frown, "After all, the Nightmare Domain isn't spreading that quickly and likely won't reach here. But what exactly is that mysterious object for?"
"We're not clear yet, but it's certainly important," the Primary Universe Batman said, "and might become one of our ultimate weapons. Bruce!"
Bruce, sitting there, turned his head and asked, "What?"
"See if you can interfere with the power of darkness within Darkseid, since it's a power you brought along. Disrupting him would make dealing with him much easier later on."
Bruce didn't move; he just shook his head and said, "It's not just me—even Barbados wouldn't be of any use. That entity has already completely fused with the Power of Dreams, becoming a new kind of origin power. I've completely lost control over it."
The Primary Universe Batman fell into contemplation. But then, Bruce continued, "However, Barry can traverse within the Nightmare Domain."
The Primary Universe Batman immediately looked at him. Bruce went on, "I've already sent him over. Although he can't do much now, he might deliver a heavy blow at a crucial moment."
The Primary Universe Batman knew that the Barry from Bruce's universe possessed a unique Divine Speed, seemingly fused with the power of darkness. Both being fusions of power of darkness, they might share similarities and allow permeability. Barry, lurking within the Power of Nightmare, might indeed play a key role.
After the meeting, Bruce entered the ward. Hal's complexion was still pale; he had barely escaped death after an explosion and had exhausted almost all his energy.
Bruce approached his bedside and asked seriously, "Are you sure you want to do this? I just feel that..."
"We must do this," Hal replied, "Whoever created Nightmare Darkseid likely intends to escalate this war to a Multiverse level. For us, it's also an opportunity to enhance our status within the Multiverse. After all, others have mostly perished; it's our chance to show what we've got."
"I think there's no need to go all out," Bruce sighed, "It's not that I'm unwilling to contribute, but no matter how hard our universe fights, we can't surpass the Prime Universe. Besides, I don't want the Primary Universe Batman to learn about our universe's situation..."
"It's not something we can hide," Hal said, "He will find out sooner or later. If we perform well in this war, even when he finds out, he won't have much to criticize. After all, we're not delaying our mission to save the world."
Bruce sighed and said, "You're doing this for me; I understand. If Brainiac gets exposed, I'll be under the most pressure. You guys are putting on this performance so that I won't be reprimanded by the Primary Universe Batman."
Hal laughed and said, "No worries, you're not Batman anymore. You might as well not hang out with them. Form your own team; he won't be able to find you."
"But he'll complain to the Professor," Bruce rolled his eyes.
"Let's not talk about that. Have they figured out what that thing put on me earlier is?"
"The Primary Universe Batman said it's still under study. Because of that, we might need to delay our retreat by 10 hours."
"It's actually better this way. If we reached Earth, it would be harder to handle. It could endanger ordinary people, and here, the risk is slightly smaller."
"Have you really thought this through? You..."
Hal didn't speak, just stared at Bruce. After a while, Bruce sighed and said, "Alright, let's proceed tonight."
At night, the Primary Universe Batman certainly doesn't take breaks, but he has many tasks, like assisting Dr. Pym in researching that mysterious object, spending almost the entire night in the lab.
Meanwhile, Bruce and Hal took advantage of the darkness and snuck to the Lantern Furnace—a source of the Seven Lantern Power from the Primary Universe Batman's cosmos, also known as the power of the Emotional Spectrum. Quite a bit had already been consumed, but some remained.
Hal extracted the power and stored it in his ring. It had been with his ring from the start. He gently touched the ring on his hand and looked at Bruce, saying, "Let's begin."
Bruce also placed his hand on his ring. Then, dense power of darkness began to continuously pour into the ring, intertwining and fusing with the green light emitted by the ring, and this mixed energy was then absorbed into Hal's body.
He let out a low groan of pain, half-kneeling to the ground. The green and black energies gradually spread over his entire body. He seemed to endure immense pain, his whole body convulsing. Bruce, trembling, stepped forward, reaching out to help him, but Hal evaded him.
Clenching his teeth, he circulated that terrifying energy over and over. The two forces endlessly collided, causing billions of explosions within him every second. The pain was unimaginable, yet Hal endured it with his incredibly strong willpower.
Ultimately, the black and green began to gradually merge, becoming a mysterious dark green. Visions of Barbados continuously appeared in Hal's mind as if his spirit connected to the Dark Kingdom, witnessing the majestic body of the Dark Dragon, its enormous, sky-covering wings, and the endless surging black tides below.
The Green Lantern's Lamp Beast Ion Shark also appeared behind him, and his body began to wrap with the dark green power. This power extended outward, causing his back to protrude, gradually growing limbs, sharp spikes on his head, and a pair of large black wings on his back, transforming from a shark towards a dragon-like form, becoming even more frightening, more powerful.
Eventually, the dark green light filled the entire space, even shooting out from the room, completely engulfing Hal's figure. When the light gradually faded, Hal was still Hal, but had completely changed in appearance.
His battle suit, its green parts entirely turned dark green, complemented by golden patterns. The eyes beneath his helmet flowed with the same glow, rendering his outfit more cold than its original green attire. The Green Lantern ring on his hand also turned dark green, its pattern no longer that of the Lantern Corps, but a new emblem exclusive to Hal—composed of the letters H and J.
This signified that Hal was no longer the Green Lantern; he had completely detached from the Lantern Corps' control, becoming an independent Lantern Hero. The powers he used were no longer just the Emotional Spectrum but had also integrated the cosmos's original power of darkness.
Hal hovered in mid-air, unmoving. Suddenly, a pair of enormous wings unfolded on his back, indistinguishable from Barbados's. He retracted the wings and descended, gently clenching his fingers. The light of power gathered, and the wings vanished.
Hal exhaled softly, "Jade Power..."
Bruce walked over from the edge of the room and said, "Succeeded?"
Hal nodded, "Yes, it's quite extraordinary."
"How do you feel now?"
"Unprecedentedly powerful," Hal replied. "This original power of darkness seems connected to Batman, and Batman's will further strengthens the green lantern energy representing will. My previous hypothesis was correct; these two powers complement each other."
Bruce sighed with relief, "But I must say, this hypothesis was very bold. Who would have thought the universe's darkest power could merge with the righteous Light Ring's Power?"
"It was Barry who inspired me," Hal noted. "No one previously thought the power of darkness could merge with the Divine Speed. It seems this original power of darkness can integrate well with various powers."
"After all, everything has a dark side," Bruce said. "My biggest concern is whether this power will trigger your inner dark side."
"I haven't attacked you yet, so I guess not," Hal retorted, "but if you dare throw that biting phone into my office again, I can't promise anything."
Bruce laughed heartily, walked over, and gave Hal a hug, then said, "Welcome back, Emerald Lantern Hero."
The commotion here had long attracted the attention of the Primary Universe Batman. When he saw Hal emerge, his eyes fixed, then shifted his gaze to Bruce.
"Don't look at him; this was my idea," Hal turned back and said, "Now, it's time to teach Darkseid a lesson."