Chapter 418: Calamity Ring Breaks Free, The Final Battle
"It's the Yellow Lantern leader—Sinestro!"
In an instant, Hawkeye, thrilled, raised his bow and drew an arrow.
The assembled heroes immediately assumed a battle-ready stance.
After all, the Yellow Lantern Corps had once invaded Earth, and it had taken a joint effort from the Justice League, Avengers, and the Green Lantern Corps to drive them back.
"Damn Black Lantern zombies…"
Sinestro slowly awoke, only to find himself surrounded by Black Lantern zombies. He instantly manifested a pair of war axes, ready for battle.
But as soon as he roared in fury, the heroes around him froze awkwardly. They suddenly remembered… they were technically the villains here.
After all, turning into Black Lantern zombies meant they had slaughtered countless innocent people.
This reversal of roles made everyone a bit uncomfortable.
"Uncle Sin, we're all on the same side here—no need to fight to the death."
Allen reached out and pressed down on Sinestro's arm, speaking calmly and confidently, "I always prefer to win people over with virtue."
THUNK!
Unexpectedly, Sinestro struck back with an axe.
The golden blade slammed down on Allen's head with a crisp metallic clang.
However, the Yellow Lantern's weapon—capable of cleaving stone and metal with ease—couldn't even scratch him. It didn't so much as damage a single strand of hair.
At the same time, Sinestro noticed that Allen wasn't a Black Lantern zombie but was wearing a ring he didn't recognize.
"All you managed to do was mess up my hair. Is that the best you've got?"
Allen pinched the war axe between two fingers and moved it aside, using his other hand to tidy his hair.
Of course, the reason he was unscathed was thanks to his X Lantern ring. Without it, even his eighty-four-times-enhanced body was still only human.
"Who are you?"
Coming from a different universe, Sinestro had no idea who this was.
If they were in Allen's universe, Sinestro would have already run for his life.
The trauma of Allen's infamous "Thousand-Year Death" technique and his… devastating targeting of certain body parts left even the strongest ashamed and furious.
"I'm Wang Ergou, Silver Saint of the Canis Minor constellation."
"…"
While Sinestro stood there utterly confused, Allen leaned in and added mysteriously, "Haven't seen The Monstrous Life of Wang Ergou? That's basically my autobiography."
"I don't care who you are. The Black Lantern Corps is clashing with the Spectrum Corps, and I don't have time for this."
With that, Sinestro shot into the sky in a streak of yellow light.
"Wow… he just ascended!"
Allen watched Sinestro's departing figure with admiration.
"We can't just sit here. From what I've learned through the Black Lantern ring, if the Black Death Emperor succeeds, the entire universe will be plunged into death."
"Exactly. We've already died once—we don't need to fear death again."
"I have sins to atone for. Even if it means descending into real death, I'll face it."
"…"
Upon hearing the reports from beyond Earth, the heroes who had regained their consciousness didn't hesitate to support the Spectrum Corps.
After a brief discussion, they unanimously agreed to take action.
The next moment, the group of Black Lantern heroes surged into space.
"Hey—if you all take off, what's left for me to play with?!"
Allen raised his ring, and a silvery-white glow enveloped him as he soared after them.
Soon, they pierced through the atmosphere, and the dark void of space opened before them—brimming with dazzling, multicolored light.
The Spectrum Corps and the Black Lantern Corps were locked in a ferocious battle, evenly matched in a brutal struggle.
Especially terrifying was how the former leaders of the Justice League and Avengers, now zombified Black Lanterns, were overwhelming their Lantern counterparts with sheer might.
Among them, Black Lantern Superman was simply unstoppable.
The Black Lantern ring could perfectly replicate the host's powers before death—meaning Superman's full strength, now coupled with his fearlessness of death, had made him even more terrifying.
"Damn it—more Black Lantern zombies incoming!"
"Wait… why are they fighting each other?"
"Could they be here to help us?"
Shockingly, the Black Lantern heroes who had followed Sinestro were now attacking the Black Lantern zombie forces.
Because they had similar abilities, their blackened blood would clash and devour each other.
In short, whoever completely consumed the black blood in the opponent's ring could kill the zombie for good.
Alternatively, forcibly removing the Black Lantern ring would have the same effect.
"So many familiar faces… looks like it's time to fight back."
Allen crossed his arms, gazing at the space swarming with Black Lantern zombies.
His ring flared with a silver light, manifesting… a drum set.
BOOM!
With one heavy strike, the deep echo reverberated straight into the soul.
At that exact moment, the Red Lantern heroes' eyes suddenly cleared.
Red Lantern power was rooted in rage—the angrier they were, the stronger they became.
Even with Blue Lanterns trying to calm them, things had still been chaotic.
"Who is that guy?"
"No idea. What kind of ring is that on his hand?"
"Wait—look! The zombies have stopped moving!"
"That sound… is it affecting them?"
"Seems like it. But man, his drumming is awful."
"…"
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM…
The earsplitting beat had every Lantern wincing. The sound was terrible, utterly offbeat, and lacked any rhythm.
To be fair, Allen had never actually learned to play—it just needed to be effective, not pleasant.
The noise, generated by Tenth Metal, began to stir something within the Black Lantern zombies—causing them to awaken their original selves.
"What have I done…?"
"No… I killed the ones I loved most…"
"Black Death Emperor—I will have my revenge!"
"…"
Having recovered their memories, the heroes were overcome with grief and rage.
Many of them had killed their closest loved ones right after turning into Black Lanterns.
"Thank you, mysterious warrior."
Bruce offered Allen a heartfelt thanks, then shouted, "Everyone—let's avenge ourselves against the Black Death Emperor!"
"That's right! Kill him and end this nightmare!"
"The Black Death Emperor—and the one behind all this—they must all pay!"
"They'll answer for everything!"
"…"
Fueled by burning fury, the resurrected heroes roared in unison.
Led by former heavyweights of the superhero world, they launched into space, determined to take revenge.
Watching the Black Lantern heroes suddenly defect, the Spectrum Corps was baffled—unable to figure out what had caused such a drastic shift.
"Excuse me—how exactly did you manage that?" Green Lantern Hal asked.
With a straight face, Allen answered, "My music is filled with love."
"…"
Sorry, we can't hear it.
In fact, we think our ears were just violated.
"Brothers—let's take down the Black Death Emperor!"
Allen couldn't wait to rush forward—no way he was going to miss out on this epic showdown.
Seeing this, the Spectrum Corps resolutely joined the battle.
The seven Corps leaders knew full well: the Black Lantern heroes alone could never defeat the Black Death Emperor. After all, as ring leaders, they had the authority to revoke any Lantern's powers.
…
Planet Oa.
With the Green Lantern Corps deployed, the planet was left with minimal defenses. Thus, the planetary shield system was activated, with the central battery projecting an energy field to cover the surface.
But the Black Lantern Corps did indeed launch a sneak attack.
Above the planet, countless winged Black Lantern zombies hovered greedily.
"Thanagarians?!"
The Guardians, observing through long-range monitors, saw space filled with them.
Thanagar—a planet rich in N Metal. The Thanagarians had long used N Metal weaponry to become one of the galaxy's dominant civilizations.
N Metal—classified as the Ninth Metal—was known for its unique mystical properties.
It enabled effects like flight, clarity, defense, strength, and destruction. Hawkman, for example, used it to reincarnate and retain memories of his past lives.
Due to these traits, N Metal was a rare and precious resource across the universe.
Typically, Thanagar hoarded it, using it exclusively to arm their own warriors.
Now, with Black Lantern zombies equipped with N Metal weaponry, it was like an army of immortal destroyers had been unleashed.
"Activate the Supreme Lanterns."
The Guardian leader immediately played Oa's hidden trump card.
The Supreme Lantern program had been kept secret—requiring Green Lanterns to willingly undergo mechanical augmentation to become semi-cybernetic war machines.
The downside: they needed to be near the central battery to operate at peak capacity.
Hundreds of Supreme Lanterns burst forth from Oa—emotionless, having discarded personal feelings, executing only standardized programs powered by pure Green Lantern will.
This bypassed the normal limits of willpower. As long as the central battery provided high-output energy, they could fight at Lantern leader level.
Green and black clashed violently.
SPLAT!
A Supreme Lantern ripped a Black Lantern zombie apart.
But in the next moment, the zombie regenerated—inky black flesh twisting and pulsing—before its gaping maw snapped wide open: "You hurt me… now I'm going to eat you."
Unfazed, the Supreme Lantern conjured new weapons and resumed its assault.
But the Guardians' expressions suddenly changed.
"A symbiote?!"
"No… symbiotes only bond with the living. They reject corpses, especially rotting ones."
"…Wait. I remember now. These are symbiote spores—a calamity equal to the Black Lantern rings!"
"Weren't the symbiote spores sealed away in the Dimensional Shadow Realm thousands of years ago by a coalition of galactic empires? Who released them?!"
At this question, the Guardians fell silent.
Symbiote spores were a mutation even the symbiotes feared—like cancer to their kind.
And if someone had found and was controlling them, there was only one possible answer—Knull, god of the symbiotes.
The fusion of spores with Black Lantern zombies meant only one thing: Knull had allied with the Black Death Emperor.
"They're going after the Calamity Ring!"
At those words, the Guardians could no longer remain calm. Panic and dread showed in their eyes.
The greatest secret of Oa was the imprisonment of the Calamity Ring—a truth known only to the Guardians.
It had been sealed away for ten billion years.
Once freed, its bearer would undoubtedly seek revenge against the Guardians.
Ten billion years of imprisonment—anyone would go mad.
BOOM!
The Black Lantern Corps breached Oa's planetary shield.
In under an hour, a new figure stood among them.
All around him lay the lifeless bodies of the Guardians.
…
Dead Silence Planet.
Supreme Superboy, Darkseid, and Knull stood facing the Black Death Emperor, who stared out into the stars.
"Some Black Lantern zombies have broken free of my control. Quite unexpected," the Black Death Emperor said, his skeletal face twisting into a strange smile.
"Is that… a variable?" Darkseid asked darkly.
The Black Death Emperor cast him a sidelong glance and replied calmly, "No variable matters."
In truth, he was deeply wary of Darkseid.
The Origin-level Darkseid's true form was far beyond the reach of a dimensional lord like himself.
"The new ally has been secured. Let them struggle all they like—it's meaningless."
Through his zombies, the Black Death Emperor had received excellent news.
Their plan had multiple layers—not just relying on the Black Lantern Corps.
Of those present, aside from Supreme Superboy, every figure was of unfathomable power.
The Black Death Emperor himself, as a dimensional lord, never deployed his true body. The cosmic rules of this universe were too dangerous—he could easily be undone in the multiverse.
So he exercised extreme caution.
Knull, however, was different—he was a survivor from the previous iteration of existence, possessing singularity and power on par with lower-ranked dimensional lords.
The newly recruited ally, the Calamity Ring bearer, was invincible within a single universe—but if the Black Death Emperor's true form descended, he could end them with a single blow.
As a precaution, an entire alliance had been painstakingly assembled.
"He's here."
The Black Death Emperor sensed the rogue Black Lantern approaching. With a casual swing of his scythe—
The ground began to bulge, and one after another, Black Lantern zombies burst forth from the soil.
When selecting the headquarters for the Black Lantern Corps, he had deliberately chosen a planet that once housed a civilization. The corpses buried deep underground made for excellent troop reserves.
Tens of thousands of Black Lantern zombies roared as they surged into space, rushing to confront the incoming Black Lantern Ring.
"I feel like breaking into song again."
Seeing the sky filled with Black Lantern zombies, Allen couldn't help but conjure another instrument.
This time, it was an erhu.
Ziii—
A tooth-grating screech rang out.
So harsh it made people instinctively frown.
Truly unbearable to hear.
Unfortunately, only Allen could awaken the consciousness of the Black Lantern zombies. The Spectrum Corps could only endure the noise.
Suddenly, Abin Sur's face darkened. "Oa has fallen. One of the Guardians sent me a final message before dying—the terror that had been imprisoned for tens of billions of years has escaped."
"That's impossible! We're talking about the Guardians. Hasn't Oa's technology advanced at all in the past tens of billions of years?" Atrocitus asked with a strange look.
In truth, Oa had long focused its technological development solely on the Green Lantern Ring and the Prime Lantern, resulting in a dangerously lopsided specialization.
"The Black Lantern zombies are still fighting. Why aren't they stopping?" Sinestro asked in confusion.
Indeed, under normal circumstances, the moment they heard the music, the Black Lantern zombies should have halted immediately and regained their self-awareness.
But the ones before them hadn't reacted at all from beginning to end.
"Shit! These zombies don't have the music virus—they're completely unmoved by my musical genius."
Frustrated, Allen stowed away his instrument, his brows furrowed, his expression full of deep disappointment.
But it was easy to understand—on this planet, the natives had been dead for at least a thousand years. Their corpses had long since lost even the faintest trace of spirit. If their souls had descended into the underworld, they had likely reincarnated several times already. How could they possibly regain consciousness?
Boom!
A beam of pure white light streaked in from the depths of the universe, headed straight for them.
Allen pointed at the white light, thrilled, and called out, "The Entity is emerging! The White Lantern Ring is about to make its entrance!"
"Damn! Catastrophe Lantern is here!"