The battle in Star City had captured the attention of not just the entire Earth, but the whole universe.
The overwhelming Black Lantern Corps had blanketed the entire city in darkness. The sky couldn't be seen. News stations were broadcasting around the clock, but reporters couldn't get anywhere close. Even U.S. military planes and cannons couldn't approach—any closer and they'd be torn apart by the Black Lantern Corps. Once again, Earth's fate rested on the shoulders of a handful of superheroes.
Far away in Sichuan, at the Intergalactic Academy, students had just survived a terrifying moment. The dead had crawled from the ground, wielding blades, spears, and sticks, charging at the tower. Weapons were useless. Flames were useless. Even when the corpses were destroyed, they would just regenerate.
The students had only seen scenes like this in horror movies. Now they were petrified. Luckily, there was a protective shield around the school. Though the Black Lanterns carried black light energy, it was too weak to break the shield.
Just as the students thought they were done for, the Black Lanterns suddenly flew off. Still in shock, they stared at the darkened sky, hearts pounding in their chests.
From orbit, astronauts could see black insect-like swarms crawling across Earth's blue surface. And all of them were headed in the same direction.
Someone once calculated that if Earth's population of 7 billion people were stacked together, they'd form a 788-meter-tall mound inside the Grand Canyon, taking up 490 million cubic meters of space—barely a speck compared to the size of Earth.
Now, with more than 10 billion resurrected warriors from every era converging above Star City, it was still just a tiny black mole on the face of the planet.
"Dear viewers, the battle has gone on for three hours now. Our superheroes have not taken a single step back. Because of their bloody stand, the people of Star City are still safe." War reporters were always among the most admirable. Risking their lives to broadcast frontline footage to the entire world. Three on-site reporters had already died today at the hands of the undead Black Lanterns, but more volunteers took their place, asking to continue reporting from the frontlines.
Now, they were hiding between the floors of a high-rise, filming downward through a smashed window.
"Viewers, you probably can't see clearly. Star City is completely dark now. We're only able to show you these blurry images. But I want you to know—our superheroes have never stopped fighting." The reporter paused, then continued. "But I worry this battle may go on for a long time. I don't know if they can hold out until then."
It wasn't blame, just concern. He was worried—for the heroes, and for everyone.
Then the assistant beside him tapped his shoulder and pointed up at the sky.
The reporter and cameraman both looked up.
In the darkness, a glimmer of light appeared. The superheroes saw it too. Hal and Thor both smiled.
"Our reinforcements are here."
One point of light. Then two. Then three. Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, violet. A full rainbow paved a path through the sky.
Nekron saw it too. He knew the Lantern Corps had come after all. "Welcome to your grave."
Boom!!
The Seven Colored Lantern Corps arrived. Each Lantern shone like a beam of light that pierced through the darkness.
Aliens of all kinds made their grand entrance.
"Dear viewers, I can't believe what I'm seeing," the reporter stammered. The Green Lanterns weren't well-known on Earth, but now suddenly, dozens of Lanterns had appeared—each glowing in a different color. It was breathtaking.
"So many Green Lanterns—no, wait, they're all different colors!" the reporter blurted out, completely overwhelmed.
"Damn, just escaped the wolves and ran into the tigers," one of the Lanterns muttered. They had just finished a battle in their own sector, only to be thrown into an even bigger fight here.
"Brothers and sisters, let's fight!" Stepping forward was a short, green-skinned alien—one of the Guardians of OA, now personally on the front line. "We must crush Nekron's ambitions right here. This is for all life in the universe. Fight!"
Naturally, only the Green Lantern Corps followed the Guardians' orders. All the Green Lanterns raised their rings and chanted, "In brightest day, in blackest night..."
Hal joined the chorus, "No evil shall escape my sight..."
The chant echoed from every mouth, in countless languages, different pronunciations—yet united, resonating through the darkness: "Let those who worship evil's might, beware my power..."
From each Green Lantern ring shot a beam of green light. The city lit up in dazzling green. The citizens, dumbfounded, stared at the brilliance, suddenly feeling that the darkness wasn't so terrifying anymore.
"Green Lantern's light! Shining for all eternity—!!" The combined light burst upward, clearing the sky. Countless Black Lantern demons shattered. Those with weaker energy were instantly destroyed.
"Connection interrupted…" The link between Black Lantern rings was severed. That meant the Black Lanterns could be destroyed after all. They had overestimated death's power.
The Green Lantern Corps showed their might. But the Yellow Lantern Corps wasn't about to be outdone. The betrayer Sinestro shouted, "In blackest day, in brightest night! Evil shall fear my burning light! Those who try to stop what's right, burn like my power—Sinestro's might!"
Yellow beams flared. The power of fear clashed with the power of death.
The women of the Violet Lantern Corps, the monks of the Blue Lantern Corps, and the reclusive hermits of the Indigo Lantern Corps all joined in. Each Lantern fought off billions of enemies. Fight, fight, fight!
Even the furious Red Lanterns charged into battle. Only the Orange Lantern remained still, conserving energy. Greed was also stingy—once it had something, it hated to let it go.
Meanwhile, the glorious army of Asgardian warriors—decked in golden armor—launched their assault, unwilling to be overshadowed by the Seven Lantern Corps.
The tide of battle turned. Viewers watching from around the world felt their blood boiling. Especially when the Green Lanterns unleashed their fusion skill. That unified surge of energy made hearts race. It was like something in their chest was urging them to shout along. That gathering of light gave them strength. Many wished they could rush to Star City themselves and cheer the heroes on.
The arrival of the Seven Lantern Corps was an epic, unprecedented spectacle. Everyone watching television across the globe would remember these rainbow-colored heroes forever—never forgetting this moment.
"We're gonna win for sure," the viewers thought optimistically.
Though, they had kind of forgotten about Superman and Kid.
As for Superman, well, no one worried too much. In team fights, he often disappeared to "balance" things, only to show up again after everything was over, ready to drop some philosophical speech—basically just coasting.
Kid, on the other hand, had missed a bunch of chances to show off. But he wouldn't let the Lantern Corps steal all the spotlight. Nekron wasn't done yet. He still had cards to play. The darkness wouldn't be wiped away so easily. After all, darkness was deeper and more terrifying than all the rainbow-colored lights combined.