Chapter 124: The Oracle of the Speed Force
Orin Vale learned the background of this place from the gorillas as quickly as he could.
To put it simply, a long, long time ago, there was a group of gorillas whose 'godmother' was a force called the Speed Force. A bolt of lightning from the sky accelerated their minds. To use the parlance of a spiritual energy revival story, they had gained sapience.
Afterward, this group of sapient gorillas began to worship lightning as a deity, developed a civilization, founded a city, and created a system of technology based entirely on lightning. For many years, they carefully hid from the outside world, living peacefully in this utopia.
Until one day, an oracle came from their godmother, saying she suddenly wanted to adopt a blond nerd as her godson and was abandoning them. The gorillas were instantly thrown into a panic. Among them, the Conservative Faction believed that whatever their godmother did was her prerogative and that they should accept reality. But the Radical Faction, led by Grodd, insisted that they couldn't just sit back and wait for doom.
"Our foolish ancestors thought a deity was contained within lightning—what nonsense!" Grodd roared at the time, delivering his speech all over Gorilla City. "What we call lightning is nothing more than a natural phenomenon, just like wind and water—it's merely a tool! If it won't acknowledge us, then we will make it submit!"
Of course, he didn't talk like that before the Speed Force disappeared. The old Grodd was one of the Speed Force's most fanatical believers and followers.
He was a classic case of calling it 'mother' more affectionately than his own mom when it benefited him, only to change his tune at lightspeed and call it a tool when the benefits stopped.
And so, a civil war broke out in Gorilla City. Grodd launched a coup d'état, toppling the ruling Conservative Faction, and immediately dispatched troops to Central City.
He had only one goal: the Son of Lightning must die!
Grodd's thinking was simple and brutal. If we kill the godmother's new son, she'll have no one else to claim, so she'll have to turn back and make do with us, right?
Once they captured the Son of Lightning and reconnected to the endless Speed Force, wouldn't conquering the world be a matter of minutes for Gorilla City?
"The situation is extremely urgent."
The Gorilla Elder, freed from his restraints, said with great anxiety.
"We must immediately retake power, stop Grodd's madness, and recall the army he dispatched. Our ancestral teachings demand that we coexist peacefully with humans, and we cannot allow Grodd to violate that.
Also, the Son of Lightning must not die, no matter what. Grodd has lost his mind. If the Son of Lightning is truly killed, what if it provokes the wrath of the Lord of Lightning..."
"Uh, don't worry about that for now. I don't think he's that easy to kill," Orin Vale interrupted. "But we really do need to stop the invasion quickly. Is Grodd in that Great Hall? So, if I just break in and take him down, I can order the army in Central City to surrender?"
"Yes, but it won't be that simple, outsider. That is the core of Gorilla City, a military stronghold. Grodd's subordinates have already taken control of the entire central system, and now, nearly indestructible armies are deployed there."
The elder said, turning to the other gorillas.
"Now, we must gather the rest of our people. All our remaining forces will first raid the prison and free the warriors imprisoned by Grodd. Then, we'll raid the armory and grab any weapons and equipment we can get our hands on.
Then, I will lead a team to create a diversion, while the rest of you attack Grodd's fortress from three sides.
Although the chances are slim, we must try..."
"Uh, Elder?" a gorilla weakly raised its hand.
"What is it, Walter? This is a critical moment. Don't interrupt while I'm explaining the plan," the Gorilla Elder said, displeased.
"That's not it, Elder, but... I don't think we need to go to all that trouble..." The gorilla pointed behind the elder.
The elder turned his head and stared. In the next moment, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Just as he had been speaking and assigning tasks, the outsider in the red-and-silver armor had, without a word, charged toward the central fortress.
What followed was a series of booming explosions.
Flames shot into the sky and gunsmoke filled the air. All the weapons, turrets, combat flyers, and war vehicles activated. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought two massive armies were clashing.
Amidst the continuous explosions, war vehicles and burning metal debris were sent flying everywhere. The fire from the blasts spread from the perimeter all the way toward the central fortress. The gorillas' flyers popped and crashed like punctured balloons.
In just a single minute, a red-and-silver afterimage had charged right through the "indestructible" armies the elder had spoken of. The outer wall of the fortress's building was blasted open with a boom, creating a gap. He broke through the smokescreen and dove straight through the opening.
On the hillside, the gorillas fell into an eerie silence.
A moment later, a gorilla looked at the elder. "Do we... still need to gather people?"
The Elder: "..."
For some reason, the wise elder suddenly felt that he looked a bit foolish.
Gorilla City Central Fortress, the Temple.
A magnificent pillar stood there, its surface shimmering with a faint golden light. The pillar was densely carved with ancient, exquisite, and intricate reliefs. But the most eye-catching feature was undoubtedly the symbol at its very center, surrounded by various patterns—a well-defined, mysterious, and profound symbol.
A bolt of lightning.
This was no ordinary pillar. This was a column created by the gorilla Grodd using the knowledge and technology passed down in Gorilla City for many years, which the gorillas called the "Lightning Rod."
Back then, Grodd had just completed his coup d'état and ascended to the throne. According to the rules of Gorilla City, only a gorilla who becomes king is qualified to receive the oracle of the Speed Force.
So, Grodd eagerly went to try and receive the oracle.
Of course, it wasn't a direct conversation. The Speed Force was, after all, an abstract concept, not a specific individual. So, the so-called oracle usually came in the form of fragments received in a dream-like state, or thoughts that suddenly popped into the mind like inspiration.
But to put it abstractly, Grodd's first oracle went something like this.
Grodd: Speed Force, Speed Force, on the wall, who is the fastest being in the world?
Speed Force: Why, it's my adorable new godson-to-be, Barry, of course.
Grodd (enraged): Impossible! I am the fastest being in the world! My Speed Force is invincible!
Speed Force: We are very sorry, but your Speed Force membership expired on XX/XX/XXXX. All renewal channels have been closed. Bye-bye now!
Grodd: GRAAH, I'M SO PISSED...
So, he erected this pillar. He called it the "Lightning Rod," grandly proclaiming he would "seize control of his own destiny." In reality, to put it plainly, their internet access had been cut off, and this pillar was to steal bandwidth from the Speed Force.
At this moment, outside Gorilla City, the sky was covered with dark clouds. Lightning flashed continuously, and bolts of lightning churned within the dark clouds like thunder dragons.
For generations, the gorillas had revered lightning; that fear was branded into their DNA. Even the gorillas who followed Grodd couldn't help but feel a chill whenever they encountered such weather.
At this time, a confidant next to Grodd couldn't help but whisper, "Um... King Grodd, is it really okay for us to be doing this? We won't anger the great lightning, will we..."
Grodd shot him a vicious glare, and the gorilla quickly shrank back.
"Just saying..."
"Hmph, coward," Grodd sneered. "I've already said it, the Speed Force is just a natural phenomenon, a tool that can be mastered. If it truly had an opinion, why would it just put on an empty show like this? Why not just send down a divine thunderbolt to strike through my Great Hall..."
BOOM!
Before his words had even faded, the rooftop was blasted through with a deafening roar, and rubble came tumbling down!
"Aaaah!"
The gorilla confidant was scared stiff.
What was this, speaking things into existence? Had the god of lightning really appeared?
His instinct was to start kowtowing and declare that Grodd was behind everything and it had nothing to do with him, but then he discovered...
Huh? Where did King Grodd go?
He turned his head and saw that within a second, King Grodd had already vanished without a trace.
The gorilla: "..."
What could he say?
At least the king was pretty fast when it came to running away.
(end of chapter)