Chapter 338: Death of the green light, Power of Hope
"Is that Larfleeze, the Orange Lantern wielder?"
Aaron was somewhat surprised. So the expanding darkness in the universe was Larfleeze?
Larfleeze was originally a very weak creature. He was later killed due to his gluttony, and his greedy desires attracted the Orange Lantern and the Orange Lantern beast.
He became the sole wielder of an Orange power ring and the only member of the Orange Lantern Corps.
Because the Orange Lantern represents avarice, his boundless greed prevented him from accepting anyone else sharing the Orange Lantern with him.
If a second person acquired an Orange Lantern, he would eliminate them immediately.
Although the Orange Lantern Corps consisted of only him, it didn't mean Larfleeze was weak.
Due to the avaricious nature of the Orange Lantern, he could turn anyone he killed into his puppet.
Larfleeze killed all beings who coveted the Orange Lantern, and he also killed the holders of everything he desired.
He could easily manifest a vast army, essentially being a one-man army.
In the original story, Larfleeze even coveted other power rings, wishing to possess all power rings, including the Black Lantern and White Lantern power rings.
Undoubtedly, Larfleeze was a formidable presence even among the Seven Light Corps.
But...
"Although Larfleeze is powerful, the Orange Lantern Corps alone cannot cause such widespread dark turmoil."
It wasn't that Aaron looked down on Larfleeze; it was just that he really wasn't capable of it!
Although he had been absent from this universe for a long time, preventing him from eternally maintaining entropy balance.
But a temporary balance couldn't be shaken by a mere Orange Lantern Corps.
There must be other circumstances!
And Larfleeze was acting very strangely now.
Logically, Larfleeze shouldn't be interested in Earth; other Lantern Corps or powerful alien races would be much more 'delicious'. Yet, Larfleeze was heading towards Earth.
Given Larfleeze's greedy nature, once he saw the greatly changed Earth, he would undoubtedly desire to seize everything here.
Conflict between them was inevitable.
It was precisely because of this that Aaron sensed something amiss.
Earth was not famous at present; in the entire universe, it was practically an uncharted planet.
Without external influence, who would be so bored as to come here to forage?
Aaron followed the dark aura and continued to gaze further into the distance.
"Hmm? That is... the Red Lantern Corps!"
"And the Yellow Lantern Corps."
Aaron's brows furrowed even tighter.
Like the Orange Lantern Corps, both the Red Lanternsand Yellow Lantern were heading towards Earth.
Not only that, the Red Lanterns and Yellow Lantern were acting as one, moving side by side.
Looking further behind them.
In Sector 0, designated by the Green Lantern Corps, lay a barren and silent planet.
This planet was Oa, the headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps, representing justice and courage!
Humanoid lifeforms in green uniforms, some with fish heads, some with chicken heads, were scattered across the central area of Oa. They were the Green Lantern Corps, numbering in the thousands at a rough glance.
Besides them, there were also some bodies in red and yellow uniforms. Clearly, the Yellow Lantern and Red Lantern Corps were responsible for the tragedy on Oa!
In this universe, the Green Lantern Corps was once again completely wiped out.
There were even the bodies of two Guardians of the Universe on the ground.
The Central Power Battery, originally located in the center, was also catastrophically destroyed.
The entire planet no longer held its former prosperity; the most powerful force of justice in the universe had silently become history.
Aaron was not surprised by the annihilation of the Green Lantern Corps; who didn't know that the green lightalways lost in group battles?
But the crucial point was that among the bodies of the Green Lantern Corps, Aaron found Abin Sur, the greatest Green Lantern of his time, and Sinestro, the next greatest Green Lantern and future founder of the Yellow Lantern Corps!
According to the timeline, the Yellow Lantern Corpsshouldn't even exist at this point!
But the reality was, Sinestro was killed by the Yellow Lantern Corps before he even betrayed the Green Lantern Corps.
Chaos, utter chaos.
The son killed the father!
Aaron now understood why the darkness had suddenly surged so much. With the Green Lantern Corps, one of the main forces of justice, wiped out, it naturally triggered a series of problems.
If Aaron hadn't maintained the balance earlier, the universe would probably be doomed by now.
"Is there something happening in space?"
Atlanna sensed a change in what was in her mouth, her eyes looking upwards, and she stammered.
Aaron held her head, "The Green Lantern Corps was jointly destroyed by the Red Lanterns and Yellow Lanterns. They are now rushing towards Earth, along with the Orange Lantern Corps. They will almost all arrive on Earth at the same time, in about seven days."
"Ah? The Green Lantern Corps is finished again!"
Gwen Stacy, who was lying down resting, strained to prop up her head, "What's wrong with the Green Lantern Corps? Aren't there still several Guardians of the Universe?"
Aaron's shoulders trembled continuously as he let out a long sigh, "What else could be wrong? Most likely, they were defeated by Parallax, leaving two companions behind and fleeing."
Pamela, with her green skin, walked over languidly, pushing aside the exhausted Atlanna, and taking over the relay stick, she began to get busy.
Leveraging the characteristics of The Green (DC Universe Life Force), Pamela's recovery ability was astonishing, making her an absolute key player.
Pamela mumbled indistinctly, "Why are they coming to Earth? Is there something here they want?"
Donna Troy subconsciously thought of the sealed Titan Gods.
"Is it a conspiracy of the Titan Gods?"
Diana shook her head, "Impossible. How could the Titan Gods affect life tens of thousands of light-years away?"
Gwen Stacy, at this moment, pulled out a comic book from somewhere and flipped through it continuously.
"I can't find it, I can't find this scene at all!"
"I've searched many DC comics. The Green Lantern Corpshas been wiped out about 700,000 times, and completely annihilated 7,000 times, but none of them match our universe."
"So strange, this shouldn't be!"
Gwen Stacy knew that due to Aaron's existence, the future of this universe would not be recorded in comics.
The fourth wall ability would also be greatly weakened.
But currently, Aaron's influence was on Earth; the impact on outer space should be minimal.
But why was there no clue?
"Wait! Could it be him!"
Gwen Stacy's expression was unusually solemn.
"Who is it?" Diana pressed.
"It's him! The Batman Who Laughs!"
"This is all his conspiracy!"
Gwen Stacy bit her lip, "If it really is him, then we're in big trouble."
"After all... everything is part of his plan!"
Gwen Stacy opened the "Dark Nights" chapter, and on the first page was a terrifying man in a black uniform.
"He is definitely the most terrifying and mysterious villain boss in the DC Universe. Although he is not the strongest, his infallible wisdom makes people despair."
Yamashiro An was the first to raise her hand in objection.
"But we have the omniscient and omnipotent Aaron!"
Shitahira Reika also nodded in agreement, "No matter how smart he is, can he be more powerful than omniscience and omnipotence?"
Gwen Stacy, hearing this, casually tossed the comic book aside, "You have a point. Since things have come to this, let's play a round of 'Eat Chicken' first!"
"Alright, wait a moment, something is coming."
Aaron's gaze made Pamela stand up. The women each displayed their divine powers, either with surging golden light, entwining green leaves, or materialized energy, completing their attire.
Seeing all their charms covered, Aaron then waved his hand.
The invisible barrier opened,
A blue stream of light appeared in the sky, darting around, seemingly lost.
At this moment, the blue stream of light sensed something, made a 180-degree turn on the spot, and flew straight towards Aaron.
This was the Blue Lantern of Hope, one of the Seven Light Corps power rings!
"Another power ring has come to me. It seems I'm very popular!"
Aaron raised an eyebrow, getting it without any effort.
He grabbed the blue power ring, which consciously tried to slip onto Aaron's index finger but was firmly held.
Then he refined it.
"Willpower Amplification: Hope that embodies Willpower can double Willpower, thereby unleashing even greater power!"
"Power of Hope..."
Chapter 339: Spark of Hope, Arrival of the Little Blue Man
"Power of Hope (Fragment): You have mastered the Power of Hope. As long as you hold hope, your power will continuously increase, and you can endlessly strengthen emotional power. At the same time, your luck will further improve, and it can effectively suppress and clear negative forces, effects, and even rules."
"Spark of Hope: As long as hope remains and life has not ceased, one can be reborn from the ashes, returning in full glory! (Can be used on oneself or on others or objects)"
"This is the Power of Hope? Hiss~ Another conceptual skill!"
Aaron blinked, not expecting the weakest of the Seven Light Corps, the Blue Lantern of Hope, to bring so many surprises!
Although there was no strict hierarchy among the Seven Light Corps, based on corps strength and power ringspecialties, the blue power ring was at the bottom from every perspective.
The green lantern ring could materialize various weapons, the yellow power ring was similar to the green, with little difference between them. The red power ringhad the greatest staying power and decent attack power, while the orange power ring was the strongest.
Even the slightly weaker Purple Lantern of Love and the Blue Lantern of Compassion possessed mind-control techniques and conventional attack methods.
Especially the latter, due to its characteristics, the Blue Lanterns often chose notorious villains, brainwashing and reforming them. After they laid down their butcher's knives, they became Blue Lantern Buddhas, messengers of the Holy Mother, possessing considerable basic strength.
Only the Blue Lantern of Hope had almost no offensive capabilities, only gaining combat power and materialization abilities when near a green light.
Its greatest function was to amplify the green light's strength and suppress the negative effects of the Red Lanterns, Yellow Lantern, and Orange Lantern, essentially serving as the Green Lantern's dedicated healer.
After all, from the very beginning of the Blue Lantern Corps' establishment, it was meant to assist the Green Lantern Corps, allowing the latter to exert greater combat power, while it itself had almost no combat power.
Strictly speaking, the Blue Lantern Corps was an appendage of the Green Lantern Corps, not even capable of existing as a separate corps, primarily because it was too weak.
However, this hope, in Aaron's hands, could unleash even greater power!
Aaron tested his new abilities one by one.
The effect of Willpower Amplification was simple and brutal: he could sense that the intangible and formless Willpower suddenly doubled, allowing him to easily conjure stars and even galaxies, and it was a permanent conjuration!
As for the Power of Hope...
This was the greatest gain!
With just a simple attempt, this Power of Hope could quell anger, overcome fear, pierce through darkness, reverse Death...
Aaron even casually reignited a dead star.
Theoretically, as long as hope is strong enough, it can even revive a universe on the verge of destruction.
Hope, a beautiful wish in adversity, can turn decay into wonder.
Its potential is limitless.
However, the more ethereal such a thing is, the harder it is to improve and unleash its full power.
But with Infinite Evolution by his side, Aaron was confident he could gradually enhance and strengthen it, making it his trump card!
Even now, the Power of Hope is quite strong.
Aaron discovered that when combined with other idealistic abilities like the 'Many Hands Make Light Work' flame and Confidence Empowerment, his overall physical qualities continuously improved after he used the Power of Hope, and even the intensity of his other abilities increased!
Coupled with Probability Manipulation and Protagonist Halo, Aaron found his luck to be terrifyingly strong!
He was like a Child of Destiny; everything went smoothly for him, and even without using other abilities, he seemed to be able to achieve whatever he wished?
Aaron was not sure of the upper limit of this ability, but without a doubt, the probability of him encountering danger was infinitely low, and wherever he went, he was likely to find opportunities for gain.
As for his enemies... they would most likely choke to Death even while drinking water.
This made Aaron look forward even more to the Hope Lantern Beast, the Incarnation of the Phoenix, and other emotional abilities.
"Intelligent lifeform locked, Aaron of Earth, you possess the ability to instill unwavering hope in others, welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps!"
At this moment, a voice devoid of emotion surged in with the Light of Hope.
Aaron looked up and saw two Little Blue Men flash into existence from the void.
Behind them were several aliens in blue uniforms, who were none other than the Guardians of the Universe and the Blue Lantern Corps!
"Hello, I am Ganthet, a Guardian of the Universe, and this is my companion Sayd. We have come following the Light of Hope, seeking a savior who can save the world."
"Without a doubt, Hope has chosen you; you are the savior!"
Ganthet now resembled a mystic, his gaze towards Aaronfilled with both puzzlement and excitement.
Aaron raised an eyebrow, "So you haven't all died yet. I thought you had all fallen in battle on Oa, especially since the Green Lantern Corps was down to its last member."
Cough, cough.
Ganthet was a bit embarrassed and quickly explained, "Because we still need to fight against the evil Red Lanterns, Yellow Lanterns, and Orange Lantern Corps."
"The destruction of the Green Lantern Corps was not meaningless; as you can see, we have found hope!"
He spread his hand, and the Blue Lantern Corpsmembers behind him shimmered with blue light.
Aaron curled his lip, "But the Green Lantern Corps is gone."
Ganthet was silent for a moment. Well, that was the truth.
Although he had fortunately found the Blue Lantern of Hope after the green lights' demise, he discovered after creating the blue lantern ring and selecting suitable candidates that the blue lantern ring could only exert its power by relying on the green lantern ring!
But the problem was, the Green Lantern Corps was completely wiped out, their green lantern rings confiscated, and even their central power battery destroyed.
Without the green lights, the Blue Lanterns were useless, no matter how many people there were.
Hope? He saw no hope, only despair.
If only the blue lantern ring had been created a little earlier, perhaps the Green Lantern Corps would not have been destroyed by the three-color lantern alliance in the Battle of Oa.
Alas, it was all too late.
Ganthet, helpless, could only release the power ring, in which he had placed the most hope, to seek the only hope in the darkness.
Until the power ring arrived on the extremely backward and unremarkable Earth, and fell into Aaron's hands.
If all went as expected, Aaron was the only hope!
"Aaron, Hope has chosen you. Put it on, and you will be a Blue Lantern... Hmm? Where's the power ring? Where's Hope?!"
Ganthet then noticed that Aaron did not have the blue lantern ring in his hand!
That was their only hope!
"I'm afraid I have no interest in joining the Blue Lantern Corps."
Aaron took out the blue lantern ring; he had no interest in being a dog for the Little Blue Man.
As everyone knew, the favorite thing for these Little Blue Man to do was cause trouble.
The growth of the Orange Lantern Corps was facilitated by them; when Larfleeze and others first obtained the Orange Lanterns, it was these Little Blue Man who, fearing war with the Orange Lanterns, deliberately let these individuals fight among themselves, leaving hidden dangers for the Orange Lanterns.
The Yellow Lantern Corps was also created by them, with one of the Guardians of the Universe being possessed by Parallax and becoming Parallax.
Furthermore, even Atrocitus, the leader of the Red Lantern Corps, had an irreconcilable feud with the Little Blue Man, as his homeworld was destroyed by them.
Moreover, the Little Blue Man were good at eliminating dissent, shirking responsibility, and liked to bury their heads in the sand, digging pits but not filling them.
They had repeatedly caused major crises.
Working with such a group of troublemakers would inevitably lead to disaster.
Seeing Aaron's unwillingness to wear the power ring, Ganthet urgently said, "Aaron, the three-color corps are coming! Only by wearing the power ring can Earth have a glimmer of hope!"
"We will assist you in resisting them!"
"Besides the three-color corps, there are even more terrifying entities eyeing Earth!"
Ganthet was very anxious; the Battle of Oa, where the three-color alliance attacked, was full of eerie occurrences.
It was true that they had sown the seeds, but before the war broke out, the Yellow Lantern Corps clearly only had one Parallax possessed by Parallax, who was also sealed by Abin Sur.
Although the Red Lanterns were powerful, apart from Atrocitus, the others were brainless fools dominated by rage.
Because the Red Lantern power ring replaced the wearer's heart and triggered their anger, causing them to lose their minds, they could only use basic Red Lantern power ring attacks and could not create constructs.
They could only exert seven-tenths of their full power, making it impossible for them to be a match for the Green Lantern Corps.
But in this battle, many Red Lanterns regained their sanity, which was very abnormal!
And the Orange Lantern Corps; Larfleeze was clearly not in Sector Zero, and he was also killing people all over the universe, collecting everything he liked.
But inexplicably, the Orange Lanterns attacked Oa first, and then the Red Lanterns and Yellow Lanterns arrived together.
Eerie, extremely eerie!
It was as if a large hand was manipulating things from behind.
However, this did not persuade Aaron.
"Alright, all of you scram! I will deal with the three-color corps, in my own way."
Aaron would rather face a god-like opponent than deal with pig-headed teammates.
Considering the third party Ganthet mentioned, Aaron fell into deep thought.
He was not surprised, after all, the current situation was indeed very strange.
Although the Green Lantern Corps was weak in team battles, it had existed for so many years, so it naturally had its unique qualities.
Don't look at the Little Blue Man as cowards; their strength was not weak at all.
He didn't believe that there were no other influences behind the three-color corps.
And this entity... Aaron was not unfamiliar with it...
Chapter 340: The Great Lord of Love, the Purple Lanternof Love
Aaron never forgot that this universe was one of the Dark Multiverse.
The master of the Dark Multiverse was The Demon Dragon Barbatos.
Originally, he was the World Forger's pet, specifically responsible for destroying failed universes, but due to his selfishness, he secretly kept these universes.
After he ambushed the World Forger, these flawed cosmic spheres formed the Dark Multiverse.
Moreover, many things in the Dark Multiverse were opposite to the Reality Universe. As the master of the Dark Multiverse, Barbatos naturally could not be unaware of the changes in this universe.
He was the Oblivion Dragon; according to Western fantasy, he was a lesser god of Dark Power.
The more destruction there was, the stronger his power should be.
In this situation, the Earth and even the universe, which should have been destroyed, suddenly became normal, just like the Reality Universe.
Who wouldn't be confused by that?
"Was it The Dark Knights' doing? Perhaps Gwen Stacywas right; this move is a bit like The Batman Who Laughs."
"Only he could persuade the Orange Lanterns, Red Lanterns, and Yellow Lanterns to unite to destroy the Green Lantern Corps."
Aaron's eyes flickered, and he looked towards space.
The forces of time and destiny began to turn, and he saw a scene from half a month ago.
A man in a black leather jacket, wearing metal goggles full of iron spikes, used a Dark Power to open the seal imprisoning Parallax.
Then he took out a yellow lantern ring, used it to replicate tens of thousands of copies, and selected suitable candidates across the universe.
Later, he found Atrocitus of the Red Lantern Corps, informed him of Oa's coordinates, and revealed the truth about the destruction of Atrocitus's homeworld.
Next, he found Larfleeze of the Orange Lantern Corps, describing the prosperity of Oa, the beauty of the Green Lantern Corps, and the most perfect planet in the entire universe—Earth.
Larfleeze's mouth watered uncontrollably, attracted by the scene depicted by the other party, his greed triggered, and he couldn't wait to take the Green Lantern Corps, Oa, and Earth all for himself.
And this mastermind, Aaron had not misidentified, was the early The Laughing One!
It seemed he had only recently joined The Demon Dragon Barbatos.
At this moment, The Laughing One in the scene seemed to sense something and grinned at the sky's perspective.
Manic and curious.
"I found you! Have fun!"
The Laughing One bowed solemnly and comically, like a clown at the end of a performance.
If it were anyone else, they would have thought they had been discovered by the other party.
But Aaron was certain that even if The Laughing One had obtained Barbatos's Dark Power, he could never have detected his presence.
This scene was merely a deliberate hidden move left by The Laughing One.
To create the illusion that everything was part of his plan.
"Interesting."
Aaron's mind flashed with the origin of The Laughing One.
The Laughing One was Bruce Wayne from Earth-22 of the Dark Multiverse.
Due to the characteristic of the Dark Multiverse where evil triumphs over good, even Batman found it difficult to resist the increasingly powerful Dark Power.
The Joker killed Gordon and others close to him, then captured families with both parents in Gotham City, and in front of Bruce Wayne, shot pair after pair of parents.
This series of experiences drove Bruce Wayne completely insane and turned him dark.
He broke free and fiercely killed The Joker.
However, all of this was calculated by The Joker; he was infected with the Joker toxin from The Joker's heart, thus transforming into a combination of Bruce Wayne and The Joker—The Laughing One.
The Laughing One possessed both Batman's abilities and equipment, as well as The Joker's madness and terror.
He had lost Batman's moral bottom line, was more evil than The Joker, and had only one belief left: Batmanalways wins!
Then The Laughing One transformed the children who had lost their parents into Robins, and used a modified Laughing Toxin, along with backup methods, to wipe out the Justice League and even destroy his own universe.
Without a doubt, The Laughing One was a pure, high-IQ madman.
Coupled with the fact that he was favored by Barbatosand had a broader stage, he became a threat to the infinite Multiverse.
Later, he even transformed into a Dark Knights, possessing the power of the Little Blue Man and the Mother of Creation Perpetua, presumably at least peak mega-cosmic level, or even omniversal level power.
However, the Reality Universe did not have the characteristic of evil triumphing over good, so he ultimately failed.
Of course, whether this Death was part of his plan or not is hard to say.
0 for fresh flowers
Ganthet and Sayd's faces darkened when they saw Aaronstill refusing their invitation.
They did not understand why, even though the Blue Lantern of Hope had chosen Aaron, this was the result.
Wasn't Aaron the only hope? Could hope also be mistaken?
Behind them, Saint Walker and the other Blue Lantern Corps members looked at Aaron with resentment.
Their revered and worshipped Guardian were being treated this way by Aaron.
So infuriating!
However, Aaron seemed to sense something, and merely glanced at them. Saint Walker and the others were greatly shocked and immediately turned their heads away in fear.
Aaron chuckled softly. As expected of the Blue Lantern Corps.
In other corps, the Guardian would be stationed in the rear, while thousands of corps members would fight the enemy.
Only the Blue Lantern Corps had their members stationed in the rear, cheering, while their Guardianbravely fought on. This was completely topsy-turvy.
But there was no helping it. What could a Blue Lantern do without a green light, without any means of attack?
Hope without the will to act was meaningless, utterly useless.
It could be said that the Blue Lantern Corps' reputation relied entirely on its two Guardian.
And Ganthet was the most powerful among the Guardians of the Universe, single-handedly raising the average standard of the Blue Lantern Corps. He truly deserved great credit for his hard work.
Guardian Sayd took a deep breath, "Aaron, you will regret this. This is the only hope!"
Aaron sneered, "I am the Lord of Earth! Hope isn't something you give; it's something I take for myself!"
With that, Aaron waved his hand, separating Ganthet, Sayd, and the others.
Joining the Blue Lantern Corps was impossible, absolutely impossible.
Even raising a pack of dogs would be better than them; at least they'd bark when enemies arrived.
If it were the Purple Lanterns of Love, he wouldn't mind considering becoming the Lord of Love.
Purple Lanterns were love, drawing power from it.
As the Great Love Heavenly Venerable of universal love, Aaron prided himself on his strong power of love.
Of course, he was more interested in getting some violet lantern rings for his women.
His women's love for him was so profound. This unwavering love could also be transformed into energy through the violet lantern rings to strengthen themselves, killing two birds with one stone.
Wasn't that much more reliable than the useless Blue Lanterns?
After isolating the Blue Lantern Corps, Aaron continued to sleep soundly.
Until several days later,
The "meteor shower" arrived!
Chapter 341: The Truth of the Green Lantern Corps, the Power of Greed
Pictured: Kimiko.
"Earth! Beautiful Earth! It's all mine!"
Larfleeze of the Orange Lantern Corps had drool hanging from his mouth as he plunged headfirst into Earth's atmosphere.
Not long after,
Streaks of red and yellow light intertwined, following closely behind.
A rough estimate showed tens of thousands of red and yellow lights combined!
This already surpassed the Green Lantern Corps at its peak.
"They're finally here."
Aaron looked up at the sky, watching the rapidly approaching three-colored power rings, and signaled for the others to prepare.
"Are those the evil power rings? They look quite formidable."
Donna Troy was eager to try.
Diana frowned deeply, "Never underestimate them. They did, after all, defeat the Green Lantern Corps. You must know that during the ancient wars, the Green Lanterns displayed considerable combat power, even comparable to ordinary gods."
"There were thousands of such beings, yet they died... We must be careful!"
Atlanna wore silver-white armor, holding a silver trident, her expression grave as she looked at the sky.
"Atlantis is ready. With just one command, the five-nation alliance can march out at any time!"
Artemis hefted her greatsword, her eyes blazing with a fierce light, "The Amazon warriors are also ready. This is Paradise Island, not a place those fellows can casually abuse."
Seeing all the women looking tense, Aaron chuckled and comforted them, "No need to be nervous. They're just a bunch of defeated dogs. Defeating the Green Lantern Corps isn't some glorious achievement."
Gwen Stacy looked over, asking in surprise, "The Green Lantern Corps is quite powerful, right? They're like the US on Earth. As cosmic police, they can't be that bad!"
Aaron raised an eyebrow, "Very powerful? Indeed, Green Lanterns are very powerful. Whether it's individual combat ability or the overall strength of the corps, they consistently rank first among all power rings. But..."
"Do you know why the Green Lantern Corps only has a maximum of two members in each sector?"
The others looked at each other, momentarily confused.
Even Gwen Stacy, who had read some DC comics, didn't understand. She tentatively asked, "Perhaps there aren't enough suitable candidates for the power rings, so they can't expand the corps' size?"
Aaron shook his head and retorted,
"Do you know how many lives there are in Sector 2814, where Earth is located?"
Gwen Stacy was speechless.
The other women were also at a loss.
"Sector 2814 has 95,314 star systems, 3.98 million intelligent species, and a total population in the trillions."
The one who answered Aaron was none other than Ganthet, the recently arrived Guardian of the Universe.
Aaron glanced at Ganthet and the Blue Lantern Corpsmembers behind him, including Sayd and Saint Walker.
"Just Sector 2814 alone has so many lives. Even if only one god capable of wielding will appears among every ten billion, it would still be easy to gather a million people."
"So the Green Lantern Corps definitely doesn't lack recruits. But why does each sector never have more than two members?"
"Is it because Oa's energy is insufficient? Or are the Guardians of the Universe apprehensive, worried about the tail wagging the dog?"
Aaron completely disregarded the grim expressions of Ganthet and Sayd.
As Guardians of the Universe, they naturally knew the reason.
What else could it be? Of course, it was apprehension and caution!
Even if the Green Lantern Corps members were all just and resolute, the power of the green lantern ring was too great. Even Guardian could fall, let alone a Green Lantern?
The Green Lantern Corps had a maximum of 7,200 members, a number sufficient to maintain cosmic order.
In fact, many times the Green Lantern Corps only had a little over 3,600 members, with only one Guardian per sector.
They needed the Green Lantern Corps, but they didn't need an overly large corps.
At certain times, they would even encourage their Green Lanterns to fight among themselves.
However, Aaron's answer made Ganthet and Sayd's faces even grimmer.
"The reason is simple: Green Lanterns are only suitable for solo combat."
"There's a saying: 'Three Green Lanterns are too many, more than three will always suffer; five Green Lanterns are too many, more than five will be wiped out.'"
"Together, they're a pile of crap; scattered, they're a sky full of stars!"
When Aaron said this, Gwen Stacy suddenly understood and exclaimed excitedly, "That's so true!"
"It seems many of the Green Lanterns' shining moments were achieved through solo combat. Once it involves corps-level battles, problems always seem to arise."
"For example, during the attack on Apokolips, they were thrashed by Darkseid and suffered heavy casualties."
"Another example: Sinestro led several elite Green Lanterns to challenge Parallax, but in the end, only a terrified Sinestro escaped in disarray."
"..."
Gwen Stacy recounted some things that even Ganthetand the others didn't know.
Wait, are you really talking about Green Lanterns? Why do they sound like a bunch of useless people?
In their memories, the Green Lantern Corps wasn't that useless.
As Gwen Stacy said that, they understood!
Having no more than two Green Lanterns responsible for each sector was the optimal solution!
Any more, and there was a risk of suffering setbacks and being wiped out.
Yamashiro An mused, "Is this the bystander effect (diffusion of responsibility)? When an individual performs a task, their sense of responsibility and strength are greater, but if a group completes a task together, they are more likely to retreat when facing difficulties, influenced by others, leading to a weakening of combat effectiveness?"
Aaron snapped his fingers, "Smart!"
"That's why the Green Lantern Corps was wiped out again. They lost not because their combat power was insufficient, but simply because there were too many of them."
"Otherwise, how could Oa, with multiple Guardian, have fallen?"
No! This is slander! You are slandering us! No, you are slandering the Green Lantern Corps!
Ganthet and Sayd exchanged glances. They absolutely would not admit this.
But as they thought about it, it seemed a bit strange. It appeared... from certain perspectives, it made some sense?
However, was that what they were thinking back then? Were they that smart?
How did they stumble upon an optimal solution by accident?
No, now is not the time to talk about this!
Ganthet, unable to reveal the buried truth, pointed to the sky,
"The immediate priority now is to confront the Three-Colored Lantern Alliance."
Ganthet's attempt to change the subject was not very effective. The women, knowing the truth of the matter, were no longer panicked.
The Green Lantern Corps lost because they had a team battle debuff.
Looking at it this way,
The so-called Three-Colored Lantern Corps wasn't as powerful as they had imagined.
This was mainly due to the confidence Aaron instilled in them.
After becoming Aaron's women, they had all, more or less, enhanced some of their abilities.
The powerful ones were comparable to mighty ancient gods.
Among the Three-Colored Lantern Corps, they would also be considered top-tier combatants.
Only a few heroic-level individuals could contend with them.
"You all handle the other members of the Three-Colored Lantern Corps. I will deal with Parallax and Larfleeze."
Aaron looked at the meteor shower. Neither Atrocitus nor the other Yellow Lantern members were a cause for concern.
Instead, the Guardian of the Universe possessed by Parallax, which was Parallax, was the biggest problem.
The two Little Blue Men who died on Oa were killed by him absorbing their fear.
Even the greatest Ganthet was no longer his match.
Next was Larfleeze.
His personal strength could only be described as a heroic-level existence among the power rings.
However, after massacring Oa, Larfleeze alone was enough to rival the combined forces of the Yellow Lanterns and Red Lanterns!
A large portion of the Orange Lantern Specters around him were former Green Lanterns.
There was even a Little Blue Man!
The Orange Lanterns were too sinister; Aaron didn't want his women to get hurt.
Seeing this, Ganthet and Sayd exchanged glances, "In that case, Atrocitus will..."
"He belongs to me!"
Raven stepped forward, the ruby on her forehead flashing with an eerie red glow. Her skin gradually turned white, empowered by the Seven Deadly Sins, and her strength instantly increased by more than tenfold!
Ganthet looked at Raven warily. From her, they sensed the aura of an extra-dimensional demon.
That was a power that terrified all of them.
Before they could react,
Yamashiro An and Shitahira Reika activated their athena cloth and Hades Cloth respectively, a light and dark intertwining glow that blinded Ganthet and Sayd.
Diana stomped her foot, soaring into the sky, accompanied by her golden lasso, and was the first to charge into the three-colored Lantern Corps.
The other women were not to be outdone, each displaying their unique abilities.
Some wielded Order Power, others Chaos Magic, or The Green (DC Universe Life Force).
There was even a little girl, about ten years old, whose eyes shot out scorching high-temperature rays—it was the increasingly sensible Kara!
Ganthet and Sayd were speechless for a moment.
"No, is this really Earth?"
"Are you sure it's not a gathering of gods?"
"Damn it, the intelligence was wrong! Earth isn't a backward, savage planet at all, but a land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, a place of gods!"
However, what shocked them the most was, naturally, Aaron, who was regarded as their only hope.
When they saw Aaron's actions, they suddenly understood why the blue lantern ring would regard Aaron as hope.
Aaron instantly appeared before Parallax, who made no secret of its terrifying aura; the power known as the Source of Fear was shaking the very reality of the world!
In the past, let alone fighting, merely standing before it would cause one to lose thirty percent of their combat power.
Even the other Guardian couldn't suppress the fear in their hearts.
However, this time, Parallax finally met its natural enemy.
Parallax and Aaron stared at each other. "Are you not afraid?"
"What is fear?" Aaron asked expressionlessly.
"You should be afraid! I am the Source of Fear!"
Parallax stopped pretending; it, which had originally taken the form of a Little Blue Man, exploded like a balloon, and countless yellowish-brown fear gases permeated the air, as if to envelop the entire sky.
At this moment, Parallax had transformed into a fear entity condensed from fear energy; if it wished, it could quickly envelop and devour the entire Earth.
"Tremble! Fear! I am your nightmare!"
However, Aaron plunged directly into the fear entity. No matter how Parallax used its Fear Power, it could not harm Aaron, neither mentally nor physically.
All of its methods were ineffective against Aaron.
It was as if Aaron didn't exist—no, perhaps he was even a part of fear itself?
Parallax was a bit confused.
"Is there really someone in this world who doesn't experience fear?"
"Clearly, fear is the greatest power!"
"Is that all you have?"
Aaron shook his head in disappointment. He had originally thought that the Little Blue Man possessed by Parallax would bring him a new surprise.
As it turned out, he only used his Indestructible Body to completely exempt himself from Parallax's attacks.
Logically, Parallax itself is a Multiverse-level energy entity, but what about now? The power it displayed was less than one quadrillionth of its full potential.
"Forget it, let me do it!"
An invisible force field emanated from Aaron's entire body—it was the Inhibition Field.
As the field emerged, Parallax's misty body trembled and disintegrated, like clouds being blown away. Even the Fear Power lost its original effectiveness.
"No, impossible!"
"What kind of method is this?"
Parallax was greatly alarmed. The Little Blue Man still possessed some degree of consciousness, and because of this, it didn't understand Aaron's actions.
It even began to feel some fear itself.
Aaron said nothing, opening his mouth wide as a massive suction force appeared, devouring the immense Fear Power like a whale.
Even Parallax itself could not resist this Devouring Power!
Parallax sensed danger and immediately broke free from the weak Little Blue Man, preparing to fly away.
However, Aaron waved his hand, and a surge of Power of Hope swept over, knocking Parallax down.
With another wave of his hand, a black hole flashed in the sky, instantly melting the Fear Lantern Beast, Parallax!
Aaron then appeared before Larfleeze.
The latter clearly hadn't reacted yet, and seeing Aaronblocking his path, he waved his hand, sending the Orange Lantern ghosts beside him to charge forward.
But Aaron pointed a finger, and the Willpower, doubled by Willpower amplification, transformed into an arrow. In a flash of light, it annihilated tens of thousands of Orange Lantern ghosts!
This scene even frightened Larfleeze's heart full of greed.
However, instead of being afraid, Larfleeze's eyes lit up as he looked at the Willpower arrow.
"Mine, all mine!"
Larfleeze charged forward frantically, but instead of approaching Aaron, he plunged headfirst into a black hole.
[Greed Power: ...]
Chapter 342: Source of Fear, Power of Rage
[Remnant Greed Power: You have mastered the Power of Greed, capable of mobilizing all greed in the world to become your own power. You can easily stir up the deepest greed in others' hearts, thereby distorting their will, eroding their minds, souls, and even all matter.]
[Devouring Greed (Devouring Power + Greed Power): Your Devouring Power has been further enhanced, allowing you to devour matter and even partial rule energy to strengthen yourself.]
[Greed Spirit: You can re-materialize the lingering souls with greedy hearts, allowing them to transform into Greed Spirits. They will take on the identity the deceased had in life and fight for you (the strength of a Greed Spirit is equivalent to its original power before Death + greed energy, and this Greed Spirit will not fear Death or darkness.)]
[Fear Power Parallax: Your Fear Power has been further enhanced. You are the embodiment of fear in the DC Universe, you are the Source of Fear of the infinite Multiverse!]
Several thick streams of light surged around him, and Aaron felt as if the world had once again opened its robes to him.
The scenery within became even clearer; the boundless power of fear and greed was laid bare before his eyes.
Especially the Fear Power,
Parallax was originally the embodiment of the emotion of fear in the DC Universe.
But in fact, Parallax, unlike the Endless, did not possess a complete and independent consciousness.
Despite being an embodiment of a concept, Parallax was unable to unleash its full power due to the inherent major flaw of fear itself.
Therefore, Parallax often needed to possess a living being to effectively wield the Power of Fear.
Its strength was more dependent on the host itself.
However, due to the inherent flaw of fear, the host would often be affected by fear, and similarly unable to fully unleash the Power of Fear.
But Aaron was different; he was completely immune to the effects of fear and unaffected by Parallax, so he fully mastered the Power of Fear.
He was even unconstrained by the rules inherent to fear itself.
It should be noted that even among the Endless, only Destruction could barely break free from the shackles of his own duties.
The others, whether it was the mysterious eldest, Destiny, or the second-ranked Second Sister Death (referring to Death of the Endless), could not escape the responsibilities brought by their own authority.
They would even be influenced by their own duties.
Similarly, as an embodiment of darkness, the former Archangel Morningstar Lucifer was also like this.
After Aaron mastered the Source of Fear,
He discovered that the potential of fear itself was extremely vast.
There are countless living beings in the infinite Multiverse; all living beings experience fear, even savage animals without complete intelligence, and even insects.
These fears are everywhere, and they all became part of Aaron's power.
This was the completely unleashed authority of fear. Although it didn't reach the omniverse level, it transcended the Multiverse to some extent, possessing power on a grand universe scale.
As for the Power of Greed...
Aaron sensed his further strengthened Devouring Power, and a strange change occurred when the two came into contact.
The Power of Greed desired to possess everything, and the Devouring Power desired to devour everything.
The two instantly clicked when they met, devouring out of greed, devouring everything, possessing everything, strengthening everything!
Aaron even wondered if the Devouring Power, now infused with greed, would want to devour his other abilities.
However, this thought was suppressed as soon as it appeared.
"I am the sum of all things. Whether it is Devouring Power or other powers, they are all a part of me, a single entity!"
"That greedy tremor... is it because of the outside world?"
Aaron scanned his surroundings. Besides the women he had deeply infused, he felt a desire to devour everything else.
However, this desire couldn't influence him; it was purely his body's unconscious craving to become stronger.
Aaron glanced at the Red Lantern Corps, reaching out into the void and drawing a Red Lantern into the air.
The latter instinctively spewed out flames of rage.
Flames of rage are the Power of Rage. For every person who receives a power ring, not only is their heart replaced by the power ring, but their blood is also replaced by flowing red rage energy.
When the red energy is expelled from the body, it turns into burning flames, capable of burning without oxygen even in a vacuum, until all matter is consumed.
In fact, flames of rage are the only powerful offensive means for most Red Lanterns.
The Red Lantern power itself has an attack power second only to the Orange Lanterns, even surpassing the green light and Yellow Lanterns.
However, the Red Lantern's rage is furthest from the emotional spectrum's center, so it has too great an influence on the host. As a result, most people, once they put on a power ring, are controlled by endless rage, remaining in extreme anger forever.
The remaining consciousness is simply not enough for them to perfectly unleash the Red Lantern's inherent power.
Only a few extremely special existences, such as the Red Lantern leader Atrocitus, can materialize Red Lanternenergy for combat.
Of course, the flames of rage are quite powerful. This energy can even corrupt other power rings, having a 'first-strike kill' effect on rookie members of other Lantern Corps.
However, when facing veterans of other Lantern Corps, they can use their power ring energy to block the flames of rage, and then easily deal with the Red Lantern Corps.
This thing is like Amaterasu in Naruto; its set up is strong, but its actual combat record is unbearable to look at.
The Red Lantern's flames of rage landed on Aaron and burned. The Red Lantern had just smiled when he saw Aaron lightly press down, extinguishing the flames of rage!
Immediately after, endless fear descended.
He felt as if he was surrounded by the fear of the entire world. Even his endless rage was awakened under the fear, and his consciousness was enveloped and melted by fear.
"No!!!"
His desperate voice echoed through the sky.
The Red Lantern died. This poor wretch, controlled by extreme rage, was directly scared to Death by Aaron.
Aaron melted him instantly.
[Remnant Rage Power: You have mastered the Power of Rage. All rage will be at your command, transforming into your power to destroy all enemies!]
[Infinite Rage (Infinite Rage Ordinary Hulk + Rage Power): When you are in a state of rage, your physical strength will greatly increase, and your mental abilities will also be further enhanced, or you can burn rage to infinitely strengthen yourself. Your physical host and mental strength will grow infinitely!]
[Chaos Core (Flames of Rage + Faltine / Phoenix / Hellfire / Solar Fire): Your micro-core has integrated the characteristics of the Flames of Rage, capable of burning everything. It also possesses powerful corrupting properties, effectively curbing other emotional powers.]
"Not bad, another amplification ability."
Aaron nodded with satisfaction. Infinite Rage once again raised his upper limit, and it didn't require him to be in a state of rage. As long as there was rage energy to substitute, he could continuously grow stronger.
This avoided him becoming a DC version of Hulk.
What good is strength if you don't have your own will?
Once dominated by rage, anything is possible.
He would rather not use power that he cannot perfectly control!
Chapter 343: Death's Cage, Blackest Night
"Who exactly is Aaron?"
His strength... is terrifying. For billions of years, perhaps only that guy could rival him."
Guardians of the Universe Ganthet and Sayd exchanged glances, both seeing shock and horror in each other's eyes.
They knew best how powerful a Guardian possessed by Parallax truly was.
The more fear Parallax devoured, the stronger he became.
By now, after devouring the fear of numerous Green Lanterns and two Guardian, Parallax's strength had reached an unimaginable level.
He surpassed stars, able to devour the life force of a planet or even a star system in an instant.
From Oa in Sector Zero to Earth in Sector 2814, Parallaxhad devoured countless living beings.
Conservatively, at least hundreds of thousands of life-bearing planets and even more intelligent races had been swallowed and absorbed by him.
In their plan, they had to gather the Blue Lanterns of hope, the Violet Lanterns of love, the Blue Lanterns of compassion, and find the green light entity of willpower, combine them with Aaron, who was chosen by hope, and the remaining Guardians of the Universe, to defeat and seal Parallax.
But now, they had personally witnessed Aaron kill Parallax and the Orange Lantern Corps in less than thirty seconds.
He seemed to do it with ease and no pressure.
Although half of the invading force was thus eliminated, Ganthet and Sayd felt no relief or joy; instead, a more terrifying emotion arose within them.
Is Aaron truly reliable?
If Aaron were to become an enemy, how could they possibly contend with him?
It wasn't surprising that they thought this way.
The Little Blue Man never trusted anyone.
Including the Green Lantern Corps they had personally created.
They guarded against everything, were wary of everything, and only trusted themselves, even though they often lacked the ability to clean up the messes they created.
But they always enjoyed it, attempting to control everything.
"What are you thinking?"
Aaron suddenly turned to look at them, his half-smiling, half-mocking expression making Ganthet and Saydtremble.
"I was thinking, no wonder the Blue Lanterns chose you; it turns out you are hope itself!" Ganthet quickly said.
Sayd nodded in agreement, "Mr. Aaron, what do you think we should do with the remaining Red Lantern Corps and Yellow Lantern Corps?"
Aaron gave them a deep look.
Indeed, the Little Blue Man could never be trusted.
The battle wasn't even over, and they were already wary of their temporary ally, even listing him as a hypothetical enemy and looking for countermeasures.
Any teammate stuck with them would be unlucky.
They didn't have Batman's destiny, but they had Batman's sickness; it needed to be cured!
"I won't interfere in their battle; they need to grow." Aaronsaid casually, not exposing their true thoughts.
Because Parallax and the Orange Lantern Corps were instantly killed in one encounter, the leaderless Yellow Lantern Corps had become timid, their gazes filled with fear of Aaron.
Their strength was only half of what it was, and they didn't dare to fight seriously, retreating while battling.
As for the Red Lantern Corps, the Red Lanterns who hadn't undergone the blood lake ritual were all brainless madmen.
Their eyes held nothing but killing intent.
If there were external enemies, they would fight side by side.
If there were no external enemies, they would constantly be in civil war, fighting endlessly.
Even if The Batman Who Laughs helped some Red Lanterns to barely suppress the influence of rage, many more were still madmen dominated by rage.
They hadn't even noticed the strange changes that had occurred on the scene.
Atrocitus, the leader of the Red Lantern Corps, was now in a dilemma.
Atrocitus was a true tyrant; he had no schemes, no means of managing his subordinates, and no thoughts of developing or expanding the corps.
He only ruled the corps with violence, and no one under him respected him.
If other Red Lantern members had a choice, they would absolutely not follow Atrocitus, but the moment they put on the ring, they could never take it off unless the Blue Lantern Corps helped.
Such a tyrant, his mind was full of violence.
However, when violence couldn't solve the problem, Atrocitus was helpless.
Just like now, Atrocitus really wanted to order a retreat.
But before him was Raven, who had awakened the power of Trigon.
An enhanced version of Raven—Rachel Roth—who was not held back by Trigon's will and could fully unleash the Seven Deadly Sins without being affected!
The ruby on Raven's forehead shimmered with an eerie red light, her pale face and artistic black lines, combined with her arrogant, condescending expression.
Everything exuded a strange beauty.
However, Atrocitus had no mind to appreciate it; he only felt that Raven was too powerful, so powerful that even he felt a sense of dread.
Her otherworldly, extra-dimensional magic could even block his Hellfire.
Atrocitus brandished chains materialized from his rage, with Hellfire attached to them, burning the entire sky red.
However, Raven was expressionless; her clothes were stained with blood, and the entire ground was eroded by extra-dimensional magic, turning into scorching Lava.
Innumerable Hellfire burned fiercely, shaking reality with its extra-dimensional power.
The Telekinesis, which did not exist in reality, bound the chains that filled the sky.
At the same time, those Hellfire, in their collision with the Hellfire, were steadily losing ground.
Atrocitus was both shocked and enraged.
"What in the world are you?"
Raven did not answer; she was always a 'three-no' girl (no expression, no words, no emotion) except when facing Aaron.
She disdained communicating with others and had no desire to.
Especially in her arrogant form, she disdained answering such meaningless questions.
A hint of red light, barely perceptible, flashed in Raven's amber-like eyes.
Waves of vast magic tore through the barriers of reality and dimension, coming from the infinite realm, washing away Atrocitus's rage like a tide.
Atrocitus clearly hadn't expected Raven to be able to unleash even more powerful magic.
Caught off guard, the wall of rage he had constructed was shattered, and he was completely enveloped by Trigon's power.
Under that Trigon's power, Atrocitus experienced countless nightmares, and his never-ceasing heart of rage gradually stopped beating.
The continuously flowing blood-red energy blood was also frozen by ice.
"No... you are a demon!"
Atrocitus was no stranger to demons; he had dealt with some nonsensical demons before.
He had always thought demons were useless until he met Raven today.
He suddenly realized that demons could be so powerful!
Just as his consciousness blurred, he saw the latest situation on the battlefield.
The Red Lantern Corps and Yellow Lantern Corps, who had originally arrived together, were actually split and defeated by the combined forces of the Four Nations of Atlantis and the Amazon Alliance.
Leading the charge from Paradise Island were two beautiful maidens in splendid golden battle attire, as well as the Valkyrie-like, heroic Diana and Donna.
Sersi's magic, along with Pamela's mile-long towering vines, together formed a Death trap.
No matter how the Yellow Lantern Corps tore through the vines, they would rapidly recover in the blink of an eye.
On Earth, The Green (DC Universe Life Force)'s regenerative power was practically unsolvable.
Yellow Lantern and Red Lantern were not super-explosive abilities; The Green (DC Universe Life Force)alone was enough to render them helpless, let alone with magic involved.
Among the crowd, the figures of Dove, Hawk, and Little Kara also flashed.
The three-color Lantern Alliance, which had massacred the Green Lantern Corps and was once invincible, suffered a crushing defeat when facing Earth, this backward planet.
Atrocitus closed his eyes in despair.
It's over! It's over!
Ganthet and Sayd also thought to themselves.
They originally thought Aaron was already too abnormal; they didn't expect Aaron's women to be equally terrifying.
They detected different powers from these women: ancient gods, new gods, Titan, extra-dimensional demon kings, The Green (DC Universe Life Force), Kryptonian remnants, order, and chaos.
These powers, which should have been unable to coexist or even been mutually hostile, were strangely fused and coexisting on Earth.
Under the effect of an unknown catalyst, they erupted with power far beyond anything seen before.
Earth is a freak! This is a forbidden planet ten thousand times more abnormal than Kryptonian!
"...Ganthet." Aaron suddenly interrupted Ganthet's thoughts, and the latter, startled, replied, "What are your orders?"
"Do you know about the Violet Lantern Corps and the Blue Lantern Corps?"
Ganthet and Sayd exchanged glances, then both shook their heads.
"Is that so? I remember the Blue Lantern Corps was created by Abin Sur, an organization specifically used to reform criminals, wasn't it?"
Ganthet's eyes widened, "Was it? How come we don't know?"
"You really don't know?"
"We really don't know!" Ganthet repeated.
The two Little Blue Man looked somewhat solemn.
How many things had Abin Sur hidden from them?
Aaron saw that they were truly unaware, thought for a moment, and directly accessed the memory information Abin Sur had inscribed in this world.
To his surprise, Abin Sur really didn't know about the existence of the Blue Lanterns.
"In fact, we are also looking for the Blue Lanterns and the Purple Lantern, hoping to unite against the Red, Yellow, and Orange Corps."
"But we found nothing; they are very well hidden. I think... maybe it's not time yet?" Ganthet thought of a possibility, his expression becoming even more solemn.
Aaron raised an eyebrow, "Blackest Night?"
"Ah, how did you know?!"