"I am will, I am justice!"
Hal roared as he surged forward, charging directly at the Guardians.
Ganthet's expression remained unusually stern, almost burdened, as if Hal's defiance disappointed him more than it surprised him.
"You are always wasting effort, Hal Jordan."
He raised a hand and swept it forward.
A massive wave of green energy erupted outward like a tide.
Hal's attack vanished instantly, swallowed as if it had never existed.
Even at full strength, Hal was still no match for the Guardians.
Their clash filled the sky and ground below with violent shockwaves, the air trembling like a living thing under pressure.
Hal was struck back again and crashed hard into the ground.
"Hal Jordan, do you still not understand?"
A new voice cut through the chaos above.
Sinestro hovered in the sky, his tone familiar but cold.
"You've been abandoned by the Green Lantern Corps. No matter how hard you struggle, your will cannot surpass the will of the Guardians."
A sudden surge of force struck Hal, locking his body in place for a moment before he forced himself to turn his head.
"Sinestro…"
"Why keep lying to yourself?" Sinestro continued. "This denial changes nothing. If you want to defeat the Guardians now, you will need fear."
His intent was clear, he wanted Hal to abandon the Green Lantern Ring and embrace the power of the Yellow Lanterns.
In another timeline, Hal had already wielded fear, even becoming a vessel for a Lantern Beast before eventually reclaiming himself. Sinestro knew exactly how far Hal could fall, and how far he could rise again.
Sinestro had once been a Green Lantern himself, a mentor and comrade to Hal, before becoming the leader of the Yellow Lantern Corps.
Their history was long, tangled, and violent, filled with battles, alliances, and betrayals.
And Sinestro had always been especially interested in Hal's potential.
To him, Hal was not just an opponent, but a possibility waiting to be shaped.
His current objective was simple. Break Hal down, then pull him into the Yellow Lantern Corps, whether as a weapon or a successor.
He stared at Hal with sharp focus, then glanced toward the sky where the Guardians hovered, his expression twisting into a faint, calculating smile.
"Hal, it is time to decide."
"No." Hal answered immediately. "This is not how it ends."
Sinestro's expression darkened slightly at the refusal. He hated defiance, especially from someone he considered capable of more.
He lowered his gaze to Hal's weakened Ring, still emitting a faint green glow.
"The Green Lantern Corps will never give you what you need. I told you that before. Now I will show you how easily that light falls to fear."
He turned his attention toward the Guardians.
Sinestro struck first.
The Guardians could not directly interfere with his Ring the way they could with Hal's, and fear-based energy countered their authority more effectively than expected.
For a moment, the battlefield shifted.
Boom, boom.
The sky erupted as Sinestro engaged them directly, yellow energy beams tearing across the air without restraint.
What had once been a controlled clash between Hal and the Guardians now escalated into a chaotic storm of green and yellow destruction.
The sky fractured with energy pressure, space itself seeming unstable.
Sinestro's voice rang out as he fought.
"Look at your pride, your arrogance, forcing your best student into a corner."
He teleported mid-strike, appearing directly in front of Ganthet and throwing a heavy punch.
"You called me eloquent, violent, destined for destruction. But look at you. How many worlds have fallen because of your judgment?"
Another punch followed immediately, blocked but not stopped.
"You claim to guide choice, yet condemn those who choose differently."
"You watch entire planets burn and call it balance. Did you ever step in for them like you did for Earth?"
"Admit it. You are not just guardians. You are hypocrites."
Sinestro's voice carried both anger and conviction as he pushed forward relentlessly.
Ganthet remained composed, deflecting each strike with minimal movement.
His power far exceeded any Lantern present, and Sinestro's attacks could not break through his defense.
He had not even begun to take Sinestro seriously.
While calculating mid-fight, Sinestro tightened his focus.
We cannot win this alone. Not like this. Even with Adrian, it is still uncertain.
He created a massive yellow construct, a crushing hand aimed at Ganthet.
The Guardian slipped aside effortlessly.
Sinestro immediately reshaped his construct into a massive axe and swung again.
At the same time, Hal moved.
From behind the Guardian, Hal attempted a surprise strike, but it barely grazed Ganthet's surface, leaving no damage.
Before retaliation could come, Sinestro unleashed another burst of yellow energy, forcing Ganthet to split attention.
For the first time, the Guardian was momentarily pressured from both sides.
But even then, he remained steady.
"Hal Jordan, you are now fighting alongside Sinestro."
His voice hardened.
"You have broken your oath. The Ring will no longer obey you."
The Green Lantern Ring in Hal's hand flickered violently before shutting down completely.
Power vanished instantly.
Hal began to fall.
"Ah!"
He dropped rapidly toward the ground.
Sinestro's focus snapped toward him immediately.
"Stop!"
He abandoned his angle of attack for a split second and surged forward, forming a massive hammer of yellow energy.
He slammed it into Ganthet.
A barrier formed instantly, but it shattered on impact.
Ganthet was pushed back slightly for the first time.
Boom.
A distant explosion echoed through the sky.
Something else had entered the battlefield from deep space.
A crimson beam tore through the air like a blade.
Heat Vision.
It sliced across the landscape, cutting buildings apart with surgical force.
A Ferris Aircraft structure was severed cleanly in two.
The beam continued forward, aimed indirectly toward Guy and Carol.
Guy reacted instantly, recognizing the attack pattern.
"This is him."
He raised his injured hand and formed a green shield.
The beam struck.
The shield shattered on contact.
Guy coughed blood as the impact sent him flying backward, Carol slipping from his grasp.
"Ah!"
Carol screamed as she fell through open air.
Wind rushed past her as the ground dropped away at terrifying speed.
Hal saw it immediately.
"Carol!"
He ignored his own fall and turned toward Sinestro.
"Save her!"
Sinestro's response was immediate.
"No."
"We need you alive, Hal. You can save her yourself."
"Please!" Hal shouted, still falling. "Just help her!"
"Use your power."
Sinestro appeared beside him midair, holding out a Yellow Lantern Ring.
"Take it."
Hal froze.
His own Ring was dead, lifeless in his hand.
"I cannot."
He looked down, torn.
"It did not abandon me. I will not abandon it."
Sinestro's patience snapped.
"This is not philosophy. Carol is going to die."
He shoved the Ring closer.
"Put it on."
"Feel her fear. Use it. They are taking everything from you, Hal. Fear is all that remains honest."
Hal's expression tightened as Carol's screams echoed below.
His decision fractured under pressure.
If he refused, she would die.
If he accepted, everything he stood for would collapse.
Either way, something would be lost.
He reached out.
But before his fingers could close around it, the wind shifted sharply.
A figure moved through the falling air.
Adrian arrived first.
He grabbed the Yellow Lantern Ring mid-flight before Hal could reach it.
Silence hit for a fraction of a second.
Adrian looked at Sinestro with cold irritation.
"You know what I hate most?"
He tightened his grip on the Ring.
"People who try to take things that are not theirs."
Then he swung.
His punch connected cleanly.
Sinestro was blasted backward with a violent impact, his body thrown through the air before he could even form a proper defense construct.