Boom!
Sinestro's body slammed heavily into the runway.
The reinforced airport tarmac cracked under the sheer force of the impact, a deep fracture spreading outward like the aftermath of an earthquake. Jagged lines split across the ground in every direction.
Chunks of concrete lifted from the surface before crashing back down. Dust and shattered debris erupted outward in a violent ring, spreading across the damaged airfield.
Adrian's attack had come far too quickly.
Sinestro had not even been given the chance to react before taking the full force of Adrian's strike head on.
The moment Sinestro crashed, Adrian vanished in a streak of lightning.
In less than a heartbeat, he reached Hal Jordan, grabbing him by the collar before he could hit the ground. Without slowing down, Adrian changed direction and shot toward Carol Ferris, who was plummeting fast.
The air screamed around him as he accelerated. To everyone watching, he appeared less like a man and more like a flash of living energy cutting through the sky.
His left hand caught her just moments before impact.
A second later, Adrian landed.
Bang!
His boots struck the cracked runway as he casually dropped both Hal and Carol onto the ground.
The force of his landing sent another tremor through the fractured concrete, though it was controlled enough to spare those beside him.
"Carol!"
Ignoring the pain running through his body, Hal quickly got to his feet and rushed toward her.
Helping her up, he looked her over anxiously.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm okay, Hal."
Carol let out a shaky breath and steadied herself.
"Honestly, after nearly falling out of the sky, I'd say I got lucky. At least I didn't crash like those planes."
Her gaze shifted to the dim Green Lantern Ring on Hal's finger.
Confusion flickered across her face.
"Hal… what happened to your ring?"
She knew how much the ring meant to him. Seeing it dim and lifeless filled her with unease.
For years, the ring had been as much a part of Hal as the uniform he wore. Seeing it reduced to this state felt deeply wrong.
Hal lowered his hand and stared at it for a moment.
"It doesn't serve me anymore."
His tone carried an unusual heaviness.
"Maybe it decided I crossed a line. Maybe it thinks I used its power for the wrong reasons."
"Who made that decision?" Carol asked, glancing toward the floating Guardians. "The ring, or those little blue men?"
Hal followed her gaze toward the Guardians of the Universe.
"It doesn't matter anymore, Carol," he said quietly. "You're safe. That's enough for me."
Carol frowned.
"No, Hal. That's not enough."
Her voice turned firm.
"I know who you are. I know the kind of person you've always been."
She stepped closer, refusing to let him retreat into self doubt.
"You're stubborn, reckless, and impossible sometimes, but you have conviction. You don't betray your beliefs for selfish reasons."
Her eyes softened.
"You're still the same guy who climbed a flagpole just because he wanted to feel what flying might be like."
The memory seemed almost absurd compared to everything happening around them, yet it carried a warmth that neither cosmic wars nor alien armies could erase.
Hal gave a faint, surprised look.
"You care too much, Hal. You always have. You grieve, you hurt, and sometimes you carry more guilt than you should."
She shook her head.
"But someone like you? Someone with your will? There's no way the ring abandoned you because of corruption."
Carol's expression hardened as she looked toward the Guardians again.
"No, Hal. If anyone failed you, it was the Green Lantern Corps."
Her voice carried certainty.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Not far away, Adrian hovered in the air, his cold gaze fixed on Sinestro as the former Lantern slowly climbed to his feet.
The dark coat fluttered behind him in the rising winds.
Around them, the battlefield remained tense and uncertain. The destruction left behind by their clash stretched across the airport like scars carved into the earth.
The Kryptonian suit he had once recovered from the Fortress of Solitude had long since been redesigned. With the assistance of General Zod's imprisoned scientists and the Kryptonian knowledge embedded within his mind, Adrian had reshaped it into something more fitting.
The black uniform resembled a high collared combat coat, reinforced with Kryptonian crystal fibers. Dark crystal clasps lined the chest, giving it a regal, dangerous appearance.
Powerful.
Mysterious.
Unmistakably intimidating.
Sinestro wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression darkening.
"Adrian Kent," he growled. "Look at what you've done."
Adrian's expression did not change.
"Stopped Hal Jordan from becoming your puppet."
Sinestro's eyes narrowed.
"You're forcing Hal to betray himself."
A Guardian floated forward, hands clasped behind his back.
"Sinestro speaks of betrayal," Ganthet said evenly. "Yet it is your actions that brought Hal to this point."
"Quiet!"
Sinestro's roar echoed across the ruined airport.
The outburst rolled across the battlefield like thunder, drawing every eye toward him.
"You abandoned him!"
He pointed accusingly toward Ganthet.
"You stripped him of everything, and now you dare lecture him?"
Flames of anger burned in his eyes.
"What betrayal are you even talking about?" Sinestro continued coldly. "Hal simply embraced who he truly is."
His gaze sharpened.
"You call yourselves Guardians, yet all you've done is hide behind rules while abandoning your own."
Ganthet remained unmoved.
"You speak of selfishness, Sinestro," he said calmly, "but you have never truly served anything beyond yourself."
Sinestro scoffed.
"That still makes me better than your precious Corps."
A flicker of anger crossed the Guardian's face.
"Arrogance will be your downfall."
A sharp burst of air suddenly split the sky.
Guy Gardner arrived.
Bruised and battered, he hovered behind the Guardians, his expression grim.
Fresh damage marked his uniform, evidence of the brutal fighting that had already pushed him beyond his limits.
"And bloodshed," Guy said coldly, glaring at Sinestro, "that'll catch up to you sooner or later."
Sinestro slowly clenched his fist.
"No."
His voice dropped.
"You two are the ones in trouble."
Before anyone could react, Sinestro lunged toward Ganthet.
The Guardian immediately raised a hand.
A brilliant green barrier materialized.
The shield blocked every possible angle of attack.
Its surface shimmered with immense power, layered with centuries of knowledge and mastery beyond that of any ordinary Lantern.
As one of the most powerful Guardians, Ganthet easily withstood the assault.
Sinestro was blasted backward by the resulting shockwave.
At the same moment, Guy moved.
His attention shifted to Adrian.
He had seen enough.
Earlier, while fighting at the airport, he had witnessed Adrian cutting through Green Lanterns without hesitation.
To Guy, there was no misunderstanding.
Adrian was the enemy.
Even with injuries weighing him down, Guy charged forward like a soldier marching toward war.
His Green Lantern Ring formed a massive shield in front of him as he accelerated.
The rushing air tore apart around his body, white streams forming at his sides.
His expression twisted with rage.
Adrian did not move.
His sharp eyes locked onto Guy.
Then his fist shot forward.
The strike shattered the sound barrier with a violent shriek.
Boom!
Fist and shield collided.
The impact exploded across the battlefield.
A hurricane force shockwave burst outward, ripping apart the surrounding air.
The ground within hundreds of meters caved inward as shattered debris floated weightlessly around them.
Wind tore violently through Adrian's coat.
The dark sky above deepened as night settled in.
Clouds churned overhead, illuminated by flashes of green energy that painted the battlefield in brief bursts of light.
For a moment, everything seemed frozen.
Neither man gave ground.
Power continued to rise between them as their clash pushed the battlefield to its limits.
The cracked earth beneath them sank deeper.
Guy's face slowly appeared from behind the glowing shield.
His eyes burned with fury.
"You slaughtered Green Lanterns."
His voice came out low and dangerous.
"That blood will be paid back."
Adrian met his stare without emotion.
His fist remained pressed against the shield.
Neither side yielded.
"I'll be waiting," Adrian said coldly.
The icy confidence in his voice only enraged Guy further.
"AHHH!"
Guy roared.
Energy surged violently from his ring.
The shield brightened as immense power erupted outward.
Shockwaves rolled through the air again and again, spreading far into the distance.
The force crashed against Adrian, transferring through bone and muscle.
Adrian could feel the increase in strength.
Guy was surpassing his limits.
The Lantern's determination burned fiercely, transforming anger into raw power as he forced every ounce of strength from his body.
Still, it wasn't enough.
Adrian drifted backward slightly, his gaze fixed on Guy.
The next second, Guy thrust the shield forward.
A massive beam of green energy erupted toward Adrian.
Adrian shifted to the side.
The attack missed effortlessly.
Guy slammed onto the ground below.
Boom!
The impact deepened the crater beneath him.
His rage only intensified.
The Green Lantern Ring reshaped itself into a massive battle axe in his grip.
Without hesitation, Guy launched himself skyward.
The axe came down toward Adrian with explosive force.
The construct carved through the air with enough energy to split armored vehicles in half.
Adrian barely reacted.
"Impressive," he said coldly. "But this ends here."
Bang!
A deafening metallic crash echoed through the night.
Adrian blocked the strike with his fist.
Then he moved.
Catching the opening, he struck the axe directly.
Crack!
The construct shattered instantly.
===
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