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Arthur stood there for a second lost in thought, Five Lanterns shot down from above like comets, green contrails streaking behind them, each wielding a variety of weapon constructs, glowing with burning emerald fury. Their cries echoed through the great Citadel chamber as they descended in a synchronized strike meant to overwhelm, subdue, and end the threat in one powerful blow.
Arthur looked at them. And he merely raised a single hand.
From his palm, a circular shield burst forth, swirling, jagged, and violet-black in hue, shaped like a cracked and ancient sigil etched into a cosmic stone. The construct glowed with dense, coiling shadows, repelling the attack like it was a simple inconvenience.
The impact reverberated through the hall, rattling the shattered columns and knocking loose dust from the vaulted ceiling.
Arthur sighed, audibly, his expression caught somewhere between boredom and mild irritation.
"Woah," he muttered, glancing up under his brow, "I'm thinking here."
Then, with a smooth twist of his heel and a sudden burst of shadow energy, Arthur pivoted. A monstrous hand dark as midnight and large enough to swat a spaceship manifested from his side in a split second. With brutal grace, it swung outward in a wide arc, the slap so fast and violent it left a streak in the air.
CRACK!
All five Lanterns were launched like broken dolls, their constructs shattered, ribs likely crushed, breath ripped from lungs as they were sent crashing into the far walls of the Citadel. One struck a column so hard it fractured, another vanished through a luminous green rock, the others lay groaning in piles of shattered stone and flickering light.
The hall fell silent.
Arthur took casual steps remained as he turned slowly toward the Guardians, his violet eyes glowing and he raised his head toward Ganthet, the one who'd dared meet his gaze since the beginning.
"Stay. Out. Of my way," Arthur said, his voice low but seething with warning, each word sharp as a blade drawn across a throat. "This is your only warning. Next time, if you send Lanterns after me…"
His gaze darkened further.
"…only their rings will return to Oa." A beat. "If the rings survive that is."
The Guardians, for the first time, looked uneasy.
Then, without a word, Arthur extended his hand.
From every corner, his summoned shadows stirred, Doom's hulking form, Ultra's hovering menace, and the countless shadows who were engaged with the lanterns. They began to dissolve into ribbons of smoke, drawn back toward their master's feet like reverse fire spiraling into a single point.
In a spectacle that was as elegant as it was terrifying, the legion vanished, sucked into Arthur's own shadow, until nothing remained but the silence and the heavy, chilling weight of his presence.
He cracked his neck once.
Then turned to Hal, his construct machine gun lowered, brow furrowed in a mix of disbelief and reluctant admiration.
Arthur raised two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute, grin tugging at his lips.
"Well," he said lightly, "that was a nice warm-up."
He stepped back once, shadow tendrils licked at his heels.
"Be seeing ya." Arthur Blackwynd had said with a smirk, as if the battle had been a mere conversation.
He opened a portal with his ring, and just jumped in it.
The portal closed with a flicker of dark violet light, sealing away the presence of the Shadow Monarch as quickly as it had erupted into their domain.
Hal Jordan floated there for a long moment, his emerald aura flickering dimly, the weight of what had just happened settling on his shoulders. Around him, Lanterns picked themselves up, wounded but alive. A few clutched broken ribs, others groaned beneath cracked armor and shattered pride. But none were dead.
None.
"Tomar…" Hal's voice cut through the aftermath, quiet but steady. He looked over at his comrade, who was leaning on a bent construct staff, his usually bright eyes dimmed with fatigue and pain. "What's our status?"
Tomar-Re blinked, as if only now registering Hal's presence. He lifted his ring slowly, scanning the field of wounded warriors. The construct display flickered in front of his eyes, data pouring across the screen in a language only they understood.
Then his eyes widened.
"…No one," he breathed in disbelief. "Some are severely injured, yes...but there are no fatalities."
Hal turned to him sharply. "Are you sure?"
Tomar-Re nodded slowly, his voice still hushed with awe. "I double-checked. Not a single Lantern fell."
For a moment, Hal didn't know what to say. He glanced around at the destruction entire sections of the Citadel torn to ruin, ancient walls that had stood for millennia leveled like sandcastles. He looked to the Guardians, once proud and unmoving who floated over everyone, now scattered and groaning on the floor, blue skin marred with bruises, robes tattered.
They exchanged glances among themselves, shaken, vulnerable. But not a word was spoken from them. Not a command. Not a condemnation. Nothing. They had been silenced not just by power, but by precision. By restraint which they didn't expect.
Hal exhaled through his nose, jaw tightening.
"That wasn't mercy as I know it," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. "Not from him especially."
"He could've done a lot worse. Should've, maybe." Hal looked toward the void where Arthur had disappeared. "But he didn't."
Tomar approached slowly, watching him carefully. "You think… he was a display of power?"
Hal tilted his head slightly, eyes narrowing.
"No. That's not what it is about..."
He turned to the Guardians then, their stony silence louder than any protest. "Whatever his intentions were… he understands the value of what we are. He clearly didn't want to destroy us. He wanted us to know he could, and chose not to... The Sinestro corps didn't get that privilege..."
Silence again. It rang loud. Accusing.
Hal's voice dropped lower, thoughtful, almost bitter. "But I wonder… what will you do with this, dear guardians?"
And with that, Hal turned, his emerald aura reigniting as he drifted toward the broken halls leaving behind silence, shattered pride, and the growing weight of a warning no Guardian would soon forget.
****
The portal tore reality open with a whisper, its violet light dimming as quickly as it flared. When Arthur stepped through, shadows coiled around his boots. The air shifted instantly. Gone was the echoing grandeur of the Citadel and the presence of the emerald energy of will.
Instead… incense. Candles. Dim purple light, lazily drifting through sheer curtains.
"...Oh," Arthur muttered as he looked around. "Been a while since I've been here. Feels like ages."
He turned, taking in the walls still lined with tomes and strange artifacts. A familiar stillness hung in the air.
And then he froze.
On the bed, cross-legged with a thick, leather-bound book in hand… was Raven. In her underwear. A loose black tank top and violet boyshorts, hair slightly messy, eyes glowing just faintly in the low light as she flipped a page like this was completely normal.
Arthur blinked.
Raven looked up at the sound, and both locked eyes.
For a moment, neither spoke. and then Raven instinctively tried to hide herself.
Then Arthur raised a brow, smirking. "Well. Didn't know you would be here already," he said, crossing his arms with a wolfish grin. "Though, to be fair… I've already seen everything, and we've done more than just sightsee, if I recall."
That got her.
Raven's face flared red not the kind of red that meant anger, but the rarest kind of blush that lived only for Arthur. She slammed the book shut and hurled it at his face like a missile.
Arthur didn't flinch. The book stopped just shy of impact, hovering in front of his nose, humming with violet magic.
"You insufferable shadow jerk," Raven snapped, waving a hand. The spell fizzled mid-air, the book thudding harmlessly to the floor. "That's beside the point!"
Arthur just smiled, wide and easy. "I thought you missed me."
She huffed, cheeks still pink. "Missed peace and quiet, more like."
"Sure," he said, strolling further into the room like he owned the place. "You always light candles and read demonology books half-dressed for the peace. I believe you."
"You're one more word away from getting hexed into a toad."
Arthur chuckled, then turned serious, well, as serious as he ever got with her. "You already know why I have to be here."
Raven looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "The portal."
"Exactly," he said. "It's time for me again to jump inside."
She stepped closer now, barefoot and graceful in that spooky-gliding way she had. Her tone shifted, softer. "Is that really the only reason that makes you come here?"
Arthur blinked.
That was a trap question.
He tried to answer. Opened his mouth. Closed it. Tried again.
"Ye…no?" he offered cautiously.
Raven smirked like a predator that had just outwitted its prey. She walked her fingers along his chest and then rested her chin on his shoulder. "Good. Then stay here a little while before you disappear into whatever nightmare dimension you usually go to."
Raven's eyes held him fast, glinting with more warmth than he'd ever admit.
He sighed. "As much as I'd love to, my dear… I have to do this. Now. I don't know what I'll gain from this, but my gut says it's going to be incredible. Power, and something important."
Her smile faded, but not completely. "You always talking about strength and power."
He reached out, cupped her cheek gently. "I have to get stronger to protect the ones I love."
She leaned into his touch for a moment, then stepped back. "You better come back here the moment you finish whatever you are about to do inside that dimension."
"I will." Arthur said, his voice low, then added with a wink, "And next time, I expect you to at least wear a robe. Or don't.. I won't complain."
The book on the floor twitched again.
Arthur took that as his cue. He turned, shadows rising behind him, and then he used the Legacy Shadow Legion Key and a portal appeared, a swirling vortex opened with a deep hum, revealing nothing but an endless black spiral.
He paused, looking over his shoulder one last time. Raven stood there, arms crossed, lips twitching toward a smile she was trying very hard to suppress.
"Wish me luck moody lady." he said, stepping through the portal.
It closed with a whisper.
And the room was silent once more.
Until Raven sighed and muttered, "He's lucky I love him."
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other stories! Solo leveling in Westeros.
&
If you wish to read more or simply support me than check out my patreon at
"https://www.patreon.com/FrenzyAren"
You can Get Access to 3 More Chapters OR 7 More Chapters if you want