Chapter 277 – Allen Becomes a Yellow Lantern
Planet Oa—hailed as the center of the universe.
Of course, that title was mostly self-proclaimed by the Guardians, who held de facto control over the Green Lantern Corps.
The Guardians mastered the technology of emotional energy and created the Green Lantern Rings to recruit warriors to safeguard the universe.
In their eyes, the entire universe was divided into 3,600 sectors.
And within each sector, at least one Green Lantern was tasked with maintaining order.
To the great powers of the universe, Green Lanterns were often disregarded, but not so much that they dared provoke them lightly.
The Guardians understood this well—they avoided interfering in interstellar civilizations to prevent unified retaliation.
After all, the three major universal empires would love nothing more than to see the Green Lantern Corps vanish.
Then came an anonymous report, sent straight to Oa's information center.
After disaster simulation analysis, it was immediately escalated to the central council chamber.
The footage showed Allen using green energy to kill orcs—instantly drawing the attention of the Guardians, who looked like a group of dwarf-like old men.
Using emotional energy without a Green Lantern Ring? Unthinkable.
The Guardians had long considered the power of will to be exclusive technology of Oa, something no non-Lantern should possess.
"Did this individual kill a Green Lantern and steal the ring?"
One of the Guardians speculated immediately.
They refused to believe that the Green Lantern Ring's technology had been cracked by another civilization.
And rightly so—it was impossible. The ring technology was tied to the Guardians' innate magical abilities.
That's right—the so-called power of the spectrum was, at its core, a form of magic.
"There's been no loss in Green Lantern ranks. All rings are accounted for and functioning normally."
Any time a Lantern died, Oa was notified instantly and could monitor if a ring was left unclaimed.
However, the Guardians had no control over rings that had already gone out and autonomously chose their next bearer.
For example, all the spectrum rings practically begged Batman to wear them—and he still tossed them aside after one use like some heartless jerk.
"There's definitely a secret here. I propose we send a Green Lantern to investigate."
"Agreed. We cannot allow our technology to leak and potentially spread on a large scale."
"Exactly. It's about more than protecting the universe—it's about preserving the status of the Corps."
"…"
In truth, the Guardians were primarily concerned with safeguarding their own authority.
They feared that if the ring's secrets were leaked, other civilizations might crack them.
The task was handed to a senior Lantern from Sector 112.
Kentar, a native of the planet Jed in Sector 112, looked humanoid but had radiant, flowing hair—a trait unique to his species.
He stepped into the Sector Hall, and using teleportation tech, arrived at the target location in an instant.
At that moment, aboard the spaceship…
The team was lounging around, eating, drinking, and entertaining themselves.
They weren't real bounty hunters in the traditional sense—they didn't have the death-defying spirit that came with the trade.
Thanos and Uxas were deep in a chess match, pondering each move with full concentration.
Illusion and Yondu were inspecting the ship's structure—it wasn't as advanced as their previous models, but at least they could check for any hidden flaws.
Frank hummed a little tune while tending to plants, clearly enjoying the therapeutic moment.
Meanwhile, Hela had taken on a grandmotherly role, brushing Ayesha's golden hair.
And Allen? He was, as usual, being flirty with thin air—completely immersed in his act.
Unseen, Lady Death clenched her teeth in rage.
"I am Kentar of the Green Lantern Corps. I am here on official business. Please cooperate."
Suddenly, a voice came through the ship's comms.
Everyone turned toward the cockpit, where they saw Kentar floating just outside in space.
The unexpected visit from a Green Lantern left the team bewildered.
As far as they knew, they'd never crossed paths with the Corps—why were they being contacted?
"Which one of you got yourselves wanted by Oa?"
Allen looked around at his teammates, thinking it was the only logical explanation.
Everyone shook their heads. Unless you went and wiped out an entire biosphere planet, the Green Lanterns typically didn't bother with bounty hunters.
Unless someone was dumb enough to mess with the Lanterns' home turf, they wouldn't normally be targeted.
"Whatever. So what? Space cops? Big deal. Come at me, bro."
Allen declared boldly, "They're just the space city patrol. Let's see them try and mess with the main character."
No one else looked remotely concerned. Allen was entirely on his own with that bravado.
The spaceship hovered in space as the crew stepped out in oxygen masks.
Hands on his hips, Allen confronted him: "I'm the protagonist here. What do you want?"
The Green Lantern Corps, when gathered, might seem mighty. But when scattered, they were just stars in the sky.
That is, unless one of them got screen time—then they were treated like a main character. The rest? Mere background props.
"You're Allen?"
"Name's Yondu. Never changed it. Never will."
Without hesitation, Allen denied it with a straight face, shamelessly slapping Yondu's shoulder, adding, "Don't worry, boss—I've got your back."
"…"
Yondu rolled his eyes so hard he almost fainted. That betrayal was way too smooth—it definitely wasn't Allen's first time doing this.
Kentar looked straight at Yondu and said sternly, "You're Allen. Come with me."
"Whoa, hold up."
Allen raised a hand. "My boss may be ugly, but that's no reason to accuse him of a crime. The Green Lantern Corps is acting way too aggressive."
Boss, please shut up already.
Yondu's eyes were welling up. He was on the verge of bawling.
What could he do about being ugly?
"Please show some respect to the great Green Lantern Corps."
Kentar warned, then explained, "Allen is suspected of endangering galactic security. He must be brought back to Oa for investigation."
Gasp…
Everyone looked at Allen.
So this guy's a criminal, huh? And now they've come to arrest him.
"Nonsense!"
Allen protested immediately. "You can't just throw out baseless accusations! Saying my boss threatens galactic security—why not say he's polluting space with his farts?!"
"Dad, there's no air in space," Ayesha corrected him seriously.
"It's a metaphor!"
Allen flipped his hair, conjuring his battle suit, and declared solemnly, "As Yondu, I will not allow you to lay a finger on Allen! I vow to protect him with my life!"
Boss, I'm begging you.
I really don't need your protection!
Yondu looked like he was about to turn green. Allen was pinning all the blame on him.
"You are Allen. Hand over the Green Lantern Ring."
Seeing the green light radiating from Allen, Kentar assumed he must also possess a ring.
But there was a problem—Green Lantern Rings only chose those with strong willpower and high moral character.
He couldn't detect even a shred of virtue in Allen—he just looked like a street thug.
"Ah…"
Allen blushed, coyly turning away. "So many people watching... isn't this a little inappropriate?"
Why the hell are you blushing?
Kentar thought he was just stalling for time. What's so embarrassing about pulling out a ring?
The rest of the team stared at Allen in disgust, suspecting the ring might be… somewhere unspeakable.
He clearly wasn't wearing it on any of his fingers. So where else could it be…?
The thought alone made their scalps tingle.
"If you won't hand it over, I'll take it myself!"
Kentar burst forward like a blade, piercing through the void.
BOOM!
Just as Allen was about to counterattack—
A sudden yellow beam blindsided Kentar.
Green and yellow light clashed, unleashing a blinding energy wave.
The Guardians of the Galaxy wisely retreated to a safe distance.
"The Yellow Lantern has arrived!"
Technically, "Yellow Lantern" wasn't the proper term, but the group didn't care.
The Yellow Lantern Corps were known for recruiting brutal, merciless individuals, acting with ruthless efficiency across the galaxy. They viewed the Green Lanterns as rivals.
"Yellow Lantern—Grin?!"
Kentar spotted the attacker: a humanoid wearing a Yellow Ring.
The Yellow Lanterns weren't as numerous as the Greens, and only a few were widely recognized. Grin was one of them—besides Sinestro, he was the only humanoid among them.
"You can sleep forever now."
Grin raised his hand, yellow light shining bright. He conjured a nightmarish creature from Kentar's deepest fear.
It was a centipede—covered in skulls—snarling as it lunged forward.
Kentar responded by summoning meteor strikes.
Green and yellow constructs collided—both powered by emotional energy.
The only difference: Green was forged from willpower, Yellow from fear.
"Should we help?" Allen stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"Nope," Frank said bluntly. "Helping either side means offending the other."
The Lantern Corps' rivalries were their own business. Outsiders were better off staying out of it.
The Green Lanterns had come in hostile, and the Yellows weren't exactly grateful allies. The safest bet was to remain neutral.
Truth be told, any Lantern Corps member had the strength to wreak havoc in the universe.
Even a single member could solo an entire starship fleet.
With their speed and agility, they could dodge attacks easily—and with raw power, they could punch through shields and destroy ships from within.
"Don't you guys think something's fishy here?" Thanos asked. "First, a Green Lantern shows up out of nowhere to arrest us. Then suddenly, a Yellow Lantern jumps in? Feels like a setup—someone wants us caught up in the Lantern Corps' civil war."
"But who? Our enemies right now are just the Kryptonians and the High Evolutionary. Do either of them have the clout to mess with the Lantern Corps?" Uxas asked.
The High Evolutionary was practically a stray dog now—probably just looking for somewhere to hide.
As for the Kryptonian civilization? No way they'd risk messing with Planet Oa.
Oa was effectively the fourth great empire in the universe—just behind the top three. The only issue was their limited population and the fact that they only had the Green Lantern Corps under them, so they didn't technically qualify as a full civilization.
"Forget it. Obviously it's the idiot author stirring things up."
Allen declared with knowing certainty, "This is a Western comic story. If you don't throw in the Green Lantern Corps, you're wasting good material."
"…"
The truth, as absurd as it sounded, was often hard to accept.
BOOM!
An explosion marked the end of the battle—Green versus Yellow had a victor.
Kentar, the Green Lantern, was killed on the spot.
His ring transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Everyone was stunned. Who would it choose?
Frankly, none of them seemed suitable.
Hela had led Asgard to war and was soaked in blood.
Thanos was now a laid-back slacker.
Uxas was obsessed with retaking Apokolips.
Frank had a Spirit of Vengeance inside him—no room for another power.
Yondu had no grand ambitions—just wanted his own ship.
Illlusion was a symbiotic being—not a true individual, so the ring wouldn't accept him.
And Allen… had no redeeming traits whatsoever.
While everyone was puzzled—
The ring chose.
It floated in front of Ayesha.
Perfectly reasonable.
She was pure—like a blank sheet of paper. Truly worthy of the ring.
"Is it… me?" Ayesha looked timid and uncertain, seeking her father's approval.
Pfft!
Meow…
Just as she reached out, Mimi the cat spat out a tentacle and snatched the ring.
"Mimi, spit it out! That's not food!"
Ayesha panicked and tried to pry the ring from the cat's mouth.
Allen, meanwhile, squinted, already pondering what other treasures Mimi had hidden in its belly.
Once they returned to the main timeline, they definitely had to find a way to get Mimi to spit it out—there might be an unexpected surprise waiting.
"Look, it's the Yellow Lantern Ring!"
Yondu cried out in alarm, pointing at the streak of golden light flying toward them.
As it turned out, the two Lantern warriors had perished together, leaving the ring ownerless and thus ready to choose a new bearer from nearby.
Just as everyone was speculating who might be deemed worthy, Allen lifted his hand with a flourish, raising his ring finger high, bashfully waiting for the Yellow Lantern Ring to choose him.
Unexpected, yet somehow completely within expectations.
The Yellow Lantern Ring actually did choose Allen, slipping onto his ring finger.
Yondu suddenly understood and shouted in excitement, "Boss, so you really aren't a good guy!"
"Sorry, my good looks tend to hurt those around me. I guess this was only natural."
As he spoke, Allen sensed the Yellow Lantern Ring trying to escape. Without hesitation, he clenched his fist and raised it high.
"In blackest day, in brightest night,
Evil shall fear my might.
Let those who try to stop what's right
Burn like my power—Sinestro's light!"
Reciting the Yellow Lantern oath was the final step in forging the bond. With that, Allen officially became a Yellow Lantern.
Unless, of course, Sinestro himself intervened to revoke it.
After all, he was the master of the fear entity Parallax and held the authority to bestow or strip away Yellow Lantern Rings.
"Sentient lifeform confirmed.
From an unspecified sector of space.
You possess the ability to instill great fear.
Welcome to the Sinestro Corps."
Just as Allen was preparing to study the ring's abilities, a deep, magnetic voice echoed in his ear.
As the voice faded, Yellow Lantern energy wrapped around Allen, and he was suddenly whisked off uncontrollably, soaring through space in a specific direction.
"The great me... is ascending!"
Before the team could react, they watched helplessly as Allen flew farther and farther away.
"After him!"
Thanos explained urgently, "New Lantern recruits are automatically transported to the Corps' homeworld for training. I'm worried Allen might die in the Yellow Lantern Corps."