Chapter 278: Covetous Eyes from the Orange Lantern Deputy
The group activated lightspeed cruise mode aboard the spacecraft to give chase.
At first, they managed to keep up with the figure ahead.
But then, with a sudden burst of acceleration, Allen vanished from sight.
Hela frowned and asked, "Does anyone know where the Yellow Lantern Corps is stationed?"
The others all shook their heads—none of them had a clue.
Unlike the Green Lantern Corps, which claimed to uphold justice and operated under strict rules, the Yellow Lantern Corps were known as bullies of the universe, unruly and lawless.
As a result, they'd made plenty of enemies and were extremely protective of their headquarters. Fearing a joint retaliation, they had kept its location secret from the very beginning.
"So what now?"
Yondu asked with concern, "Without the boss, are we still doing the mission?"
Of course not.
After all, the group's shared anonymous energy crystal cards didn't require identity verification to use.
As for Allen himself, he was currently racing toward the Yellow Lantern Corps' home planet, cloaked in yellow light.
Along the way, many civilizations' space radars picked up his presence, but without exception, they all chose to ignore him.
Because no one dared provoke the Yellow Lantern Corps.
While the Green Lanterns had military strength rivaling a galactic empire, the Yellow Lantern Corps—though fewer in number—were every bit their equal in terms of combat power.
…
Kowad, the Yellow Lantern Corps Headquarters.
A multitude of Yellow Lantern bearers were gathered, listening to the stern lecture from their leader, Sinestro.
The so-called Yellow Lantern Corps was essentially Sinestro's personal army, and thus often referred to as the Sinestro Corps.
"Green is dead!"
Suddenly, Sinestro's tone shifted, and his expression darkened.
At that moment, he summoned a power-charged yellow ring and played a projection of Green's final moments.
"Damn Green Lanterns."
The moment the Green Lantern appeared onscreen, a wave of teeth-gritting hatred surged through the crowd. Their hostility was palpable.
The two corps had long been mortal enemies, frequently clashing in battle, locked in an irreconcilable blood feud.
In the end, both Green and his opponent perished. The yellow ring chose Allen as its new bearer, which offered Sinestro a degree of consolation.
At least the vacancy had been filled seamlessly.
Yellow power came from fear. Thus, the new Lantern must possess the ability to spread fear.
"Silence!"
As Sinestro's voice rang out sternly,
The entire hall instantly fell quiet, with every eye turning toward their leader.
They had no choice but to submit to him. After all, the fear entity Parallax acknowledged Sinestro as its master. He alone could grant or revoke any Yellow Lantern's power with a mere thought.
Moreover, Sinestro had the ability to merge with Parallax itself, becoming a terrifying avatar of fear.
"Let us welcome our new member."
Naturally, Sinestro didn't reject a new recruit. Still, the loss of a veteran Lantern would require significant time and effort to compensate.
The Yellow Lantern Corps operated within a relatively limited jurisdiction—roughly a single sector.
They bore no responsibility for maintaining universal order and thus didn't need to deploy in fragments like the Green Lanterns.
Furthermore, Sinestro was a leader of principle. He refused to lower himself by leading a mass assault on scattered Green Lanterns across the cosmos.
He only permitted one-on-one confrontations initiated by subordinates as provocations.
Because of this, neither side had ever stooped to ganging up on the other.
When large-scale battles broke out, they always did so with both sides fully assembled.
…
Meanwhile, Allen was lying flat, drifting through space in sheer boredom.
Honestly, he hadn't expected the trip to take this long.
"Why do I kind of need to pee?"
Opening his white lab coat, Allen relieved himself while lying down.
Soon after, a slightly yellowish glob of liquid floated off into the void.
As Allen blinked out of sight en route to the Yellow Lantern planet—
A streak of orange light trailed behind, tracking him by that faint residue.
Smack!
"Pfft—blech! What the hell just went in my mouth?!"
Unluckily, the Orange Lantern slammed straight into the drifting discharge.
This was Larfleeze, the sole Orange Lantern in the universe.
Orange Light represents greed. It magnifies the host's inner avarice to extreme levels.
Larfleeze was the first to acquire an orange ring—and he became so consumed by greed that he refused to allow any other lifeform to wield its power. He even killed or imprisoned all other Orange Lanterns ever created, turning them into spectral constructs to serve him in battle.
Hence the nickname: the One-Man Army of the Orange Lantern Corps.
Driven by intensifying greed amplified by the orange light, Larfleeze had begun coveting other Lanterns' rings.
Among them, the Yellow Ring had long been a coveted prize.
The moment he detected the emergence of a new Yellow Lantern, he moved to seize it. Unfortunately, he underestimated the ring's built-in newbie protection protocol.
Every Lantern ring had one—using reserve energy to automatically transport a new bearer to their respective Corps headquarters.
It's worth noting that beyond commanding Orange Lantern specters, Larfleeze's most powerful trait was the ability to absorb other Lantern energies to replenish his own.
"So that was… urine. Urgh…"
With a head resembling that of a hunting hound, Larfleeze licked the fur on his face to clean it—only to instantly regret it once he realized what it was.
After a long moment, he calmed down.
Then he realized he'd lost the target.
"You can't escape from my grasp."
Suddenly struck by a brilliant idea, Larfleeze retrieved his beloved Orange Lantern and reached inside, pulling out another orange ring. A wicked grin spread across his face.
"I'll make you an Orange Lantern—then kill you and take your Yellow Ring!"
With that, he hurled the ring into the void. It vanished in a streak of orange light.
…
Boom!
A streak of yellow light crashed down from the sky.
The impact sent a cloud of dust into the air.
The Yellow Lanterns had been waiting and now stood at attention to greet the newcomer.
It had been a long time since anyone new joined the Corps, and they were curious to see what sort of creature it would be.
Yellow Lanterns had one crucial qualification: they had to look fearsome and menacing at first glance.
As a result, most Yellow Lanterns were hideous or grotesque—strange beyond belief. Nature's handiwork seemed rushed, as if the designs were slapped together without much care.
Of course, there were exceptions—some female Lanterns were quite stunning in appearance, often possessing a venomous heart beneath the beauty.
It was a Corps of extremes.
As the dust cleared—
Allen stood with hands on hips, clad in his usual white lab coat.
The yellow ring's energy had run dry, so he reverted to his original appearance.
True to his carefree nature, Allen had never changed clothes. He gave the patient gown he came through the portal in to Ayesha, and had worn the stolen lab coat ever since.
"I want this sky—"
Suddenly, Allen raised one finger toward the heavens, eyes burning with defiance, as if about to make some grand declaration.
The Yellow Lanterns looked at each other in confusion.
What was up with this guy? Was this how all new recruits acted now?
"—to no longer obscure my sight."
He pointed to the ground next. "I want this earth to no longer bury my heart."
"I want all living things to tremble before me!"
Tsk tsk tsk…
This guy was asking for a beating.
Putting on a grand show the moment he arrived?
The Yellow Lanterns collectively narrowed their eyes, ready to beat the arrogance out of him.
The Corps was full of villains. Not a single one was a decent soul. And they weren't about to let some rookie show off to their faces.
Clap clap clap…
Just then, Sinestro began clapping, nodding with satisfaction. "Very well said. The question is: do you have what it takes to make it real?"
For all beings to fear him?
Even Sinestro wouldn't dare speak so brazenly—there were far too many unfathomable powers hidden across the universe.
The stronger one became, the more clearly one could sense those that defied understanding.
"Don't worry, boss. I'll devote myself to the Corps, help us rise to greatness, and achieve new glory!"
Allen's earnest pledge sounded absurd—like an insurance salesman making empty promises.
Sinestro was unmistakable in appearance: purplish-red skin like bruising, a slicked-back haircut, the very image from the comics.
"You're certainly enthusiastic."
His attitude was impeccable, and Sinestro was quite pleased. Many previous recruits had been insufferably arrogant—"I'm second only to God"—and required beatings to get in line.
But Allen walked right up and raised a brow. "I think I have a natural villain's potential. Joining the Yellow Lantern Corps feels like being truly seen. From now on, if you want someone beaten, I'll beat them. If I want someone beaten, I'll beat them too."
Uh…
He really was born to be a bully.
Sinestro got the strange sense something was off about this one, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Still, he remained patient. "The Yellow Lantern Corps has its own code. We don't kill without cause."
It wasn't hard to understand.
Fear required sentient beings to exist. If all life were wiped out, there'd be no fear—and no need for the Yellow Lantern Corps.
Allen nodded earnestly. "Totally agree. We should go for sustainable exploitation—beat people on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, let them rest on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. A three-day work week suits the Yellow Lantern lifestyle perfectly."
"…"
After just a few exchanges, Sinestro realized it—this guy was completely insane.
And not just unstable—he was highly manic.
"You'll undergo the recruit trial."
"Yes, sir!"
Allen cheerfully accepted the order, giving a half-hearted salute.
"Lyssa, you'll train him."
"Yes, Leader."
Sinestro called out a veteran female Lantern with humanoid features—blue skin, long black hair, and a sharp, capable aura.
She was one of the first personally recruited by Sinestro and now served as both Lantern and instructor.
She was also the keeper of the Book of Parallax and absolutely loyal—Sinestro's trusted lieutenant.
"Another Smurf. A female one, too."
Allen licked his lips and smiled wide, baring his teeth as he respectfully greeted, "Villain Lantern reporting to you, ma'am."
"Hello."
Lyssa responded with a hint of hesitation and warned, "Becoming a Yellow Lantern involves facing death. You can still back out."
"If you're scared to die, you're not cut out to be a Yellow Lantern."
Then Allen paused. "What happens if I do back out?"
"Nothing much," Lyssa said with a cold smile. "The Corps will just hunt you down until you're dead."
"…"
Now that was the Yellow Lantern spirit.
Allen immediately backpedaled, "Sister Lyssa, not becoming a Yellow Lantern would be your loss. I swear to defend the Corps' honor to the death. Oh yeah!"
"Let's hope your actions match your words."
The first lesson was an introduction to the Yellow Ring.
It was usually simple: explaining the ring's functions and how to recharge it.
Yellow Lanterns stored their power in the ring, and could summon it at will. All they had to do was touch the symbol inside the lantern to instantly recharge.
"I got it."
Allen summoned the lantern mentally, tapped it, and recharged the ring in seconds. "Sister Lyssa, I'm so ready for combat."
Plenty of Yellow Lanterns had gathered to watch, eager to gauge the rookie's potential.
They had all gone through this process themselves and could tell from basic training whether a new recruit would make the cut.
If they failed?
Death awaited them.
At Lyssa's hands.
As the keeper of the Book of Parallax, she presided over the final trial—embracing fear inside the House of Terror. Those who failed would die.
"You can start exploring what kind of fear you're best at," Lyssa advised.
Besides some shared baseline powers across the Lantern spectrum, each Corps had its own specialty.
For the Yellow Lanterns, it was about instilling fear.
Some Yellow Lanterns specialize in weapon constructs for close-quarters slaughter—they manifest fear through sheer brutality, becoming avatars of terror themselves.
Others are adept at constructing widely recognized nightmare creatures, using them to trigger fear responses and absorb that fear to empower themselves.
The remaining Yellow Lanterns manifest familiar creatures, using their known forms to spread fear—but doing so requires a constant stream of self-generated fear to nourish and sustain their growth.
"I think you've all got it wrong."
The moment Allen spoke, the gathered Yellow Lanterns scoffed at his arrogant claim.
A mere apprentice daring to contradict veteran Lanterns—this was blatant heresy.
Off to the side, Sinestro, who had been watching quietly, frowned. Whatever favorable impression Allen had built was instantly wiped away—he now saw him as nothing more than a loudmouthed clown.
"Is this rookie insane or just plain stupid, saying something like that?"
"I'm telling you, the guy's nuts—he's been talking like a lunatic from the start."
"Just wait—Lyssa's definitely going to teach this big-mouthed rookie a painful lesson."
…
Allen didn't answer back. He simply lowered his head in silence, as if disheartened by the backlash, withdrawn and subdued—only fueling the others' mockery.
After all, this was a den of villains, where everyone loved to kick someone while they were down.
"All fear originates from the unknown."
"What did you say?"
Amid the noisy jeers, Allen's murmur was nearly drowned out. Lyssa, however, heard it faintly and asked him to repeat it.
"The unknown is the source of fear."
The moment the words left his mouth—
A burst of Yellow Lantern energy erupted from Allen's body.
In that instant, golden light flooded the void, and a vague, distorted outline began to manifest—like a higher-dimensional being forcing its way into a lower-dimensional world.
"My eyes!"
"What is that sound?! Get out of my head!"
"What the hell is he materializing!?"
…
Just moments ago, the Yellow Lanterns had been full of ridicule.
Now, their eyes were squeezed shut, hands clamped over their ears, their faces twisted in panic as they screamed in terror.