I'll be watching?
Goddammit…
Just hearing that sentence made it sound like some creep in a hoodie was hiding behind the vending machine.
Like one of those stalker weirdos who tracks you from a burner Reddit account to the coffee shop across from your building.
Eugh.
Thinking about it made Dante's skin crawl.
"Tch. Dimensional demon gods," he muttered.
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Ion Shark's weak, high-pitched voice rang in his ears:
"Guardian! Did you forget that my delicate little body can only last one minute!? Hurry up and use the remaining time to deal with those gems!"
"Relax, Little Shark," Dante snorted, reaching toward the four Crimson Gems and the Butcher snoozing on top of them.
Butcher, who had been sleeping suddenly jolted awake the second he felt Ion Shark's energy closing in.
The first thing out of his mouth?
"Snacks!? Where are the snacks? Did someone bring Lantern Beast snacks—wait, HOLY CRAP, Ion Shark!?"
"Take it easy, Ox," Dante grinned, flashing his signature smile—the kind that he thought was charming, harmless, and inviting.
Of course, in the Butcher's eyes, it looked more like Ion Shark had teamed up with a psycho human to hunt down carefree Lantern Beasts.
"ION SHARK! I have never once messed with your Will Green Light! Why are you targeting me first!?"
"Alright, shut it."
Dante flicked the Butcher's forehead.
Still in Ion Man form, that single flick was enough to paralyze the poor ox entirely.
Sure, native Lantern Beasts were powerful—but without a bonded Lantern Ring wielder, their strength wasn't combat-ready.
And since Dante hadn't forged the Ancestral Red Lantern yet…
Right now, the Butcher was just a fancy action figure with attitude.
"Fifteen seconds left! MOVE!"
Dante raised his hand and got to work.
He began forging the Ancestral Red Lantern, using the Crimson Gems as the base.
With Ion Man's full toolkit active, he began analyzing the four Crimson Gems, reshaping and condensing them into a Lantern Furnace.
At the same time, he used his limited reality-shifting powers to modify their structure.
Question: How many steps does it take to forge an Ancestral Red Lantern?
Answer: Three.
Step one: Sever the link to the Crimson Cosmos.
Step two: Rewrite the energy filter to make it compatible with both Crimson Energy and Rage Red Light.
Step three: Chuck in the Butcher like a Lantern Beast Happy Meal toy.
Done.
This was Dante's first time using Ion Man powers, and he pulled it off effortlessly.
Right before the last second, the Ancestral Red Lantern Furnace was complete.
He even had enough time left over to casually vacuum up all the chaotic Crimson-Rage energy swarming Fox River Prison… and stuff it into the newly forged Lantern Corps.
---
Outside the Warden's Building...
The three Asgardian siblings were still in a deadlock with "Cyttorak."
Sure, this version had a higher energy level than current Hela, and even carried a sliver of Cyttorak's awareness.
But fake is fake.
Early in the fight, the trio was cautious—testing its tactics, keeping distance.
But as it went on, they noticed something.
Sure, this massive red bruiser had insane strength…
But it was slow as hell.
If Dante had been there, he would've spotted it instantly.
This "Cyttorak" was just a buffed Juggernaut. Its power levels had been cranked up, but its core style, its logic, its moveset—unchanged.
It had one extra gimmick: it could spew blood flames laced with Rage Red Light that clung to skin like cursed napalm.
But the startup animation was ridiculously long.
Hela and Loki were both quick and agile, magic-enhanced tricksters.
Even Thor was fast and nimble enough to avoid most of the windups.
Still, that one flaw came with a massive tradeoff: insane defense and health regen.
By the end of it, Hela was actually wondering if even her full-power self would have trouble taking down this hyper-armored punching bag.
Then, suddenly, they all heard a strange voice echo in the air.
And the terrifying crimson aura surrounding "Cyttorak" vanished like someone flipped a switch.
The energy receded like a tide, draining into the Warden's Building in a flash.
"Cyttorak" clenched its fists, looking... disappointed?
"Asgardian gods… I thoroughly enjoyed that massage. I... will always be watching you."
But with his power withdrawn, that sliver of Cyttorak's mind knew—playtime was over.
---
Fifteenth second.
The Ion Man state ended.
And the tiny, barely-conscious Ion Shark floated out of Dante's heart like a dead goldfish.
Meanwhile, the Red Lantern Furnace ignited—burning with crimson flames like a divine altar set ablaze.
A completely new Red Lantern stood before Dante.
The four Crimson Gems used in crafting had turned the entire Furnace into a scarlet, translucent masterpiece.
Dante reached out and lifted it with one hand.
Inside, the Butcher was spinning in circles, clearly losing his mind.
"HOLY COW!? I go to sleep in a prison bunk and wake up in a freakin' luxury villa!? You humans are... weirdly generous!"
"You have no idea how good I am," Dante said, holding the Lantern Furnace up to eye level. "So how about a little thank-you present? Maybe… an Ancestral Red Lantern Ring?"
"Uhhh... about that. You've got insane willpower, sure, but that's not really the Red Lantern criteria…"
"You wanna try again?"
The Butcher was about to argue—but then noticed the Red Lantern Furnace starting to rumble.
He immediately retreated to the corner, kicking his stubby ox hooves like a scared toddler.
Inside the Furnace, energy began to spiral—surging, spinning, condensing.
Finally, a translucent red Lantern Ring, made from the same crystalline material as the Furnace, formed in the center.
Then it burst into a streak of red light, shot out of the Lantern Furnace, and began circling Dante like a dog that hadn't decided where to sit.
"Intelligent lifeform detected.
"Dante Alighieri, of Earth."
"Your soul burns with endless rage."
"You belong to the Red Lantern Corps."
Even the Butcher—technically a newborn Lantern Beast—couldn't hold back his screech, his voice trembling:
"HOLY MOTHER OF COWS! How does a Green Lantern wielder, with terrifying calm and control, have this much rage and hatred inside him!? Are you messing with me!?"
Dante held up his left hand—the Green Lantern Ring glinting on his index finger.
The Red Lantern Ring circled once more… then, as if making a conscious decision, slipped onto his middle finger.
"With blood and rage of crimson red,
Ripped from a corpse so freshly dead,
Together with our hellish hate,
We'll burn you all—that is your fate!"
(To be continued.)
***
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