The Oath of the Corps
In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light.
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
A low chant echoed in Hector's mind, carrying a bizarre and unpredictable power. These words seemed capable of transcending space and time, connecting to a mysterious entity countless light-years away.
At this very moment, a great battle was unfolding on a desolate planet on the edge of Sector 2814 of the universe.
One side was the Green Lantern Corps, led by Sinestro. The other was a gigantic, yellow-glowing, insect-like creature with multiple limbs and a segmented body.
This was Parallax, the physical embodiment of the yellow emotional spectrum—the power of Fear, and the archenemy of the Green Lantern Corps.
Since the news of Abin Sur's death reached Oa, Sinestro had been investigating, determined to find the murderer of his dear friend. He violated the Guardians' rules many times in the process but ultimately uncovered a shocking truth buried in history.
The Green Lantern Corps was known to have a weakness: their power was ineffective against yellow objects. When faced with yellow light, their core power would be significantly weakened—a flaw known as the Yellow Impurity.
Every Green Lantern was thought to have the Yellow Impurity, but this was not entirely true.
The so-called Yellow Impurity was caused by Parallax, the physical embodiment of the yellow fear energy—one of the seven emotional spectrums.
Billions of years ago, the Green Lantern Corps fought a great war with Parallax, who sought to consume the universe. After countless sacrifices, they finally achieved victory. To prevent Parallax's resurrection, the Green Lanterns of that era divided its essence into two parts, imprisoning them within the Central Power Batteries of two different planets. Oa was one of them.
The Green Lantern Corps had the Yellow Impurity because Parallax's energy had corrupted the Central Power Battery, infecting every Green Lantern who drew energy from it with this strange weakness.
When the truth became known, a massive protest erupted on Oa. As the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, Sinestro vehemently argued with the Guardians. He then led hundreds of fearless warriors to Sector 2814, intending to eliminate Parallax, who had escaped its prison.
Parallax Escapes
The battle had raged for three Earth days, and the resulting shockwaves had nearly destroyed half the planet.
Parallax's power left a deep impression on the Green Lantern Corps. To win, Sinestro had to abandon his initial plan and resort to a war of attrition. Soldiers constantly left the battle and were replaced by others. Under the sustained attack of hundreds of Green Lanterns, Parallax was finally suppressed.
Sinestro and a dozen key corps members used their rings to create a Willpower Cage to prevent it from absorbing fear energy. Other soldiers materialized various weapons and bombarded it, continuously draining Parallax's energy.
Parallax, which was initially half the size of a city, was now reduced to the size of a husky under the relentless assault of the Green Lantern Corps. Its energy was severely weakened, and it could no longer break free from the Willpower Cage applied to its body.
Parallax was the physical manifestation of the yellow fear energy, representing a fundamental force of the universe; it could not be killed. However, if it were forced back to its primitive form, it would take a very long time for it to reform its body.
It did not want to vanish, nor did it want to spend billions of years immersed in a glowing green liquid. Alas, reality was cruel. The Green Lantern Corps had sealed all exits, giving it no chance to escape.
Parallax roared in fury, struggling desperately. Its body shrank further, from husky size to corgi, and then from corgi to chihuahua. Just as it was about to revert to its primitive form, a distant call suddenly echoed in its mind.
In blackest day, in brightest night,
Beware your fears made into light.
Let those who try to stop what's right,
Burn like my power... Sinestro's might!
"It's that one!"
"A humanoid from Earth. Cowardly, fearful, twisted. No potential to be a host."
Parallax quickly accessed all of Hector's information. Although extremely unwilling to merge with such a creature, it had no other choice at this moment.
Boom!
A burst of powerful energy erupted from within Parallax's body, temporarily breaking free of the Willpower Cage. The remaining body transformed into a stream of light and abruptly vanished, following the psychological space constructed by the Yellow Fear Energy.
The surrounding Green Lanterns were stunned, looking at each other, not knowing what had happened.
Sinestro's expression was grim. He immediately brought up the specialized instrument used to track Parallax. Soon, a subtle yellow dashed line appeared in the starry sky. The end of the line pointed to a distant star.
"Abin Sur's corpse, and his successor, Hal Jordan, are on the life-bearing planet in that system," someone murmured, looking up at their leader, Sinestro, who tightly clenched his fist, his stern face etched with frost.
An Anti-Climactic Ending
On an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean on Earth, two figures descended from the sky: Luke in the Phantom Armor and Carol carrying a purple metal box.
"How's that guy? Is he still resisting?"
Carol shook her head, saying strangely, "I'm worried he might have been suffocated to death!"
"That would be for the best, save us the trouble," Luke spread his hands, then added, "But the chances of that are extremely low. Let him out. It's time to end this fight."
At the mention of fighting, both their expressions immediately became serious. Hector's ability to manipulate fear was tricky. If he managed to exploit an opening, it could result in a counter-kill.
The purple metal box slowly opened, revealing a damaged head. Its eyes were tightly shut, and it was motionless, seemingly unconscious.
Luke raised his hand and blasted the head into a bloody pulp with an energy cannon. Flesh and blood splattered everywhere. The expected yellow particles did not appear. The blood and flesh seeped into the mud and slowly disappeared.
What is going on?
The two exchanged glances, both seeing question marks in the other's eyes. Could he have really suffocated to death? It seemed unlikely. He was a powerhouse with the Yellow Fear Energy, after all. If he died so anticlimactically, it would be a pitiful end.
Green flames sparked in Luke's eyes. After scanning the area, he shook his head.
"A pity. I was planning to pickle his head in formalin to make a living specimen. I didn't expect a single shot to completely shatter it."
Carol snapped, "Don't be so disgusting! No one wants to see his head floating in a jar!"
Luke shrugged.
"I think it's a great idea. A head that big is one-of-a-kind. It would make a very collectible exhibit."
The two discussed the merits of the "collection piece" for five minutes until they were certain Hector would not revive, at which point they ended the tedious topic.
The fight ended too quickly. The foreplay hadn't even finished before it abruptly jumped to the conclusion, without even a climax.
It was a shame. Luke had planned to test whether the Green Flame could resist the erosion of the Yellow Fear Energy. Now, it seemed he would have to wait for another opportunity.
The two briefly cleaned up the battleground and turned to leave. Just then, an inexplicable sensation washed over them from above.
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