Underestimating Parallax
Luke had no time to concern himself with the drama outside the battlefield; his full attention was on the fight.
Telekinetic power and the green light continuously collided. Green flame scattered everywhere, setting the island ablaze.
Unknowingly, half an hour had passed.
Luke, wreathed in green flame, jumped out of the fray, staring oddly at Hector across from him.
Is this guy really Parallax?
Is Parallax this weak?
Luke was puzzled. In the comics, Hal Jordan—when possessed by Parallax—could easily beat base Superman, single-handedly wipe out the entire Green Lantern Corps, nearly reset the timeline, and even contend with supreme beings like The Spectre.
Yet this creature seemed completely out of breath.
Luke could clearly gauge Hector's strength. Setting aside the raw power of fear itself, his telekinetic ability was, at most, at the level of Wonder Woman.
"Are you truly Parallax?"
Hector, breathing heavily, hissed back, "You know me?"
"A segmented, insect-like creature with multiple limbs and a yellow glow, who wields the yellow power of the emotional spectrum, capable of creating, spreading, and consuming fear. The only entity that fits those conditions is the very source of the power of fear—Parallax."
Luke shrugged. "I just didn't expect you to be this weak."
"You call me weak!"
Hector's eyes narrowed, his killing intent surging.
"What else?"
Luke smiled derisively. "I haven't even used my full power, and you're already struggling."
"You seek death!"
Hector roared. Countless rocks and earth shot into the air, driven by telekinesis, forming a massive dirt tornado that whistled and flew toward Luke.
Luke raised a hand in summons. The green flame scattered across the island rapidly converged in his palm.
"Flame Dragon!"
A giant dragon made of green fire roared skyward, colliding heavily with the dirt tornado.
Clumps of earth and flame tangled and annihilated each other, dissolving into scattered green light that rained down from the sky.
Luke spread his fingers. A tiny spark appeared in his palm. The surrounding flames streamed toward the spark like swallows returning to a nest. The flame burned higher and hotter, its core slowly changing, compressing, condensing, and flowing like a liquid.
An incredibly terrifying aura radiated from the fire, like Death staring intently at you with a scythe.
At this moment, even Parallax, who had existed for countless ages, felt a chilling prickle on its scalp. That was the sensation of death—it couldn't be mistaken. If struck by that green flame, it would surely be reduced to nothingness.
Damn it! Why would such a strange being appear in a low-level civilization? Why am I so unlucky?
Parallax was exceptionally resentful. If it were at full strength, it could have vaporized such a small fry without even lifting a claw. There was no way it would be mocked to its face like this.
"I see retreat in your eyes."
"You want to run. You, the source of fear, want to run away."
Luke smiled strangely. He crouched down and pressed the flame in his hand into the mud. The green flame seeped underground and vanished.
Hector was startled, unsure what trick his opponent was playing.
Luke shot into the air, raising his right arm high and pointing to the sky.
"Flame Emperor!"
Green flame surged out, transforming into a towering wave that spewed and expanded, covering the entire island and blotting out the sky.
Hector sensed what was happening. His face contorted, and he sped toward the edge of the island.
"Trying to run? Too late."
Luke, his killing intent boiling, pointed a finger. The entire island instantly turned green. Green fire seeped out from the mud, forming columns of soaring fire. At the same time, the "giant wave" in the sky plunged downward.
From above and below, like two colossal hands, the island was completely surrounded.
The island wasn't large—less than three miles long east to west—yet this short distance had become an insurmountable chasm for Hector.
The flames sealed shut, encasing the entire island and everything on it within a fiercely burning World of Fire.
"This is my world, and it is your tomb."
Luke, wrapped in an outer layer of fire, hovered in mid-air, like a god controlling the flame.
"Hector, no, I should call you Parallax. You can't run, and I absolutely won't let you run. You have two choices: one, death; two, surrender to me."
Hector lowered its head. A large amount of yellow energy seeped from its body. As the energy expanded, its body grew bigger.
One meter... two meters... four meters... eight meters... ten meters...
Its body grew taller and its physique bulkier. Twelve claws looked lethally sharp. Its mouthparts opened, dense with fangs. Six pairs of compound eyes appeared on its head. Strange light shot from its eyes, instilling endless fear.
Hector had vanished, replaced by a giant insect over twelve meters tall.
Luke took a deep breath. With a thought, the flames transformed into swords, spears, and blades, shooting out like arrows.
Clang!
A flaming sword struck the insect's shell and scattered onto the ground.
"No protective force field!"
Luke paused for a moment, then understood. His opponent was choosing a fight to the death.
"A head-on collision. I like it."
Flames encircled his body, forming a protective armor. The Phantom Armor operated at full power. Dense blue currents sparked from his limbs. Simultaneously, he activated "Lazy Mode," shifting his perspective from first-person to third-person.
The great battle resumed.
One large, one small—one man, one bug—tangled together in a fierce melee. Green fire erupted. Every strike caused the insect to whine in pain. Its claws were incredibly sharp, actually slicing through the Phantom Armor's protective field and leaving deep gashes on the plating.
In just a few dozen seconds, the Phantom Armor had accumulated over a dozen cuts, and the insect was gasping for breath, clearly exhausted.
Luke took a few steps back. Seeing the massive cut on his abdomen, his expression became extremely serious.
That was close. If Ava hadn't warned him in time, his opponent would have gutted him.
"What a formidable bug!"
"I can't gain any advantage in close combat with this thing."
Luke muttered to himself. He clenched his fingers. The World of Fire began to contract inward, completely encircling the giant insect.
Wails of agony, carrying endless pain, came from the inferno.
Luke narrowed his eyes, staring intently. If the fire zone shrank, it would give the creature a chance to escape, which Luke was unwilling to allow.
The green flame enveloped Parallax, continuously eroding inward, infecting its flesh, and scorching its soul. The dark yellow shell was stained a dark, sickly green. It shrieked in pain, rolling frantically on the ground, its claws cutting through the earth, leaving massive gashes.
Gradually, the struggling weakened. The segmented claws lay limply on the ground.
A few minutes later, the giant insect collapsed to the ground, motionless. It appeared dead.
Luke still wasn't reassured. He kept burning it, relentlessly, thoroughly, until the dark yellow shell was stained a shitty green before stopping.
He extinguished the flame, walked over to the giant insect, and inspected it curiously.
Just then—
Bang!
The massive body vanished. Yellow light burst out, transforming into a streak that shot directly into Luke's body.
"Foolish Earthling! From now on, you are my slave."
An arrogant voice echoed in his mind. Luke's expression immediately became bizarre.
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