章 117: Chapter 117 : Bad premonition
Hello everyone ! Hope you're having a good day ! I'm not… I had unforeseen car related troubles that forced me to fork an indecent amount of money. That was annoying !
Anyways, you don't really care about that. About my stories… Chapter 4 of 'Reborn as Lex Luthor' and 'Splinter's tale' are available on Patréon so check that out ! And as always, you can read advanced chapter of ´Marvel : the Author'. Search for Cathbel on Patréon or use this link : https://www.patre*n.com/user?u=66371596.
Enjoy the read !
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As the battle progressed all around him, Ned had flashbacks about his last two participations in a war. At the time, he was still Earthbound… Well, except he could actually fly. Still, he hadn't left the Earth's atmosphere, or started to meddle with universal matters. Because that's what this battle was about, really. From what he remembered, this battle against the fallen guardians of Oa involved not only the Green Lantern corps, but also a lot of other lantern corps. Perhaps all of them.
In their hubris and lack of foresight, the Guardians had attacked all of the corps' central power batteries in order to weaken and/or kill them. Their means were various and sometimes, they even used a third party. Still, when their involvement was discovered by the Red Lanterns and they found out the other Lantern corps had been attacked, connecting the dots was a quick matter of course.
Now, normally, the Lantern corps rarely, if ever, saw eye to eye. It was natural really… The nature of their weapons often opposed each other in some way, so the way they accomplished things was different as well. For example, the Green Lantern enforced the law using their willpower : they were strict and powerful, but they were also understandable and trustworthy. On the other hand, the Yellow Lanterns spread fear in order to cower the criminals and dissuade them to commit crimes. And then, there were the Red Lanterns… When a crime happened, they believed it was only natural for the victim to get vengeance and thus helped in enacting this vengeance. Most often in a bloody and lethal way.
And the Guardians, like morons in contrast to their vaunted wisdom, managed to get all of those different forces to focus on a common enemy. Ned was sure this alliance would end as soon as the problem was settled, of course. But it was still quite impressive. And it raised a question about the emotional state of the Malthusians.
According to them, they no longer felt the hold of emotions over their psyche : they were now beings of pure logic. And yet, Ned could read arrogance - or dimwittedness - in their actions. That, or maybe subconsciously the guardians were trying to get in their own ways. Otherwise, their actions against the Lantern corps couldn't be logically explained. It was too indecisive, too sloppy. Granted, theirs schemes were rather elaborate, but the end result… Well, they just didn't manage to thin their numbers out enough in Ned's opinion.
It didn't surprise him when, in addition to their own arrival, others arrived. Sinestro and his Sinestro corps, wielding the yellow ring of fear, Atrocitus and the Red Lanterns, Carol Ferris the Star Sapphire, Saint Walker and his Blue Lanterns, Indigo-1 - or whatever his designation was - along with a few other number of the Indigo Lanterns… Even Larfleeze sent out a few of his Orange constructs and Ned knew how he didn't like parting with those ! Finally, the future MVP of the battle, or at least, Ned thought he would be : the White Lantern, Kyle Rayner.
Seeing them all in action, cutting swath of the Third Army with a brutal efficiency was exciting, as well as terrifying. It really opened his eyes on the nature of this reality and the dangers therein. And there wasn't an overpowered douchebag in the mix… Yet.
As the battle progressed, Ned lost trace of the Guardians. Perhaps, they were already in Volthoom's prison… Now this was someone he didn't want to face. He was pretty sure that, despite the defenses of his armor against the lights of the emotional electromagnetic spectrum, it would be like paper in front of the guy. Put simply, Volthoom had the power of a God. And not a minor god but rather the boss of a Pantheon, like Odin or Zeus. He was connected to the emotional spectrum in a way nobody else was. Even the White Lantern, who could wield all the colors and recharge himself indefinitely, paled in comparison.
What was worse however was how the villain used his power. Ruling over the emotional spectrum meant that he had direct access to all your fears, feelings and desires. In game terms, his empathy skills would have exceeded max level. And he used those insights to reshape your personal reality and make you experience something that would break you. Ned didn't know what this would be in his case, but he'd rather not face it !
As a result, Ned felt split between his sense of duty and his desire to flee as far from here as possible. On the one hand, he had brought the third army and the former Guardians' problem to the future Justice League's attention - or at least a part of it. How could he escape a situation he was afraid of after he so callously dragged bystanders, powerful they may be, into the situation ?
On the other hand… A god ! He tried to take comfort in the fact that he already had an encounter with a goddess in the past… Until he remembered how it ended : badly ! For him. And she wasn't actually a true goddess, she just possessed part of a the power of one. Some might argue that Volthoom wasn't a god either. They'd be right, of course. Volthoom didn't have an attribute, a domain or his own realm in the God Sphere. However, he possessed the deepest connection possible to one of the seven primordial forces that created the universe. He could be considered the Avatar of the Emotional Spectrum, if the force in question had any sentience. In a sense, he was the God that represented it, even if he had started out as a mortal… in the future. In a parallel universe.
Ned sighed and clenched his fist. He was no longer a mere human, no longer the powerless squib he once was. His genius was still his greatest strength, but he also possessed other advantages now. Besides, there was no proof that Volthoom could use his mind-f*ckery skill on a Tech spirit. Sure, he could manipulate his reality… probably. He could make him see shit. But read his mind ? Ned sure as hell hoped not. He also believed that his contingency against the mind arts would be enough to pose a certain challenge if not shield him efficiently.
« Damn, this annoys me ! » Ned muttered.
He was not known to swear, even in the depths of his mind like this. However, if there was one superpower he absolutely dreaded, it was the power to manipulate the minds of others. With a power like this, you could never be sure about… well, anything. Worse : you couldn't even trust yourself ! Besides, it reminded him a bit too much of what happened to him with the Metal…
His sensors pinged threats closing in on him suddenly. Idly, he wondered about the third army… Or rather, how it was currently functioning. The third army was composed of drones with no thoughts of their own. He assumed that they were controlled by one or several Malthusians to give them directions. But all the Malthusians had disappeared according to his sensors.
Ned casually avoided a lunge from his back, watching as a clawed metallic hand passed him by. Aiming his focus, he blasted the attacker in the shoulder, piercing a hole in it and severing him in two. Right after that, he shifted his position to the right to avoid another one of those monsters to grab his ankles. With his free hand, he made a cutting gesture, bisecting this one as well. The other two were apparently trying to act as decoy, charging from the front. He, too, charged, bracing himself against the impact. He trusted his armor, despite how ugly he found it, to withstand their clawed hands, even with the help of the Green light of Willpower. Now within punching distance, he reeled back both arms and maxed out the support thrusters on his elbows. Their heads exploded in a sickening crunch under his gauntlets.
Suddenly, his HUD lit up in warning ! Right where the Malthusians had disappeared, a rift had been opened. Turning his head swiftly and using the magnifying function of his built-in cameras, Ned felt the urge to swear once more.
A translucent man, whose veins and organs shone the colors of the rainbow, floated leisurely, exuding an arrogance and a power that chilled him to the bone. This… thing, had no regard for life.
« Volthoom… » He breathed out, a shiver in his voice.
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