บท 375: Brute Force
The Outer Edge of the Vortex, The Inner Hall
A white figure darted out from the swirling vortex like a butterfly flitting through flowers. Green Lantern, Hal Jordan, barely had time to register the movement before he was hit by a crushing blow. The impact sent him flying through the air, the sheer force overwhelming his usual defenses.
Hal's reaction speed and sense of danger were not his strong suits, so it wasn't surprising that he was caught off guard. Dragging a streak of glowing green light, he was launched backward with incredible force. His flight ended with a high-speed crash into the crowd, scattering onlookers like bowling pins.
The collision was loud, shaking the air with its intensity. Several aliens standing too close to the impact point were swept up by the shockwave, their bodies tossed aside like leaves in a gale. The scene looked catastrophic, but Hal himself emerged relatively unharmed. His Green Lantern force field absorbed most of the damage, leaving him with only a small cut that oozed a trickle of blood.
As the ring's energy surged through him, Hal's strength was renewed. With a quick flip, he landed back on his feet, steady and ready. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the aliens around him. Many had taken the full force of his landing, and the injuries they suffered were far more severe.
The white figure didn't stop. It sped forward, moving so quickly it seemed to blur against the backdrop of chaos. It wasn't slowing down—it was accelerating.
Charlie , the gamer who was controlling Hal from his computer, had initially been watching through Iron Man's perspective. When he noticed Hal flying through the air like a ragdoll, he quickly switched to Hal's viewpoint, snapping his focus back to the Green Lantern.
Through Hal's eyes, Charlie recognized the attacker. It was the God King's envoy, the same woman they had met earlier. Charlie remembered her warning Iron Man to stay put, saying she had "something to take care of" before she would return to protect him.
So, by 'take care of something,' she meant starting a fight with me in the imperial city? Charlie thought to himself, a mix of annoyance and sarcasm.
Despite his frustration, Charlie acted swiftly. Before Hal could fully regain his balance, the Green Lantern ring began to glow brighter, releasing a flood of energy. The torrent of green light coalesced into the shape of a sleek Raptor fighter jet. Its engines roared to life, trailing streams of green flame as it launched straight at the God King's envoy.
The constructs created by the Green Lantern's ring depended entirely on the user's imagination. Unless Charlie programmed a specific skill into the game, the weapons and tools were always based on Hal's own thoughts.
Unlike the controlled environment of training on Oa, real combat was unpredictable and unforgiving. There was no time to plan or strategize—everything relied on instinct. Every construct, whether it was a weapon to attack or a shield to defend, had to be created instantly. In a real fight, even a fraction of a second could mean the difference between life and death.
This reliance on instinct was why Hal's constructs often resembled aircraft and military equipment. As a former pilot, he naturally fell back on what he knew best—jets, missiles, and other modern weapons.
Charlie thought the counterattack was executed well. The Raptor's speed was impressive, and it seemed like it would hit its target. But as the jet closed in, the God King's envoy made an unexpected move. With inhuman agility, she shifted to the side in a sharp, jagged motion, dodging the fighter entirely. The jet roared past her, its momentum wasted.
Before Hal could react, the woman accelerated again, closing the distance between them in the blink of an eye.
Hal acted on instinct, swinging his arm to summon a glowing green scimitar. The weapon appeared in his hand instantly, its edge gleaming with energy. The God King's envoy stopped her forward motion with an unnatural precision, planting her feet firmly on the ground. Hal's scimitar missed her face by mere inches, slicing through the empty air where she had been a moment earlier.
Hal's swing left him slightly off balance, and the envoy seized the opportunity. Her white, slender fingers shot forward like lightning, grabbing his wrist. A bone-chilling cold spread from her touch, freezing his arm almost instantly. Frost crept along his skin, encasing his arm in a layer of thick, shimmering ice.
Reacting quickly, Hal summoned another weapon. This time, a glowing green blade materialized in the air above them, independent of his grip. The blade slashed downward, forcing the envoy to release him and step back.
Hal didn't waste the opening. He balled his left hand into a fist and swung, even though he was still out of reach. Green energy surged from his body, forming a massive, glowing energy fist that shot forward like a projectile.
Caught off guard, the envoy barely had time to react. She raised her right hand, releasing a burst of freezing mist to counter the attack. The energy fist collided with the icy barrier, shattering it into glittering fragments. The force of the punch sent the envoy hurtling backward.
She flipped through the air gracefully, landing on her feet. As she hit the ground, a fresh wave of frost spread from beneath her, anchoring her in place and preventing further movement. The ice spread outward in a wide circle, freezing everything it touched. Nearby bystanders screamed and fled, desperate to avoid the spreading frost.
"Gods fighting, mortals suffering," someone muttered from the crowd, their voice tinged with fear.
In the star realms, the God King's envoy was revered as a near-divine figure. Her opponent, Green Lantern, was clearly no ordinary combatant. Both figures were locked in a deadly struggle, their power shaking the very ground beneath them.
The envoy steadied herself, her expression shifting from confidence to surprise. She hadn't expected Hal to be so powerful—or so relentless.
Hal wasn't finished. With a sweep of his arm, he summoned a veritable arsenal of weapons. Swords, spears, guns, missiles, and even Gatling guns appeared around him, floating in a glowing green formation. The sheer variety of constructs gave the impression of an entire armory brought to life.
The crowd watched in stunned silence. Even seasoned warriors, some of whom had faced powerful foes before, were shaken by the display.
"What would happen if that was aimed at me?" someone whispered, their voice barely audible over the hum of energy. The answer was obvious. No one could survive such an overwhelming attack.
But the God King's envoy didn't flinch. She raised her arms, and an icy mist poured from her hands, forming a barrier of absolute cold. The freezing field spread out in front of her, clashing with the oncoming wave of weapons.
As each weapon entered the icy field, it froze solid and shattered, falling to the ground in pieces. Swords, spears, and even the missiles were no match for the freezing power. One by one, they disintegrated into harmless shards of ice.
Charlie, watching through Hal's perspective, was impressed. This was, without a doubt, the strongest opponent Hal had faced so far. Her abilities were on a completely different level.
But Charlie wasn't discouraged. He had encountered many tough opponents before—both in this game and in others. With a quick adjustment, he devised a new plan.
Hal launched himself forward like a rocket, propelled by the energy of his ring. He dove straight into the frozen field, his body instantly encased in ice.
For a moment, it seemed like he had made a fatal mistake. Hal was frozen mid-sprint, transformed into a glowing green ice sculpture.
But the ice didn't hold him for long. In less than a second, cracks spread across its surface. With a deafening crack, the ice shattered, exploding outward in a shower of glittering fragments.
Hal emerged from the shards, glowing brighter than ever. His momentum carried him forward, straight toward the God King's envoy.
Charlie's strategy was simple. If precision and clever tricks couldn't break her defenses, brute force would.
And when it came to brute force, few could match the combined might of Green Lantern and Iron Man.
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