Chapter 120 : Unexpected help
Author note : Hey, guys ! Hope you're all alright ! Personally, I'm happy it's the week-end and that I can play Starfield !
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Enjoy !
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As Ned was shown how little his life mattered according to Volthoom, he started to simply ignore what he was shown and focused inward. He didn't remember how Volthoom was dealt with since he had never read the ending of the New Guardians arc in the New 52. He assumed the White Lantern saved the day in the end, but it could also have been the Guardians meddling when they noticed how Volthoom was growing in power.
After all, the man was connected to the Emotional spectrum. It wasn't a stretch to say that he was basically an emotional vampire, who fed and grew stronger on people's feelings. Although the Guardians had made it so Volthoom had no choice but to obey them for now, once he grew strong enough, all bets would be off !
If he was patient enough, he figured that he would be freed from this accursed reality. However, would he be satisfied ? In addition, he dreaded what his companions were experiencing… Especially Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Those three had the potential to become not only the worst supervillain, but also the most successful… In the sense that their 'career' would last and they could make people follow them.
Just take the Injustice's Regime, as an example. Or the Batman-Who-Laughs. The former was composed of former heroes and villains now enforcing their views on law in a most brutal fashion. The latter led a number of Batmans and Robins from different dimensions in order to take over - or destroy, Ned wasn't sure - the Prime universe.
Back to Volthoom, Ned had no doubt that, in addition to himself, he was also working and siphoning the emotions of pretty much every sentient beings over Oa. Meaning, even if he didn't manage to siphon emotions off of him, dragging things out would be pointless : Volthoom was still growing stronger thanks to his other 'prisoners'.
As he was thinking about these things, he suddenly heard Volthoom's voice breathe out in disbelief :
« Impossible ! You dare oppose me ? »
Only he wasn't talking to Ned, but to something or someone he couldn't see or hear. And then, Ned felt his presence vanish, lifting an enormous weight from his consciousness. The reality he had been thrust into vanished, leaving the void of space, the planet Oa and a few Lanterns breaking out of their mental bounds and freeing their comrades.
Ned noticed another Lantern corps had arrived unexpectedly… This one, wearing black. He hadn't read it except for briefly reading over a summary, but wasn't the Black Lantern corps the reason for the entire Blackest Night arc, where a great number of heroes and villains perished only to join the Black Lanterns and serve as Nekron's soldiers in his war against life ? It was completely unexpected and confusing to see them here and… helping ?
Ned couldn't understand, but he wasn't about to deny a helping hand, even if the hand in question turned against them after all was said and done. All that mattered was that, the situation was previously completely hopeless, trapped as they were in Volthoom's reality, and the First Lantern was only growing stronger the longer they were in his hands. Now that they were free and that he had to contend against living corpses without emotions, powered by their own ring and sometimes even powers of their own, things were looking up !
Like a cloud of man-sized, multicolored angry bees, the Lanterns rushed Volthoom from all sides, with a number of them blasting him from afar, creating and directing deadly constructs his ways. The Green Lantern Earthlings unleashed weapons of destructions : tanks, missiles, grenades etc… While the sole human Red Lantern, manifested nightmarish, furious monsters and delivered them with a savagery even few in his own corp could match. Atrocitus, true to himself, went up close and personal, punching, head-butting, vomiting lava, all accompanied with gradually more vocal shouts of rage. Ned noticed how he didn't use constructs and thought that maybe he couldn't… Only, his cat, Dex-starr, also from Earth, obviously could : he created a construct around his body, a hellish-looking feline, terrifying, with powerful limbs and sharp fangs and claws. Much like his master, he too chose to fight close, seemingly enjoying inflicting pain on his opponent…
Sinestro ordered his corps to show what fear truly was to their enemy. Otherwise, he stayed afar, choosing to create his own monstrosities and send them to fight in his stead.
Larfleeze's orange constructs were simply mindlessly charging toward the First Lantern, without care for their 'allies', unleashing blasts of the energy of Avarice and fighting like madmen.
As for the Blue and Green Lantern corps, they teamed up. The Blue light of hope had the ability to boost the green power rings, in addition to being the only light Ned knew to be capable of healing. In essence, the Blue Lantern corps played a supporting role in this battle. Their leader, Saint Walker, who looked somewhat like a Twi Lek from Star Wars, with only one lekku - or head tail, dispatched his subordinates while he himself, showed why he deserved the nickname saint. He was essentially a flying, breathing miracle.
Although Volthoom defended and was seemingly on the ropes, so to speak, a sudden cry of rage along with a powerful shockwave, gave him breathing room. It left most of the fighters a little stunned, ample time for the villain to recover.
« Nekron… » Volthoom said, anger and disgust in the voice he projected. « I know of you and your attempts at snuffing the lights of emotion from the universe. And yet, you aid the Light bearers ? How foolish of you ! »
According to his memories, Nekron was some kind of God of Death in the DC comics. There were a few of those, with each one representing an aspect of Death. Death of the Endless, comparatively speaking, was a far better aspect. Ned believed she represented the acceptance that all life came to an end, or something like that. Nekron, however, with his endless legions of undead, he was not sure what he represented. He was just hoping for one thing, though he believed it to be impossible anyway, and that was for the God to not be physically here. Generally, he used his puppets to enact his will… He really wished that was the case here, or they would have to fight another large scale battle right after this whole debacle.
Ned really hated the little blue aliens right about now ! He shook his head and scanned the area with his sensors… Soon, he found Wonder Woman starship. Surprisingly enough, the crew aboard had been much quicker at getting their bearings back and they were only keeping their distance because it was considerably difficult for them to hit one target among the swarm of Lanterns.
He connected his comms to those of the ship :
« Hey, guys ! You guys alright ? »
Batman didn't bother replying, which to be honest was something he expected. Constantine answered with snark, another expected reply.
« I… This was an awful experience. I do not know if what this being showed was real or not… » Steel started to rant.
I interrupted him :
« Real or not, it's not our reality. Volthoom was a man, once and therefore, he's flawed like the rest of us. No doubt the reality he showed us is afflicted by his own biases and preconceptions. He is not omniscient, nor is he omnipotent as you can already tell from the fight he's slowly losing. »
The Dark Knight suddenly interjected :
« Volthoom… Was that his name ? » Silence, then : « You know too much… We'll need to talk after this. »
On that ominous note, Batman changed gears and started to plan :
« The third army is gone and Volthoom is currently occupied. We need to deal with the Guardians… Iron Lad, can you find them ? »
I nodded to myself.
« I've pinged the area of space where they gathered and where Volthoom exited from. However, I don't detect any distortion of space, right now. We'll probably need magic to open the rift if we want to take the fight to them… »
« Send us the coordinates ! » Batman ordered, all business.