Among the Green Lantern Corps, the assembled members came in all forms, squirrel-like beings, blue skinned humanoids, bird headed warriors, lion faced aliens, and elf like women. Each of them hovered in formation, eyes locked on Adrian with extreme caution.
Despite their numbers, an oppressive pressure radiated from Adrian. He stood motionless in the air, yet his presence alone felt like staring into an abyss. None of them dared to act recklessly.
This was not an ordinary opponent. This was a man who, if left unchecked, could unify Earth under a single rule.
Adrian's voice broke the silence.
"Where is Hal Jordan? What did you do to him?"
Kilowog's temper flared instantly. He stepped forward, ready to unleash a curse, but stopped himself just long enough to reconsider. He had tried diplomacy, but patience was running out.
Before he could respond properly, Adrian's gaze sharpened, cold and absolute.
"Now, move. Eliminate them."
A moment later, chaos erupted.
A sudden red energy blast tore through the air from behind the Green Lantern formation. It cut across the battlefield like a surgical strike. The force did not slice bodies apart, but the impact alone sent Lanterns flying in every direction like scattered debris.
"Ugh!"
"Argh!"
"Get down!"
One after another, the Green Lanterns were launched backward, crashing into the ground in violent impacts. Shockwaves rippled through the area, shaking the pavement and sending dust plumes into the sky.
The strike had come without warning.
Many Lanterns were knocked unconscious instantly.
The ground trembled as if struck by an earthquake. The force of the explosion echoed across Metropolis, strong enough that even distant districts felt the vibration.
Civilians had already been cleared from the immediate area, preventing casualties, but the destruction was still severe.
Adrian stood above the cracked terrain, unmoving. His attention was fixed entirely on the battlefield below.
He only cared about one thing. Whether they were still alive or already dead.
That was the only outcome that mattered.
Behind him, Shazam swallowed hard, staring at the devastation below.
"Did we take them all down?"
Before Adrian could answer, a sharp sonic boom split the sky.
A figure broke through the sound barrier and stopped abruptly in front of them.
Supergirl, Kara, hovered in mid air. The red glow in her eyes faded as she stabilized.
Her expression was tense, but focused.
Lois and Chloe, who were still approaching from a distance on the ground, had briefly seen her streak across the sky moments earlier.
Kara did not acknowledge Adrian at first. Her gaze flicked toward the battlefield below, clearly displeased, as if she had been forced into a strategy she did not approve of.
Adrian ignored her reaction entirely.
"They are not eliminated," he said flatly.
Shazam exhaled in frustration.
"Then they are still coming."
From below, the surviving Green Lanterns began to rise.
Kilowog pushed himself up through the debris, his face twisted with rage. Blood dripped from his lip, and his fists clenched so tightly that his ring flared with unstable energy.
The symbol on his chest glowed brighter as his willpower surged.
He roared and launched himself upward.
The rest of the Corps followed.
Among them were Arisia, Thomas Re, and Chip, the squirrel like Lantern from Sector 1014.
Thomas Re immediately formed constructs and charged Shazam. Arisia summoned serpentine energy constructs and moved toward Wonder Woman.
Kilowog, however, locked directly onto Adrian.
He struck first, throwing a powerful punch. Adrian shifted slightly and avoided it effortlessly, then caught Kilowog's arm and twisted it.
A sharp crack followed.
Kilowog screamed in pain as his arm was forced into a damaging angle.
He struggled free and conjured a massive hammer of green energy, swinging it down with full force.
Adrian stepped aside again, then appeared behind him instantly.
Before Kilowog could react, Adrian grabbed his neck.
Kilowog gasped as pressure tightened around his throat.
"You think your constructs can reach me?" Adrian said coldly. "I move faster than anything you can imagine."
Kilowog coughed, blood forming at the corners of his mouth.
"You are strong," he forced out, "but we expected that."
At that moment, a mental force struck Adrian's mind.
His movements froze.
It felt as if something had entered his consciousness, probing it, trying to seize control. A foreign presence wrapped itself around his thoughts like an invasive pressure.
Kilowog took advantage of the moment and broke free.
Another wave followed immediately after, stronger than the first. It pressed deeper into Adrian's mind, attempting to overwrite his control.
Wonder Woman noticed instantly.
"Kyle!"
She broke off from her opponent and moved toward Adrian, but Arisia intercepted her with summoned energy weapons.
"You are fighting me now," Arisia said sharply.
Wonder Woman raised her shield and sword, clashing with the constructs. Steel and energy collided as she forced her way forward, but she was momentarily held back.
Shazam also noticed Adrian's condition and tried to move in, but multiple Lanterns swarmed him, forcing him into a defensive struggle.
Adrian remained suspended in place, his body unmoving under the mental assault.
Kilowog approached again.
But then something unexpected happened.
A squirrel landed on Adrian's shoulder.
Chip.
"A squirrel?" Adrian muttered, still able to speak.
"That is right," Kilowog said grimly. "Do not underestimate him."
Chip stood proudly, claws glowing with green light.
"I am small," Chip said, his voice sharp with confidence, "but small does not mean weak. I will show you that."
He hovered in front of Adrian and extended his ringed claw.
"I am currently probing your synapses. Tell me, how does it feel to lose control to something so small?"
Adrian looked at him calmly.
"I am thinking," Adrian said quietly, "what would you see if you went deeper?"
Chip frowned.
Before he could respond, curiosity pushed him further into Adrian's mind.
Then everything changed.
His expression froze.
Fear replaced confidence instantly.
His body trembled violently in mid air.
Kilowog noticed immediately.
"Chip?"
But before anyone could react, Adrian suddenly moved.
He grabbed the squirrel out of the air effortlessly.
The mental control over him shattered.
Kilowog's eyes widened in shock. He could not understand what had just happened.
Chip had not simply stopped attacking. He looked terrified, as if he had seen something inside Adrian's mind that broke his will entirely.
Adrian held the squirrel firmly.
"You like entering other minds," Adrian said coldly. "Then I will send you somewhere you will never want to leave."
He threw Chip downward.
The impact shattered the ground beneath him. Dust exploded outward as cracks spread across the pavement.
Chip tried to recover, but the ground beneath him turned dark and unstable.
Black tendrils rose from the surface, wrapping around his legs and pulling him downward.
He struggled immediately, trying to activate his ring, forcing his willpower into the construct.
But then realization hit him.
The ring was gone.