Chip, the squirrel, stared at his empty paws in shock.
His Green Lantern ring was gone.
Had it been taken when his opponent grabbed him moments ago?
"Looking for this?"
Adrian's voice cut through the air above him.
Chip looked up and saw Adrian holding the ring between his fingers. The faint green glow flickered weakly as Adrian turned it over in his hand, studying it with mild interest.
"It seems you can't fully control it," Adrian said, his tone indifferent.
Chip tried to respond, but a choking sound escaped instead.
Below his waist, his body had already sunk into a pool of black sludge. Dark tendrils stretched upward, coiling tightly around his limbs and sealing his mouth shut. The shadow clung to him, suffocating and unrelenting, leaving him unable to move or even draw breath.
Before he could signal for help, the tendrils dragged him under.
His final paw disappeared beneath the surface, and then he was gone.
The black sludge vanished just as quickly, leaving no trace behind, as if nothing had ever been there.
Kilowog froze.
Even from where he stood, he thought he could still hear Chip screaming, distant and fading.
"What… what did you do to him?"
His eyes locked onto the ring in Adrian's hand, fear creeping into his voice.
He had never seen anything like that. It felt as though Adrian had opened a gateway to something far worse than death, something that devoured both body and soul.
"Simple," Adrian replied coldly. "I sent him where he belongs."
He tucked the ring away without another glance.
The Shadow Land was not an ability he used often. It demanded too much, and more importantly, he disliked it. If an enemy could be killed quickly, there was no need for something so excessive.
And even then, it did not guarantee death. Some people endured.
Kilowog's confidence faltered.
Before he could react further, Adrian moved.
A flash of lightning streaked forward.
His fist struck Kilowog's chest with explosive force.
Kilowog's eyes widened as the impact lifted him off his feet. Blood spilled from his mouth as he was hurled backward like a projectile.
Adrian followed instantly.
Before Kilowog could hit the ground, Adrian appeared beneath him and drove another punch upward into his jaw.
The crack echoed through the battlefield.
Kilowog slammed into the marble floor, shattering it on impact. Dust and debris burst into the air.
Adrian grabbed him by the collar and lifted him effortlessly.
"Do you really think you can stop me?" he said, his voice sharp with contempt. "You loyal servants of the Guardians are nothing but ants."
Kilowog tried to respond, but Adrian slammed him back down.
The ground gave way beneath him, stone breaking apart under the force.
Pain surged through Kilowog's body. His spine felt like it had shattered. Blood foamed at his lips, but he clenched his teeth, refusing to lose consciousness.
If he blacked out, it would be over.
Adrian kicked him aside without hesitation.
Kilowog's body crashed into a nearby truck, crushing the metal frame and forcing the vehicle sideways across the street.
The remaining Green Lanterns saw it all.
They abandoned their fights with Wonder Woman and Shazam and rushed toward Adrian without hesitation.
Weapons formed from green light, energy constructs blazing into existence as they attacked together.
The battlefield erupted into chaos.
The ground cracked, winds surged, and the air itself seemed to distort under the pressure of their combined power.
But it wasn't enough.
Adrian moved faster than any of them could track, slipping through their attacks with precise efficiency.
Aresa, surrounded by swirling green energy, raised her hand and summoned a violent gust that tore up chunks of the street, throwing debris into the air to block Adrian's view.
Then she moved.
Her speed created overlapping afterimages, forming multiple versions of herself that circled Adrian from every direction.
At once, they attacked.
Energy beams surged forward, converging on him from all sides.
At the same time, Thomas Rei closed in from behind, a blade formed from his ring aimed directly at Adrian's back.
Adrian didn't even turn.
He caught Thomas's wrist mid-strike and drove a punch into his face.
Thomas was sent crashing into the ground, carving a deep crater on impact.
Adrian shifted again, weaving through Aresa's attacks with perfect accuracy.
He identified the real one instantly.
In the next moment, he was in front of her.
His fist connected without hesitation.
Aresa was launched backward, her body smashing through a building's exterior. Glass shattered and rained down from above.
The remaining Lanterns hesitated.
For a moment, none of them moved.
"Is this your plan?" Adrian asked, his gaze sweeping over them.
Silence answered him.
Far above, Hal Jordan and John Stewart raced toward the city.
"We need to stop this before it gets worse," Hal said, his voice tight.
John frowned. "We might already be too late."
Hal's ring suddenly spoke.
"Green Lantern 1024 has been killed in action."
Hal's expression darkened.
"Who was that?" John asked.
"…Chip."
The word came out heavy.
A moment later, the ring initiated a replacement protocol.
John exhaled slowly. "That was fast."
"We don't stop now," Hal said. "Even if we can only save one life, it matters."
They accelerated.
Metropolis below was already in chaos.
On the ground, Hanna and her friend Betty hurried toward the city hall, the sounds of destruction echoing in the distance.
"I still don't understand what we're supposed to do," Betty said, clearly uneasy. "People like us shouldn't be anywhere near that."
Hanna tightened her grip on the small Adrian figure she carried.
"I know," she said. "But if I can at least make sure he's okay, that's enough."
Betty sighed. "You're unbelievable."
They exited the subway and rushed into the street just as another explosion echoed overhead.
Green light flashed across the sky.
Then something fell.
A streak of energy slammed into the hood of a passing car.
The vehicle swerved violently, tires screeching as it veered toward a nearby coffee shop.
Hanna froze.
The car was seconds from crashing through the glass front.
Then it stopped.
Abruptly.
The driver's door opened, and Barry Allen stepped out.
Lois Lane and Chloe Sullivan followed, both visibly shaken.
Hanna and Betty recognized them immediately.
"How did you even do that?" Lois asked, still catching her breath.
Barry smiled slightly. "Timing and physics. If you match motion, you can control the outcome."
Lois blinked. "Right… sure."
Barry glanced toward the ongoing battle.
"You shouldn't go any further," he said. "It's not safe."
He turned to leave, but Lois stopped him.
"Barry, wait."
He paused.
"Can you help us with something?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Depends."
Lois took the camera from Chloe and handed it to him.
"We need photos."
Barry stared at it, confused.
"Photos?"
"Yes," Lois said firmly. "We're journalists. If we can't get close, then you can."
Barry hesitated for a second, then looked back at the sky.
The battle wasn't slowing down.
He exhaled.
"Alright," he said.
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