A surging shockwave, like the roar of a furious dragon, crashed into Hal and hurled his unprepared body high into the air.
After absorbing the fear of billions and channeling it through his fully charged Yellow Lantern Ring, Adrian now wielded unimaginable destructive power. Every casual strike carried enough force to shake the battlefield.
Even Hal, empowered by Parallax, was utterly stunned.
He had never imagined that after absorbing the Central Power Battery itself, there could still exist a Lantern Ring capable of surpassing his mastery over fear.
Combined with his Kryptonian physiology and the overwhelming might granted by the Yellow Lantern Ring, Adrian's strength had reached an almost incomprehensible level.
Countless thoughts raced through Hal's mind, yet only a fraction of a second had passed.
With a deafening crash, his body slammed into the shattered ground.
"Cough...!"
Pain surged through every part of him as he forced himself back to his feet.
Locking eyes with Adrian, whose body radiated a terrifying yellow aura, Hal took a deep breath and charged once more.
His ring instantly forged a massive shield before him, using it to absorb the lingering shockwaves. Holding it firmly in front of his body, every muscle tensed as immense power flowed through him.
His feet crashed against the earth, crushing broken stones beneath his boots.
An overwhelming, destructive determination erupted from within him.
He was going to change everything.
Anyone who stood in his way would be destroyed.
Hal charged forward alone, yet his momentum felt like that of an entire army advancing across a battlefield. The violent air currents split around him, distorting the rain and twisting across his furious expression.
Adrian remained unmoved.
His eyes were cold, his face expressionless.
Without any visible preparation, he planted his feet firmly into the ground and threw a single punch.
The strike shattered the sound barrier, releasing a shrieking wave of yellow energy as it collided head-on with Hal's shield.
Boom!
The impact exploded across the night.
Its thunderous roar spread for miles through the storm, overwhelming even the crashing thunder overhead.
A violent hurricane erupted from the collision point, scattering rain and debris in every direction.
The ground within hundreds of meters collapsed inward as both men sank into the earth. Pulverized concrete and twisted steel shot into the sky while the expanding shockwave tore across the ruined city.
Adrian's clothes snapped violently in the wind.
Despite the devastation around him, his composure never changed.
The increasingly heavy rain only made his glowing figure stand out more.
Half of Coast City, already devastated by the earlier nuclear explosion, suffered another catastrophic blow. Entire sections of the ruined landscape were swept clean by the force of their clash.
The two remained locked in place, each pushing more power into the struggle.
But the balance was an illusion.
Hal, who had briefly held the advantage, was now being completely overwhelmed.
Empowered by the Yellow Lantern Ring, strengthened by the fear of billions, and further enhanced by the terrifying force hidden within his mind, Adrian had become something truly monstrous.
Hal gritted his teeth.
The hand gripping his shield trembled violently.
His twisted, desperate face emerged from behind the construct as he raised it higher, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
"Adrian! I always thought of you as my brother! We have the power to fix this world, to make everything right! Why... why are you stopping me?!"
Adrian looked at him without the slightest trace of sympathy.
"Once someone decides to destroy something, do they really need a reason?"
His fist remained pressed against the shield.
He was not even using his full strength.
Maintaining the deadlock required almost no effort from him.
For Hal, however, simply resisting the endless pressure pouring from Adrian was consuming everything he had.
Wave after wave of power crashed against him like an endless ocean.
He was reaching his limit.
He could not understand it.
He had gathered every Green Lantern Ring.
He had torn apart the Green Lantern Corps to achieve it.
He had absorbed the energy of Oa's Central Power Battery.
He had even defeated Sinestro.
So why...
Why was Adrian still stronger than him?
Ever since they first met, when Adrian had thrown him from that bridge, he had always been behind.
He had obtained a Green Lantern Ring.
He had rebelled against the Corps.
He had gained the power of Parallax.
Yet no matter what he did, he could never surpass him.
As both of them continued increasing their strength, the fractured ground beneath their feet gave way, swallowing their legs deeper into the earth.
The very atmosphere around them seemed to solidify under the weight of fear.
"You look tired, Hal."
Adrian's icy voice cut through the storm.
The words ignited Hal's fury.
Even if I have always lived in your shadow...
I will still bring you down!
With a furious roar, Hal thrust his free hand forward from behind the shield.
Bang!
An immense surge of green energy exploded from his Lantern Ring.
The blast was even more powerful than their previous collision.
Massive ripples spread across the air itself as the attack surged toward Adrian.
The force passed through the shield and directly into Adrian's body.
The immense energy traveled through his arm, into his bones, carrying everything Hal had left.
Boundless.
Violent.
Desperate.
Yet Adrian remained completely unfazed.
The Doomsday Template had already adapted.
Its greatest ability was the capacity to evolve against any attack, continuously increasing his resistance until the enemy's power became meaningless.
With a sudden burst of strength, Adrian shattered the shield.
Crack!
Hal's hands jerked violently.
The enormous construct exploded into countless fragments of green light.
A brilliant emerald glow reflected in his eyes as the force threw him backward.
His boots carved a deep trench through the rain-soaked ground.
Mud and shattered stone scattered in every direction.
Adrian did not chase him.
The air around him suddenly became unnaturally still.
Then an overwhelming aura erupted.
The atmosphere itself seemed to grow heavier.
Rainwater, mud, and broken debris slowly floated into the air before being crushed into dust by invisible pressure.
A powerful wind swept through the battlefield, causing Adrian's short hair to glow beneath the yellow light surrounding him.
His expression remained cold.
Bathed in brilliant golden energy, he looked less like a man and more like a god standing within the endless storm.
"It is somewhat regrettable to kill you."
His voice was calm.
"But a tool that has become unstable no longer has any value."
His foot struck the ground.
A colossal explosion of force erupted beneath him, driving the already shattered crater even deeper.
Then he vanished.
He shot toward Hal like a bolt of lightning.
Hal's pupils shrank.
He had never witnessed such speed.
It was almost touching the very limits of the universe itself.
There was no way he could endure it.
Instinctively, Hal summoned another barrier, a spherical shield that completely surrounded his body.
Bang!
The circular construct received the full impact of Adrian's charge.
It was the direct collision of a planet-level force.
The green barrier, tainted by the power of fear, shattered instantly.
It dissolved into countless particles of light before disappearing entirely.
The remaining force crashed directly into Hal.
His body shot into the sky like a meteor struck by a speeding train.
As he soared upward, the friction generated unbearable heat across his shoulders and back.
Even after the barrier had absorbed part of the attack, Adrian's strength still traveled into Hal's arms.
He felt the bones in his hand shatter.
His wrist, elbow, and shoulder were instantly dislocated.
The devastating force surged through his body, shaking his internal organs.
A wave of agony exploded through his abdomen.
Blood filled his mouth.
But Hal refused to spit it out.
He clenched his jaw, and a thin stream of crimson ran from the corner of his lips.
Just as Adrian prepared to pursue him and finish the battle once and for all, Hal forced his battered body to move.
His crazed eyes still burned with fury.
He adjusted his posture in midair.
Then, in the next instant, he disappeared.
He shot even higher into the storm, passing through the falling rain as he charged directly at Adrian.
Adrian's Heat Vision shifted into its strongest shockwave state.
Normally, his Heat Vision had two forms.
One condensed its internal energy into a devastating explosive shockwave.
The other focused that energy into an ultra-high-temperature beam capable of piercing almost anything.
Within the endless rainy night, Adrian unleashed the first form.
At the same moment, Hal released the entirety of his desperate counterattack.
The two attacks collided.
A gigantic sonic boom cloud formed instantly.
Then, under the force of the impact, it was completely torn apart.
===
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