Hal's heart felt cold, a chill sinking deep to the very bottom of his soul. He collapsed onto the ground, seawater flowing into the crater left by the crashed spaceship beside him. The water soaked his pants and thighs.
The icy seawater seeped through his skin, stinging like cold well water in the depths of winter. The chill was so intense that goosebumps rose across his skin. The freezing water spread through the tight muscles of his thighs, the cold climbing up his spine, burrowing into his bones, rising all the way to his brain.
His eyes stared ahead in disbelief, dazed, lost in shock.
The Green Lantern Ring had abandoned him. The moment Barmulodi appeared, Hal had been stripped of his qualification to be Green Lantern.
"Damn it!"
Hal suddenly clenched his fists tightly, pounding the ground in fury. His fists slammed into the cold seawater, splashing white waves around him.
A cold slap of reality struck him across the face.
Unwilling rage surged from deep within his heart. His own will, his own courage, had lost to Barmulodi. The Green Lantern Ring had fled right before his eyes, choosing a tyrant who sought to rule the Earth.
"FUCK!!!"
Hal roared, slamming his hands onto the ground repeatedly. His teeth clenched as he vented his unwilling anger without pause.
Without the Green Lantern Ring, the Green Lantern Corps would struggle to aid Earth. Against Barmulodi's army, even with Atlantis and Paradise Island standing together, resistance would be difficult.
Barry was still in Barmulodi's hands, his life and death uncertain.
Bruce remained hidden in the shadows, treading on the edge of danger.
And Hal, stripped of everything, no longer held the Green Lantern Ring. Unable to call upon the help of the Green Lantern Corps, how could he possibly contend with Barmulodi?
The night sky remained dark, the starry expanse shining brightly overhead. It was a cloudless night.
Bardi stood high above, eyes cold, holding the Trident of Poseidon in his hand. He stood on top of Aquaman, as if riding a surfboard, pressing down on him until his sternum caved in. Blood flowed beneath him. In the dark night, beneath the bright starry sky, the blood stained the scene, showing how powerless even a king of the seas was before a god.
'Bang!'
Suddenly, Bardi's expression remained icy. He pressed down harder with his foot, trampling Aquaman beneath the starlight as if crushing the world beneath his feet.
Aquaman's chest collapsed further. Blood sprayed from his mouth. His scale armor pierced into his white bones as blood burst from his chest. His internal organs were nearly crushed under Bardi's ruthless power.
His body arched backward like a shrimp under the force. Blood dripped from the air, falling into the ground below, smashing open a massive crater that cracked and spread outward.
The seawater was instantly forced back, then rushed in again. It flowed through the cracked earth toward Aquaman, as if wailing for their fallen king.
Aquaman's body convulsed uncontrollably at the bottom of the crater. His vision blurred, his gaze dull and lifeless.
Bardi had completely destroyed his body, severing all magical control pathways. His injuries were so severe that recovery was nearly impossible.
Aquaman's fingers trembled weakly as he struggled to move, but he could not.
Blood mixed with the seawater, giving off a salty, bloody stench.
"Arthur!!"
Victor's eyes widened, and he shouted uncontrollably, his voice choked with emotion.
He stepped forward, wanting to rush toward Aquaman's side.
However—
"No!!"
In the next instant, Victor instinctively reached out his hand, as if trying to stop time itself, shouting in horror.
Bardi floated in the sky, his figure striking and ominous in the blackness.
The wild wind whipped through his black hair, framing his cold, merciless face. His trench coat flapped violently in the wind.
With a flick of his arm, Bardi hurled the Trident of Poseidon down like a spear, releasing a piercing sonic boom as it tore through the night sky once again.
This was the third time Aquaman's trident had been thrown.
Like a javelin emerging from the abyss of darkness, it pierced through the night, aiming directly for Aquaman's chest, nailing him firmly to the ground.
"Ah…"
Aquaman's body jerked violently, like a fish caught on a hook, limbs flailing, but then fell limp once again. His chest had been pinned down by the trident, rendering him completely immobile.
His hands and feet twitched briefly, blood seeping out and mixing with the seawater.
His head tilted to the side. His eyes were half-open, half-closed, growing clouded.
Silent.
More seawater continued to flow into the crater, mixing with the spreading blood.
Victor stood frozen, eyes vacant, fingers trembling. His lips quivered as if he wanted to speak, his face pale as he sprinted madly toward Aquaman.
Bardi's gaze swept coldly over Aquaman's corpse. His red eyes then turned to Victor, and finally to Hal, whose own eyes burned with hatred, ready to devour him.
Bardi left behind a lingering sonic boom as he disappeared.
His gaze cut deep into Hal's heart, igniting even greater agony.
"Barmulodi!!"
Hal's fists clenched tightly, his whole body trembling. His neck strained, veins bulging, his face twisted in fury.
They had already lost too much.
Too many lives had been sacrificed on this path of resistance.
Everyone was prepared to face death. But the most unbearable pain on this journey was not dying oneself.
It was standing helplessly as one friend, one comrade after another, those who shared the same ideals, were killed right before his eyes, each flame of life snuffed out one by one by Barmulodi.
The Justice League, starting with Superman, had been wiped out by Barmulodi.
Madame Xanadu, who had helped them, perished without a trace.
Jor-El, who had split his consciousness into three parts to protect his son, died completely at Barmulodi's hands.
Barry, both legs broken, still trapped by Barmulodi.
Bruce had even abandoned his own body, his fate still uncertain, life or death unknown.
Having witnessed all of this, Hal was on the verge of madness. Each comrade's death, each sacrifice for their shared goal, every drop of blood spilled, tore at his soul.
Each loss pushed Hal deeper into despair. He longed to sacrifice himself if it meant bringing them back.
But the one responsible for this endless tragedy stood above, framed by the shining starry sky, which only made Bardi's godlike presence seem all the more towering.
This was enough to drive Hal mad. His crimson, furious eyes glared at the distant white figure.
I need power! Power to tear him down from the sky! Power to avenge everyone who has fallen!
Hal gritted his teeth, rage twisting his face, trembling violently, panting heavily as he turned to look at Abin Sur's corpse.
On the corpse's right chest, where the flesh had been torn away, a yellow fear energy glowed faintly—the energy of the Parallax entity.
"Without the Green Lantern Ring, I will still be Green Lantern, and my heart will not change!"
Hal stretched out his hand. The fear energy, like a snake, quickly slithered toward his palm, winding its way up his arm. It crawled along his veins, reached his chest, and distorted his expression.
Lowering his head, Hal let out a deep growl.
"Hal Jordan… I have the will to overcome fear. Fear… become my power!"
(To be continued.)
***
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