Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 102: Ch.101 Hal's Battle

A fist emerged from the darkness, landing heavily on Hal Jordan's jaw, sending him flying backward. He crashed into the hard ceiling of the cave, then fell to the ground.

His head felt like a crowded city street during rush hour, filled with chaotic noise that left him dazed and seeing stars.

But he was a Green Lantern, and his strong willpower was his foundation. As long as the ring had power, it could automatically provide a certain level of protection. He immediately took flight, searching for his enemy.

The surroundings were pitch black, but it wasn't just the absence of light. The gray energy from the Dawnbreaker Ring's light-extinguishing protocol obstructed his vision. Even with his power ring operating at full capacity, he could only see a faint glow in his own view.

Another punch connected, and he was thrown sideways once more.

"Hal, welcome home!" Dawnbreaker hid in the darkness, his raspy voice echoing around.

Hal wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and took to the air again. "Heh."

Dawnbreaker appeared beside him again, landing another punch that sent Hal crashing into the ground, creating a large crater. "What's so funny?"

Hal tried to get up and strike back, but only hit empty air. "You're little Bruce, claiming to be Batman from some gutter universe? You're a joke."

Dawnbreaker suddenly appeared behind him, delivering a heavy blow to the back of his head, knocking him back to the ground. "What's so funny? Share the joke with me."

"You think I'm afraid of you. That's the funniest part." Hal channeled his ring's energy, charging it up. "You thought showing me a few videos of Coast City being destroyed, with some spooky sound effects, would scare me?"

"Heh, you should look in a mirror before you say that. Your expression doesn't match your words." Dawnbreaker's voice came from an unknown direction.

The Green Lantern ring emitted light, like a flashlight, illuminating a small area. Using this light, Hal tried to find his enemy. "Our Batman is much smarter than you. You're only motivating me more. Come on out, let's get serious."

"Your Batman is just a self-righteous fool. You're no different. What good is that light of yours? Is it for going to the bathroom at night? I am the black hole that devours all light. I am the Dawnbreaker!"

He rushed out from the darkness, wielding his Dawnbreaker Ring. Hal's Green Lantern Ring immediately dimmed, and everything was plunged into darkness. A series of blows landed in the darkness.

Hal once again fell to the ground, struggling to get up, breathing heavily, and spitting out blood.

"Cough... Your ring can absorb light, huh? I'll give you that, it's a neat trick. But you can't absorb light that's constantly vanishing." Hal raised his right hand, bringing his ring closer to his face. "Activate strobe mode."

"Strobe mode activated," the ring responded.

The so-called strobe mode functioned like a strobe light, flashing at a high frequency, alternating between light and dark. The brief flashes allowed Hal to see his opponent without being extinguished by the Dawnbreaker Ring.

He saw him now—Dawnbreaker was hovering above him. Hal looked up, touching the blood on his face.

"Alright, Dawnbreaker, let's dance!"

Dawnbreaker immediately dove down, his ring emitting gray-green light.

"I massacred the Green Lantern Corps!"

"Missed." Hal could see him now, easily dodging the energy blast.

"Kilowog, Guy, John, even the Guardians are dead!" Dawnbreaker fired energy again.

"Missed again." Hal twisted his body, creating something with his hands in the darkness.

"No one can stop me!" Dawnbreaker threw a punch.

"I dodge." Hal moved like a fish, weaving through the air.

"What makes you think you can!?" Dawnbreaker clenched his fists and charged at Hal like Superman.

"Because, little Bruce..." As Dawnbreaker got closer, he realized that Hal, using the cover of the strobe mode, had quietly constructed a massive robot, each of its fists as big as a person. Without hesitation, Hal controlled the robot to punch Dawnbreaker, sending him flying. "You've never flown with me before!"

He pressed the advantage, landing punch after punch on Dawnbreaker. With the help of the strobe mode, he wouldn't lose sight of his target.

"This punch... is for Guy!"

He sent Dawnbreaker spinning in place.

"This punch is for Kyle!"

Hal punched Dawnbreaker into the cave ceiling.

"And this is for John!"

He grabbed Dawnbreaker and slammed him hard into the ground.

But in the next moment of darkness, the strange Batman disappeared again.

"Hiding again?" Hal searched for his enemy but could only see the countless bones of Lanterns displayed in glass cases. They were the Lanterns from another universe, collected as trophies by Dawnbreaker. "Why did I say 'again'? Heh, come out, I'm not done yet!"

Among those bodies were not only members of the Green Lantern Corps but also those of other Lantern Corps. Dawnbreaker had destroyed them all.

Dawnbreaker hid behind a stone pillar, watching Hal fly around. He gathered the gray energy of his ring. Once it was charged with gray-green lightning, he raised the ring.

"Well then, Hal, please continue your performance!"

He adjusted the absorption frequency of his Dawnbreaker Ring to match Hal's strobe frequency, plunging everything back into darkness once again.

"Ring, end strobe mode," Hal turned around. The voice had come from behind him.

"Strobe mode terminated."

Hal raised his ring, steadying his resolve. He believed in himself, in the Corps, and in this world.

Continuous green light poured from his ring, spreading like flames over Hal's body. His Green Lantern uniform began to emit a strong light, growing brighter and stronger.

The entire cave seemed to burn with green flames.

"Let me teach you something, Dawnbreaker. This ring wasn't given to me by anyone, nor did it choose me." He looked up at his ring. He had joined several other Lantern Corps, abandoned many rings, and even died once, but this ring was different from any other. "My own will forged it. I'm not carrying it; I am the ring!"

He began to burn fiercely, the green light behind him forming the emblem of the Green Lantern Corps. He simply looked at the floating Dawnbreaker in the distance, his expression stern.

"We blew up Warworld together! We returned from the underworld together! We saved the gods themselves!" He aimed his ring at Dawnbreaker, the concentrated energy swirling atop it, ready to erupt. "And now, we'll burn your ring to ashes!"

Dawnbreaker clapped his hands. His face had lost some flesh during the destruction of his world, revealing his red gums, but now he was smiling broadly.

"Not a bad light show. Would you like to hear my song?"

Hal unleashed his energy, a massive green beam surging toward Dawnbreaker.

"Who the hell wants to hear your emo song? I rock!"

Dawnbreaker shrugged, as if disappointed by Hal's taste in music. He raised his hand and clenched his fist. A powerful wave of gray-green light surged like a tide, swallowing Hal's attack whole, dispersing it like mud into the sea.

Everything returned to darkness, with only Hal and his ring emitting a faint glow. In the dim light, he saw countless nightmare creatures rushing toward him.

Leading them were the figures of various Lantern Corps leaders, each retaining the horrific state in which they had died in another world, twisted and screaming, uttering words that haunted Hal's nightmares.

"Mine! All mine!"

"Fear always has its place!"

"This isn't how I trained you, Jordan!"

"The blood lake of Ysmault will welcome your crimson!"

"I want to be alone with you, darling."

Hal looked at these nightmarish monsters, each one bearing the face of someone he knew, their bodies radiating immense power that made his heart race. He knew he was about to lose, but he just shook his fist and polished his ring.

"Alright, who wants to go first?"

The green light makes one fearless. It doesn't mean you won't fear death; it means you'll fight to the end under the weight of that fear.