Reading settings
Chapter 508: Parallax
"Kal, my family died because of your father, and today I'm going to make you die too! You will pay for the lives of my wife and child!"
Cyborg Superman had gone mad, throwing himself at Superman with reckless abandon. The two surviving Kryptonians, so similar in physique, clashed in battle. Each impact was dozens of times the speed of sound, crossing a thousand meters in an instant, and the resulting shockwaves of their power were even more terrifying.
Every strike sent vibrations through the air, and the resulting sonic booms would make an ordinary person's ears bleed.
"Another Kryptonian civil war."
Tony slowly descended from the sky, his armor in a sorry state. Large sections of its surface were scuffed, and a few spots had been directly beaten out of shape.
Tony scanned the condition of his armor and sighed helplessly. It seemed he would have to develop a more advanced suit, one stronger than the semi-finished model he was currently wearing.
The stress-bearing structural components were still too poor, only just able to hold his own against someone of Superman's level for a short time.
Mongul, having seen enough of the show, nodded in satisfaction. He directly ordered the slaves on Warworld to attack as he prepared to enter the fray himself.
"This planet is Tony's homeworld? So primitive." A savage smile played on Mongul's lips as he leaped directly from Warworld, air-dropping onto Earth.
Mongul was smug, possessed by an inexplicable sense of superiority. It seemed that watching this primitive, backward planet cry out under the fires of his war was something that brought him immense pleasure.
Mongul's favorite thing to do was to watch planets fall to his Warworld. Now, Earth would be no exception.
So what if it was Tony's homeworld? He had already left anyway. In Mongul's eyes, this planet was completely undefended.
He descended upon Earth with several thousand slaves and, without hesitation, engaged the Avengers and the others in battle.
The slaves, hailing from various species across the universe, possessed ferocious combat prowess. To have become slaves for Mongul's amusement on Warworld, they must have been the champions of their respective planets.
And there were many of them.
The massive Warworld floated in the space above Earth, ready to launch a new round of attacks at any moment.
In an extremely short period, Earth was forced into another crisis, which had already resulted in the deaths of seven million people, a number that would only continue to grow.
A fierce battle erupted. Nearby military members also rushed to join the fight, but they suffered a one-sided slaughter, struggling just to hold on.
The fighter jets that humans were so proud of seemed incredibly obsolete in front of these extraterrestrial visitors. The jets' movements were stiff and clumsy, easily caught and destroyed by the slaves from Warworld.
Carpet-bombing with missiles was actually more effective, but they had to be mindful of the engaged Avengers and the survivors who were constantly being rescued, leaving their hands tied.
Hal Jordan looked up frantically, his eyes already bloodshot. He looked at the chaos around him, at Coast City, which had been so prosperous just a short while ago, and felt something inside him break.
His childhood sweetheart, Carol, was probably dead, right? That independent woman, who cared for him so deeply...
"Ahhh—"
Tears streamed down Hal's face as he let out a piercing, mournful roar. His voice was hoarse, his vocal cords torn, but even that couldn't conceal the despair and grief in his heart.
Why? Why did it have to be Coast City?
WHY!!!
A slave noticed him and charged over with a cruel look in his eyes.
Instantly, an armored suit blasted the creature away with a single shot, then landed in front of Hal.
"Sir, you need to leave this area." The armored suit pointed to the side, where batches of survivors were gathering to be evacuated by Wong and the others through a portal.
Hal didn't speak. His eyes, bloodshot with fury, watched as the wounds on his body, which had barely begun to scab over, split open again. More blood flowed out, turning him into a man covered in blood.
A streak of yellow energy suddenly flew in from outer space, arriving directly at Coast City, right in front of Hal.
"Hal of Earth, I feel the immense fear in your heart. Accept me, and you will gain the power for revenge."
This yellow energy drilled directly into Hal's body. In a daze, Hal seemed to hear a voice, filled with a powerful allure, which stirred an even greater, indescribable fear within his heart.
But he could no longer care. Hate and fear drove him to accept this unknown entity without a second thought.
The yellow energy of fear merged with Hal. The emotion possessed him, rapidly exerting its influence, twisting his emotions and will.
Yes, don't think that being targeted by the Parallax entity is a good thing. The Parallax entity suppresses the host's will, replacing it with its own to act.
"Revenge... I don't care what you are, just give me revenge!" Hal was like a wild beast.
"As you wish, Hal. I would be more than happy to help you," said the yellow energy—no, it should be said, the Parallax entity from billions of light-years away.
Its voice was filled with ecstasy.
The Parallax entity had reason to be pleased. It had found an excellent host, absolutely the best one it had encountered in its ten-billion-year existence.
The power of fear fermented, seeping into Hal's soul, modifying his will, and magnifying his strength, instantly transforming him from an insignificant mortal into a being of immense power.
The yellow emotional energy leaked out uncontrollably. The Parallax entity devoured Hal's emotion of fear; it was simply delicious, the greatest of pleasures.
Hal's body began to change, growing more muscular. His height shot up, and the yellow energy spread over the surface of his skin, forming new, attached organs.
A Hal who maintained a humanoid form, yet was constantly changing, appeared.
The Parallax entity had found its most favored host. This body would become its puppet, transformed by it into an incomparably powerful warrior.
Parallax was born.
In that instant, everyone present felt a fear that suddenly appeared from the depths of their hearts. The feeling was so abrupt, as if some mysterious power had suddenly unearthed their deepest secrets.
Parallax Hal stomped on the ground, his consciousness growing hazy. He opened his mouth wide, his square human teeth constantly shifting, transforming into the sharp, long fangs of a beast.
His lips also began to disappear, stretching his mouth wide and exposing the long, sharp teeth within, adding to his savage appearance.
Most of his humanity vanished as the will of the Parallax entity gradually took control.
This was merely a fraction of the Parallax entity's power. The moment the entity's main body merged with Hal, Hal would be completely replaced, and the complete Parallax, with a combat power starting at Level Seven, would be truly born.
"Sir?" Jarvis's voice came through the armored suit.
Everyone couldn't help but glance at him. They had never heard of such a yellow energy, one that triggered wave after wave of fear within their hearts.
Some even guessed he was a mutant. After all, mutants were most likely to have their awakening during intense emotional shifts. Furthermore, A.R.G.U.S.'s extinction protocol had just begun, currently in the phase of large-scale distribution of the gene serum for volunteers to inject.
"You all deserve to die! You will be buried alongside the millions from Coast City!"
Parallax roared. From within his body, more of the yellow energy of fear surged out, pursuing the slaves from Warworld under his control as if it had a life of its own.
The few hundred slaves closest to Hal were immediately seized by the fear energy and killed on the spot.
The fear energy transformed into countless yellow blades, tearing these slaves to pieces right where they stood, viciously slicing them into thousands of pieces.
(end of chapter)
"Kal, my family died because of your father, and today I'm going to make you die too! You will pay for the lives of my wife and child!"
Cyborg Superman had gone mad, throwing himself at Superman with reckless abandon. The two surviving Kryptonians, so similar in physique, clashed in battle. Each impact was dozens of times the speed of sound, crossing a thousand meters in an instant, and the resulting shockwaves of their power were even more terrifying.
Every strike sent vibrations through the air, and the resulting sonic booms would make an ordinary person's ears bleed.
"Another Kryptonian civil war."
Tony slowly descended from the sky, his armor in a sorry state. Large sections of its surface were scuffed, and a few spots had been directly beaten out of shape.
Tony scanned the condition of his armor and sighed helplessly. It seemed he would have to develop a more advanced suit, one stronger than the semi-finished model he was currently wearing.
The stress-bearing structural components were still too poor, only just able to hold his own against someone of Superman's level for a short time.
Mongul, having seen enough of the show, nodded in satisfaction. He directly ordered the slaves on Warworld to attack as he prepared to enter the fray himself.
"This planet is Tony's homeworld? So primitive." A savage smile played on Mongul's lips as he leaped directly from Warworld, air-dropping onto Earth.
Mongul was smug, possessed by an inexplicable sense of superiority. It seemed that watching this primitive, backward planet cry out under the fires of his war was something that brought him immense pleasure.
Mongul's favorite thing to do was to watch planets fall to his Warworld. Now, Earth would be no exception.
So what if it was Tony's homeworld? He had already left anyway. In Mongul's eyes, this planet was completely undefended.
He descended upon Earth with several thousand slaves and, without hesitation, engaged the Avengers and the others in battle.
The slaves, hailing from various species across the universe, possessed ferocious combat prowess. To have become slaves for Mongul's amusement on Warworld, they must have been the champions of their respective planets.
And there were many of them.
The massive Warworld floated in the space above Earth, ready to launch a new round of attacks at any moment.
In an extremely short period, Earth was forced into another crisis, which had already resulted in the deaths of seven million people, a number that would only continue to grow.
A fierce battle erupted. Nearby military members also rushed to join the fight, but they suffered a one-sided slaughter, struggling just to hold on.
The fighter jets that humans were so proud of seemed incredibly obsolete in front of these extraterrestrial visitors. The jets' movements were stiff and clumsy, easily caught and destroyed by the slaves from Warworld.
Carpet-bombing with missiles was actually more effective, but they had to be mindful of the engaged Avengers and the survivors who were constantly being rescued, leaving their hands tied.
Hal Jordan looked up frantically, his eyes already bloodshot. He looked at the chaos around him, at Coast City, which had been so prosperous just a short while ago, and felt something inside him break.
His childhood sweetheart, Carol, was probably dead, right? That independent woman, who cared for him so deeply...
"Ahhh—"
Tears streamed down Hal's face as he let out a piercing, mournful roar. His voice was hoarse, his vocal cords torn, but even that couldn't conceal the despair and grief in his heart.
Why? Why did it have to be Coast City?
WHY!!!
A slave noticed him and charged over with a cruel look in his eyes.
Instantly, an armored suit blasted the creature away with a single shot, then landed in front of Hal.
"Sir, you need to leave this area." The armored suit pointed to the side, where batches of survivors were gathering to be evacuated by Wong and the others through a portal.
Hal didn't speak. His eyes, bloodshot with fury, watched as the wounds on his body, which had barely begun to scab over, split open again. More blood flowed out, turning him into a man covered in blood.
A streak of yellow energy suddenly flew in from outer space, arriving directly at Coast City, right in front of Hal.
"Hal of Earth, I feel the immense fear in your heart. Accept me, and you will gain the power for revenge."
This yellow energy drilled directly into Hal's body. In a daze, Hal seemed to hear a voice, filled with a powerful allure, which stirred an even greater, indescribable fear within his heart.
But he could no longer care. Hate and fear drove him to accept this unknown entity without a second thought.
The yellow energy of fear merged with Hal. The emotion possessed him, rapidly exerting its influence, twisting his emotions and will.
Yes, don't think that being targeted by the Parallax entity is a good thing. The Parallax entity suppresses the host's will, replacing it with its own to act.
"Revenge... I don't care what you are, just give me revenge!" Hal was like a wild beast.
"As you wish, Hal. I would be more than happy to help you," said the yellow energy—no, it should be said, the Parallax entity from billions of light-years away.
Its voice was filled with ecstasy.
The Parallax entity had reason to be pleased. It had found an excellent host, absolutely the best one it had encountered in its ten-billion-year existence.
The power of fear fermented, seeping into Hal's soul, modifying his will, and magnifying his strength, instantly transforming him from an insignificant mortal into a being of immense power.
The yellow emotional energy leaked out uncontrollably. The Parallax entity devoured Hal's emotion of fear; it was simply delicious, the greatest of pleasures.
Hal's body began to change, growing more muscular. His height shot up, and the yellow energy spread over the surface of his skin, forming new, attached organs.
A Hal who maintained a humanoid form, yet was constantly changing, appeared.
The Parallax entity had found its most favored host. This body would become its puppet, transformed by it into an incomparably powerful warrior.
Parallax was born.
In that instant, everyone present felt a fear that suddenly appeared from the depths of their hearts. The feeling was so abrupt, as if some mysterious power had suddenly unearthed their deepest secrets.
Parallax Hal stomped on the ground, his consciousness growing hazy. He opened his mouth wide, his square human teeth constantly shifting, transforming into the sharp, long fangs of a beast.
His lips also began to disappear, stretching his mouth wide and exposing the long, sharp teeth within, adding to his savage appearance.
Most of his humanity vanished as the will of the Parallax entity gradually took control.
This was merely a fraction of the Parallax entity's power. The moment the entity's main body merged with Hal, Hal would be completely replaced, and the complete Parallax, with a combat power starting at Level Seven, would be truly born.
"Sir?" Jarvis's voice came through the armored suit.
Everyone couldn't help but glance at him. They had never heard of such a yellow energy, one that triggered wave after wave of fear within their hearts.
Some even guessed he was a mutant. After all, mutants were most likely to have their awakening during intense emotional shifts. Furthermore, A.R.G.U.S.'s extinction protocol had just begun, currently in the phase of large-scale distribution of the gene serum for volunteers to inject.
"You all deserve to die! You will be buried alongside the millions from Coast City!"
Parallax roared. From within his body, more of the yellow energy of fear surged out, pursuing the slaves from Warworld under his control as if it had a life of its own.
The few hundred slaves closest to Hal were immediately seized by the fear energy and killed on the spot.
The fear energy transformed into countless yellow blades, tearing these slaves to pieces right where they stood, viciously slicing them into thousands of pieces.
(end of chapter)
