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Chapter 582: Supreme Green Lantern
Author: Great Demon Spirit 2022-10-19
"I am willing to accept this outcome."
Optimus Prime raised his head and said calmly.
Ganthet raised his hand slightly. With a point of his matchstick-like finger, the energy shackles binding Optimus Prime's wrists vanished on the spot.
"You are free, Optimus Prime. You know what to do." Ganthet gave Optimus Prime a deep look.
He believed Optimus Prime was an intelligent being.
Optimus Prime remained silent and walked directly toward Tony.
"Well then, we'll take our leave."
Tony's expression was blank. The chair erupted in white light, enveloping Optimus Prime, and in the next second, they vanished.
The terrifying pressure suddenly disappeared, causing the seven Guardians to visibly relax and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Ganthet, why not banish him permanently? He created this troublesome enemy, Sinestro, for us. By rights, he should have been kicked out."
"He's still one of Tony's people. Besides, he is too outstanding and has the support of many. If we let that guy take control of the Green Lantern Corps, our situation would be terrible."
The other Guardians all chimed in with questions.
Ganthet glanced at his companions, a trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes. "Is there any difference between permanent banishment and temporary banishment?"
The other six were stunned.
"Even if it's a temporary banishment, don't we still decide when he returns? If we never let him return to Oa for the rest of his life, how is that any different from permanent banishment? By doing this, I've avoided a direct conflict with Tony, and the initiative remains in our hands," Ganthet explained.
The other Guardians nodded one after another.
Ganthet suddenly felt mentally exhausted. The more complex his emotions became, the bigger his headache. These companions of his were truly worrisome. The loss of emotion hadn't made them smarter; on the contrary, it had made them stupider. They preferred to think in straight lines—to put it more plainly, they liked to just brute-force their way through problems...
But he was used to it. They had done far too many foolish things over the past ten billion years. If they hadn't mastered the Emotional Spectrum, they would have died out long ago.
*Sigh*, and Volthoom, the First Lantern who had generously given them the knowledge of the Emotional Spectrum, was still fucking locked up in the Shadow Cabinet. He didn't even know if he was dead or alive.
At this thought, Ganthet felt even more weary.
Moreover, he had done this to leave room for reconciliation with Tony, lest Tony decide to attack Oa and go on a killing spree.
Ostensibly, no one could stop Tony while he sat on the Mobius Chair, unless they were willing to pay a heavy price and reveal their trump card, such as the Origin Lantern.
"I propose that we officially begin the Supreme Lantern project."
After a moment of silence, Sayd said slowly, "We need a batch of stronger Lanterns to act as an inspectorate, to review the actions of all other Lanterns."
The other Guardians nodded indifferently, and the resolution was passed. Only Ganthet hesitated, but ultimately did not object.
Supreme Lanterns were a group of machines that only knew how to follow orders, created by combining existing Lanterns with the abolished First Army.
Back then, after Volthoom was sealed away, the Guardians felt that all emotion was unreliable. Thus, they created the First Army, whose members were powerful robots called the Manhunters.
But then, a restless fellow named Krona emerged from among the Guardians. He firmly believed that emotion was useful and conducted a forbidden experiment, which, with a *bang*, led to the birth of the Anti-Matter Universe.
The center of the Anti-Matter Universe, Qward, was in fact the doppelgänger planet of the Prime Universe's Oa.
Krona, however, paid no heed. To prove the usefulness of emotion, he went on to crazily modify the Manhunters' directives, directly causing the great massacre of Sector 666 in the Prime Universe. Countless galaxies were wiped out by hordes of robots, with only five living beings surviving.
The Guardians barely managed to suppress the news, and many who knew of the incident couldn't outlast time, eventually dying off.
Afterward, the First Army was abolished, and only then did the Green Lantern Corps begin to be established. The ambitious Guardians only settled down and gave up their laughable ambitions after suffering a defeat at the hands of Darkseid.
And the Supreme Green Lantern project was to combine Green Lanterns with Manhunters to create a group of living robots!
It was to forcibly transform existing Green Lanterns into cold, living machines!
This was the Supreme Green Lantern!
It was a cruel vivisection performed on their own loyal hounds!
Optimus Prime was merely the trigger. The Guardians had always been extremely wary of the Green Lantern Corps. The fickle and unreliable nature of emotion was deeply ingrained in their minds and was difficult to change. Their research into restraining and controlling the Lanterns had never stopped.
The Supreme Green Lantern was their latest achievement. Transforming Green Lanterns into living robots was, quite simply, the most brilliant plan.
At least, in the eyes of the Guardians, there was no plan better than this one.
"Then let's begin selecting personnel immediately. I'm very worried about Sinestro; he will retaliate against us."
"That's right. Sinestro is convinced that we were responsible for his wife's death, but that has nothing to do with us."
"Let's begin."
The Guardians said one after another.
They turned their gazes to the several thousand Lanterns in the distant plaza, their eyes incomparably cold, as if looking at a herd of pigs and sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
...
Cybertron.
"How does it feel to be a prisoner?" Tony teased.
"Not very good," Optimus Prime answered honestly.
"They only held you for a few days. Think about Sinestro. Who knows how twisted that guy's mind has become by now."
Tony shook his head.
His wife was killed, his homeworld was changed beyond recognition, and the subordinates loyal to him were all slaughtered. Yet, Sinestro couldn't get his revenge immediately... Hatred is something that accumulates, especially for someone as strong-willed as Sinestro.
"The next time he returns, he'll bring back a Yellow Lantern Corps and tear into Oa like a rabid dog," Tony said.
Optimus Prime fell silent for a moment. A device on his hand connected to Cybertron's hidden network. After browsing for a bit, he asked, "Parallax has been recaptured?"
"That's right. The folks at the Academy of Sciences are dissecting Parallax right now. It won't be long before they can create a Yellow Lantern Ring. I'll give you one then. Yellow Lantern Optimus Prime, tsk tsk tsk." Tony strolled along, glancing at Optimus Prime out of the corner of his eye.
Ten fingers, ten rings... then one on each wrist. Perfect.
As for wielding multiple rings at once, Tony wasn't worried at all. Anyone with sufficiently strong will could do it. Putting others aside, if Tony were to cover himself in rings right now, he could wield them all with ease.
However, controlling multiple types of rings meant one's mind would be greatly influenced by different emotions. A single misstep could be counterproductive or even cause them to conflict with each other.
For example, what if you wore a Green Lantern of Willpower and a Yellow Lantern of Fear at the same time, when Fear is Willpower's greatest enemy? Without immense willpower and a precise understanding of oneself, the erupting emotions would be enough to drive a person insane.
The closer they got to the depths of the Academy of Sciences, the more pronounced the strange fear welling up from the bottom of their hearts became, as if something terrifying lay ahead.
"Looks like they're making good progress."
Tony's eyes lit up.
(end of chapter)
Author: Great Demon Spirit 2022-10-19
"I am willing to accept this outcome."
Optimus Prime raised his head and said calmly.
Ganthet raised his hand slightly. With a point of his matchstick-like finger, the energy shackles binding Optimus Prime's wrists vanished on the spot.
"You are free, Optimus Prime. You know what to do." Ganthet gave Optimus Prime a deep look.
He believed Optimus Prime was an intelligent being.
Optimus Prime remained silent and walked directly toward Tony.
"Well then, we'll take our leave."
Tony's expression was blank. The chair erupted in white light, enveloping Optimus Prime, and in the next second, they vanished.
The terrifying pressure suddenly disappeared, causing the seven Guardians to visibly relax and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Ganthet, why not banish him permanently? He created this troublesome enemy, Sinestro, for us. By rights, he should have been kicked out."
"He's still one of Tony's people. Besides, he is too outstanding and has the support of many. If we let that guy take control of the Green Lantern Corps, our situation would be terrible."
The other Guardians all chimed in with questions.
Ganthet glanced at his companions, a trace of disappointment flashing in his eyes. "Is there any difference between permanent banishment and temporary banishment?"
The other six were stunned.
"Even if it's a temporary banishment, don't we still decide when he returns? If we never let him return to Oa for the rest of his life, how is that any different from permanent banishment? By doing this, I've avoided a direct conflict with Tony, and the initiative remains in our hands," Ganthet explained.
The other Guardians nodded one after another.
Ganthet suddenly felt mentally exhausted. The more complex his emotions became, the bigger his headache. These companions of his were truly worrisome. The loss of emotion hadn't made them smarter; on the contrary, it had made them stupider. They preferred to think in straight lines—to put it more plainly, they liked to just brute-force their way through problems...
But he was used to it. They had done far too many foolish things over the past ten billion years. If they hadn't mastered the Emotional Spectrum, they would have died out long ago.
*Sigh*, and Volthoom, the First Lantern who had generously given them the knowledge of the Emotional Spectrum, was still fucking locked up in the Shadow Cabinet. He didn't even know if he was dead or alive.
At this thought, Ganthet felt even more weary.
Moreover, he had done this to leave room for reconciliation with Tony, lest Tony decide to attack Oa and go on a killing spree.
Ostensibly, no one could stop Tony while he sat on the Mobius Chair, unless they were willing to pay a heavy price and reveal their trump card, such as the Origin Lantern.
"I propose that we officially begin the Supreme Lantern project."
After a moment of silence, Sayd said slowly, "We need a batch of stronger Lanterns to act as an inspectorate, to review the actions of all other Lanterns."
The other Guardians nodded indifferently, and the resolution was passed. Only Ganthet hesitated, but ultimately did not object.
Supreme Lanterns were a group of machines that only knew how to follow orders, created by combining existing Lanterns with the abolished First Army.
Back then, after Volthoom was sealed away, the Guardians felt that all emotion was unreliable. Thus, they created the First Army, whose members were powerful robots called the Manhunters.
But then, a restless fellow named Krona emerged from among the Guardians. He firmly believed that emotion was useful and conducted a forbidden experiment, which, with a *bang*, led to the birth of the Anti-Matter Universe.
The center of the Anti-Matter Universe, Qward, was in fact the doppelgänger planet of the Prime Universe's Oa.
Krona, however, paid no heed. To prove the usefulness of emotion, he went on to crazily modify the Manhunters' directives, directly causing the great massacre of Sector 666 in the Prime Universe. Countless galaxies were wiped out by hordes of robots, with only five living beings surviving.
The Guardians barely managed to suppress the news, and many who knew of the incident couldn't outlast time, eventually dying off.
Afterward, the First Army was abolished, and only then did the Green Lantern Corps begin to be established. The ambitious Guardians only settled down and gave up their laughable ambitions after suffering a defeat at the hands of Darkseid.
And the Supreme Green Lantern project was to combine Green Lanterns with Manhunters to create a group of living robots!
It was to forcibly transform existing Green Lanterns into cold, living machines!
This was the Supreme Green Lantern!
It was a cruel vivisection performed on their own loyal hounds!
Optimus Prime was merely the trigger. The Guardians had always been extremely wary of the Green Lantern Corps. The fickle and unreliable nature of emotion was deeply ingrained in their minds and was difficult to change. Their research into restraining and controlling the Lanterns had never stopped.
The Supreme Green Lantern was their latest achievement. Transforming Green Lanterns into living robots was, quite simply, the most brilliant plan.
At least, in the eyes of the Guardians, there was no plan better than this one.
"Then let's begin selecting personnel immediately. I'm very worried about Sinestro; he will retaliate against us."
"That's right. Sinestro is convinced that we were responsible for his wife's death, but that has nothing to do with us."
"Let's begin."
The Guardians said one after another.
They turned their gazes to the several thousand Lanterns in the distant plaza, their eyes incomparably cold, as if looking at a herd of pigs and sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
...
Cybertron.
"How does it feel to be a prisoner?" Tony teased.
"Not very good," Optimus Prime answered honestly.
"They only held you for a few days. Think about Sinestro. Who knows how twisted that guy's mind has become by now."
Tony shook his head.
His wife was killed, his homeworld was changed beyond recognition, and the subordinates loyal to him were all slaughtered. Yet, Sinestro couldn't get his revenge immediately... Hatred is something that accumulates, especially for someone as strong-willed as Sinestro.
"The next time he returns, he'll bring back a Yellow Lantern Corps and tear into Oa like a rabid dog," Tony said.
Optimus Prime fell silent for a moment. A device on his hand connected to Cybertron's hidden network. After browsing for a bit, he asked, "Parallax has been recaptured?"
"That's right. The folks at the Academy of Sciences are dissecting Parallax right now. It won't be long before they can create a Yellow Lantern Ring. I'll give you one then. Yellow Lantern Optimus Prime, tsk tsk tsk." Tony strolled along, glancing at Optimus Prime out of the corner of his eye.
Ten fingers, ten rings... then one on each wrist. Perfect.
As for wielding multiple rings at once, Tony wasn't worried at all. Anyone with sufficiently strong will could do it. Putting others aside, if Tony were to cover himself in rings right now, he could wield them all with ease.
However, controlling multiple types of rings meant one's mind would be greatly influenced by different emotions. A single misstep could be counterproductive or even cause them to conflict with each other.
For example, what if you wore a Green Lantern of Willpower and a Yellow Lantern of Fear at the same time, when Fear is Willpower's greatest enemy? Without immense willpower and a precise understanding of oneself, the erupting emotions would be enough to drive a person insane.
The closer they got to the depths of the Academy of Sciences, the more pronounced the strange fear welling up from the bottom of their hearts became, as if something terrifying lay ahead.
"Looks like they're making good progress."
Tony's eyes lit up.
(end of chapter)