The air was thick with smoke, and fear hung heavily over the battlefield.
Not far away, a monstrous, insect-like creature with multiple limbs and a segmented body roared uncontrollably. Its form was grotesque, and next to it, Superman's red cape flapped in the wind as he launched another attack. But his efforts seemed futile. The moment the Suicide Squad arrived, Batman intercepted them, his expression grim.
"Amanda Waller is really dead," he muttered, barely concealing his frustration. Though Harley Quinn had pulled the trigger, it was hard to separate her actions from Su Sheng's influence.
"Don't let fear control you. Evacuate the civilians," Batman ordered before turning away.
The three remaining members of the Suicide Squad glanced at each other, exchanging silent agreements. They spread out, assisting the Birds of Prey, Batgirl, and The Flash in clearing the city. After a while, The Flash returned in a blur of yellow lightning, shoulder-checking a bolt of speed force into the Parallax.
Boom!
The lightning hit the Parallax, causing part of its body to disintegrate momentarily, only for it to reconstitute just as quickly, unaffected by the attack.
"What now?" The Flash asked, his voice tinged with frustration as he watched Superman land another twelve hits to no avail.
Batman remained silent. As a human amongst gods and monsters, he often faced such moments of helplessness. But standing idly by was never an option.
"We need to find its weakness," Batman finally said. "Keep it busy while I investigate."
The Flash nodded, speeding off to reengage the monster. As Batman began tracing the origins of this cosmic threat, it became clear the Parallax was not of Earth.
Meanwhile, aboard the Disciple, the sound of a ringing phone interrupted Su Sheng and Harley Quinn's rest. Su Sheng lazily rolled over, picking up the phone.
"Hello?" he answered without checking the caller ID.
"Su Sheng? This is Carol Ferris. Do you remember me?" came a woman's voice.
Su Sheng smirked. "Of course," he said. Carol Ferris was General Swanwick's former secretary and, in a different future, destined to become Green Lantern Hal Jordan's girlfriend. Unfortunately, Hal Jordan was dead in this timeline. "What's up?"
"You've heard about what's happening in Seaside City, right? Superman and Batman are trying to handle it, but—" Carol hesitated. "Can you help?"
Su Sheng chuckled. "You've got the wrong guy. I'm not a hero. Besides, I just had a run-in with ARGUS. Amanda Waller's dead, and now you want my help? Doesn't that seem a little inappropriate?"
Carol was momentarily stunned. "I... didn't know about Amanda. I'm asking this as a personal favor. I've retired and taken over my family's business. Please."
Su Sheng paused for a moment. "Personal favor, huh?" His smirk widened. "Well, I was planning to check it out anyway. Consider it done."
"Thank you!" Carol said, her relief evident.
After hanging up, Su Sheng turned to Harley Quinn. "Get dressed. We're heading out."
Harley nodded eagerly, quickly grabbing her baseball bat.
As they prepared to leave, June Moone, still recovering, asked, "You're going out?"
"Yeah," Su Sheng replied casually, opening a Shockwave Wormhole. He stepped through with Harley at his side.
Seaside City
The moment they arrived, they were greeted by the sight of Superman's heat vision and The Flash's lightning strikes hitting the Parallax at the same time. But both heroes were knocked back almost instantly.
"What a great smell," Harley Quinn said, wrinkling her nose playfully as she sniffed the air.
"What smell?" Su Sheng asked, amused.
"The smell of fear!"
Su Sheng laughed. "Let's have some fun, then."
Harley grinned and nodded, sensing that Su Sheng was more than intrigued by the colossal creature in front of them.
Step by step, Su Sheng leisurely approached the Parallax Monster, his eyes gleaming with interest. As he drew closer, his thoughts wandered to the Seven Lantern Corps—the powerful organizations spread across the emotional spectrum. Rage, greed, fear, willpower, hope, compassion, and love—all embodied by their respective Lanterns and powered by their unique rings.
The Parallax, Su Sheng mused, was the fear entity of the Yellow Lanterns. What would happen if he could copy its abilities? Could he harness the same power that the Yellow Lanterns use? Could he even become a source of fear himself, creating his own ring? The possibilities were endless.
"Su Sheng!"
A streak of yellow lightning flashed, and The Flash appeared at his side, breathless. "You made it! This thing is impossible to handle. We need your help."
High above, Superman hovered, his expression a mix of exhaustion and hope as he noticed Su Sheng's arrival.
"Is that so?" Su Sheng said with a soft laugh, continuing his steady walk toward the Parallax Monster.
Seeing the approaching threat, the Parallax lashed out with a massive tentacle. The sky darkened as the fear-imbued appendage came crashing down toward Su Sheng. For a brief moment, Su Sheng felt the weight of the fear—an oppressive, suffocating force. But he quickly suppressed it.
"Copy!" Su Sheng whispered internally, activating his unique ability to replicate the powers of the Parallax Monster. His eyes glowed red as heat vision, enhanced several times over, shot from his eyes and obliterated the tentacle in a single strike.
Zzzzzt! Boom!
The tentacle snapped, and the Parallax howled in agony.
The Flash and Superman were both left stunned.
Just moments ago, Superman's heat vision hadn't even scratched the Parallax. And now, Su Sheng had just obliterated part of it with ease.
"I... I'm supposed to be the strongest," Superman muttered, his voice tinged with disbelief.
How could he be stronger than me?
PS: For those who haven't seen it, the Parallax appeared as the big boss in the Green Lantern movie.