After Kara finished pruning the Parallax entity, it transformed into a long, limbless worm. Even the wings on its back were severed by Kara's relentless assault. In truth, the Parallax entity didn't need wings to fly—perhaps it retained them merely for the sake of appearance, but they were ultimately unnecessary.
When Kara had finally completed her work, all the power the Parallax entity had accumulated over countless years began to flow into her, merging with her own. The energy, which it had painstakingly hoarded, became hers without resistance.
To Kara, it felt like a gift handed over without effort.
Now holding the incapacitated Parallax entity in her grasp, Kara manipulated its body using constructs formed from her Lantern rings. As she dragged it closer to the sun's blazing surface, the once-terrifying embodiment of fear was rendered completely vulnerable.
Despite her stunning beauty, Kara wasn't one to shy away from survivalist tactics. She'd sampled all kinds of unconventional delicacies during her travels, and the thought of consuming the Parallax entity didn't faze her in the slightest. If she hadn't tried it before, she'd certainly try it now.
But as she prepared to act, a voice interrupted her.
"Kara, stop right there."
She turned to see the Guardians of the Universe—the small, blue-skinned beings who oversaw the Green Lantern Corps—standing behind her. It was a rare sight to see them leave Oa, but their expressions conveyed the seriousness of their presence.
Among them, a Guardian had found a long-forgotten corpse in the void—the original body of the being that had become the Parallax entity. Once a noble member of the Guardians, it had fallen to the entity's corruption, turning into the very monster Kara now held.
Its torment had ended only with its death at Kara's hands.
Kara glanced back at the Guardians, then down at the Parallax entity in her grasp. It glared at her with silent fury, its earlier cries of pain now replaced by icy hatred.
"Why should I stop?" Kara asked, her voice even.
"The emotional spectrum is a delicate balance," one Guardian explained. "Its power can either protect the universe or unravel it entirely. If you destroy the Parallax entity, you risk disrupting that balance, endangering the universe."
The other Guardians nodded, their solemn gazes fixed on her.
Unlike the corrupted being they had once called their own, the Parallax entity was not merely a creature. It was the manifestation of fear itself, an essential force within the emotional spectrum. To kill it outright would destabilize the intricate harmony of the universe.
But Kara wasn't convinced. She tightened her grip on the Parallax entity, her emerald gaze unwavering.
"It's too dangerous to leave alive," Kara replied. "If I let it go, it'll come back stronger and seek vengeance. I can't risk the safety of the people I care about."
She smiled coldly at the Parallax entity, her grip tightening further. "And besides, do you really think killing one weak little Lantern Beast will destroy the universe? I don't believe it. Even if it did, I don't care. No one threatens my family."
"Madness," one Guardian muttered. "She's gone mad."
"We must stop her!" another exclaimed.
But they hesitated, knowing full well the power Kara wielded. She bore ten Lantern rings, her Kryptonian physiology amplifying their might to unimaginable levels. No one among them could oppose her directly.
"I warned against letting Kryptonians join the Corps," one Guardian murmured bitterly.
Kara's sharp hearing caught the remark, and her lips twitched in amusement. It was no secret that Kryptonians had rarely been selected as Green Lanterns over the millennia. She'd long suspected the Guardians had actively avoided recruiting from Krypton—a suspicion now confirmed.
"Cowards," she muttered. "Too afraid to let me in your little club. And now you think you can tell me what to do?"
The Parallax entity suddenly broke its silence, its voice dripping with malice. "You can't kill me," it sneered. "Unlike that weak vessel you destroyed before, I am the embodiment of fear. As long as fear exists, I will endure. And I already know your greatest fear, Kara. Your precious adoptive parents…Jonathan and Martha Kent. Do you think I'll forget them?"
Kara's hand trembled for an instant, her grip tightening until the Parallax entity let out a strangled sound.
But its laughter only grew harsher. "I'll find them, Kara. I'll make them mine. Perhaps I'll even turn you into one of my avatars, driven mad by fear. It's only a matter of time."
Kara took a deep, shuddering breath. Despite being in the vacuum of space, she exhaled sharply, the force of it rippling through the nearby sun.
Then, she smiled.
"You remind me of the Joker," Kara said, her voice laced with dark amusement. "A pathetic little creature trying to intimidate me with empty threats. Do you really think I'm afraid of you?"
Before the Parallax entity could respond, Kara drove her thumb through its head, her movements swift and decisive.
"I know killing you outright is complicated," she said, her voice cold. "But I have other ways to deal with you."
Her ring glowed as she severed the Parallax entity's connection to the emotional spectrum, stripping it of its power. Its body convulsed in her grasp, its once-mighty presence reduced to nothing more than a husk.
"You thought you were untouchable," Kara continued, her voice rising. "That you could threaten my family and walk away. But I'm not some naïve little hero. You dare challenge me?"
She carried the powerless entity toward the sun, her eyes blazing with determination.
Behind her, the Guardians panicked.
"She's going to destabilize everything!" one shouted.
But Kara silenced them with a dismissive wave, tossing a small golden object back toward the Guardians.
"That's your next generation of Parallax," she said. "Take it and hatch a new one if you must. But this one? It's mine now."
And with that, Kara plunged the Parallax entity into the sun, her smile never fading.