Lantern, Lantern, Lantern, Lantern, Lantern, Lantern, Lantern (Part 1)

"So, what exactly is going on now? You said you came into my dream, then brought me here? But forgive me for saying so, this is a little… hard to understand."

On top of a building beneath Gotham’s night sky, Gordon, dressed in a trench coat, swept its hem behind him and planted his hands on his hips. Looking at the strange man glowing green all over, he said, "He’s not from Gotham, is he?"

Hal descended from the air, folded his arms, and asked Gordon, "How did you know?"

"Do you know you look a lot like a traffic light right now?"

"I am green. I’m Green Lantern."

"I mean the kind of green light on a traffic signal. If you were local, you definitely wouldn’t be floating in midair covered in green light, because we all know the traffic lights at Central Roundabout take an average of over a thousand bullets a day…"

Schiller interrupted Gordon and Hal’s conversation. "The cause of this is exactly what I told you before, and now I need to find a way to solve it."

Gordon took a deep breath and looked at the enormous monster wreaking havoc across the city. "Thank God this isn’t the real Gotham."

"If we don’t stop it, it will eventually enter the real world. I brought you here now to prepare for destroying this monster."

"Go ahead. Whatever your plan is, I’ll cooperate. This is for Gotham, and for Batman."

Gordon’s tone was resolute. "No matter what, that strange costumed vigilante has saved Gotham’s police officers several times. If he’s in danger now, then I think I should save him too."

"I’m speaking to you alone because I need to teach you how to fight in dreams, Sheriff Gordon."

"Wait!" Hal interrupted Schiller. "Even if this is a dream, we can’t just stand around chatting, can we? If that Yellow Lantern Beast really enters the real world, it’ll cause massive destruction!"

Just then, the three standing atop the building felt a slight tremor from the ground. The grotesque monster, terrifying in both appearance and size, let out a roar. A vast black tide surged in from the horizon, flooding into the city in an instant and swallowing all of Gotham City.

"Something seems to have provoked it?" Hal said, squinting as he floated in the air.

"You didn’t think the things I mentioned would work together in perfect harmony after being stitched together, did you? Forget the Yellow Lantern Beast and the yellow power ring—even The Laughing Egg and Batman, the owner of this body, are bitter enemies."

"This monster is only the product of a temporary compromise. It’s probably complete chaos inside it right now."

At that moment, Schiller also looked toward the horizon. "Looks like the other friends I invited have arrived."

A distinct plopping sound reached the three of them, yet nothing seemed to have fallen into the water. Then came a pair of soft whooshes. In an instant, a gigantic Penguin leaped from the sea and severed a section of the monster’s tail with his sharp beak.

Hal gaped. "A penguin?? Why a penguin?"

"Apparently, you don’t know much about these birds." Schiller explained, "The penguins you’ve seen may waddle around on land, looking incredibly clumsy, but underwater, they swim very fast, move nimbly, and are excellent hunters."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the giant penguin, dozens of times larger than an ordinary one, dived back beneath the surface. He evaded Fear Laughing Demon’s swiping claws, then burst from the water on its right side, in its blind spot, and savagely bit into its ribs. Fear Laughing Demon howled in pain, but when it turned to keep attacking the Penguin, he had already vanished again.

"…Who was that?" Gordon asked.

"That was Cobblepot, Sheriff. I was just about to explain this part to you."

"In the dream world, the best way to improve your combat ability is to fight in the form most familiar to your heart. Once you completely release your true self, your synchronization with the dream will grow stronger, and so will your power—just like that Penguin."

Gordon narrowed his eyes at the distance. "He does seem a little different. I don’t think ordinary penguins have beaks that sharp."

Just as Gordon had said, the nimble Penguin possessed an exceptionally sharp beak. Every peck made the monster cry out in pain, and when he struck a joint, he could even make it stagger.

As Schiller explained things to Gordon, he glanced back at Hal. "Detective Gordon is only an ordinary man, so I need to teach him how to fight. What are you still doing here?"

"I…" Hal choked on the question, but still said, "But this is my first time fighting in a dream too. The Green Lantern’s power seems somewhat sluggish here. I think I could learn something as well."

Schiller turned back and continued speaking to Gordon. "Sheriff, give it a try. Relax, then follow your inner instincts. Imagine what kind of person you should be…"

Gordon took a deep breath. "That’s a little difficult."

He turned to glance at the huge monster beside them, then slowly closed his eyes.

Very soon, a ripple appeared within the dream. Gordon himself did not change much, but phantoms gradually began to emerge behind him—various large-caliber firearms.

Schiller smiled. "Sheriff, it seems your fear of insufficient firepower is rather severe."

Gordon opened his eyes and looked at the weapons floating behind him. Somewhat embarrassed, he said, "I’ve actually always wanted to try weapons like these. Unfortunately, even though the precinct has quite a few heavy weapons, these are still a bit too excessive…"

Schiller looked behind him. There were not only automatic machine guns with barrels several times wider than normal, but even something that appeared to be a missile launcher.

Just then, Hal touched his face and looked up. "Is it raining? Why does it seem like…"

"Oh, wait! It’s snowing!" Hal held out a hand and found snowflakes landing on it. Deeply puzzled, he said, "Does Gotham even get snow?"

The instant his words fell, a violent storm rose. Every snowflake that had just fallen began to whirl like a blade. Hal had to shield his face with his arm as he shouted, "What the hell is this?! How did it suddenly turn into a blizzard?!!!"

"This is what I was going to introduce next. Manifestations of willpower can take countless forms; they do not have to be limited to humanoid shapes. Natural elements such as storms and lightning can also be manifested in dreams…"

"You mean!" Hal yelled through the storm, "This blizzard is a person too???"

"That’s right. This is Victor’s inner manifestation."

"Victor?" Gordon asked in surprise. "His inner self is this wild? You’d never know it normally!"

"Where there are tranquil snowfields, there are raging blizzards. The human heart always has many forms. Victor simply focused on releasing the violent part of himself, producing this effect."

"This is also what I want to emphasize. By focusing your attention, you can find the emotion you most want to manifest—anger, violence, the desire to kill, and so on…"

Both Gordon and Hal gave it a try, but neither changed in any obvious way. Schiller guessed it was because they were both heroic figures, with fewer extreme emotions in their hearts.

Although Victor appeared gentle and refined on the surface, he was, after all, the precursor to Mr. Freeze and had the potential to become a villain. Therefore, he possessed enough violent emotions within him.

On the battlefield, the wind and snow grew ever fiercer. After a snowflake fell from the sky, it began spinning at high speed, surrounded by blade-like currents of air. It traced a graceful arc toward Fear Laughing Demon’s body and instantly carved a wound into its arm.

Countless such snowflakes fell, attacking the monster from every angle. Behind them came floating ice crystals.

The ice crystals first arranged themselves in midair like neatly assembled soldiers, then shot toward the monster like bullets. Whenever one touched the monster’s skin, a large patch of blue frost formed, hindering Fear Laughing Demon’s movements.

"I don’t quite understand…" Hal said.

"This is a dream. How can anyone be hurt in a dream? If, as you explained before, attacks in dreams are imagined, then couldn’t this monster simply imagine that it can’t be hurt?"

"That might be true in your own dream. When you realize you’re dreaming, you can give yourself a pair of wings or conjure a gun, but this is a dream inhabited by multiple people…"

"In this kind of dream, every attack and defense is a contest of willpower. If your willpower exceeds your opponent’s, you can inflict effective damage. Conversely, your attack may be blocked. That’s how it works."

"All right, I think I get it…"

Hal rolled his wrists, and the green glow around him grew brighter and brighter. The Green Lantern energy was clearly abundant, and its sluggish, dark feeling had vanished. On the contrary, because of Hal’s powerful willpower, the Green Lantern energy became increasingly vigorous, and his strength continued to grow.

"Don’t rush. We still have one friend who hasn’t arrived to lead the charge."

After speaking, Schiller looked toward the horizon again. Then a piercing cry rang out, and a winged figure appeared above Fear Laughing Demon’s head. Sharp talons raked across the monster’s shoulder, leaving three deep wounds.

It was an owl-like monster with wings on its back, clawed hands, and countless feathers covering its body. Accompanied by a shrill screech, innumerable feathers appeared behind him, then shot rapidly toward Fear Laughing Demon, bursting countless bloody blossoms across its back.

"I really don’t like using this form." Alberto’s cold voice carried over. "But I have to admit, birds’ talons and feathers are the best weapons."

"Who’s that?"

"You should be very familiar with this one, though you don’t know him. But that isn’t important. Sheriff Gordon, I believe you understand the rules here now. It’s time for you to show what you can do."

Hal had already finished an entire warm-up routine. Though Gordon had not completely adjusted yet, he did not hesitate and headed straight for the battlefield.

Before leaving, Hal looked at Schiller, who remained standing still, and asked, "We’re going to deal with this monster, so what are you doing?"

"You don’t really think that taking turns hitting each other like this will be enough to completely destroy this monster, do you?"

"Then what are you planning to do?"

Schiller abruptly changed the subject. "At present, you’re the only Lantern on Earth, correct?"

"Uh, if that yellow monster doesn’t count, then yes, I’m the only one."

"All right." Schiller replied. Hal watched Schiller’s departing back in confusion, suddenly seized by a bad feeling.