A yellow stream of light appeared in the solar system, moving so fast that one second it was at the edge of the solar system, and the next it had pierced through Wayne Enterprises' satellites, plummeting at an unimaginable speed onto an island in the Pacific Ocean.
The light was dazzling, illuminating the entire night sky.
An unimaginable wave of terror radiated outwards from the small island, and at that moment, the entire West Coast of the United States felt that despair-inducing aura of horror.
Luke stiffly turned his head, his mouth slightly agape as he saw the bamboo-jointed creature slowly rising from the mud.
"Holy crap!"
Whose bug is this? Have some public decency!
Where's the timeline? Eaten by a dog… The Parallax is the source of fear; it creates fear, spreads fear, controls fear, and feeds on fear. Wherever it appears, a shadow will fall over the hearts of all intelligent beings.
At the Xiao Manor, Linda, who was practicing her boxing, stopped and turned her head to look west.
Ling Xuzi, who was beside her, asked, "What's wrong?"
Linda shook her head, "A very strange feeling, as if a terrifying monster has been born."
"Terrifying? Monster?"
Ling Xuzi's mouth twitched slightly.
Linda put on her jacket.
"I'm going to check it out. I'll be back in a bit."
With that, she soared into the sky and disappeared into the distance.
Ling Xuzi watched the girl leave, muttering to himself in a voice only he could hear, "Terrifying? A monster? Bah! There's nothing more terrifying in this world than you."
"Women, whether alien or from Earth, are all unreasonable monsters!"
…The bamboo-jointed insect slowly ascended, and the flesh buried in the mud was peeled away. The two merged, and soon, a bamboo-jointed creature with a giant humanoid head was born.
Its head bore an eighty percent resemblance to Hecate, but it had an insect's mouthparts. Its body was segmented like bamboo, with six arms and six legs, covered in spiky armor, making its appearance exceptionally terrifying.
A dark yellow glow emanated from its body, not dazzling, but exuding a chilling aura, like a higher-dimensional being facing a lower-dimensional one, carrying an innate sense of oppression.
Luke clenched his fists, his arms trembling slightly. He wasn't afraid of this terrifying bamboo-jointed creature, but he couldn't control the fear growing deep within him.
The Parallax, one of the seven emotions of the universe, representing the source of fear.
Its power was almost like a law of nature!
"Lu… Luke, what… what… what exactly is it?"
Carol's teeth chattered violently, her voice trembling, unable to complete her sentences.
Luke silently raised his hand, and the two slowly retreated.
At this moment, the bamboo-jointed creature suddenly opened its eyes, revealing dark yellow vertical pupils. Its eyes were so eerie, possessing the power to see through hearts. Just one glance made one's scalp tingle.
"I like your fear."
A hoarse voice came from "Hecate's" mouth, like a saw scraping against the floor. Carol shivered, and quickly conjured a purple barrier in front of them.
"Purple Lantern Ring?"
"The power of the emotion of love!"
Hecate was drawn to the ring on Carol's middle finger, becoming excited. "I didn't expect such an existence on this low-level planet."
"I like Lantern Rings. If I devour you, my power will recover a lot, a lot."
With that, yellow beams of light shot from its eyes, enveloping their bodies. The fear in their hearts was infinitely magnified, and in the blink of an eye, it consumed their entire being.
Carol clenched her right fist, and the ring emitted a purple light, struggling to resist the power of fear.
Luke's eyes were tightly shut, green flames burning deep within his pupils.
"Do not resist. Surrender to fear. Surrender to me."
"You will join me in devouring the universe and ascending the throne of fear."
Blackest night, brightest day.
Evil foes, beware our might.
Burn with fear, those who defy.
Fear's the source, endless glory… A grand voice echoed in their minds, constantly drawing out the fear in their hearts, eroding their will, and occupying their souls.
Carol didn't know how to combat this power and gradually showed signs of being unable to hold on. Luke remained standing in place, motionless. The two, enveloped in yellow light, were like lambs to the slaughter.
At this moment, two red hot rays shot down from the sky, striking Hecate's protective barrier heavily, directly knocking it away.
The yellow light column immediately disappeared.
Carol, now free, gasped for air. She truly thought she was going to die just now.
Linda, dressed in a tracksuit, descended from the sky. She first scrutinized Carol with a gaze that was critical, hostile, and disdainful, then secretly curled her lip upon seeing her ample chest, muttering "cross-dresser," before finally glancing to the side.
"Hey! Are you fighting again?"
The Ghost Mask split open, revealing Luke's frost-covered face, his eyes flickering with an eerie green light. Seeing him like this, Linda's heart tightened, and she quickly dropped her playful demeanor, saying in a deep voice,
"What's going on?"
Luke said expressionlessly, "You two, retreat five miles. No matter what happens, do not come near, and don't let anyone else come near. Remember, anyone."
Both women froze simultaneously. Linda said somewhat angrily,
"Don't look down on me! I'm very strong. This glowing bug, I can take ten of them with one hand."
Luke coldly shook his head, "Your power comes from your physical body, but your soul and will are your weaknesses. Once enveloped by the yellow light, you won't be able to move, so how can you fight? If you stay here, you'll only become food for it to replenish its energy."
"Carol, take her away."
Carol hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded vigorously, dragging the indignant Linda away. Although she wasn't sure how Luke managed to counteract the eerie creature's power of fear, after years of being together, she had grown accustomed to obeying Luke's commands and had absolute faith in him.
After the two left, only Luke and Hecate, possessed by the Parallax, remained on the island.
Hecate seemed to sense something, its eyes filled with deep confusion.
"Your fear, I can feel it, but it's not under control. Why?"
Luke raised his right hand.
Bang!
Green flames surged, burning fiercely in his palm.
"Your power of fear is nothing more than this."
Hecate narrowed its eyes, staring intently at the constantly burning green flames. The green flames seemed to be able to scorch souls; even from dozens of meters away, it could feel a fear originating from the depths of its soul.
Fear!
As the source of fear, it actually felt fear from somewhere else.
Hecate's mouth split open, as if it wanted to laugh, but its eyes were filled with an almost tangible killing intent.
Luke spread his hands, and green flames overflowed from his palms, spreading along his armguards to his entire body, adorning the Ghost Armor with an eerie green hue.
"Do you know? Ever since I awakened the green flames, my biggest dream has been to use them without restraint, to have a thoroughly enjoyable battle. Perhaps, you can make that happen."
The armor contracted inwards, its scales rearranging, becoming tighter and more intricate.
Activating Full Battle Mode!
An invisible field spread outwards, forming a barrier around the armor.
Luke extended a finger and beckoned twice.
"Come on, big-headed monster, let me see what fear truly is."
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