Chapter 407: Diana and I Have a Child
A single Black Lantern zombie was already such a hassle—Frank couldn't even begin to imagine what it'd be like facing a whole horde of them.
Watching Allen continuously unleash attacks while he himself could do nothing to help, Frank's view of Allen shifted. He realized Allen wasn't the villain he'd imagined. At the very least, he wasn't some kind of criminal.
"This thing just won't die?"
Allen was genuinely stunned by the power of the Black Lantern ring.
The black blood formed by Black Lantern energy constantly regenerated the zombie's body—as long as there was sufficient energy. The only viable way to deal with it was the slow and clumsy method of draining the ring's power through attrition.
Sure enough, after a short while, William's regeneration noticeably slowed.
"You… how could you possibly defeat me…"
With a final unwilling roar, William once again became a mangled corpse.
Charred and disfigured, the body reeked of a foul mix of burnt flesh and rot—absolutely nauseating.
Allen, ever cautious, picked up a stick and prodded the body to make sure it was truly dead.
Frank had stayed far away the whole time—anything that exceeded his understanding, he preferred to avoid at all costs.
No reaction. Definitely dead.
More precisely, the Black Lantern ring had run out of power.
Allen removed the black ring from William's finger. It bore the emblem of the Black Lantern Corps, though with its energy depleted, it was little more than a trinket.
Unlike other Lantern rings, the Black Lantern ring couldn't be recharged with a power battery. It relied solely on siphoning emotional energy from the living. That was the only reason Allen had managed to win.
Still, defeating a single Black Lantern had left him lightheaded—his spiritual energy completely drained.
If he had to face them in larger numbers, even his class as a priest would be useless.
Should hundreds or thousands of these zombies form a legion, Allen wouldn't hesitate—he'd turn tail and run immediately.
As for other professions? Totally pointless against unkillable zombies.
"So gross."
Allen pinched the ring between two fingers in disgust. Frank, watching curiously, asked, "So this is that Black Lantern ring you were talking about?"
"Yeah."
Allen explained, "Too bad it only selects corpses as hosts. It never chooses the living."
The Black Lantern ring was, in a way, similar to the Orange Lantern ring—a sinister magical artifact.
After all, the Orange Lanterns all ended up as orange phantoms.
"So, what now?"
Faced with a supernatural crisis, Frank was completely lost and could only turn to the ever-eccentric Allen for answers.
"First things first—rebury the corpse."
Allen, however, had no intention of doing it himself. The stench from William's body had made him throw up more than once.
With a bitter expression, Frank fetched a shovel, reopened the grave, and used his foot to shove the corpse back into the ground.
Allen wasn't idle though. He was deep in thought, trying to come up with a solution.
He also gave the Black Lantern ring a thorough disinfecting—corpse fluids were notoriously hard to get the smell out of—by soaking it in sanitizer.
"Frank, this is serious. Do you want the truth?" Allen asked with uncharacteristic solemnity.
"Go ahead."
Frank straightened up and listened intently.
The last crisis had left him deeply shaken. He couldn't imagine anything worse.
"The Black Lantern Corps is coming. With the current power level of Earth, there's no way to stop the Black Death Emperor's invasion…"
Allen's words were brutal.
That first ring only revived a regular person. If it had been a superhuman, things would've been far worse. And the worst part? Black Lantern zombies simply don't die.
"So we're just supposed to wait for death?" Frank asked, despair creeping into his voice.
"The White Lantern ring is the only hope against the Black Lanterns. Its power comes from the Entity—the very first spark of creation—also known as the Life Equation. It doesn't just counter the Black Lanterns; it can also resurrect the dead," Allen explained.
He might've gotten a few details wrong—he didn't remember everything clearly.
"Then hurry up and take me to it!"
Frank grabbed Allen's hand in excitement.
"Dame da yo…"
Allen shyly slapped his hand away and bluntly admitted, "I don't know where the White Lantern ring is. But I can tell you how to get its power—collect all seven spectrum rings and master them. That way, you might attract the Entity."
Of course, just reading the comics didn't mean he could actually find the Entity.
Besides, in the comics, it just kind of showed up as a last-minute savior. Without a major crisis, it wouldn't appear.
And honestly, the White Lantern's resurrection ability made death basically meaningless.
From Allen's point of view, the writers just gave up and flipped the whole table.
"So you're saying… we don't need to do anything?" Frank asked in disbelief.
"Come on, Frank. Is my idiocy aura really that strong?"
Allen gave him a deadpan look. "Can't you at least contact S.H.I.E.L.D.? Start making preparations, round up whatever heroes are left, and search for the White Lantern. Otherwise, we'll be rebuilding America all over again."
"..."
Frank now found Allen increasingly mysterious—how did he even know about S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Without intel support from them, Frank wouldn't have been able to clean up crime as efficiently as he had.
"I'm taking a vacation. I'll be back once it's over."
Allen emptied out the sanitizing jar, retrieved the cleaned ring, and promptly bailed.
A full-on fight? Totally not his style. After all, he was just a level-zero necromancer.
"Wait!"
Frank shouted after him. "What do you mean, vacation?!"
Allen tossed his hair back with confidence and said, "No worries. I'm the main character—I'll handle it when the time comes."
"..."
Yeah, right. If he could really handle it, he wouldn't have had such a hard time with just one Black Lantern zombie.
With a wave of his hand, Allen opened a portal that led to a sunlit beach.
"What the…"
Before Frank could finish asking, Allen stepped through and disappeared.
"Damn it… he's a Kamar-Taj sorcerer?!"
Frank quickly rummaged around and pulled out an old-fashioned phone, dialing a number urgently.
Moments later, a deep, weathered voice came through the receiver.
"Frank, you calling me first? That's rare."
Frank skipped the small talk and went straight to the point. "Director Fury—we've got a major problem…"
…
Meanwhile, Allen had arrived at Themyscira.
"The Black Lantern Corps, huh…"
He sneered. "Time for Plan B."
Swish!
An arrow flew at him.
Allen sidestepped and called out to the Amazons, "Sisters! I'm one of you!"
But within moments, a squad of Amazon warriors on horseback arrived.
Each one was clad in tight leather armor, muscles well-defined.
True to their reputation—these were no delicate flowers.
Spears in hand, they surrounded Allen as Antiope, their leader, barked, "Who are you?"
"I'm an Earthling."
"..."
Unfazed, Allen acted like a shameless rogue, completely ignoring their interrogation.
"Tie him up. Let the Queen deal with him."
Two warriors dismounted and reached for their ropes.
"Whoa, slow down."
Allen raised a hand.
The warriors frowned, thinking he was about to resist.
"I'll tie myself up. I don't like how other people do it."
He snatched the rope, then expertly bound himself up—complete with two hexagon shapes over his chest.
The watching Amazons exchanged bewildered looks.
What kind of man ties himself up?
Do all men outside act like this?
"Pull the knot a little tighter, will you?"
Allen turned his back to Antiope and tossed the end of the rope toward her.
As a 2,000-year-old virgin, Antiope had never encountered a request this outrageous.
The Amazons, blessed by Zeus, were immortal as long as they remained on Themyscira. Most had never interacted with men.
(Atlantis didn't count. They were just fish-shaped people.)
Looking to the side awkwardly, Antiope gave the rope a firm tug.
Oww…
Allen let out a lewd, satisfied moan, pressing his legs together with a bashful glance. "So mean, Sister. You pulled so hard you got my crotch."
"Take him to the Queen."
Antiope, normally obsessed with combat training, had no idea how to deal with someone like Allen and opted to say nothing.
"I want to ride with Sister~"
Allen gave her the puppy-dog eyes, full of desire and longing.
The look sparked something strange in Antiope—perhaps a protective instinct.
You could even call it maternal affection.
She couldn't explain the feeling, only that denying him might leave her sleepless at night.
With a sigh, she hoisted him up onto her horse.
The squad headed for the island's center.
Along the way, they passed a large plaza where many Amazons were training.
They were always either preparing for battle or actively training for one.
"Sister, if I misbehave, feel free to spank me," Allen said with a mischievous glint.
Such a shameful request…
Antiope couldn't help but compare him to the WWII pilot who had once landed here.
Allen was only the second man to set foot on Themyscira.
That soldier had been calm and mature. Allen, however, gave off a completely different vibe—someone you wanted to cuddle and bully at the same time.
"No need to be shy. Just try it."
Allen stuck his butt out invitingly.
Heart racing, Antiope glanced around, then gave it a discreet pinch.
"Ugh, so rough! I'm not talking to you anymore," Allen giggled, turning his head away coyly.
Antiope stared at her hand in disbelief.
What am I doing?
Why am I playing along with him?
She'd just groped a man—for no reason.
As Queen Hippolyta's sister, this was scandalous.
Yet that sense of crossing a forbidden line thrilled her. Her heart pounded and adrenaline surged—she couldn't calm down.
They brought Allen to the palace.
Queen Hippolyta sat on the throne, sorrow etched across her face.
Not long ago, Diana had sacrificed her life to save humanity.
As her mother, Hippolyta still hadn't recovered from the grief.
"What's your name? Why have you come here?" she asked coolly.
Clearly, she wasn't that interested—just wanted to get it over with.
"I came for the Mother Box," Allen replied bluntly.
Yep. Plan B was to collect the Mother Boxes and fuse one with the Black Lantern ring to forge a powerful weapon.
The Mother Boxes were no joke—they contained the rare Tenth Metal.
In their original universe, they belonged to Darkseid's realm. Since there had been no invasion here, Allen figured he could claim them.
Besides, based on his chat with Frank, it seemed Darkseid hadn't launched his war yet.
"Outrageous!"
Antiope barked.
One of Themyscira's sacred duties was guarding the Mother Box—never letting it return to the world of man.
Hippolyta raised a hand to silence her and calmly asked, "How do you know about the Mother Box? And what do you plan to use it for?"
"They're kept here, Atlantis, and STAR Labs, right?"
Allen was direct. "I'm gonna use it to build a badass weapon—and maybe save the world. Got a problem with that?"
A big one.
Why the hell should they let him take it?
What if he was a spy from Apokolips?
"I can't grant your request. And since you know about the Mother Box, I can't let you leave," Hippolyta said firmly.
She remained calm, but made it clear she wouldn't take any risks until she knew his true intentions.
"Mom!"
Allen suddenly shouted.
"What did you call me?"
The word pierced Hippolyta's heart, dragging her mind back to her lost daughter.
"Mommy~"
Allen continued without a hint of shame: "I'm from another universe. In that world, Diana and I are married."
"..."
Everyone was stunned.
Was he out of his mind!?
Diana must've gone blind in that universe.
Shing!
A flash of golden light, and Antiope pressed a sword to his neck. "If you dare insult Diana again, I'll cut you down right here."
She was Diana's aunt—practically raised her—and wouldn't tolerate a word of slander.
"I'm not lying."
Allen spoke earnestly, full of conviction. "Diana told me stories from her childhood. Like how she cheated in her first warrior tournament and got disqualified. She was devastated about it. And she loves to draw."
The crowd was speechless.
Everything he said… was true.
She had cheated during her first competition—and it was Antiope who caught her.
Of course, Allen had just made it up from the movie plot.
In reality, he was just pathetically obsessed with her.
Still, he'd licked Diana's boots and lived to tell the tale. That was enough to make others envy him to death.
"Diana and I already have a child," Allen added proudly.
"What's the child's name?" Hippolyta pressed.
"Allen Junior…"