Ding— A crisp sound rang out, startling everyone. They saw a crack split across the Black Lantern, showing signs of collapse.
Kid's heart sank. Being used as the energy source inside that lamp was definitely not a good thing.
With a thought, he unleashed green light from his wedding ring. It turned into countless glowing bandages, patching over every crack. The Lanterns' power really was handy. Kid liked it.
The Guardian knew the Black Lantern couldn't be allowed to break, so he rushed up too, reinforcing it with temporary patches to stabilize it. "Hal, we're heading back."
"Got it." Hal nodded, then suddenly realized someone was missing. "Wait… where's the Blue Lantern Tribe?"
"And the Nekron is gone too."
The Nekron hadn't been destroyed—instead, he had been revived. The united light of the seven rings carried the power to restore all life, and that overwhelming energy had brought him back.
But now, both the revived Nekron and the Blue Lantern Tribe had vanished. The truth was, the mysterious Blue Lanterns had seized the moment to capture him and drag him back to their own world for imprisonment, all while everyone else's eyes were fixed on the Black Lantern. They really knew how to pick their timing.
The Green Lantern Corps returned to their own, and one by one, the other Corps followed. The duplicated rings dissolved into the air. Though Sinestro still burned with desire for Liu A'dou's ring, he knew this was the worst possible time to make a move. That would have to wait.
The heroes came back down to Earth, finally letting out a sigh of relief. It was over.
But then they noticed the Orange Lantern alien glaring at Kaitou Kid with predatory eyes. "You thief. You stole my power. Give the Orange Lantern energy back to me!"
Hearing this, the heroes all burst out laughing. The alien blinked in confusion. "Why are you laughing? I just want back what's mine. What's so funny about that?"
Kid had already stepped aside, smiling. "Nothing funny. You're right—I am a thief. So when a thief steals your stuff, what exactly are you going to do about it?"
"You… you!" The alien sputtered, stunned that Kid not only admitted it but was shameless about it. "Return it now, or I won't hold back!"
"Sorry, but you're not getting it back. I don't feel like returning it."
"Then die!" The alien roared. He could never stand sharing. "I'll kill you!"
He leapt forward, throwing a punch. Orange energy shot from his ring. Kid didn't even flinch—he punched back directly. Whatever move the alien made, Liu A'dou mirrored it and sent it right back at him.
"Looks like I'm better suited for a Lantern ring than you. Why don't you just hand me the Orange Lantern outright?"
"Never! That power is mine—every bit of it, not a drop less!" The alien truly was the embodiment of greed. He couldn't tolerate losing anything.
"Enough." At last, Superman stepped in. After basking in sunlight, his strength had returned. "You should leave."
At the sight of Superman, the alien hesitated. Even in the wider universe, Superman's reputation carried weight. "…But that's my energy."
"Think of it as spent in the fight against the Nekron. With the Orange Lantern in your hand, your power will replenish itself again soon," Superman said.
"It's not the same! The total amount is different—I lost some."
Everyone was speechless. His pettiness had reached another level.
Superman shook his head. "It really doesn't make a difference. But if you keep whining, this Kaitou Kid here might just steal everything you have left. You should know—your Orange Lantern seems to want him as its master. He's a thief, and even greedier than you."
The alien was bluffed by Superman. From the earlier exchange, he already knew he wasn't Kid's match. If Kid really wanted to take the Lantern, he wouldn't be able to protect it. Better not risk losing everything over a small loss. Time to leave.
He shot Kid a glare, then whooshed away.
Superman gave Kid a nod, as if asking, "Did I do well?" Kid was speechless. Using slander about Kaitou's reputation to scare off a cheapskate? Superman, you've fallen.
All Kid could do was force a bitter smile.
"Alright, it's over. How about a drink? My treat." Tony lifted his mask and grinned.
"No. I need to get back to Gotham City." Batman was the first to refuse. He had endless criminals to chase.
Thor was tempted, but he had to help the Einherjar transport their comrades' bodies. Looked like drinks weren't happening.
Seeing no one had the mood for alcohol, Tony switched tactics. "Fine, food then. Barbecue? Sushi? Italian? Chinese? Pick anything." Still, no one responded. "Come on, don't be so stiff. After a battle like this, aren't we supposed to relax with good food and drinks? Or we could hit the sauna. You can even keep your masks on, I don't mind."
"No. What we need now is to go home and let our loved ones know we're safe," Superman said.
But leaving wasn't going to be easy. More and more people were gathering, eager to meet the heroes who had saved Earth.
The ruined battlefield was now surrounded by crowds. Faces full of reverence, hearts filled with gratitude. Some were trembling with excitement. The Avengers were there, so were the Justice League, and even the Mutants—though most didn't know their names, they recognized Elsa the Snow Queen among them. To the crowd, they were all heroes.
After this battle, people's view of Mutants would definitely rise.
And the Jedi had also fought to the end. Their hoods hid their faces, but seeing so much respect from the crowd, their hearts burned with emotion.
Spider-Man slung his arms around two Jedi, laughing. "Looks like we're famous now. Also, you guys really are just as badass as in the movies. Sign something for me later, okay?"
Captain America stood silently nearby. After another battle, his heart felt hollow. Superman had said to go home to family. But Captain America had no family.
The cheers from the people fired up the younger heroes, especially the new recruits of the X-Men. Most of them were barely adults. Fighting in silence was noble, sure, but being openly respected like this felt amazing.
"Cheer up. We just saved the world again." Tony was carefree as ever, smiling wide and waving at the crowd. "Thank you, thank you, everyone!"
The other heroes weren't used to it. The fans' passion left them awkward, not knowing how to react.
"Should we get moving?" Hal asked.
"Yeah. If we wait too long, more people will show up," Superman agreed. A crowd this size was already risky.
Hal conjured a glowing green carpet with his ring and lifted everyone up. "Hold tight, this magic carpet's about to fly."
Iron Man stood at the edge, still waving like a rockstar. "I love Star City!" he shouted, totally hamming it up like a celebrity.
The carpet flew quickly, carrying them far from the battlefield. Once they reached a quiet spot, it set everyone down. Then they split up—those who could fly took off, those who couldn't waited for rides. Only Flash sighed, stuck running all the way home on his own two legs.