Chapter 33: The Most Gorgeous Of Butterflies

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Chapter 161: So Much Charity!? I'm Blushing V

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His muscles tightened, brimming with such a force they threatened to break space around them. He switched from the Rose of magic to that of Kryptonian energy, Platinium energy, his newest find.

He can also keep control of the trident with the Kryptonian force, but it's controlled by strength alone while he can influence the Trident with his magic.

However, the Trident seemed to have heard him as it calmed down, allowing him to accumulate every bit of force he can.

Then he released it, or he threw the Trident with such force... The combination of lightning speed and Kryptonian force was unimaginable.

The Trident went straight to its target though it didn't fail to destroy all that it miles around it.

The most interesting thing was that its target was at the very heart of the planet Oa, and Ian was in outer space meaning the Trident had to force itself through one of the strongest planets in the universe.

Whatever was in its way was devastated, in fact, the Trident left nothing behind, creating a gap through the planet as it exited through the other way, and all it took was an instant.

As for its target? The agent of Avarice. The only true holder of an orange ring Larfleeze was left floating in the very middle of the planet, seemingly in shock.

How could he not? The light of greed is one of the strongest energies in the emotional spectrum, yet a shield constructed by the entity of greed itself to protect him was treated like air.

The Trident simply passed through him with barely any decrease in momentum, leaving him with half a body.

Indeed, what was left of Larfleeze was merely his upper body, so he wasn't supposed to stay alive anymore, yet he did.

Ophidian interfered, yet even with the entity of greed's interference, Larfleeze was still left in such a state.

He was however alive as a cluster of orange energy slowly formed into his lower body parts. Just a construct of energy that actually kept him alive, ignoring common sense.

A shrill hiss followed directly after as an orange snake manifested around Larfleeze, its narrow eyes staring at Ian directly through the newly created gap.

It took but an instant for an overwhelming brilliance to shine through the center of the planet, blinding almost everyone.

Some however saw something. They saw Ophidian running away. Well, it was more like Ophidian taking away Larfleeze from the battle, saving his life.

Ophidian, on the other hand, is almost impossible to kill if not downright impossible. It's after all the greed in everyone. it will exist as long as we do.

"Why?" Ian wondered with confusion. He knows exactly just how strong the entities of the emotional spectrum are, so powerful they'd definitely be able to defeat him if they work together.

Well, not all of them are required. Just the entity of rage, greed and fear will be capable of almost killing him. Who knows, even killing him if common sense allowed that.

Still, Ian acted quickly. He completely ignored Ophidian because the thing was escaping at light speed, beyond it even, so he had no way to catch up, but there was something else he could catch up to.

You see, Trident of Neptune wasn't so behaved. It listened to Ian at first and remained calm, but the moment it exited from the other side of the planet, it continued on its way, using all of that momentum to escape.

It's quite the naughty thing... As Ian expected, so he left something on it, a grand magical spell he constructed for many purposes.

The spell allowed for him to appear instantaneously right next to the Trident. It all comes back to the black Rose rings, a medium to his dimension which in turn allows movement through each ring.

It's just like how he can move directly to the earth despite being numerous light years away. All that is required is to go into his dimension through the rings on his person and exit through the rings on earth.

That's exactly what he just did. He went into his dimension through the ring on his staff and exited through a ring he left on the Trident.

This is where the spell came into play as it blinded the Trident from even sensing the ring, quite the impressive achievement considering how magical the Trident is.

It's a countermeasure he started working on after his battle against Etrigan. The demon was always able to sense where his ring was and sought to destroy it, a weakness Ian couldn't allow.

He took hold of the Trident in almost an instant, much to the artifact's dismay. In fact, Ian could swear he heard it crying, but he was busy, so he heard nothing.

'He escaped... How did it know of my goal? Or was it just scared?' Ian wondered while stroking his chin. He only dwelled on those thoughts for a second before he had to turn around.

"Who are you? I'm curious." Before him was Sinestro. The founder of the yellow lantern corps. Formerly a green lantern.

"Ian Rose, I'm from the earth. By the way, we're quite welcoming there, so free to visit anytime you want to do whatever you want." Ian smiled, showing a never seen before levels of kindness.

"Oh, Sector 2814 like Hal Jordan." Sinestro nodded, not seeming afraid at all despite what Ian had just done, "Earth seems like a breeding ground for trouble from all that I've seen before, so I'll take you up on that offer."

"Perfect. I'm also curious about something," Ian smiled as he sized Sinestro up, "Is Parallax within you at the moment?"

Strangely, Sinestro smiled as if he had expected that question, "Yes. In fact, he wants to give you a gift. Will you accept it?"

He illuded not to what kind of gift he was talking about, but this is Ian we're talking about, so his answer was obvious, "Gladly."

He had never refused a gift before, and he will never start. Refusing a gift in his mind is almost as bad as refusing charity, the greatest of sins.

Sinestro opened his mouth wide, glowing with a yellow brilliance. It soon became so wide it was horrific. His purpose soon became obvious as from within him, a head crawled out, a large abominable bald head.

Parallax didn't speak, but simply unleashed a torrent of yellow energy at Ian, so much energy it overwhelmed the space around them.

It seemed to change the laws of physics as sound suddenly existed in space without the need for magic or energy. They could clearly hear space cracking around them.

Ion, the entity of will released a steady and peaceful stream of energy at Ian until he fully assimilated it, but Parallax was different. His energy was overwhelming and dreadful.

Most of it was getting sucked into Ian's staff, but the rest was orbiting around Ian, slowly coming in contact with him.

The entity of fear's goal was obviously sinister, and if the staff of all things' devouring capabilities wasn't so overwhelming, Ian was sure every speck of yellow energy would've tried to take over him.

Nah, Parallax was actually trying to take over Ian because it knows more than the other entities about him.

How could it not? Parallax was jailed in the central power battery of green lanterns for a very long time by the guardians. The only reason it's free at the moment is because of Ian.

Hell, Parallax saw it happen. He saw how one contaminated lantern was able to shut off the entirety of the green lanterns. The central power battery even which meant regaining his freedom.

Parallax wanted him. he deeply desired Ian in a very pure way. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as planned because he felt not a speck of fear in Ian. Not a trace, not now, no ever.

"Ahh, so fucking tasty and easy. Can the universe even be more kind to me?" Ian, on the other hand, was almost on the verge of orgasming with how much love he was getting from the universe. He was actually blushing...

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Chapter 162: My Dormant Emotions I

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"I..." Sinestro was kind of speechless. He was one of the few people who sensed Ian's actions because he felt the lanterns' fear. He even saw their thoughts, especially with the concentration of fear throughout the planet.

Parallax knew even more. He saw through Ian's intention, so he sought to control him. Unfortunately...

"Ahh, so good." Ian let out a sigh, feeling incredibly satiated. Parallax actually tried to cut off his energy supply, but he couldn't as it went out of control, constantly flowing into Ian's staff.

"Thank you." Ian smiled, seemingly ignorant of Parallax's intentions though the latter knows he knows. After all, another thing that protected Ian from his clutches was the green energy surrounding him.

It was the energy of will that he had just acquired from Ion. His sheer willpower was strong enough to fend off Parallax's stealthy attacks.

This is where Ian noticed something very different about the energies of the emotional spectrum because it didn't need too much supply from his Death force.

Kryptonian energy for example only grants him a level of power relative to how much Death force he pumps into it per second, so Ian knows he is nowhere near as strong as Superman.

His Kryptonian energy works very differently than that of superman. He doesn't need the sun, but he's also not affected by kryptonite stones. That is a limit, but also a positive at the same time.

The emotional spectrum however works differently as Ian found out that the Eight Vessel requires a constant but stable amount of energy no matter how he uses the emotional energy.

It all depends on his emotions. If his willpower is strong enough, then he can technically do just about anything.

That is also a limitation just as it is an advantage. It will show his strong suits, but it will only improve with his growing emotions, not with the improvement of the Death force.

"I know where the entity of Avarice lies..." There was a long eerie silence as Ian eyed both Sinestro and parallax. The tension seemed to be rising until Sinestro spoke.

"Oh? And you'd be kind enough to tell me for free? Go on. I'm listening." Ian's smile widened, giving a hint that made Sinistro's face twitch without shame.

"If you need any help in your future endeavors, feel free to contact me," Sinestro spoke a few words before flying away, vanishing from Ian's view in almost an instant.

Ian ignored him, and instead eyed a formation of yellow energy before him, "The coordinates?"

He memorized them before vanishing into space, appearing in the Grey Rose a second later.

"What should I do." He was instantly hit with an urgent question from Zatanna.

Ian surveyed the situation carefully first, focusing more on Harley who was still in the same state.

His attention returned to Zatanna who seemed in an odd state. She was sweating, and she seemed exhausted despite just standing there, doing nothing.

"Yeah... This kinda weird." Ian nodded, understanding the crux of the problem. He remembered there being only two rings around Harley last time.

Now, however, There are five whole rings on the ship! Selina had one surrounding her. Curiously, it was a ring of greed. Most strange thing considering Larfleeze wouldn't allow another living orange lantern to exist.

Zatanna was even weirder as she had two rings orbiting around her, seemingly fighting for dominance, will, and fear.

The only thing stopping the rings from joining the girls was Zatanna herself as she was using her magic to forcefully stop them.

"But nicely done." Ian complimented before switching to the Rose of will, unleashing a flood of green energy towards most of the rings, sending them out of the ship.

The only reason they entered was that Ian left the ship open exactly because he wanted the ring of fear to enter. He just didn't expect other uninvited guests to join the party.

It was quite naive of him. He would say it himself. He has been to a few parties before, and the number of parties where uninvited guests didn't invite themselves in can't be counted because it always happens.

The grey Rose also doesn't need an airlock chamber because of magic and divinity, so he was easily able to throw the rings out.

"Are you sure?" Ian asked Zatanna one last time.

"I'm sure. I don't need them," Zatanna nodded, seeming confident in herself. He asked her before, but she didn't want the rings. To each their own I guess.

"I kinda wanted it though," Selina found the right opportunity to interject, showing him her hopeful puppy eyes, or cat eyes I should say.

"Quite greedy, aren't we?" Ian let out a chuckle of amusement, but he still shook his head, "Unfortunately, Avarice is one of the most unstable of energies. It will give you the power to get what you want, but you won't be there to receive it. A puppet will take your place."

Selina couldn't help but let out a pout, looking dissatisfied, "And you'll let me be the weakest in the group? Before, I at least had Harley to laugh at, but now..."

"Hehe, if the past you looked at the present you, she would think you've been possessed, getting greedier and greedier by the day." Ian was thoroughly amused.

Selina even started trying to steal his stuff just to prove a point. She's a better robber than him! But Ian always wondered why considers him to be a robber. That was in the past.

Now, Ian is quite chill, never robbing anyone. Everyone just gives him things for no apparent reason.

"Don't worry, dear. I have a solution for, soon." He then approached Harley, ignoring the barrier of fear energy surrounding her as he took her into his arms.

"Parallax. I happened to have cut off a yellow lantern's finger... No, excuse my rudeness, I meant arm, so I know exactly where you are. If you influence her in any way, I'll find you, alright?"

It was as if he was speaking to himself, but Ian knew Parallax could hear him through the ring, such a vile entity would definitely try something if he lets his guard down.

Ian, however, wouldn't let his guard down as he hastily started casting a spell he prepared long beforehand as if he had seen the future, almost like he expected everything to happen this way... Well, he didn't.

"Rest here, and take your time." Ian smiled as he suddenly found himself in the black Rose dimension, lying Harley on a comfy bed.

Accepting one ring already takes time, but two? That'll certainly take a while, especially since they're the rings of fear and love, emotions that are hard to control.

"Now, time to get some understanding of myself." Ian had already set in motion many plans to find the answers he seeks, and this one is about to bear fruit.

It was time to collect every energy of the emotional spectrum, and he is sure they'll tell him about his emotion more than he can himself.

While all of that was happening, another event took place not very far from the planet of Oa, specifically in the capital planet of the Citadels, the arch-Nemesis of the Tamaraneans.

And now, a Tamaranean was hovering above the fractured planet with nothing but confusion. All she could see was destruction and death all around.

She was Starfire, one of the Tamaraneans. She escaped to earth after suffering not only under those monsters, but also under her sister, and now she came back, stronger than ever to get revenge.

"Well, it appears that my services aren't needed anymore." Next to her was a gorgeous girl, looking a bit too emotionless. She was the help Starfire got to make sure she gets revenge.

"Yeah..." Starfire remained silent for a while, seeming bewildered and confused, "Yeah, but I still have to thank you, Raven, for trying to help anyway, so thank you."

Raven frowned, seeing the obvious change in her friend's behavior, but she understood. She went through something similar after all.

"I did nothing... I still need your help though," Despite not being the best time to bring out the subject, Raven was kinda in a hurry.

"Right!" Starfire regained some of her composure, seeming cheerful again, or perhaps she's just putting up a facade, "We had a deal, so I will definitely help."

"Perfect... I really don't need much from you though, so you'll be able to go back to your hometown very soon. Raven was still considerate despite not showing it on her face."

They had just been in her hometown, and she helped liberate it from the leftover Citadels. It was there that they got news of what happened to their enemy.

And now, it was also time for Raven to solve her own issue herself without relying on Ian. She was ready to start dealing with Trigon.

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Chapter 163: My Dormant Emotions II

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The universe was still in chaos even after the return of the green lanterns. After all, they suffered significantly, so some civilizations saw an opportunity.

The chaos of war also isn't so easy to calm as it is very infectious. The green lantern also needed to get back their own order first before spreading order throughout the universe.

They were still in the process of stabilizing themselves even a month after the war, and they started by choosing a new planet to settle in.

And so, they settled on a member of the green lantern, literally. Mogo, a sentient or "living" planet and member of the Green Lantern Corps.

It's a colossal planet, and one of the most important members of the green lantern to the point Mogo and the guardians decided to keep it mostly a secret from everyone else.

Now, however, they found themselves without a choice in the matter. They have to seek a home on it.

While all of that was happening, Earth was experiencing its own kind of chaos, like usual.

But that is not the focus because Ian was still not back on earth. He was still wandering the vast expanse of space, treating it like a vacation.

By this point though, he was left alone with Selina. Harley was still in the process of getting used to the rings in his dimension while Zatanna had to go back exactly because of the chaos on earth.

"Hahh," Ian let out a yawn as he got out of bed, "I'm starting to sleep too much." He doesn't need sleep at all, and over the last year, he got used to never going to sleep.

That however changed for the past month as he relaxed a bit too much, In his mind at least.

Others will look at him and treat him like a crazy person because of how many things he goes through that'd be considered self torture by almost anyone.

"Mmm, come back..." The reason for the wonderful relaxing month was the lazy cat who just spoke, cutely stretching in bed.

"Not today," Ian shook his head with a chuckle, "I have something to do. It will actually be quite an exquisite play, so you're welcome to watch."

Almost instantly, Selina leaped into Ian's embrace with her never changing lazy expression. She leaned her head over his shoulder, and cutely cooed, "Too lazy... Take me."

Ian was used to her behavior by this point, so with a resigned sigh, he went ahead and took a slow shower with her.

He then helped her dry herself up and put on some cozy clothes, just pajamas before she returned the favor.

It was a daily routine by this point, and Selina never fails to force him to go through it, almost like she wants to waste his time doing things he deems unnecessary.

But Ian understood and very much appreciated her actions. She just wants him to relax and have a good time.

She saw and knows how many hardships he went through to get to where he is from being a nobody. From a homeless to a being capable of destroying planets.

Just staying in the speed mode all the time is torture let alone the other things he goes through to get his answers.

Her feline physiology allowed her to sniff the blood and the wounds he tries to hide even when he does so with magic.

It was more so an illogical sixth sense by this point. Perhaps even she didn't notice, but her feline physiology was in constant evolution, all due to Ian's Death force.

He had some cozy time with Selina before going out. He left the Grey Rose, still adorned in a simple pajama with Selina.

Before them, or far away from them was a simple planet, not looking special at all.

But soon, what was special about it surfaced as three individuals flew from the planet until they hovered before Ian.

All three of them were adorned in a uniform, each with a different color and symbol. Three colors, Indigo, the light of compassion. Violet, the light of love. Blue, the light of hope.

Ian nodded at them but said nothing. They reciprocated his gesture before starting to fulfill the agreement.

They all unleashed a surge of energy of their respective emotion. They even overworked themselves with such output they were able to manifest a miracle.

What manifested around the three individuals were three entities. The entity of hope, Adara, a gorgeous creature seeming like an alien blue bird.

The entity of compassion, Proselyte, seeming like a mutant indigo squid.

The entity of Love, the predator, a violet Dragonic creature, minus wings. It seemed mostly constructed of bones or an exoskeleton of sorts.

The three entities instantly started pouring all of their energy into Ian, specifically his staff, and he accepted it all with open arms. He basked in the universe's overwhelming emotions just to learn about his.

Everything went perfectly without as much as a single sign of trouble. It was after all the guardians of the universe that convinced the entities to peacefully give Ian their energies.

You are reading story DC: Rose Of Death at novel35.com

he knew where they reside, so it was only a matter of time before he get it himself... He gave birth to apprehension in the minds of the entities of emotion.

The end result was getting what he wants pretty easily. Unfortunately, neither the entity of rage nor that of greed wished to give in so easily.

One had so much greed they couldn't possibly allow something that is theirs to become someone else's. The other was simply lost in their rage, a peaceful agreement never crossing their minds.

"That was sweet. Thank you." Ian let out a sigh of contentment before performing a slight bow at the three individuals.

Those were the only words he spoke to them despite to of them actually being humans. Hope found a human host in Nicole Morrison while love found it in Carol Ferris.

Hosts are the prerequisite for manifesting the entities outside of their home batteries in the first place, allowing what just happened to take place.

"That was... We've come a long way, didn't we?" Selina murmured, resting her head on Ian's shoulders while looking through the observatory, eyeing the vastness and the beauty of space.

"We did... My first night in Gotham was with the homeless, and now, we're in outer space." Ian chuckled, reminiscing about the past.

'That came out so wrong, but ok,' Selina noted in her mind before letting out a happy giggle, "Remember our first kiss?"

"Oh yeah, the day the naughty cat tried to seduce me," Ian couldn't help but let out a little laugh, mixing with Selina's laugh as she added, "Thankfully, it backfired."

"Thankfully?"

"Mm, yup. I'm very thankful things went the way they did... I'm unsure if I would've remained broke otherwise."

"I'm pretty sure you would. It's your middle name after all."

Selina actually laughed with him, not seeming annoyed as she fired back, "Thankfully, I have a husband who is only rich because others are rich, so I can be rich too."

"Huh? I made some money legally though?"

"Yeah yeah sure..."

It was another cozy sweet day for Ian, a very wonderful day which was soon complemented by fireworks so grand it illuminated the entirety of the universe, an orange firework followed soon after by a red one.

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Chapter 164: My Dormant Emotions III

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It was another cozy sweet day for Ian, a very wonderful day which was soon complemented by fireworks so grand it illuminated the entirety of the universe, an orange firework followed soon after by a red one.

"You allowed your emotions to take control of you... Or you didn't have a choice. Even the entities of emotions are controlled by the very thing they represent."

Ian stood amidst the fireworks. It was the very same day, after a cozy afternoon, he continued on with his completionist pursuit.

He sought to get the last two pieces of the puzzle, and he was in a hurry because he noticed that a lot of things were happening near at the same time.

And now, he was basking in a torrent of energies, orange, and red. He finally acquired the last of emotional energies, Avarice and Rage.

Two central power batteries were completely destroyed in the span of hours. Not just that, a planet was completely evaporated from existence amidst getting the energy of rage.

And now, Ian was hovering amidst rocks flying about, the remnants of another planet, and before him was the entity of Avarice.

"I seem to be quite greedy," Ian noted, eyeing the orange energy constantly flowing into his staff.

It wasn't out of the entity of greed's free will. In fact, Ophidian put out quite the good fight. The result of which was the rocks flying about, the only thing signifying that a planet once existed here.

Ian had to exhaust the entities to such an extent they wouldn't be able to do much anymore for a long time.

Amidst the battle, he started devouring Ophidian's energy, and he continued doing so until the entity basically lost most of its energy.

Despite them not saying it, the guardians of the universe know just how much energy Ian absorbed. It was so vast it nearly exhausted Ion completely.

He single-handedly depleted most of the emotional energy throughout the universe because that much was required for perfect assimilation. The Vessel of the Emotional spectrum seemed to be special in that way.

The entity of greed remained floating before Ian, doing nothing against him. It seemingly gave up as it just waited for Ian to absorb as much as he wants then leave.

It will take a while, but the entities of the emotional spectrum will be able to restore all of their energy.

So the moment Ian stopped absorbing his energy, Ophidian hurled out of the area, vanishing into the vastness of space.

'Hahh, is this what the guardians of the universe wanted?' Ian wondered, letting out a breath of fresh orange energy.

Their arch-nemeses were suddenly nowhere to be seen in the span of a few days. It wasn't just the entities of rage and greed, Parallax also have to lay low for a while to recover.

It was even more so for the ones that resisted. They'll have to go dormant for a while, meaning the green lanterns will not have too much trouble to deal with, or so they assume.

"Matters not... It's time to find out." Aside from their sheer unbelievable power, Ian sought the emotional spectrum because it can tell him about himself.

He doesn't even understand himself, or what he is. Sometimes, he doesn't understand where his emotions come from, and why they are the way they are as if predetermined.

So one by one, Ian started switching between the Roses of Death, from that of Greed, to Will, Compassion, Love, Rage, Hope, and Fear.

Many beings were trying to observe Ian at all times. Unfortunately for them, most were starting to lose sight of him, their methods of observation becoming more useless by the second.

It started with magic, from Ian casting so many magical spells on him to hide from prying eyes to using the energy of darkness to shadow himself from light.

At the same time, he used the energy of light to shroud himself from the dark prying eyes, and as of recently, he started using his newly gained psychic powers to block other similar psychic powers.

It was however still not enough as a few were still able to observe him. However, as Ian switched from energy to energy, things started to change.

It started with greed. He fed it all of his Death force, everything he could unleash at a time, followed by a burst of orange energy.

The energy was so overwhelming and strong that it started to expand all around him. Not as much as the following energy he unleashed though, will.

His will was boundaries apart from his greed. He almost felt like he was imprinting the space around him with his marks, taking control of it with sheer will alone.

Then came Compassion, the light of indigo... It was faint, barely glowing. His compassion was near nonexistent.

What followed was love, a wonderful emotion, one that can quickly turn into something else, hate. Ian however made sure it never turn that way, so his love was grand, vast, very much so.

Still nowhere near his will, but it was strangely above his greed. He does after all love many things, like charity and those who give it without expecting anything in return.

Rage, Ian had very little of it. There is a very few things if anything at all that he hates. He sees himself more as a lost soul, just seeking answers, and he doesn't feel like he'd have a heart for hate without those answers.

Hope, Ian was confused. He was hopeful, he always thought himself to be such a person. He hopes for the best because he worked hard to make the best out of something.

However, he had very little hope, almost nonexistent. It made him feel like his hope all this time was fake. Why so little hope? He wondered.

So the blue light was understandably not too shiny to the point it was easily overwhelming by the following yellow light, an emotion of fear.

It was vast... Too vast to the point even Ian was stunned. Many would assume him to be fearless. He can not die after all, but that he was not.

Ian was very fearful of many things. His fear however was so completely under control it was illogical.

Hell, even Parallax wasn't able to sense his fear because it was hidden, so deep inside even Ian didn't know much of it existed.

'I understand my greed. I know why my will is soo vast. Compassion is not for me. I love many things. I'm a lovely person after all. I don't get angry... Because most of the time, I see no need to.'

Ian started wondering, contemplating his life, his emotions, and finally thinking about the most confusing of his emotions.

'Hope. I hope for many things. I have many hopes, and their foundations are my plans, but I still hope things go as predicted, most of the time at least, so why is my hope near nonexistent?'

Ian was unsure, but what he was certain about was that there was something he is so hopeless about to the point it invalidate all of his hopes, and he doesn't know what it is.

'And finally fear...' Ian was somewhat speechless. He felt pain something he didn't feel since long ago, since his Death force grew to such an extent it started to resist pain.

It was pain from his very soul as he observe the emotions of fear creating a miracle. His fear was so vast it left behind his will far behind.

Not, it was more than that, his fear directly enveloped the entire solar system he was hovering within. It was literally twisting reality around him.

His fear was frightening. It was the emotion that blinded everyone's sight from his person because all they could see is a vast expanse of yellow, and he was one with it.

Can you imagine being afraid that you are afraid? Can you imagine being in fear of not something you fear, but that you fear something you don't even know!

And it was to such an extent it overwhelmed a solar system even with how inexperienced Ian was with using the emotional spectrum.

"I don't even know what I'm afraid of... What a joke." For a moment, just for a moment, the emotion of rage around him became chaotic, even expanding before it calmed down.

He basically created a painting, one that can be seen from the other side of the universe, a blinding light, overwhelmingly yellow, but the other colors can be seen.

Ian let out a sigh before switching into the force of evolution, forcing every speck of his Death force into his staff.

This was something he tried before, but never on this level. He studied the force of evolution for a very long time, so only he knows the extent of its magicalness.

The force of evolution was unleashed everywhere around him, constantly expanding as his Death force was used until... The mixture of colors turned white.

For but a split second, all of the emotions turned white, pure white light so rejuvenating Ian could swear it threatened to turn back time to heal all the damage he had done.

"The White light of Life. The source of all emotions..."

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Chapter 165: The Most Gorgeous Of Butterflies

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In darkness, there was light. The source of which was a cocoon, seeming to be made of yellow and violet energy.

It was the only bright thing in this vast space until it wasn't anymore. The cocoon crumbled, and its light faded away. Darkness as predicted took the opportunity right away and overwhelmed the space.

And then there was only darkness, but there was sound. Movements could be heard amidst the darkness. Someone was moving in the darkness.

Well, it was more like someone was standing up, slowly but surely getting rid of the cocoon before facing the darkness, letting out a gasp of confusion.

Strangely, that gasp was followed by a giggle of happiness as she spoke, "Light up?"

And that it did, almost like she twisted reality with her words, a yellow bulb suddenly manifested, bringing light back into darkness.

"Hehehe... Hehe, finally!" She started jumping around in happiness in her usual style. It was none other than Harley who had just taken full control of the two rings of the emotional spectrum.

She was adorned in an interesting uniform, one similar to that of other lantern corps. The only difference was its colors, a mixture of violet and yellow.

She even allowed herself to fall back to the ground, and rolled around like a ball, "Yahhhhhho!"

"Hehe..."

Suddenly, she froze. She heard a voice not too far away from her, and it wasn't Ian's.

It was a familiar voice to her. It felt familiar. Even its tone had some resemblance to her, a touch of insanity shared by the likes of them.

"You... What are you doing here?" Harley questioned, not seeming frightened, but more so surprised.

"Mm, laughing in darkness? All alone... For a very long time." The shadowy figure answered with an even stranger tone.

"Uh? That sounds nice... I do wonder who would put you through such a lovely experience." Harley giggled as she walked closer to the source of the sound, getting a clear look at the man.

Tied to a metallic stake was someone she was very familiar with. He looked a bit messy, but his smile was still very wide if not a bit twisted.

"Who? A friend of course, a very nice friend. We talk a lot, so we must be friends..." The man murmured, seeming to recall some happy memories.

"Really? So for how long were you here?" Harley further wondered.

"A month? A year? Not very long, and he took very good care of me... Anyway, free me from these chains." The man spoke as if it was a matter of course.

"Hmm, sure..." Harley smiled as she focused on the ring of the yellow lanterns, trying to control the energy of fear.

Just like before, it wasn't hard for her at all, almost like she was destined for these certain emotions.

She manifested a sword construct before her, using it to cut off the chains. Harley noted that either the chains were too fragile or her constructs of fear are too strong.

"Haheheh, he's amusing... I want to play with him more." The man didn't seem affected at all by what he had gone through at all.

His focus was more so on tidying up his green tie and clearing the dust off his clothes, his purple suit.

"Yeah, about that... Are you sure you weren't held up in here for like a few years?" Harley strangely questioned, leading the man to size himself up.

"Oh my, It seems I lost myself for a second there... Well, for a few years hehehe." The man giggled, eyeing his extremely long beard and hair.

He wasn't in that sorry of a state, especially considering Ian didn't pay much attention to him, but his magic did, keeping him in an odd state just for this day.

"So you two aren't friends?" Harley questioned.

"Nope, we're definitely friends. We treat each other... Very well." The man nodded repeatedly as if convincing himself.

"I can not believe I'm saying this, but you're actually crazy, Joker." Harley let out a giggle as she circled around the Joker, seeming amused.

The Joker froze in place, eyeing Harley in what appeared to be surprised, then understanding, "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

"Huh? No no no, of course not. I was thinking of something much better, you know, for old times' sake." Harley hastily shook her head, seemingly afraid of him misunderstanding her pure motives.

"Yup, yeah, yes, os..." The Joker nodded repeatedly again with a weird smile, one that soon turned twisted, "You cheating BITCH! You betrayed ME?! Ahem, excuse my manners, don't know what happened there."

His mood was kind of frightening. His expression was constantly changing as if his mind was very indecisive about what expression he should go with.

"Yup, that was rude," Harley nodded. She didn't seem annoyed though as she continued, "But you're right... I betrayed you, and I'm happy, so happy! Aren't you happy for me?"

"I guess I'm, a little bit? Or perhaps I will be if you take me out of here?" Joker was happy for her or so his words insinuate. He even tried to hug Harley as congratulation, but she jumped back.

"Don't be naughty now, you stink..." Harley reprimanded with a cute pout, drawing a giggle out of Joker. Just no for the reasons one might think.

"A butterfly..." The Joker remarked as if by instinct.

"Butterfly?" Harley wondered, confused.

"He said that you'll one day leave your cocoon, becoming a butterfly, and it happened," Joker remarked, slumping back to the ground.

Nothing was around him but darkness, a prison, and before him was a predator, a carnivore, of his own making. Well, she was of his own making, now, she is a different person entirely.

"Really really!? Oddly specific, as expected of my darling..." Harley cutely giggled as she eyed the cocoon she just left. It was a bit too specific, way too specific which brought a remark out of the Joker.

"You mind hehe, you thought you'd escape the strings I control, but all you did was tie yourself to another's strings. I sent you to infiltrate Ian's group, but he ended up brainwashing you, lovely isn't it?"

The Joker was having a laugh out of her situation though she wasn't laughing. Instead, she seemed to be fantasizing about something.

"It's lovely, I've been shaped so perfectly, just for him. I... I love it. Why wouldn't I want to hook myself to a better string?"

Harley's usual carefree expression changed. She seemed serious if not a bit sinister as she approached him, crouching before him and eyeing him dead in the eye.

"Why wouldn't I want to stay with someone who treats me... Nicely. I never asked for much. I just want a lovely life, a happy vibrant life, and life is always colorful around him..."

Her expression was a bit dreamy, but it soon turned a bit sour, then teary, "You treated me like shit! You sent me around like a dog! And I did it all without needing anything in return!"

Harley was throwing a tantrum, the likes of which she have never done before, "However, I was still treated like a pig, and I would've stayed a pig for who knows how long if my Darling didn't show me a completely different world."

Her dreamy expression returned, "He was nice to me. He is the loveliest person in life, and life agrees with me.

He laughed at the normal things I do, like counting how many skulls per second he can crush with his power. Strangely, he doesn't laugh at my jokes, like when I suggested blowing up the earth to see what it would look like... I'm in love."

The Joker was silent. He knew it long ago, but Ian somehow found a way into his mind, muddling it... The Joker knew he lost long ago.

Who he was dealing with wasn't Batman, but a monster who can possibly be worse than him.

The moment the Joker tried to play a game with Ian, the latter threw him into the Black Rose. There were no second thoughts or a second chance... His destiny was set in stone long ago.

"Hahahaha hahahahah hahahahahah ahhhh I'm so mad! I just wanted to play a game! But this!? This isn't a game, you're treating me like a pawn! This... This isn't fair..."

The Joker seemed to have lost, bringing Harley out of her dreamy state, "Right..." She remarked as a yellow knife manifested in her hand. She was shaking, the construction of fear threatening to crumble down.

But slowly but surely, the knife reached the Delirious Joker's abdomen, making his tantrum come to a halt, but she didn't stop there as the knife dove into his stomach.

"You..." The Joker seemed to be in a bit of a shock, but he did nothing to stop her. Her current expression seemed fascinating to him.

Her expression was very odd, crying but laughing at the same time, "I did it. I did it!"

Harley started jumping around in happiness, her form seeming to be glowing with a mixture of yellow and violet, and a moment later, a yellow bat nailed the Joker on the head.

"Take this! And this!" Harley kept hitting and hitting, making a mess out of the entirety of his body... And amidst the horrific act, she cried louder than ever.

Her cries didn't stop even after she stopped hitting the body, or what remained from it.

She crouched down and cried, tears falling onto the dark ground... Until she felt someone pull her towards them, and hug her in silence...

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