Chapter 278: Lamp Lamp Lamp Lamp Lamp Lamp Lamp (Part 1)

"So, what exactly is going on? You say you entered my dream and brought me here? But forgive me, this is just... hard to understand."

On Gotham's night sky, atop a building, Gordon pulled his trench coat's hem behind him and crossed his arms, staring at the glowing green figure: "He's not from Gotham, is he?"

Hal landed on the ground, arms crossed, and asked Gordon: "How do you know that?"

"Don't you realize you look just like a green traffic light?"

"I am a green light—I'm Green Lantern."

"I mean the green of a traffic signal. If you were local, you'd never float around glowing green—everyone knows the traffic light at Central Roundabout gets hit by thousands of bullets a day..."

Schiller interrupted Gordon and Hal's conversation: "The cause is as I told you before. Now, I must find a way to resolve it."

Gordon took a deep breath, staring at the monstrous creature rampaging through the city: "Thank God this isn't real Gotham."

"If we don't stop it, it will eventually enter the real world. That's why I brought you here—to prepare for its destruction."

"Tell me your plan—I'll cooperate. This is for Gotham. And for Batman."

Gordon's voice was firm: "No matter what, that odd vigilante in the spandex has saved Gotham's police multiple times. If he's in danger now, I owe it to him to save him."

"I'm speaking with you alone because I must teach you how to fight in dreams, Chief Gordon."

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

At that moment, the three on the rooftop felt a faint tremor. The grotesque, terrifying monster roared. A vast black tide surged from the horizon and flooded the city in an instant, submerging all of Gotham.

"It seems something provoked it?" Hal floated midair, squinting.

"You don't think stitching together those few things would make them harmonious? Forget the Yellow Lantern beast and the Yellow Ring—even the Laughing Egg and the body's owner, Batman, are sworn enemies."

"Stepping on the Stars"

"This monster is merely a temporary compromise. Its insides are probably in chaos right now."

At that moment, Schiller also gazed toward the horizon: "It seems my other guests have arrived."

A clear "gul-dong" echoed in the three's ears, yet nothing appeared to have fallen into the water. Then came a swift "swoosh"—a giant penguin leapt from the sea and bit off a segment of the monster's tail with its sharp beak.

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

"You clearly don't know much about these birds," Schiller explained. "You may see them waddling clumsily on land, but in water, they're swift, agile, and skilled hunters."

No sooner had he finished than the giant penguin—dozens of times larger than normal—dove back beneath the surface, evading the Fear Joker's swipe. Then it erupted from the right side of its blind spot and bit hard into its ribs. The Fear Joker screamed in pain, but when it turned to strike again, the penguin had vanished.

"... ho is that?" Gordon asked.

"That's Cobblepot, Chief. I was just about to explain this part."

"In the dream world, the best way to boost combat power is to fight using the image most familiar to your heart. Once you fully unleash your true self, your harmony with the dream increases, granting greater strength—like this penguin."

Gordon squinted at the distance: "It does look different. Normal penguins don't have beaks this sharp."

As Gordon said, the agile penguin possessed a razor-sharp beak. Each strike made the monster howl; if it hit a joint, the creature staggered.

As Schiller explained to Gordon, he glanced back at Hal: "Gordon is just an ordinary man, so I must teach him how to fight. What are you doing here?"

"I..." Hal was momentarily speechless, but replied: "But I've never fought in a dream either. I feel Green Lantern's power is sluggish here—I think I could learn something too."

Schiller turned back to Gordon: "Chief, try relaxing. Follow your inner instinct. Imagine who you should be..."

Gordon took a deep breath: "This is harder than it sounds."

He glanced again at the monstrous figure beside him, then slowly closed his eyes.

Soon, a ripple appeared in the dream—but Gordon himself changed nothing. Behind him, however, shadowy forms began to emerge: various large-caliber firearms.

Schiller smiled: "Chief, you seem to suffer from serious firepower deficiency anxiety?"

Gordon opened his eyes, staring at the floating weapons behind him. He looked embarrassed: "I've always wanted to try these weapons. But even though the precinct has plenty of heavy arms, these are just... excessive."

Schiller looked behind him: not only were there automatic machine guns with barrels enlarged several times, but also what looked like missile launchers.

At that moment, Hal touched his face and looked up: "Is it raining? It feels like..."

"Oh! Wait—it's snowing!" Hal extended his hand and saw snowflakes landing on his palm. He frowned: "Does Gotham even get snow?"

The instant he spoke, a violent storm erupted. Every falling snowflake spun like blades. Hal had to shield his face with his arms and shouted: "What the hell?! Why did it suddenly turn into a blizzard?!!"

"This is what I'm about to explain: willpower can manifest in countless forms—not just human shapes. Natural elements like storms and lightning can also appear in dreams..."

"You mean!" Hal shouted through the storm: "This blizzard is also a person???"

"Correct. This is Victor's inner manifestation."

"Victor?" Gordon asked in surprise: "His inner self is this wild? I never noticed!"

"Where there is a tranquil snowfield, there is also a raging blizzard. The human heart holds many images. Victor simply unleashed his violent side—and this is the result."

"This is what I want to emphasize: you can focus your will to manifest the emotion you most desire—anger, violence, the desire to kill..."

Gordon and Hal both tried—but neither showed significant change. Schiller guessed it was because both were heroes, and their extreme emotions were suppressed.

Victor, though outwardly gentle and refined, was still the former Mr. Freeze, with latent villainous potential—and thus possessed ample violent emotion.

On the battlefield, the snowstorm intensified. A single snowflake fell from the sky, spun rapidly, wrapped in blade-like air currents, and sliced through the air in a graceful arc, carving a wound into the Fear Joker's arm.

Countless such snowflakes fell, attacking the monster from every angle. Behind them floated crystalline ice shards.

The ice shards first arranged themselves in the air like disciplined soldiers, then shot forward like bullets. Each shard that struck the monster's skin generated a large patch of blue frost, hindering the Fear Joker's movements.

"I don't understand..." Hal said.

"This is a dream. How can you get hurt in a dream? If, as you said, attacks here are all imagined, couldn't the monster just imagine it isn't hurt?"

"Perhaps in your own dream. When you realize you're dreaming, you can grow wings or conjure a gun. But this is a shared dream..."

"In such dreams, every attack and defense is a battle of will. If your will is stronger than the opponent's, you inflict real damage. Otherwise, you're blocked. That's how it works."

"Alright, I think I get it..."

Hal flexed his wrist. The green glow on his body intensified. The sluggish, dim sensation vanished. Instead, fueled by Hal's powerful will, the Green Lantern energy surged, growing stronger by the moment.

"Don't rush. We still have one more frontline ally who hasn't arrived."

As Schiller spoke, he looked again toward the horizon. A piercing cry rang out. A winged figure appeared above the Fear Joker's head, its sharp talons slashing three deep gashes across its shoulder.

It was a creature resembling an owl: wings on its back, claws for hands, covered in countless feathers. With a shrill screech, feathers erupted behind it and shot forward like arrows, piercing the monster's back and spraying blood.

"I hate using this form," came Alberto's cold voice. "But I must admit—bird claws and feathers are the best weapons."

"Who is this?"

"You should know this one well—but you don't recognize him. Doesn't matter. Chief Gordon, I think you now understand the rules. Go. Show your strength."

Hal had finished his warm-up. Gordon, though still unaccustomed, hesitated no longer and rushed toward the battlefield.

Before leaving, Hal looked at Schiller, who stood motionless: "We're going to fight the monster. What are you doing?"

"You don't really think we can destroy this monster by trading blows like this, do you?"

"Then what are you planning?"

Schiller suddenly changed the subject: "You're the only Lantern on Earth right now, correct?"

"Uh—if you don't count that Yellow Lantern beast, yeah, I'm the only one."

"Alright," Schiller replied. Hal watched Schiller's retreating back, a sudden bad feeling rising in him.