Shadow of the Beautiful World

Merlin Riley is a legend.

Especially in the superhero circle on Earth, the first superhero organization on Earth, the New York Heroes Association, was established under Merlin's behest.

During the period of S.H.I.E.L.D., the s.d.o.l.d. he led was also a big force closely related to superheroes.

Many superheroes were visited by s.d.o.l.d. agents when they were fledgling, received their help, and also had the experience of being listed as observation targets.

In the past few years, it is no exaggeration to say that Merlin Riley held the life and death power of superheroes.

But thankfully, he didn't abuse that power.

On the contrary, under his repeated care, the unique group of superheroes has developed by leaps and bounds, and even formed a set of customary rules belonging to this circle.

That rule continues to this day, and is still widely used after SHIELD collapsed and s.d.o.l.d. was disbanded.

These rules are underestimated.

It is precisely because of these rules that have been consistently enforced that superheroes, a group that is difficult to define, can be accepted and worshiped by most ordinary people as they are today.

The vast majority of superheroes are born among ordinary people. If they have been resisted by ordinary people, then it is impossible for them to achieve what they are today.

If you think about it with your ass, you know that no one will regard a career that is cast aside by everyone as a life goal and plan.

Just like no girl would regard becoming a practitioner of the customs industry as the first choice in life.

From this point of view, it is not an exaggeration to say that Merlin is the father of superheroes in this era.

Of course, Lord Raven doesn't like such exaggerated titles. Among all the work he has done in the past, the support, monitoring and protection of the superhero group is only a very insignificant item.

And Hal Jordan was lucky, or rather unlucky.

By the time he became a superhero, the era of Merlin had come to an end, at least on the surface.

The deputy director of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the world, went to hell to become a maharaja, completely promoted to another level and another world.

Although Merlin is no longer in the world, there are still legends about him in the world.

Especially with the unremitting efforts of spokespersons like the Red Devil Asazo, various deeds of Lord Raven, the Lord of Hell, are still widely spread.

As far as Hal knows, many new heroes will regard Raven as their idol in life, including his best friend, Barry the Flash, and Victor Cyborg.

One of these two guys was Merlin's nephew, and the other was saved by Merlin's Mechanicus, and he also witnessed Merlin's act of saving the world.

They are all loyal fans of Raven.

In short, Hal didn't think that Raven asked him to come to the mystery room, asked him for help, and studied the secrets about the Green Lantern Ring to do bad things.

But as Raven said, the lantern ring is the most precious treasure of a Lanternman.

This is the same even with the crazy Yellow Lantern Corps.

Although Hal doesn't like the internal atmosphere of the Green Lantern Corps very much, he is a Lantern, and he also regards his source of power as a precious thing.

Therefore, in the hall of the mystery house, in the reflection of the fire burning in the fireplace, before Hal Jordan made a decision, he still asked cautiously:

May I ask, why is an existence like you interested in the green light ring?

He said very restrainedly:

Your strength level, you don't need a lamp ring as an aid, do you?

Don't be so formal, Hal.

Merlin waved his hand, and said in a gentle tone:

You are Barry's friend, and you are a hero with a heart of justice. I'm not a big devil or something. If you say a wrong word, your head will fall...

Raven listened to Hal's inner voice, and he said slowly:

Just treat me as an ordinary elder, just like you treat Clark, treat me as a reliable elder.

There was something magical about Merlin's voice.

When he spoke, Hal's ups and downs quickly calmed down, and the waves in his heart were smoothed out.

He didn't think he could be presumptuous in front of the raven.

The senior in front of him single-handedly eliminated the giant beast a few days ago, and the latter, with just one look, made nearly a thousand lantern men rush to the street.

For strength, the necessary respect is absolutely essential.

Under Hal's gaze, Merlin hesitated for a moment, but also frankly explained the reason and purpose of his experiment.

You new generation of superheroes, you only know that I am a spellcaster, but few people know my origin, even Barry and Arthur are not very clear about this.

Merlin put down the teacup, and he said eloquently:

It's not that I deliberately concealed it, it's just that my background is different from what most of you imagined.

My original power came from the devil.

demon?

Hal's eyes widened, he wanted to complain about something.

But after thinking about it, Merlin's current identity is a hell lord, and he deals with demons all day long. If he thinks about it this way, it seems that there is no problem with his initial power coming from demons.

Perhaps it was under the erosion of the original power that he entered hell.

No, it's not like that.

Merlin clearly heard Hal's inner doubts and inferences, he shook his head, and explained to Green Lantern:

I became the king of hell, and there is no direct connection with my original power. The things involved are quite complicated. Let me make a long story short, that is, when I was first, I was assassinated by a king-level demon.

From ordinary people forced to step into the mysterious real world, that curse still affects me today, but it is not all wrong.

In short, I need to solve the problem about that demon, but I can't use the power from it to deal with it itself, so I need to find another way.

Merlin pointed to the green light ring on Hal's finger, and he said:

The power of that demon is called the 'Seven Deadly Sins', which originates from the negative emotions of all things in the universe, and the green light ring in your hand is the power of will, which originates from the emotional spectrum of the mysterious original power.

It is not difficult to find out that these two forces have the same origin, Hal, they can be regarded as two sides of a coin.

Merlin raised his finger, seven colors of light burst out from the fingertips.

In front of Hal, a beam of seven-color halo shone and danced, and the logo of the light group, including the green light of will, appeared and disappeared in the seven-color halo.

Lord Raven looked at the beam of light in front of him, and he said to Hal:

There is no good or evil in the life emotions of the stars and all things, as I know, Sinestro, the most powerful warrior of your Green Lantern Corps, for some personal reasons, abandoned the green light of will and joined the yellow light of fear.

And Sinestro's behavior may be very terrifying to you, but it is nothing to me, because I have seen real monsters formed by the confluence of negative emotions in life.

That is my enemy and my creator, the Great Demon Sangong.

An orange halo lit up on Merlin's finger, which was the power of his vanity. The moment this power appeared, the green light ring on Hal's finger shone with each other.

A strong vigilance also rose in Green Lantern's heart. This was the first time after he got the Green Lantern Ring and became Green Lantern, the Lantern Ring awakened himself out of his control.

The green light wrapped around Hal, like an active defense.

Under Hal's surprised gaze, the green light of will converged into a miniature, lifelike shark, suspended on Hal's shoulder, roaring at Merlin with its teeth and claws open.

Well, Ion Shark, what a cute Lantern Beast.

Merlin looked at the self-awakened Green Lantern Ring oppressed by the power of vanity, and the Lantern of Will transformed by it.

He chuckled and said:

Look, I'm right, the power of the Seven Deadly Sins of the Sangong comes from the same source as the power of the emotional spectrum used by you lantern men.

The slight difference is that you only use a single force on the emotional spectrum, but Sangong is open to all negative emotions.

As a result, it has become extremely powerful, and it is still being sealed, but as long as it breaks the seal and is left unchecked, in just a few days, it will enter a place that you cannot control due to the explosion and aggregation of all things' emotions. , to a degree that cannot be resisted.”

Lord Raven flicked his fingers to disperse the orange halo.

He said to Hal Jordan seriously:

So, you and I now have a common goal. We both want to prevent the awakening of the third house in the physical world. It will hit the emotional spectrum, there is no doubt about it.

I have inherited part of its power, and I cannot use its power to deal with it, but do you know where the strangest part is? Hal.

Merlin gave a weird smile.

He said to Green Lantern:

Let me ask you a question first, tell me, what are the 'seven deadly sins' you know?

Well.

Merlin's question was somewhat nonsensical.

Hal scratched his hair, and he quickly replied:

Arrogance, jealousy, rage, laziness, greed...and, gluttony and lust!

Yes, these seven.

Merlin snapped his fingers and said:

Extended from these seven concepts, it can cover almost all the negative emotions of the stars and everything. The power of the third house is also interpreted differently, and is divided into these seven sources.

According to common sense, Hal, as a life form shaped by the Three Palaces, the power I possess should also be one of the seven, is it okay?

Um.

Facing Merlin's inquiry, Hal nodded.

Then Merlin shrugged and said:

Then, according to this logic, something interesting happens...

Actually, Hal, I have another name. Apart from Lord of Hell, Raven, and Son of Hell, many people will also call me 'King of Vainglory'.

Do you understand? The original power I got from the third house is 'vanity', which does not exist in the seven deadly sins, but it also comes from one of the negative emotions, which also comes from the emotional gathering of the stars and all things. .”

Merlin spread his hands, and he said to the astonished Green Lantern:

That's why I came here for you.

If there is a unique eighth kind among the seven deadly sins, then I guess, in the emotional spectrum that is one with the power of the Sangong and has two sides, there must be others besides the Seven Lantern Ring, as well as the White Lantern and the Black Lantern. A tenth ray, and more.

They have to exist, and I can be sure of that because I'm a prime example of that.

Merlin snapped his fingers, and he said to Hal:

They must have always been there, it's just that the Lanterns didn't find them, or they found them, but they never made the secret public...I'm more inclined to the first guess.

Before the new truth is proven, the conclusion accepted by everyone is the truth, even if it is wrong.

Raven leaned back on the sofa, and he said to the pensive Green Lantern:

I needed a medium to step into the emotional spectrum, and it had to be done in secret.

I can only find you on the earth, and I will not lie to you that everything will go well. In fact, I don't know what kind of changes this search for light beyond the seven lights will bring to your lantern ring ...

But I really, really need to finish this research.

Merlin put his crossed fingers gently on his raised knee, and he said to Hal:

So, the decision is up to you. If you don't think it's worth the risk, I will erase your memory, send you away, and then go to the Yellow Lantern Corps or the Red Lantern Corps to try your luck.

But if you are willing to cooperate with me, my research will definitely go very smoothly...

Having said that, Merlin paused.

He himself was also a little puzzled, and said to Hal:

Actually, I don't know if it's my illusion. I always feel that I have a special sense of familiarity with the green light ring. It seems that I also have a green light ring that belongs to me.

It's just that something happened to that ring, and it has never been delivered to me.

Merlin shrugged, and he said calmly to the surprised Hal:

I'm not trying to make friends with you in this way, Hal.

I don't need to do that, and in my life form, the doubts I feel and my instinctive guesses are all correct, do you understand what I mean?

Lord Raven smiled, and said:

We are probably the same kind, but you are already the real Green Lantern, and I, I am just a...'failure' that was eliminated for some reason.

From this point of view, you are much better than me.

Merlin said this sentence that seemed to be a compliment, then picked up the teacup and waited patiently for Hal's answer.

Hal was actually quite confused, he wanted to promise Merlin.

On the one hand, Merlin is indeed trustworthy.

On the other hand, as a big boss, Merlin's attitude towards him is very different from the attitude of the guardians on Oa Star towards him.

With Hal's bohemian and prodigal personality, he instinctively prefers to side with Merlin when the contrast is strong.

But he still hesitated...

Don't be embarrassed to talk about pay, Hal, you know I can hear your heart. You young people are thin-skinned. When I worked at Fury's, he gave me a dollar less, and I would ask for it. back.

Because that's what I deserved, and it's the same now.

Merlin took a sip of tea and said softly:

I'll pay you, and it's the kind you need so badly. You deserve it.

Give me a drop of your blood, and after a month at most, I will give you a chance to be reborn.

And to be honest, you can become an excellent hero without this ring. After all, it is just a tool for becoming a hero, and it cannot replace the hero itself.

Raven stood up, patted Hal on the shoulder, and said:

The biggest problem you face now is that you always think that the ring chose you, which is wrong!

Big mistake!

Remember, Hal, you chose it.

It was you who chose to become a hero and embarked on this path... The appearance of the ring just provides more possibilities for your life.

Okay, let's rest in the mystery room tonight, or go home and think about it.

I'm waiting for your answer.