Within the tornado, supreme power reigned. Mardon, who had created the tornado, trembled madly. Within it, he was like a god, controlling the destructive storm, tearing apart everything, twisting everything, destroying everything.
I am God.
I am God.
Mardon threw back his head and laughed wildly as the tornado circled around him, terrifyingly tearing everything apart.
Having created this scene, he was exhilarated beyond measure.
After today, I will become a god.
I am God.
God destroys all living things.
You will all grovel at the feet of a god.
Lowly creatures...
Mardon's face twisted, and his swollen cheeks made him look even more crazed and terrifying.
His heart had twisted into something monstrous.
Anything that stood in his way would be torn apart and shredded.
Just then.
A yellow bolt of lightning began circling him again.
That was Barry.
No.
It was The Flash.
The Flash, who had already decided to give up his life to protect everything.
Mardon threw back his head and laughed wildly. "Foolish human, you think you can stop a god?"
Mardon raised his hand over his head, and his invisible control seeped into the tornado, causing it to violently accelerate once more.
The earth was plowed into deep trenches. Trees rooted in the ground swayed wildly before snapping and being uprooted, their trunks flung everywhere by the wind.
The strengthened tornado made every step even more difficult for Barry, far more difficult than before.
Yet, holding onto his conviction to die and his conviction to protect everything.
He ran resolutely onward.
The yellow arcs of electricity grew more violent.
Electric arcs flashed repeatedly in The Flash's eyes, while dense yellow lightning flickered furiously around him.
His figure was invisible to the naked eye, wrapped in spiraling yellow lightning.
He ran, tearing through the tornado.
Barry revealed a faint smile.
More than ten years of life as Joe's son. He thanked heaven for giving him another father, and for all of his friends.
His arms swung even faster, and his legs disappeared from sight. At such extreme speed, no one could see his legs.
He became faster.
Inside the tornado, Mardon could see the yellow lightning more and more clearly.
Barry's smile widened.
Lin Li, thank you for teaching me all this. This is what I should protect with my life.
His speed rose explosively once more.
The yellow lightning formed a seamless ring, its beginning and end nowhere to be seen. It generated an immensely powerful airflow that tore against the tornado in reverse.
The world was darkened, the tornado raged, and yellow lightning whirled around it.
Mardon howled madly, intensifying the tornado again and using the last of his strength to make it spin even faster.
Everyone waited solemnly for the outcome.
Joe.
Cisco.
Caitlin.
Lin Li.
All of them placed their hopes on Barry and waited expectantly.
Lin Li had never doubted that Barry would fail, even though his crossing over had changed many things.
He had come into contact with the Speed Force. He knew its power, and he knew its terror.
Especially within Barry, the Speed Force was an absolute, truly bug-level ability.
The Speed Force was absolutely capable of doing all this.
What Barry lacked was confidence.
What Barry needed was willpower.
In the control room, Caitlin watched the simulated image on the screen.
Barry was currently moving at 250 meters per second, a speed he had forced himself to reach against the tornado, but it was still not enough.
It was not enough to counteract the tornado. Counteracting it required the sonic-boom wind speed created at Mach 1, and he was still far from that.
The violent exertion had already caused Barry's vital signs to decline. If this continued, the situation would become very bad.
At such a high speed, his body would be torn into bloody pieces. Although the Speed Force protected him, he had clearly reached the limit. He could not increase his speed any further. He would die.
Caitlin warned anxiously, "Barry, you can't keep going like this. You'll die. You'll die."
Caitlin's voice did not reach Barry.
The tornado continued tearing apart the sky, the earth, and everything else.
Mardon was still inside, laughing wildly and contemptuously at the yellow lightning.
The Flash became lightning itself as he circled the tornado.
Barry accelerated once more.
The smile vanished from his face.
An image of his childhood sweetheart appeared in his mind.
With Speed Force-enhanced thought, Barry glanced at Central City—beautiful, wonderful Central City, where everything precious to him and everyone he cared about were.
Central City, I will protect you!
His face was resolute, light shone from his eyes, and unwavering determination filled his expression. His lips pressed tightly together as he gritted his teeth.
Suddenly, countless flashes of yellow electricity burst from his body in an instant.
Yellow electricity curled around his entire body.
His whole body shook violently, trembling out streak after streak of yellow arcs.
His cells were overloaded. It felt as though they were exploding from deep within, while tiny arcs spreading out gathered over his entire body.
His hands were exhausted.
His legs were weak.
His body was about to fall apart.
So what?
Even if I die, collapse, and disappear.
My running will not stop.
Countless wild currents of air and frontal pressure bore down on The Flash.
He was like a bolt of lightning.
Tearing open heaven and earth.
Tearing open the tornado.
Mardon's wild laughter stopped abruptly. He discovered in terror that it had gone out of control. He could no longer control the tornado.
Before his eyes was nothing but yellow electric arcs, reflected in his terrified gaze.
Yellow electricity filled his vision.
Yellow lightning covered everything around him.
He screamed in terror, "NO..."
"Boom..."
A tremendous explosion rang out.
Under the opposing forces, at the instant Barry broke the sound barrier and produced a sonic boom, the tornado was neutralized and dispersed. Trees and dead leaves that had been swept into the air came raining down.
Dust filled the air, turning everything gray.
The explosion startled Joe. He did everything he could to shield Eddie's body, preventing trees and stones from striking him.
Everything had been too violent, too surreal, like watching a science-fiction blockbuster.
He stood and searched, calling out, "Barry! Where are you?"
A while later, after the trees and stones had nearly all fallen.
Joe looked around.
The earth had been plowed apart, and scattered rocks and broken wood lay everywhere in a chaotic mess.
It looked as if a war had taken place.
The dust gradually dispersed, and the sky brightened, but there was no sign of anyone. Barry and Mardon had both vanished.
They had no idea where they had been blown away to.
Joe looked around again.
In one of the deep pits carved out by the tornado, he found Mardon.
A sharp piece of wood had pierced through Mardon's chest. His breath had ceased, and he was no longer breathing.
His eyes held unwillingness, still open in death.
Joe ignored Mardon and continued searching for Barry.
At last, Joe found Barry beneath a layer of trees and dead leaves.
Joe anxiously reached for Barry's neck. A faint pulse touched his fingertips, and he let out a breath of relief.
Joe immediately took out his phone to call an ambulance and notify the police.
Meanwhile, in the control room of S.T.A.R. Labs.
Caitlin saw that the tornado had disappeared, as well as Barry's condition. She said into the communicator with relief, "Good news: Barry neutralized the tornado. Bad news: Barry's vital signs are extremely low, and he's fallen into a deep coma. I estimate you'll need to carry Barry back."
Hearing Caitlin's words, Lin Li and Cisco finally relaxed.
Although he believed in Barry, the changes caused by his crossing over had inevitably made Lin Li's heart tighten. If Barry had really died in the very first episode, Lin Li believed he would have gone mad. Of course, Dr. Wells probably would have gone even crazier.
Feeling no movement from the Speed Force in his mind, Lin Li at least knew Barry was safe.
He said lightly as well, "Don't worry. Barry will be fine. We're still waiting for the fifth red light."
Lin Li had faced the villain of the first episode by waiting through five red lights in succession.
No matter what, Lin Li had never expected that waiting for those five red lights would turn him into a Lightning Rider!
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