The Color of Fear Was Yellow

"I'll kill you, you old fool standing in my way!"

Those treasonous words, brimming with naked ambition and killing intent, exploded through the deathly silent main hall like a thunderclap!

Every assassin concealed in the darkness tensed at that instant, their killing intent surging forth like a tsunami! They could hardly believe their ears! This bat from Gotham actually dared to speak such usurping words before the "Demon's Head"! This was the gravest provocation against the entire League of Assassins!

Yet after a fleeting, nearly imperceptible moment of shock, Ra's al Ghul's expression underwent a dramatic change.

He froze at first. Then, a trace of... gratification flashed through his sharp eyes?

Immediately afterward, he let out a deep, heartfelt laugh!

"Ha... hahahahahaha!!"

His laughter grew louder and more resounding, filled with indescribable ecstasy and excitement. It echoed ceaselessly through the hall, making even the torch flames dance wildly.

"Good... good! Very good!!" Ra's al Ghul slammed a hand against the armrest of his throne and rose to his feet. Looking down at Bruce, his eyes burned with fanatical fire. "I've waited six hundred years! I've been waiting for someone like you! Bruce Wayne! You truly haven't disappointed me!"

Bruce watched him quietly, without the slightest ripple in his heart.

Just as I thought. To an old monster who has lived for centuries and sees the survival of the strong as the only truth, groveling obedience isn't what pleases him most. It's more naked, more powerful ambition. He sees me as his younger self, perhaps even... as someone who surpasses him. This performance is only just beginning.

The smile vanished from Ra's al Ghul's face, replaced by the majesty of a sovereign ruling the world. With a sweep of his hand, he issued a cold command:

"Warriors of the League, your future ruler stands before you. Now, let him see what kind of strength is needed to lay claim to the throne of the Demon's Head!"

"As you command!"

With that unified, low shout, the darkness came alive!

Over a hundred shadows emerged soundlessly like ghosts from the rafters, behind stone pillars, and from the shadows! Armed with gleaming katanas, kunai, and chain flails, they surged in from all directions, encircling Bruce at the center of the hall like a tidal wave!

Human-wave tactics?

Bruce looked at the ghostlike assassins rushing toward him, and a trace of disdain flashed in his eyes.

Fine. Let you people who call yourselves the embodiments of fear witness what... true fear really is.

Bruce did not choose to trade blows with these elite assassins. That would have been a waste of time, and utterly meaningless. He slowly raised his right hand. The ancient-looking Yellow Lantern Ring he had taken from Bane's corpse, resting on his middle finger, began to emit a faint yet deeply ominous yellow glow in the dark hall.

A power originating from the deepest reaches of the universe, made purely of "fear," began to spread outward with him at its center.

The assassins charging in front suddenly halted! They felt a chill rising from the depths of their souls, as though some natural predator had fixed its gaze upon them. A crack appeared in the unwavering will they had always taken pride in.

"You worship fear, wield fear, and even call yourselves fear incarnate..." Bruce's voice turned cold and hollow, stripped of all human emotion. Like a judge from the deepest hell pronouncing a final sentence, he said, "But you know nothing of true fear."

The instant his words fell, the Yellow Lantern Ring on his hand erupted with light!

"Bzzzz—!"

Blinding yellow radiance, like a miniature sun, instantly illuminated the entire dim hall!

Then, beams of yellow light formed from pure fear energy burst wildly from the ring like living tentacles! In midair, they instantly manifested into countless hideous, terrifying monsters!

There were gigantic demonic bat phantoms with wingspans exceeding ten meters and eyes burning with hellfire! Horrific conglomerations composed of countless twisted, wailing human faces! Spectral wraiths clutching scythes and unleashing piercing shrieks!

These monsters of light and shadow, born from each person's deepest fears, charged at the hundred elite assassins at unimaginable speed, carrying a pressure that made souls tremble!

"Aaaaaah—!!"

Miserable screams instantly rang through the entire hall!

The League of Assassins' elite, battle-hardened and strong-willed as iron, found their sturdy mental defenses collapsing like paper the instant they came into contact with the yellow light!

One assassin renowned for his speed no longer saw Bruce before him, but an endless sea of fire. It was the home consumed by flames during his childhood, the nightmare he had never escaped in his life! Screaming, he threw away his weapon and rolled frantically across the floor, as if trying to extinguish flames that did not exist!

An assassin famed for his strength saw his most revered master grinning viciously as he carved strips of flesh from his body with a dagger. He let out a cry of utter despair, and his mind shattered completely!

And another... then another...

They saw the fears buried deepest in their hearts, the fears they least wished to confront! Betrayal by loved ones, being buried alive underground, being gnawed apart by countless venomous snakes... Every illusion was incomparably real, acting directly upon their souls!

In barely a dozen seconds, the main hall had transformed from a silent killing ground into a living hell filled with wails and howls of terror!

Over a hundred elite ninjas, each capable of stirring up bloody chaos in the outside world, were now like lambs awaiting slaughter. Some curled up on the floor and trembled; some clutched their heads and screamed madly; some foamed at the mouth and lost consciousness entirely.

The only ones still standing were Ra's al Ghul before the throne and Talia at the entrance to the hall, her face already drained of color by the sight before her.

Upon the throne, Ra's al Ghul's fanatical smile finally froze completely. His pupils shrank to pinpoints as he stared fixedly at the ring radiating ominous light on Bruce's finger. For the first time, an utterly grave expression appeared in his eyes, impossible to conceal.

"This... this is not the power of a mortal!" His voice carried a faint, almost imperceptible tremor. "This is... the power of the Guardians of the Universe? No... no! Green Lantern represents willpower, but this evil, pure energy centered on spreading fear... it is a Lantern Ring! A weapon of the Emotional Spectrum! You possess a legendary Lantern Ring!"

Slowly, inch by inch, he straightened his body. Then, with elegant composure, he removed the dark green robe that symbolized authority and history, revealing a lean black combat outfit beneath, every line emphasizing his powerful musculature.

Explosive power lay concealed within his seemingly aged body!

"Good... very good! Bruce Wayne!" Wariness and excitement intertwined in Ra's al Ghul's eyes, forming an even madder light. "The surprise you have brought me has far exceeded anything I imagined!"

He picked up an ancient katana from beside the throne, its blade flashing with bloodthirsty coldness in the firelight.

"Then let me personally test just how powerful this 'fear' that can make an army of a hundred collapse in an instant truly is!"