Diana took another step, ignoring the metal groaning around her from Eron's silent fury. She touched the cold, rotting forehead of the Black Lantern. Aphrodite's essence flowed through her fingers, a wave of heat that invaded the creature's body, filling the void of death with the memory of an embrace.
— Rest now — Diana whispered. — There is no more hunger, only peace.
The black ring on the villain's finger glowed intensely, trying to resist, but Diana's pure beauty was a poison to the darkness. The Black Lantern's body did not explode; it simply dissolved into petals of pink and gray light, leaving behind only the silence of the New York night. The soul that had been trapped there was, for the first time in eras, liberated by love rather than force.
Eron uncrossed his arms, his expression icy. He walked over to the Green Lantern, who was trying to use the hotel wall to keep himself upright. The mortal hero looked at Eron, his hand instinctively clenched over his emerald ring.
— Thank you... I think — the Green Lantern said, his voice faltering. — But you cannot keep the power you carry. This world is not ready for...
Eron did not wait for the end of the sentence. With a swift movement, he raised his hand, and the magnetic force ripped the green ring from the hero's finger. The Green Lantern let out a cry of surprise as his energy armor vanished, leaving him in ordinary clothes, vulnerable and wounded.
— This world is not ready for many things, little guardian — Eron said, watching the green ring float in the palm of his hand. He felt the force of will within the object and smiled. — But I am. Consider this payment for us saving your miserable life.
He walked back to Diana, who glowed with divine satisfaction. He put his arm around her, feeling the scent of Aphrodite now emanating from every pore of her skin.
— You proved what you wanted, my queen — Eron murmured, his gaze fixed on hers. — But now the toy is mine.
He looked at the green ring and, with a snap of electricity, forced the emerald energy to bend to his divine will. The ring no longer shone with the light of the Corps; it became an accessory of black and blue metal under Eron's command.
— Let's get out of here — Eron said. — This hero will call his friends soon, and I'm not in the mood to crush an entire corps just yet...