It was precisely because he had already fallen out of favor and had little room to prove himself that Verman was positioned at the very rear of Darkseid's forces when the battle began. This placement, however, worked to his advantage, as it meant he wasn't targeted by any of the stronger opponents. His enemy was just an ordinary member of the Green Lantern Corps—a rookie, in fact.
This rookie, Hal, didn't pose much of a threat to Verman, which left him with ample time to ponder. Since neither side seemed to care about him, could he perhaps pull off a surprise move? If he could turn the tide of this losing battle and lead Apokolips to a stunning victory, Verman knew Darkseid would reward him handsomely, even if he remained underappreciated in the long run.
But then, Verman suddenly stopped himself. He realized that even if he managed to turn the battle around, he would still be overlooked in the future. Even if the Parademon army were wiped out this time, Desaad could easily rebuild it using the Avengers or other forces. The situation would remain unchanged when they invaded other planets.
Given this, Verman saw no reason to stick his neck out. Since the battle was already lost, why struggle? It would be better to escape while no one was paying attention to him.
The Parademons, programmed to follow orders, would never think of fleeing. But Verman, a mid-to-high-ranking officer with self-awareness and little loyalty due to his neglect, couldn't help but think of saving his own life in such a dire situation.
Clearly, Verman wasn't the only one with such thoughts. While he might have been the only one among Darkseid's direct subordinates considering escape, there were others under Darkseid's rule—like the Female Furies and those who had pledged allegiance indirectly.
These individuals were far stronger than the Parademons, but since they had willingly submitted to Darkseid, their strength wasn't necessarily superior to that of the Parademon soldiers. On Earth, they might be comparable to superhumans like the Boys from The Boys.
The problem was, even Darkseid's direct subordinates were no match for the Avengers. How could these weaker individuals possibly turn the tide for Darkseid? They might be able to join in when the battle was going well, cheering and killing alongside the main forces. But now, with the threat of death looming, they were no different from when they had cowered and pledged allegiance to Darkseid out of fear.
As a result, defections soon began among Darkseid's forces. The Avengers, however, couldn't immediately address these desertions. The cowards who fled were quickly replaced by the Parademons, who, following their programming, had no intention of deserting. Instead, they used their lives to block the Avengers' advance.
Of course, this was largely because the Parademons lacked self-awareness and didn't realize that Darkseid's subordinates were fleeing. Otherwise, they might have split their forces to deal with the traitors.
"Damn it! I'm not the only one trying to escape?" Verman, like the other deserters, had used the Parademons to block Hal. But when he saw that he wasn't the only one fleeing, he was momentarily stunned and angry.
If only Verman had escaped, he would have attracted almost no attention—perhaps only Hal would have noticed. But now, with so many deserters, even if the Parademons managed to delay the Avengers' stronger fighters, more of them would inevitably target the fleeing traitors. How could they possibly resist such a coordinated pursuit?
Thinking this, Verman immediately regretted his decision and acted swiftly. He turned back and charged toward Hal, hiding behind the Parademons and launching an attack.
Yes, Verman pretended that he hadn't been retreating but was instead using the Parademons to flank the enemy. After all, he hadn't gone far, and many of Darkseid's subordinates were doing the same.
As long as they achieved victory, the loss of Parademons was acceptable. It was better for the Parademons to die than for the mid-to-high-ranking officers to perish. The Parademons could be easily replaced, but losing the officers would be a significant blow.
"Trying to escape?!" Hal, flustered by Verman's attack, responded hastily. Meanwhile, the other deserters were quickly targeted.
At the edge of the battlefield, students from Kamar-Taj appeared in front of the deserters, casting magical arrays that sent them flying back into the heart of the battle.
Once back in the center, these deserters met a grim fate. The Kamar-Taj students coordinated perfectly, flinging the deserters into the path of various energy attacks—Diana's sword strikes, Kara's freeze breath, Sentry's energy beams, and even the crimson rings of doom conjured by Doom and others.
In an instant, the deserters were obliterated, dying much sooner than they had anticipated. If they hadn't fled, they might have survived a little longer.
Moreover, the attacks that killed the deserters weren't significantly depleted. Since the deserters weren't particularly strong, their deaths didn't drain much energy, allowing Diana and the others to continue fighting without issue.
"Gulp!" Seeing the deserters' gruesome deaths, Verman swallowed hard. If he hadn't sensed the danger and abandoned his escape plan, he would have met the same fate.
Perhaps Verman's greater strength would have allowed him to survive such an attack, but being targeted by stronger opponents was the last thing he wanted. He wouldn't be able to handle them as easily as he had Hal.
Even though Verman was repeatedly injured and sent flying by Hal, he wasn't actually hurt. Hal's current abilities with the Green Lantern ring, while familiar, hadn't reached their full potential. He was far from the level of Abin Sur or Steve.
This level of strength was enough to deal with ordinary Parademons or even some Parademon soldiers, but against a schemer like Verman, it wasn't sufficient—even if Verman was only pretending to be injured.
Verman's constant feigning of injury and his repeated calls for Parademon assistance were all part of his plan to escape alone.
After all, the Kamar-Taj students had just dealt with a group of deserters. Instinctively, both sides would assume no one else would try to flee, as escaping only led to quicker deaths.
But this was precisely Verman's opportunity!
Of course, Verman wouldn't flee openly. Even if the Kamar-Taj students didn't anticipate it, they could still react. The safest way to escape was to use Hal as a means to do so.
"You're really durable, huh? The legendary punching bag?" Hal had no idea about Verman's elaborate plans or his earlier intention to escape. But Hal was still surprised by Verman's current performance.
Despite the numerous injuries on Verman's body, Hal didn't sense any weakness in him. Unaware of Verman's true strength and the fact that his injuries were fake, Hal couldn't help but marvel at his opponent's resilience.
Fortunately, Green Lanterns excelled in favorable situations. The more advantageous the battle, the more fearless they became, and the stronger their willpower-fueled constructs grew.
Even though Verman seemed tough, Hal saw him as nothing more than a punching bag—a target he was confident he could handle.
"Whoosh!" In the next moment, Hal conjured a massive fist that cleared a swath of Parademons before slamming into Verman.
"Gulp!" Even though he was prepared, Verman couldn't help but feel uneasy at the sight of the enormous fist. He swallowed hard but still didn't put up a full defense.
"Boom!" The fist struck Verman, sending him flying like a home run ball. In an instant, Verman disappeared from the battlefield, seemingly vanishing into the void of space.
"So fast!" The Kamar-Taj students were caught off guard and failed to intercept Verman in time. However, as Verman flew away, Hal was also pulled along.
To prevent Verman from flying too far and forcing him to give chase, Hal had tied a rope around Verman. But Verman's speed was so great that Hal felt a sense of weightlessness, reminiscent of his early days learning to fly a plane.
Moreover, Hal, who had a unique understanding of speed, began to sense something was wrong. He felt that his punch shouldn't have sent Verman flying so fast or so far.
Before Hal could figure it out, he realized he had completely left the battlefield behind and could no longer see his allies.
This immediately put Hal on alert. He extended the green chain from his hand, forming a fighter jet at the other end to pull both himself and Verman back to the battlefield.
However, Hal soon realized he had been outsmarted. Even as the jet flew at full speed, Verman showed no signs of returning to the battlefield. Instead, he continued to fly away, escaping further into the distance.
"What a troublesome ability! I think this is a Green Lantern Corps thing? Whatever, I can't waste time on this kid. If someone catches up and stops me, it'll be a disaster!" Verman glanced back at the chain, Hal, and the jet, his mind racing.
With his strength and knowledge of Hal, Verman was confident he could kill the Green Lantern. But he chose not to, as he valued his own life more than Hal's.
Verman had finally managed to escape using Hal. If he wasted time killing Hal and was caught by stronger opponents, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
After a brief moment of thought, Verman decided to spare Hal, the unwitting accomplice to his escape.
In an instant, Verman unleashed his true strength. While he might not be on par with Mantis or Kalibak, he was far stronger than Hal could handle.
"Crack!" With Verman's true power, the chain binding him shattered. Hal, caught off guard, was pulled along by the jet for a distance before he stopped and tried to pursue Verman. But by then, Verman was already gone.
"Nice!" On the other side, Verman felt a surge of relief as he realized he had truly escaped. But he didn't stop. He continued flying, wanting to put as much distance between himself and the battlefield as possible.
However, as he flew, Verman noticed something strange. The latter part of his flight seemed to pass through nothingness, as if he weren't flying through space but through a void.
"What's going on? Wait… is that light ahead?" Just as Verman began to wonder, he saw a dazzling, radiant light in the distance…
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