In the woods, Blake Belladonna and Adam Taurus continued their intense fight with each other. Their blades clanged loudly as they clashed back and forth, with Blake leaping from tree to tree and using her Semblance to evade Adam's attacks. As their blades locked once again, Blake dodged another attack from her former mentor before switching Gambol Shroud to kusarigama form and using it to grapple and swing from tree to tree, prompting Adam to give chase via the ground.
"Can you do anything besides run?!" Adam angrily asked before jumping onto a tree trunk and leaping off of it as he continued to pursue his former partner. Blake was leaping from branch to branch much more quickly and was already a good distance away from him. However, Adam aimed and fired his sword, which crashed into Blake's kusarigama just as she was about to grapple onto another tree. Due to her loss of momentum, Adam caught up, grabbed his sword and leaped forward, ready to slash at her. But he only succeeds in merely just slashing Blake's trench coat off. Using the opening to her advantage, Blake delivered a double-kick to Adam, knocking him back a good distance. As they both landed back on the ground, Blake switched Gambol Shroud to pistol form and fired at Adam, who blocked some of her shots while some managed to hit him. The two briefly paused and glared at each other; Adam with his determination to kill Blake, and Blake with her determination to stay alive in order to help her friends.
The two then quickly leaped out of the forest and found themselves on a natural stone bridge in front of a waterfall. Clashing again with their swords, Blake managed to evade Adam's attacks thanks to her Semblance. Using a shadow clone to take a shot from Blush, Blake was then able to catch Adam's sword with her own cleaver/sheath, leaving the bull Faunus to defend himself with Blush. But even without his sword, Adam was more than able to hold his own as he fired several shots at Blake, who evaded them with her Semblance and closed in on him. However, the bull Faunus managed to catch Blake's wrist and block her katana with Blush.
"I wouldn't have to be doing this if you just behaved!" Adam cried out before suddenly grabbing Wilt back and flinging away Blake's cleaver, embedding it on the side of a tree. Adam then hit his former partner in the side of her head with the hilt of his sword, knocking her to the ground. "But you're selfish!" Sheathing Wilt into Blush, Adam leaped forward and unsheathed his sword to knock Blake back even further. "You're a coward!" He again knocked her back a few feet.
"You're delusional...!" Blake retorted. The former leader of the White Fang pointed the tip of his sword at her abdominal scar that he gave her during the Fall of Beacon. Then, with a loud cry, Adam used his Semblance to empower his sword and slashed at Blake's katana blade, breaking it in half. The broken weapon clattered a few feet away from Blake as she looked at the advancing bull Faunus in fear.
Adam then stopped and removed the blindfold from his eyes. "People hurt me long before we met. All sorts of people in all sorts of ways. " Blake's cat ears flattened against her head and she looked away sadly upon hearing this. "But no one hurt me quite like you..." Looking back up to Adam, Blake saw his eyes: his right eye was healthy and blue, but his left eye was permanently scarred with a brand labeled 'SDC'. "You didn't leave scars, you just left me alone. So... tell me, Blake... how does it feel to be alone?"
Blake said nothing as she stared up at her former partner with a mixture of sympathy and disgust. Figuring he said enough, Adam raised his sword, letting out a loud yell in fury as he prepared to stab Blake in the abdomen. But right before he could plunge his sword in her abdomen, something grabbed hold of his wrist, stopping him from delivering the killing blow. Looking over to his side, Adam's eyes widened — standing next to him was a tall, green-skinned bald man with piercing red eyes, holding his right wrist tightly in his hand.
"J'onn...?" Blake muttered in surprise. Even with her advanced Faunus senses, she was unable to detect the Martian's approach until he was standing right before her eyes.
Without giving him a chance to react, J'onn casually tossed Adam a good 15 feet away from Blake. The cat Faunus instantly knew that it was her alien friend, but this new form J'onn was in was... different. The Martian had taken a more human-like form with a muscular, human-like build. He now had a more 'normal' human-like, bald head complete with ears on the sides of his head, and his arms and legs were very much like those of a human. The only things he retained from his natural Martian form was his green skin and his red eyes. In addition to his new psychic, J'onn was also wearing a purple cape that nearly reached the ground, complete with purple leather-like pants and leather-like boots.
"Are you alright, Ms. Belladonna?" J'onn asked softly, offering her a hand.
"I'm fine. Thanks." Blake smiled as she took J'onn's hand and he helped her up.
"Worry not." The Martian's face became serious as he turned to the bull Faunus. "I will deal with him."
Furious, Adam got up and glared directly at the former Manhunter. He focused on the Martian's body, but found no Faunus features on him, unless he counted the green skin and red eyes. But even then, his instincts were somehow telling him that this creature that stood before him was neither Faunus nor human. "Who or what are you?" Adam asked, pointing the tip of his sword at J'onn.
"I am someone who wishes to see no more bloodshed." J'onn answered assertively. "And you, Adam Taurus, have caused too much suffering."
Adam narrowed his eyes. "I don't have time for this. Step aside and allow me to punish that traitor you're protecting... Or you'll be joining her."
The Martian's eyes narrowed, but at the same time, he also felt pity. He looked into Adam's past via scanning his mind, and saw how horribly he had been mistreated by the Schnee Dust Company when he served in their Faunus Labor Force. J'onn saw how Adam was branded with a logo of the SDC on his left eye, which left him permanently scarred, both physically and mentally. The former Manhunter understood the bull Faunus' pain, but he also knew that people who have suffered in such a way can easily justify any atrocities they may commit in the future. Even if his pain was understandable, his countless acts of murder were not justifiable.
"No, Adam. You will not be taking anymore lives today, or ever again. You will answer for all the crimes you have commited." J'onn declared.
After this reply, Adam simply chuckled before aiming Blush at the Martian. "You had your chance." He said before firing bullet after bullet out of his gun. Instead of trying to dodge or block the bullets, J'onn allowed them to come and strike his body. Each bullet connected and blew holes in the alien's body. One blew his shoulder, two in his chest, and a few more even went directly through his head. This surprised Adam as he expected this being to absorb them with his Aura or use his Semblance to counter his attack, but apparently, this creature didn't even have an Aura. "Huh. Well, that was easier than I thought."
"Are you sure about that?"
Much to both his and Blake's shock, J'onn was still standing despite his body riddled with bullets. A second later, the gaps fixed themselves. Each hole closed in on itself, healing every possible injury that Adam caused him. After fully healing, J'onn glared at the bull Faunus. "Adam, I suggest you surrender peacefully. Now."
"Make me!" With another loud cry of fury, Adam suddenly charged towards the Martian. Unsheathing his sword, he leaped and raised Wilt over his head before bringing it down on J'onn, cleaving the Martian in half from the top of the head to his waist.
"J'ONN!" Blake cried out in horror.
Adam grinned in satisfaction... only for his grin to disappear when J'onn's right hand suddenly grabbed his own two hands and removed Wilt from the cleaved upper half of the Martian. Then, as if something out of a horror movie, the two cleaved halves of the Martian's torso pulled themselves together and fused, completely restoring J'onn as if nothing happened to him.
Both Blake and Adam could only stare at this unbelievable feat of regeneration in silent shock and disbelief. J'onn told Blake and her friends about the Martians' unique ability to regenerate and heal from wounds that would otherwise be fatal to humans and Faunus, but she didn't think their regeneration would be this potent. However, if J'onn wanted to, he could have simply increased the density of his body and allow Adam's sword to shatter on impact. Or simply become intangible.
Adam began feeling a growing sense of fear as the Martian glared directly at him with his red eyes.
"What are you...?" Was all the bull Faunus could ask.
"I am Mars' sole survivor." J'onn declared. "And there's a reason for that." Without warning, J'onn delivered an incredibly powerful punch to Adam's chest, sending the bull Faunus flying several dozen feet back. The blow J'onn delivered was strong enough to cause Adam's Aura to flicker. Just as Adam was getting up, the Martian suddenly appeared right in front of him and grabbed him by the head before smashing him against the ground, face first, with such tremendous force that it not only created a small crater, but also completely depleted and shattered his Aura.
"It is over, Adam Taurus. Give up." J'onn made sure to hold back and use just enough force to only break the Faunus' Aura without killing or seriously crippling him.
"You... You think it's over...? Just like that...?" Adam growled and slowly got up, unwilling to accept defeat even with his Aura gone. "I deserve justice! I've suffered in this world, and I won't rest until those who hurt me pay! And I'll tell them about you. I'll tell the whole world about you, you green-skinned freak!"
"No," J'onn suddenly placed his hand on the Faunus' face as his red eyes glowed with intensity. "You will not remember me or any of this." Adam's eyes widened as his mind was accessed. Everything from the moment he joined the White Fang would be locked from his memories, including the time he met Blake. "Now sleep." The bull Faunus' body went limp as his consciousness faded and his body dropped to the ground.
"Is... Is he dead?" J'onn turned to see Blake cautiously approaching, not taking her eyes away from the unconscious Adam.
"No. But I erased his memories of myself, this event... and you." The last part of the Martian's sentence caught the feline Faunus by surprise, prompting her to look at him, her amber eyes widened.
"What...?"
"As I said, I not only erased Adam Taurus's memories of me and what happened here, I also erased his memories of you." J'onn clarified. "Once he wakes up, he won't know who you are. You will be a stranger that he has never met or seen in his life. Meaning that even if he does somehow escape, he will not come after you or your friends. He won't hurt you anymore."
Hearing this, Blake could only stare at the Martian with widened eyes. Tears were threatening to emerge from her eyes as she fell to her knees, barely able to comprehend what she heard. She was free — She was completely free from the monster that is Adam Taurus. Blake felt a gentle hand being placed on her shoulder, prompting her to look up to and see J'onn looking at her with a reassuring smile.
Smiling back, the cat Faunus got up and hugged the former Manhunter. "Thank you. Thank you so much, J'onn." Blake said.
"I won't let anyone or anything hurt you, your family, or your friends. That is a promise." J'onn said reassuringly as he hugged her back.
It was then that both of them heard the sound of a certain motorcycle drawing close. Not long after, Yang arrived from over the cliff with her motorcycle, and landed not too far from the scene. "Blake? J'onn?" The blonde got off Bumblebee and immediately noticed the unconscious Adam laying on the ground close to them. "What is he doing here?" She asked venomously as her expression darkened.
"Don't worry about him, Yang. J'onn already took care of him." Blake said with a smile. "In fact, J'onn even erased Adam's memories of me. Of all of us."
Hearing this, Yang's bitterness was replaced by surprise as she looked at the Martian in disbelief. "Really...?"
"Indeed." J'onn nodded affirmatively. "Blake and the rest of your friends will not be bothered by him anymore. I assure you."
Now it was Yang's turn to be at a loss for words. She and Blake were already aware of all the incredible abilities J'onn was capable of, but it never ceased to amaze them when he demonstrated them. At this point, Yang also took notice of J'onn's new appearance. "Wow. That form really suits you nicely, J'onn." The blonde brawler commented, getting a good look at the Martian's default form.
"I suppose you can thank Ms. Rose for that." J'onn chuckled. "I couldn't help but noticed how she often likes comparing me to the superheroes in her comic books. So, I thought it would be interesting to actually be one."
"Heh. You really went onboard with the whole superhero gig, huh?" Blake smirked.
"To be honest, I find it quite exhilarating." J'onn admitted.
"Of course, no hero can be complete without a superhero code name." Yang chimed in.
"Really, Yang?" Blake raised an eye brow in amusement.
"Truth be told, I haven't thought of one, yet." J'onn said.
As they were conversing, Blake realized something. "Wait, what about Cordovin?" She asked.
"Worry not. Ms. Cordovin and her men are asleep as we speak." J'onn confirmed.
"You just never stop amazing us, do you, J'onn?" Yang smiled, placing her hand on the Manhunter's shoulder.
Back inside the Argus base, Cordovin and all her men were laying on the floor, snoring loudly and sleeping peacefully thanks to J'onn using his telepathy to make them lose consciousness. However, as they were sleeping, a red dot appeared on one of the radar's screens approaching Argus.
The former Manhunter suddenly felt an explosive wave of emotions, causing him to clench his teeth and place a hand on his forehead. This did not go unnoticed by Yang and Blake.
"J'onn, what's wrong?" The cat Faunus asked in concern.
"I am sensing an incredible amount of negative emotions and thoughts in Argus." J'onn stated grimly. "The people are panicking. They are terrified of something. What is-" The former Manhunter froze as he saw what the people in Argus were terrified of via his telepathy. "Oh, no..."
"J'onn...?"
"Argus is in grave danger!" J'onn shouted. "We must move now!"
Not needing to elaborate any further, Yang and Blake quickly got on Bumblebee and drove off while J'onn took to the sky and flew in the direction of where these emotions were coming from.
In the distance, roughly a kilometre to two away from the Argus base, a gigantic Grimm could be seen stomping its way towards Argus. Standing at least 50 meters in height, this particular Grimm was by far the biggest any person had ever seen. It appeared to be bipedal and aquatic with four humanoid limbs and a long fish-like tail. It had gills on each side of its neck and dorsal plates protruding from its back, with red webbing between each plate. It had a dolphin-like head with a mouth filled with sharp teeth and three eyes on each side of its head.
This particular Grimm was known as the Leviathan as it let out a loud and terrifying roar. To make matters worse, a massive swarm of Manticores and Sphinxs had also appeared in the air above the city of Argus.
Ruby and her friends looked at the approaching monster in horror.
"Ms. Rose!" Everyone turned to see J'onn arrive and land next to them. They immediately noticed his new appearance, but knew that now was not the time to ask him. "Ms. Xiao Long and Ms. Belladonna are on their way." He stated.
"J'onn, we just ruined everything because of our plan to get to Atlas." Ruby said, feeling guilty.
"It is not your fault, Ms. Rose." J'onn said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "The Grimm do not possess minds, so even I was unable to detect their approach." The Martian turned his sight to the Leviathan and narrowed his eyes.
"What are we gonna do?" Ruby asked, dread and guilt filling her body. "You put everyone in the base to sleep, including Cordovin. And now there's nothing stopping the Grimm from attacking Argus!"
"I will deal with the Manticores and Sphinxs. You defeat the Leviathan." J'onn said, turning to Ruby. "Do you remember our training back in Saphron's home?"
Ruby's eyes widened, remembering the mental training J'onn put her through in order to teach her on how to use the power of her Silver Eyes. "Yeah... but I'm not sure if-"
"You can do it, Ruby." J'onn declared and smiled at her. "Your friends have faith in you. I have faith in you. And you should have faith in yourself, as well."
Hearing this, the young Huntress couldn't help but smile. "Alright, J'onn. I'll try." With that, she placed her fingers on her ear. "Weiss. Maria. Fly over here and pick us up."
With that, J'onn turned invisible and flew towards the legion of flying Grimm with incredible speed, creating a small shockwave in the process. At this point, Yang and Blake on Bumblebee came out of the forest and rejoined the group.
"Ruby!" Yang cried out, stopping her motorcycle before she and Blake got off of it. It didn't take long for Yang and Blake to notice the massive swarm of Grimm and the gigantic Leviathan advancing towards Argus in the distance. "Is that a giant Grimm?" The blonde asked, staring at the beast in horror.
"Yes. And we're gonna take it down." Ruby said with a confident smile, much to the surprise of her sister and Blake.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I know the Adam vs Martian Manhunter fight (if I can even call it that) was rather short, but let's be honest... there is no Adam would be able to harm or do any serious damage to Martian Manhunter. J'onn is WAY out of Adam's league, hence why he defeated him so quickly and easily.
Also, this is the first time J'onn appeared in his superhero form in my story. Prior to this chapter, J'onn was in his natural Martian form throughout the story.