Bang.
A violent shockwave of compressed air slammed into Adrian.
Martian Manhunter had already dropped his disguise. His true form was fully revealed in midair as he surged forward with explosive speed, his fist cutting through the atmosphere with a sharp sonic whistle.
The punch landed squarely on Adrian's chest.
The impact detonated outward.
The air burst apart as Adrian was driven downward at terrifying speed, crashing into the ground below like a fired shell.
Without hesitation, Martian Manhunter followed.
He moved again, faster than before, closing the distance instantly.
"What?" Adrian muttered as he pushed himself back up.
His eyes narrowed.
The speed was nearly on par with his own, and in certain bursts, it even exceeded it. That small difference was enough to disrupt his timing, forcing him into defense rather than retaliation.
Martian Manhunter struck again.
Another blow hit Adrian's torso.
The force was like a freight train.
The ground beneath them cracked as Adrian was launched sideways, carving through the air and tearing the atmosphere with him.
Boom.
He slammed into a massive steel structure.
The entire frame, dozens of meters tall, buckled and split in half as if struck by a meteor. Sparks erupted as metal twisted and collapsed, scattering debris across the ground like rain.
The tremor shook the surrounding area.
Martian Manhunter landed near the wreckage and spoke, his voice steady.
"We didn't have to do this. If conflict is the only path you choose, then understand this. I will not be the one who falls first."
A second later, Adrian burst out from the rubble.
Dust covered his clothes, but his body remained intact.
More importantly, his expression had changed.
The restraint was gone.
He shot forward immediately.
His speed carved a visible trail through the air as he closed in on Martian Manhunter.
Bang.
A clean hit.
Adrian's fist connected with Martian Manhunter's face.
The impact snapped his head sideways and sent him flying backward. He crashed into the ground hard enough to fracture it, carving out a crater on impact.
For a brief moment, both of them stood at the same level of destruction.
A stalemate.
At least on the surface.
Martian Manhunter rose again, lifting himself into the air. His body faded as he activated invisibility, vanishing from sight.
Then he moved.
Invisible, undetectable, he surged toward Adrian, gathering force into his strike.
The attack came down at Adrian's jaw.
Bang.
Adrian caught it.
One arm stopped the invisible punch midair.
Without hesitation, he rotated his body and delivered a brutal kick.
Martian Manhunter's invisible form was forced out of trajectory and slammed away, crashing into the ground once again.
Adrian landed in front of him.
His voice was cold.
"Those tricks do not work anymore."
Martian Manhunter pushed himself up slowly, regaining altitude.
He said nothing this time.
Instead, he vanished again.
Then he struck from above, aiming directly for Adrian with maximum force.
Bang.
Adrian raised his arm and blocked the blow cleanly.
The counter came instantly.
A single kick sent Martian Manhunter flying again.
Adrian stepped forward as the Martian recovered, his voice steady.
"This world does not need your version of salvation."
He looked down at him.
"The living know they will die. The dead know nothing. Their names are forgotten. Their emotions, their love, their hatred, all buried. Nothing remains."
His eyes hardened.
"They do not belong to you. They belong to me now. I decide what happens next."
A pause.
Then his voice dropped further.
"Join me, or die. There is no third option."
Martian Manhunter slowly rose.
He turned his head briefly toward Green Arrow and the others, all injured and watching the fight unfold.
"I will hold him off. You leave now."
"No need," Adrian replied immediately.
He reached forward.
"You are underestimating me."
His body shifted forward as he prepared to strike again, but Martian Manhunter moved first.
His form dissolved.
Not invisibility this time.
Something deeper.
His body turned into a green liquid-like mass, surging forward in a violent stream.
It wrapped around Adrian instantly.
Before he could react fully, it seeped through his skin.
Adrian's expression tightened.
"What is this…"
The liquid forced its way inside him, penetrating his body at a molecular level.
Martian Manhunter's voice echoed directly in his mind.
"I am inside your body now. I can reach your lungs. I can tear you apart from within."
His voice grew colder.
"I am in your mind, Kyle. I see everything. Your violence. Your hatred. Your pain. Perhaps the world would be safer without you in it."
Outside, Adrian stood motionless.
Blood trickled from his nose.
Mera and the others froze.
Seeing Martian Manhunter fully invade Adrian's body, they could not tell who had the upper hand anymore.
Inside Adrian's consciousness, Martian Manhunter pushed deeper.
But then he stopped.
Something was wrong.
The space around him was not human.
It was vast.
Endless.
A collapsing void of black decay stretched across his perception like a dying universe. Shapes moved within it, things not meant to be understood. Even a glance made his thoughts destabilize.
Then he saw it.
Eyes.
Massive, ancient eyes watching from the darkness.
An Owl.
The presence hit him like a collapse in reality itself.
Fear surged through him instantly.
Not emotional fear.
Instinctive survival fear.
His body reacted before thought.
And then he noticed something worse.
His form had changed.
Flames appeared on his hands.
He tried to step back, but the fire spread instantly across his body.
"What is this, no, stop."
His voice broke.
The flames consumed him, not just physically but mentally, burning through perception itself.
"Ahhh!"
A scream tore through his consciousness.
Inside Adrian's body, the reaction mirrored outside.
Flames erupted across Adrian's skin in the real world.
Not external fire.
Self-generated.
Martian Manhunter was forced out violently as the flames overwhelmed him.
He was ejected.
The moment he reappeared outside, Adrian's hand snapped forward.
Grabbing him by the neck, he slammed him into the ground.
Boom.
The impact shattered the earth beneath them.
Martian Manhunter tried to rise immediately.
He swung.
Adrian caught the punch midair.
Then the other fist.
Both hands were trapped.
A tightening grip followed.
Bone began to creak.
Martian Manhunter's strength faltered.
He tried to break free, but Adrian's grip only tightened further.
Step by step, pressure increased.
Until Martian Manhunter dropped to one knee.
Still holding both fists, Adrian looked down at him.
His eyes flared crimson.
Heat Vision built instantly.
Green Arrow shouted from behind, panic rising in his voice.
"No, stop this!"
Adrian did not respond.
The beam fired.
Heat Vision erupted and engulfed Martian Manhunter completely.
The energy burned through his defenses instantly, spreading across his body in waves of intense destruction.
"Ahhh!"
This time, the scream was louder.
More desperate.
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