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SM/DC Chapter 67 : Arthur VS Martian Manhunter
🕑 Added 2025-03-23 22:31:15 +0000 UTCKara’s voice cut through the rising tension.
“J’onn no! Not you too!”
Her plea hung heavy in the air, but Martian Manhunter had already shifted into a battle stance, his towering frame tense and ready. His glowing red eyes burned with restrained power as the atmosphere grew charged, two titans on the verge of collision.
Arthur didn’t hesitate.
With a flick of his wrist, the Demon King’s Longsword howled to life, a long, obsidian-black blade, pulsating with electric energy. The crackling storm around it intensified as he swung it in a vicious arc.
BOOM!
A storm of lightning exploded from the blade, violent streaks of blue and violet storms tearing through the air, screaming toward J’onn with enough force to rip through reinforced steel.
J’onn blurred, gone in a flash of green. The lightning slammed into the containment room walls behind him, shattering panels and leaving a trail of smoking ruin.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed. “Fast.”
J’onn reappeared behind him, silent and precise, a massive green fist swinging for Arthur’s head.
Arthur twisted, Ruler’s Authority flaring to life. An unseen force crushed the air around J’onn’s arm, halting the strike inches from his face.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” Arthur’s voice was calm, too calm. “Your mind abilities won’t work against me. And your strength?” He tightened his grip, J’onn’s arm trembled under the sheer force. “Not enough.”
J’onn’s other fist blurred, aimed for Arthur’s ribs.
Arthur released him just in time, sliding back and blocking with his blade. The impact sent a shockwave through the room, metal groaning beneath their power. Sparks rained down around them as both combatants moved in a blur of raw speed.
Arthur struck again, his longsword carving through the air, sending arcs of lightning with every swing. J’onn phased, his form turning intangible just before the blade could tear through him.
Arthur’s lips curled into a smile. “Neat trick, I wish i had that.”
With Ruler’s Authority, he gripped the air around J’onn, forcing the Martian back into his solid form. The second J’onn’s body materialized, Arthur was already moving.
A burst of speed, faster than the eye could follow.
His sword clashed against J’onn’s forearm, the room shaking from the blow. J’onn countered, a brutal uppercut aimed at Arthur’s jaw, but Arthur slipped to the side, his agility unnatural even for a strong Alien such as Martian Manhunter.
“You’re strong, J’onn.” Arthur’s blade crackled with raw power as he swung again, carving a crescent of lightning across the floor. J’onn leaped back, just barely avoiding the strike.
Arthur tilted his head, eyes glowing icy blue. “But here is thing..the moment your mind tricks failed, you were already outmatched.”
Without a word, Arthur vanished, a blur of shadow and lightning.
J’onn barely had time to react before
CRACK!
Arthur materialized right in front of him, his Doomsday bone gauntlet driving into J’onn’s chest like a cannonball. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the room, and the Martian was launched backward, slamming into the reinforced wall with a thunderous crash.
Chunks of metal and debris scattered, but Arthur was already on the move—relentless.
He raised his head, that cold, dangerous smile curling his lips. “Didn’t think it’d be that easy, did you?”
J’onn pushed himself up, but before he could phase again
Arthur vanished.
J’onn’s eyes narrowed, too late.
Arthur reappeared behind him, the Demon King’s Longsword crackling with lightning in his grip.
“Checkmate.”
With a flick of his wrist, Ruler’s Authority surged an invisible force locking J’onn’s molecules in place, dragging him out of phase.
The blade screamed through the air deadly, precise, and aimed straight for J’onn’s exposed back.
“ENOUGH!”
Kara’s voice pierced the chaos.
Arthur froze, his blade hovering a hair’s breadth from J’onn’s skin. Electricity danced along its edge, casting flickering shadows across their tense forms.
J’onn turned his head slightly, calm despite the position he was in.
His blade trembled, ready to strike, but the way Kara was looking at him…
He exhaled, drawing back, the storm around his sword fading as he lowered it.
“… very well.”
A smile tugged at his lips as he cast a glance back toward J’onn. “He wouldn’t die from that anyway.”
J’onn, still rather calm, straightened and dusted off his cape. “No… I wouldn’t.” His voice was smooth, unshaken, but there was the faintest edge of wariness in his tone.
Arthur dismissed Doom with a wave of his hand, the towering shadow general dissolving into black mist back into Arthur’s own shadow. Without a second thought, he strode toward Kara.
Before she could react, his arm slipped around her waist, firm, possessive.
Kara’s breath hitched, heat rushing to her face. “W-What are you...” She blinked up at him, startled by his boldness, but her hands instinctively found his chest, unsure whether to push him away or pull him closer.
Arthur flashed a devilish smile. “Relax, Princess. I’m getting you out of here.”
He turned his attention back to J’onn, his tone lighter but still edged with challenge. “My apologies for the damages...though I’m sure Bruce can afford the repairs.”
J’onn floated down from the crumbled wall, arms crossed over his chest, the glow in his red eyes dimming. “I’ll speak with Batman… but let’s hope we don’t come to regret this , Kara.” His voice carried weight, a warning, but also something else. Trust.
Arthur pulled Kara a little closer. “Exchange.”
A surge of black mist swirled beneath their feet, coiling like living smoke. The ground seemed to give way as the shadows swallowed them whole, leaving nothing behind but silence. And a a shadow demon in their place, as it blinked its eyes at J’onn, tilting its head curiously.
J’onn sighed, floating higher as his gaze lingered on where Arthur and Kara had vanished. His expression softened, barely.
“For her to follow him so easily… he means more to her than she realizes... i'll have to explain this to Batman..”
****
Cadmus Labs -
The lab hummed with the sound of machines whirring, and the only illumination came from the blue glow emanating from several large tubes filled with viscous liquid. Lex Luthor stood at the forefront, his gaze locked on the one tube that held an ashen-haired young man suspended in the fluid. His brow furrowed, deep in thought, fingers tapping against the metallic surface of a nearby console as his mind churned.
Dr. Emil Hamilton, standing beside him, adjusted his glasses with a sigh before speaking, his tone tinged with skepticism.
"This is rather strange, Lex. This particular DNA shows nothing special. Even the simplest of Metas are unique in their own way. But this one... this one is... just a normal human."
Lex didn’t immediately respond, his eyes narrowing as he leaned in closer to the tube, examining the figure inside with an intensity that could burn through steel. His jaw clenched as Emil’s words echoed in his ears.
"Why are you so convinced this will work somehow?" Emil continued, his voice laced with genuine curiosity, mixed with frustration. "You've been pouring countless resources into this... but it doesn’t make sense. Look at him, nothing about this specimen suggests it has potential."
Lex’s fingers dug into the edge of the console, his frustration palpable, but he kept his calm exterior. His mind was racing, the pieces of the puzzle slowly starting to fit together in his genius brain.
"It’s impossible," Lex muttered under his breath. "It can’t be just normal. My theory... it will only appear once the clone is fully developed and ready to be awakened. Then, I’ll monitor his growth. It will take a few days, but I know it will work."
Emil crossed his arms, an expression of doubt on his face as he gestured toward a nearby tube holding another figure Superboy, perfect in his design.
"Even Kryptonians were rather simple for us to clone. Look at Galatea, she is perfect. She's everything I wanted, everything we expected. And then there’s Superboy here. He’s nearly finished. So why this? Why waste time and resources on something like... this?"
Lex’s gaze hardened as he whipped his head toward Emil, a fire in his eyes, his voice cold with the kind of intensity only someone like him could muster.
"I refuse to believe that after everything I’ve seen with my own eyes, this... human... has nothing. There is something here. I will pour every resource I have into making this work."
His voice was sharp, cutting through the tension in the lab like a blade, and his words hung in the air with a force that was almost tangible. Emil sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping as he leaned against the console, clearly exhausted by the deadlock of their conversation.
"Fine, Lex," Emil said, his tone resigned. "But don't come crying to me when your ‘perfect human’ doesn’t live up to expectations, because i honestly cannot help."
Lex didn’t respond. He simply turned back to the tube with the ashen-haired man, his gaze unwavering, as if he could will the clone to reveal its secrets through sheer willpower alone. His lips twisted into a thin smile, one full of both challenge and determination.
'I’ll make it work...Arthur Blackwynd' Lex murmured to himself, his voice barely audible. "Sooner than later."
