The audience was quiet as Abe set up the next episode of the show. The events of last episode still weighed heavily upon them, and no one could find their voice. All they could do was sit in silence, watching as the lights dimmed and the screen immersed them into the fictional reality of Adam Taurus.

The episode began with a pair of policemen talking to each other as they made their way down a sidewalk. Apparently, one of the officers had just told a joke, because the two men were laughing as they patrolled. As soon as they rounded a corner, disappearing from sight, Adam emerged from the alleyway he had been hiding behind. The bull Faunus's steps were slow and labored, and his shoulders were hunched as he made his way across the street.

"He's lost all of his motivation," Ozpin realized. "He's barely in control of his body. It appears Azure's psychological warfare is still tormenting him."

Adam managed to lift his head to look up at the building in front of him: the Atlas Titans headquarters. As he stepped into the private military company's front courtyard, a trio of soldiers stormed out of the building's glass doors.

"Target located! Take him down!" one of the soldiers snarled. But his thoughts said something else. Damn it, he's already here?!

Oh gods, we're all going to die! a second soldier's inner voice gasped. The bull Faunus clutched his head in both hands, and then dropped onto his knees, panting and shaking with exhaustion.

Wait, he's giving up? the third soldier's thoughts murmured in confusion. "We'd better wait for further instructions before we engage." The three soldiers approached Adam, but did not attack. Instead, they waited patiently as the glass doors opened again, and out stepped the man responsible for the bull Faunus's agony.

"Azure Fade!" Ruby growled in anger.

"Oh no," Weiss whispered in terror. "Adam couldn't even land a hit on that bear Faunus the first time! How is he supposed to fight him in his current state?!"

"I know, Adam, I know," the bear Faunus nodded, as he casually strolled his weakened opponent. "Not so black and white now, is it?" Azure smiled softly. "Is your cause just, or is that 'just' what you tell yourself?"

"Screw you," the bull Faunus spat, glaring at the bear Faunus defiantly.

"Well, at least he still has his defiant personality?" Yang offered.

"This really isn't the time for jokes, Yang," Blake grumbled.

As Adam continued to kneel on the ground, his enemies standing around him, storm clouds gathered above, and began to rain heavily upon them. Even through the torrential downpour, though, the bull Faunus was able to hear a voice call out to him.

"How pleased you are to chop away, Brazen Bull," the voice sneered. Gritting his teeth, Adam looked up towards the Atlas Titans headquarters, and groaned. Kneeling atop the roof of the lower section of the building was a man with pale skin and long, flowing auburn hair. His entire body, save for his head, consisted of metal armor, indicating that he was a cyborg. Unlike Ebony or Crimson, however, his cybernetic body had visible separations at his elbows, wrists, knees, ankles, and neck. He also visible partitions on his central mass, making a giant X across his chest. His armor was bright red in color, but from his elbows and knees, his legs and arms were deep blue instead. Just like the other cyborgs, the man was a Faunus, based on his three-toed feet, leaving the impression his animal heritage was amphibian in nature. "My name is Ferris Rust, of the Shades of Death," the man introduced himself.

"Yeah, I guessed as much," the bull Faunus grunted.

"Rust?" Sun mused. "That's a pretty strange name for... what kind of Faunus is he supposed to be, exactly?"

"Based on his color scheme, it appears his animal heritage is a species of poison dart frog," Penny assessed.

Rust smirked, then stood and leaped off the section of the building. As he plunged through the air, though, his body vibrated, and then separated at all the partitions, a strange black outline surrounding his body parts. One by one, the frog Faunus landed and reassembled. First his legs touched down, followed by his central mass and arms, before finally, his head came to rest back atop its shoulders.

"Wait," Pyrrha whispered. "That was similar to my Semblance!"

"You don't think that frog guy has Polarity for a Semblance too, do you?" Nora asked nervously.

"It looks like he does," Ren grimaced.

"You used to bathe in the blood of your enemies. How easily you ignored the loss of life, when it suits your convenience," Rust commented. He brought a blue hand up to his chin, stroking it curiously. "So tell me," the frog Faunus muttered. "Who saves the weak from the man who saves the weak?" There was a moment's pause, as Adam considered all that Rust had said.

"You're the ones exploiting them," he muttered finally. "You take advantage of their weakness. Of course they get hurt, when you set them up as your human shield!" the bull Faunus growled, thrusting a finger towards the frog Faunus.

"Kill or be killed, Bull," Rust simply shrugged, before his mouth curled up into a morbid smile. "The Branwen Bandits taught me that..."

"I'm sorry, the Branwen what?!" Winter demanded taken aback. Ironwood shot Qrow a look.

"You still haven't told anyone about that part of your life?"

"It's a long story, alright?" Qrow grumbled defensively. "Just go back to watching the show."

Rust began to pace back and forth, his three-toed feet flopping upon the concrete courtyard in front of the Atlas Titans headquarters. From his kneeling position, Adam watched him warily, as Azure and the three soldier stood at attention, occasionally shuffling their feet.

"Yes, you aren't the only one to grow up on the killing fields," the frog Faunus chuckled. "War is a cruel parent, but an effective teacher. Its final lesson is carved deep in my psyche: That this world, and all its people, are diseased." Rust spread his arms, and shook his head. "Free will is a myth. Religion is a joke. We are all pawns, controlled by something greater: Memes. The DNA of the soul."

"Memes?" Mercury snorted.

"Those stupid pictures with the silly captions?" Emerald asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Actually, in this instance, memes refer to an element of culture that continue to pass down through the future generations," Ms. Goodwitch stated wisely.

"Still can't help but think of the other meaning," Tai snickered.

"They shape our will. They are the culture -- they are everything we pass on," Rust continued his tirade. "Expose someone to anger long enough, they will learn to hate. They become a carrier. Envy, greed, despair... All memes. All passed along."

"What about 'full of shit?' Is that a meme?" Adam interjected.

"Heh, got him," Adam mumbled quietly.

"You can't fight nature, Bull," Rust stated plainly, as though Adam's retort was a serious argument. "Wind blows, rain falls, and the strong prey upon the weak." The frog Faunus gestured to his bear Faunus associate. "Azure tells me you see your weapon as a tool. Something that saves lives -- a means of justice." Rust scoffed. "Now there's a pretty meme. Exquisite! It's spared you the burden of all the lives you've taken; absolved you of guilt when you enjoyed it." The frog Faunus finished his pacing, standing directly in front of the bull Faunus.

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"That is, until the illusion was broken." Rust smiled softly. "Don't be ashamed. It's only nature, running its course. You have no choices to make. Nothing to answer for." The frog Faunus reached down to his waist, where a pair of sai where revealed to be connected to his belt. He took his pronged weapons in hand, and twirled them, before holding them by the handle pointing downwards. "You can die with a clear conscience."

"You're right," Adam spoke up, causing Rust to pause for a moment. "About me, I mean. I know something was... off. After the Fall of Beacon, I thought I could walk off the battlefield and into a normal life." The bull Faunus spread his arms, gesturing to everything around him. "But here I am, surrounded by death, arguing philosophy with terrorists. I told myself this was about justice. About protecting the weak." Adam looked down shamefully. "But I was wrong."

"Adam..." Cinder whispered. The further the show had gotten into the story, the more the False Maiden realized she had come to care about the bull Faunus. So to see him suffer caused her heart to ache.

Rust let out a cold, hollow laugh.

"So you admit it, then?" he asked. Adam looked down at the ground, which was now covered in rain water, allowing a reflection of himself to stare back at him. He proceeded to tear off his facial covering, revealing his deformity to the world.

"I learned young that killing your enemies felt good. Really good," the bull Faunus admitted. "In Mistral, my friends... my family... They helped me forget the devil inside. But who am I kidding? I was born to kill!" he snarled, punching a fist onto the concrete. "The bit about my sword -- that 'means of justice' stuff? I guess I needed something to keep 'old Brazen' in check when I was knee-deep in bodies," Adam confessed, his reflection nodding at him and smiling, its exposed brand bursting into flame.

"You..." Rust grunted, beginning to sound uneasy.

"But you -all this- is a wake-up call to what I really believe. What I really am," the bull Faunus growled.

"What are you saying?" the frog Faunus demanded.

"I'm saying the Bull is BACK!" Adam sneered, standing back up on to his feet, black smoke beginning to billow from his body.

"What's going on?" Whitley demanded, starting to become scared.

"Is he going to spontaneously combust?!" Willow wondered, appalled at the very thought.

"Kill him!" Rust snapped, pointing at Adam. One of the Titan soldiers charged forward, shoving his sword into the bull Faunus's chest, watching as it sunk in deep, straight up to the hilt.

"Heh, heh, heh! HAHAHAHAHA!" Adam howled with laughter, causing the soldier to let go of his blade as he backed away in terror. Rust cringed at the sight of the bull Faunus, while Azure raised an uncertain eyebrow.

"He's... laughing?" Velvet whimpered, starting to get scared.

"What's happening to him?" Coco choked. "He's acting crazy!"

Ignoring the sword buried in his chest, Adam reached up to his ear, pressing the transmission button on his receiver.

"Pietro, turn off my pain inhibitors!" the bull Faunus ordered.

"What?!" the Atlasian scientist coughed. "This- this is madness! You-"

"DO IT!" Adam roared.

"I- Alright..." Pietro conceded. There was a mechanical hum, and suddenly, the Faunus let out another howl as Aura rippled over his entire body, before his eyes flashed with yellow light.

"Pain... this is why I fight!" he growled, gripping the sword jammed in his chest by the hilt, beginning to pull it out. Adam grit his teeth, revealing their transformation into sharp fangs, as his skin faded to black. With one final roar, The bull Faunus wrenched the blade out of his chest, smoke blasting out of the wound. "This is my normal," Adam chuckled, now a creature of darkness with spikes growing out of his elbows, shoulders, and knees. "My nature~"

"You've lost your mind..." Rust whispered, staring at a skull-shaped breastplate that now covered the bull Faunus's chest.

"Dear gods," Ghira wheezed, his eyes wide. "What has Adam become?!"

"He's a demon!" Kali whispered, her cat ears flat and a hand over her mouth. "A terrible demon!"

The three soldiers, in a moment of desperation, charged the bull Faunus, who turned to stare at them, his white horns pointing outward past his yellow eyes. His hand flew down towards Blush, and an explosion erupted from his thigh as Wilt flew up into the jaw of one of his oncoming assailants. The sword flew back, allowing the bull Faunus to catch it by its grip. Adam bent his body backwards and swung his blade in a large circle, tearing through the soldiers' torsos. One by one, the three assailants split apart, and fell in half on all sides of the bull Faunus.

Jaws dropped all throughout the audience.

"Holy shit!" Yang swore.

"He tore those guys apart like paper!" Ruby squeaked, eyes wide.

"Heh, heh, heh," Adam chuckled, relishing the carnage he had caused. "Who's next?" The bull Faunus twirled Wilt in hand, then pointed it at Azure. The bear Faunus smiled at the challenge.

"I'll take this dance~" he crooned, reaching behind him to unsheathe his own sword.

"No, Azure!" Rust called, holding a hand out. "Report back to the Chief. He's mine." The bear Faunus shrugged.

"You're the boss." As Azure turned and headed back inside the building, the frog Faunus met Adam's gaze, and smiled sadistically.

"I misjudged you," Rust admitted gleefully. "You are like us after all!"

"Now you're just being nasty! Hahahahaha!" the bull Faunus cackled. He held Wilt out in front of him, and scraped it across his other hand's pearly white claws, filling the air with an ominous hissing noise, as thunder rumbled overhead. "That nickname you love so much, want to know how I got it?" Adam mused, before gripping his sword tightly in both hands. "Actually, why don't I give you a demonstration." A white masquerade mask appeared over the left side of the bull Faunus's Head, concealing his horrid brand behind a mockery of his face, complete with the letters SDC written over his glaring yellow eye. "This Brazen Bull... is about to make you see RED!" Adam sneered.

"Oh, hell yes," Adam shuddered, awaiting the imminent battle with nervous excitement.

A white mask slammed over the top half of Rust's sneering face, before with a psychotic cackle, he sprang forward, charging Adam. Both of the frog Faunus's arms thrusted forwards, his sai plunging towards the bull Faunus's chest. A second later, the forked weapons were knocked aside by Wilt. Undeterred, Rust leaped into a series of attacks with his sai, filling the air with the sound of metallic clangs as he Adam traded blow after blow. Finally growing tired of being matched strike for strike, the frog Faunus leaped backwards, high into the air, then suddenly rushed downwards upon the bull Faunus, his weapons aiming for his opponent's neck. At the last second, Adam stepped aside, allowing Rust to jam his sai harmlessly into the ground instead. Sneering, the bull Faunus spun into a slice with Wilt, only to watch as his assailant's mechanical body split apart, allowing his sword to cut through nothing but thin air.

"What?!" Tai spluttered, eyes wide.

"How is that fair?!" Qrow demanded.

Rust smirked as his body banded back together, before launching a kick behind him that forced Adam away. Twirling his sai, the frog Faunus pushed a pair of buttons hidden on the handles.

"Fear the unseen much, Bull?" he sneered. Smoke billowed out of the tips of the sai, quickly enveloping the two combatants. The bull Faunus locked his legs, and held his sword out in front of him. Suddenly, Rust burst out of the smoke, driving one of his sai into Adam's back, causing bull Faunus to hiss in pain as his Aura flashed. He quickly pivoted into a downward slash, but the frog Faunus was already gone. "Who knows where I'll come from?" Rust's voice cackled out of the cloud of smoke. Adam's yellow eyes flashed as he locked legs, and waited again. The frog Faunus rushed out of the cloud of smoke again, but to his surprise, the bull Faunus turned and swung his sword, forcing him to block with his sai again. Rust let out a frustrated hiss as he disappeared back into his concealing shroud. After a few moments, he leapt out at Adam a third time, but was foiled again. This time, however, the bull Faunus drove his sword into the ground after he deflected the frog Faunus's attack. A circle of red energy rushed out from him, dispersing the smoke. "What the?!" Rust grunted, right before a gauntlet-covered fist slammed into his chest.

"That was an effective strategy!" Cinder praised. "Keep it up, Adam!"

Rust growled as he was tossed backwards, quickly twisting his body to land on his feet. Adam quickly grabbed Blush off his hip, firing several shots at the frog Faunus, who deflected them with his sai. Rust scoffed, then rushed forward again, quickly unleashing a flurry of kicks at the bull Faunus, who was forced to block the attacks with his blade. Finally managing to shove the frog Faunus's leg away, Adam spun around and swung Wilt downwards, aiming for his opponent's neck. Much to his frustration, though, Rust's body split apart again, his sword tearing through nothing but air. The frog Faunus lunged to the side, then disassembled his body, which spun around like a tornado. The bull Faunus barely had time to react before the cyclone of body parts smashed into him, knocking him off his feet.

"Oh, come ON!" Mercury groaned.

"This guy's tough!" Emerald whispered, a hand coming up to her mouth.

Adam rolled to a halt, then quickly sprang up onto his feet, watching Rust reassembled himself. Sneering, the bull Faunus grabbed Blush a second time, and fired off a singular shot. The bullet tore through the rain and slammed into the frog Faunus's shoulder, causing him to gasp and stumble.

"That your best?" Adam taunted. Rust merely chuckled, as his body became enveloped in a black outline, causing his hair to stand on end. The frog Faunus backflipped up onto the high wall of the courtyard, landing with arms crossed in front of him. Several hard light blades were sent flying his way by the bull Faunus, but again, his body disassembled itself, allowing the cyan swords to whizz harmlessly through him. Rust spread his arms out at his side, posing majestically.

"Ha, ha, ha! Welcome to my utopia of death!" the frog Faunus cackled. He raised his arms over his head, and suddenly, several cars rose up into the air as well. Adam stopped cold as he stared at the sight, his fanged mouth curling into a tight grimace. Rust nodded at him, and then thrusted his hands forward, causing all of the cars to rush towards the bull Faunus.

"Uh-oh!" Ren cringed, his usually calm demeanor momentarily shattered.

"He really DOES have your Semblance!" Nora gasped, looking at Pyrrha in surprise.

"That isn't good!" the Invicible Girl whispered nervously.

At the last second, Adam managed to dive out from under the encroaching cars, just before they smashed into the ground, piling up on top of one another. The bull Faunus stood, just in time to receive a kick to the face.

"Ha!" Rust cackled, quickly pulling out his sai and repeatedly jabbing them into Adam's torso. The bull Faunus managed to get one strike in, only for it to be caught between his opponent's weapons, and shoved away. The frog Faunus sheathed one of his sai and leaped away, bringing his hand back. Adam looked up just in time to see one of the cars come crashing down upon his head. "You lost this one!" Rust sneered.

"Oh no!" Velvet whimpered.

"No! That can't be the end!" Coco snapped, pointing at the screen angrily.

For a couple seconds, all that could be heard was the sound of rain gently down of the courtyard. Then, with a primal roar, Adam lifted the car off of himself, and hurled it away.

"So, you ARE strong..." Rust mused. He raised his hand, causing a few more cars to rise out of the pile, then sent them spiraling towards the bull Faunus. Adam merely snarled, grabbing his sword off the ground. A circumference of red light surrounded the bull Faunus, which the cars were enveloped in as they rocketed straight at him. The light flashed, and momentarily, Adam became a blur, before he returned to where he had been standing mere seconds ago, the cars falling to pieces all around him. The bull Faunus pushed off the ground, swiping his sword at the frog Faunus's torso, only for it to connect with empty air as his opponent separated again. Snarling, the bull Faunus swung his sword several more times in rapid succession, with the same result. "Give it up!" Rust sneered. "My power over magnetism is absolute!"

"Don't get so cocky!" Adam growled, thrusting his head forward. His horns jammed straight into the frog Faunus's masked face, causing him to howl in pain. Rust's body quickly reattached itself, so that he clutch at his head. "This is the end!" The bull Faunus quickly sliced his opponent over and over, before driving one spiked knee into the frog Faunus's stomach. With a cry, Rust was thrown backwards, breaking into pieces as he landed on the ground.

"All right, Adam!" Kali cheered, throwing up her fists. "Take that bastard down!"

"Kali, please!" Ghira sighed. "Restrain yourself!"

Rust reassembled himself, then clutched at his chest as his red Aura washed over his body.

"So this is the Bull's terrifying true form, huh?" he sneered. He lifted bis arms, causing more cars to lift out of the pile and hover over Adam. "Magnetic force, Adam! Nature's force!" The frog Faunus growled. "Back to the earth with you!" Rust clenched his fist, and one by one, the cars spun like corkscrews and spiraled straight at the bull Faunus. Adam growled, sheathing his sword. As each car drew near, he would fire off Blush, causing Wilt to burst from its scabbard, allowing him to slice cleanly through each large metal projectile spiraling towards him. As the cars fell around him in flaming chunks, the bull Faunus burst forward, plunging his sword straight at his opponent's chest. Rust wheezed as his chest split apart, allowing him to avoid the brutal attack. The frog Faunus leaped high into the air, sticking the the top of the lower district of the Atlas Titans headquarters.

"Coward!" Adam snarled. "Get down here and fight me face-to-face!"

"Aw, but then you'd miss out on all the fun!" Rust grinned. He sheathed his other sai, and clapped his hands together. "Lorentz Force! Go!" The pile of cars shifted and rose up, then converged upon each other, forming into a large circular wheel, which began to rapidly spin.

"Oh, that isn't good..." Whitley murmured, his face turning even paler than usual.

"His power of magnetism..." Willow gasped. "He's a killing machine!"

Rust began to laugh maniacally as the large wheel of crushed metal landed on the ground, and began to rush towards Adam. The bull Faunus dove out of the way, and stood in time to see the large circle turn sharply around, throwing up sparks and bursting into flame as it careened towards Adam a second time. Snarling, the bull Faunus leaped aside, his clawed feet smashing into the ground with enough force to crack the concrete beneath them. The flaming wheel of metal rose up into the air, before turning on its side and rushing towards Adam once again. The bull Faunus ducked under the attack as it rushed over him and slammed into the walls behind him, exploding in a brilliant flash of orange. When the smoke dispersed, the walls surrounding the courtyard were gone, and several small fires littered the ground, quickly being quenched by the torrential downpour from above. Adam pointed his sword at the frog Faunus, who leaped off the side of the Atlas Titans headquarters, landing with his sai in hand.

"You'll rot here!" Rust snarled, before his hands detached from his wrists. His disembodied appendages rushed towards the bull Faunus, sai outstretched.

"Ah!" Kali cried, gripping her husband's arm. "That's just not right!"

"Indeed, that goes against every single rule of psychics," Ghira grimaced, his eye twitching.

"Too fast for that!" Adam sneered, blocking the pair of oncoming stabs with his sword. The disembodied hands twirled their sai, then looped around into a downward plunge, aiming for the bull Faunus's shoulders. Adam backflipped into the way, as the sai connected with empty air. Landing in a crouch, he raised his head just in time to see Rust's lower torso running towards, thrusting its feet at his face. The bull Faunus shoved his sword out in front of him, allowing the three-toed appendages to connect with Wilt's blade instead. The frog Faunus's lower body fell to the ground in pieces, only for his upper torso to take its place, rapidly stabbing at Adam with his sai. "Give it up!" The bull Faunus growled, twirling his sword in front of him and deflecting the flurry of attacks. Rust's lower body reconnected to his upper torso, so Adam dropped into a sweep kick, hoping to knock his opponent off balance. The frog Faunus merely leaped over the attack, before disassembling, his body parts whirling around in a circle like a cyclone. One by one, each of Rust's bionic pieces shot towards Adam like cannon balls.

"This just keeps going!" Winter coughed, staring at the screen in shock.

"The technology behind Rust's design is ingenious!" Ironwood begrudgingly admitted. "I have no idea how Adam is supposed to beat him."

Adam managed to block the stream of metal body parts rushing towards him, then charged towards his reassembling opponent, swinging Wilt in a large, sweeping arc. Unfortunately, the frog Faunus managed to sidestep the attack, then returned the favor. Both combatants lunged up and down the alleyway, sai and sword filling the air with the sound of screeching metal. Finally, with a savage growl, Rust drove the bull Faunus's blade away with his pronged weapons, then sent him spiraling away with a roundhouse kick. The frog Faunus leaped away, then put away one of his sai and threw his left hand up into the air, causing three cars to rise up into the air.

"Left hand rule!" Rust howled, shoving his outstretched arm towards the ground. The three cars rained down towards Adam, but with a calm grunt, the bull Faunus slid out from under them. He quickly sheathed his sword, then pulled Blush off his belt, firing it at the frog Faunus's face. Wilt spun threw the air, before the sword's pommel slammed into Rust's face. With a cry, the frog Faunus stumbled backwards, recovering just in time to see Adam descend out of the sky, Wilt in hand. The bull Faunus's red blade tore across Rust's concealed face, cracking his mask, and hurling him backwards.

"Does it hurt?" Adam sneered.

"Damn... you're good..." the frog Faunus grumbled, before leaping high into the air, sticking to the side of the Atlas Titans headquarters once again. He clapped his hands together, and another collection of nearby cars congregated in the middle of the air, rapidly shifting into a second giant wheel of crushed metal. This he sent spinning towards the bull Faunus. To Rust's surprise, however, this time Adam held his ground, jamming his sword out in front of him and holding the massive amalgamation back with the flat of his blade.

"Wow, AMAZING!" Ruby cheered, stars in her eyes.

"He's doing it!" Weiss gasped in awe. "He's overpowering Rust!"

"I have won this!" Adam roared, forcing his arms upwards. This motion caused the giant wheel to be thrown off the ground, straight towards Rust. With a gasp, the frog Faunus waved his arms in front of him, causing the giant wheel to be ripped apart, as all of the compacted cars were thrown out of the courtyard, save for one that lodged itself into the Atlas Titans headquarters, directing above Rust's head.

"I'll put you under, weakling!" the frog Faunus grit his teeth. He raised both hands over his head, causing a large obelisk situated in a nearby park to be uprooted by its metal framework, and hover in the air over Rust's head. "Now what will you do, BRAZEN BULL?!" he cackled, thrusting his arms forward, causing the obelisk to rush towards the bull Faunus like a javelin. Adam flipped into the air, then landed on the side of the giant projectile as it jammed into the ground. As thunder rumbled overhead, the bull Faunus used the obelisk as a makeshift ramp, charging up it and leaping into the air. Seeing this, the frog Faunus concentrated his power on the car above him, hurling it at his assailant, but it was quickly sliced in half. "You're dead!" Rust snarled, leaping off the building towards Adam, his sai raised over his head.

"Dead on!" the bull Faunus corrected, quickly shoving his straight into his quarry's chest. The force was enough to drive the frog Faunus backwards, right into the Atlas Titans headquarters. Adam sneered as his blade jammed into the wall of building, pinning his prey in place. The bull Faunus grabbed Rust by the shoulders, then began to repeatedly stomp on the frog Faunus's chest.

"Ooh!" Yang winced, averting her eyes. "Too brutal!"

"A bit overkill, but I can't completely fault him for it," Blake confessed.

"Do as you please..." Rust grumbled. Sneering, Adam growled the frog Faunus by his hair, and strained with all his might. With one harsh upward tug, the cyborg's head was torn off its shoulders. This the bull Faunus hurled up into the air behind, before grabbing the hilt of his sword and pulling it free of the wall. As he fell, he quickly activated his Semblance, and with a flash of red lightning, sent a vertical wave of energy slicing through his opponent's headless body, turning it into rose petals. Adam twisted his body and landed gracefully on his feet, as Rust's disembodied head bounced along the ground, before rolling to a halt right in front of him.

"Ouch..." Sun groaned.

"Indeed, in the unlikelihood Rust is still alive, that reentry with ground must have been exceedingly painful," Penny agreed.

Adam's glowing yellow eyes stared down at the head of his vanquished opponent, who's face lay facing up towards the sky.

"Kill, or be killed..." Rust grunted, his voice weak and soft.

"Don't be ashamed!" the bull Faunus grinned, his fangs on full display. "It's only nature, running its course," he continued, repeating the frog Faunus's exact words from earlier. "Your memes, end here."

"Still a rather humorous choice of words," Ozpin commented, chuckling merrily.

"No..." Rust smiled proudly. "I passed one on to you! Sure as the sun will rise, the slaughter will continue..." There was a moment's pause. "Now, I return to the earth," the frog Faunus resigned. "Wind blows, rain falls, the strong prey on the weak. All... is as it should be~" With a contented sigh, Rust passed away, a smile upon his face for all eternity. Adam let out a sigh as well, as his frightening appearance disappeared in a wave of smoke.

"Adam...?" Clover's voice asked finally.

"I'm fine, Ebi," the bull Faunus reassured the Specialist, reaching up to press the communication button on his intercom. "Relax. I'll get the brains. I don't wish my life for anyone else."

"All right, if you're sure," Clover nodded. "Later." Humming softly, Adam made his way into the Atlas Titans headquarters, as thunder rumbled overhead. The episode ended.

"Well, that fight was quite the spectacle," Qrow grunted, sad to see it over so soon.

"Adam's still got to get through Crimson and Azure, though," Tai pointed. "I get the feeling they'll be much stronger than Rust, as terrifying a thought that is..."

"I know he can do it!" Cinder smiled. "He's come too far to let us down now~"

"I can't guarantee that my onscreen self will win for sure," Adam admitted, before he smiled. "But I've got a good feeling about all of this..."