Chapter 151: Breaking Through the Sea
As the sun set, night fell.
The monstrous waves, like ancient beasts unleashed, had finally receded, leaving behind a mess of colorful ocean debris and broken ships. Moonlight shone over the town, which had suffered over 80% destruction. Rescue personnel arrived from both air and land, setting up searchlights across the urban area to aid in relief efforts.
Gwen, who had already donned her Spider-Woman suit, had removed the black webbing earlier to allow rescue helicopters to land safely.
Students, parents, and surviving staff and residents were wrapped in protective blankets and evacuated in batches by rescue teams. Meanwhile, workers in protective suits began disinfecting the town, knowing that the combination of marine debris and dead organisms could breed viruses far more insidious than the natural disaster itself.
Atop a mountain near the town, a tall, elegant figure stood against the night wind, her black hair flowing. She carried an ancient shield and a divine sword, which glimmered with a solemn, sacred light under the moon.
A smaller, more delicate figure leapt beside her, agile and graceful, her green-glowing feet encased in slender boots.
Spider-Woman Gwen lifted her hood with one hand and removed her mask with the other, revealing a tousled head of golden hair and a beautiful, delicate face bathed in moonlight.
"Miss Diana, so you're Wonder Woman," Gwen said, looking up in awe.
"Xi Nian didn't tell you?" Diana replied with a gentle smile.
"No," Gwen shook her head. "He only mentioned some of his hidden abilities and that Kara is from Krypton. He never spoke of your superhero identity."
"Is that so," Diana said, nodding slightly.
Gwen paused and said sincerely, "I think it's because he feels your secret is more important than his own."
Wonder Woman said nothing, her wise, gleaming eyes quietly studying Gwen's reflection in her Spider-Woman suit. Gwen felt a sudden flutter of unease, realizing her current wild, leaping state was far from the composed, graceful image she usually projected.
Then Diana spoke, "How about calling me Auntie from now on?"
Gwen's eyes widened in surprise. "R-Really?"
"If you want," Diana nodded with a smile.
"Of course I want!" Gwen blurted out, then shyly said, "Auntie."
Diana nodded in acknowledgment. "Let's change and head back. Your mother must be worried."
"Shouldn't we wait for Xi Nian?" Gwen asked, glancing at the starlit sea.
"No need. If he chose to act this way, it means he has confidence in winning," Diana said. "He got his powers from you, after all."
"Yes," Gwen admitted, blushing.
"Meow!"
Xiao Huang's soft cat-like voice came from the backpack Gwen carried, as if claiming some credit.
Meanwhile, along the coast on the other side of town, a destroyed pickup truck lay stranded.
King Arthur Curry of Atlantis knelt in the debris-strewn sand, cradling a man in his early fifties, who was lifeless with eyes closed.
The normal ocean waves lapped gently as a well-groomed middle-aged man, dressed like a gentleman, emerged from the water holding a silver trident.
"Oh my…"
Atlantis strategist Vico could hardly believe his eyes. King Arthur remained motionless, holding his father's body like a statue.
"This was all triggered by Orm, just the prelude to provoke full-scale war between land and sea," Vico said gravely. "Arthur, I know you're grieving, but you must recover quickly. Only you can stop Orm and save Atlantis!"
Arthur's bloodshot eyes glared, fury roaring in his voice. "Atlantis killed my mother, now my father too—how can I save it?"
"Atlantis was your mother's kingdom. As the crown prince, you are the rightful heir," Vico said sternly. "And your anger should fall on Orm, who caused this. Plus, your family isn't only your parents."
"You mean Orm, my half-brother?" Arthur clenched his fists.
"No," Vico shook his head. "Your father never told you a vital secret."
Deep beneath the ocean, in regions modern submarines cannot reach, the crushing pressure could flatten any ordinary vessel. Here, total darkness and cold dominate, resembling a corner of space beyond the sky.
Descending further, a massive underwater rift revealed a civilization far beyond the surface. Energy cannons and surveillance devices lined the trench, thousands of colossal guardian statues stood watch, and a luminous bridge spanned kilometers of the rift, teeming with underwater vessels. This is the Kingdom of Atlantis, the only portal connecting it to the outside world.
Inside a jellyfish-shaped two-seater submarine, Mera now wore her dark, enhanced symbiotic suit, her usual red hair now a deep scarlet.
"So this is Atlantis…"
Through Mera, Xi Nian gathered intelligence on the underwater world. Atlantis had evolved from an ancient land-based empire. The first ruler, who had carried a divine trident, had perished at sea, leading to the empire's fragmentation into seven underwater kingdoms. The most powerful remains the Kingdom of Atlantis, and the second strongest is Mera's Xebel Kingdom.
Xi Nian, as the dominant symbiont, thought: if Atlantis can gain support from Xebel, Fisherfolk, and Saline Kingdoms, it could unify the underwater world. Mera's mind replied: my father has aligned with Orm.
Xi Nian smirked. Naturally, if she's being married off, their interests align.
Through the symbiosis, Mera now knew about Xi Nian—just an ordinary high school boy, yet able to gain another's abilities by physical contact in half a day. Today's disaster inadvertently revealed such a human anomaly.
Mera thought: "Xi Nian, stop. I'll handle the rest."
Xi Nian replied: "Can you? Ultimately, the hope rests on Arthur."
Mera remained silent, dependent on the King of Atlantis to defeat Orm.
"Since you have no choice, try relying on me," Xi Nian said. For matters of power and succession, the solution could be simple.
The small submarine carrying darkened Mera arrived at the kingdom gates. Fully armed soldiers scanned her; her status as Xebel's princess and Orm's fiancée allowed her to pass freely.
Inside, Atlantis was a dazzling world of underwater ships, marine life, and grand architecture infused with advanced technology and ancient culture. Were war to break out, the oceanic forces could easily crush human surface forces, though the Avengers and Justice League remain formidable.
On land, a young girl appeared high above the coastal town. Clouds parted, and moonlight shone on a red-caped figure, golden hair flowing, S-shaped emblem on her chest, black stockings shimmering along her legs. The girl radiated both grace and immense latent power.
"Xi Nian isn't here," the young Superwoman observed. A glance confirmed no sign of Xi Nian among the evacuating townspeople.
"What's that?" She saw the ocean form a whirlpool, moving with a sonic boom as if struck by a meteor.
Nearby, Shark King Nanawi paused, witnessing a girl standing in the center of the whirlpool.
"Excuse me, talking shark, may I bother you for a moment?" Superwoman called out, red-hot light in her eyes.
Inside Atlantis, the royal palace towered with vast white halls, fully illuminated despite the depths. Darkened Mera swam in freely, unchallenged, approaching the throne room.
Seated there was a handsome man in golden armor, smiling and conversing with a middle-aged man in silver, both cloaked in symbols of royalty. Orm, ruler of Atlantis, and Nerus, king of Xebel.
Orm frowned at an intrusion, but relaxed upon recognizing her. "Mera, you've arrived."
"Daughter," Nerus joked, "is this your home now? No manners at all."
Orm waved it off. "It's fine. Soon, this will truly be Mera's home."
Darkened, Mera ignored him, stepping forward.
Nerus frowned, worried, "Mera! Shouldn't you salute Orm? And what's with your clothes?"
"What's wrong, Mera?" Orm asked, rising as she approached.
Less than five meters separated them.
"My father is here too… Xi Nian, please stop!" Mera's mind pleaded.
"Let's finish this,"
Mera raised her empty, slender right hand. Xi Nian spoke through her body: it was a command to Orm and Mera.
"Finish?" Orm froze as a chilling fear surged through him.
Suddenly, the surrounding water exploded outward, leaving him in a temporary vacuum. A dark, scythe-like claw pierced through his golden armor, impaling him and hoisting his tall, muscular frame into the air.
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