Chapter 152: Regicide, The Ocean Trembles
Atlantis Kingdom, the white and sacred palace.
Inside the grand hall, before the throne.
Crimson hair whipped wildly in the water, the now darkened Mera's slender pale right hand gripped a dark scythe formed from nothing. The scythe pierced and lifted the most powerful figure in Atlantis at that moment.
The armor of Atlantis was shredded as if it were made of paper, much like a giant wave destroying a marine research museum with ease.
His body was suspended and lifted by the water. Om's handsome face was full of disbelief. The golden crown on his head wobbled dangerously as his body arched backward violently.
A torrent of crimson blood poured from his chest and back, staining the surrounding water red.
"Why…"
Om could not believe it. He could not accept that just moments ago he was confidently preparing to unify the ocean, and now he was about to be killed by the very beauty he had considered untouchable.
"Om, weren't you seeking revenge on humans? Now you've provoked me, so I'm taking revenge on you. Isn't that only natural?"
The blackened Mera held the dark scythe motionless, eyes locked on the ruler of Atlantis as she spoke softly.
"Who… are you…"
Om had barely finished speaking.
Blackened Mera swung the scythe backward. Om's bent body flew backward, stirring the seawater into a murky red, crashing violently onto the expansive hall below the steps. The palace at ten thousand meters underwater fell silent.
From the moment Xi Nian, controlling Mera, reached the throne to the moment he struck Om, less than three seconds had passed.
The royal guards stationed around the palace, including Nereus, the King of Xebel seated in the guest area, were all frozen like statues. No one could have anticipated Mera's action.
After a second or two of dead silence, the palace erupted like a beehive.
"Your Highness Om!!!"
"Seize Mera of Xebel!"
"Request backup! Mera has attacked Your Highness Om!!"
The water stirred chaotically.
A dozen or so royal guards clad in metal armor, tridents in hand, surged forward at incredible speed. They swarmed the blackened Mera on the platform like humanoid swordfish, their deadly intent weaving together, chilling the entire hall like an ice prison.
"You've gone mad, Mera! Do you even know what you're doing?!"
Nereus, trembling, rose from his seat, unsure how to act.
Although he wanted to save his daughter as a father, any intervention now would spark a brutal war between the two kingdoms.
Killing the ruling Om within the Atlantis palace was far worse than the scandal twenty years ago when the Queen of Atlantis loved a human man.
Blackened Mera faced the approaching guards without dodging. She pushed both hands outward with a sudden force.
"Don't kill them!" Mera's mental voice called out in time.
At her command, the surrounding water surged outward powerfully. The dozen guards were flung against the palace walls along with their weapons before reaching her.
Blackened Mera lightly raised her palm, lifting a trident swirling in the water and grasping it.
She gauged its weight, then casually hurled the trident toward the still-living Om in the hall. The trident cut through the water like a white arrow.
"Your Highness Om!"
The fallen guards shouted in alarm.
Just as the trident was about to pierce Om's head, a tall, burly black figure burst into the palace from the main entrance at high speed.
He scooped up the gravely injured Om and retreated toward the palace doors. The trident barely grazed him, embedding itself in the floor, tearing through his black cloak and shoulder. The figure grunted in pain but moved with incredible speed, disappearing in an instant.
"Oh, who was that?" Blackened Mera's eyes widened. The speed of that person in water was likely even faster than Om.
"I don't know… I don't know who he is…"
Mera's mental voice called out in shock. Even after all this time in Atlantis, she had never known such a mysterious figure was hiding in the palace.
"Whatever. Om won't survive long anyway." Xi Nian didn't care.
The characteristic of the Devouring Beast Flerken ensured wounds from his claws never fully healed. With Om's critical injuries, even Atlantis technology couldn't save him.
"I should leave too."
Xi Nian controlled Mera's body, moving slightly. The surrounding water boiled and erupted, a streak of red-black light shooting toward the palace gate.
"Stop her! Don't let her escape!"
Soldiers rushing in from outside tried to block her, but a dark current swirled around blackened Mera, tossing dozens of them helplessly.
No one could even get close. Today.
All of Atlantis witnessed a black streak racing over the kingdom, accelerating endlessly, until it slammed into the sealed national gates.
Boom!
The woman's body strength was unreal, smashing everything in her path, breaking the energy shield of the gate, and escaping Atlantis.
But rather than a mere escape, it was a full-force breakthrough.
Watching the gate's flashing energy and the chaos of lasers outside, many Atlantian residents were stunned speechless.
Soon after, news of Om's assassination attempt spread through the palace, shocking the entire kingdom.
Princess Mera of Xebel had gravely wounded Your Highness Om and escaped the kingdom?
Was I hearing things? Every Atlantean was dumbfounded.
Atlantis' military went berserk, dispatching armed ships to search the oceans and capture the rogue Mera.
Meanwhile, other underwater kingdoms were equally stunned. Xebel's citizens were angry and confused. Their king, present in the palace, had been captured by Atlantis.
From the moment blackened Mera struck Om, the underwater world had been completely shattered.
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