Chapter 154: Mera, Stop Imagining!
The Mediterranean Sea.
"Are you sure this is the place?"
"The final guidance points exactly here. It should be down below…"
A beautiful figure hovered in the shallow waters, her long crimson hair flowing like fire. Blackened Mera muttered to herself as she sank.
This was deep ocean beyond Italy, thousands of kilometers away from Atlantis' domain.
Before this—
Xi Nian, through Mera's body, had already traveled to the Sea of Sands, the Sahara Desert, where beneath the dunes lay ancient ruins of a lost kingdom. From there, he obtained the first clue leading to the legendary Trident.
After that—
Blackened Mera went to Sicily in Italy. Atop ancient Greek ruins, she found the final guidance pointing to the artifact.
They had practically circled half the globe, fending off Atlantis' pursuing forces again and again. Yet, since Xi Nian and Mera had merged, only six hours had passed.
The fusion continued, the bond growing stronger.
Now, the two who had become one had finally reached the place of the final guidance.
The next step was to find the resting place of Atlantis' former king, and with it, the Trident that vanished alongside him.
…
Blackened Mera's figure dove into the ocean without raising so much as a ripple.
She sank deeper, the water streaming smoothly over her elegant form.
"Xi Nian, I know your real goal now!"
Mera's voice rang sharply in his mind. "You want me to sit on the throne of the seas, ruling as Empress. That way, having me as your private possession would feel more… satisfying, wouldn't it?"
"Uh, woman, you're overthinking…" Xi Nian was momentarily speechless.
He honestly hadn't thought that way before.
But… now that she mentioned it, didn't that actually sound… pretty good?
A thought flickered in his mind.
He pictured Mera ascending the throne in daylight. Her fiery hair tied into a regal crown bun, a golden circlet resting upon her head, clad in resplendent armor, the Trident in her hands as she commanded the Seven Kingdoms. The oceans would kneel before her.
And at night… she would return to his vast, cold palace. On the soft imperial bed, the armor and ornaments gone, her snow-white body curling into the shape of a seashell…
Yes, as a hot-blooded young man, Xi Nian was just… indulging in fantasy.
Who hasn't dreamed of mermaids or beast-girls?
The problem was, at this moment, Xi Nian and Mera shared the same mind.
She felt every detail of his fantasy.
Mera froze. Against her will, she followed his line of thought and even added her own touches.
Like the bed being a purple coral crystal bed. Her hair, when pinned up, made her look elegant and noble, but when loose, cascading over her bare, slender back, it made her even more beautiful…
For half a second, their thoughts intertwined, completing a wildly indecent fantasy together.
"Xi Nian! Stop! Don't think any further!" Mera's voice cried out in panic. She was afraid of getting lost in their vivid fantasy!
"This isn't my fault. You're the one who started it," Xi Nian shot back, strained.
The more they filled in details, the clearer the picture—so real that Xi Nian nearly believed it had already happened.
"Think about something else, quick!" Mera begged.
If they kept going, they'd end up imagining children too!
Xi Nian: "Already did. So… you wanted two kids, huh?"
As the saying goes—
The more you force yourself not to think of something, the more you do.
Thankfully, another event pulled their minds away just in time.
Whoosh!
From the depths, a two-meter tall shadow burst upward, claws reaching straight for Blackened Mera!
Reacting instantly, Mera's right arm shot out. Dark tendrils uncoiled from her armored hand, binding the monstrous shadow tightly.
"Grahhhhhh!"
The creature struggled madly, revealing itself under Mera's gaze: a two-meter sea monster, grotesque and malformed. Its skin was rough and black-brown, with red fins sprouting from limbs and back. Its eyes gleamed coldly, devoid of intelligence.
"That's a creature devolved from the Trench dwellers," Mera explained. "They instinctively hunt anything they see. Their strength and speed surpass ordinary soldiers. Born killers of the deep."
"And worst of all—they live in swarms."
Even as she said it, the dark waters below churned.
Thousands of such sea monsters surged upward, dense as a school of fish, forming a black wave that devoured everything in its path.
The force of it was like a tsunami, shaking the ocean for miles around.
"Come!"
Blackened Mera hurled the bound monster aside. She stretched out both hands, seizing control of the seawater within a hundred meters.
Her beautiful eyes glowed deep blue. With a sweeping motion, she pulled at the ocean itself.
Whoooosh!
The waters spun violently, dragging the monsters into a massive whirlpool, like throwing them into a gigantic washing machine.
"Go!"
With a push of her arms, the whirlpool surged upward, hurling the monsters toward the surface.
The column of spinning water erupted from the sea, rising over twenty meters high before bursting open, flinging the monsters into the sky.
"What the hell is that?"
On Sicily's coast, Arthur stared at the strange sight far out at sea.
Elsewhere—
Namor surfaced nearby, having tracked Mera's location through her beacon. He looked toward the rain of sea monsters falling from the sky.
"So it's there…" he murmured.
…
After clearing the swarm of beasts,
Blackened Mera dove deeper, soon reaching a whirlpool of raging currents sparking with arcs of lightning.
Yes—
The vortex was like a thundercloud in the sea, flashing with blinding bolts.
Without hesitation, Mera plunged straight into the center.
Through the churning darkness, a faint light appeared, like sunlight breaking through.
The world felt upside down.
Boom!
Water splashed violently.
Xi Nian, controlling Mera's body, broke through the surface.
Before them spread a hidden world. Mountains stretched from above, waterfalls spilled rainbows downward, golden sunlight bathed her darkened figure.
"The legend is real… This is the Hidden Sea at the Earth's core!" Mera's voice was filled with awe.
[Please give powerstones if you're enjoying the story.
500 stones = 1 extra chapter
patreon.com/GuessMyName33 10$ for 80 chapters ahead]