Mera gazed blankly at the trident in her hand, then looked up at Lucci, a look of disbelief—as if doubting her own life—on her face. But she soon regained her composure, and her face overflowed with incomparable ecstasy and shock!
"You… did you really remove the restrictions on Poseidon's Trident?"
Lucci shook his head, speaking lightly.
"Not yet."
"I simply infused your aura with the authority. From now on, you are also the master of this Poseidon's Trident."
Hearing this, the shock on Mera's face melted into unspeakable joy and gratitude! She stared at Lucci with excitement and bowed deeply.
"Prince Lucci! You… You may never know just how important your move is to Atlantis!" Her voice trembled slightly with excitement.
"Arthur… Even though he's king, he never liked to take care of Atlantis' daily affairs. To be honest, I've often felt powerless relying on my own strength alone. But… with the full power of the Poseidon Trident… with that, it's a completely different situation!"
"It's not just an increase in strength! This is an affirmation of authority! With the approval of the Poseidon Trident, I can guard and govern this vast kingdom beneath the waves far better!"
Lucci gazed at her, watching her almost cry with excitement, and simply smiled indifferently.
"Alright," he waved his hand. "Let's go see the Mother Box."
The night in the state is as long as a dream.
"Yes, Prince Lucci!"
Mera quickly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes and nodded respectfully. At that moment, she was completely convinced by Lucci! No more hesitation or doubt—she wielded the newly radiant Poseidon's Trident and led the way with respect. Alongside Lucci and Diana, she headed towards the location of the Mother Box.
…
At the same time, thousands of kilometers away from Atlantis' waters, in the northern icy seas—
A figure, like a deep-sea torpedo with its guts ripped open, moved at a terrifying speed, exceeding the speed of sound, cutting through the frozen waters and leaving a visible white wake.
It was Arthur Curry, King of Atlantis.
His wild and unrestrained face was, at this moment, filled with solemnity and unease.
Just a moment ago, he had refused Bruce Wayne's proposal to form an alliance and returned to the familiar embrace of the sea. But before he could enjoy the peace, a throbbing pulse—like the beat of blood deep within—suddenly echoed from afar!
That was… the resonance of Poseidon's Trident!
Moreover, it was unprecedentedly active, with surges of energy both violent and intense!
That power was so vast and majestic that he could feel it clearly, even from thousands of kilometers away. It set off stormy waves in Arthur's heart.
Has something happened in Atlantis?
No, that can't be! Even Mera can only borrow a fraction of the Trident's power. There's no way she could cause such a terrifying fluctuation that would change the entire sea!
This power is several times stronger than even at full force!
What happened?
Arthur couldn't understand. Thinking of his homeland, he didn't hesitate for even a second, pushing his strength to the limit. His speed surged, turning him into a streak underwater. He raced at full speed toward Atlantis, toward the source of the energy fluctuation.
…
Deep under the sea, the core region of the Kingdom of Atlantis—no sunlight here, yet countless luminous jellyfish and radiant building materials illuminated the waters as if it were day. Magnificent structures made of living coral outlined a dreamy world beneath the sea.
Far from the city center, within ancient underwater ruins that looked especially old and solemn, was one of Atlantis' most sacred forbidden places.
At the center of the ruins, atop an ancient altar carved from the bones of a giant prehistoric beast, rested a strange cube, glowing gently, filled with unknown technology.
Guarded by countless stone pillars wrapped in fluorescent seaweed, it seemed to pulse like a heart, maintaining the energy balance of this underwater civilization.
It was one of the three Mother Boxes, a holy relic guarded by generations of Atlanteans.
Around the altar, guards in silver-white armor, each wielding high-frequency vibrating blades, stood vigil like statues.
They were the kingdom's elite warriors, with the terrifying strength to tear sharks apart bare-handed under thousands of meters of water pressure.
At that moment, a strange ripple in the water echoed from afar. Almost instantly, all the guards snapped from stillness to full alert!
"Who's there?"
The captain of the guard asked in a low voice, the energy blade in his hand humming, his eyes locking onto the source of the sound like a deep-sea predator.
The next moment, under the wary gaze of all the soldiers, a familiar figure appeared at the entrance of the ruins: Queen Mera.
But before they could react, they were shocked—she was respectfully leading two others behind her!
"Queen Mera!"
Though their hearts were filled with doubt, the captain and all the guards saluted Mera as quickly as possible. At the same time, they couldn't help but curiously study the two people behind her.
One was Diana, Princess of the Amazons from Themyscira, whom they recognized.
The other… he neither had Atlantean features nor the divine aura of the Amazons. He looked like an ordinary man of the surface.
But how could such an "ordinary human" be led so respectfully by the Queen?
Mera ignored the soldiers' suspicious looks. She gently waved her hand, signaling them to forgo ceremony, then turned to Lucci, carefully pointing to the cube at the center of the altar.
"Prince Lucci, that is the Mother Box that Atlantis has guarded for generations."
Lucci's gaze fell on the seaweed-wrapped stone columns. He nodded slightly, wasting no time, and directly reached out, lightly gesturing toward the altar.
A gentle yet irresistible undercurrent was instantly born, softly lifting the Mother Box from the altar and sending it smoothly flying into Lucci's hand.
This scene completely changed the expressions of the surrounding Atlantean warriors!
"Stop!"
Almost instinctively, two of them shouted at the same time!
The Mother Box was a sacred relic guarded with their lives—how could an outsider take it so easily?
More than a dozen elite guards instantly became silver-white lightning, their high-frequency blades raising dense bubbles as they converged from all directions, charging at Lucci and the Mother Box!
Mera saw this and let out a resounding, majestic shout!
"Stop!"
Her furious cry exploded in every soldier's heart like a deep-sea bomb!
The supreme power of the Trident suddenly froze them in mid-motion!
"No one is to show any disrespect to Prince Lucci!"
Mera's voice was cold and severe. The soldiers all froze, staring at the Queen in disbelief.
Prince Lucci?
The captain of the guard turned with difficulty, looking at Mera in confusion.
"Queen Mera! Who is he?
The Mother Box is a sacred relic our clan has guarded with blood and life for thousands of years!
How could we simply hand it to an outsider?"
Mera sighed at their loyal but ignorant expressions. She first turned to Lucci and deeply bowed in apology.
"Prince Lucci, please forgive them.
They don't know who you are or the gravity of this situation. Please pardon their ignorance and recklessness."
Lucci spoke lightly.
"Those who don't know are not guilty."
Hearing this, Mera breathed a sigh of relief. She turned back to the still unconvinced soldiers and explained,
"This is Prince Lucci, Crown Prince of Asgard, Lord of the Nine Worlds!"
"What?!"
The moment the words left her lips, all the soldiers were shocked!
Asgard… the realm of the gods? The Crown Prince?
They looked at each other, the hostility on their faces instantly replaced by deep shock and reverence.
Naturally, they dared not doubt Mera's words.
But… in the end, the true king of Atlantis is Arthur Curry.
To give away the sacred relic without the king's order is…
After all, it's a violation.
Lucci paid no attention to the soldiers' inner turmoil. He looked at the Mother Box in his hand and nodded slightly.
Now, both Mother Boxes were in his possession.
Everything would depend on when Steppenwolf appeared.
Just then, from the distant seawater, a water current of terrifying speed approached like thunder!
It was so violent and fast that everyone noticed it at once.
And the Atlantean warriors, who were still confused, immediately broke into joyous smiles upon sensing the familiar aura.
"Lord Aquaman!"
"Wonderful! Lord Aquaman is back!"
Arthur's speed was extremely fast. Guided by the powerful energy of the Trident, he approached the ruins like a deep-sea lightning bolt.
At the same time, he wondered—why had Mera come to such a place? This was the forbidden site where the Mother Box was sealed!
Could there really have been an irreversible change in the kingdom?
His heart tightened. Without hesitation, he rushed to the center of the ruins—
And saw a scene that dramatically changed his expression!
He saw the Mother Box—Atlantis' sacred relic, guarded for generations—in the hands of a complete stranger!
That man was toying with this source of terrifying destructive power as casually as if playing with a Rubik's Cube!
A roaring, uncontrollable rage surged from Arthur's chest to the heavens above!
"Put down the Mother Box!"
His voice boomed like the roar of a deep-sea beast!
Before his shout died away, his attack was already launched!
A dark current, compressed by the high-density seawater, instantly condensed and took shape.
It surged toward Lucci with the ferocity of a deep-sea poison dragon, powerful enough to tear apart a submarine!
Seeing this, panic and anxiety flickered across Mera's beautiful face!
"Arthur! Stop!"
She shouted anxiously, swinging the Poseidon Trident without hesitation!
A similarly majestic, but more refined and condensed undercurrent burst from the trident's tip!
It met Arthur's black current head-on!
Boom!!
One side black, one side white.
The strongest forces in Atlantis today collided at the center of the ruins!
But there was no earth-shattering explosion.
Instead, the two undercurrents, each containing terrifying power, intertwined like giant pythons, forming a rapidly spinning vortex, and then…
In an instant, they canceled each other out and vanished.
Only the violent aftershock shook cracks into several nearby stone pillars!
Arthur stood frozen on the spot, his face full of shock as he stared at Mera, who was holding the trident.
He was stunned—not only by the fact that Mera hadn't attacked him, but also by the overwhelming control she displayed!
That attack was perfectly matched, neither exceeding nor falling short.
It was just right—enough to completely neutralize his furious blow.
This required not only the power of the trident, but also an understanding of water's properties and an unparalleled level of control.
In his impression, Mera was strong, but never before could she wield such precision!
He wasn't alone in his shock.
The surrounding Atlantean warriors were equally stunned!
Naturally, they couldn't see through the mystery of authority.
They could only stare, dazed, at the dramatic scene before them!
What was going on?
Was their Queen actually protecting an outsider…
And His Majesty, did he act?
This… this was truly unprecedented!
The next moment, Arthur snapped back to reality.
His wild face instantly turned ugly!
"Mera! What are you doing?
Did you really attack me for his sake?"
Lucci's lips twitched at the question.
Why did that sound so strange?
As if there was something awkward between him and Mera.
Diana, standing beside him, clearly had the same thought.
She suppressed a laugh and nudged Lucci with her elbow, giving him a meaningful, teasing smile.
This only made Lucci feel more helpless.
Taking the brunt of Arthur's angry, questioning gaze, Mera blushed slightly.
"Arthur, calm down! Please listen to my explanation!"
She quickly and clearly explained Lucci's identity and the purpose of their journey. She even described the miraculous sight atop the frozen sea, where glaciers melted in a single thought.
As Mera spoke, the anger on Arthur's face gradually melted into utter disbelief.
Behind him, the guards listened and were even more shocked, their eyes filled with awe and fear as they looked at Lucci.
Glaciers melting across thousands of miles?
The Crown Prince of Asgard?
The Apokolips invasion?
This information exploded in Arthur's head like a barrage of thunder, sending his wild, untamed mind spinning.
When Mera finished, a dead silence hung over the ruins.
Arthur looked at Lucci, then at Mera, and finally at the solemn Diana.
His face was filled with disbelief.
"So… So this is… The Crown Prince of Asgard, who can even unlock the Poseidon Trident?"
Mera nodded heavily. To prove her words, she directly handed the trident in her hand to Arthur.
"If you don't believe me, see for yourself."
…