Meanwhile, in Atlantis...
By the time the seawater within the ruined temple had been completely stained with blood, Ocean Master Orm had already led his guards to the ruins where the Mother Box was being kept.
Nereus had also arrived with Orm.
He had come in such a hurry that he had only brought two small teams of twelve elite guards each, but he had brought both teams with him.
Although he had only just arrived in the Kingdom of Atlantis, Nereus had immediately heard the kingdom's alarm echoing throughout the ocean.
Nereus understood that Atlantis and Xebel shared the same fate. If Atlantis truly suffered a catastrophe, the entire undersea world would be thrown into chaos.
Therefore, despite the danger, he had rushed toward the source of the disturbance at the first opportunity.
Naturally, he had not dared bring his daughter.
His fifteen-year-old daughter, Mera, had instead been escorted to the Sea King's palace by one of his attendants.
Even inside the palace, the sound of the alarm made Mera unable to hide her unease. She nervously tucked her feet beneath herself and pursed her lips as she tried to look outside the window.
One group of Atlantean warriors after another gathered throughout the city.
Sharks and various mechanical vessels raced through the water, while the growing commotion made Mera's hands tremble.
Seeing the girl's frightened expression, the ailing Sea King, Orvax, wearily raised his head from his sickbed and spoke as gently as he could.
"Mera, good child, are you frightened?"
"No, Your Majesty. I'm just... a little nervous."
Mera answered softly, but even while speaking to the Sea King, she could not stop glancing toward the roaring forces outside.
She was genuinely afraid.
The most frightening thing she could imagine was a powerful sea creature suddenly breaking into the palace.
Noticing the girl's involuntary explanation, Orvax took a deep breath before turning toward Vico, who was standing quietly beside him.
"Look, Vico. This is all my fault.
"If a strong, healthy, powerful, and confident Sea King were sitting on the throne, how could a young girl be this nervous?
"My weakness has brought shame upon Atlantis. This cannot continue.
"The ocean truly needs a new King. Perhaps my son needs to become more resolute."
"Your Majesty!"
Hearing Orvax's words, Vico immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"Your Majesty, please do not speak this way. You have devoted yourself to governing Atlantis and have always sought to strengthen the kingdom. For the past thirty years, the people of the ocean have been grateful for your benevolence.
"As for this Mother Box incident, it was an accident. The Mother Box is indeed connected to dangerous enemies from our ancient past, but no one could have predicted that it would become active at this particular moment.
"This is absolutely not your responsibility, Your Majesty!"
"Yes, Your Majesty. It's all my fault. I... I'm just nervous."
Mera also hurriedly followed Vico's explanation.
"But I'm not afraid of the Mother Box. I just... my father always told me what a great King you are, so I became nervous when I met you for the first time."
The Sea King's self-reproach made both of them uneasy.
Orvax was a benevolent and capable King, but an aging lion could become the most unpredictable when forced into the final struggle of his life.
At that moment, listening to their words, Orvax managed a difficult smile before sighing.
"Look at me. I'm like a child now. Not only does my attendant worry about me, but even the younger generation has to comfort me.
"If you truly respect me, then do not question my words.
"This ocean needs a stronger, more vigorous, and more confident King for its people.
"Vico, remember what I have said. Once we overcome the disaster brought by this Mother Box, you must find Orm and advise him. Make it clear that he needs to become more resolute if he wishes to live up to the expectations of the entire ocean.
"More importantly, although illness has consumed my body, I do not want to die disgracefully in a sickbed.
"Orm... he should initiate that final sacred challenge against me."
Orvax suddenly began coughing violently.
Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Mera's eyes widened in terror, while Vico immediately stepped forward to support the old King.
After gently wiping the blood from Orvax's mouth, Vico tried to steady him.
Orvax stared at him for a moment before pushing his hand away.
"Vico."
His voice became stern.
"If Orm doesn't even possess that much resolve, then he is not worthy of carrying the destiny of the Seven Seas!
"He wants war, doesn't he? Then how can a King who longs for war lack the courage to defeat his own father?
"If he is so cowardly, yet dares to boast about waging war against humanity and the surface world, then he might even be inferior to the son Atlanna raised outside Atlantis.
"Atlanna was Sea King for only two and a half months, but even so, her illegitimate eldest son is still the eldest son of Atlantis's King.
"Orm, my son, surely you are more worthy of the throne of Atlantis than a child raised by surface dwellers!"
Thud!
Orvax's body suddenly collapsed.
Vico's entire body stiffened.
Fortunately, after examining the King, Vico confirmed that Orvax was still alive. His body had simply reached its limit.
After settling the Sea King properly, Vico turned toward Mera, who was trembling after accidentally overhearing the royal secrets.
"Princess Mera, may I call you that?"
"Of... of course, Uncle Vico."
"Very good, Your Highness. I hope you will try to forget everything you heard today.
"The fate of the ocean cannot be determined by a few emotional remarks from His Majesty.
"Prince Orm carries the favor of the Seven Seas. He will become the undisputed King of the Seven Seas. Please remember that."
"I know. I know, Uncle."
Mera nodded quickly.
"And... I'm also Prince Orm's fiancée.
"Although it will still be many years before we can marry, I won't... I won't make any decisions that could harm the kingdom.
"I... please rest assured. I won't speak out of turn."
"Very good."
Vico nodded.
"Remember what you said today."
"I will."
Mera nodded vigorously.
At that very moment, the battle inside the ruined temple was approaching its end.
Although Orm and the Atlantean warriors possessed considerable combat power, contending with Steppenwolf was simply too difficult.
Apart from Orm and Nereus, who could barely exchange a few blows with him, the other Atlantean soldiers fared even worse than the senior Amazon warriors had against Steppenwolf.
Even with Orm and Nereus fighting with everything they had, it took only three to five minutes before the Mother Box guarded by Atlantis ended up in Steppenwolf's arms.
A booming portal opened.
Steppenwolf disappeared through it.
Orm, a massive wound stretching across his chest, collapsed against a damaged section of the wall.
He looked toward Nereus, whose waist and arm were covered in deep wounds.
"Royal Uncle... damn it. Who exactly was that?"
"I don't know."
Nereus struggled to stand.
"But he must be an enemy from our ancestors' past.
"The Mother Box was one of our ancestors' spoils of war, and they kept it sealed inside this temple for generations. They probably never imagined that when the Mother Box became active again, we would no longer possess the strength necessary to fight the enemies connected to it."
Nereus painfully climbed to his feet.
His intestines were protruding from his abdomen, but he still believed he could survive if he received treatment quickly.
Orm thought the same.
He pulled himself upright while using one hand to grasp his shattered armor.
The armor had been split open by Steppenwolf's massive axe and was now embedded in his body.
Orm had no choice.
He reached into the wound stretching from his left shoulder to his right ribs, hooked his fingers around the damaged armor, and violently tore it away.
Rip!
The armor came free.
Blood immediately poured from the wound in even greater volume.
Seeing his nephew's condition, Nereus approached while clutching his exposed intestines. He reached out and grabbed Orm's arm.
"Don't move around. Reinforcements will arrive soon.
"We need to recover as quickly as possible. Our enemy has already obtained more than one Mother Box, and I don't even want to imagine what kind of catastrophe he will unleash once he gathers them all.
"How many Mother Boxes are there in total? Who has the remaining ones?
"Our historical records are too incomplete. There is so much we don't know..."
Nereus suddenly grimaced.
"Ugh. Damn it, my intestines are tangled.
"Orm, stand steady. I need both hands to untangle them!"
With that, Nereus released Orm and miserably began sorting out his own intestines.
Orm, meanwhile, leaned against the wall and limped toward his broken trident.
"I thought my fighting ability was already exceptional, but my trident couldn't withstand that man's axe.
"Damn it. If only I could discover the whereabouts of the lost Trident of Neptune!"
Orm grabbed the broken weapon and suddenly exerted force.
The trident tore free from the wall.
Blood gushed from his wounds again.
Leaning on the broken weapon, Orm painfully stared toward the temple entrance.
Dozens of sharks rushed in first.
The overwhelming scent of blood had made them visibly agitated, but the Atlantean Royal Guard maintained control over them.
The guards quickly surrounded Orm and Nereus.
"Inform Father King that we must prepare for total war!
"The enemy has stolen the Mother Box. Even Royal Uncle Nereus and I couldn't stop him when we fought together.
"His power is beyond our expectations!
"Mobilize the troops. Search for the Mother Box and determine the enemy's location.
"We must disrupt his plans before he can gather all the Mother Boxes!
"I have a terrible feeling that once they are all assembled, we will face a catastrophe on a completely different scale.
"Damn it!"
Orm's expression was grim.
Unfortunately, while he was issuing military orders, several nervous soldiers lifted him off the ground like a human-sized doll and carried him toward the treatment chamber.
Soon, Orm was submerged in a strange nutrient solution.
He still had countless orders he wanted to issue, but by then, no one could hear him.
As for Nereus, that old warrior only wanted to soak in the treatment tank for a while.
Let the heavens fall and the earth split apart.
As long as Atlantis and his elder brother Orvax remained, they would find a way to hold everything together.
For now, Nereus just wanted to straighten out his intestines.
At the same time, Mera and Vico received the news and immediately rushed toward the treatment chamber.
When Mera saw her father and Orm floating inside the treatment machines, both of them covered in horrific wounds, tears immediately filled her eyes.
Vico, meanwhile, swallowed hard.
He knew Orm's strength better than almost anyone.
Orm was one of his proudest students and one of the greatest warriors in the ocean. At least among the current Atlantean forces, Vico could think of no warrior stronger than him.
Yet even Orm had been reduced to this state by a single enemy.
Clearly, Atlantis could not expect to gain any advantage in terms of top-level combat power in the battles to come.
But that wasn't even the most serious problem.
The real problem was that Atlantis now had almost no one capable of issuing orders.
King Orvax was gravely ill and drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Prince Orm was severely wounded.
And the other person qualified to command Atlantis, King Nereus...
Well, he was also lying in a treatment tank beside Orm.
That meant the highest-ranking person currently capable of giving orders in Atlantis was actually...
Vico slowly turned his gaze toward the trembling Mera.
Noticing his stare, Mera shivered and instinctively took a step backward.
"Uncle Vico, you wouldn't... Please don't do this."
"Ah, a very perceptive princess."
Vico sighed.
"Since you already understand your position, then from this moment until His Royal Highness Orm and His Majesty Nereus recover, the fate of the ocean rests upon your shoulders."
"I can't. I..."
Mera instinctively tried to refuse.
Vico immediately interrupted her.
"You can, and you must, Your Highness."
Seeing Vico's unwavering expression, some of Mera's fear finally subsided.
She bit her lip before asking quietly.
"What should I do?"
"As the Princess of Atlantis, you must declare a national war mobilization.
"As His Majesty Orvax's representative, you must ensure that every subject of the ocean understands the danger posed by the Mother Boxes and the enemy we are about to face.
"You have much to do.
"But don't worry. I will help you."
"That's good, Uncle Vico."
Mera nodded firmly.
"I'll do my best!"
While Atlantis prepared for war, another crisis was unfolding in the Amazon territory.
Outside the royal palace, thousands of Amazon warriors had surrounded the area.
Inside, Hippolyta and Diana had both drawn their weapons and were nervously guarding the Mother Box.
It was shaking violently.
"The Mother Box has been vibrating intensely for some time now, Diana."
Hippolyta's expression was grave.
"I have reason to believe our enemy has found another Mother Box."
"Perhaps."
Diana frowned.
"Damn it. I suppose I'll have to check the global news and find out where the human Mother Box is. If it was attacked by that enemy just now, we need to know immediately."
As she spoke, Diana operated her phone with one hand.
Having spent years living among humans, she had become familiar with modern technology, and accessing satellite-based information was hardly difficult for her.
A moment later, she stared at her phone in disbelief.
Then she cursed.
"Damn it! The human Mother Box is actually in that godforsaken Gotham City!
"That bastard just stole the Mother Box from Gotham!
"This is ridiculous. What the hell is Axel doing?
"I don't particularly like that guy, but Gotham is still his territory!
"Where the hell did Axel go?"
Meanwhile, in the Marvel Universe, inside a private club...
"Achoo!"
Axel sneezed heavily.
Even he was somewhat confused.
He pulled the woman beside him closer and looked puzzled.
"Tsk, tsk. Am I actually getting a cold?
"What a joke. Haha. It must be your fragrance that captivated me, my dear."
Axel laughed as his hand rested heavily against her side.
Then he continued with a grin.
"Honestly, before I met you, I never really had much interest in dark-skinned women.
"But you're an exception, my dear.
"I've never seen such a beautiful dark-skinned woman before.
"Your skin practically glows.
"I fucking love you."