(~˘▾˘)~~(˘▾˘~)
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David reached out across and grabbed Mera, breaking through the sea, and rose rapidly, knowing their disappearance would definitely affect the two countries.
The endless azure sea suddenly saw a shadow that seemed to pierce the surface like a missile, creating a towering wave that soared into the sky.
There was a brief pause as David manipulated the elliptical gravity field enveloping him and shot out like an intercontinental missile, accelerating rapidly to more than 200 times the speed of sound.
He glanced at Mera, who was still struggling.
Mera was released and fell down. She widened her eyes in panic, thinking she was about to fall onto the sea surface thousands of meters below, but she landed with a thud on a solid barrier.
She tried to get up but hit her head on the barrier, causing her pain.
"Don't move around; I won't pick you up if you fall."
David looked at her like she was an idiot.
The streamlined shuttle-shaped force field flew more effortlessly in the air, and there wasn't enough space for one person to stand up.
Outside the force field, the blue sky and white clouds retreated rapidly, becoming a blur, as if blue and white paints were colliding and swirling.
'At least a hundred times the speed of sound,' Mera couldn't hide the shock on her face as she watched the scene of David flying.
She could achieve supersonic speeds underwater, with reflexes far superior to those of land-dwellers. However, she couldn't even see David's flight speed, let alone surpass it.
She remembered the glimpse of his power when he grabbed her and left Xebel, and wondered just how strong this man in front of her was.
Mera stiffened all over, looking up at David flying at full speed, with the sky behind him, and she didn't dare to move even a moment.
'Without his force field, I'll crash into the sea or the ground at more than a hundred times the speed of sound and turn into a puddle of flesh for sure.'
But after a while, Mera couldn't help but feel that the two of them inside the barrier were in an awkward position, with one person on top and one on the bottom, making her feel uncomfortable.
However, David continued to look ahead at the sky and flew at high speeds, paying no attention to her.
"Who are you, really?
I am Princess of Xebel, the fiancée of the King of the Seven Seas.
Land-dweller, if you take me away, it could spell disaster for the entire world."
Watching David, who was dressed in typical land-dweller attire, Mera warned him after getting used to the situation.
"One 'land-dweller' after another. How do you know I'm not an Atlantean?"
David looked at her with a smile.
Once, the Atlanteans were also a terrestrial civilization, but after sinking to the bottom of the sea, they evolved into various tribes. Some had mutated to the point of being unrecognizable as humans, like the Brine Tribe and the Trench Tribe.
There were also the Fishermen, a hybrid of humans and fish, and the Atlanteans who could breathe underwater and were indistinguishable from humans.
"Do you think I'm so easily fooled, land-dweller?" Mera sneered.
Apart from ancient armor and high-tech suits, the typical attire of the Atlanteans was similar to wetsuits, fitting tightly to the body. On the other hand, David was wearing clothing that looked like he was on vacation by the beach, clearly not Atlantean attire.
But there was one main point.
"Atlanteans live in the water, they love it, just like the air is to land-dwellers; they don't reject contact with water. But you..."
David chuckled, "Ah, I see what you mean."
He had always avoided getting wet when he was underwater, but he had no intention of changing that vulnerability.
"Did you even hear what I said?"
She said again, looking at David who continued to not pay her attention after finishing her sentence.
"Which sentence?"
"That my disappearance may bring danger to the surface world", Mera, watching the disinterested look on his face, couldn't help but emphasize again, feeling angry and irritated.
This was not an exaggeration; her identity was one thing, but Orm's ambitions were another thing.
"Orm has been extremely dissatisfied with the land-dwellers for years due to their behavior of discharging pollution of the ocean. The sea he rules has become a dumping ground for you land-dwellers. You could even say he harbors hatred."
"If I am kidnapped, it might become his excuse to wage war on the surface, to conquer the world!"
"That's not my concern."
The howling winds, strong enough to tear a person apart, along with the sound of the gale, were excluded from the force field, and David's voice remained calm.
"As for the so-called King of the Seven Seas, he won't be one for much longer."
"You're too arrogant, land-dweller," Mera shook her head, sneering.
"Orm possesses the purest royal bloodline among today's Atlanteans. The royal family and the ordinary Atlanteans could even be considered two different species."
Atlanteans could freely live in high-pressure deep-sea environments; their bodies were stronger than steel. The strength of an Atlantean royal was several times, if not hundreds of times, that of a commoner.
David chuckled but didn't confirm or deny Mera's claims about Orm's strength.
In the Justice League, on the surface, Aquaman's strength was far inferior to Superman and even Wonder Woman. However, underwater, it was a different story; even Wonder Woman couldn't match him there.
Sharks were most deadly only in the water.
'He can easily lift nuclear submarines weighing tens of thousands of tons, rapidly bringing them to the surface against strong currents. In the water, Aquaman's strength is estimated to be in the tens of thousands of tons.'
But Orm, the Ocean Master, who had lived in the ocean from birth, the strength he can exert in the sea was even stronger than Aquaman.
"Don't put too much hope in the Trident of Neptune," Mera hoped David would abandon his plan to seize the throne of the Seven Seas and return her to the ocean.
"Even if you obtain the Trident of Neptune, you may not be a match for Orm."
"Since sinking into the deep sea, the Atlanteans have evolved in various ways, not only technologically but also physically.
Today, even an ordinary Atlantean dropped into ancient times would be an invincible warrior capable of leaving behind epic tales."
She always harbored doubts about the Trident of Neptune that became a legend.
"I never expected to use a trident to deal with Orm."
David wanted the Trident, but only for its symbolic value, to have a legitimate reason to ascend to the throne of the King of the Seven Seas.
It was impossible for a land-dweller to sit on that throne, and while he could conquer the Atlanteans through brutal slaughter, using fear as a whip, he couldn't stay in the dark, sunless depths of the ocean, which wasn't his home.
'If the throne was obtained through massacre and enslavement, if I stay in the ocean there will likely be rebellions of various sizes, and besides, I'll have to leave.'
And he couldn't bring himself to do such things.
Mera was about to say something more when David interrupted, "We're here."
David stopped his flight and looked down at their destination.
A beautiful island with a slightly warm breeze blowing over crystal-clear blue waters, and white seabed visible from a distance – the scenery almost rivaled Paradise Island.
Italy, the beautiful island of Sicily.
But to Mera's eyes, it was another place, and her face changed.
"This is where the Trench Tribe resides. What are you doing here?"
The Trench Tribe was once part of the Atlanteans, but it's hard to tell whether they had evolved or devolved to the point of becoming deep-sea monsters.
While the Brine Tribe retained their intelligence despite their crab-like appearance, the Trench Tribe had only murder and madness left in their minds.
Any creature entering the deep abyss trench where the Trench Tribe lived would be torn to pieces by countless Trench Tribe members.
Mera's expression was complex.
The queen who had watched her grow up had been sacrificed to the Trench Tribe because of her union with a land-dweller, which was considered to be an insult to the royal Atlantean bloodline.
David looked at the sea.
"Because the lost Trident of Neptune is right down there."
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(~˘▾˘)~Don't forget to send your power-stones!~(˘▾˘~)