Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 73: Ch.72 Sea Queen

19,000 feet beneath the Atlantic Ocean lies Poseidonis.

This is the capital of the Atlantean Empire, and the largest underwater city for Atlanteans.

The deep ocean is naturally pitch black, but they use various bioluminescent sea creatures and plants to illuminate the city, making it a beacon under the sea that can be seen from miles away, showcasing its prosperity.

An underwater city has its advantages: it is undetectable, and outsiders cannot disturb them. Even if a storm rages above the surface, the deep sea remains forever tranquil and peaceful.

The Atlanteans possess semi-divine bloodlines, allowing them to withstand water pressure and live like true deep-sea creatures. The city is home not only to Atlanteans but also to countless marine species that coexist harmoniously with the sea people.

Colorful schools of fish swim through the city, and towering corals stand like trees, while structures built from reefs are sturdy enough to last thousands of years.

At the very center of these structures is a magnificent palace, the current residence of the Sea Queen, Marella.

In the vast throne room, she alone reclines on the throne.

She wears a golden scaled top and green scaled pants—an Atlantean's favored color combination, with gold representing the sky and green representing the sea.

Leaning against the throne is the Neptune Trident, a symbol of royal authority. As a weapon, it is merely sturdy and durable, lacking in power. The other trident, the Poseidon Trident, is a divine artifact of the sea god, capable of stirring up towering waves and commanding all the world's marine life with unmatched might.

Usually, she just wields the Neptune Trident for appearances, while the divine artifact is enshrined in the temple, accumulating divine power.

Sea Queen Marella lay slumped on her throne, propping her head up with one arm, lost in thought. Small fish swam past her, brushing her hair with their tails, but she remained oblivious.

Her golden short hair gently floated in the water. In shallow, sunlit areas, it emitted a beautiful glow.

But this hair color was the root cause of the early resistance she faced from her people because golden hair symbolizes humanity. The excessive exploitation and utilization of the ocean by humans, their overfishing to the brink of species extinction, had long angered the Atlanteans, and their wrath had been simmering for centuries.

Although she stabilized her position with the power of the Poseidon Trident and her iron-fisted rule, that alone was not enough.

Atlanteans eat small fish because they cannot think or possess consciousness and are merely food to the sea people. But as the Sea Queen, to show that she is the ruler of all marine animals, she refrains from eating even small fish, subsisting daily on seaweed and some animals procured from the land.

Atlanteans believe small fish are food, but larger marine animals are their friends. They can communicate and play with them. Many Atlanteans grow up with dolphins and whales as their companions.

Yet these companions often end up on the dining tables of surface dwellers.

It's an unforgivable grudge.

Even small fish should not be eaten by surface dwellers. Marine creatures can eat surface people, but surface people cannot eat marine life. Even if surface dwellers are a sapient species like the sea people, they would rather stand by their own.

Moreover, surface dwellers have been dumping sewage, garbage, and even conducting nuclear tests on sea islands, severely affecting their living environment, as if defecating on the heads of Atlanteans.

It's not just a matter of material loss but also a profound insult.

In this world, the Sea Queen completely stands with the sea people. Since her father's death, she has had no interest in talking to surface dwellers anymore.

She was now contemplating how to eliminate both the Amazons and the surface people in one fell swoop and rule the world herself. Ordinary humans were inconsequential; a few tsunamis would wipe out most of them. The real challenge was the Amazons who currently ruled the world.

Amazons also possess divine power. They can fly and dive into the sea, and if she launches an attack from the ocean, there would be a powerful counterattack. Even Earth's gravity is against her. After all, water flows downward, and if the enemy floods the ocean with toxins, there would be no stopping it.

Atlantean technology developed along a different path. They don't care much for computers or other precision devices, favoring military equipment instead.

For instance, large vehicles like metal octopi, or fish-shaped tanks that can withstand damage on land—these have proven useful in various battles over the centuries.

But the Sea Queen was now looking for a one-time solution. She was tired of small-scale skirmishes and wars of attrition.

The Atlanteans' strengths lie in their robust bodies and the ocean itself. How to use these strengths to eliminate all the world's enemies was a strategic issue.

They are a purely monarchal dictatorship, without even a council like the Amazons. So she had no one to discuss such military matters with, except various fish. Marine mammals were fine, but the efficiency of fish brains... not worth mentioning.

She felt she had hit a dead end, with nothing but water and more water on her mind.

It simply wouldn't work.

She wanted to be the world's ruler, not go down with her enemies.

As she pondered, she suddenly sensed a special frequency, directly entering her mind. It was the language of fish, perceivable only to Atlanteans through brainwaves, and fully understandable only by the Sea Queen.

"Queen, Queen, someone is killing us!"

She still didn't see any fish, but she 'heard' their thoughts.

These were not ordinary fish but a group of sharks she liked, who patrolled around Cheverie Port, serving as guards for her old home.

She grabbed the trident beside her throne and leapt forward. The powerful currents propelled her swiftly through the water. In an instant, she left the throne room filled with seaweed and glowing creatures, rushing towards Cheverie Port.

She didn't bring her personal guards. She didn't want anyone to see the state of Cheverie Port, representing her past, her human past. She was confident she could handle any enemy on her own. She was well-equipped, and although her armor wasn't a divine artifact, it was nearly as good. She was immensely strong, battle-hardened, and a master of polearms.

She rarely left the ocean to fight on land unless absolutely necessary. Prolonged absence from water would weaken her, reducing her to the level of an ordinary human.

But in her view, the ones hunting sharks at Cheverie Port were probably just fishermen. Killing a few ordinary people should be easy enough. Since she was returning to Cheverie Port, she might as well sit at her old home for a while and perhaps come up with a new strategy to defeat the Amazons.

The currents propelled her rapidly through the crystal-clear waves, and countless marine creatures seemed to cheer her on. She could see the light above—signs of sunrise.

She was the Queen of Atlantis, and marine life were her subjects. Now, she would seek justice for her people!