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Chapter 401: Short of Breath
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Led by Piranacon, the Seacrazies ambitiously charged into Atlantis.
Similar to Paradise Island, Atlantis was enveloped in a mystic energy barrier that isolated it from the rest of the world, allowing it to enjoy peace.
But that peace was shattered when Orm, the Old Sea King's younger son, resolutely launched a war against the humans.
Orm had long been disgusted with the surface dwellers.
For as long as he could remember, they had lived here in the underwater realm, and he had often heard tales of the surface dwellers—for instance, how the previous Sorcerer Supreme, a woman named the Ancient One, had protected the planet.
The arrogant Orm paid such matters no mind. What Sorcerer Supreme? Surface dwellers were born inferior to the people of the sea. Even if one or two halfway decent individuals occasionally appeared, they would be considered mediocre at best in Atlantis.
Yes, to describe a surface dweller as 'mediocre' was, in his mind, a great honor for them.
Such was Orm's character, utterly conceited, with a discrimination against surface dwellers that was etched into his very bones.
Most importantly, his hostility toward the surface dwellers was just as deeply ingrained. For centuries, Orm had detested the surface dwellers for slaughtering and poisoning the oceans. Countless marine creatures and even a small number of noble Atlanteans had died from the pollution and poisons dumped into the sea.
Orm had been suppressing this foul resentment for a long time.
It wasn't until the recent detonation of a nuclear bomb over the Atlantic Ocean that the threat, so close at hand, sent a massive shock through the long-peaceful Atlantis.
Humans, these feeble creatures, had actually mastered terrifying weapons capable of shaking Atlantis!
Moreover, they were mass-producible contaminant weapons, wielded on a large scale by beings with such a fragile essence of life!
The long period of peace had allowed the hardliners, led by Orm, to gain more and more supporters. They had forgotten the horrors of war, dreaming only of gaining more.
Now, Orm had taken advantage of the Old Sea King's weakness, stolen the Sea King's Trident, and seized control of all of Atlantis.
"Humans should stick to fighting with scrap metal; they must never be allowed to research more advanced weapons! After all, they’ve survived for the past few thousand years with nothing but scrap metal."
Orm looked at the grand army he had assembled and nodded with great satisfaction.
The contrast between this fantasy and reality filled Orm with a strong sense of crisis. In just a few hundred years, these creatures called humans had mastered weapons that could easily devastate Atlantis. What would happen in another few hundred years?
The entire population of Atlantis would become slaves!
Their mission this time was to completely beat the surface dwellers back to the age of scrap metal!
Those who do not submit will die!
Orm had reason to be proud. His people had once fought and bled, joining forces with Paradise Island, the Lanterns, and others to protect this planet from the clutches of Steppenwolf of Apokolips. At that time, ordinary humans were such a weak species they didn't even qualify to serve as low-level soldiers.
Oh, those called mutants seemed somewhat interesting, but the number of powerhouses among them was too scarce.
Orm had not participated in that ancient battle, but that didn't stop him from claiming its glory as his own.
My ancestors once protected the surface dwellers, so it is only natural that I should rule them.
Looking down at the countless troops below, Orm could barely contain his excitement.
Boom!
A deafening roar interrupted the New Sea King's train of thought. Orm's expression turned grim in an instant. He tightened his grip on the Trident, and through its power to control the sea, he could already "see" a pile of hunks of steel bombarding the mystic energy barrier.
Surrounding these hunks of steel were the corpses of numerous Atlantean warriors. Their tragic deaths and mangled bodies silently testified to the ferocity of the battle.
And to the viciousness and brutality of these uninvited guests.
"Whoa, boss, we should probably pull back," Bitecrazy said, a little spooked. "These Atlantis warriors are really tough. Even their lowest-level grunts are comparable to weaker Type I mech warriors. We're completely outnumbered."
"Hmph, just comparable to Type I. Don't you know how huge the gap is between Type II and Type I? Besides, with me, a Type III, holding the line, what are you afraid of? It's only logical that the undersea people have this kind of strength. Why don't you try living under the pressure of billions of tons of seawater since birth?"
Their captain, Divebomb, snorted coldly.
Among their several hundred bots, the weakest was a Type II. Even if they couldn't defeat Atlantis, they could still escape.
What he didn't know, however, was that the Sea King, Orm, possessed the strength to easily take down Diana. In the ocean, with his Trident in hand, he could even suppress the full roster of the Justice League for a short time.
He had his reasons for attempting to conquer the surface world. His strength was his greatest asset and the source of his supreme confidence.
That Sorcerer Supreme, is she as powerful as I, Orm? I highly doubt it.
Orm's face was grim as he looked at the carnage outside. Using the Trident, he directly opened a long corridor in the mystic barrier.
"Huh, are they surrendering?" Bitecrazy said dryly.
Orm pointed forward. "My warriors, kill those pieces of scrap metal!"
Countless Atlantean warriors swarmed toward the Seacrazies, their faces cold and filled with killing intent. Among them were the figures of powerful Atlantean warriors, already channeling mystic energy.
Piranacon visibly froze, a look of horror on its face. The six component Transformers looked at each other, speechless.
This... was a tough one.
To face a legion-level enemy, one needed a legion to fight back. Their ocean forces were definitely not enough.
"All units, retreat! I'll cover the rear!" Divebomb's voice boomed from within Piranacon, issuing the order to all the Transformers.
The moment he finished speaking, countless cannons arranged themselves, and Piranacon furiously unleashed a colossal blast of energy reaching 410,000 degrees.
Numerous cannons lit up, their glow seeming to cause a subtle tremor in the waters of the deep sea.
A barrage of similar energy cannons, accompanied by attacks from smaller energy firearms, erupted as the several hundred members of the team fought while retreating.
In an instant, the army of Atlantis suffered considerable casualties. Over a thousand warriors died on the spot. The lucky ones left behind intact corpses; the unlucky were instantly vaporized by the energy cannons.
But the Atlantean army charged on fearlessly, obeying the command of the Trident's wielder, obeying the command of the Sea King!
The four slowest bots were caught and torn to pieces on the spot by a group of undersea warriors wielding melee weapons. Their immense strength and swift, precise movements, honed through countless battles, dismembered the Transformers with surgical precision.
The Sparks in their chests were swiftly extinguished. These four Transformers met their true death, their bodies shattered. Their only chance of survival would have been if the Allspark itself were present.
What shocked the Transformers even more was that the Atlanteans' movement speed was no slower than theirs.
(end of chapter)
2022-10-19 Author: Great Demon Spirit
Led by Piranacon, the Seacrazies ambitiously charged into Atlantis.
Similar to Paradise Island, Atlantis was enveloped in a mystic energy barrier that isolated it from the rest of the world, allowing it to enjoy peace.
But that peace was shattered when Orm, the Old Sea King's younger son, resolutely launched a war against the humans.
Orm had long been disgusted with the surface dwellers.
For as long as he could remember, they had lived here in the underwater realm, and he had often heard tales of the surface dwellers—for instance, how the previous Sorcerer Supreme, a woman named the Ancient One, had protected the planet.
The arrogant Orm paid such matters no mind. What Sorcerer Supreme? Surface dwellers were born inferior to the people of the sea. Even if one or two halfway decent individuals occasionally appeared, they would be considered mediocre at best in Atlantis.
Yes, to describe a surface dweller as 'mediocre' was, in his mind, a great honor for them.
Such was Orm's character, utterly conceited, with a discrimination against surface dwellers that was etched into his very bones.
Most importantly, his hostility toward the surface dwellers was just as deeply ingrained. For centuries, Orm had detested the surface dwellers for slaughtering and poisoning the oceans. Countless marine creatures and even a small number of noble Atlanteans had died from the pollution and poisons dumped into the sea.
Orm had been suppressing this foul resentment for a long time.
It wasn't until the recent detonation of a nuclear bomb over the Atlantic Ocean that the threat, so close at hand, sent a massive shock through the long-peaceful Atlantis.
Humans, these feeble creatures, had actually mastered terrifying weapons capable of shaking Atlantis!
Moreover, they were mass-producible contaminant weapons, wielded on a large scale by beings with such a fragile essence of life!
The long period of peace had allowed the hardliners, led by Orm, to gain more and more supporters. They had forgotten the horrors of war, dreaming only of gaining more.
Now, Orm had taken advantage of the Old Sea King's weakness, stolen the Sea King's Trident, and seized control of all of Atlantis.
"Humans should stick to fighting with scrap metal; they must never be allowed to research more advanced weapons! After all, they’ve survived for the past few thousand years with nothing but scrap metal."
Orm looked at the grand army he had assembled and nodded with great satisfaction.
The contrast between this fantasy and reality filled Orm with a strong sense of crisis. In just a few hundred years, these creatures called humans had mastered weapons that could easily devastate Atlantis. What would happen in another few hundred years?
The entire population of Atlantis would become slaves!
Their mission this time was to completely beat the surface dwellers back to the age of scrap metal!
Those who do not submit will die!
Orm had reason to be proud. His people had once fought and bled, joining forces with Paradise Island, the Lanterns, and others to protect this planet from the clutches of Steppenwolf of Apokolips. At that time, ordinary humans were such a weak species they didn't even qualify to serve as low-level soldiers.
Oh, those called mutants seemed somewhat interesting, but the number of powerhouses among them was too scarce.
Orm had not participated in that ancient battle, but that didn't stop him from claiming its glory as his own.
My ancestors once protected the surface dwellers, so it is only natural that I should rule them.
Looking down at the countless troops below, Orm could barely contain his excitement.
Boom!
A deafening roar interrupted the New Sea King's train of thought. Orm's expression turned grim in an instant. He tightened his grip on the Trident, and through its power to control the sea, he could already "see" a pile of hunks of steel bombarding the mystic energy barrier.
Surrounding these hunks of steel were the corpses of numerous Atlantean warriors. Their tragic deaths and mangled bodies silently testified to the ferocity of the battle.
And to the viciousness and brutality of these uninvited guests.
"Whoa, boss, we should probably pull back," Bitecrazy said, a little spooked. "These Atlantis warriors are really tough. Even their lowest-level grunts are comparable to weaker Type I mech warriors. We're completely outnumbered."
"Hmph, just comparable to Type I. Don't you know how huge the gap is between Type II and Type I? Besides, with me, a Type III, holding the line, what are you afraid of? It's only logical that the undersea people have this kind of strength. Why don't you try living under the pressure of billions of tons of seawater since birth?"
Their captain, Divebomb, snorted coldly.
Among their several hundred bots, the weakest was a Type II. Even if they couldn't defeat Atlantis, they could still escape.
What he didn't know, however, was that the Sea King, Orm, possessed the strength to easily take down Diana. In the ocean, with his Trident in hand, he could even suppress the full roster of the Justice League for a short time.
He had his reasons for attempting to conquer the surface world. His strength was his greatest asset and the source of his supreme confidence.
That Sorcerer Supreme, is she as powerful as I, Orm? I highly doubt it.
Orm's face was grim as he looked at the carnage outside. Using the Trident, he directly opened a long corridor in the mystic barrier.
"Huh, are they surrendering?" Bitecrazy said dryly.
Orm pointed forward. "My warriors, kill those pieces of scrap metal!"
Countless Atlantean warriors swarmed toward the Seacrazies, their faces cold and filled with killing intent. Among them were the figures of powerful Atlantean warriors, already channeling mystic energy.
Piranacon visibly froze, a look of horror on its face. The six component Transformers looked at each other, speechless.
This... was a tough one.
To face a legion-level enemy, one needed a legion to fight back. Their ocean forces were definitely not enough.
"All units, retreat! I'll cover the rear!" Divebomb's voice boomed from within Piranacon, issuing the order to all the Transformers.
The moment he finished speaking, countless cannons arranged themselves, and Piranacon furiously unleashed a colossal blast of energy reaching 410,000 degrees.
Numerous cannons lit up, their glow seeming to cause a subtle tremor in the waters of the deep sea.
A barrage of similar energy cannons, accompanied by attacks from smaller energy firearms, erupted as the several hundred members of the team fought while retreating.
In an instant, the army of Atlantis suffered considerable casualties. Over a thousand warriors died on the spot. The lucky ones left behind intact corpses; the unlucky were instantly vaporized by the energy cannons.
But the Atlantean army charged on fearlessly, obeying the command of the Trident's wielder, obeying the command of the Sea King!
The four slowest bots were caught and torn to pieces on the spot by a group of undersea warriors wielding melee weapons. Their immense strength and swift, precise movements, honed through countless battles, dismembered the Transformers with surgical precision.
The Sparks in their chests were swiftly extinguished. These four Transformers met their true death, their bodies shattered. Their only chance of survival would have been if the Allspark itself were present.
What shocked the Transformers even more was that the Atlanteans' movement speed was no slower than theirs.
(end of chapter)
