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Chapter 406: The Swan Song of the Ocean
Clark stared at the nuclear bombs in the sky, hesitating.
He desperately wanted to destroy them with his Heat Vision, but whenever he closed his eyes, he could hear the despairing screams of countless civilians in the vast ocean.
He knew all too well that he could only destroy a portion of them; he had no confidence he could eliminate every single one. But if he had help...
Clark was lost, trapped in a state of immense confusion.
His heart, full of love and kindness, wouldn't allow him to stand by and watch people die. Yet, these were the people who had caused such massive destruction...
Clark subconsciously looked toward Diana.
As it happened, Diana was also looking at him.
The two strangers made eye contact for the first time, their gazes filled with gravity.
"I know what you're thinking. Give it up," Diana said, the bitterness on her mature, charming face deepening. "Whether we stop the nuclear bombs or not, whether we stop Atlantis or not, the disaster has already happened."
Clark fell silent.
His super-brain analyzed the meaning behind Diana's words in an instant.
No matter what they did, that man would never let Atlantis go.
He would slaughter every single inhabitant of Atlantis.
Children, women, the elderly—it didn't matter if they were guilty or innocent. That man would kill them all.
After all, far too many innocents on the surface world had already died. By now, the death toll was probably... ten million? Twenty million? Or thirty million?
The elements are merciless, and this was the entire ocean launching a frenzied assault on the land.
Even now, the sea continued to creep inland, toppling one skyscraper after another. Human habitats were being devoured piece by piece, and the people trembling inside were mercilessly drowned.
According to that man's logic, if innocent civilians on the surface were dragged into a war they should have had no part in, why should the residents of the underwater realm be exempt?
Even if they were truly innocent, even if they belonged to the faction that vehemently opposed Orm, they were powerless in the face of cruel reality.
Blood for blood. That man, the Sorcerer Supreme, Tony, would definitely do it. And he would retaliate with even more cruel and cold-blooded methods.
He would forcibly drag every underwater dweller into the war, treating them all as enemies to be purged. Atlantis had declared war on the surface world, so Tony had an obligation to wage war on the ocean.
After all, although Atlantis was a part of Earth, its actions had severely threatened the safety of the entire planet.
Annihilation was something Tony would undoubtedly do—and had to do.
Besides, Kamar-Taj still existed on Earth...
As expected, just as the thirty nuclear bombs were ten thousand meters away, thirty portals opened with pinpoint precision, swallowing them all.
Clark closed his eyes in agony, a tear tracing its way down his cheek.
He was a somewhat "overly compassionate" person—Clark himself admitted this. He longed to embrace everyone with love and kindness, to keep all villains away from lovely people. He was willing to be a guardian god, to protect the peace of countless civilians.
Even when facing his enemies, Clark maintained the light within his heart.
But... sometimes, this mentality only trapped him in a vicious cycle of confusion and self-blame.
He was lost and bewildered, floating numbly in the air.
Diana slowly lowered the sword in her hand, remaining silent. She looked at Orm as if he were already a dead man.
This arrogant and volatile New Sea King had no idea what was coming...
Arthur was still growling, letting out cries of agony from time to time.
"It's over. Atlantis will use all its power to destroy the continent. This will only trigger a further global crisis, you people..."
Before he could finish, a furious Diana sent him flying with a single punch.
"Open your eyes and look! See what your Atlantis has done? Now someone is using the same methods against Atlantis!" Diana roared.
"It's useless. Atlantis has a magical barrier. These nuclear bombs might be able to break it, but they definitely can't wipe out Atlantis! What will humans do then? Launch all their nuclear bombs into the ocean? How will they face a maddened Atlantis..."
Suddenly, Arthur stared blankly at the sky. The thirty nuclear bombs had been swallowed by a group of glowing rings, vanishing without a trace.
His lips quivered. He finally broke free from the "Our Atlantis is invincible" mindset, his face turning pale once more.
It wasn't Arthur's fault. As the eldest son of the Sea King, everything he had heard, seen, and learned since childhood was about the extraordinary and great aspects of Atlantis.
When the crisis struck, his mind was consumed with how to drive Orm and his army back to the sea and resolve the matter peacefully.
But... with tens of millions dead, how could there be peace? Even if they wanted peace, even if the entire world wanted peace and urged that man to be peaceful, he would absolutely never compromise...
Orm watched them with great interest. Although he sensed something was amiss, the Trident in his hand continuously supplied him with powerful magic, giving him the confidence to face anything.
"No matter what you do, you cannot harm Atlantis in the slightest," Orm said contemptuously, ripping off his fish-shaped helm with a sneer.
Although he saw the thirty strange objects disappear from the sky, he felt a faint sense of unease.
The next second, Orm's expression changed abruptly, twisting into something sinister and terrifying!
Dozens of muffled rumbles echoed faintly from the depths of the sea.
Orm, the master of the ocean, was horrified to discover that those thirty metal contraptions had suddenly appeared deep within the ocean!
And then... they exploded!
One after another, they detonated!
That familiar yet alien method of explosion was identical to the one that had occurred over the Atlantic Ocean!
"No! No, no, no!!! How dare you!!!"
Orm's handsome face twisted completely, no longer resembling a human, like a large piece of flesh squeezed into a ball.
He knew better than anyone how devastating an underwater explosion could be. He knew better than anyone!
He knew even more clearly how fragile the defenses of his home, his Atlantis, were against this kind of blast!
"Ahhhh—"
Orm's eyes were bloodshot as he roared like a beast. Veins bulged on his skin, and his rage was so intense that it seemed like they would burst.
He had been too arrogant, believing he controlled all the oceans and could easily stop any enemy that tried to bypass him to attack Atlantis directly. He didn't believe anyone could attack Atlantis without his knowledge.
He paid the price for his arrogance and carelessness, and all of Atlantis paid the price for their actions.
The powerful barrier, faced with the combined force of thirty nuclear bombs, shattered like a soap bubble in less than a second.
A temperature of a hundred million degrees instantly boiled the seawater, and terrifying radiation blanketed all of Atlantis.
(end of chapter)
Clark stared at the nuclear bombs in the sky, hesitating.
He desperately wanted to destroy them with his Heat Vision, but whenever he closed his eyes, he could hear the despairing screams of countless civilians in the vast ocean.
He knew all too well that he could only destroy a portion of them; he had no confidence he could eliminate every single one. But if he had help...
Clark was lost, trapped in a state of immense confusion.
His heart, full of love and kindness, wouldn't allow him to stand by and watch people die. Yet, these were the people who had caused such massive destruction...
Clark subconsciously looked toward Diana.
As it happened, Diana was also looking at him.
The two strangers made eye contact for the first time, their gazes filled with gravity.
"I know what you're thinking. Give it up," Diana said, the bitterness on her mature, charming face deepening. "Whether we stop the nuclear bombs or not, whether we stop Atlantis or not, the disaster has already happened."
Clark fell silent.
His super-brain analyzed the meaning behind Diana's words in an instant.
No matter what they did, that man would never let Atlantis go.
He would slaughter every single inhabitant of Atlantis.
Children, women, the elderly—it didn't matter if they were guilty or innocent. That man would kill them all.
After all, far too many innocents on the surface world had already died. By now, the death toll was probably... ten million? Twenty million? Or thirty million?
The elements are merciless, and this was the entire ocean launching a frenzied assault on the land.
Even now, the sea continued to creep inland, toppling one skyscraper after another. Human habitats were being devoured piece by piece, and the people trembling inside were mercilessly drowned.
According to that man's logic, if innocent civilians on the surface were dragged into a war they should have had no part in, why should the residents of the underwater realm be exempt?
Even if they were truly innocent, even if they belonged to the faction that vehemently opposed Orm, they were powerless in the face of cruel reality.
Blood for blood. That man, the Sorcerer Supreme, Tony, would definitely do it. And he would retaliate with even more cruel and cold-blooded methods.
He would forcibly drag every underwater dweller into the war, treating them all as enemies to be purged. Atlantis had declared war on the surface world, so Tony had an obligation to wage war on the ocean.
After all, although Atlantis was a part of Earth, its actions had severely threatened the safety of the entire planet.
Annihilation was something Tony would undoubtedly do—and had to do.
Besides, Kamar-Taj still existed on Earth...
As expected, just as the thirty nuclear bombs were ten thousand meters away, thirty portals opened with pinpoint precision, swallowing them all.
Clark closed his eyes in agony, a tear tracing its way down his cheek.
He was a somewhat "overly compassionate" person—Clark himself admitted this. He longed to embrace everyone with love and kindness, to keep all villains away from lovely people. He was willing to be a guardian god, to protect the peace of countless civilians.
Even when facing his enemies, Clark maintained the light within his heart.
But... sometimes, this mentality only trapped him in a vicious cycle of confusion and self-blame.
He was lost and bewildered, floating numbly in the air.
Diana slowly lowered the sword in her hand, remaining silent. She looked at Orm as if he were already a dead man.
This arrogant and volatile New Sea King had no idea what was coming...
Arthur was still growling, letting out cries of agony from time to time.
"It's over. Atlantis will use all its power to destroy the continent. This will only trigger a further global crisis, you people..."
Before he could finish, a furious Diana sent him flying with a single punch.
"Open your eyes and look! See what your Atlantis has done? Now someone is using the same methods against Atlantis!" Diana roared.
"It's useless. Atlantis has a magical barrier. These nuclear bombs might be able to break it, but they definitely can't wipe out Atlantis! What will humans do then? Launch all their nuclear bombs into the ocean? How will they face a maddened Atlantis..."
Suddenly, Arthur stared blankly at the sky. The thirty nuclear bombs had been swallowed by a group of glowing rings, vanishing without a trace.
His lips quivered. He finally broke free from the "Our Atlantis is invincible" mindset, his face turning pale once more.
It wasn't Arthur's fault. As the eldest son of the Sea King, everything he had heard, seen, and learned since childhood was about the extraordinary and great aspects of Atlantis.
When the crisis struck, his mind was consumed with how to drive Orm and his army back to the sea and resolve the matter peacefully.
But... with tens of millions dead, how could there be peace? Even if they wanted peace, even if the entire world wanted peace and urged that man to be peaceful, he would absolutely never compromise...
Orm watched them with great interest. Although he sensed something was amiss, the Trident in his hand continuously supplied him with powerful magic, giving him the confidence to face anything.
"No matter what you do, you cannot harm Atlantis in the slightest," Orm said contemptuously, ripping off his fish-shaped helm with a sneer.
Although he saw the thirty strange objects disappear from the sky, he felt a faint sense of unease.
The next second, Orm's expression changed abruptly, twisting into something sinister and terrifying!
Dozens of muffled rumbles echoed faintly from the depths of the sea.
Orm, the master of the ocean, was horrified to discover that those thirty metal contraptions had suddenly appeared deep within the ocean!
And then... they exploded!
One after another, they detonated!
That familiar yet alien method of explosion was identical to the one that had occurred over the Atlantic Ocean!
"No! No, no, no!!! How dare you!!!"
Orm's handsome face twisted completely, no longer resembling a human, like a large piece of flesh squeezed into a ball.
He knew better than anyone how devastating an underwater explosion could be. He knew better than anyone!
He knew even more clearly how fragile the defenses of his home, his Atlantis, were against this kind of blast!
"Ahhhh—"
Orm's eyes were bloodshot as he roared like a beast. Veins bulged on his skin, and his rage was so intense that it seemed like they would burst.
He had been too arrogant, believing he controlled all the oceans and could easily stop any enemy that tried to bypass him to attack Atlantis directly. He didn't believe anyone could attack Atlantis without his knowledge.
He paid the price for his arrogance and carelessness, and all of Atlantis paid the price for their actions.
The powerful barrier, faced with the combined force of thirty nuclear bombs, shattered like a soap bubble in less than a second.
A temperature of a hundred million degrees instantly boiled the seawater, and terrifying radiation blanketed all of Atlantis.
(end of chapter)
