"That's a good point. But even if we're willing to help protect the Mother Box, that doesn't mean they'll trust us," Shin remarked.
Just as he finished speaking, the sound of water splashing echoed from the sea.
"Someone's coming!" The Flash exclaimed excitedly before Arthur could react.
A moment later, the seawater parted, and a beautiful red-haired woman stepped onto the shore.
"Uh... man, is this another one of your friends?" The Flash whispered to Arthur.
Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he muttered,
"Are the people underwater... all this beautiful? Is this where the legend of mermaids comes from?"
Arthur, however, seemed completely stunned.
It took him a second to register the Flash's words before he shook his head and said,
"No… I don't know many people from Atlantis, but as far as I know, they should look just like humans."
The red-haired woman glanced at the group, then spoke in a clear, commanding voice:
"Excuse me—who among you is Arthur?"
Arthur snapped to attention. "Uh… that's me. Who are you? And where's Vulko?"
"My name is Mera," she said, her voice firm. "Princess of the Kingdom of Xebel."
"As for Mr. Vulko… he's currently handling urgent matters. No—all of Atlantis is."
"Let me guess," Batman interjected. "It's about the Mother Box?"
Mera's sharp gaze immediately turned to him.
Her expression hardened.
"Arthur," she asked coldly, "who are these people?"
Arthur hesitated for a moment before responding,
"They came to me about the Mother Box. They want to contact Atlantis."
Truthfully, Arthur didn't know much about the Mother Box himself.
He had only overheard Shin, Batman, and the others discussing it, so he wasn't sure what to say.
Mera, however, didn't seem satisfied with that answer.
Her eyes narrowed, and she turned back to Batman.
"You already know about the Mother Box?" she asked, her voice laced with suspicion.
"Then tell me—has something happened to the Mother Box hidden here on the surface?"
Batman remained calm.
"For now, our Mother Box is stable," he said.
His confidence came from the fact that he had already investigated its location while researching super-powered individuals.
There had been no strange activity so far.
"But the reason we came to you is that we've encountered Parademons—agents of Apokolips."
As he spoke, Batman glanced at Shin.
Shin raised a hand, and black mist swirled from his fingertips.
A moment later—
Several demon corpses appeared on the ground.
Mera's face darkened.
She stepped forward, turning one of the bodies over, and examining it closely.
A moment later, she exhaled and murmured,
"...Just as the ancient records described. These creatures… they're from Apokolips."
Her expression grew serious.
"They're coming. Again."
"You humans need to prepare," Mera continued, turning back to Batman.
"The Mother Box is the key to Apokolips' large-scale invasion. If they get their hands on it, the Earth will be doomed."
Batman nodded.
"That's why we're here," he said. "Humans have short lifespans. Most of our knowledge of the last war has been lost. There are almost no records left."
Mera hesitated.
Then she nodded.
Now that Atlantis, humanity, and the Amazons were all caught in the same web, cooperation was inevitable.
"Alright," she said. "I'll tell you what I know."
"Our enemy comes from Apokolips—home of the New Gods," Mera began.
"The fall of Olympus was due to their invasion."
"Atlantis lost Poseidon, our guardian god, to their forces. He now resides in the Graveyard of Gods."
Mera didn't know much about Apokolips beyond that.
Even she had no idea who truly ruled it.
Because when Apokolips invaded Earth—
Darkseid didn't even need to act.
Shin, on the other hand, had some recollection of the true threat.
He might not remember Darkseid's name, but he definitely remembered one thing.
The Omega Beams.
The Power of Omega
These beams followed two absolute rules:
They never miss.
They always kill.
Shin wasn't sure if his divine power could block them.
But considering that the Omega Beams could even travel across the multiverse…
He wasn't eager to find out.
So far, the only being that had ever survived the full power of Omega Beams—was Superman.
And even Superman's survival wasn't due to his strength.
It was because he had divine protection from one of the supreme beings of the DC universe.
While Mera might not have known about Darkseid, she did know about Apokolips' history with Earth.
In fact, she was one of Atlantis' Mother Box keepers.
The reason Atlantis was on high alert was because their Mother Box had begun to stir.
All of Atlantis was now on combat readiness, working to contain the energy of the artifact.
After Mera finished speaking, a terrible realization sank in.
If this became a full-scale war, Earth would have no chance.
Their only hope was a miraculous intervention that could take down the leaders of Apokolips or keep the Mother Boxes secured to ensure Apokolips could never open a full portal to Earth.
Batman knew which strategy he preferred.
"So Earth is really in danger," Arthur muttered, his brows furrowed.
Before, he thought Batman and the others were exaggerating.
At this point, he was beginning to feel concerned.
"We already told you," Batman said flatly.
Arthur turned to Mera.
"Why didn't anyone warn me about this?" he demanded.
Mera scoffed.
"You're not Atlantean. Why would we?"
Arthur's face twitched.
At least for now—
Atlantis still didn't see him as one of their own.
Arthur exhaled and ran a hand through his hair.
"Fine… so what do we do next?"
"How is Atlantis handling the situation?" Batman asked Mera.
"For now, we have it under control," she replied.
"The Mother Box is constantly emitting energy, but our technology is strong enough to contain its signals."
"In that case…" Shin said, crossing his arms,
"We should check on Paradise Island next."
"Our part of the Mother Box and Atlantis are stable. But what about the Amazons' Mother Box?"
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