"Tsk, it really isn't sturdy at all."
Lothar, who had just collapsed the entire Xebel Royal Palace with the residual energy from his landing, immediately wrapped his arm around Mera's waist. The dumbfounded Mera only then realized what Lothar had done.
"Lo... Lothar..."
Mera had watched, wide-eyed, as the palace she had grown up in crumbled into ruins in an instant.
"What's wrong? Didn't you call me here?"
Mera's safety was crucial to him finding the Mother Box that could take him home, so naturally, he had to transform into a Super Saiyan to show his sincerity. He wanted to eliminate any possible unforeseen circumstances.
"Mera!!!!!"
Nereus was truly going insane with rage. This Xebel Palace was personally built by the first King of Xebel; it was one of the symbols of their Xebelian royalty! And now it was just... destroyed?! And it was destroyed right under his nose, the King of Xebel! What's more, the one who destroyed it was called by his own daughter!
"Shut up."
A gaze as cold as a blade instantly pierced Nereus's heart. A terrifying killing intent surged from Lothar, rushing like a tide towards the furious Nereus.
Boom!
The overflowing energy directly blasted Nereus into the palace ruins!
"Father!"
Mera's pupils sharply contracted, and words filled with worry blurted out. Although she opposed Nereus's plan to conquer humanity, he was still Mera's biological father.
"No!"
"Don't call me father!!"
"I don't have a traitorous daughter like you!!!"
Buzz!!!
The water pressure suddenly intensified.
The furious Nereus, eyes red, emerged from the ruins, looking exceptionally disheveled.
Why did she have to stand on the side of humans and argue with him, her father, instead of being a proper Atlantean princess?
He had thought that if he confined his daughter for a few days and explained the history of the Atlanteans and the importance of attacking the surface world, she would clearly understand her position and identity.
But what was the result?
She actually called someone to demolish his palace and even hit him!
Hit him, her father!
Was she trying to commit patricide for the sake of humans?! If this got out, what would become of his dignity as the King of Xebel?!
"Enough! Enough, Lothar!"
"Please, take me out of here, now!"
Mera couldn't meet her father's eyes, which were filled with anger and accusation. She knew her identity, but she couldn't stand by and watch her father become the leader who initiated a war against humanity.
The Atlanteans and humans could coexist peacefully; Queen Atlanna herself had told her that. No endless wars, no senseless slaughter. Land and sea were interdependent, never in a subordinate relationship.
"Looks like you got your life back."
Lothar tightened his arm around Mera's waist, giving the disheveled Nereus a chilling smile. The water waves churned by the sonic boom shook the very foundations of the Xebel Palace!
Splash!
The surging waves couldn't withstand Lothar's impact. After landing and deactivating his energy shield, Lothar's shoulders were already drenched with seawater. Even his slightly rebellious, sharp hairstyle looked much softer.
"...Thank you, Lothar."
After a long silence, Mera, standing barefoot on the soft sand, thanked Lothar.
"One hundred dollars." Lothar held up his right index finger towards Mera.
Mera was astonished.
"I went to that place called London, and I ran out of a hundred dollars."
"So, don't overthink it."
Lothar's original intention was to prevent Mera from associating him with the Mother Box, but...
"Is that so... I understand." Mera was momentarily distracted by Lothar's sudden mention of a hundred dollars, and much of her sadness dissipated.
Mera took two commonly carried dollar bills from her waist pouch and handed them to Lothar.
"?"
"The extra hundred dollars is my payment for hiring you."
Mera put away her sad expression. On second thought, she truly didn't have time to grieve here anymore. Without her, her father's plan might change, but his ultimate goal would not.
"We must find Arthur Curry as soon as possible and then help him find the legendary weapon that can rule the seven seas."
Mera's words came out quickly, but the problem she described confused Lothar.
"Arthur Curry? Why?"
"Arthur Curry is Queen Atlanna's eldest son. He has both human and Atlantean blood. If he can find that weapon and ascend to the throne as sovereign of the ocean, he will surely be able to prevent war between the Atlanteans and humans." Mera explained.
Arthur Curry's background meant that he wouldn't have any designs on the human world if he became king.
"Then why don't you become king?" Lothar shook off Mera's hand, scoffing.
"...What?"
"Don't you think your actions are ridiculous?" Lothar had no intention of being a bodyguard for someone who couldn't even withstand one of his punches. "You don't want war between the underwater world and the human world? It's simple, just become the king of the underwater world yourself!"
Lothar scoffed, stepping closer and closer to the frowning Mera, his tone full of mockery. "Are you absolutely certain that Arthur Curry thinks the same way you do? Don't forget, you said he's a bastard, and his mother was exiled by the King of Atlantis."
"..." Lothar's mockery left Mera wanting to argue but unable to speak. On second thought... he actually had a point.
"No one knows what you want better than yourself. Since you're unhappy with the current state of the underwater world, then simply become their king and transform the entire underwater world according to your own ideas."
Want to change the world?
Then become king.
It was a simple truth. Lothar didn't understand why Mera was so fixated on Arthur Curry becoming king. She herself was of royal descent; why would she abandon this advantage to become a subordinate to Arthur Curry?
"No, but, Atlantis, no, Queen Atlanna once told me that Arthur is—"
Mera, her thoughts disrupted by Lothar's words, brought up Queen Atlanna, whom she had met as a child. That gentle woman had once said that her son, Arthur Curry, was the only one who could change this situation.
"Nonsense."
Lothar scoffed at this statement.
His adoptive father, Thanos, often told him that the world would side with him if he only willed it.
Yet, wasn't he still exiled to this strange world by Odin?
Sometimes, some words were just meant to be heard and spoken, and taking them seriously was foolish. Who knew if that Atlanna woman said that only because Arthur Curry was the son of her true love?
"My father once said that putting all your hopes for change on others is an extremely foolish act."
"Trusting your own power and dyeing this world your own color is the mindset a strong person should possess."
"..." Mera was speechless because Lothar's words made perfect sense; she couldn't find any reason to refute him. If she had that weapon capable of ruling the ocean and became queen in her own right, wouldn't her father be unable to start a war?
"Perhaps, you're right, Lothar."
Mera, whose mind was "brainwashed" by Lothar's rare burst of persuasive words, gazed at the man with a cynical smirk on his face. The sunlight behind him was dazzling, yet Mera felt no heat.
"I can indeed become a queen who relies on no one. But before that, can you help me one last time?"
"As a friend."
"I don't need friends." Lothar refused, as she expected.
"I'll add another hundred dollars." Mera pulled out bills from her waist pouch, actively approaching Lothar, who stood as firm as a pine.
"Deal."
Before figuring out the exact locations of the other two Mother Boxes, Lothar naturally wouldn't leave Mera.
"What's wrong? Why are you still staring at me?" Lothar, having accepted the money as Woz's advice, frowned and asked the woman who still stood motionless before him. Had she discovered his true intentions?
"No." Mera shook her head. Then, she tiptoed, placed her hands on his shoulders, and swiftly pressed her red lips to Lothar's cheek, leaving a kiss.
"You know what? I suddenly hate your love story with Hela."
????
Lothar's muscles instantly tensed, this being the first time a woman had ever kissed his cheek unprompted. The red tail wrapped around his waist unconsciously softened. No one had ever done that before. Even Hela, whom he liked, involved constant bickering and fighting; he had never encountered anyone as proactive as Mera.
'Good thing, Woz said she might already be dead.'
Mera clasped her hands behind her back, smiling like a flower: "This is just our family's customary gesture of gratitude."
"Well then, without further ado, let's go."
Even if Hela wasn't dead, Mera wouldn't give up. She was to be the Queen of the Ocean; who was Hela? They were both women who could turn against their fathers for their ideals.
Hela might be the future Queen of Asgard, but Mera was the future Queen of the Ocean. Besides, Mera was younger and more beautiful. When it came to "fair competition," who was afraid of whom?
Anyway, Lothar couldn't go back, so if Hela had the guts, she should come and try to claim him! It was likely that Hela wouldn't even be able to open the portal to get here!
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