"How... could this be..."
Compared to the already numb Mera, Atlanna had never before witnessed such a stark contrast in battle.
Lothar's height, appearing to be at most 1.85 meters bare-footed, even with his flowing black hair, seemed as tiny as a shrimp soldier or crab general before the two-kilometer-long giant sea beast Karathen.
Yet, this seemingly minuscule person... He tore this two-thousand-meter hermit crab in half... And he did it with his bare hands!!!
Atlanna, utterly stunned, was speechless.
She now understood why Mera was so drawn to Lothar.
The current scene made it clear.
Mera's eyes, looking at Lothar, undoubtedly shimmered with stars. No, they were self-luminous stars!
'However, this alone isn't enough.'
'The Golden Trident isn't that easily obtained.'
Atlanna's gaze fell upon the ruins.
The First Atlantean King sat upright on the blood-stained throne, his hands firmly gripping the symbol of undersea royalty. His head was bowed, showing no signs of life.
Of course, that was just how it appeared.
Having been confined in the Trench Kingdom for so long, and residing on this island for so long, Atlanna had, of course, once used her former identity as the Queen of Atlantis to trick Karathen, hoping to lift the Golden Trident that could free her.
But the cruel reality left her empty-handed.
The First Atlantean King, who should have been long dead, merely an empty shell, seemed to revive, firmly gripping the Golden Trident, the symbol of the King of the Ocean. She simply couldn't pull it out.
"Woz, what are you doing?"
For Lothar, tearing Karathen apart was no difficult feat. In his eyes, this mount of the First Atlantean King was no different from the Trench members he'd just annihilated.
His only discomfort was the celebratory cheers now coming from Woz instead of The Other.
After the cheers ended, he watched Woz sprint towards Karathen's corpse, discarding its books, and began stuffing pieces of Karson's body into its stomach pouch bit by bit.
"Your Highness Lothar, this giant sea beast has lived for a very long time and possesses extremely high nutritional value." Woz, huffing and puffing as it collected the corpse, turned around, revealing an adorable smile on its big, round, simple face. However, coupled with the corpse slowly wriggling into its embrace, it looked a bit terrifying.
"Nutritional value...?"
"You're planning to eat it?"
Mera, slowly rising from the ruins, clutching her aching chest, asked in surprise. Did artificial intelligence life forms also care about this?
"According to analysis, Karathen exhibits characteristics of crabs, squids, whales, sharks, and a series of other Earth marine creatures. It's rich in nutritional value and very suitable for replenishing Your Highness Lothar's energy." Woz, still stuffing crab claws into its pouch, was so busy it was out of breath.
This was a nutrient source that had lived for an untold amount of time, like a thousand-year turtle or ten-thousand-year tortoise; who knew how potent it would be? Can't lose it, can't lose it.
"I found what you're looking for."
Woz wanted to collect crab legs, and Lothar had no intention of stopping it; after all, he would be the one eating it in the end.
"Okay, I'm going, Lothar."
Mera followed Lothar's gaze, where the Golden Trident stood motionless before the blood-stained throne, exceptionally conspicuous. Her lithe body, clad in a tight combat suit, bid farewell to Lothar and walked step by step towards the First Atlantean King.
Of course, if Lothar and Woz's information was correct, this so-called First King was actually a false king who couldn't wield the Trident's power and had escaped from Atlantis.
"Excuse me, King of Atlantis."
Out of respect, Mera softly apologized, then reached out and grasped the shaft of the Golden Trident. A bone-chilling sensation instantly surged through every nerve in Mera's body!
Buzz!
The Golden Trident, which had been as still as a dead object, seemed to strike something solid, sending out a ripple of energy centered around itself.
Puff!
Mera, closest to the Golden Trident, spat out a mouthful of blood, which instantly evaporated upon hitting the Trident's shaft!
Boom!
A powerful, invisible force field directly pushed Mera down the steps, where she rolled three times, stopping at Lothar's feet.
"Mera!"
Atlanna, from afar, was worried. Although she had a double standard for her two sons, she was still good to Mera; otherwise, Mera wouldn't have remembered her kindness for so many years.
"It's no use, the Golden Trident doesn't recognize me."
Her lineage, stemming from the Xebelian royal family, simply couldn't be acknowledged by this Golden Trident, forged by the true First Atlantean King.
Among those who tried to forcibly seize it, Mera's outcome was already considered an act of mercy by the Trident, given her Xebelian royal blood. Otherwise, she would now be a pile of scorched earth in the ruins.
"The Golden Trident is a sacred artifact belonging to Atlantis. No one outside of Atlantis can gain its recognition."
"Mera, if you want to stop your father, I suggest you go and bring Ar—"
"Lothar, what are you doing? Don't do anything foolish!"
Atlanna's plea was interrupted by a frantic Mera. The black-haired, black-eyed Lothar, as if possessed, simply walked towards the Golden Trident's location.
"No matter how strong the Golden Trident is, no matter how high its status, it's ultimately just a weapon."
"A weapon that needs a master to wield it."
"Father once said, you can have reverence for your weapon, but you mustn't fear it."
"A weapon is ultimately just a tool to be used by a person."
"Nothing more."
Too impatient to wait, Lothar simply took matters into his own hands.
Lothar, educated by Thanos, harbored no reverence for this so-called Golden Trident, a symbol of oceanic royalty.
Who was Thanos?
He was a ruthless individual capable of setting his sights on the Infinity Stones and intending to wield them.
"It's just a small fork, what can it do?"
A weapon is a weapon, a weapon to be wielded by a person; this order must not be disturbed.
Buzz!
The moment Lothar, with his Saiyan bloodline, grasped the Trident's shaft, the entire ruined royal city suddenly stirred.
Invisible pressure surged from all directions, attempting to crush Lothar, who dared to covet the Golden Trident, into dust.
This cunning First King clearly wouldn't have died without leaving behind contingencies. If the giant sea beast Karathen was the first safeguard, then this mysteriously converging power now was the second.
It was intended to kill anyone with malicious intent.
Boom!!!!
The power left behind by the scheming First King, once capable of battling Steppenwolf, the vanguard general of Apokolips, made the entire sea tremble. Golden light on the corpse's golden armor seemed to challenge Lothar to see whose radiance was brighter.
"Lo—thar..." Mera's stunned exclamation became a sorrowful lament.
Lothar, brimming with arrogance, directly blasted the corpse on the throne into ashes...
Charred ashes...
"If you don't behave, I don't mind taking you to barbecue."
Lothar's chilling threat instantly silenced the still buzzing Golden Trident.
"Take it."
Lothar casually sat on the throne, then, with a flick of his wrist, tossed Atlantis's ancient treasure at Mera's feet. He crossed his legs, gently swaying his foot, leaned back, feeling the cold touch of the throne, and interlocked his fingers over his chest. His black eyes, filled with haughtiness, looked down from above.
Mera stared blankly at Lothar on the throne, unable to avert her gaze. At this moment, she felt as if she was seeing a true king seated on his throne, his arrogant gaze overlooking the beings prostrated beneath him.
In terms of presence, Lothar, personally educated by Thanos, had truly mastered it ten-fold.
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