CLANG!
The metallic impact echoed through the ocean depths, sending shockwaves that wrenched William from his footing and flung him like a lifeless doll. He spiraled uncontrollably, vapor trails bursting outward with each violent twist of his plummet.
CRAAAASH!
His back collided with a jagged cliffside, the force of the impact fracturing the stone and dislodging massive boulders and vibrant coral gardens. The debris cascaded downward, enveloping him in a maelstrom of shattered fragments.
Amid the chaos, William's body floated, a horrifying wound splitting his torso from neck to waist. His chest was a gaping chasm, muscles searing, ribs splintered, and internal organs hanging grotesquely in the shifting current.
For a fleeting moment, he was no longer a man, but a mutilated husk.
Yet even in this battered state, his body strained to follow its unnatural directive. Threads of muscle began to weave themselves together, crawling like living tendrils across exposed bone. But this time, the regeneration faltered. It was agonizingly slow. Too slow.
"What is this… energy?" His voice rasped, hoarse with a mix of confusion and pain.
William squeezed his burning orange eyes shut, forcing himself to concentrate. For the first time since gaining his powers, he didn't let the energy within him act on its own; he took control.
And then, he felt it.
A cold presence. Not water, not stone, but something foreign lodged deep within him. It clung to his very flesh, like frost gripping marrow. The chill reached beyond his bones, sinking into his soul with a biting intensity.
His jaw clenched. No. This doesn't belong to me.
TSSSSSS!
He unleashed fire against it. His molten energy surged forward, colliding violently with the intruder. The reaction was immediate and explosive, steam erupted from his wounds as heat and ice clashed in a brutal struggle within his body.
"Ahhhhhhhhnnn!" His scream ripped through the air, guttural and primal. The heat encircled the cold force, relentless like a predator closing in on its prey, tightening its grip until—
FWOOSH!
The alien energy shattered and dissipated. His regeneration resumed its familiar rhythm, muscles knitting swiftly, skin crawling over raw bone with relentless precision.
William's vision sharpened just enough to locate his companions.
Not far ahead, Rain and Eve moved in perfect harmony, their battle against the Atlantean herald a seamless dance of trust and coordination. Spearing javelins of ice and streaking missiles of pink light combined in synchronized attacks, yet Kalyra evaded them all with mocking grace.
The herald wielded her trident with effortless control, each flick deflecting their united assault. Her movements were unnervingly precise, as though she perceived the battle from every possible vantage point.
With deliberate cruelty, Kalyra aimed her trident at Eve. Between its wicked prongs, a sickly green light ignited, swelling and throbbing into a sphere of corruption that cast her features in an eerie luminescence.
Her lips stretched into a feral grin, exposing serrated, sharklike teeth. Her eyes blazed with unhinged fervor.
"Bow before the judgment of my god!" she roared, her voice splitting the sea like a thunderclap.
The sound rippled with a vile energy. Even William, steeled by relentless suffering, felt his stomach churn violently.
WHOOOOOSH!
The trident unleashed its wrath, a beam of decaying green energy tearing through the ocean, splitting it in a violent surge.
Eve's breath hitched sharply. Her half-formed projectile twisted into a barrier as she frantically layered wall upon wall of radiant pink, her fingers trembling with desperate urgency.
Rain surged to her side, his glowing blue eyes meeting hers for an instant. A silent exchange of resolve passed between them.
Then he turned, stepping forward to confront the impending cataclysm.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
His roar erupted, raw and defiant. Blue energy seared itself into his flesh, forming glowing runes that pulsed in time with his heartbeat.
And the ocean obeyed.
Water howled as it froze, an unyielding wall rising at his command. The sea itself condensed into a colossal glacial fortress, expanding outward until an iceberg the size of an island loomed before them. Its surface gleamed with razor-sharp precision, exuding a cold so intense it fractured the seabed beneath it.
As the fortress reached its peak—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Kalyra's beam collided with the iceberg.
The impact tore through the ocean, unleashing a shockwave that obliterated coral spires into dust and sent powerful tidal currents racing in every direction. The battlefield was consumed by a blinding light, while colossal fragments of ice, each as large as ships, plunged into the depths like meteors. The seabed itself fractured from the tremendous force, trembling as though the ocean were on the verge of collapse.
And at the heart of the chaos, Rain and Eve stood resolute against destruction.
"Hmmph... Arrogance!"
Kalyra sneered, her eyes blazing with disdain as the last feeble barrier dissolved into oblivion.
She surveyed their broken and defeated forms with a scornful laugh, channeling another surge of raw power through her trident. The weapon thrummed with energy, a blinding sphere of light forming at its tip, aimed unerringly at the two adversaries who seemed too drained to mount any meaningful defense against her relentless onslaught.
The surrounding scene was one of utter devastation, a grim tableau of lifeless marine creatures and fallen Atlanteans. Countless lives had already been sacrificed for this woman's ruthless ambitions. If her path remained unchecked and her vision realized, the disastrous consequences for the surface world would be unimaginable.
Eve's eyes burned like twin pink stars as she stepped forward, forging a massive arrow of energy, targeting the corrupted, malevolent heart of Kalyra just as her foe neared the completion of her own devastating attack.
Rain, standing behind Eve, radiated a profound glow with intricate blue lines coursing through his body. The surrounding seawater swirled and condensed into a singular solid mass, taking the form of one of the fallen leviathans from earlier.
Time appeared to stand still as the three colossal forces prepared for a decisive collision, signaling that the war's climax was imminent.
WHOOOOOOSH!
Kalyra unleashed her beam, prompting Eve and Rain to respond with their own combined attack. The leviathan seemed to engulf Eve's arrow, momentarily puzzling her, but upon realizing Rain's intention, a faint smile played across her lips.
The dragon utilized its massive form to amplify the arrow's force, gripping the shaft with its teeth to stabilize its trajectory. As the attacks converged, the climactic clash unfolded.
BOOM!
The world fractured into countless shards of time and space as the opposing forces collided in a catastrophic explosion.
The trident's beam was no mere light; it was an insatiable vortex of obliteration, devouring everything in its path, erasing form and color wherever it reached. Eve's arrow, launched from the jaws of Rain's leviathan, shone with an intense pink brilliance, cutting through even the deepest, most oppressive voids.
Together, Eve and Rain's combined attack managed to slow the unstoppable divine beam, but with each passing moment, they were pushed ever closer to the crumbling remnants of Atlantis's ancient walls.
"HAAAAAAx2!"
The two heroes roared in unison, channeling every ounce of their strength into their assault. The leviathan transformed into a massive, fearsome oceanic dragon, and the arrow it carried expanded into a devastating projectile, radiating the destructive power of a nuclear warhead.
Kalyra's eyes snapped open, her expression shifting to one of surprise at the unexpected display of strength. She had not anticipated encountering any meaningful resistance, particularly now that Atlantis's old king, its former protector, was no longer present to oppose her.
"Interesting…" she murmured, a faint glimmer of excitement flickering in her otherwise abyssal gaze. Her lips twisted into a demonic smile as her amusement gave way to malevolent intent.
"But nothing more!" she declared as the swirling tattoos on her arms began to pulse with an unearthly energy. The aura seeped from her tattoos into her hands and then into her trident, amplifying the destructive beam still emanating from its tip.
The colossal dragon and the missile clenched tightly in its massive jaws were completely engulfed by the sudden eruption of an even larger beam of destructive energy.
Rain and Eve stared in horror as their carefully coordinated attacks were utterly consumed before their eyes. Acting on pure defensive instinct, the two quickly combined their powers in a desperate attempt to form a shield. The beam, relentless and precise, surged past their failed offensive and barreled toward them with devastating force.
WHOOSHHHH!
Both Rain and Eve coughed up blood as the overwhelming attack struck them. Their hastily constructed shield barely held together under the immense pressure, carrying them helplessly like ragdolls in the beam's trajectory toward Atlantis's fortified walls.
Fighting with all their remaining strength to maintain the shield, the two were unable to resist as they were slammed into the city's outer defenses.
BOOOOOM!
The once flawless walls of the underwater city crumbled like brittle stone as the impact tore through them, sending debris flying like scattered pins in a bowling alley. The barrier they relied on shattered instantly upon hitting the ground on the other side. Struggling to their feet, unsteady and battered and with blood leaking from their mouths and ears, the two heroes looked up to see a torrent of corrupted, deadly sea creatures pouring through the freshly created breach.
Kalyra stood in the gaping hole, her gaze fixed on the two heroes below as if they were nothing more than garbage. Her silhouette remained stark against the surrounding darkness, illuminated as though a spotlight from behind cast an ethereal glow upon her form.
"Wait, spotlight?"[1]
As Kalyra turned her head, she caught sight of something so shocking it froze her in place, leaving her no time to react before—
BOOM... Crack!
A thunderous blow struck her jaw, flinging her across the battlefield toward the city's inner walls, where terrified civilians clung desperately to their fragile hope for a swift victory.
Spitting out a thick glob of blood, Kalyra dragged herself upright from the fresh crater her impact had gouged into the ground. Her eyes locked onto the spot where she had stood just moments earlier, now blazing with a fierce and unrestrained fury that had been missing before, as her jaw hung by threads of dark, tendril-like muscles.
William stood unmoving amidst the shattered breach in the once-pristine walls of Atlantis, his arms folded, muscles taut as though forged from steel. His hair flowed behind him, each strand radiating a white-hot brilliance like molten metal. The water around him churned and steamed, forming an impenetrable barrier against the swarm of corrupted sea creatures, their ravenous hunger subdued by the instinctual fear of becoming prey themselves.
Breaking the heavy silence, William pointed at Kalyra, his eyes alight with fighting intent.
"Your fight with me isn't over, come and catch these hands!"[2]
Kalyra's jaw twitched for a few moments before, to the astonishment of everyone watching, it started to reattach itself to her face. The muscles, tendons, and skin began to regenerate, seamlessly healing and restoring her ability to speak once again.
"That hurt... THAT FUCKING HURT!" A dense, swirling mist began to coalesce around her, as though her very essence was tainting the saltwater in her vicinity. With a burst of energy, she surged toward William, radiating a killing intent far beyond what one might expect from such a delicate figure.
She threw her trident like a javelin towards William, who began to fly backwards as quickly as he could.
"If I can lead her away from the city, then maybe..." His thoughts were abruptly interrupted as the trident lunged forward, aiming directly at his chest with deadly precision, its intent unmistakably to pierce his heart. William instinctively reached out, trying to seize the blades to halt their advance, only to realize too late that Kalyra had either flashed or teleported. She was now standing above him, her movement swift and precise, with a powerful kick already in motion and heading straight for his head.
In a final, desperate act of defiance, William lunged forward, driving his head into the approaching foot with a forceful headbutt. The battlefield was filled with a deafening roar as the clash of their opposing forces reverberated through the chaotic scene.
The impact sent William's head snapping backward while Kalyra was propelled forward, the two of them spiraling together into the unending abyss, disappearing into the shadowy void far from the city.
The shadow engulfed them completely as the water churned in violent chaos, sending William and Kalyra tumbling into the abyss, their descent an uncontrollable spiral through the inky depths. Bubbles burst around them like tiny stars, glimmering momentarily before fading into the void.
Kalyra's eyes burned with malice, though a fleeting glint of surprise betrayed her. William's unexpected headbutt had momentarily thrown her off balance, a rare misstep she hadn't foreseen. Yet she recovered swiftly, her trident materializing in her grip as if summoned by instinct alone.
"Do you think that could hurt me?" she hissed, her voice slicing through the water like a whip. "I was forged in chaos itself!"
William's body coiled with tension, faint orange flames flickering and glowing beneath the crushing pressure of the ocean depths. The alien energy that had once coursed through him left behind a faint, chilling scar, a reminder that kept him hyper-vigilant. He would not allow another surprise. Not from her.
With a roar that seemed to fracture the abyss itself, William twisted mid-plummet, his movements so rapid they churned the surrounding water into a blinding vortex. He struck out first, his fists blazing with molten fire, each blow creating shockwaves that radiated through the ocean, forcing Kalyra to counter with swift, calculated sweeps of her trident.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Their clash unleashed a cacophony of metal and raw energy, the reverberations so intense that even the distant surface of Atlantis quaked under the force. Kalyra's trident pulsed with a sickly green light, emanating a corrupt power, while William's fiery aura responded in kind, forming jagged rings of molten energy that tore through the water like miniature suns, illuminating the endless darkness.
In an instant, time seemed to slow, and William's senses honed to an unparalleled sharpness. He discerned every micro-current, every bubble, and every bead of corruption clinging to Kalyra's skin with crystalline clarity. Then he moved, not with raw power but with deliberate precision.
He lunged forward, driving a flaming elbow into her ribs, and for the first time, Kalyra faltered.
"No… IMPOSSIBLE!" she snarled, green energy surging violently from her trident. She swung it upward, unleashing a beam of corruption that slashed toward William like a living blade of poison.
William didn't evade. Instead, he met the attack head-on, countering with a fiery force that wrapped around the green energy like a constricting serpent. The collision erupted in a violent explosion, propelling both combatants into a cavernous trench below, where jagged rock walls glowed under the intensity of their clash.
The ocean floor split open where they landed. Boulders shattered, jagged spikes erupted skyward, and powerful currents twisted into violent tornadoes around them. Kalyra roared, summoning the corruption in the surrounding water to lash out at William like writhing serpents of living darkness.
But William's determination solidified. His flames flared brighter, consuming the tendrils of corruption in a cleansing inferno. Every strike he delivered, every attack he parried, was exact and measured. For the first time in the battle, he wasn't merely reacting, he was controlling the tempo.
"You'll pay for what you've done!" he roared, his eyes blazing. The molten fire encased him, forming an incandescent armor of fury. He shot upward like a comet, spinning, his fist glowing white-hot as he drove it straight toward Kalyra's chest.
The trident intercepted his blow, but the sheer force of his molten fist shattered it on impact. Spirals of green corruption burst forth, scattering like venomous fireflies, yet William's unyielding momentum propelled him forward, slamming into Kalyra with the devastating force of a collapsing star.
Her scream reverberated through the abyss, a piercing sound that fractured the currents into jagged shards. For the first time, she faltered, disbelief widening her eyes.
William's assault was relentless. Flames coiled around his fists, flowing like molten iron with each strike. Every blow forced her backward, stripping away fragments of the dark corruption that clung to her form. The intense heat of the molten fire merged with the crushing pressure of the ocean, sparking violent exothermic reactions with every movement as the surrounding water seethed and churned.
Kalyra's limbs flailed in a chaotic yet calculated frenzy, her sweeping counterattack sending shards of her shattered trident spinning like venomous cyclones. William, his reflexes sharpened by a lifetime of pain and survival, met each strike with unyielding precision. Every movement he made seemed choreographed by an unspoken rhythm, each blow driven by a potent mix of instinct and simmering rage.
In the elongated, suspended moments of their battle, William's thoughts solidified: This is more than a fight. It's a reckoning. She has taken too much. I will not let her take Atlantis.
With a powerful spinning kick, he struck her ribs, sending her crashing into a jagged coral outcrop. For an instant, the sickly green glow surrounding her flickered and dimmed, but far away in the deepest reaches of the Bermuda Triangle, a once-pristine gate, now overrun with vein-like growths, released a pulse of energy. As if invigorated by this surge, Kalyra's green energy swelled to unprecedented levels.
On the ocean floor, Kalyra suddenly began to revel in the new power coursing through her, her body almost sensually absorbing the energy as she closed her eyes in apparent ecstasy.
WHOOSH!
When her eyes snapped open, they were no longer eyes but twin orbs of pure green energy that radiated an overwhelming presence, making William feel as though he was gazing into the essence of a higher being. The energy erupted from her in a cataclysmic display of force and light, expanding the crater beneath her feet by a dozenfold and forcing William to shield his eyes or risk going blind.
Shielding his eyes, William watched as Kalyra materialized before him with a serene smile, gently pressing her open palm against his sternum.
BOOOSH... CRACK!
A violent torrent of blood and saliva burst from William's mouth as his body was hurled through the water at supersonic speeds.
BOOM!
He crashed into a towering cliff, shattering colossal chunks of rock and displacing entire marine ecosystems into the abyssal depths.
BOOM!
A second impact obliterated a coral-encrusted cliff, scattering debris in every direction.
BANG!
Finally, a third and sturdier cliff abruptly arrested his momentum. The jarring stop aggravated his injuries, causing William to release a stream of bright blood from the fresh wounds inflicted by the cliffs he had torn through.
Struggling to lift his head, William was overwhelmed by the searing pain coursing through his body. His mind dulled, and his vision blurred, leaving him oblivious to the incoming trident.
SQUELCH... BANG!
A newly formed trident struck William with ferocity, its points piercing his neck, chest, and stomach before pinning him to the cliff face in a display of unrelenting and bloody brutality.
[AN: Aquaman could never lol!]
[1] 4th wall break, anyone? hehehe!
[2] These hands are E for Everybody!