In the Atlantean palace, Namor sat upon his throne, deep in thought. The recent earthquake troubled him. Though Atlantis lay tens of thousands of meters deep, he couldn't recall a single earthquake occurring there in his lifetime. He had a strong premonition that this anomaly was connected to the bottomless abyss.
"Report!" A soldier burst in, interrupting Namor's meditation. "Your Majesty, the surface dweller, that man from the land, he's back again!"
"What?!" Namor rose in anger.
"The man from the land has returned and brought many huge monsters with him. General Sartu is leading the army in a fierce battle against him. Your Majesty, please lead the troops to support him!" the soldier reported frantically.
"Go and tell the defense forces to assemble!" Namor commanded. A maid helped him into his armor, and he took his trident from a guard before striding out of the palace.
Upon reaching the entrance of Atlantis with his defenders, Namor witnessed a tragic scene. Countless Atlantean soldiers were locked in fierce combat with grotesque giant creatures. These monsters possessed rough, thick skin and immense strength. The soldiers' water cannons inflicted little damage, while the monsters caused heavy casualties among the Atlanteans.
At the center of the chaos, a dark-skinned, blond-haired human stood atop a giant octopus. He wielded a golden trident, constantly unleashing massive energy blasts at the Atlantean soldiers. The octopus's tentacles lashed out, attacking nearby soldiers.
Overwhelmed by the sight, Namor cried out, "Beat the drum!"
Boom...boom...boom...boom! The thunderous sound of drums echoed across the battlefield. Arthur turned his head towards the sound, seeing rows of Atlantean soldiers mounted on sharks, lined up neatly. In the formation's center, Namor, clad in armor and holding a silver trident, stood on the head of a whale shark.
"Oh, he's finally here!" Arthur exclaimed.
Arthur gazed at Namor, who stood on the whale shark's head, and Namor, in turn, stared at Arthur, perched on the giant octopus. Namor raised his trident, pointed it at Arthur, and bellowed, "Attack!"
Namor charged forward, his whale shark swiftly propelling him towards Arthur, followed by countless shark-riding defenders. Arthur, controlling his giant octopus, surged towards Namor, accompanied by dozens of colossal monsters.
As the two sides rapidly closed the distance, Arthur and Namor's tridents clashed with immense force. The giant octopus and the whale shark collided fiercely, while Arthur's monstrous allies plunged into the ranks of the defenders, engaging in battle.
The violent shockwave from the collision sent both Arthur and Namor flying backward. Arthur halted after being propelled back over ten meters, while Namor crashed into several soldiers behind him, eliciting cries of pain.
Staring at Arthur, Namor couldn't believe that he had not only survived the bottomless abyss but had also returned with so many enormous creatures. He also sensed a significant increase in Arthur's strength. Namor's right hand, which had just met Arthur's attack, was still trembling. He then noticed the golden trident in Arthur's hand. "That is... the Trident of Sea God? Impossible!"
The trident in Arthur's hand was identical in shape to the Trident of Poseidon depicted in the ancient murals within the Atlantean palace. "How could this surface dweller obtain the Seagod Trident? How could the Trident recognize him?" Namor's face was a mask of disbelief as he demanded, "Where did you get the Sea God Trident?"
"Is it called the Trident of the Sea God? Thanks to you, I found it in the abyss! It suits my needs very well," Arthur replied, toying with the Trident of the Sea God with satisfaction.
"How is it possible!? How is it possible!?" Namor couldn't accept that Arthur, after being thrown into the bottomless abyss, was not only unharmed but had also acquired an artifact.
Arthur, with a smirk, thought, "He fell off a cliff and picked up an artifact; this is just a basic operation. Everyone, calm down, don't be so surprised. What can I say? I'm the protagonist of this novel!"
Seeing Arthur's taunting demeanor, Namor's anger flared. "You traitorous bastard, you'll die here today!"
"That's not up to you?" Arthur curled his lips, dismissing Namor's boast.
"Go to hell!" Namor shouted, firing a massive energy blast from his trident at Arthur.
Knowing this attack was coming, Arthur raised his own trident and unleashed a powerful energy blast. The two streams of energy collided with a violent bang, sending several nearby Atlantean soldiers flying from the explosion.
Arthur charged towards Namor, trident in hand, and with a single powerful move, slashed downwards at Namor. Namor raised his trident to block the attack, but the immense force sent him to one knee.
Namor, with all his strength, deflected Arthur's trident and then swept his own trident at Arthur's lower body. Arthur skillfully stepped back to avoid the attack and then lunged forward, stabbing at Namor with his trident.
Namor dodged sideways and punched Arthur. Arthur parried Namor's fist and spun around, elbowing Namor in the chest, causing him to stagger. Namor then turned and kicked Arthur, sending him flying sideways.
Namor slashed at Arthur with his trident, but Arthur blocked with his own. Arthur kicked Namor, and Namor retaliated with a kick of his own. The two exchanged kicks.
Namor and Arthur were locked in an intense, inextricably linked battle. Though Arthur was stronger, Namor's combat experience was clearly superior. However, Arthur's reaction speed was astonishing, leaving neither able to gain a decisive advantage for a time.
Both possessed formidable fighting abilities, exchanging blows and kicks, growing more determined with each strike. Their tridents clashed continuously, producing a metallic clanging sound.
Meanwhile, the defense army and the giant beasts also fought fiercely. Despite the defenders' numerical advantage and their agile long-range water cannon attacks, the monsters' thick, black skin acted as heavy armor, rendering the energy water cannons largely ineffective. Furthermore, the behemoths employed unexpected attack methods, causing heavy losses among the defenders.
Sartu, the Atlantean general, was in overall command of the battlefield. Under his guidance, the Second Corps finally managed to defeat a giant lizard. However, he remained worried, his attention fixed on the battle's progression. These giant beasts were far more challenging than anticipated.
In particular, a few of the giant beasts possessed not only extremely strong defenses but also long-range attacks that were difficult to guard against. The giant horned frog engaged by the Third Corps could extend its tongue hundreds of meters to snatch and instantly swallow a soldier. The giant crab, though slow, was impervious to energy water cannons due to its thick armor, and the bubbles it spat would explode on contact. Truly, they were terrifying monsters from the bottomless abyss!
Sartu's heart sank as he watched more and more Atlantean soldiers fall. If this continued, Atlantis would be doomed. His only hope now was that His Majesty the King could defeat the surface dweller, thus immediately ending the crisis.
Above the battlefield, Arthur's giant octopus tightly coiled around Namor's whale shark. Its eight thick tentacles tightened relentlessly, and its massive, tooth-filled mouth clamped down on the whale shark's body, eliciting a miserable cry.
On the battlefield, both Arthur and Namor looked towards the sound. "Well done, Eight Legs!" Arthur praised. Namor, seeing his mount perish instantly, his face completely darkened, and his body trembled with rage.