Outside the waterfall, everyone felt the earthquake suddenly stop, and they looked at each other.
What's going on?
Big question marks appeared above their heads.
However, suddenly, Atlanna's face changed dramatically.
"Quick! We must leave here quickly!"
"What?" Arthur still didn't understand what had happened.
But soon, another tremor came from underground, and this time the tremor was very strong, feeling like it was getting closer and closer.
Without Atlanna's second reminder, everyone quickly ran towards the beach outside. As they approached the sea, there was a sudden loud bang behind them!
Boom—!
Mera was the first to turn her head and saw a scene she would never forget.
A giant monster burst out from the rock wall. Its massive body crushed everything in its path. Mountains were shattered by it, trees were flattened, and the waterfall even flowed upwards because of it.
On top of his head, Dane's Red figure looked at them against the light, holding in his hand the legendary golden trident!
Even this secret realm seemed to be welcoming his return. Thunder ripped through the sky, and the giant beast roared upwards, louder than the thunder!
Dane's body was also lifted high by the beast's head, as if to be level with the sky.
"A true... King!" Mera's eyes sparkled. At this moment, she was completely captivated by the man's figure!
The other three also saw him. Besides Arthur, who was still relatively calm, the other two looked rather unwell.
Their worst fears had indeed come true.
Atlanna and Vulko exchanged a look, both seeing worry and solemnity in each other's eyes.
Since he could pick up the trident and even command Karasen, then he had undoubtedly gained the trident's approval, and even the gods' approval!
This was certainly good news for the Surface, but what about Atlantis and the entire Atlanteans?
Most importantly, what did this mean for Arthur?
As two seasoned politicians of Atlantis, Atlanna and Vulko instantly foresaw the dangers and difficulties the Atlanteans would face.
But what could they do?
Not to mention whether they could lay a hand on a "demigod," all of them combined couldn't possibly defeat Karasen.
Even if a large army were dispatched, they would be routed by the giant beast he controlled before they even touched Dane!
Dane flew down from Karasen's head and stood on the ground again.
Arthur didn't have as many complex thoughts as his mother and mentor. He admired this man from the bottom of his heart, so he eagerly went forward.
"You got it!"
Dane smiled and shook his head, "No, it doesn't belong to me."
For Dane, the most valuable part of this trident had already been obtained by him, so there was no need to claim it for himself.
Moreover, this trident was the royal weapon of Atlantis, possessing the power to command the Seven Seas, but this power was not absolute for the Seven Seas kingdoms.
An outsider, even holding the trident of poseidon, would absolutely not be recognized by the Atlanteans.
It would be better to return it to Arthur, letting him continue on his original path to become the King of the Seven Seas. With their friendship, Dane could still gain enough benefits from the Undersea kingdom.
And this favor, even if Arthur didn't understand, would Atlanna and Vulko not understand?
So he brought the golden trident before Arthur.
"Arthur, the golden trident only holds the power to command the Seven Seas when held by a descendant of Atlantis royalty. It should belong to you."
But Arthur didn't take it. He said seriously, "But I've already been rejected. I've been proven unworthy."
"No, it's not that you're unworthy, but that you're not mature enough."
Dane denied his words: "If you were truly unworthy, you wouldn't even have had a chance to touch it. The reason you failed before was because you approached it with a frivolous attitude."
"Arthur, the throne is a heavy responsibility. You must understand the weight of this responsibility to be able to lift this trident that carries the Seven Seas. Try again!"
Arthur pondered for a while after hearing this.
He thought of Amnesty Bay, and of that tsunami. If not for Shazam's timely rescue, what a tragic sight it would have been?
If the two civilizations, the Undersea and the Surface, went to war, how many people would die for inexplicable reasons?
And him? He had the ability to change all of this! No, he *must* change all of this!
Atlanna then spoke at the opportune moment: "Arthur, do you know why I believe you will definitely be the King of Atlantis?"
Arthur looked at her, and Atlanna continued.
"Because you are different from all of us. Atlanteans generally don't like Surface people, so no matter who becomes King, the best result is only to maintain the status quo, to be stuck in old ways, but you are different."
"You are the crystallization of two Worlds. You are both an Atlantean and a human. You will become the bridge between the two Worlds."
"Bringing us new peace, not conquest and destruction, but moving forward hand in hand with the Surface World towards true peace!"
After she finished speaking, Arthur suddenly felt a sense of mission filling his chest. He seemed to understand his purpose, and even his gaze changed.
He looked at Dane again, at the golden trident in his hand.
This time, with a fearless mindset, he grasped the trident.
The trident glowed with golden light, but it no longer shot out lightning to reject him.
Karasen didn't understand what was happening and lowered his big head, trying to see clearly.
Dane released his grip, signifying his relinquishment of the King's weapon.
Arthur slowly raised it, and the trident once again emitted a dazzling light, as thunder from the sky struck the trident, making it even more resplendent.
At this moment, Aquaman was officially born!
And Atlanna and Vulko's hearts finally settled.
Mera was surprised; she hadn't expected Dane to give up the divine artifact so easily.
Seemingly noticing her gaze, Dane turned his head and looked at her.
Mera quickly lowered her head, as if there was something on the ground worth her careful study.
"Now that we have the item, there's no time to lose; let's get out of here quickly!"
...Rewinding time a bit, Orm quickly received news of the tsunami plan's failure.
He looked at the Soldier who had come to report and couldn't help but reconfirm the situation: "One person?"
The Atlantis Soldier lowered his head and said, "Yes."
Orm's tone became strange as he repeated, "One person?"
Seemingly sensing the anger in his voice, the Soldier tried to minimize his presence.
"Are you trying to tell me that the highest technological achievement of our nation was dealt with by one man?"
"Your Majesty, although this is hard to believe, it... it is indeed true!"
Orm suddenly laughed, then picked up the silver trident stuck beside his throne and walked towards the Soldier.
To the Soldier's horror, he impaled him with a single thrust of the trident.
Still not appeased, Orm lifted the Soldier's body high and then violently flung him into the distance.
By the time the Soldier hit the wall and slid down, he had already breathed his last.
Orm waved the trident, and a faint scent of blood diffused through the Water, as if imbuing the space with a chilling aura.
The other guards present were even more terrified, not daring to make a sound.
Orm returned to his throne, lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up:
"Send out an order, summon all available Army units now, and have them assemble!"
"Your Majesty, under what pretext?"
The reason for this question was that Atlantis was not an absolute monarchy; he needed to explain his reasons to his subjects (especially the nobles).
"Tell them that we must seize this opportunity to attack the Surface World, starting from the location we planned earlier!"
Dane's guess was correct; Orm had indeed used torpedoes stolen from a Navy submarine to secretly attack the people of Atlantis, fabricating it as a sneak attack by the Surface.
This ignited Atlantis's hatred for the Surface, which was also why Orm was able to order this attack.
Originally, he had anticipated that this tsunami attack would submerge all coastal areas, and he would then lead an Army to catch them off guard.
However, plans change; who knew that, for some inexplicable reason, one man would emerge and stop the tsunami single-handedly?
Orm refused to believe such a thing; he stubbornly believed that the Surface had paid a huge price to stop the tsunami.
Therefore, what he should do now is to further weaken their strength before the Surface can regroup!
Atlantis is invincible!
Orm firmly believed this.
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