As they continued toward Atlantis through the ocean depths, Mera guided the vessel while Daniel sat beside her watching the scenery outside. Behind them, Arthur and Batman traveled inside the large air bubble Daniel had created.
Bruce had been observing Arthur for nearly ten minutes before reaching a conclusion. "I can already see the problem."
Arthur didn't like that tone. "What problem?"
"It will be difficult for you to become king. You lack the charisma necessary to unite the kingdoms."
Arthur's expression darkened. "Thanks."
The worst part was that Bruce wasn't even trying to insult him. He genuinely meant it.
Ahead of them, Daniel overheard and nodded. "He's right."
"Why are you agreeing with him?"
"Because he's correct." Daniel shrugged. "You'd make a decent king. Convincing everyone else of that is the hard part."
Mera silently agreed. Arthur possessed many qualities Atlantis needed. Diplomacy was not one of them.
Bruce was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Then perhaps we're approaching this incorrectly."
Arthur immediately became suspicious. "What does that mean?"
"Instead of making Arthur acceptable to the kingdoms, we remove the obstacle preventing him from taking the throne." Bruce paused. "We abduct Orm and make his disappearance resemble an internal assassination."
The vessel nearly drifted off course.
Mera slowly turned around. Arthur stared at Batman. Daniel's eyes widened slightly.
"That's actually a good idea."
Arthur looked horrified. "What do you mean that's a good idea?"
"Think about it," Daniel said, leaning back. "No war, no political mess, no endless arguments between kingdoms. One king disappears and the succession issue solves itself."
Mera looked between the two of them. "Do either of you understand how catastrophically bad that is?"
"How?"
"If the kingdoms discover surface dwellers were behind it, every kingdom unites immediately. Even rulers who disagree with Orm would support retaliation."
Daniel considered that briefly. "Only if they know who did it." He looked completely serious. "If I decide to make someone disappear, nobody finds out how it happened."
Arthur rubbed his forehead. Somehow the conversation had evolved from preventing a war to discussing royal kidnappings. Batman was still quietly considering the logistics, which was somehow worse.
Mera pointed at Daniel. "No." Then at Batman. "No." Then at Arthur. "And definitely no."
Arthur nodded immediately. For the first time during the journey, he completely agreed with her.
Daniel still looked disappointed that his favorite solution had been rejected.
Soon the city of Atlantis appeared before them.
Even Arthur, who had seen it before, couldn't deny how impressive it looked. Countless towers rose from the ocean floor while streams of light flowed between them.
Massive structures built from Atlantean crystal illuminated the surrounding waters, making the entire city look like a constellation resting beneath the sea.
Daniel found himself staring. For all the strange things he had seen, Atlantis was genuinely beautiful. Even Batman had to admit the engineering alone was remarkable.
Mera noticed their reactions and allowed herself a small smile. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
"It is," Daniel admitted. Then he looked at her. "My uncle used to say that the most beautiful things usually hide the darkest secrets. Cities, kingdoms, people..." His eyes remained on her. "...and sometimes women."
Mera rolled her eyes. "Your uncle sounds like a weirdo."
Daniel nodded without hesitation. "He absolutely is. But he's also the strongest weirdo you'll ever meet."
"Stronger than you?"
"Much stronger." The answer came so quickly it was almost unsettling. "If my uncle ever came here, flattening the planet would probably be easier than making breakfast."
Mera stared at him. She knew Daniel was powerful — she had seen the reports, heard enough to know he rarely exaggerated. Which made the statement difficult to dismiss.
"You're exaggerating."
"No."
The simple certainty in his voice was what unsettled her. For a brief moment she wondered what kind of family could produce someone like Daniel, then immediately decided she probably didn't want to know.
While the others focused on the city, Daniel quietly opened his status panel.
---
[Status]
[Name : Daniel Haken]
[Race : God]
[Innate Talent : God of Death]
[Death Energy : Sub-Continent Level]
[Abilities : Death Energy Manipulation, Resurrection, Soul Reading, Soul Devouring, Shadow Step, Soul Extraction, Death Mark, Spirit Command, Underworld Gate, Death Aura, Life-Death Perception]
[Domain : Underworld Manifestation]
[Weapon : Scythe of Dead]
[Special Powers : Mark of Nexus (Can Control Time and Space)]
[Evaluation : Continent Level Powerhouse]
---
So it had updated again. Continent-level — based on current strength rather than full potential, which meant the system believed he had grown considerably since arriving in this world.
Then another notification appeared.
---
[Recovery Mission]
[Recover the Fragment within the Trident of Atlan]
[Recover the Fragment within the Complete Mother Box]
[Recover the Fragment within the Anti-Matter Realm]
---
Daniel blinked. The first two made sense. The third did not.
Anti-Matter Realm. There weren't many things in DC associated with anti-matter. Only one major possibility came to mind immediately.
The Anti-Monitor. The being responsible for the Crisis.
'What the hell?'
If the system meant that Anti-Monitor, the scale of this mission had suddenly become ridiculous.
Mera's voice interrupted his thoughts. "We're approaching the city gates." She pointed toward the massive defensive barrier surrounding Atlantis. "Your bubble won't be allowed through. The gates scan every vessel entering the city."
Daniel looked at the barrier, then waved a hand casually.
Before Arthur could ask what he was doing, both he and Batman vanished from the bubble entirely. A second later they reappeared inside a dark landscape beneath a black sky.
Arthur looked around. Batman immediately reached for a weapon.
*****
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