The Mariana Trench was the closest thing Earth had to an alien planet. Seven miles down, the pressure was over eight tons per square inch—enough to crush a nuclear submarine like a soda can. It was pitch black, freezing, and utterly silent.
Except for the explosions.
Down in the crushing dark, a battle was raging.
Elias was in Super form. He had to be. In his base form, even with his enhanced durability, the pressure at this depth would have been uncomfortable. As Super Elias, wrapped in the golden aura of the Chaos Force, he was a miniature sun illuminating the abyss.
He wasn't alone.
Aquaman—Arthur Curry—was fighting beside him. The King of Atlantis wielded his trident with brutal efficiency, parrying blasts of red optic energy that sliced through the water, boiling it instantly.
Their opponent was a heavily modified submarine, shaped like a manta ray but the size of a small building. And piloting a smaller, agile underwater suit outside of it was Black Manta.
"You surface dwellers are persistent!" Manta's distorted voice echoed through the water, amplified by his suit's speakers.
Clutched in one of the submarine's mechanical claws was the prize: The Cyan Chaos Emerald.
It glowed with a ghostly, pale blue light, illuminating the terrifying deep-sea fauna that scurried away from the fight.
"He's drawing power from the Emerald!" Aquaman shouted over the comms frequency—or rather, the telepathic wavelength he used to command sea life. Elias picked it up via the Chaos field. "His suit is overcharged. Those blasts are hitting harder than usual!"
"I noticed!" Elias yelled back. He zipped through the water, leaving a trail of golden bubbles. Water resistance didn't exist for him. He moved as freely as he did in air.
A red laser beam wide as a highway slashed past him. Elias spun, the water cavitating around his body.
Ring Energy: 28.
"I'm on a timer, Arthur! We need to crack that sub!"
"The hull is reinforced with Atlantean steel," Aquaman grunted, taking a blast to the chest that sent him tumbling backward into a trench wall. He shook it off, his eyes glowing gold. "I can't breach it without risking the Emerald!"
"I can," Elias said.
He looked at the massive sub. The mechanical claw holding the Emerald was shielded.
"Cover me," Elias ordered.
"Don't give me orders, kid," Aquaman growled, but he swam forward anyway. "I call the Sharks!"
From the darkness, shadows emerged. Great White Sharks? No. These were Trench beasts. Monstrous, angler-fish nightmares with teeth like needles. But they obeyed the King. They swarmed Black Manta, biting at his suit's hydraulics.
"Get off me, you filth!" Manta roared, firing his optic blasts wildly to clear the swarm.
It was the opening Elias needed.
He curled.
The golden aura intensified, burning so bright it turned the black water white. The heat generated was immense; steam bubbles formed instantly around him.
Super Spin Dash.
"Torpedo mode," Elias muttered.
VWOOM.
He launched.
He didn't hit the submarine. He hit the water in front of the submarine.
Using a technique from Sonic Colors, he generated a Drill Wisp frequency within his aura. He became a golden drill of pure kinetic force.
He slammed into the mechanical arm.
SCREEECH-CRUNCH.
The sound of tearing metal was deafening even underwater. The Atlantean steel sheared like paper. The arm was severed cleanly at the joint.
The claw fell, tumbling down toward the bottomless dark of the trench, still clutching the Cyan Emerald.
"No!" Black Manta screamed. He abandoned the fight with Aquaman, his suit thrusters firing to chase the falling gem.
"He's going for it!" Aquaman yelled.
Elias uncurled. He looked down.
"Race you."
Elias dove.
He and Manta were neck and neck. The pressure increased with every second. Manta's suit groaned. Elias's aura flared to compensate.
The Cyan Emerald drifted into a cluster of hydrothermal vents—black smokers spewing superheated, toxic water.
Manta reached out. "Infinite power..."
Elias didn't reach. He boosted.
A golden shockwave propelled him forward. He slammed into Manta's side, tackling the villain away from the vents.
"Get out of the pool!" Elias shouted.
He grabbed Manta's suit by the helmet. With Super strength, he spun.
Giant Swing.
He hurled Black Manta upward, sending him spiraling back toward the surface miles above.
Elias turned back to the vents. The Emerald was resting on the rim of a volcano, teetering on the edge.
He floated down gently.
"Gotcha."
He picked up the Cyan Emerald.
The moment he touched it, he felt a rush of cool energy. Unlike the Purple Emerald's ambition or the Red's rage, the Cyan Emerald was patience. It was the stillness of a laser focus.
Chaos Control: Laser Wisp Integration Unlocked.
"Nice," Elias smiled.
Aquaman swam down to him. The King looked battered, his armor scorched, but he was impressed. He floated next to Elias, looking at the glowing gem.
"You hit hard, kid," Aquaman admitted. "For a surface dweller."
"Technically, I'm extraterrestrial right now," Elias quipped, tossing the Emerald in the water and catching it. "Thanks for the assist with the fish."
Aquaman eyed the Emerald. "That stone... it was powering Manta's suit to levels I've never seen. If he had cracked the casing..."
"He would have boiled the ocean," Elias finished. "Which is why I'm taking it."
Aquaman stiffened. He gripped his trident. "Atlantis claims all artifacts found in the deep."
Elias floated higher, meeting Aquaman's gaze. His ruby eyes were calm.
"Arthur. Do you really want that thing in your throne room? It calls out to power. It calls out to conquerors. Manta found it in a week. Who comes next? Ocean Master?"
Aquaman hesitated. He looked at the gem, feeling its hum. It felt dangerous. Alien.
"Superman trusts you," Aquaman said finally. "He told the League you have a safe house."
"I do," Elias lied (he was still working on that part).
"Fine," Aquaman lowered his trident. "Take it. But if Manta comes back with more of that power..."
"I'll be there," Elias promised.
He checked his timer.
Ring Energy: 5.
"Crap. Gotta fly."
"Can you make it to the surface in time?" Aquaman asked.
Elias grinned.
"I'm the fastest thing alive, remember?"
He tapped the Cyan Emerald.
Cyan Laser.
Elias transformed. His body dissolved into a beam of pure cyan light. He shot straight up, bypassing the water, bypassing the drag.
He broke the surface of the Pacific Ocean in 0.003 seconds, soaring into the clouds just as his Super form flickered and died.
He plummeted toward a deserted island, clutching the second Emerald to his chest, laughing as the wind rushed past his face.
Two down. Five to go.