"I'll help!"
At Cyborg's invitation, Shazam—Cyborg's loudest fanboy—immediately raised his hand.
"Count me in."
The Flash followed right after. With his speed, even if he had to sprint across the entire Sahara, it wouldn't take long.
Before they left, Flash glanced at Hal Jordan and invited him along for the hunt for the lost trident.
"Hal—coming?"
"Nope. I'm not going to a desert to eat sand."
Hal waved him off. He'd rather punch it out with Atlanteans out there than wander an empty wasteland looking for a three-pronged fork.
As the Boom Tube sealed shut, Cyborg, Aquaman, Mera, and the Flash stepped onto the path to find the trident.
"I'm going to pick up Superman."
With the others gone, Wonder Woman couldn't sit still. Superman still hadn't returned from the interception, so she went to meet him.
Diana's demigod bloodline and the blessings of Olympus meant she could survive in extremes without blinking. Even in the deep sea, she could fight like she did on land—and against Atlanteans who leaned on magic, her resistance made her, if anything, even more comfortable in battle.
"So," Ben said, watching her disappear into the water. "What do we do next?"
He turned to Batman. Even without super-intelligence, Ben knew exactly who to ask when it came to planning: the Justice League's brain.
"Get intelligence on Atlantis," Batman replied.
Then he looked directly at Vulko. As Arthur's mentor—and an Atlantean—Vulko knew this world better than anyone.
"What do you want to know?" Vulko asked.
Behind his calm expression, the situation was anything but calm. Atlantis was boiling with extremist rhetoric calling for war against the surface. If Orm unified the remaining kingdoms and the war formally began, then even if Arthur found the trident afterward… it would be too late.
Vulko needed time. Arthur needed time. And Arthur's friends wanted the same thing—so Vulko would help as much as he could.
"The current political situation," Ben said. "How the kingdoms feel about the surface."
"No problem."
Vulko began.
"After the ancient Atlantis sank beneath the sea, it became seven kingdoms.
"First is the capital—Atlantis itself. Arthur's mother was once queen there. Even though Atlantis possesses the strongest military, she always advocated peace: she wanted recognition from the other kingdoms, and she wanted Atlantis to step out of the ocean and establish relations with the surface.
"But her relationship with a surface man—and the fact she bore Arthur—was exposed. The people sacrificed her to the Trench."
His voice didn't change, but the bitterness underneath it was unmistakable.
"And because Orm learned the queen had a half-blood son, the 'pure-blood' heir came to hate the surface with obsession. After taking the throne, he's been trying to unite the kingdoms and launch war ever since."
Vulko had served the queen. He believed in her peace policy. To him, Orm wasn't merely ambitious—he was unstable.
"He's gone mad," Vulko said. "He wants to ruin Atlantis… and the entire world."
Hal frowned, leaning back with his arms folded.
"Wait. If Orm hates the surface that much, and Atlantis is that strong… why doesn't he just attack?"
"Because of ancient Atlantean law," Vulko answered evenly. "War requires an alliance of four kingdoms."
Hal's eyebrows shot up.
"Seven kingdoms. Even if two are gone, that still leaves room to hit four. What's taking so long—are Atlanteans just slow?"
"It looks like only two have perished," Vulko said, "but in reality…"
Ben cut in, summarizing bluntly.
"At this point, Atlantis effectively has only four kingdoms left.
"The Deserter Kingdom became the Sahara Desert. The Lost Kingdom is dead. The Trench Kingdom's people devolved into savage beasts—calling that an 'alliance partner' is a joke."
"…That's correct," Vulko said, staring at Ben for a fraction too long.
He couldn't understand why this surface teenager knew Atlantis so well, but he kept the polite smile in place and continued.
"Next is Xebel."
His tone sharpened.
"Xebel inherited ancient Atlantean magic. Their army is comparable to Atlantis. Orm's staged 'attack' was full of holes, but it became the excuse King Nereus needed to join Orm's alliance.
"And frankly—Xebel has been pro-war from the start."
The real obstacle had never been ideology. It had been pride.
"Before, Nereus refused to subordinate himself to another ruler," Vulko said. "But Orm's incident forced him to see clearly—both what he is, and what the surface is capable of.
"To ensure victory, and to reduce the damage the war might bring, he chose to join Orm."
Even with Xebel locked into Orm's war machine, Orm still needed the last two kingdoms to meet the four-kingdom requirement. Vulko didn't trust that the remaining kingdoms could resist for long—especially under pressure from both Orm and Nereus.
"The Fisherman Kingdom has a merfolk appearance," Vulko said. "They inherited Atlantis's art, philosophy, and history. They favor peace and coexistence, but they're weak. It wouldn't take much to drag them along.
"The Brine Kingdom has evolved into crustacean forms. They can still communicate, but they're defined by brute strength and a hard, militant spirit. They respect only warriors."
He exhaled.
"Orm already has Xebel tied to his chariot. And Brine and Fisherman despise each other—so breaking them one by one and absorbing them is only a matter of time."
When Vulko finished, Batman's eyes narrowed slightly.
A plan was taking shape.
To stop the war, they had to break Atlantis's coalition—ideally by getting at least one kingdom to stand against Orm.
"Give me the coordinates for Brine and Fisherman," Batman said. "We'll find a way to sabotage their alliance with Atlantis."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 80)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 80)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter50)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter50)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter50)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 10
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 10
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