Atlanna's Double Standard

He died.

They're all dead.

The Trench monsters, who had dominated the Trench Kingdom for thousands of years, were completely silenced by Beckett's attack.

Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

Sacrifice yourself to feed the fish and shrimp.

Mera stared blankly at the golden figure, and for a moment she felt a dry mouth for some reason.

She really wanted to drink water.

Logically speaking, as Sea Princess, she shouldn't lack water...

This was the first time she had been truly impressed by the strength Beckett had displayed.

The sheer number of Trench monsters that were reduced to dust by Beckett's simple strike was far more shocking than watching Steppenwolf get beaten up.

At least that's certainly true for Mera.

One is a one-on-one complete defeat, the other is a one-on-one destruction of a nation.

The visual impact of the two is on completely different levels.

"Now that the hindrance is gone, how are you going to find the Golden Trident?" Beckett's voice brought Mera.

"I... I should..."

When Mera came to her senses, her mind went completely blank, devoid of any thoughts.

"If what you and Woz said is true, then the Golden Trident should be hidden inside the Trench." Mera slapped her forehead, finally managing to pull herself out of the shock of the previous scene.

"But now a problem arises."

"You destroyed the entire Trench Kingdom, Beckett."

Having studied marine geography, Mera stepped on the fractured tectonic plates beneath her feet, observing the altered terrain. Comparing this to her memory of the location of the Trench King's Palace, she was startled to find that the resemblance was no longer accurate.

Arched peaks, fractured canyons, broken suspension bridges...

Everything was so unfamiliar.

"You--"

Boom!

A deafening roar, like a thunderclap, suddenly rang out, and Mera's voice abruptly ceased.

A milky-white cyclone gradually took shape over the vast territory of the Trench Kingdom.

"Li~"

The blue and white giant whale made a friendly and gentle sound, twisted its enormous body and swam out of the milky white vortex, swaying its tail and floating in front of Mera, blowing bubbles.

Mera:???

"Li~"

The giant whale opened its mouth.

Right in front of Mera, it opened its blood-red maw.

Beckett threw a punch as if it were nothing.

"Wait a minute Beckett!"

Mera, fully aware that Beckett's punch might kill the giant whale, immediately called out to stop him.

For some reason, this giant whale always gave her a strange sense of familiarity.

"Li!"

As if startled by Beckett, the whale's voice suddenly became incredibly sharp and piercing.

With a flick of its tail, it becomes ruthless and indifferent to its own family.

Thump!

Beckett's sudden kick from above made it lie obediently on the ground, not daring to move.

"Beckett ..." Mera was both amused and exasperated.

"Please have mercy, child."

The aggrieved blue whale, which had been slumped limply at Beckett's feet whimpering, burst into tears upon hearing the familiar voice.

"Li~~"

A high-pitched whale roar, filled with grievance.

It's just like a child who can't wait to tell their parents what happened.

"It meant no harm."

A woman clad in silver soft armor slowly emerged from the vortex, her haggard face unable to conceal the unparalleled beauty she once possessed in her youth.

"Queen Atlanna???"

Mera froze on the spot. "Is it really you, Queen Atlanna?"

Former King of Atlantis, mother of Arthur Curry.

Because he had an affair with a human on land and fathered an illegitimate son, Arthur Curry, he was despised by the King of Atlantis and was eventually sent to Queen Atlanna in the Land of Exile.

"It's been a long time, Mera. You've grown so much in the blink of an eye."

Atlanna smiled and took Mera's hand, her fingers tracing the latter's face. Memories of the past flooded her mind, adding a touch of bitterness.

Mera has grown up so much, what about her children?

"It really is you!!! That's great!! That's great!!" Mera, who had always thought Atlanna had long since perished in the Trench, was so excited she didn't know what to do.

From a young age, she traveled back and forth between the two kingdoms of Atlantis and Zebel, and the former Queen Atlanna was like a mother to her.

When she first learned that Atlanna had been exiled to the Trench Kingdom, she was heartbroken and protested for a long time, but in the end she was unable to change the King of Atlantis's order.

"Beckett! Come here quickly, come here. Let me introduce you, this is Queen Atlanna of Atlantis."

"That exiled queen?" Beckett frowned, then Mera gently nudged his shoulder.

Beckett:???

"I'm sorry, Queen Atlanna, Beckett— "

"No, it's okay, it's just the truth."

"Compared to this, Mera, what just happened? Where are the Trench members?"

Atlanna shook her head. As someone who had been through it all, she immediately understood what Mera's little actions towards Beckett meant.

She's past the age of being gossipy.

What she wanted to know most now was the reason why the entire underwater world had trembled just now.

Because she was worried that there were Trench Tribe members waiting for her outside, she first sent out the blue whale she had subdued to test the waters, but unexpectedly, it was trampled underfoot by Beckett.

Seeing that a beating was inevitable, Atlanna hurriedly showed herself.

"The Trench people have completely disappeared from this world starting today."

Mera pointed at Beckett and recounted the previous events in detail, which drew repeated surprises from Atlanna.

The destructive power sounds surreal.

Such a large group, a group that even the other six underwater kingdoms found incredibly troublesome, just disappeared like that?

Did the monsters of the Trench tribe become extinct from then on?

Most importantly... she's free?

"Mera, where are Arthur and his son? Has Atlantis attacked them?"

The isolated Atlanna longed to get the information she needed from Mera: the safety of her beloved son and husband.

"No, no. Rest assured, Your Majesty, they are all safe. Atlantis has kept its promise to you and has not attacked them."

"However..." Mera hesitated, unsure whether she should bring it up.

"But what?" Atlanna immediately became extremely nervous.

"Orm is dead."

Mera spoke with a serious expression, but Atlanna's reaction surprised Mera.

"Orm is dead? Who did it?"

Although her tone was concerned, compared to how much she cared for Arthur and his son before, it was almost devoid of emotion.

It was as if they had heard that the neighbor's son had died, and asked about it with a hint of concern.

Mera felt a lump in her throat.

Not long ago, Beckett's deductions overturned her long-held understanding of Atlantis, and now she has discovered that Queen Atlanna, who taught her "love and peace" when she was a child, does not seem to have put the so-called "love and peace" into practice.

Arthur is her son.

Isn't Orm her son?