The air cracked with tension. Ethan stood tall amidst the battlefield, his right fist slamming into his open left palm.
BOOM.
The resulting shockwave pulsed outward.
Then, facing the thousands of armored Atlantean soldiers, "Alright," he said, "who wants to go first?"
Across the field, Orm straightened, he is bruised but not broken, fury etched across his face. With a snarl, he raised his trident high into the air.
"Kill them all!" Orm roared.
His voice rang through the oceanic communicator lines. Instantly, thousands of armored Atlantean soldiers raised their weapons—guns, spears, and tridents alike—and began to fire. Glowing energy projectiles surged through the air like a neon storm.
Ethan raised his hand, and with a subtle flick of his fingers, a shimmering orange magic shield erupted into existence—a translucent dome of radiant energy, crackling softly as it absorbed the incoming barrage of attacks. The impact lit up the air, but the barrier held firm.
Without wasting a moment, he used his telepathy. In the next instant, a psychic link snapped into place, seamlessly connecting Anna, Batman, Flash, and Shazam.
"Go after Orm," Ethan's voice echoed in their minds. "Rogue and I will hold the line."
"Hold the line?" Shazam blinked in disbelief while flying beside Flash. "There are hundreds of thousands of them. Ethan, don't get me wrong—you're strong, but there's hundreds of thousands of them."
Ethan didn't turn to respond. He just smiled and said, "Nah. I'd win. After all… they're all weak."
"Shazam," Batman's voice rang through the mental link, low and resolute. Even within the quiet of telepathy, his tone carried the same gravity as if he'd spoken aloud. "Fly high. Hit Orm hard from above. Trust in Ethan's power… and in the Rogue's too. We hold nothing back."
For a brief moment, Shazam hesitated—then his expression hardened with resolve. "Understood."
A thunderclap split the air as divine lightning surged around him.
Shazam launched skyward, carving through the air like a bolt from the gods themselves. Storm clouds churned above him as he accelerated with his eyes locked onto the distant form of Orm.
High above in an unseen vehicle, Black Manta observed everything from a distance. His eyes narrowed inside the red goggles. "This… is not going to end well," he muttered to himself while gripping the controls tighter. His ship hovered silently.
Down below, Ethan narrowed his glowing red eyes.
"Ten percent is overkill," he whispered under his breath, his voice barely audible through the winds. "Guess five will be enough."
Then, with a small gesture of his fingers and a flick of his wrist, he dismissed the barrier. The shield dissolved into harmless particles of light, fading into the air like embers on the wind.
Without another word, he burst forward, his coat fluttering behind him like a black flag of war.
Anna was right beside him, her smile matching his. "Race you," she said.
"You're on."
And with that, they crashed into the front lines.
Their bodies blurred with superhuman speed as they struck down soldier after soldier. Ethan's punches sent warriors flying into the air, sometimes embedded into armored transports, others skipping like stones across the ground. Each strike was controlled—just enough force to knock them out, not kill them. He didn't dodge anything, using only raw physical strength and sheer speed to fight them.
Anna spun into a flying kick that sent three Atlanteans sprawling. She grabbed one by the collar and whispered, "You guys really need better training," before slamming him into a pile of his comrades.
She twirled through enemy lines, ducking under spears and leaping into high kicks that shattered helmets. With a blur of motion, she weaved between attacks, striking multiple enemies in one flowing movement.
An Atlantean soldier screamed as Anna slammed her knee into his chest, launching him into the sky. She landed lightly, flipped back, and caught a rifle mid-air—turning it into a club before slamming it across another soldier's face.
"Can't you guys shoot straight?" she quipped before tossing the broken weapon aside and dropkicking another attacker.
"She's like a demon!"
"No, she's worse! She's… she's playing with us!"
One soldier hesitated and turned to flee—only for Anna to appear behind him in a blur and tap him on the shoulder. "Boo." He collapsed, unconscious before his head hit the ground.
Gunfire rained down upon them, energy bolts, concussive waves—but nothing could pierce their defense. Every impact simply bounced off Ethan's body like raindrops on steel.
"They're still trying the gun thing," Anna said, casually catching a spear thrown at her and snapping it in half.
"Points for commitment," Ethan replied before knocking out two soldiers with a spinning backhand. "But seriously... these toys? Against me?"
Together, Ethan and Anna were an unstoppable duo—dancing through the battlefield, cracking jokes, laughing, trading flirty remarks mid-fight, and unleashing mayhem with every step.
"You're keeping count, right?" Anna asked, slamming two soldiers into each other like cymbals.
"Who counts insects?" Ethan replied, elbowing one and spinning into a back kick that sent five flying.
They didn't notice the fear that began to spread like wildfire.
"They're not human!"
"This isn't a battle—it's a slaughter!"
"Our weapons—they're not working!"
Panic began to overtake strategy. Commanders screamed orders that were ignored. Officers fell back, trying to regroup. Soldiers broke formation. The sheer speed and power of Ethan and Anna shattered morale as much as bone.
Suddenly, two armored vehicles positioned at the rear aimed massive energy cannons at Ethan. Red lights flared, a high-pitched whine filled the air—and the twin beams launched forward like focused suns.
Ethan stopped mid-air and raised his hand.
"Backlash Wave," he whispered.
A whirlwind erupted from his palm—blue energy spiraling into a growing vortex. The spinning force met the twin beams, and instead of canceling them out… it devoured them.
The vortex absorbed the energy like fuel and surged forward, engulfing the two vehicles. In a flash of light and a thunderous explosion, both tanks and the soldiers around them were obliterated.
"You're having too much fun," Anna teased as she delivered a flying knee to a soldier's chest.
"You're just jealous I look better doing it," Ethan grinned, ducking a punch and responding with a casual uppercut that shattered the soldier's helmet.
"No, I'm just mad I didn't get to that tank first."
"Next time, babe."
Anna smirked. "You're lucky you're cute."
"What the hell was that?!" shouted a retreating Atlantean lieutenant.
"He's a monster!" screamed another.
"That wasn't even hard," Ethan muttered.
More screams followed.
"He just… erased our best weapons…"
"Are they even beatable?!"
Anna chuckled beside him. "We're gonna make them cry at this rate."
---------------
Meanwhile, Flash zipped forward in a bolt of yellow lightning, slamming into Orm with a flurry of rapid punches.
High above the battlefield, Shazam's eyes blazed with divine fury. With a thunderous roar, he raised both arms to the heavens.
The skies answered. A massive bolt of celestial lightning cracked down, lancing from the clouds and channeling through his body before he hurled it forward with godlike force. The bolt struck Orm square in the chest with a deafening explosion, the shockwave tearing through the earth and air alike. Sparks and smoke engulfed the Atlantean king as he stumbled backward.
Before Orm could even recover, a crimson blur zipped into view.
Flash was already there. "Hey, fish breath—mind if I cut in?"
In a flash of motion, Flash unleashed a storm of punches again, each blow landing with pinpoint accuracy. Dozens of strikes per second slammed into Orm's ribs, stomach, and jaw—each hit landing like a freight train. The speedster moved too fast to track.
Orm staggered, dazed from the lightning and the relentless assault. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, but his fury boiled over.
"ENOUGH!" Orm bellowed before raising his trident with both hands and driving it forward in a brutal stab—aimed straight for the Flash's chest.
But he struck only empty air.
Flash had already moved, leaving behind a red afterimage that shimmered and faded in the wind.
"What's the matter?" Flash taunted, reappearing behind him in a crouch. "Too slow?"
Shazam dove again from above, a second lightning bolt forming in his palms—but Orm was already off-balance. He spun to react, but was met with another punch from Flash to the side of his face, spinning him into Shazam's direct path.
BOOM!
Shazam's fist, charged with divine electricity, crashed into Orm's gut. The Atlantean king was hurled backward like a cannonball, skidding across the ground.
Coughing, battered and with his armor cracked, Orm tried to stand—his trident digging into the ground for support.
His furious, bloodshot eyes snapped toward the sky. "You dare—mock me?!"
He swung his trident again, hurling it toward Shazam in blind rage—but missed and Flash zipped past once more, landing three more rapid strikes across Orm's back and legs.
Shazam hovered in the air, lightning crackling across his frame and punched him again and flew off.
Orm roared in frustration, lashing out at empty air again. The two heroes were moving in perfect sync—toying with him, dancing around his defenses like phantoms.
Batman, meanwhile, silently approached a particular vehicle that had remained unmoving since the start. His eyes narrowed behind the cowl.
'Something's off.'
He pretended to dodge, leap, and fight his way toward it with calculated randomness. Every step was part of a pattern—getting closer to whatever it was without alerting anyone that he had noticed it.
---------------------
Back in the heart of the battlefield, Ethan stood still. Countless soldiers now surrounded him. Every weapon they had pointed directly at him.
He exhaled slowly and then took a stance.
Right foot sliding back, knees bent, his torso twisted. His right hand moved to his waist and clenched into a tight fist.
Red flames ignited across his hand, searing and intense—Phoenix flames. Blue lightning crackled and danced across his arm, spiraling up and down with energy. The ground beneath his feet blackened, cracked, and groaned from the pressure.
"Destruction Fist."
He whispered it—quiet, almost reverent and then punched forward.
The moment his fist moved, the air detonated.
A colossal wave of red-and-blue energy exploded outward in a straight line—obliterating everything in its path. The sheer pressure caved in ground, toppled vehicles, and sent soldiers flying in every direction. Entire ranks were vaporized or hurled into the air like ragdolls.
When the light faded, a massive trench had been carved into the battlefield.
Half of the army was gone.
Smoke and dust rolled like waves across the field. Dazed soldiers groaned, those who survived clutching broken weapons and twisted armor.
Silence—until the screams returned.
"He's not a normal surface dweller…"
"What the hell is he?"
"He must be a god… or something worse…"
"I-Is she the same as him?" one general muttered while staring at Anna, who stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ethan.
Anna cracked her knuckles, "He's holding back," she said to the nearest soldier before punching him.
Ethan chuckled darkly. The grin still hadn't left his face. The red fire still flickered on his fingers, the lightning gently crackling down his arm.
His body pulsed with energy. He could feel it—deep in his bones.
This feeling. This thrill. This fun.
He understood now. He was slowly becoming a battle maniac.
---------------
Orm stood among the chaos—flames in the distance, lightning scars in the earth, and entire squads of his army decimated. His once-proud battalion was in ruins, and at the center of that annihilation stood Ethan, surrounded by smoking craters and frightened whispers.
Orm's heart pounded in his chest. Rage burned in his eyes.
"This ends now," he growled with his fingers tightening around the shaft of his trident. His armor hissed as he turned sharply toward the chaos, barely concealing the bruise spreading across his jawline. His damaged helmet sparked at the temple.
Before he could move, a streak of red and gold shot through the air.
"Seriously?" Shazam muttered while flying toward him with lightning trailing from his body. "This guy's weak. I alone am enough to deal with him."
But arrogance often precedes a fall.
Orm raised his trident, and the ocean around them surged. Liquid walls rose with fury, converging around Orm. As soon as the seawater touched his skin, his aura shifted.
His injuries had completely healed, and not just that—his strength had returned, and even more power now coursed through him.
Shazam frowned. "Wait, what the—"
Too late.
Orm spun his trident in a violent arc, and with a grunt, slammed it down. A spiraling vortex of water and shockwaves exploded outward, a compressed hydro burst mixed with sound and force.
BOOOOOM!
It hit Shazam mid-flight like a cannonball from the gods.
He flew backward, flipping end over end before smashing into the ground in a crater, groaning.
"Fools," he growled as droplets of water lifted around him like gravity had been bent. "You think you can toy with the King of the Seven Seas and not suffer?"
His eyes glowed with Atlantean energy—stronger than before.
Flash narrowed his eyes. "He gets stronger... whenever he's in contact with water."
That realization came as Orm dropped to one knee, placed his palm against the ground, and with his trident raised, began drawing the surrounding water inward like a magnet. Rivulets of liquid silver surged into him, wrapped around his body, and glowed under the etching of his armor.
"His strength is rising," Flash said under his breath. "We need to end this before he fully taps into the ocean."
He started to move—but the air twisted violently.
A blur of movement.
A sudden slam.
A massive tentacle fell from the sky, flattening a section of the battlefield with titanic force. Then another. Then another.
A monstrous octopus, dark as obsidian and twice the size of a whale, let out a screeching and fell unconscious.
Flash skidded to a stop and wide-eyed. "What the hell—?"
Behind the unconscious octopus, four figures flew through the air and landed with thunderous force.
Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and Cyborg.
They landed in perfect synchrony, forming a circle around Orm.
Boom.
Another impact.
From the ocean, a towering wave surged forward, carrying two more figures—Arthur Curry and Mera stepping forth with purpose in their eyes.
Orm froze. His lips curled downward as he slowly rose to his full height, now completely surrounded by Earth's mightiest warriors.
Superman didn't wait.
He blurred forward and unleashed a punch that cracked the air like a thunderclap, smashing directly into Orm's face.
The damaged helmet exploded into fragments, pieces scattering across the field. Blood burst from Orm's mouth as his body was hurled backward like a ragdoll.
CRACK!
Diana was already in motion. With divine grace, she spun mid-air and launched a precise kick that caught Orm's midsection, launching him in the opposite direction—straight back to his starting point.
His body skidded across the ground, sparks and seawater trailing behind him as he coughed and growled, struggling to rise.
"I've had enough of your arrogance!" Orm roared, slamming the trident into the earth.
Shockwaves burst in every direction, intended to scatter the heroes. Columns of water spiked upward as sonic bursts twisted the air.
But Superman and Wonder Woman stood unmoving, completely unshaken.
"Nice light show," Green Lantern smirked, hovering above. "But allow me to return the favor."
He summoned a green, glowing rod the size of a telephone pole, twirling it with ease before slamming it down from the air.
The construct smashed Orm into the dirt, flattening the cracked ground into a crater.
"Looks like someone got the rod of justice," Lantern quipped. "Bet that hurt your royal pride."
Orm groaned from beneath the rubble.
Arthur stepped forward calmly, fists clenched.
Mera followed, her expression solemn but resolute.
"You won last time," Mera said coldly, "because you had the ocean and the trident."
She looked around the battlefield, at the ruined soldiers, broken weapons, and carnage spread across the battlefield.
"But now it's over. Surrender. This doesn't need to continue."
Orm, gasping, staggered to his feet. Blood dripped from his lip. Still, he stood tall. "You think I won because of the water and the trident?"
He raised the weapon again. The air trembled.
"I am the ocean! It is all around me. And I will stop at nothing—nothing—until the surface world is purged of its filth!"
He slammed the trident into the ground once more.
The ocean trembled.
Far off, waves began to churn unnaturally. Seismic pulses echoed beneath the seabed. Currents bent. The sea obeyed him.
Orm's eyes blazed. "I will drown this world in the fury of the deep!"
He began to chant, trident glowing brighter, channeling the entire force of the sea around them into one catastrophic convergence of watery vengeance.
The waves surged toward them, higher and higher.
And then—
"Stop this madness at once… my son."
The voice was calm. Clear and Commanding.
Orm's breath caught in his throat.
Mera's eyes widened.
Arthur turned slowly, disbelieving.
A portal shimmered open beside the battlefield. And from it stepped a woman.
She walked forward with regal grace, each step calm yet laden with unimaginable authority. She wore robes of white and sea-green, adorned with the royal sigils of Old Atlantis.
Eyes of sapphire, sharp and warm. Skin kissed by the ocean's touch.
"Queen… Atlanna?" Mera whispered.
Orm staggered backward, the trident lowering without his will. His face, once hard and defiant, broke into visible shock.
Arthur's throat tightened. "...Mother?"
The queen of Atlantis had returned.
---------------------
Author's Note:
So… how was that twist at the end? 😏
Did you see it coming ?
Also… what are your theories on how the Queen returned?
Drop your thoughts, wild guesses, and reactions in the comments! I read them all — and some of your predictions might just influence what happens next.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned.