Chapter Nine: The Legendary Atlantis

“Ugh…” Arthur slowly regained consciousness. He struggled to open his eyes and took in his surroundings. Thankfully, he was still at the bottom of the sea and hadn’t fallen into the volcanic magma of a trench. Arthur’s entire body throbbed with pain, as if he might fall apart at any moment—this was the first time since arriving in this world that he’d experienced such agony.

He lay motionless on the seabed, absorbing the ocean’s energy to recover his strength. He soon realized that the energy he could draw from this sea was far greater than what he’d found previously, filling him with joy. After an hour, Arthur finally managed to stand. Although he still felt weak, he could move freely again.

He had no idea where the whirlpool had brought him; the surroundings didn’t look much different from before, with the seafloor covered in black stone ridges that felt incredibly hard to the touch. Strange, ugly fish swam nearby, all of them glowing. Arthur found it fascinating, even more so when he noticed white shrimp in the crevices, emitting a soft silvery light—truly beautiful.

He tried to communicate with these creatures, but found their minds were simple—incapable of giving him the information he sought. So Arthur swam in a direction where he sensed a mysterious force calling to him—the same presence he’d felt before. Driven by curiosity, he pressed on.

As he advanced, he suddenly spotted a glow in the depths ahead. How could there be light on the seabed? He swam toward the illuminated area and, rounding a stony hill, finally saw the source of the radiance.

The sight before him left Arthur stunned. A massive structure—no, an entire city—rose from the ocean floor. The city was enormous, its architecture unique, reminiscent of Athenian temples. At its entrance stood a gigantic gateway crowned by a massive building shaped like a seashell. Sculptures of various fish adorned the city, and its structures were dazzlingly colorful, covered in vibrant coral reefs. Two colossal statues flanked the gate—giants clad in armor, holding tridents, their upper bodies human and lower halves fish.

“Incredible!” Arthur was awestruck by the spectacle, unable to believe such a grand city existed beneath the sea. A multitude of creatures moved around the buildings.

Could this be the legendary Atlantis? But wasn’t Atlantis a part of DC Comics? Did Marvel have it too?

Well, Arthur had never read Marvel’s comics—only seen the films—but the city before him was undoubtedly the mysterious underwater kingdom of Atlantis.

Arthur had always fancied himself as an Atlantean, the King of the Seas, yet now, confronted by the real Atlantis, he found himself at a loss for words.

“Well, let’s take a closer look,” he thought, swimming toward the enigmatic city.

As he drew nearer, the city’s vastness became even more apparent. He could now make out groups of people on the main thoroughfare.

“Atlanteans!” he murmured, surprised to find Atlanteans in the Marvel universe as well.

Arthur hid behind a rock, observing them in secret.

Their skin was blue, their hair ranging from gold to red, all moving with ease through the water.

Their garments were equally splendid, shimmering as if made of fish scales. The men wore little—some just short pants—while the women’s attire was ornate and striking. Squads of soldiers patrolled the city, clad in bronze armor and armed with tridents.

It seemed sneaking into the city would be difficult. Arthur’s skin color was markedly different; he would be exposed instantly if he tried to blend in.

As Arthur tried to quietly circle past the patrols, searching for a way to enter, a voice called out behind him.

“Stop! Who are you?” Caught! Arthur turned to see an Atlantean, accompanied by a silver, monstrous fish—it looked like a scout, and the fish had clearly spotted him.

The Atlantean scout, after seeing Arthur clearly, shouted, “A surface dweller! Surface dweller intrusion!”

At his warning cry, several squads of soldiers emerged from the surroundings, closing in on Arthur.

Sensing danger, Arthur mustered his strength and darted away at high speed.

“Catch him! Don’t let him escape!” the Atlantean soldiers shouted in pursuit.

As he fled, Arthur suddenly sensed a surge of danger at his back. He veered sharply to the side as a beam of water energy shot past him, barely missing.

Glancing back, he saw that their tridents could fire blasts of water energy—like laser cannons. Arthur was filled with envy. What a weapon!

Dodging left and right, Arthur was relentlessly chased by more than a dozen soldiers, their tridents firing energy blasts at him. He could only evade as best he could.

“This can’t go on,” Arthur thought. His strength still hadn’t fully returned, and the soldiers pressed ever closer. If this continued, he’d be caught for sure.

Gritting his teeth, Arthur suddenly turned and charged at one soldier, knocking him down with a punch, then lunged at another.

He was like a tiger among sheep—none of the soldiers could last a round against him.

The others, realizing his strength, widened their distance and attacked with water blasts from afar.

Arthur fought while retreating, but the Atlanteans clung to him like shadows, firing water cannons and harassing him relentlessly.

In the midst of the struggle, Arthur saw a large group of Atlanteans approaching from the distance, led by a prominent figure.

He heard the leader shout, “Stand back—let me handle him!”

At his command, the surrounding soldiers halted their assault, raising their tridents and shouting in unison, “Long live the King! Long live the King! Long live the King!…”

Arthur was speechless. He’d managed to draw out the King of Atlantis himself. Now he took a careful look at the man before him.

This one was unlike the others—fair-skinned, black-haired, about twenty-five, appearing youthful and indistinguishable from a normal human.

“Who are you?” Arthur asked, surprised to see an Atlantean who looked so human.

“I am Namor McKenzie, King of Atlantis. Who are you, and how did a surface dweller come here?” Namor demanded.

“My name is Arthur. If you all can live at the bottom of the sea, why can’t I come here?” Arthur quipped.

“I know who you are,” Namor snarled. “You’re the traitor’s bastard!”

Arthur was baffled. Traitor? Bastard?

“I’ll capture you and cast you into the bottomless abyss!” Namor’s face twisted in fury.

Wielding a silver trident, Namor lunged at Arthur with blinding speed.

Arthur dodged the thrust, grabbed the trident, and kicked Namor square in the chest.

The kick sent Namor flying, his trident slipping from his grasp into Arthur’s hands.

Arthur glanced at the trident, then hurled it back at Namor.

Namor dodged, and the trident embedded itself deep in a rocky hill.

He retrieved it and fired a water blast at Arthur—much more powerful than those the ordinary soldiers had wielded.

Arthur sensed the danger as the energy shot toward him and dodged aside. The blast struck the rocky hill behind him, blowing a huge hole in it—proof of its devastating power.

Arthur eyed Namor’s trident with envy. What a marvelous weapon—deadly at range and in close combat. Yet, when he’d held it, he’d felt no response from its energy. He couldn’t wield it.