A few minutes later, Qingshui successfully made contact with the British Army commander.
Both sides agreed to a ceasefire.
This brought a sigh of relief to the British Prime Minister, whose term was nearing its end and who was rumored to be past his prime.
"Oh, it's her, that face... So someone truly can stay eternally young."
The Queen of England remarked, watching the broadcast footage.
She was one of the few elderly individuals who had lived through World War II and was still alive, and as a head of state, even if only symbolically, she had seen many documents.
Wonder Woman had been active on the battlefields of World War I, which wasn't that long ago for the Queen. However, at the time, information dissemination was limited, and information about supernatural powers was suppressed, so not many people knew.
"May I... may I invite this lady, and the War Warrior who defended Britain alongside her, to be our guests here? I'd like to award them medals at Buckingham Palace, and peerages too."
The Queen put down a photograph and said to the Prime Minister.
"Regrettably, Your Majesty, they have already left Britain. One has gone to Asia, and the other to America for support. What we must do now is meet with the two kings of the Atlanteans, sign a ceasefire agreement, and talk. In the recent battle, they still had half of their forces unused, and according to them, this was a warning to the land-dwellers who are destroying the ocean."
"Oh, well, I have no objection to environmental protection. I'll leave the specific details to you, Prime Minister. What I'm more interested in now is how things are in America. Will their new president rejoin the Paris Agreement on environmental protection?"
"Your Majesty, I too would like to see that person's downfall, but now, the situation seems to have changed again."
The Prime Minister put away the documents in his hand and, along with the Queen, looked at the television in the distance.
"Hello, fellow human beings of the world, I am Lex Luthor."
A gleaming bald head appeared on the television screen.
It was Lex Luthor, who had been out of the public eye for a long time.
He wore a heavy suit of armor that emitted a faint green glow, though it looked somewhat disheveled, with a few strands of seaweed wrapped around his head.
But this did not make him look comical.
Because a green light shone from his palm, directed at a handsome man clad in silver fish-scale armor.
This man was Orm.
However, he was gravely wounded and unconscious, unable to speak.
"I regret that, with good intentions, I caused bad outcomes and had to disappear from public view for a while, but I hope to gain your forgiveness—by offering him, the leader of these Atlanteans."
Luthor, with an incredibly sincere expression, spoke to the world via wireless signal.
There was no other way; these Atlanteans had disappointed Luthor.
Using his cunning and intellect, he had secretly infiltrated Atlantis and, in front of Orm, presented himself as a scholar ostracized by human society for his environmental activism. This gained him Orm's trust, and he became Orm's secret strategist.
This war, ostensibly planned by Orm, was actually pushed by Luthor, with the intention of using Atlantean technology and power to eliminate Superman—although in terms of raw strength, they couldn't pose much of a threat to Superman, it was a different story with Luthor, a specialist against Superman, involved.
Luthor quickly mastered a great deal of Atlantean technology through his knowledge, creating the first generation of artificial Kryptonite and an armor powered by Kryptonite and high-energy batteries. He also integrated some of this technology into Atlantean weapons, using them as a crucial means to counter Superman in this conflict.
He had almost succeeded back then!
Luthor was sitting inside the Atlantean flagship, watching Superman, barely clinging to life after being hit by his modified Kryptonite water cannon, and was so delighted he almost burst out laughing.
Unfortunately, the next Kryptonite water cannon shot was blocked by a bearded man in golden fish-scale armor, wielding a golden Trident of Neptune.
Coupled with the sudden appearance of The Flash and Batman, who saved Superman, Luthor decisively activated his backup plan.
If he dragged it out any longer, Orm's throne might be immediately usurped.
It was better to let Luthor exploit his last bit of value, in exchange for a chance to clear his name and return to human society.
Other people who knew his identity had already been dealt with by Luthor.
Not killed, but gravely wounded and unconscious, just like Orm.
If he had killed them directly, it would have truly been an endless conflict; the war between humans and Atlanteans would never end, and he would have formed a mortal enmity with Atlantis.
Luthor just needed them not to expose him immediately.
The American government would help him with the subsequent matters.
They would portray him as a hero who stopped the war between land and sea.
No ruler would allow forces that could threaten them and were beyond their control to exist under their command.
Even if you are superheroes, or saints, it wouldn't be allowed.
If such forces exist, they will try every means to bring them under control.
But if they cannot be effectively resolved in a short time, they will support another faction to contend with them.
Even if the other faction is weaker, it doesn't matter, because they will play favorites.
So, the question is, who now seems relatively controllable but also capable of challenging these superheroes?
More than one person could see this point immediately.
"Uh... I don't understand."
The fisherman's son, clutching the Trident of Neptune, said to Batman with clear, yet foolish, eyes.
"Our plan needs to change. Originally, Arthur was supposed to use the Trident of Neptune to defeat Orm and take the throne to stop the war. Now that this has happened, Arthur's ascension would be unjust and unconvincing; no one would accept it."
Mera sighed softly.
"No need to change it, just postpone it," Batman said in a low voice.
"A defeated king, or a monarch who united several countries only to be defeated, regardless of the reason, Orm's throne is no longer secure. It's not too late for Arthur to contend for the throne once Orm has recovered from his injuries..."
"Uh... do I really have to go? Didn't the war already end? Isn't it unnecessary now?" The burly man in golden scale armor scratched his flowing long hair.
Mera stared at Arthur with dead fish eyes.
"No, I know Orm. Once he recovers, he'll definitely do something bad again to secure his throne. And... you've already appeared in everyone's sight. Orm will see you, his brother, as the biggest threat to his throne. Even if you don't want to fight for it, he'll definitely go after you and the people you care about."
"Alright then," Arthur said, looking around.
All eyes on the battlefield were now fixed on this spot.
Batman, Superman, The Flash, Green Arrow—many on the surface world knew them.
Mera was the princess of Xebel and Orm's fiancée; everyone in Atlantis knew her too.
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