Green Arrow, Mera, and Arthur

"War? You mean the undersea kingdom is planning to go to war with human nations on land? Which countries?"

Barry pulled off his cowl and rapidly scarfed down an energy bar, his hands moving so fast they left afterimages.

"We’re not certain yet, but based on the data from the ocean sensors that were destroyed, they’re mainly attacking in three directions. One is the southeastern coast of Asia, one is the eastern coast of North America, and the last is the western coast of Europe."

"Wade, where are you right now?"

"Liverpool, Britain."

"Good. If Britain gets invaded next, we’ll have to rely on you to help defend it. After all, the British military’s strength right now…"

"It’s got a little strength, doesn’t it?"

"A little, but really only a little. The Queen Elizabeth spends more than half the year in dry dock for repairs, and the rest of their warships are about the same. As an undersea civilization, Atlantis will likely be more than a match for human forces on the surface. And Britain’s army… they have more generals than tanks."

Can I defend an entire country by myself?

That’s a bit of a stretch.

But whatever. This is Britain, and my businesses are currently only in Liverpool. As long as Liverpool is fine, that’s enough.

I’ll watch over however much of the rest I can. The British military can prove its own worth.

"Clark, Barry, I’ll leave North America’s eastern coast to you. Wade, it would be best if the people under your command could help too. And Mr. Freeze—his freezing technology can rapidly freeze the sea, turning the battlefield into the kind of land warfare humans are best at.

"If possible, carry out a decapitation strike. Controlling their command structure can prevent casualties from escalating and end the war as quickly as possible."

"Understood. Then what about Asia…"

"Asia is stronger than you think. It’ll be fine."

"And you, Batman?"

"I found someone who may be connected to Atlantis, but he’s gone missing. I’m not sure whether he’s involved in this war, so I’ve decided to make a trip to the Sahara Desert first. I’ll look for the ruins I found back then and see whether I can uncover any clues."

Batman had a clear understanding of his own role.

He had many trump cards and many plans, capable of handling countless situations.

But every plan required him to first consider it and deduce every possible development that might follow before he could make targeted, layered preparations.

That took time.

In a short-notice encounter, Batman could not be called weak, but it was far from where he was strongest.

Against virtually any conventional enemy in an encounter, Batman could win. But against unconventional ones, his odds of victory could not be called low, yet they were nowhere near as high.

That was why he chose the time, place, and other relevant conditions himself, prepared tactics, equipment, and manpower in advance, and used every means available to improve his odds before facing those unconventional enemies.

Batman could defeat gods, but he was not a god.

Once the combat strength on the front lines was sufficient, he would choose to do what he believed was more meaningful.

Noon.

Inside the hotel restaurant.

Shimizu sat around the dining table with several assistants and Liverpool Club’s coaching staff, watching the television mounted on the wall.

"Last night, a fire broke out at Rosyth Dockyard. Dozens of vessels moored there, including the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, were damaged. The cause is under investigation.

"The Royal Navy’s main combat forces have been nearly paralyzed. The Queen and the Prime Minister unanimously believe this was a deliberate act of sabotage by an unknown enemy. The British Army has already been deployed to defend major port cities across the country…"

A blonde female reporter with voluminous waves held a microphone and spoke incessantly from the television screen.

Behind her stood tanks and armored vehicles already parked along the shore, along with soldiers fully equipped and ready to deploy.

"Are there really people from Atlantis? Or is it aliens?"

"I don’t know, but the military’s been mobilized. There can’t really be a war, can there?"

"Wouldn’t that be the end of us? We’d be better off relying on Superman and the others than the British military. Everyone knows the only purpose of our army is to make the public believe they’re protected."

"That’s true, but aren’t Superman and the others in the United States?"

"Then we might as well wait to die. There’s no hope."

At first, the people around the table had been somewhat restrained. But after a few bottles of alcohol, the British were the first to start mocking their own military.

These Britons knew perfectly well what state their country was in now.

The people Shimizu had brought along joined in the noise as well, but they watched their words.

After all, this was someone else’s country. Its own people could say a few things about it, but it was not necessarily the place of outsiders to do the same.

The Brits were simply carefree, mostly joking around, and did not believe war was anywhere close to them.

They had lived in peace for far too long.

The people Shimizu had brought, on the other hand, simply were not afraid.

They had grown up in Gotham. What hadn’t they seen?

Besides, they all knew their boss’s identity. The bodyguards accompanying them had received professional military training and carried Lesser Titan Enhancement Serum. If things really went south, they had more than enough means to protect themselves.

Meanwhile, in the Sahara Desert, within the ancient Atlantean ruins buried beneath shifting sands—the Lost Kingdom.

Towering Atlantean statues stood in ruin, while arrows jutted crookedly from every corner.

"Mm…"

Batman clutched his injured chest as a bearded man in a green hood pulled him to his feet.

"Good thing you called me this time. Otherwise, you’d have been done for."

Green Arrow surveyed the surroundings before continuing to Batman.

"This place doesn’t seem very welcoming to us. There may be some kind of unknown detection mechanism. Any race that isn’t Atlantean gets attacked upon entering."

"So where are the people I asked you to bring?"

"They’re here. They’re just not very accustomed to a place this short on water."

Green Arrow shifted slightly to one side.

A man and a woman appeared at the entrance to the ruin’s main hall.

"Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp!"

A burly man with fish-scale tattoos downed a large bottle of water in one go.

"Arthur, I suggest you conserve it. If we don’t have water when we head back later, you’ll suffer."

"It’s fine, Mera. Aren’t you good at magic? Just make some water."

"Would you drink water extracted from your urine?"

"Uh… no."

Mera did not continue engaging with the fool beside her. Instead, she politely nodded to Batman and Green Arrow.

"Thank you both for helping us find the Lost Kingdom. As long as Arthur can recover the Trident of Poseidon of the ancient King of Atlantis, he can challenge Orm for the throne, become the new king, and stop the war from breaking out!"