Chapter 23. An Easy Victory?

At the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, where minerals glowed with a blue light, a battle unfolded. Namor, filled with rage, charged forward. The wings on his ankles flapped furiously, propelling him through the water with incredible speed and power. In an instant, he darted toward Noah, wielding a vibranium spear.

As Namor attacked, several blue-skinned female warriors from his unit focused their efforts on Noah. These were special warriors of Talokan, capable of hypnotizing enemies from a distance, forcing them to act under their command. In Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, they controlled Wakandan medical personnel, making them leap into the sea. However, their abilities had no effect on Noah, who had transformed into Tahm Kench.

Noah observed Namor's approach and the strange actions of the warriors. He raised his hand, using magic to manipulate the water, forming a water blade that shot toward the Talokan king. At the same time, he summoned two magical water masses on either side of Namor's warriors and sent them crashing into the crowd.

Namor, seeing the approaching water blade, swiftly dodged, but his warriors weren't as quick. The magical water masses knocked them off their feet, and they fell unconscious, sinking to the ocean floor. One of the warriors managed to send a distress signal to the main headquarters before losing consciousness.

Namor didn't notice that his entire squad had been defeated. He pressed on, thrusting his spear with incredible speed and force, aiming straight at his enemy. Noah didn't try to block the attack, merely watching Namor's movements, waiting for the strike.

Namor's power far exceeded that of his soldiers. When his spear touched Noah's shield, it left a small dent. Namor felt a glimmer of triumph, thinking he was finally breaking through. But Noah smiled as magical energy surged from his body, strengthening the shield, which suddenly expanded and pushed Namor back.

Namor managed to maintain his grip on the spear, quickly stabilizing himself using his wings. As he stopped, he noticed that all of his warriors were defeated. Anger once again consumed him.

"Damn it!"

Clenching his teeth, Namor charged again, circling Noah and relentlessly striking the shield, searching for a weak point. But Noah's shield was impenetrable. He calmly observed Namor, his smile taunting. After another strike, the shield sent Namor flying back again.

Furious, Namor yelled, "Is hiding behind that shield all you're good for? Come out and fight me!"

Noah laughed, lowered the shield, and stretched out his three-fingered hand, making a mocking gesture.

Namor, both elated and enraged, rushed forward once more. The wings on his ankles beat the water furiously, raising a cloud of sand from the seabed. Noah watched his approach, knowing that in his form as Tahm Kench, he not only possessed powerful magic but also incredible physical strength, which he could amplify with his magic.

Namor's spear was coming at him once again. This time, there was no shield, and he could land a direct hit. The spear approached with immense force, and Namor gripped it tightly, channeling all his fury and frustration into the strike, hoping to pierce this arrogant opponent.

As Noah saw the spear closing in, he quickly waved his magic-infused hand and, using a technique to redirect the force, deflected Namor's powerful blow with a slight turn, shifting it to the side.

Namor quickly regained his balance in the water and launched another attack, this time from above, aiming to crush Noah with a downward strike of his spear, slicing through the water with immense power.

This time, Noah didn't evade. He raised his arm and met the blow with his gauntlet.

Bam!

A dull metallic sound echoed across the ocean floor. The clash sent a shockwave through the water, raising a cloud of sand. Namor gripped the spear with both hands, trying to drive it down, while Noah, with his arm raised, calmly resisted the force. A struggle of strength ensued.

"Hey, fish boy, are you hungry? Why are you so weak? I can barely feel you," Noah mocked. The ancient demon body of Tahm, enhanced by magic, was far stronger than Namor's.

"That damn bastard!" Namor growled through clenched teeth. The small wings on his ankles were beating the water furiously as he tried to press down on his opponent, but his efforts were in vain. Noah's arm remained unmoved, like a mountain.

"It's time to end this," Noah said. He twisted the spear, and Namor, trying with all his might to reclaim his weapon, pulled it back. Gathering his strength, Noah suddenly slammed the spear into the ocean floor.

With a dull thud, Namor crashed to the seabed, stirring up a cloud of sand, but he refused to release the spear. Noah struck him again, but Namor stubbornly held on to his weapon. That's when Noah lifted him up before him.

A massive tongue burst from Noah's mouth, striking the water in front of him. A wave of force surged through the water and hit Namor square in the head, momentarily dazing him and forcing him to let go of the spear.

Losing consciousness for a split second, Namor regained his senses, only to feel the spear being knocked from his grasp. Noah, like swinging a baseball bat, struck Namor, sending him flying. He didn't have time to defend himself and took the full force of the blow to his stomach, which sent him tumbling far away. Noah picked up the vibranium spear and threw it, simultaneously summoning a torrent of water that slammed into Namor as he flailed helplessly. He crashed heavily onto the ocean floor, the spear embedding itself in the sand beside his head.

"Damn... Ugh..." Namor gasped, leaning on the spear and struggling to breathe.

"I can't fight back," he thought. His opponent was far too strong. After several rounds of combat, Namor had already felt his strength. He couldn't compete in speed or power. He couldn't break through Noah's shield and couldn't resist his water-based attacks.

With great effort, Namor stood up, using the spear for support. His body was drained, and he could barely stand. Continuing the fight was pointless. He glanced at his soldiers lying on the seabed and knew they were in no condition to help. But then, he noticed a shadow approaching from the left. It grew larger and closer.

Namor squinted and realized it was his allies, the forces of Talokan.

Noah also noticed the approaching figures. They appeared weak, but there were many of them. However, that didn't matter to him.

"K'uk'ulkan! Forward, quickly!" shouted the Talokan general as he saw Namor struggling to breathe. His army, composed of numerous blue-skinned warriors, rapidly approached.

The reason the entire Talokan army had mobilized was due to the fact that some of the earlier soldiers defeated by Noah were more resilient fighters. Talokanians have a high capacity for recovery, as shown in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, where several Talokan soldiers, after being speared by the Wakandan general, quickly recovered and rejoined the battle.

After recovering, they saw Namor in a dire situation and quickly called for reinforcements from Talokan, before being knocked out again by the ongoing clash between Noah and Namor.

Noah looked over at the arriving soldiers. There were several thousand of them. He wondered if this was the entire Talokan army. Armed to the teeth, the blue-skinned warriors, each carrying a vibranium spear and shield, were riding on orcas. Many of them dragged nets with large bags behind them. Noah recognized them as the high-tech Talokan weapons from the film — the multi-faceted grenades.

As he watched the army approach, Noah found himself wondering why all the hidden superpowers in the Marvel universe were the same: Wakanda and Talokan both had advanced technology, yet they still used primitive methods of warfare. Logically, they should have been far more developed, especially considering Talokan had an artificial sun underwater. However, as shown in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, they only defeated Wakanda through sheer numbers.

The Talokan army reached the battlefield. One of the warriors helped Namor to his feet and handed him a healing potion. After consuming it, Namor felt significant relief and a readiness to fight once more. He nodded to the warrior and stood before his army.

Glancing back at Noah, he saw him merely standing there, watching without any intent to attack. Namor couldn't understand if the enemy was overly confident in his own power or if he had a plan to retreat.

"Soldiers, before us stands a powerful enemy who seeks to steal our vibranium! He threatens to kill our people if we don't surrender it. Will we agree to that?" Namor began his speech.

"NO!" the Talokan soldiers roared in unison.

"Exactly, we will not agree! Therefore, there can only be one answer to this enemy — battle! Talokan, rise up!"

"Talokan, rise up!" the soldiers chanted in response.

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