"I want the throne!"
Erik Killmonger's words made everyone present laugh. How could an outsider of unknown origin covet the position of Wakanda's supreme king!
"A joke! What qualifications do you have to claim the throne?"
"Who do you think you are?"
But what happened next proved them wrong.
Before everyone, Erik Killmonger directly revealed his true identity.
"I am N'Jadaka!"
"Son of Prince N'Jobu!"
"My father had leopard claw marks on his chest!"
"You are not a king! You are a murderer!"
Erik Killmonger stared at the visibly shaken King T'Chaka on the throne and declared loudly.
"What?"
"He is Prince N'Jobu's son?"
The elders were shocked, standing up in exclamation.
Prince N'Jobu had been missing for decades, yet this man claimed to be his son. Even more shocking, he alleged that Prince N'Jobu died at the hands of the Black Panther. If true, it meant King T'Chaka had killed his own younger brother!
"You lie!"
The queen sitting beside T'Chaka stood up and shouted in rebuke.
"I'm afraid he is not lying, my queen."
W'Kabi suddenly spoke. As all eyes turned to him, he produced a necklace from which hung a distinctive ring.
It was a prince's ring, worn only by male members of the Wakandan royal family, forged from vibranium in a way unique to Wakanda and impossible to counterfeit. Erik Killmonger's identity was confirmed.
"He truly is a descendant of Prince N'Jobu!"
With his identity recognized, Erik Killmonger directly challenged King T'Chaka, demanding to know why he had killed his own brother and abandoned his nephew. He recounted his own hardships, his killing of the criminal who had attacked Wakanda, and his eventual return home.
"For thirty years, as King of Wakanda and its guardian, the Black Panther, you have achieved nothing! You are cowardly and incompetent!"
"Killing your own brother, abandoning your kin—you are neither benevolent nor virtuous! What right do you have to continue occupying the throne?"
"Today, I, N'Jadaka, son of Prince N'Jobu, exercise my rightful privilege to challenge you for the throne of king and Black Panther!"
T'Chaka, confronted with the past he most wished to forget, was overwhelmed by regret for his brother's death and guilt for abandoning his nephew. These long-suppressed emotions resurfaced with immense force. Disheartened, T'Chaka could not even meet Erik's angry gaze.
The lie sustained for decades was finally exposed.
After a long silence, T'Chaka slowly raised his head, looked at Erik Killmonger, and said in a low voice, "You are right."
"I am indeed not qualified to continue leading and protecting Wakanda."
"I have decided to abdicate the throne!"
T'Chaka's words shocked everyone.
"T'Chaka!"
"Father!"
The queen and princess were aghast. Still reeling from the revelation that T'Chaka had killed his brother and abandoned his nephew, they were utterly unprepared for his abdication. The elders and generals looked at each other, equally bewildered.
As panic over this sudden turn spread, General W'Kabi of the Border Tribe spoke firmly.
"Since King T'Chaka has abdicated, the throne rightfully passes to the challenger, N'Jadaka!"
W'Kabi's parents had been killed by a bomb Ulysses Klaue detonated during his escape after stealing vibranium. His hatred for Klaue ran deeper than anyone's. For decades, T'Chaka, as king and Black Panther, had failed to capture Klaue, breeding deep disappointment and growing resentment in W'Kabi.
The appearance of Erik Killmonger was a tremendous surprise. This son of Prince N'Jobu, abandoned by T'Chaka, had killed Ulysses Klaue and avenged his family.
Grateful for this vengeance, disappointed with T'Chaka, and recognizing Erik's royal blood, formidable strength, and resolute character, W'Kabi unhesitatingly chose to support Erik Killmonger as the new king.
As a warrior, he was weary of Wakanda's isolated existence under T'Chaka. He yearned for action, to bring Wakanda out of hiding and proclaim its strength to the world. He saw in Erik a true warrior like himself.
He believed Erik Killmonger was perfectly suited to become King of Wakanda, to better protect the nation and lead it to greater strength.
General W'Kabi's words snapped the elders from their stupor. Looking from the despondent T'Chaka to the heroic and sharp-featured Erik Killmonger, several elders exchanged glances and nodded.
The eldest elder of the Merchant Tribe spoke. "Since King T'Chaka has voluntarily abdicated, the throne passes to the challenger, N'Jadaka."
"From now on—"
"Wait!"
The young prince, T'Challa, standing beside his father, was stunned by the rapid turn of events. Seeing the elders begin to acknowledge this stranger as king, he hurriedly intervened. "I am the prince of the Kingdom of Wakanda! I also have the right to inherit the throne!"
The elders conferred briefly. The Merchant Tribe elder said, "Prince N'Jadaka challenged King T'Chaka. T'Chaka's voluntary abdication is equivalent to ceding the throne to Prince N'Jadaka."
"Therefore, N'Jadaka is now our king."
T'Challa's expression changed drastically. Before he could speak, the elder continued, "Prince T'Challa, if you wish to contest the throne, you may issue a challenge through the waterfall duel of the coronation ceremony."
Freed from his bindings by the general, Erik Killmonger took two steps forward, looked down at T'Challa, and said in a deep voice, "Good. Let us follow tradition. Let strength decide. The victor of the duel shall become the King of Wakanda, the true Black Panther!"
Their eyes met mid-air, as if fierce sparks were flying.
...
One week later, the coronation of the King of Wakanda commenced beneath a majestic, ancient waterfall, in a knee-deep pool backed by a cliff and facing an abyss.
On the towering, steep cliff face behind the pool, people from all Wakandan tribes stood, adorned in their grandest traditional attire.
For thousands of years, Wakandan kings had been crowned here. The ceremony never changed: the king must be challenged in the pool by members of the five tribes or other royals vying for the throne. Only victory secured the crown—an unchanging tradition.
High Priest Zuri approached T'Challa, who knelt in the pool, holding a bowl of potion, preparing to administer it when Erik Killmonger spoke.
"What is that?"
Facing the "king's" question, Zuri explained. By tradition, the Kings of Wakanda, also the Black Panthers protecting the kingdom, consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb to gain superhuman strength. To ensure duel fairness, the Panther must drink an antidote to nullify the herb's power before accepting a challenge.
Erik Killmonger had not taken the Heart-Shaped Herb, so naturally needed no antidote. But T'Challa had already consumed the herb and become the new Black Panther.
As T'Chaka aged in recent years, he had passed the mantle of the Black Panther to his only son and heir, T'Challa. Yet after several years, T'Challa had still failed to capture Ulysses Klaue, leading to the general's complete disillusionment with the father and son, and his shift to support Erik Killmonger.
Since T'Challa had taken the herb and gained the Panther God's power, fairness dictated he drink the antidote before the duel.
But Erik Killmonger shook his head and declared proudly, "Unnecessary!"
"Let him face me at his full strength. I will show you all that I am Wakanda's strongest guardian, the true Black Panther!"
Seeing Erik's firm stance, Zuri, though it violated tradition, had to obey his command and handed the potion back to an attendant behind him.
This seemed profoundly unfair, granting T'Challa a significant advantage. But except for Chen Mo, no one knew that Erik Killmonger had been enhanced by the superior Super-Soldier Serum, granting him five times the strength of a normal human.
From Chen Mo's analysis of the battles between Captain America and the Black Panther in the movies, their strength was roughly equivalent. The Heart-Shaped Herb's effect seemed similar to the original Super-Soldier Serum, enhancing its user to about four times human capability.
Thus, even with the Heart-Shaped Herb, T'Challa was no match for Erik Killmonger.
Of course, none of the Wakandans present knew this.