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*****
Who could have possibly imagined that a man who had been killed would actually come back to life?
T'Challa himself had not expected it, but he was profoundly grateful for this resurrection, as it had given him the opportunity for vengeance.
Erik Stevens hadn't expected it either. That was precisely why he had revealed what he had done just after killing T'Challa—his only goal had been to send T'Challa to hell brimming with bitter resentment.
But now, T'Challa had somehow managed to crawl back from hell, bringing all that resentment and fiery anger with him.
Was it his doing?
Erik Stevens instinctively turned his gaze toward Mike.
Among everyone present, only Mike possessed such an incredible ability.
"You actually murdered him!"
T'Challa stared furiously at Erik Stevens, retrieving his fallen short blade from the ground and pointing it at Erik Stevens once more.
"Murdered him? Who are you talking about?"
Erik Stevens was not foolish enough to admit such a thing in front of so many people. He still coveted the Wakandan throne, and a man who had murdered the previous king would never be acknowledged by the people as the new King of Wakanda.
T'Challa took a long, deep breath. He had truly and completely underestimated this cousin he had only just met.
The man was calculating, bloodthirsty, and utterly shameless.
He had poisoned his father, using a unique toxin created from mutant abilities. A poison that, after killing its target, would completely vanish within a short period. No wonder they had never found anything abnormal.
"Another fight?"
Erik Stevens watched T'Challa's stance, his heart hardening with malice. He said coldly, "Since I was able to kill you once, I can certainly kill you a second time! And what's more, I thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of killing you."
With those words, he let loose a cruel laugh and, to the gasps of the crowd, was the first to charge.
This challenge had truly exceeded everyone's wildest imaginations.
T'Challa stood his ground, watching the approaching Erik Stevens, his mind a sea of perfect calm.
At this moment, all his fury and all his resentment had transformed into strength, building up inside his body.
Erik Stevens lunged like a crazed hyena, the weapons in his hands flashing with a cold light, striking like fangs toward T'Challa's vital points.
But T'Challa merely watched him with that same calm. The instant Erik Stevens's weapons descended, T'Challa made a decisive, ruthless choice. He used his own body to take the blow from one weapon, and as it left a gushing, bloody wound, he used the opening to drive his own weapon deep into Erik Stevens's body.
Both men let out roars of agony at the same time, grappling together like two wild beasts locked in combat.
But this time, T'Challa's heart no longer held the guilt he felt over his father killing Erik's father. There was no more hesitation.
There were no superpowers, no Black Panther suits, only the most primitive, brutal hand-to-hand combat.
As the fight raged on, a trace of fear began to bloom in Erik Stevens's heart—or, more accurately, a deep-seated apprehension and unwillingness.
He wasn't afraid of trading his life for T'Challa's, but he was terrified that after they had both died, T'Challa would simply be resurrected by Mike...
If that happened, his death would be completely meaningless.
And it was precisely this sliver of hesitation that cost him everything.
After T'Challa buried his weapon into Erik Stevens's stomach, he followed up with a vicious punch that landed squarely on his opponent's chin. As the blow snapped Erik's head back, T'Challa unleashed a rapid flurry of blows, striking him until he was beaten unconscious.
T'Challa snatched up the weapon that had fallen from Erik's grasp. Grabbing the unconscious man, he raised the blade and thrust downward with brutal intent.
"Ting!"
With a sharp metallic ring, the short spear grazed past Erik Stevens's face, landing just beside him, though it still left another bloody streak on his cheek.
In the end, he still couldn't do it.
He was not Erik Stevens, not a man controlled by hatred and rage.
He was also not his father, capable of coldly killing his uncle's only son.
He was T'Challa, the King of Wakanda.
Cruelty and killing were not the ideals and education he had received his entire life.
"Hah... hah..."
He panted heavily, threw the weapon aside, and addressed the completely stunned crowd. "Take him away and lock him up. Put him in the most secure prison we have."
He paused, then added, "He is implicated in the murder of the previous king. Do not let him die. When he wakes, he will stand trial."
With those words, he swayed, his body looking like it could collapse at any second. He looked up at Mike and said, "That was your doing just now, wasn't it, Mr. Kent?"
Mike smiled slightly. "Go and prepare. Today's wedding still hasn't been held."
As he spoke, a card appeared at his fingertips, dissolving into motes of light as a verdant glow, brimming with the essence of life, enveloped T'Challa.
Rejuvenation.
The green light wrapped around T'Challa's body, and his wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Seeing this, the people of Wakanda, as one, crossed their arms over their chests in their traditional salute and bowed their heads slightly toward Mike.
Mike smiled and led his group away.
T'Challa watched Mike's departing back with gratitude, but his gaze then landed on Ororo, who was standing a short distance away. He opened his arms wide.
Ororo's eyes turned red. She ran to him, and they embraced fiercely.
"Is our wedding still happening?" Ororo couldn't help but ask.
T'Challa didn't hesitate for a single second. "Of course!"
"Today isn't over yet, is it?"
With that, he kissed her.
Watching this scene, the Wakandans all broke into fond, knowing smiles. But when their gazes fell upon the chief of the Border Tribe, their expressions turned serious once more.
Seeing this, W'Kabi, the Border Tribe chief, gave a bitter smile. "Regarding Erik Stevens... I only wanted to repay the favor of him killing Ulysses Klaue. I truly knew nothing about him murdering the previous king."
"You can save that explanation for prison. We will not wrong you," Okoye, the general of the Dora Milaje, said coldly, leveling her spear at her own husband.
W'Kabi sighed and held out his hands.
Okoye waved, and the bald-headed female warriors of the Dora Milaje stepped forward, escorting the members of the Border Tribe away.
"Oh!" Princess Shuri, rubbing her own red-rimmed eyes, looked at T'Challa and Ororo, who were still locked in their embrace. "That's enough, you two! If you keep hugging, it'll be dark. Hurry up and get ready for the wedding!"
After saying that, she turned and ran after Mike's group.
She absolutely had to thank them properly.
...
In the end, the wedding was held at night, and T'Challa still managed to complete the achievements of the most important day of his life.
To be precise, the events of the day had been far richer and more significant than he could have ever imagined.
As T'Challa and Ororo exchanged their wedding vows, their ceremony was complete.
What followed was a celebration involving the entire capital.
Fine wine, music, fireworks...
The entire city transformed into an ocean of celebration.
Mike sat with the others, enjoying the festivities, which were filled with an exotic atmosphere.
Gwen, however, was quietly pulled away from the crowd by Shuri.
"What's wrong, Sister Shuri?" Gwen looked at her curiously.
Sister Shuri?
Hearing Gwen's form of address, Shuri became even happier.
She gave Gwen a wink and said, "I'm giving you something really fun."
Fun?
Hearing this, Gwen was immediately interested.
The two of them jogged all the way back to Shuri's laboratory.
"Here it is."
Shuri led Gwen to the gift she had prepared.
It was a black motorcycle, one made entirely of vibranium.
The chassis was beautifully streamlined, resembling a black panther crouched low to the ground.
"This is... for me?"
Gwen's eyes instantly lit up.
"That's right!" Shuri said proudly. "This bike is forged from vibranium. While it's not equipped with weapons, the fact that it's made of vibranium makes it the most formidable weapon itself."
Besides that, this was also the most expensive motorcycle in the entire world.
It was said that on the black market, vibranium could sell for a dollar a gram. By that calculation, the price of this bike was absolutely terrifying.
Gwen's hand caressed the bike, feeling the smooth texture that sent a thrill of joy through her. The curve of her smile widened.
"I'll send it to you when you're older. After all, at your current age..."
"I want to try it!"
"What?"
"I want to try it now!" Gwen looked at Shuri.
Shuri laughed. "Do you even know how to ride?"
If she remembered correctly, Gwen was only twelve.
"Remember yesterday I told you my powers could control vehicles?"
As Gwen spoke, a blue flame ignited on the hand she had placed on the motorcycle.
A motorcycle... She had long envied the other Ghost Rider, Johnny, for his bike. Now, she had her own.
Shuri saw the flames erupt from Gwen's fingertips and shrieked, "What's happening? You're on fire! What should I do? You... Ah!"
Suddenly, she saw a massive amount of flame burst from Gwen's body. Her flesh and blood were consumed by the fire, revealing the stark white bones beneath. In the blink of an eye, she had transformed into a burning skeleton.
Shuri staggered back a step in absolute terror.
"It's me, Gwen. This is my power."
Gwen gave Shuri a grin, then placed both hands on the motorcycle. Just as she was about to enchant it, she asked Shuri, "Does it have a name?"
"Not yet."
Shuri stared, fascinated, at what Gwen was doing, and shook her head.
"Then how about... Night Panther?"
Gwen murmured, as blue flames began to spread across the motorcycle's frame.
Shuri's eyes widened. "Whatever you like."
In the next second, blue flames swept over the entire motorcycle. Then, under Shuri's watchful gaze, the bike began to undergo a wondrous transformation.
Blue, fiery patterns appeared on the originally pure-black chassis. Within those fiery patterns, a pair of white, skeletal hands seemed to be grasping the frame. A skull mask appeared over the face of the motorcycle's panther emblem, and both wheels ignited with blue flames.
Staring at the transformed motorcycle before her, Shuri audibly swallowed.
The 'Night Panther' was now even more fierce and domineering, exuding an aura of mysterious, eerie power. It looked impossibly cool and handsome.
"Hey, beautiful. Want me to take you for a spin?"
Gwen, still in her skeletal form, grinned and made an inviting gesture to Shuri.
Shuri looked at the flames burning on the bike's frame. She was afraid, but she was even more curious and excited.
"Don't worry, these flames won't hurt you."
With that, Gwen swung her leg over the bike and gripped the handlebars.
VROOOM!
The bike let out a roar, and blue flames shot out from the exhaust pipes.
Shuri hesitated for only a second before boldly sitting down behind Gwen.
"Here we go! Haha!"
With Gwen's wild laugh, the motorcycle shot out of the laboratory's garage.
BOOM!
In an instant, the world in front of Shuri blurred into a streak.
She was screaming wildly in her mind, her entire being alight with pure, unadulterated excitement.
Now, she finally understood why Gwen had been so calm when riding in her remotely-driven car yesterday.
This... this was just too thrilling!
The world flew backward in a blur. There was only the monstrous roar of the wind in her ears and the specks of blue fire drifting past her eyes. They left everything behind.
Over the ground, across the surface of the water, up the sheer cliffs...
When they finally stopped, they had already left Wakanda far behind.
The blue flames vanished, and everything returned to normal. Shuri pushed back her completely wind-blasted hair and looked at Gwen, who was standing beside the motorcycle. She panted heavily, the excitement still not having faded from her eyes.
"This is your power? That was... so cool!" she said, her voice trembling with excitement.
Gwen nodded, then suddenly said, "It's so beautiful."
Shuri followed Gwen's gaze. A silver moon was hanging high in the sky, bathing the earth in its silver glow, as if the entire world had been dipped in silver.
Shuri straightened her hair. "It really is beautiful."
With that, she sat down on the grass, her gaze shifting to Gwen, who was leaning against her bike. A look of deep gratitude flashed in her eyes.
The Kent family...
They owed the Kent family a massive debt.
...
The next day, Mike and his group departed from Wakanda.
The wedding was over, and the main task they had come for was completed.
As for Erik Stevens, that was Wakanda's internal affair.
However, before they left, they learned one piece of news from T'Challa and Ororo.
Wakanda had decided to reveal its true self to the world, adopting a more proactive stance to join the global community and open diplomatic relations with other nations.
Of course, their alliance with Kentar would be announced at the same time.
Although this didn't have much to do with Mike and his family directly, it did serve as a reminder.
Kentar and Earth were connected by a thousand intricate threads. As such, once Kentar City was completed in the near future, it, too, would need to engage in active diplomacy—as the mutant nation, and as the planet Kentar.
Perhaps they could coordinate their diplomatic actions with Wakanda.
On the way back to Kentar, after some preliminary discussion, the group decided to entrust this matter to Hank McCoy, the Beast.
Of course, while engaging in diplomacy, Kentar also needed to develop in other areas.
For example, technology, education, healthcare, and so on.
With Kryptonian technology as their foundation, Erik and the others were full of confidence. In fact, Erik had already planned out the future development of Future Technologies even as Kentar City was being built.
As for education, numerous schools had already been established, and the Kent School for Gifted Heroes, under Charles's direct supervision, was becoming a cradle for cultivating elite mutants, and even future X-Men.
With technology, with education, and with the overwhelming power of certain individual mutants serving as a powerful deterrent...
Kentar's development was finally on the right track.
The future was full of promise.
(End of this chapter)