Erik lost his balance and was sent flying backward.
T'Challa instantly closed the distance, driving an elbow hard into Erik's chest. With a thunderous crash, Erik smashed through a palace wall and ended up embedded in it.
T'Challa's claws stopped at Erik's throat.
The fight was over.
Victory—his.
Karl stood there in complete disbelief. He genuinely hadn't expected Erik to lose. He had practically bet his entire fortune on him.
And now?
His "fortune" was about to sit in Shuri's lab for half a month.
"Yes!!"
Shuri leapt up and rushed over, throwing her arms around T'Challa.
"This is perfect! My research schedule for the next two weeks is secured! Big brother, you're amazing!"
Out of the four of them, she was by far the happiest.
Karl walked over, looking deeply disappointed, and yanked Erik out of the wall.
"What happened to you? I put my entire life savings on you! And you couldn't even beat T'Challa? Were you holding back? We should do best two out of three!"
He was shamelessly trying to renegotiate.
Shuri immediately protested.
"Hey! Don't be a sore loser! We had a deal. You lost. I get the Ultima Weapon and the Blade of Judgment for half a month."
Hands on her hips, she faced him head-on. Though younger by several years, her momentum was overwhelming—especially fueled by victory.
Karl knew he had no ground to stand on. With a reluctant sigh, he summoned both weapons and handed them over.
"Half a month. Be gentle with them. They're not built for rough treatment."
He looked like someone parting with cherished pets.
T'Challa and Erik stared at the two of them, utterly confused. Erik in particular looked like he wanted to punch Karl just to shut him up.
---
Karl returned to the same small courtyard he had stayed in during his previous visit. T'Challa had arranged the same lodging out of familiarity.
At dinner, Karl asked about Nakia. T'Challa explained that she was out gathering intelligence. As Wakanda's top spy, she was constantly traveling between nations.
T'Challa could only sigh and let her follow her own path.
Over the next half month, Karl split his time between Wakanda and the agency. Some days he wandered across Wakanda with T'Challa; other days he chatted idly with Erik, whose increasingly resigned expression amused him greatly.
Shuri practically moved into her lab, studying the Ultima Weapon and Blade of Judgment day and night—exactly like Tony when absorbed in research.
Karl, meanwhile, toured nearly the entire country. He saw all kinds of wildlife—even a rare wild black panther.
As for the research results:
Shuri made substantial progress with the Blade of Judgment. Aside from the mysterious substance known as "Sanctity," she fully understood its structure and materials.
The revolver itself was mechanically simple—standard alloy components. Its overwhelming power stemmed entirely from Sanctity.
But what Sanctity actually was remained a mystery. It had never appeared in any known earthly database. Its composition was unknowable.
The Ultima Weapon proved even more enigmatic.
The entire blade was formed from a crystalline material infused with unknown energy. Yet unlike ordinary crystal—essentially natural glass, brittle and fragile—it possessed extraordinary toughness and durability.
It could even slice through vibranium with ease.
This completely defied known material science.
In the end, Shuri archived her findings. Magical constructs were beyond her domain. Her genius lay in technology, not arcane phenomena.
When she returned the weapons, she said casually, "Bring them over. I'll prepare the armor designs."
Karl didn't stand on ceremony. They had fought together. Excessive politeness would only feel artificial.
---
That evening, Karl returned to the agency and told Gwen and Skye about the new armor.
Neither was particularly enthusiastic about upgrading their suits—but both were thrilled at the idea of visiting Shuri.
Karl then made a trip to Kamar-Taj. With the Ancient One's permission, he brought Wanda back temporarily.
The four of them arrived in Wakanda via Chocobo Space.
Skye had been there before during the border tribe conflict. But for Gwen and Wanda, it was their first visit.
After greeting the former king and queen, the four young women quickly formed what could only be described as an unstoppable friend group. Accompanied by Okoye, they went sightseeing, shopping, and exploring—completely abandoning Karl and T'Challa.
Some nights, they didn't even return to the palace, leaving Karl alone in his courtyard like a neglected poet.
After several days of fun, they finally remembered the armor project.
All four gathered in Shuri's lab to design their new suits.
This time, unlike Tony's standardized approach, they incorporated personal elements.
Notably, all three opted for combat bodysuits—not mechanical armor.
As Karl silently observed: power armor might be a man's romance. Women cared far more about silhouette and aesthetics.
---
Gwen's Suit
Her color scheme remained black and white. The hood stayed. The black spider emblem now extended from her shoulders down to her waist.
Like the Black Panther suit, it could absorb kinetic energy and release it as shockwaves.
Most impressively, Shuri amplified Gwen's bio-electric ability. She could now fire electrically charged webbing—and even discharge bio-electric pulses from her entire body to paralyze opponents.
---
Skye's Suit
Skye's suit remained dark green, but the bulky arm guards were replaced with sleek glowing bracelets.
Normally, the bracelets rested flush against her wrists. When she unleashed vibration waves, they expanded and hovered slightly above her wrists, stabilizing and absorbing feedback.
They could neutralize 99% of the recoil damage from her own shockwaves.
A precise and elegant solution.
---
As for Wanda…
Her design process had only just begun.
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