Deep beneath this land lies the African continent, viewed by the outside world as poor and backward—but in secret, it conceals the mysterious nation of Wakanda, isolated from the world yet far more advanced in science and technology than any other country on Earth.
At this very moment, in the research lab of Wakanda's palace, overflowing with futuristic technology, a fierce argument was breaking out between siblings.
"No! I object!"
Shuri grabbed her data tablet, clashing with her brother, Wakanda's current king—the Black Panther, T'Challa.
"Brother! Isolation has always been Wakanda's tradition! Why must we break centuries of custom—open our technology and resources to outsiders we've never met?"
T'Challa looked at his genius little sister, slightly too idealistic, and patiently persuaded her:
"Shuri, times have changed. The alien invasion over New York proved that Earth is far more dangerous than we imagined.
"We can't just hide out in the lodge like old times.
"As a great nation, we bear a duty to help defend the world."
"Then, supply them in secret! Finance them!
"But you must never open Wakanda's doors directly to foreigners!"
Shuri refused to back down.
"You..."
T'Challa began to respond.
Suddenly!
["—Warning! Warning! Unknown high-energy flying object detected, closing in at high speed!
—Warning! Object has breached the optical cloaking barrier! Moving directly toward the heart of the capital, Birnin Zana!"]
At that instant, earsplitting, top-level alarms erupted throughout the entire lab!
"What?!"
The two siblings, who'd been arguing, immediately changed expressions!
Forgetting their quarrel, they rushed to the lab's central console.
A massive holographic screen displayed a breathtaking scene:
The unidentified object was ignoring Wakanda's multi-tiered defenses, disabling even the world's most advanced radar, and heading straight for the palace at impossible speed!
"How... how can this possibly be?"
Shuri stared at the data, face incredulous. "Our dome defense system... couldn't even intercept him?!"
"Who is this...?"
T'Challa zoomed in on the monitor, suddenly frozen in place:
There, unmistakably, was a person—a human flying at astonishing speed under their own power!
Most terrifying of all: the intruder's flight path was precise—almost as if he already had Wakanda's secret map, heading straight for the palace! As if Wakanda's proud invisible network—crafted from oceans of vibranium and the world's finest technology, able to fool the planet itself—was utterly transparent and useless before him!
"How... can this be?"
"Brother! Look!"
Shuri called, voice trembling. As the gap closed, the uninvited guest's face became clearer on the surveillance feed.
In an instant, as T'Challa recognized it, his pupils shrank—shock, awe, terror all rushed into his heart!
"Yes... it's him!"
"Who?" Shuri turned, confused.
T'Challa's Adam's apple bobbed, his tone mixed with bitterness and reverence.
"The one I told you about—the man who annihilated the alien fleet above New York single-handedly, and who the world's leaders called 'The Unknown God'... Prince Lucci!"
"What? It's actually... him?"
Shuri was shocked beyond words.
For a moment, both siblings reeled from the sudden turn.
The figure simply hovered above Wakanda's palace. Lucci lowered his head, gazing at the cyberpunk city below, a glimmer of approval in his eye.
"So this is Wakanda? Not bad.
"Your vibranium technology does have value."
His voice wasn't loud, but it carried clearly—reaching all the way into the lab.
T'Challa and Shuri soon appeared before him in a sleek royal craft.
Proud Shuri, still a little defiant, said:
"Hmph! Wakanda is Earth's most technologically advanced place! Is it just a trifle to you?
"Even if you're the Unknown God, don't be so arrogant!"
Lucci, uncaring, just smiled:
"On this planet, Wakanda's technology is indeed unique—
"But in the vast universe, there are countless civilizations more advanced and powerful than Wakanda."
Shuri instinctively wanted to argue, but recalling what her brother said—this 'Prince Lucci' being a true god—her words caught in her throat.
T'Challa, far calmer than his sister, bowed respectfully.
"Prince Lucci, may I ask why you have come to Wakanda today?"
Lucci looked at Black Panther, nodded approvingly, and spoke plainly:
"In a few days, the ruler of the cosmos, Thanos, will lead his fleet to Earth.
"I'm here to warn you—and help you prepare."
After Lucci's words, T'Challa and Shuri froze for an instant, then both faces turned doubtful.
"Thanos?"
For this mysterious kingdom, always isolated from the world, the name 'Thanos' was unfamiliar—even though it was feared across countless galaxies.
Lucci was unsurprised at their blank looks. Calmly, he explained to them Thanos' identity and his insane—so-called "balanced universe"—philosophy.
After hearing Lucci's words, Shuri's disbelief and scorn were written all over her face:
"What kind of absurd 'balance' is this?
"It's just inhuman massacre!"
Even T'Challa's face turned grave.
As king, he contemplated far deeper than his sister, eyeing Lucci with guarded suspicion:
"Prince Lucci, it's not that I don't believe you—but what you're saying... it's just hard to accept..."
Facing this doubt, Lucci didn't bother explaining.
He simply waved his hand through the air in front of them.
In an instant, true scenes appeared, quick flashes of hellish tragedy:
Once-prosperous planets, now reduced to scorched earth under Thanos' iron army;
Untold innocents, crying and screaming, cut down mercilessly by the Chitauri's blade;
Thanos wielding the power of the Temples, erasing entire worlds and their life into cosmic dust—a disastrous nightmare!
The visions were so realistic and brutal!
Shuri's face turned paper pale with horror, and she nearly vomited!
Even the resolute King T'Challa, fists clenched, veins bulging in anger and—unnoticed by himself—a trace of fear!
Lucci took in all their reactions.
With another casual wave, the horrifying visions vanished.
His face showed his usual calm indifference.
He looked lightly at T'Challa and Shuri.
"I'm not here to ask for your help.
Nor do I intend to prove anything.
I'm merely here to inform you.
Whether you believe it or not, you'll see for yourselves in ten days."
With that, the space around him rippled.
Lucci disappeared, leaving behind T'Challa and Shuri, shocked and struggling to comprehend what they'd seen.
Shuri stared for a long time at where he'd vanished, unable to form a sentence. The vision of that hellish battlefield still overwhelmed her mind.
T'Challa, after a short silence, his gaze turned deadly serious:
"Regardless of whether it's true or not... make ready for battle!"
Thus, from King T'Challa's mouth, the highest-level orders swept across Wakanda:
"Summon the Royal Guard!"
"All border tribes, highest state of battle readiness!"
"Weapons lab, distribute the newly developed vibranium weapons immediately!"
Orders were relayed with smooth efficiency.
The entire nation, a paradise peaceful for centuries, now began to move like a high-tech war machine, firing on all cylinders.
The leader of the Royal Guard, Okoye, hurried to T'Challa:
Looking at the king's unprecedently stern face, filled with worry, she asked:
"Your Majesty... who are we preparing to fight?"
Facing his most trusted Guard Captain, T'Challa took a deep breath and relayed Lucci's words. Okoye, too, was stunned by what she heard.
…
Meanwhile, inside a hidden stronghold in Sokovia—a castle occupied by Hydra:
In the innermost lab, ringed with precision equipment, a beautiful girl in a red leather coat floated in midair, eyes blank.
Her hands unleashed heavy, scarlet energy filled with chaos and destruction, pouring it endlessly into strange instruments.
This was Wanda Maximoff.
Under Hydra's long-term brainwashing and spiritual magic, she and her brother Pietro had become Hydra's strongest secret weapons.
Just then, with no warning, at the very heart of this heavily guarded secret lab, a new presence appeared—trailing a swirling aura of chaos magic: Lucci!
His sudden arrival froze every Hydra member, including the trance-bound Wanda.
The researchers and soldiers in Hydra uniforms stared, as though seeing a ghost.
A brief silence—and then the base commander, a monocled man, regained his wits.
His face twisted in arrogance and cruelty as he pointed at Lucci, issuing a grim command to Wanda:
"Kill him!"
To him, it did not matter how this intruder entered.
Against Hydra's "ultimate weapon"—the Scarlet Witch—he was just another bug, about to be shredded!
"Yes..."
Wanda's face was expressionless, as if a delicate puppet. She turned, vacantly gazing at Lucci.
Next instant!
With a buzzing roar, she unleashed her full power—scarlet chaos magic, strong enough to warp reality and erase matter, exploded toward Lucci.
Twin torrents of pure chaos energy, each able to disintegrate an aircraft carrier, blasted toward him.
But in the face of this attack, Lucci's face showed not a flicker of emotion. He merely raised his right hand, gently grasping the twin chaos streams...
And, impossibly, right before everyone's eyes, the fierce scarlet energy froze in place, then rapidly dissipated, breaking down into—butterflies?
Yes, pure energy butterflies!
Countless dazzling butterflies, purely made of energy, danced dreamily around Lucci.
The scene was beautiful, surreal, yet unimaginably bizarre.
"Wh-what...?
"How is this possible!"
The Hydra commander was stupefied. He well knew Wanda's chaos magic could obliterate all matter at its source—that it was the divine power to erase physical existence!
Yet now, in this being's hands... it had been so easily converted... into butterflies?
This was not simply overwhelming force—this was a higher-dimensional being crushing a lower-dimensional one!
Wanda, too, upon seeing her attack so easily neutralized, finally showed a flicker of human emotion—a tremor of confusion and instinctual fear.
…