Hearing Erik's words, Okoye fell silent. Shuri was the sole remaining symbol of the royal family and the only reason the palace guards still had the will to fight.
Shuri might have disregarded tradition by ordering an attack on Erik and the tribal leaders, but if she were killed, the guards would lose their purpose entirely.
Without Shuri, there would be no figurehead to rally behind. The guards couldn't simply slaughter everyone present and install themselves as Wakanda's rulers—such an action would never be accepted by the Wakandan people.
Faced with this stalemate, Okoye hesitated before speaking. "Release the princess, and we can negotiate..."
"Negotiate? Don't make me laugh!" one of the tribal leaders shouted before Erik could respond. "If you back off, Shuri might still survive. But if you keep fighting, there's only one outcome for you!"
The tribal leaders, who had previously been cautious about openly supporting Erik, now rallied behind him without hesitation. Shuri's actions—especially her betrayal of Wakandan tradition—had alienated them completely. What had started as reluctant submission to Erik's victory now transformed into genuine support for him.
However, Shuri, true to her unyielding nature, refused to admit defeat. Even with Erik's foot pressing against her back, she clenched her teeth and growled:
"The Wakandan throne belongs to my family! No one else!"
Before anyone could respond, a series of searing energy blasts rained down from above, scattering the combatants and tribal leaders alike.
Zzzzz!
From the skies, a Wakandan aircraft hovered ominously, smoke curling up from the devastation below.
Inside the craft was none other than Queen Ramonda. Though she had initially opposed Shuri's aggressive plans, she could not stand by while her only remaining child was in mortal danger. Without hesitation, she had intervened.
"Keep firing! But use low-energy blasts—I don't want to kill everyone down there. Extract Shuri first!" the queen ordered her pilots firmly.
"Understood!"
The palace guards, emboldened by the queen's voice in their earpieces, rushed into the chaos of the smoke-filled battlefield to rescue Shuri.
Boom!
Clang!
Crash!
However, within moments, the sounds of fierce combat echoed through the smoke. To the queen's growing alarm, figures began flying out of the battlefield—her guards, battered and thrown like rag dolls.
As the smoke began to clear, the queen's eyes widened at the sight before her.
Erik was standing amidst the wreckage, surrounded by fallen guards. He was wielding a vibranium spear he had wrested from one of his attackers. Beneath his foot, pinned and humiliated, lay Shuri herself.
"Damn it!" Queen Ramonda's composure broke for a moment, her face contorted with rage and fear.
No mother could remain calm while seeing her child treated this way. And for Ramonda, Shuri was her last hope—her only remaining family. She had already lost her husband and son. She couldn't lose her daughter as well.
Despite her anger, Ramonda knew that brute force alone wouldn't be enough to save Shuri. Erik's strength was beyond her expectations. Even the palace guards—trained in Wakanda's elite combat techniques—had proven no match for him.
She needed to outthink him.
Onboard the craft, Ramonda made a rapid series of adjustments to the targeting system.
From the craft's weapon bay, a single, slow-moving energy blast was fired—its energy signature vastly more powerful than the previous attacks.
Vzzz!
Erik frowned as the glowing energy blast hurtled toward him. Calmly, he used his foot to kick Shuri into its path, using her as a human shield.
"You like sneak attacks?" Erik sneered. "Let's see how you feel about killing your own daughter—huh?"
To Erik's shock, the energy blast didn't kill Shuri. Instead, it enveloped her in a protective barrier, forming a shimmering cocoon of light around her.
"What the hell is this?" Erik muttered, momentarily thrown off guard.
Even as a highly educated man, Erik couldn't comprehend the technology at play. It was clearly far more advanced than anything he had encountered before.
From within the protective cocoon, Shuri's voice rang out with smug satisfaction:
"You wouldn't understand, you ignorant savage."
Her barrier, still glowing, began moving toward the aircraft.
ZAP!
Scowling, Erik aimed his stolen vibranium spear at the craft and fired a burst of energy. The blast streaked toward Shuri and the aircraft, but upon impact, it dissipated harmlessly against the protective field.
"Damn it!" Erik growled in frustration.
Inside the aircraft, Okoye, still nursing her injuries, finally exhaled in relief.
"Thank Bast," she muttered, wiping blood from her trembling hands. Though Erik's strength had left her shaken, she was grateful that Shuri was now safe. Whatever happened next, she had fulfilled her duty to protect the princess.
"Are you hurt?" Queen Ramonda asked as Shuri climbed into the aircraft. Her voice trembled with concern.
"I'm fine," Shuri replied curtly. But her eyes burned with fury. "I'm going to kill him. I'll rip him to pieces!"
Shuri's humiliation had reached its peak. She had been bested, captured, and publicly humiliated by Erik. The proud princess couldn't forgive such an insult.
In the back of the aircraft, Shuri equipped herself with her latest invention—a new and improved version of the Black Panther suit.
Unlike her brother's suit, this one was outfitted with enhanced combat capabilities, designed to compensate for Shuri's lack of physical strength.
"Is that... different from the old suit?" Ramonda asked, noticing the modifications.
"Yes," Shuri replied, her tone somber. "I designed it myself. Since I don't have the physical advantages my father and brother did, I've added built-in enhancements to level the playing field."
CRACK!
Shuri wasted no time. Moments later, she leapt from the aircraft, her enhanced suit cushioning her landing with a burst of energy.
BOOM!
The ground beneath her cracked from the force of her impact.
"Erik!" she roared, charging forward with blinding speed.
CLANG!
The claws of her Black Panther suit collided with Erik's vibranium spear, sparks flying from the impact.
The two engaged in a furious duel, their strikes ringing out like thunder. Erik, relying solely on his spear, struggled to match Shuri's technologically enhanced strength.
"Who dared defy my command?"
A voice, ancient and authoritative, echoed across Wakanda.
It was Bast.
The combatants froze as the Panther God's ethereal presence filled the air. A massive, shimmering projection of Bast's visage appeared in the skies above Wakanda, visible to all.
The tribal leaders fell to their knees in reverence, bowing deeply to their god.
Even Erik, whose faith in Bast bordered on fanaticism, prostrated himself without hesitation.
"Damn it!" Shuri hissed under her breath.
But instead of submitting, she launched herself at Erik once more, determined to finish the fight before Bast could intervene.
However, her defiance was futile.
VZZZZ!
With a mere flicker of divine energy, Bast lifted Shuri into the air, suspending her mid-flight.
The scene was broadcast across Wakanda, showing the entire nation Shuri's actions in reverse. Bast's divine power revealed the truth behind her betrayal of tradition and her attempts to subvert the King's Trial.
In the aircraft, Ramonda slumped into her seat, her face pale.
It was over.
Bast had exposed everything.
For her crimes, Shuri was stripped of her status and exiled from Wakanda. Erik was crowned king, earning the loyalty of Wakanda's people and solidifying Bast's dominance over the nation.
The royal family's era had ended. Bast's divine authority now reigned supreme.
But Wakanda's troubles were far from over.
Far beyond Earth's atmosphere, a streak of fire blazed across the sky before vanishing.
Though it appeared to be a mere meteor, Bast could sense something more.
"What was that?" the god muttered, narrowing its eyes.
Even Bast, with all its divine wisdom, could not decipher the phenomenon.
Meanwhile, in Wakanda's royal palace, Erik savored his newfound power. But his celebration was cut short when a figure, clad in gleaming silver, materialized before him.
The figure's arrival was so abrupt that not even Bast had detected it.
"Who are you?" Erik demanded, his muscles tensing.
The stranger's voice was calm, yet commanding.
"Are you this planet's ruler?"
Erik's heart skipped a beat.
"Ruler? Of Earth?" he stammered. "No... I'm just the king of Wakanda. This planet has many nations..."
Inwardly, Erik called out to Bast, desperately hoping his god would intervene.
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