In fact, after copying this magic circle, Blaine already had the ability to destroy it completely. However, first, it was more convenient for him not to do so, and second, since the prehistoric Bounty Hunters had promised to treat Wakanda well, this magic circle should remain here.
It could serve as a barrier to protect the altar below, and it could also conceal any traces of Blaine's visit. Why not leave it intact?
That said, Blaine couldn't help but wonder—if he could use a star core to pass through the magic circle, had Deadpool also stumbled upon this method by sheer luck and used it to enter the altar?
If that were the case, then Deadpool must possess at least one fifth-level star core. After all, the energy fluctuations emitted by star cores below level five were simply insufficient to trigger the magic circle's resonance. Only those above level five were powerful enough.
Forget it. In any case, he had no idea where Deadpool was now. When they met again in the future, Blaine would definitely catch him and make him pay.
Next, Blaine planned to leave this place. He had already seen the guiding force, although he didn't fully understand what had happened. He had confusedly fused the metal key fragments, seen his prehistoric self and the prehistoric Avengers, and learned many things he should have known—and some he probably shouldn't have. All in all, Blaine had uncovered all the secrets hidden within Wakanda's Vibranium meteorite.
Using Hawkeye to observe the exit above, Blaine hesitated for a moment, then flew upward again, swiftly heading toward the opening he had used before.
There was no need to say it—T'Challa had certainly left long ago, and the train would have departed with him. That meant Blaine had to find his own way out.
Fortunately, Blaine wasn't worried about being trapped here. With his abilities, this wasn't a problem at all. Even though this metallic mountain rose thousands of meters high and he was currently deep underground, so what? He had crossed tens of billions of light-years—what was a few kilometers to him?
Below, the train tracks spiraled downward along the tunnel walls, looping around again and again. But Blaine could skip all of that entirely. Guided by Hawkeye, even in complete darkness, he didn't need to make a single turn as he flew straight upward.
After only a few breaths, Blaine arrived at the metal door at the cave entrance.
Facing it, his head started to ache again. Without T'Challa's energy bracelet, he couldn't freely enter or exit. The only option left was to rely on his energy shield.
Although Blaine had a solution, the previous sequence of actions was still unavoidable. He had to open the energy protection barrier, merge it with the metal wall, and then walk out.
Watching the energy shield slowly fuse with the wall bit by bit, Blaine grew genuinely anxious. It was too slow—painfully slow. He could only watch helplessly as a hole barely the size of a thumb was created through the integration, then gradually expanded. By the time Blaine finally emerged, the waiting period made him feel as though an entire century had passed.
No. When he got back, he absolutely had to acquire a skill that allowed things to grow larger or smaller. If that didn't work, he'd go straight to Dr. Pym and get some Pym particles to use.
Looking at the lush, untouched forest outside, breathing in the fresh air, and feeling the breeze brush through his hair, Blaine felt his entire body relax. All the discomfort and oppressive feelings from before were instantly swept away.
In that moment, he finally felt okay again.
Under the cover of his mental power, Blaine rushed toward T'Challa's location.
Inside a mansion in Wakanda, T'Challa stood outside the laboratory, watching as his sister refined his Black Panther suit.
Although his gaze was fixed on the lab, his thoughts had clearly drifted far away.
Perhaps he was thinking about the Bounty Hunter in the Vibranium meteorite—also known as Blaine. His sister had just asked him how that person had managed to obtain a whole ton of Vibranium, only for the Bounty Hunter to vanish afterward. T'Challa had told her the truth with a guilty expression: he had gone in together with him, but in the end, only he had come back out. That alone made T'Challa feel uneasy.
Strictly speaking, none of what happened was T'Challa's fault, but he still did not want something like that to occur on Wakandan soil. Although the Bounty Hunter had asked the lion for a ton of Vibranium, he had also helped save the heart-shaped herb.
Still, T'Challa blamed himself for even considering mining Vibranium. The Vibranium crater was incredibly dangerous, and he had not warned the Bounty Hunter. It was a place Wakanda had strictly forbidden anyone from entering. Even the king of Wakanda was not permitted—not because it was taboo, but because it was simply too dangerous. The sudden surge of guilt left T'Challa feeling unbearably uncomfortable.
His dark brow furrowed deeply as his expression grew grave.
"Is the Vibranium ready?"
"Huh? Ah? Who—?"
A voice suddenly sounded beside T'Challa's ear, startling him badly.
"You—you—you—you—!"
"How did you get out?"
"Weren't you dead?"
Turning his head, he nearly jumped out of his skin. For a moment, he thought he was seeing a ghost in broad daylight.
"Not dead. You're overthinking it," Blaine said calmly.
"Where's the goods?"
Seeing T'Challa's shocked expression, Blaine felt utterly helpless and could only ask bluntly.
"Oh—oh, come with me."
T'Challa was still uneasy. After taking two steps, he couldn't help glancing back to confirm that Blaine really existed. Blaine even caught it through mind reading—this guy was checking to see whether he cast a shadow in the sunlight.
When T'Challa led Blaine into a warehouse, a full ton of Vibranium appeared before him. No matter how ruthless Blaine might be, no matter how cold-hearted a person was, anyone would feel excited when faced with that much Vibranium.
Since it was a commission, Blaine didn't hold back. With a casual wave of his hand, he stored all the Vibranium directly into his Hunter Space.
Out of the corner of his eye, Blaine clearly saw T'Challa's mouth twitch violently several times—a look of pure pain. A ton of Vibranium was not a ton of sand. Even for Wakanda, the source of Vibranium itself, losing that much at once was enough to hurt.
Blaine noticed it and felt secretly pleased. There was nothing he could do—this was a fair deal. Wasn't it only natural for Bounty Hunters to receive payment for completing a task? What's more, this was a mutually agreed arrangement. So it wasn't bullying T'Challa; it was bullying Wakanda. Even the spirit of the prehistoric Bounty Hunter watching from above would understand.
"Oh, right. There's one more thing I want to ask you."
Just as Blaine turned around, ready to leave, he suddenly thought of something.
"Go on," T'Challa said.
"Well… how should I put this—did you discover anyone else who's been here?"
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