Extreme Speed's vibranium body shifted.
Panels along his forearm separated and reconfigured into an energy cannon assembly. A vibranium-reinforced plasma accelerator formed instantly.
Boom—!
A focused beam tore through the air, disabling Wakandan skimmers mid-flight. He avoided civilian structures deliberately — targeting aircraft propulsion systems instead.
Raven stood beside Karl.
She did not simply "control everything."
Wakandan vibranium equipment resisted direct manipulation due to internal energy stabilization systems. But their alloyed components — connectors, harnesses, secondary metals — responded to her electromagnetic influence.
Spears twisted.
Firearms misfired.
Targeting systems scrambled.
Karl glanced at the vibranium spears.
Advanced civilization — yet ceremonial weapon forms remained. Wakanda valued tradition alongside technology.
T'Chaka moved.
As king and current Black Panther, he did not remain behind his soldiers.
Enhanced by the Heart-Shaped Herb, his physiology was at the peak of human potential — superhuman strength, reflexes, and sensory acuity. His vibranium suit absorbed and redistributed kinetic energy, storing impact force for counterstrikes.
He lunged at Karl with panther-speed.
Slash—!
His vibranium claws raked across Karl's chest.
Karl's clothing tore.
White streaks appeared across his skin.
But the marks vanished almost instantly.
Gamma-enhanced physiology. Super gene reinforcement. Accelerated cellular regeneration.
T'Chaka's pupils narrowed inside the mask.
The suit's kinetic absorption readouts showed no significant damage dealt.
The difference in raw durability was staggering.
He attempted to retreat—
Too late.
Bang—!
Karl teleported directly in front of him and delivered a controlled kick to his chest.
The vibranium suit absorbed most of the force — but the kinetic overflow hurled T'Chaka into the palace wall.
The wall cracked.
The suit shimmered as it redistributed stored energy.
He rose again.
Not severely injured — but aware.
This opponent was beyond conventional engagement.
Karl appeared again.
A sharp palm strike hit the helmet.
The suit's kinetic storage spiked violently, discharging residual force outward in a shockwave.
T'Challa stepped forward.
"Father!"
Now wearing Panther battle armor, though not yet king, T'Challa moved with equal enhancement from the herb.
He activated his sonic spear and lunged toward Karl.
A faint blue glow flickered in Karl's eyes.
Ice crystallized instantly around the spear's vibranium shaft — not destroying it, but immobilizing it through extreme thermal drop. Vibranium resisted structural fracture, but it did not negate temperature manipulation.
T'Challa dropped the frozen weapon and attacked bare-handed.
Karl allowed it.
He tested him.
T'Challa was faster than his father — younger, sharper reflexes.
But raw power disparity remained obvious.
After a brief exchange, Karl ended it.
A localized freeze locked T'Challa in place — not lethal, but fully immobilizing.
T'Chaka's voice shook.
"What have you done to him?!"
"He's asleep," Karl replied calmly. "You should show me what Wakanda is truly capable of. Or we end this now."
Juggernaut roared again, charging through another skimmer.
Wakandan sonic cannons struck him repeatedly — high-frequency vibranium disruptors designed to bypass kinetic absorption.
The blasts staggered him.
But the crimson aura flared brighter.
Cyttorak's power was not kinetic-based.
It was mystical.
He laughed and continued forward.
Shadow Ninjas clashed with Wakandan troops.
This was not effortless slaughter.
Wakandan soldiers were disciplined, equipped with advanced sonic weaponry and vibranium weave armor.
Many Shadow Ninjas were destroyed by sonic pulses.
But exposed joints and non-vibranium materials created vulnerabilities.
The battlefield tilted.
Not annihilation.
But clear disadvantage.
T'Chaka watched the tide shift.
Every moment prolonged meant more Wakandan casualties.
And the enemy leader remained uninjured.
"Stop!"
His voice cut across the battlefield.
"State your terms. Wakanda concedes."
Karl raised his hand.
"Tank. Speed. Raven. Stand down."
Juggernaut growled but obeyed.
The Shadow Ninjas froze in place.
Silence spread gradually across the palace grounds.
Karl spoke plainly.
"One hundred tons of vibranium."
He did not exaggerate.
He did not threaten further.
He simply stated it.
T'Chaka did not hesitate long.
"…Agreed."
His voice was steady.
"But release my son."
Karl flicked his fingers.
The ice encasing T'Challa shattered harmlessly.
He stumbled forward, breathing hard but unharmed.
"Follow me," T'Chaka said.
He led Karl and his party to a secured vibranium storage facility.
He opened the vault personally.
He did not resist.
Shadow Ninjas moved forward in organized waves.
Karl used telekinesis to transfer vibranium by the ton into the Shadow World.
T'Chaka watched closely.
The dimensional displacement unsettled him more than the theft itself.
Teleportation.
Mass transport.
Summoning.
Cryokinesis.
Regeneration.
He had witnessed at least four distinct ability classes in minutes.
When Karl finished, he looked at T'Chaka.
"Until next time."
He entered the Shadow World with Juggernaut, Raven, and Extreme Speed.
They vanished.
T'Chaka stood in silence.
He had fought gods in ritual vision.
But this was different.
The woman could manipulate metal across Wakanda's infrastructure.
The giant was empowered by something beyond vibranium physics.
The machine was entirely vibranium-based.
And the leader…
Untouched.
After returning to the palace, T'Chaka issued strict orders:
"No one is to provoke them."
He later reviewed Karl's public identity.
Stark Industries shareholder.
Youngest billionaire.
Close associate of Tony Stark.
No secret identity.
No concealment.
He exhaled slowly.
What could he do?
Retaliation risked destruction.
Silence preserved Wakanda.
He understood one truth clearly:
Strength must be matched before challenged.
And Wakanda… was not yet ready.
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