With the development of the Extremis virus reaching a deadlock, Tony Stark and his team began researching flame biochemicals. While it wasn't difficult to fully understand the Chitauri's weapons technology, comprehending the biological nature of their species proved far more challenging. The Avengers had no prior research data or equipment related to biochemicals. Although cloning a Chitauri body was theoretically possible, it wouldn't be the same as creating a true biochemical entity, forcing Tony and the others to start from scratch.
Fortunately, studying biochemicals was easier than developing a perfect Extremis virus, with no mysterious restrictions holding them back. It was just a matter of time and effort.
Meanwhile, the battlefield in Africa had reached a critical point, with both sides suffering heavy casualties, especially the Americans. Wakanda's vibranium technology was superior to the newly developed Chitauri-based weapons of the United States. The Americans were particularly disadvantaged because they had failed to understand the Chitauri's Leviathan battleship's biological technology, leaving them with no way to compete effectively with Wakanda's advanced weapons.
The only option left for the U.S. would be to unleash nuclear warfare.
Even in this new era, nuclear weapons remained a significant threat. Their destructive power aside, the radioactive fallout alone was enough to deter many from considering their use. Though Chitauri energy-based weapons could theoretically achieve a similar level of destruction, they lacked the long-term threat posed by nuclear contamination. Given the battlefield's proximity to Wakanda, using nuclear weapons could severely cripple the nation.
However, the U.S. couldn't deploy nuclear weapons lightly, not just due to international agreements but also because Clark (Superman) was present on the continent. A nuclear missile loaded onto a cruise missile had already been intercepted by Clark before it could be launched and was promptly disarmed.
The U.S. couldn't blame Clark either since exposing the incident would result in a public relations disaster, with the media and public opinion unlikely to take their side.
As a result, there was growing unrest among U.S. officials. The war was costly, and without any clear benefit in sight, many feared the U.S. would be dragged into a quagmire. Wars that promised profits usually attracted financial backing, but this conflict showed no signs of yielding any gains. No one wanted to fund a losing battle, let alone for free.
While Wakanda's position was stronger than the U.S., their situation wasn't perfect either. Despite possessing superior vibranium technology, they were inexplicably choosing to have soldiers charge with spears. Clark couldn't understand their strategy. Even though Wakanda's spears were advanced, capable of releasing energy more potent than Chitauri technology, the soldiers preferred hand-to-hand combat, even at the cost of casualties.
Despite Wakanda's technological superiority, they were still losing soldiers. Clark had been saving many of the injured from both sides, otherwise, the death toll would have been far worse.
What Clark didn't notice, however, was that after a certain number of deaths on the battlefield, an unseen force began to spread across the area, collecting the energy of death before mysteriously vanishing.
"Hmm? What's going on here?" Clark didn't sense the abnormal force, but Wakanda's Panther God, Bast, and others did. While their strength wasn't on Clark's level, they were more attuned to strange energies like this.
Recently, the gods of Wakanda had been restless, not because of the war with the U.S., but because Clark had been nearby. Even though Bast and the others saw that Clark was saving lives on the battlefield and wasn't targeting them or Wakanda, they couldn't help but be wary of him. After all, their power paled in comparison to his.
Moreover, the fact that Clark was intervening on the battlefield, doing what Bast and the other gods should have been doing to strengthen their followers' faith, only made things worse. They were too afraid of Clark to act.
Now, however, Bast and the others couldn't sit still any longer. It seemed that a hidden threat was brewing in Wakanda, and if they continued to ignore it, they might face something beyond their control.
"Boss, maybe you should contact Superman directly. He doesn't seem like he has bad intentions," the White Gorilla God suggested to Bast.
"Yeah, if Superman really wanted to make a move, neither Wakanda nor we could stop him. Even the gods of Heliopolis probably wouldn't stand a chance against him, so it's unlikely that this is his doing," added the Hyena God.
"You go talk to him then," Bast quickly delegated the task to his subordinates, recalling the time when Clark had thoroughly beaten him. Ever since the age of the gods had passed, Bast had never been humiliated like that, so he was reluctant to deal with Clark directly.
"Uh… well..." The other gods hesitated. Earlier, they had confidently spoken up because, even though Bast wasn't on Clark's level, he was still tough enough to withstand an attack. But now that they were being asked to handle it, they felt anxious. After all, Clark was as powerful as a God-King, and they were mere lesser gods by comparison.
"You were just saying Superman isn't a problem, so why are you scared now?" Bast's frustration was evident as he glared at his subordinates, feeling their unreliability more than ever.
"Well, you're the boss! If you don't handle the tough situations, how can you be the boss?" The Lion God muttered under his breath.
"Fine! I'll go!" Bast shot a glare at the Lion God before reluctantly looking toward Clark. With strange things happening on the battlefield, Bast knew he couldn't afford to ignore the problem. If something terrible happened and Clark left, Wakanda and its connection to the earthly dimension could be in jeopardy.
If the Wakandan gods were completely cut off from Earth's dimension and drifted into the endless sea of dimensions, Bast feared they would be devoured by stronger dimensional beings.
"Superman, there's a problem on the battlefield..." Bast finally emerged from the Wakandan God Realm and approached Clark.
"So you've finally shown yourself. You've been watching for a while now—impressive patience," Clark remarked as he turned toward Bast.
Clark hadn't initially noticed the gods watching from Wakanda's divine realm, but the war had dragged on long enough for him to sense their presence.
"We didn't mean to spy..." Bast stammered, his face stiffening as he hurried to explain.
"You mentioned there's a problem on the battlefield? I haven't seen anything unusual..." Clark interrupted, glancing over the battlefield. There were some casualties, but nothing that would prompt Bast to suddenly show up.
"There's an unseen force collecting the deathly aura from the battlefield and making it disappear. I'm worried someone might be targeting this place," Bast explained, his eyes fixed on the battlefield.
"Deathly aura? What kind of aura?" Clark frowned. The battlefield was filled with the stench of blood, the energy of death, and the remnants of explosions, but he wasn't sure which one Bast was referring to.
"It's the aura of death, but I can't trace where it's going..." Bast shook his head.
"The aura of death?" Clark frowned even more deeply. He couldn't sense anything out of the ordinary, but he knew his abilities weren't particularly attuned to these kinds of energies. Taking a deep breath, he sent a telepathic message toward the Avengers base: "I need you here. There seems to be a new variable on the battlefield."
"A variable?" Back at the Avengers base, Robert raised an eyebrow, glancing toward Africa with a hint of surprise. He wasn't sure what was happening, but for Clark to call him meant it was serious. He quickly left a message for Kara and Jarvis before disappearing from the base.
"Who goes there?!" Bast's expression shifted as he sensed Robert's sudden arrival in the sky. In the next instant, Robert landed beside Clark.
"What's this?" Robert's expression darkened slightly as he eyed Bast, recognizing him immediately and deciding not to hide his disdain.
"He's one of Wakanda's gods. He detected the deathly aura on the battlefield being absorbed and disappearing. I couldn't sense it, so I called you to check it out," Clark explained.
"The aura of death being absorbed?" Robert narrowed his eyes, spreading his senses across the battlefield.
Suddenly, Robert vanished and reappeared at the northernmost part of the battlefield.
This wasn't the main battle zone, but it was where the aura of death had concentrated before quickly vanishing.
"Who's there?!" Robert's abrupt appearance startled the American soldiers stationed in the rear, causing them to aim their weapons at him, ready to fire.
"Stay still and don't interrupt me," Robert said coldly, waving off the soldiers as he focused on his investigation. He wanted to understand what was happening with the disappearing deathly aura.
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
"Fire!"
Despite Robert's warning, the soldiers fired energy blasts at him, but the projectiles froze in mid-air, unable to get any closer. The soldiers and their commanders looked on in shock.
"Retreat! Fall back!" The commanders quickly gave the order and fled the scene, unwilling to confront such overwhelming power.
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