"Figured it out?"
Tony asked when he saw Shuri's eyes light up.
"Yes," Shuri replied. "There's a place. They never interact with the other tribes and have always watched over all of Wakanda from the cliffs. It's a good place to hide for now."
As soon as Shuri spoke, Lucas understood.
She was referring to M'Baku's tribe—the White Gorilla.
"Alright then. Are you coming with us?"
Tony asked. By "you," he meant T'Challa's family. To Erik, they were all enemies.
"No," Shuri said after a moment's thought. "You take my brother to recover. I have to stay here so Erik won't become suspicious. And take Nakia with you."
She chose not to leave with Tony. She needed to return to the palace and remain with her parents.
Tony said nothing more. After T'Challa's external injuries were stabilized in the medical pod, Shuri summoned Nakia and explained everything to her.
Soon after, they left with the unconscious T'Challa. Along with him, they took the Black Panther necklace and the Heart-Shaped Herb fruits that had been harvested in advance.
With Nakia accompanying them, it was unlikely they would be turned away by M'Baku's tribe. Although that tribe was at odds with the others, they were still part of Wakanda. Moreover, M'Baku had lost to T'Challa in ritual combat—by tradition, that meant he owed T'Challa his allegiance.
The group traveled uphill, passed through dense forest, and finally arrived at M'Baku's mountain tribe.
The settlement atop the peaks exuded a raw, primitive atmosphere. Unlike the other Wakandan tribes, advanced technology was nowhere to be seen. Life here was simple and ancient.
As expected, no one stopped them. Lucas and the others were led directly to M'Baku.
M'Baku's throne hall stood at the summit of the mountain, a bottomless abyss at its back, overlooking nearly half of Wakanda. He sat facing the chasm, while Lucas and the others stood before him. T'Challa remained unconscious, laid to the side.
"So T'Challa lost. And the new king is that outsider named Erik?"
M'Baku asked calmly. He clearly had his own sources of information.
"Yes," Nakia replied. "We hope to take refuge here for a time. Once T'Challa awakens, we will reclaim the throne."
"Oh?"
M'Baku raised an eyebrow.
"Was the duel fair?"
"It was," Nakia answered without hesitation. "I saw it with my own eyes."
"Then it was not murder, but defeat,"
M'Baku said bluntly.
"The new king inherited Wakanda lawfully. On what grounds do you speak of reclaiming the throne?"
According to Wakandan tradition, Erik's ascension was legitimate. T'Challa was expected to acknowledge him—not scheme to seize power.
"Listen, you gorilla—"
Tony began impatiently.
"Roar—ROAR!!"
M'Baku suddenly let out a thunderous, ape-like bellow, cutting Tony off.
"This is not your place to speak, outsider!"
he snarled.
"Say one more word, and I'll feed you to my children in the mountains!"
By "children," he meant the gorillas that lived in the highlands.
Tony shrugged and fell silent. Truth be told, he wasn't particularly concerned—he had his armor and wasn't afraid of anyone here.
"White Gorilla King,"
Nakia said solemnly,
"we have come seeking your help. In exchange, I am willing to offer this."
She took out a Heart-Shaped Herb fruit. In reality, Tony and Shuri had harvested more than a dozen—this was only one of them. The rest, along with the Black Panther necklace, were stored safely in Lucas's spatial pack.
"An outsider has taken the throne,"
Nakia continued.
"And his intent is to spread vibranium and Wakanda's weapons across the world. Now that he is king, only your tribe has the power to stop him."
M'Baku did not immediately answer. He rose from his seat and turned toward the cliff, gazing out over Wakanda.
Night had fallen. A thin mist blanketed the land, through which countless lights and technological glows shimmered like neon, breathtakingly beautiful.
"We are a tribe of the deep mountains,"
M'Baku said slowly.
"For generations, we have watched over Wakanda. Who sits on the throne has never mattered much to us…"
He paused briefly, then spoke again.
"Follow me."
He strode out of the hall, with the others close behind.
They climbed along the cliff path until they reached a cavern high in the mountains.
"Place T'Challa inside,"
M'Baku ordered.
Two men carried T'Challa and laid him into a snow-filled pool at the center of the cave.
The pool was packed with pure white snow—completely opposite to the crimson sand of the royal ritual grounds. Ice and fire, mirroring the nature of the two tribes.
As T'Challa was partially buried, a thin layer of frost immediately formed over his body.
"Now feed him the Heart-Shaped Herb,"
M'Baku said.
"Whether he awakens depends on his own will."
Unlike T'Challa, M'Baku's tribe worshipped the White Gorilla. He could not aid T'Challa directly—only hope that the Black Panther God would answer him.
Nakia hurriedly crushed the Heart-Shaped Herb fruit with a pestle.
"O Black Panther God,"
she prayed softly,
"please save T'Challa and grant him rebirth."
She then fed the crushed herb to T'Challa.
"Bury him,"
M'Baku commanded.
The attendants immediately covered T'Challa completely in snow, just as the High Priest had once buried him in red sand.
---
T'Challa suddenly opened his eyes.
He found himself once more upon the familiar plains—but this time, he wore robes of pure white. The land was no longer cloaked in night, but bathed in twilight. Even the aurora shimmered faintly across the sky.
"You've returned again~"
The Black Panther God leapt gracefully down from a tree, instantly transforming into a beautiful woman.
"You're the first to come here twice without dying,"
she teased lightly.
In Wakandan belief, the dead eventually return to the Black Panther God's embrace. Most people come here only once in their lifetime. Each Black Panther, however, arrives twice—once upon becoming the Black Panther, and once more upon death, when their soul returns to the plains.
"Am I… not dead?"
T'Challa asked. He had believed Erik had killed him.
"Do you want to be?"
the goddess countered.
T'Challa shook his head. He could not die—not while Erik remained in Wakanda, threatening to plunge the nation into war and destruction.
"Then go back,"
the Black Panther God said gently.
"This is not where you belong yet."
With a wave of her hand, T'Challa vanished.
"Hey, you big gorilla—how long are you planning to watch?"
the goddess suddenly called out, turning toward the treetops.
There, a snow-white ape sat leisurely on a branch, munching on fruit.
"This is my territory,"
the White Gorilla replied lazily, tail swaying as he took another bite.
"You borrow my land and won't even let me watch?"
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