"It's time to put an end to this farce, Erik,"
Lucas said, gesturing toward him.
Erik knew he had lost. With Lucas and his allies present, his plan was never going to succeed.
"Everyone—stand down!!"
Erik roared. Amplified by the beads on his wrist, his voice swept across the entire battlefield. All eyes immediately turned toward the landing platform.
At the highest point of the platform stood Lucas and Erik. Everyone could clearly see that Lucas had completely subdued him.
"Wooo—!!"
T'Challa was the first to raise his hands high. The Dora Milaje followed, lifting their arms and shouting in triumph. They had won—successfully stopping a war that could have engulfed the entire world.
Okoye escorted W'Kabi under guard. The remaining Border Tribe warriors were restrained by M'Baku's people. Just like that, the war ended—quietly, without unnecessary bloodshed.
---
Inside the royal hall, all the elders had gathered, including W'Kabi's father, the former chieftain of the Border Tribe.
T'Challa sat upon the throne, with Shuri and Nakia standing behind him. Lucas and Tony sat off to the side, watching calmly. This was a trial—an internal Wakandan matter. They wouldn't interfere, but watching was fair game.
"How do you think T'Challa will deal with them?"
Tony whispered while eating blueberries.
This was Shuri's instruction. Tony had only just recovered and needed vitamins, flavonoids, and anthocyanins to nourish and protect his heart.
"I doubt he'll execute anyone," Lucas replied quietly.
"No one actually died in this conflict. Both sides fought for their leaders, but neither went for the kill."
Lucas popped a blueberry into his mouth, immediately wincing at the sourness. He shoved the rest back toward Tony.
"Try this instead—it's pretty sweet."
Skye said with a smile, feeding Lucas a few grape-sized fruits that looked nothing like grapes.
Skye sat beside Lucas, the three of them watching the proceedings together.
Truth be told, Skye had been bored staying at home. She decided to look for Lucas—after all, the crystal key she carried could record every place Lucas had been. Using the Chocobo space as a transit point, she could easily find him.
She just happened to arrive right before the battle broke out and was promptly drafted into the fight.
Fortunately, her abilities were a perfect counter to machinery and metal. As long as her shockwaves were powerful enough, even vibranium could be shattered—provided the force was sufficient.
When Skye heard there was a fight, she was thrilled. As the saying went, one is shaped by the company they keep—she had gradually shed her reclusive nature and become far more cheerful and outgoing.
As expected, T'Challa did not sentence W'Kabi to death. Instead, he ordered him imprisoned. Wakanda's prisons were considered the most inescapable in the world—vibranium was everywhere.
Okoye personally escorted W'Kabi away. She knew T'Challa's mercy was, to a large extent, because of her.
W'Kabi's father said nothing. In his eyes, his son's crimes were unforgivable—even death would not have been enough to atone.
M'Baku also took part in the trial. T'Challa even added an extra seat to the council specifically for him. From that day on, M'Baku's tribe was officially brought under the Black Panther's banner.
When T'Challa turned his gaze to Erik, his expression grew complicated.
Erik was the mastermind, the rebel leader. Yet T'Challa truly did not wish to kill him. His uncle had only this one son, and he did not want to be the one to spill his own brother's blood.
"Take him to my father," T'Challa said at last.
"How he is dealt with will be my father's decision."
In the end, T'Challa still chose not to execute Erik. None of the elders objected. After all, Erik was still of royal blood—his fate required the king's approval.
"See? I told you,"
Lucas muttered softly.
Tony rolled his eyes and said nothing. This trip had been immensely profitable for him—he had gained nanotechnology and fully healed his injury.
---
Over the next few days, Lucas and the others thoroughly enjoyed themselves in Wakanda.
Tony even brought Pepper over and signed several cooperation agreements with T'Challa.
Shuri guided them through nearly every scenic location Wakanda had to offer. They spent almost a full month having the time of their lives.
At a grand banquet, T'Challa hosted Lucas and his companions with the highest level of honor. After everything they had been through together, a deep friendship had formed—especially between Shuri, Skye, and Pepper, who had become inseparable. Skye even invited Shuri to visit New York.
After a night of heavy drinking, they set off for home the next day. Once again, they flew on Tony's private jet—Wakanda still wasn't ready to reveal itself to the world.
Back in New York, life returned to calm.
Skye video-called Shuri every day and even introduced Gwen to her. Since Wanda was staying at Kamar-Taj, Shuri had only chatted with her in their small group chat and hadn't met her in person yet.
The group was created by Gwen. Besides the three of them, it included Felicia, Pepper—and even Natasha.
Natasha seemed to have been quietly "converted." Logically, as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, she should have reported Wakanda's advanced technology to Nick Fury. Yet she never mentioned it at all, as if she had forgotten. In the group chat, the girls talked about food, shopping, and private topics. Natasha never tried to extract information from Shuri—she genuinely treated her as a friend.
A few days later, Shuri and T'Challa arrived in New York. Tony waved a hand and booked them into the finest hotel under the Stark name.
Shuri went on a wild spree with the girls—eating, shopping, and playing her way through New York and its surroundings. No one worried about money. Natasha even found all kinds of excuses to get Nick Fury to reimburse her expenses.
Finally, T'Challa and Shuri came to the place where their uncle had once lived.
Standing on the basketball court below the building, Shuri looked up at the modest six-story structure.
"This is where Uncle used to live? It's surprisingly simple,"
she said curiously, glancing around at the Black children playing basketball and skateboarding nearby.
"Yes," T'Challa replied.
"I've bought this building—and the two next to it. This will become a Wakandan Outreach Center, to help homeless Black communities and children."
He looked up at the sky. The deep blue above New York was no different from Wakanda's.
Whether in New York or Wakanda, everyone lived beneath the same sky. There should be no division—and no war.
On the news, reporters were covering the latest United Nations assembly. Wakanda and Stark Industries had jointly announced a multinational partnership. The decision boosted Stark Industries' reputation once again and brought Tony Stark's name back into the global spotlight.
In an unknown villa somewhere, a blond man watched the news with a faint smile.
Around his eyes, an orange-red glow began to spread—like molten lava rolling beneath the surface.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 20 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you enjoyed Marvel Manifestor, please give it a Power Stone and leave a review! Your support means everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~