Seeing his daughter flying toward him, T'Chaka quickly pulled her into his arms.
But the moment he embraced her, Axel appeared in front of him. The man moved so fast that no one even saw him arrive. His blood stained hand closed around Shuri's head.
"So, Black Panther, give me an answer already," Axel said with a crooked grin. "If you are not happy with my bargaining chips, we can still talk. Though honestly, I do not think there is much room left to negotiate. Tell me, do you have anything more important than your country and every single citizen in it?"
As he spoke, Axel showed his teeth at the trembling girl.
Facing the threat, T'Chaka looked helplessly at the child in his arms. Then his eyes drifted toward the surrounding warriors.
In less than thirty minutes, Wakanda had lost at least three thousand elite soldiers. Many more were badly wounded. Dozens of vibranium fighter jets had been destroyed, along with even more vibranium armored assault vehicles.
Wakanda had paid a terrible price.
T'Chaka wanted to surrender. He truly did.
But when he looked into the determined eyes of his soldiers, men and women who still stood tall even though hope was nearly gone, he took a deep breath. The words came out with painful resolve.
"Wakandans never compromise."
"Wait, Father King!"
Shuri tightened her grip on his arm.
"Wakandans never compromise, but I am Shuri, and I can compromise. This war has already become stupid. He is not an enemy Earth can fight!"
Her voice trembled but remained firm.
"His goal is clearly not to wipe us out. That means we still have a chance to preserve Wakanda while meeting his demands. At this point, compromise is the only logical choice."
Across from them, Axel flicked Shuri on the forehead.
"You are not even a woman yet," he laughed. "You are a kid."
"Then what are you?" Shuri snapped back. "A god, or some alien, Axel?"
She pulled herself free from T'Chaka's arms and looked toward the wounded warriors scattered across the battlefield. When the tribesmen met her gaze, confusion filled their eyes.
Shuri raised her hands and crossed them over her chest.
"Wakanda does not compromise. But Wakanda is not stupid."
Her voice grew louder.
"If we could win, then yes, we should keep fighting. But a few minutes ago I hacked into the official servers of S.H.I.E.L.D. and found a classified video."
She swallowed hard.
"This man destroyed a nuclear bomb this morning and walked out of the explosion without a scratch."
A heavy silence fell over the battlefield.
"This is someone the entire Earth could not defeat even if we tried everything. And we are only one country."
Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked at her people.
In the distance, the towering elder of the White Ape Tribe finally spoke.
"But if we lay down our weapons… who can guarantee he will not continue killing us?"
"Oh, for fuck's sake."
Axel threw his hands in the air.
"I am standing right here and you are asking everyone except me. What is wrong with you people? Afraid to talk to the big bad villain?"
He walked straight toward the elder and snatched the spear from his hand.
"Besides, whether you are armed or not means absolutely nothing to me."
Without hesitation, Axel drove the spear straight through the back of his own hand.
Pfft.
For the first time since the battle began, a Wakandan weapon pierced Axel's skin.
Everyone froze.
Axel stared at the spearhead sticking out of his palm, surprised.
"Well damn," he muttered.
He pulled the spear out. The wound healed instantly.
Axel spun the weapon in his hand, studying it with interest.
"So this thing can actually hurt me. Turns out you guys were just too weak before."
He nodded in approval.
"Not bad. Vibranium really is impressive. Guess this trip was worth it."
He pointed the spear toward his own chest.
"Still, even if you can hurt me… so what?"
The spear plunged into his chest. The blade slid between his ribs.
Crack.
Axel forced the ribs apart with brute strength, exposing the beating heart inside his chest.
Gasps spread through the battlefield.
Then Axel reached inside.
He ripped out his own heart.
The still beating organ was tossed into T'Chaka's hands.
T'Chaka nearly dropped it.
He swallowed hard, then shakily showed the heart to the elder of the Crocodile Tribe beside him.
Both men stared at it.
Then they looked at Axel.
Neither of them said a word.
Axel stood there with his chest wide open, completely relaxed.
"See?" he said casually. "My heart is pretty open minded."
Around him, warriors slowly began lowering their weapons.
"So if you hand over the vibranium I want, why the hell would I keep killing you?"
He laughed.
"I am not a psycho. If vibranium was not so damn valuable, I would never bother visiting your fancy hidden kingdom."
He scratched his chin.
"Honestly, I could have gone to the White House instead. Maybe kidnap the President's daughter for a little fun."
"Damn it…"
T'Chaka sighed deeply.
At this point, Axel had almost convinced him.
After a moment of silence, the Wakandan king stepped forward and returned the heart.
"There is a man named Ulysses Klaue."
His voice hardened.
"More than ten years ago he invaded Wakanda and stole vibranium. Because of that attack, my brother's family suffered a terrible tragedy."
He clenched his fists.
"I will give you the vibranium you want. But I want something in return."
He hesitated briefly.
"Do not misunderstand. Besides vibranium, I can also give you some of our technology. But I want a deal."
Axel smiled slightly.
"You want Klaue's head?"
Before T'Chaka could respond, Axel disappeared.
A moment later he reappeared.
In his hand was a head attached to a bloody spine.
Axel tossed it casually into T'Chaka's arms.
"Is that the one?"
He tilted his head.
"Or were you looking for hands and feet?"
He vanished again.
When he returned, he carried two feet and one hand.
The body parts landed on the ground with dull thuds.
Axel shrugged.
"I am the most reliable buyer in the world, buddy. Once a deal is made, I always deliver."
He grinned.
"Hell, if you asked for your great grandfather's head, I would dig him out of his grave, bring him back to life, and rip it off for you."
T'Chaka stared at him in horror.
"Please let my great grandfather rest in peace."
He lifted Klaue's severed head and showed it to the warriors of the surrounding tribes.
The remaining elders exchanged glances.
Then they nodded.
Scattered cheers spread across the battlefield.
Thousands had died today, but at least Wakanda's long standing hatred for Klaue had finally been resolved.
Nearby, Shuri let out a long breath and collapsed to the ground, crying.
Her sobs echoed through the night.
Soon the warriors joined in, singing an ancient Wakandan funeral song.
The music spread across the plains.
Axel listened for a moment.
Then he started clapping along with the rhythm.
He even danced a little.
The Wakandans gradually stopped singing.
Axel noticed.
He snapped his fingers.
"Why did you stop? Come on, keep going."
"Tang."
T'Chaka rubbed his temples.
"That song is meant to guide the dead to the spirit world. It is not a dance song."
Axel frowned.
"Really? I thought you people always danced at funerals. Even the pallbearers dance."
T'Chaka looked completely confused.
After thinking for a long time, realization finally hit him.
"That is Rwanda, not Wakanda."
"Oh."
Axel scratched his head.
"Alright then. No dancing."
He sounded disappointed.
T'Chaka took a deep breath, preparing to address his warriors.
But suddenly, a new figure appeared on the battlefield.
A sleek black panther stepped out of the darkness.
Gasps erupted.
"It is the Black Panther!"
"The Black Panther has appeared!"
"A deity!"
Wakandans began dropping to their knees.
Even T'Chaka bowed his head.
The majestic animal walked calmly across the battlefield, stepping over bodies until it reached Axel.
Then it sat down.
The panther licked its paw and extended it toward him.
Axel's eyes lit up.
He quickly looked around.
"Ahem. T'Chaka."
He cleared his throat.
"I will come back later for the vibranium."
He grabbed the panther and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
"I am taking this beautiful cat with me first."
Before anyone could react, Axel vanished.
The battlefield fell silent.
T'Chaka stared at the empty space where the panther had been.
"My God!"
===
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