After T'Challa admitted defeat, Erik Killmonger motioned for T'Chaka and Zuri to step aside. Two female warriors helped T'Challa to his feet.
Because of this, M'Baku and the Jabari warriors, who had just emerged from the cavern, had not witnessed the former king, the high priest, and the prince kneeling together. They knew nothing of what had transpired, nor of Killmonger's overwhelming power.
M'Baku's fierce gaze swept across the crowd gathered by the pool.
"We saw and heard everything from the mountain!" he roared.
"We watched you place the future of Wakanda's technology in the hands of a child!"
He leveled his massive wooden club at Princess Shuri. Startled, Shuri froze, her face pale with fear. The two female guards supporting T'Challa quickly raised their spears in front of her, shielding her from the threat.
The Jabari were known for their ferocity, and M'Baku, their leader and strongest warrior, radiated a terrifying aura of power. His presence alone was enough to terrify the young princess.
Casting a cold glance at Shuri, M'Baku dismissed her and turned his attention to the elders on the cliff.
"Now you hand this nation to an outsider! A man who has never even set foot in Wakanda!"
"You have destroyed our sacred traditions!"
His words thundered across the pool as his eyes locked on Killmonger, who still stood tall in the water.
"Since you have made him king, I will see for myself if he is worthy!"
M'Baku strode forward, prepared to tower over his opponent as he always had. But when he reached Killmonger, he realized with shock that the new king stood taller still. If the Jabari were giants, M'Baku was their colossus—yet Killmonger, enhanced by the Super Soldier Serum, loomed half a head above him.
At two meters and three centimeters, Killmonger's massive frame dwarfed even M'Baku's. His bulging muscles spoke of strength beyond comprehension.
The Jabari, who revered raw power, felt their resentment waver. Even M'Baku, who had always looked down on others, now found himself looking up.
Still, size alone was not enough. True strength could only be proven in battle.
M'Baku raised his head, eyes blazing with challenge.
"I, M'Baku, Chief of the Jabari tribe, challenge you!"
He had not faced a worthy opponent in years. His immense strength had long gone untested, leaving him restless and unsatisfied. Now, before him stood a warrior whose presence ignited his blood.
This was the rival he had craved.
Killmonger met his fiery gaze, his own eyes flickering with a strange light. He nodded.
"M'Baku, I accept."
Shuri, frantic to get her brother to the lab, tried to push past, but the Jabari warriors blocked her path with their spears. Tradition demanded that all remain to witness the challenge.
Killmonger gestured for the two guards supporting T'Challa to step aside. Shuri protested, but her words fell on deaf ears. Furious, she retreated down the cliff, muttering bitterly, hoping both men would destroy each other.
"I won't treat them," she hissed. "Even if I could, I'd make them wait."
M'Baku had already seen T'Challa's battered state. He knew the Black Panther's strength well. Without the Heart-Shaped Herb, T'Challa was slightly weaker than him, but not by much. With the herb, however, he had been far stronger.
Yet Killmonger had defeated him even after he had taken the herb's power. That fact alone made M'Baku's anticipation burn hotter.
Killmonger glanced at Zuri. The high priest retrieved his spear, stepped forward, and slammed it against the ground.
"Challenge, begin!"
The word had barely left his lips when M'Baku charged, brandishing his massive weapon.
It was a crude but deadly tool, carved from a single log: one end sharpened to a point, the other a heavy mace the size of a child's head. In M'Baku's hands, it could crush bone or pierce flesh with terrifying force.
He swung the mace down at Killmonger with all his might. The blow was powerful enough to shatter stone. Even the Black Panther, strengthened by the herb, would have avoided it.
But Killmonger did not move.
The crowd gasped in horror. If the weapon struck, it would obliterate his skull. Shuri covered her eyes, unable to watch.
The hammer descended, less than half a meter from Killmonger's head. Disappointment flickered in M'Baku's eyes. He had expected a true fight, but his opponent seemed frozen.
Then, at the last instant, a massive hand shot up. Killmonger's palm caught the hammerhead, halting it in midair.
The crowd erupted in shock. A strike that could crush rock had been stopped with one hand.
Before M'Baku could react, Killmonger wrenched the weapon from his grasp and hurled it aside. He stepped forward, seized M'Baku by the throat, and lifted him effortlessly into the air.
M'Baku thrashed, but Killmonger's grip was unbreakable, his arm like iron.
"Do you admit defeat?" Killmonger growled.
The battle was over in seconds.
The mighty White Ape, M'Baku, had been utterly defeated.
The crowd stood in stunned silence. They had expected to see their new king crushed, but instead, he had turned the tables with terrifying ease.
Now their eyes burned with fervent admiration.
M'Baku, the strongest of the Jabari, looked helpless in Killmonger's grasp. Just as he had humbled the Black Panther, Killmonger had proven his strength beyond doubt.
Unmoved by their adoration, Killmonger carried the struggling M'Baku to the edge of the pool.
Beyond it lay a sheer cliff, plunging a thousand feet into the abyss.