"Of course, I know that using hostages to force you into submission won't truly make you yield."
"How about this I'll give you a chance. If any of you can defeat me, I'll release the captives. But if none of you succeed, then you will bow to me. What do you say?"
"Oh, and you're free to attack me together. I won't limit your numbers."
Rowan's tone was calm, almost casual.
"Are you telling the truth?" The old king asked in a deep voice.
"Of course," Rowan nodded lightly. "But let me warn you if you lose and dare go back on your word, then your people will vanish from this land forever."
The moment those words left his mouth, the crowd erupted in anger.
The Wakandan warriors were consumed with rage.
Rowan's declaration wasn't just arrogance it was utter contempt, a threat to wipe out their entire people.
"Your Majesty, allow me. I will personally cut down this madman!" shouted Okoye, the bald-headed general, her eyes burning with fury.
She was one of Wakanda's three strongest fighters.
"Your Majesty, let me fight instead," cried W'Kabi, leader of the Border Tribe. "It was my failure that allowed this intruder to sneak into Wakanda in the first place!"
More and more warriors stepped forward, each demanding to fight.
Rowan only smiled, saying nothing, and turned his gaze toward the elder Black Panther King.
The old king was silent for a moment, then finally spoke. "I accept your proposal."
He understood clearly if none of them could defeat this invader, then resistance would be meaningless.
But in his heart, he believed that possibility was slim. After all, Wakanda had thousands of warriors. Even if they couldn't overpower Rowan directly, they could surely wear him down.
"Then come," Rowan smiled faintly, beckoning with a single finger.
The old king inhaled deeply. With both hands extended, his twin claws slid free.
This time, he had learned from past mistakes. He did not leap recklessly but sprinted forward at full speed, weaving and shifting as he closed the distance.
When he was only three meters away, the old king lashed out with his Vibranium claws, certain this strike would finish Rowan.
But in that instant, an overwhelming force slammed down on him.
"Boom!"
In less than half a second, the old king was crushed into the ground, the earth cracking beneath him like a spider's web.
Rowan's psychic power was now at the level of a mid-tier warlord.
And the elder Black Panther's body at best was only equivalent to a low-tier warrior. How could he possibly resist?
No matter how desperately he struggled, his veins bulging as though they might burst, he couldn't move an inch.
His old-style Vibranium suit could defend against blades, yes. But unlike the advanced kinetic absorption suits of later design, his offered no protection against sheer pressure. Worse, it gave Rowan the perfect medium to press him down even harder.
Under Rowan's immense telekinetic force, the old king's breathing grew ragged and labored.
"Yield. You cannot break free." Rowan looked down coldly at the Black Panther King, who gasped for air beneath him.
"Release His Majesty!"
Okoye could endure no longer. She charged forward with her Vibranium spear. Halfway through, she hurled it with deadly precision, hoping to distract Rowan long enough to free her king.
But just as she crouched low to help him, the spear froze in midair.
Her heart clenched. Before she could react, the spear swept sideways with brutal force, slamming into her stomach.
"Ugh!"
Blood sprayed from Okoye's mouth as she was flung backwards.
"Okoye!" W'Kabi roared, catching her in his arms.
Seeing she was still alive, his fury boiled over.
"Border Tribe, attack!" he bellowed.
Dozens of warriors surged forward, cloaked in shimmering shields and brandishing their Vibranium blades. They surrounded Rowan, hoping sheer numbers would overwhelm him.
Rowan chuckled. A single throwing knife flew from his side.
In an instant, the blade twisted through the air like a living dragon.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
It crashed against their energy shields, each impact sending out rippling waves of distortion.
The warriors were thrown backwards one after another, shields shattered, bodies tumbling across the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the entire formation was broken.
Every jaw in the crowd dropped.
No one had expected Rowan's strength to be so overwhelming.
Neither the Black Panther King, nor the Dora Milaje general, nor even the heavily armed Border Tribe warriors none of them could even approach him.
The battlefield fell into stunned silence.
Rowan glanced around, the corners of his lips curling. "Anyone else?"
The old king, pinned beneath the crushing psychic weight, was horrified beyond words.
Never in his life had he imagined Rowan would be so powerful.
Who was this man? What kind of impossible ability did he possess?
"Dora Milaje energy strike!"
Okoye, still coughing blood, forced out the command.
The scarlet-clad women of the royal guard pulled out their Vibranium short spears.
The wide, arrowhead-shaped tips glowed faintly with arcs of blue light.
Each one was aimed at Rowan.
A single blast could kill a charging rhino. These were Wakanda's most reliable ranged weapons.
"Zzz!"
Dozens of glowing projectiles shot toward Rowan in a storm.
He didn't move.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The thunderous roar split the air, though the blasts caused no smoke or flames.
Every Wakandan present saw it the energy bolts struck Rowan squarely, not a single one missing.
But his body didn't budge.
Instead, his armor shimmered with a pulsing violet glow.
When the barrage ended, Rowan stood calmly in the same place, his Vibranium battle suit absorbing the full assault.
"This… this is a Vibranium suit!"
The old king, Okoye, W'Kabi, and all the others stared in shock, their scalps prickling.
Rowan was already impossibly strong, yet he wore a full-body Vibranium suit?
Worse it seemed more advanced than the Black Panther King's own armor, capable of absorbing kinetic energy and unleashing it again.
"Clang."
A Border Tribe warrior, who had just managed to rise, dropped his blade helplessly at the sight.
How could they possibly fight this?
All around, warriors who moments ago were boiling with fury now felt their fighting spirit crumble.
A full-body Vibranium suit that was the ultimate defense.
Combined with Rowan's godlike psychic power, he was untouchable.
Even their revered Black Panther, the symbol of Wakanda's strength, had been crushed into the dirt without the slightest chance of resistance.
What hope did the rest of them have?
At last, they understood Rowan's earlier words had not been arrogance. They had been the truth.
If they refused to submit, he truly did have the power to wipe them all out.
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