A sharp sword slashed down, splitting open flesh and neck bone.
T'Chaka's aging body fell, his head nearly severed, his neck mostly cut open, revealing stark white bone.
The King, who had reigned for many years, was killed right before their eyes.
"King…!"
The representatives of the four major tribes, who were watching, gasped, covering their mouths in dismay.
The King of Wakanda was a leader who embodied political, military, and spiritual authority, representing immense significance.
"No, Father, you won't die."
Black Panther T'Challa rushed over in a panic, his face drained of color, embracing his dying father, his voice trembling and full of extreme distress.
But the light in T'Challa's eyes rapidly faded, turning into a corpse filled with shock and regret.
The Golden Leopard, holding the blood-stained longsword, paused for a moment. He had intended to strike his insidious and despicable uncle on the shoulder, defeat him, mock him a few times, and then, in front of everyone, throw him off the cliff to his death, to vent his hatred.
"Your father is too old, too old to even stand steady. He was sent up for me to kill."
He flicked the blood from his sword, mocking.
Never mind, the result is the same, just a bit more bloody.
He had thought that last sword strike would be dangerous. If T'Chaka had still been young and his thrust hadn't been off-balance, he might have lost, but unfortunately, he was already old.
Now he was dead!
"How dare you challenge my father?
He's almost sixty!"
Black Panther turned his head and roared in anger. Facing his father's killer, a fierce killing intent surged on his face, like a provoked leopard ready to pounce, sending shivers down one's spine.
"T'Chaka, don't… don't leave me."
The Queen, whose husband had died, rushed forward, her face pale, collapsing onto T'Chaka's corpse and weeping in immense sorrow.
"When your father, wearing his Vibranium armor, used claws that could tear through steel plates to plunge his entire hand into my father's chest and kill him…" The Golden Leopard scoffed twice, staring intently at him as he continued, "He showed absolutely no mercy to my father."
He turned to the crowd, spread his arms, and shouted loudly.
"I have defeated the King! From now on, I am your new King!"
According to the ancestral ritual, this was indeed true. The people of the four major tribes fell silent, about to bow in reverence.
"I, T'Challa, as the son of the former King T'Chaka, challenge you."
With a low growl full of killing intent, Black Panther suddenly stood up, clenching his fists. He struggled to suppress the urge to immediately tear apart his cousin who had killed his father.
But the ritual passed down from their ancestors was sacred and could not be violated.
"I will use your death to bring peace to my father's spirit."
"The old vendetta for killing a father is settled; now a new vendetta for killing a father has been born."
Ron stroked his chin, watching the two men on the verge of conflict.
"Klaw, I've avenged you. Your wish has been granted."
The act of killing T'Challa was originally Klaw's doing in the comics. In the comics, he wasn't a black market arms dealer but an intellectual—an acoustical physicist.
To seize Vibranium, he infiltrated Wakanda, launched a coup, and killed T'Chaka.
It wasn't Ultron who made him one-armed; Black Panther, seeking revenge for his father, used Klaw's sonic weapon to break his right hand.
Later, he fitted a high-tech prosthetic arm that could emit sonic waves onto his stump, specifically to oppose Black Panther.
"Alright, I'll give you this chance."
The Golden Leopard said, pointing disdainfully with the sword stained with T'Chaka's blood.
"You can rest for a bit, then I'll take your head."
Not wanting to leave any weakness for his people to exploit, Black Panther gritted his teeth in hatred, still suppressing his rage as he said.
"Your father died too quickly just now; I was just warming up."
But the Golden Leopard, who had just avenged his father, defeated the old King, and reached the peak of his life, refused, sneering slowly, "No need to wait. I can send you to meet your father right away."
"This guy seems a bit carried away."
Ron watched expressionlessly.
After graduating from college, the Golden Leopard joined the Navy SEALs. The massive slaughter in Afghanistan was like playing a video game to him, earning him the reputation of a killing demon. After retiring, he joined the underground World with even fewer scruples.
In contrast, Black Panther, after graduating, had lived a life of ease as the Prince of Wakanda. Although he had practiced martial arts, he had rarely seen blood.
It's just… he probably doesn't understand what a protagonist's halo is, or what behind-the-scenes manipulation means.
"Prince T'Challa, defeat him.
If he takes power, the Queen and Princess will both be in danger."
The sorrowful Priest stepped forward, giving Black Panther an herb to counteract the Heart-Shaped Herb's power, pressing his shoulder, and saying in a complex, deep voice.
"I will."
Black Panther, thinking it was just a simple encouragement and reminder, didn't think much of it and replied. Then, gritting his teeth, he painfully knelt on the ground.
Dark blue veins appeared on his neck as the medicine took effect, and the Heart-Shaped Herb's power gradually dissipated.
"Oh, look, the Heart-Shaped Herb, which only Kings throughout history were qualified to consume, actually appeared on a Prince."
"What does this mean? Have you two, father and son, already decided the throne internally?"
The Golden Leopard, who wouldn't miss any chance to tarnish the reputation of T'Chaka and his son, pointed his sword at Black Panther and shouted to the crowd, his voice echoing by the waterfall.
Black Panther looked up at him with a grim expression but couldn't say anything.
Looking at each other, the representatives of the four major tribes had strange expressions.
This was indeed a violation of ancestral tradition.
A Prince could only consume the Heart-Shaped Herb to stimulate his potential and gain great power after successfully challenging a tribal warrior and being crowned King; otherwise, he had to yield his position to a stronger person.
And T'Challa and his father had clearly not followed tradition.
Some things can be done, but not spoken of.
The Golden Leopard brazenly exposed this matter.
"I know you hate us, father and son.
Fight, Erik. If you can win today,
not only is my life yours, but Wakanda is yours too."
Black Panther slowly rose from the ground, his face angry, as he stretched his body.
After a second, his body felt subtly off.
After taking the herb, his overall strength had significantly diminished.
But it was only to half its extent; the power he possessed still exceeded that of ordinary humans: "Why is this happening?"
"As you wish!"
The Golden Leopard, completely unaware, grinned sinisterly and lunged forward, his moves simple and fierce, each action viciously aimed at vital points, his longsword swiftly cutting through the air.
Facing the fierce and brutal assault, Black Panther continuously retreated and parried, just like the earlier T'Chaka, as if he too would follow in his father's footsteps.
But anyone with a keen eye could see the difference from before.
"T'Challa, avenge your King!"
The Queen, who had once served in the King's Royal Guard and whose husband had died, shouted with a mix of ferocity and hatred.
"Not good…"
His successive attacks were easily blocked, and the Golden Leopard felt terrible. He saw no panic on Black Panther's face; all his attacks were easily parried.
Black Panther kept retreating, because he hadn't launched a single attack yet, only defending. What was he thinking?
"Why would they do this?"
Realizing the meaning of that previous sentence, Black Panther struggled with hesitation deep down.
This was undoubtedly cheating, cheating in a sacred challenge ritual, deceiving all the citizens. This was a desecration of the Black Panther Goddess!
But… the Golden Leopard's moves were surprisingly cunning and ruthless.
The Priest's words echoed in his ears. Amidst the fight, he looked at his sorrowful mother and his deceased father.
"Sorry, I have to protect my family."
Black Panther, who believed he was no match in his normal state, his eyes narrowing, began to counterattack. The power in his sword was astonishingly great; with one move, he broke the Golden Leopard's offensive, easily forcing him back.
A single sword strike cut a wound across his abdomen, giving him a great advantage.
"It has begun. This time it's even worse than last time."
Ron glanced at the Priest and thought to himself.
Under the Priest's control, Black Panther retained more of the Heart-Shaped Herb's power compared to T'Chaka.
His moves showed signs of rigorous practice, with a solid foundation, but his adaptability was very clumsy. He relied entirely on extraordinary strength and speed to suppress the experienced, seasoned, and ruthless Golden Leopard.
After only a few seconds, the Golden Leopard had several more wounds on his body, cold sweat appeared on his forehead, and a hint of panic flickered in his eyes.
He felt that his defeat was sealed.
"This won't do.
This villain is meant for me.
How can I let you kill him?"
He shifted, disappearing from his spot.
Wakanda was not only related to the X-Men's nuclear defense and the development of adult Compound V, but Ron also planned to establish himself there, using Wakanda's power to influence the entire World and gain a large number of ability points.
No mistakes could be made.
The next second.
The precarious Golden Leopard suddenly felt a mysterious force on his sword, beyond his control, swiftly and ruthlessly thrusting out.
"That last sword strike?"
A deep wound, flesh turned outward, blood flowing.
Black Panther grunted, painfully stumbling back several meters, his feet splashing water. He clutched his injured ribs, looking at the Golden Leopard with surprise and doubt.
The speed of that sword?
Could it be potential unleashed at the brink of death?
He was unaware that the Golden Leopard, who had just delivered that strike, was himself somewhat bewildered. He quickly looked at Ron, a flicker of fear in his eyes, roughly guessing what had happened.
Without time to think, he turned his head, pursued the advantage, and charged up, fighting Black Panther again, the clang of weapons incessant.
With his ribs injured and the wound pulling, his strength was affected. Black Panther lost his previous extraordinary strength and speed, returning to normal levels.
"Now the situation has returned to a relatively fair stage."
Ron, who had been standing still in everyone's sight, smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth. He hadn't done much, just reset the two to a starting line.
Whether Black Panther could survive depended on his own ability, but Ron estimated Black Panther wouldn't make it.
Clang!
Without his superhuman strength and speed, Black Panther quickly fell into a disadvantage, parrying left and right in a sorry state. Soon, his sword was knocked away, spinning seven or eight meters before sticking into the ground.
Pfft!
The cold, sharp blade cut through his flesh and pierced his abdomen, severely wounding him.
"Is this your Prince? T'Chaka's chosen King?"
The Golden Leopard looked disdainfully at Black Panther, who was heavily wounded and painfully kneeling on the ground, and shouted to the people of the four major tribes, his voice echoing.
"A King represents power and duty. He must protect Wakanda and lead you into the future. Him?"
As he spoke, he was about to swing his sword down. At this moment, the Priest ran out and blocked his path.
"No, it was I who caused your father's death. Kill me, and let Prince T'Challa go!"
T'Chaka had placed a spy by N'Jobu's side back then to know his every move. The current Priest, Zuri, was that spy. N'Jobu, angered, had attacked him and was killed by T'Chaka.
"You two will both die!"
Already aware of this, the enraged Golden Leopard swiftly swung two swords.
The Priest was killed, falling into the Water, his eyes wide in death.
The future Black Panther clutched his gushing neck, falling backward in disbelief, his body convulsing. In his dying moments, his head happened to turn towards Ron, meeting Ron's indifferent gaze. He vaguely sensed something, but unfortunately, it was too late.
"No, my son."
The Queen, who had just lost her husband and now her son, rushed forward and embraced her son's corpse, like a hyena Queen on the savanna, turning back and fiercely shouting, "Kill him! As Queen, I command you to kill him! Kill this murderer who harmed the King and Prince!"
The people of the four major tribes remained unmoved.
Having killed the King, the Prince, and the Priest in one go, although this new King was terrifyingly brutal, according to tradition, she was no longer the Queen.
"Greetings, King…"
The Golden Leopard laughed triumphantly, sweeping his gaze over the bowing crowd who submitted to him. Only Ron stood still, which made him frown.
"You are useless now.
No matter what power you have, I am invincible in my Vibranium armor."
At this time, there were no superheroes flying around on Earth. His eyes flashed with ruthlessness, supremely confident in his Vibranium armor.
Ignoring the Golden Leopard, whose fate he had already decided, Ron focused on the panel in front of him.
Ability Points: 125,000
"Do you want to spend 120,000 points to purchase the Mutant Professor X template?
Yes, No."