With a mental command, I made my Trench coat disappear, replacing it with a sleeveless shirt. I ramped up my Gravity Bracers, which had been on me for several weeks now, raising the weight until my Dexterity was about 70, which seemed agonizingly slow compared to my current limit.
All of those weeks of relentless training bore fruit, but I couldn’t have predicted just how much of an impact Promethean Body would have.
Name: (Dante Sparda) Axel Warren
Class: Arcane Forgemaster Lv4
HP: 1900
SP: 2050
AE: 2000/2000
DE: 2000/2000
Strength: 170
Dexterity: 190
Endurance: 205
Vitality: 190
Angelic Energy: 200
Demonic Energy: 200
Even with my recent gains, I still wasn’t confident I could take Domina on. Unlocking all of my affinity cloaks was one thing, but going up against somebody who could match my Devil Trigger stats casually and had an entire control tier on me was something else entirely.
T’Chaka would be light work, though. I was looking forward to experimenting with Density Shift and Gravity Touch. I’ve used them in spars to surprising results, but I’ve never really used both at the same time with a weapon.
A spear materialized in front of me with glowing runes running up and down its side. It had a single Protection Rune, One Precision, and Storage. It was shaped like a Partisan, and I’d chosen it as the final weapon to master before I tried to forge my next Uber Skill—It was going to be a combination of all of my weapon skills and martial arts.
I called the spear Mercury.
Shifting stances, I pointed the spear at T’Chaka and announced. “Whenever you’re ready.”
With no warning, he surged ahead, easily matching my current speed, and pulled both of his claws back, ready to strike. I stabbed straight at his head and unsurprisingly missed. He leaned to the side, grabbing the spear, trying to yank it away from me while he lashed out with his clawed feet. He was stronger than I expected; his strength easily reached the high 90s, according to my estimate.
I leaned into the strike, ensuring his shin collided with my Bracer. I unsummoned Mercury, leaving T’Chaka overextended and mid-air while my free hand reached for his other leg. He spun, both of his legs, a bladed dervish, and I leaned back with a smile and watched T’Chaka land unsteadily.
He looked up at me with an accusation.
The hand I blocked with glowed with a greenish light. “What’s the matter T’Chaka? Something weighing you down.”
I had activated Gravity Touch just before he spun, and it spiked his relative gravity by about a quarter. Three more touches, and he’d be unable to move, but I didn’t want to end the fight too quickly. I summoned Mercury, filling it up with Demonic energy, and activated Density shift, quadrupling the weight of the weapon and closing the distance between us. T’Chaka flipped back before the spear met the ground with an explosion of sand, and I pushed forward, mentally noting the slightly reduced speed of T’Chaka.
He was pushing himself harder to keep up physically, but I knew it was taking a toll. My spear blurred, whipping, snapping, stabbing, and twisting, but T’Chaka stayed ahead easily enough. Just as the five-second duration of Gravity Touch was about to elapse, I overcommitted with a swing, leaving my flank open.
T’Chaka was unable to resist, stepping into my guard and striking out with a fierce swipe. I let him cut me, but I returned the favor with an overhead strike to the back that grounded T’Chaka. I only swung at half-strength, but a hit like that wasn’t something you could easily shrug off.
I applied a Second instance of Gravity Touch, renewing the fading one.
People gasped, and one of the warriors nearly broke rank and charged me. T’Chaka was thoroughly rattled, struggling to rise to his feet. I motioned to strike him, and he promptly spun out of the way, leaving him open for a Spear Thrust to the gut, empowered by half of my strength and a density-augmented Partisan spear. It sent him streaking across the clearing.
But he was already on his feet before the five seconds duration of Gravitational Touch ran out, raring to go again. Scanning his mind made me want to take this fight somewhat seriously.
Both those hits did not damage him. If anything, they only drained his stamina. Between the Vibranium armor and his enhanced condition, he was immune to most physical harm. This was the Black Panther’s true advantage—durability and unbreakable claws.
Most non-mutants would be hard-pressed to put him down.
I could see him cutting through most of our entourage without much effort.
T’Chaka leaped forward faster than he’d ever moved before and came to a hard stop at the end of Mercury’s haft, claws halfway through.
And that was still only enough to stop his claws briefly.
T’Chaka twisted his claws, shredding the metal just before I had a chance to banish the weapon, and I went on the offensive with a spartan kick. It folded him, but T’Chaka still wrapped around my legs, lashing out. His claws dug into my Achilles tendons, crippling my second leg and flooring me. Mercury vanished before we hit the ground, replaced by my short swords, which blocked his descending claws. His claws chipped them but did not break them this time. I’d been paying attention and upped the Density to the limit of eight times. I headbutted T’Chaka before he could make another move, grabbed both of his arms, and twisted outwards.
He let out a surprised scream as I overwhelmed him, but he was not willing to give in yet. He detonated the energy core in his suit with a command.
All of the Kinetic energy I’d liberally given him came at me, and I let it hit me in full force. It practically skinned me alive and thoroughly disoriented T’Chaka, giving me the opening I needed to really cut loose.
I rocked his jaw with a left hook, sending him flying, and I was on his ass before he even landed. He shielded his midsection as soon as he hit the ground, but that was never the goal. I grabbed his leg and wrapped myself around him. He tried to resist and check my submission maneuver, but I could read his mind, and I was far too quick for him. After four more slaps of Gravitational touch coupled with an arm bar, he had no choice but to submit.
He gasped when I released him, rubbing his neck. “You’ve been toying with me this entire time. You could’ve ended it immediately.”
I rose to my feet, ripping off what was left of my shirt to reveal my healed body. “When you wrecked my spear, all bets were off.”
“I will honor the terms of our agreement as much I’d prefer not to,” he said. “You can leavWtie, but know that this is not over. That Vibranium and the man who stole it belongs in Wakanda.”
“Couldn’t agree more,” I said, “we’ll clear out and be waiting for you at the abandoned village. I know our fight has given your elders much to think about. Hopefully. You see things out way and consider the offer.”
I summoned another shirt and my trenchcoat before we boarded the Quin Jet to the village. On the ride, Lauren was surprisingly the first to speak.
“With the way everybody talks about you, ai was half expecting you to end the fight with a single punch.”
I shrugged. “Reality is often disappointing.”
“The boss could’ve done it,” Rin said with a huff. “But then we’d never know what the Black Panther can do.”
“Huh,” she said, looking at me appraisingly. “More than just a pretty face.”
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
‘He forgot to mention that it’ll guarantee the Wakandans underestimate the threat.’
I smiled at Jean. She knew me so well.
‘The plan was always to tank the deal then re-establish a connection banking on my knowledge and Fury’s dishonesty. Let’s just hope the Wakandans are as Xenophobic as advertised.’
T’Chaka’s POV.
“There should be no discussion,” the head of the Jabari tribe said. “We take back what’s ours by any means necessary.”
“And what of the consequences, Jabari?” the Hatut Zeraze head demanded. Her tribe trained and provided the Dora Milaje. “It is our sons and daughters that will pay for your bloodlust.”
The head of the River tribe nodded in agreement. “You’ve forgotten the warning the child gave,” he said. Our King is the strongest Panther in generations, and he can overpower him. Think of what the other two members of his entourage could do?”
“I recognize the girl,” I grunted. “Jean Grey. She’s the former student of Charles Xavier, and if the rumors are to be believed, she killed her teacher with the help of the boy I just fought. The third boy remains a mystery, but I’m certain he’s almost as dangerous.”
“All the more reason to act,” the Jabari elder said.
“What about his request for collaboration?” the Merchant clan head questioned, saving me the trouble of bringing that up. She was a deadlocked older woman with a multitude of piercings adorning her face.
“What of it?” The border tribe leader said. “The laws are very clear on the matter. They’ve guided us for hundreds of years, and they will continue to do so.”
“We cannot leave our Vibranium in the hands of the demon child,” The mining clan elder said. “It will invite challenge, and more like Klaue will come.”
I held in a long sigh. The Council was rarely assembled for this exact reason, but their situational opposition to the King’s wishes was why Wakanda has lasted as long as it has. No king can rule unchallenged without becoming a tyrant, but at this moment, the decision and, ultimately, the responsibility fell upon me.
“Fury’s team is powerful, but not so much so that they can stand up to Wakanda’s Army. We will surround them in the night and come morning, make them relinquish their hold on what’s rightfully ours.”
“What of the boy’s threat?” The River clan elder asked.
“He might talk big, but he’s even more desperate than we are,” I said. “The demons have already attacked them. They’ll raid another Western country before they ever reach us. We have the upper hand. It’s in their best interest to negotiate.”
---
T’Chaka made his move sometime before midnight. Jean saw him coming from literally a mile away. Wakandan’s stealth tech was so good, none of Fury caught the literal Army that had been slowly approaching us.
Jean and I popped into T’Chaka’s command vessel after excusing ourselves for the night. Our sudden appearance shocked the man, but not as much as his men completely ignoring his commands.
“How are you doing this?” he demanded.
“You’ve heard of my friend, Jean,” I gestured to her as I summoned a chair for both of us to sit down. “Her powers extend far beyond just mind-reading. She defeated Charles Xavier, you know.”
“Oh please, don’t make a fuss,” she waved at me as she settled down.
“You knew we were coming,” he said as the realization set in.
“Righto,” I snapped my finger. “Your quick. My type of King.”
“You cannot force me to compliance,” he said. “Wakanda will not be puppeted by some unnatural force.”
“Ouch,” I said. “I mean technically we can make you do what we want.”
I shared a look with Jean, who looked at T’Chaka. The Panther narrowed his eyes.
“You wouldn’t even know it happened,” she said, sending a shiver up his spine. He was tempted to reach for the Telepathic blocker he had installed into his suit shortly after our battle, but he knew that might set us off.
“Relax,” I said. “We prefer not to. After we tell you everything we learned. You’ll have no choice but to partner with us.”
T’Chaka raised his brow, but after I started to tell him about what I’d learned from the Telepath, Regan, who Jean had learned the illusion trick from, and Shaw’s plan for the country, his face warped.
He was confident in dealing with a demon army even though he really shouldn’t be, but add an enigmatic secret organization led by a Billionaire with access to some of the most powerful mutants alive, and T’Chaka’s confidence grew incredibly shaky.
To cement his loyalty, I even told him about the array point inside Wakanda and told him the location of several that he could see to back up our story. His face turned dark when Jean showed him video footage we both took of several locations on the African continent we checked out a few days ago.
“I’ll have to see the original files to confirm they’re real.”
I tossed him my phone. “Knock yourself out.”
“If everything you say is true. It changes everything. Wakanda has never been more vulnerable than it has right now.”
“But it doesn’t have to be,” I countered. “I already have a plan in the works that will not only protect Wakanda, but everyone else on the planet. All you all to do is take Fury’s offer.”
“Why?” T’Chaka asked. “You retrieved the Vibranium, you battled me, you’re the one with the plan? Why bother with Fury at all.”
“Because even though I don’t trust him, I understand that I can’t do it alone.”
T’Chaka narrowed his eyes. “I know why I don’t trust Fury. But why don’t you trust him?”
“You’ve seen the news. They threw me under the bus the first chance they got, and tried to ‘walk it back’,” I shrugged. “Who in their right mind would trust that.”
T’Chaka hummed in agreement. “Fury has always put America’s interests above everything.”
“Which is why it should come to no surprise to you that Fury is keeping Klaue’s cache from you,” Jean said.
“What!”
“Come on, Jean! I was working up to it,” I tutted with false annoyance.
“What is she going on about?”
“Jean found something interesting when she interviewed Klaue a few days ago,” I said.
“He has hidden Caches worldwide in case you came for him,” Jean said, “some of them contain Vibranium. Fury is planning to keep that part of his business secret, and only handing over the Vibranium we found in his tower.”
“I see,” T’Chaka said. “You’re right. I’m not surprised, but it makes me wonder what manner of man are you? You operate on the edge, playing both sides. How do I know you’re not just as bad as him.”
“Because I haven’t had Jean enter your mind and alter it,” I said. “Unlike Fury, my associates and I are powerful enough to play this in a radically different way but we choose not to. Maintaining a network of mind-slaves is tedious and bound to make enemies of everybody who knows you. I’d rather cut a mutually beneficial deal with somebody I genuinely respect.”
“What are you proposing,” he asked.
“Fury doesn’t know you know about his little off book project. So, why don’t you let us handle the collection for you,” I smiled. “We get you all of the Vibranium floating about, and in exchange you break us off a piece so that we can adequately protect ourselves from the demons.”
T’Chaka was about to protest, but I pressed on.
“It’ll only be for me, my apprentice, and our Telepath here. No one else has to know, and to further sweeten the deal, I throw this in.” I materialized a pair of Bracers perfectly sized for T’Chaka. “It’s a portable shield generator fueled by my magic and is activated by thought. It has four layers of protection. Nothing short of a bomb will get through them. T’Chaka will be safe at all times. You may have cracked perfectly cloaking but I know you don’t have forcefields yet. This is the next best thing.”
The King’s brow scrunched in deep thought. “Get me a set for every member of my family and you’ve got yourself a deal. Do this, and I’ll make an armor for all three of you, but the Council can never know this meeting took place. After Klaue is in custody, I’ll ensure he gives up the location of the caches as well. That way when Fury’s haul vanishes from under him, his attention will be focused on us and not you. And as for the Vibranium recovered, you can keep 10%. I have a plan to ensure you’ll be able to use whatever you make in public.”
I smelled a plan cooking. “I knew I’d like you.”
I offered my hand, and he shook it.
“So, are you going to tell me your plan?”
“Only if you tell me yours.”
---
The King withdrew his forces after our conversation, and come morning, T’Chaka approached SHIELD and agreed to join the Council and even provide weapons, but only if his conditions were met.
Every last scrap of Vibranium borrowed and used must be returned to Wakanda after the war, with no exceptions (except us, of course.)
SHIELD must promise to mobilize forces to Wakanda should the demons ever bring their war to their doors. This stipulation was a safeguard in case my crazy plan didn’t work, and I didn’t blame him, but the entire interaction cemented our relationship with the Wakandans and secured our most valuable asset so far, Vibranium.
The collection started that very night. Jean and I portaled all over the world that same night and ransacked every last public cache, excluding ours and presented it to the King. Fury had cleared out a third of them already, and given a few more days, he probably would’ve gotten every last pound of Vibranium. But we were too fast.
To really put the screws to Fury, I called in just as we finished and told him about the special ‘favor’ T’Chaka had called in. Apparently, Klaue had traded the death penalty for the location of his secret stashes.
I could practically hear Fury’s teeth grind over the phone. I delivered the one ton of Vibranium we discovered and watched, amused, as T’Chaka gave us the raw material in addition to the suit he had already manufactured.
I told Fury he handed it to us to handle the next challenge coming—facing the Hulk.
In the meantime, I made my first batch of Twilight Adamantium. It was my second attempt at mixing both Angel and Demon Energy into metal as I forged it. I idiotically tried it on my first batch of Adamantium, and surprisingly, it worked perfectly, but only because I used Unity. While I was at it, I bonded an extensive network of runes I’d developed using all of the knowledge I’d acquired so far.
In my feverish dedication, I even reworked my Precision Rune using the runes I saw on the whip of the Nigerian woman.
I tied in four advanced Precision runes, four impact runes, and as many as 10 storage runes for each energy side. I knew all of them would not fit on the weapon I intended, so I powered up Unity and used Unite on the liquid metal concoction. It cost me 10,000 DE and 10,000 AE. But thanks to my new stats and my meditation skills, it took me no time at all.
When the liquid was ready, I poured it into a mold of a slender great sword designed to be an equal for Rebellion.
The blade came out simple and straight. I sprung out with an ornamental handle using regular Twilight metal now. I figured it was time I graduated from using Infernal Metal. I was still using Unity to facilitate the creation and paid the energy tax, which I could now afford. The end result was something truly unbelievable.
Severance (Grade Max-)
30,000 AE and DE, Runes.
Forged with an innovative mixture of Adamantium, Demon Energy and Angel Energy, this slender greatsword is a masterwork far beyond the current level of the Arcane Forge Master. It possesses a few potent innate abilities alongside other potent runic enhancements.
Conduit—universal conductivity with all demonic and Angelic affinities
Extreme durability—the influx and binding of all Nephilim affinities further enhances its ridiculous strength and potency.
Adamantium edge--Cut through most materials with enough pressure and force.
Enhancement
Enhanced storage (1000 AE + 1000 DE)
Enhanced Impact
Advanced Precision