Seeing Clark again, King T'Chaka struggled to remain calm. The last time Clark appeared, he nearly shattered Wakanda's entire belief system—a devastating blow for T'Chaka. Despite Wakanda's advanced technology, which rivaled that of alien civilizations, their spiritual and cultural development was still quite primitive. The faith in their gods played a crucial role in their entertainment and way of life.
For T'Chaka, maintaining the current state of religious faith was essential for keeping his control over Wakanda. The most powerful deity among the Wakandan gods was Bast, the Panther God, who was worshipped by the royal family. Even if other tribes wanted to challenge the royal family, they couldn't shake Bast's supremacy.
However, after Clark's previous visit, T'Chaka noticed that some tribes were growing restless. Clark had left too easily after Bast appeared, causing many Wakandans to doubt Bast and wonder if there was a rift between the royal family and Bast. Why hadn't Bast dealt with the "false god" Clark?
The Wakandan people had no way of knowing what transpired in the divine realm, but they were well aware of Clark's actions on Earth. Despite Wakanda's isolation, they could still keep track of his movements because Clark was too famous.
Bast claimed that he had fought Clark and that Clark had promised not to return to Wakanda. But when Clark soon appeared elsewhere, unharmed, it made Bast look weak.
For T'Chaka, Clark's presence was a serious threat to the royal family's rule and Wakanda's stability. Especially since Wakanda, which had never been discovered before, was suddenly exposed and attacked, T'Chaka refused to believe it was mere coincidence.
And just as Wakanda began to retaliate, preparing to take down the remaining three aircraft, Clark appeared and rescued them, further fueling T'Chaka's belief that this was no coincidence.
Determined, T'Chaka quickly made his way to the heart-shaped herb, his form disappearing from Princess Shuri's sight. He knelt by the herb, letting a drop of blood fall on it as he prayed, "Great Panther God Bast, the false god has once again violated your domain and threatens your people. Please show your divine power and save us!"
With a hum, T'Chaka's prayer resonated, and a wave of invisible faith energy rose from him, manifesting a shadowy image above Wakanda—a vision of a strange world. But to T'Chaka's shock, not only did Bast fail to appear, but the shadow quickly faded, leaving the sky above Wakanda clear again, as if nothing had happened.
"What is this?" T'Chaka's eyes reflected his confusion, unable to comprehend what had just transpired.
It didn't take long for T'Chaka to recall past events. He wasn't the only one who doubted the outcome of Bast's fight with Clark; many tribal leaders had their doubts as well. Now, Bast's refusal to appear seemed to confirm those suspicions.
At that moment, something in T'Chaka's heart shattered—his once steadfast faith in Bast.
Standing beside the heart-shaped herb, T'Chaka fell into silence. If not for the fact that Bast was real, having granted the royal family great power through the herb, T'Chaka might have already burned the herb to prove his newfound resolve.
But the herb still provided the royal family with superhuman strength, so T'Chaka didn't act rashly. However, his faith was shaken because Bast no longer seemed capable of protecting Wakanda or helping T'Chaka maintain control.
"If the gods won't save me, I'll save myself!" T'Chaka's determination returned, his mind solidifying a new resolve as he disappeared from the herb's side.
In the Wakandan divine realm, the other gods watched T'Chaka's change in attitude and hesitantly turned to Bast, "Boss, it looks like your top believer's faith is wavering. Are you sure it's a good idea not to intervene?"
"Hmph! Who said T'Chaka was my top believer? The royal family members are never true believers. Their faith is tainted with too much political interest—they aren't truly devout," Bast retorted, glaring at the other Wakandan gods with disdain.
"The real believers are the ordinary people. Their faith is pure, and they are the ones we should protect. As for you all, don't think I don't know what you're up to. You just want me to go after Superman again, so he can beat me up!"
"Hehe, looks like the boss caught on. After getting thrashed, the boss has definitely become more cautious!"
"You're kidding, right? If the boss didn't have experience backing down, the Wakandan divine realm wouldn't have survived this long!"
"All thanks to the boss. But I must admit, I was hoping to see the boss get beaten by Superman again. Just one glance at Superman gave me immense pressure—he must have gotten even stronger..."
**Bang!**
**Bang!**
**Bang!**
As the White Gorilla God and the others mocked Bast, the Wakandan divine realm echoed with several impacts, and the gods were sent flying.
"Hmph! I might not be able to beat Superman, but I can certainly handle you! Want to know what it feels like to get beaten up? I'll give you a taste!"
Indeed, Bast lacked the courage to confront Clark again. Even though Clark had appeared in Wakanda, Bast didn't dare to confront him. However, he was more than capable of taking out his frustrations on his fellow gods, a strategy he had used for years.
Meanwhile, back at the Wakandan palace, Princess Shuri noticed her father's return. Confusion filled her eyes as she recalled the strange phenomena in Wakanda. She hesitated for a moment before asking, "Father, did the Panther God not respond to you?"
"The Panther God likely fears that false god. We must handle this ourselves..." T'Chaka slowly shook his head and said solemnly, "Did you lock in the positions of those aircraft?"
"They've been locked in. They haven't moved far from Wakanda, and I haven't detected any sign of Superman. It seems he left after rescuing those three aircraft," Shuri replied hesitantly. She had a theory but had been too slow to share it before her father rushed off.
"Father, is it possible that Superman isn't here to fight Wakanda? Maybe he just rescued those planes, like he usually saves people?"
Despite their different perspectives, Shuri had to admit that Clark, the "false god" in Wakanda's eyes, was incredibly diligent. He was always busy helping people around the world, far more actively than their own gods.
Shuri now believed this might all be a misunderstanding. Clark didn't seem intent on attacking Wakanda.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" T'Chaka quickly and adamantly refuted her. "If Superman didn't reveal Wakanda's location, how could we have been exposed? They fired on us without hesitation—they were certain of our location!"
"Moreover, if those people weren't sent by Superman, why would he save them? Even if he is some 'god among men,' he shouldn't be rescuing invaders, should he? I'm telling you, he's planning to move against Wakanda!"
"Uh..." Shuri was left speechless by T'Chaka's fervor, unable to argue further. She could only meekly ask, "Then why can't I track Superman?"
"His power is immense—you know that. It's not surprising we can't detect him..." T'Chaka paused but quickly continued, "But you must understand, without Bast's help, this might be the most dangerous situation Wakanda has ever faced. We have to give it our all!"
"Moreover, we must keep the battle outside Wakanda. Our last fight with Superman taught us that fighting within Wakanda only causes more destruction!"
"But... we're not a match for Superman," Shuri softly reminded him, trying to be practical. She wasn't opposed to the idea of fighting; she just didn't want to engage in a battle they couldn't win.
If Bast was truly afraid of Clark, it meant even the Panther God couldn't stand against him. Wakanda's technology might be advanced, but it wasn't on par with a god, as their last encounter with Clark had shown.
"Just because we might lose, does that mean we shouldn't fight? Should we surrender instead?" T'Chaka's eyes gleamed with intensity. Since his faith had crumbled, his mindset had clearly shifted. Given the recent disturbances in Wakanda, if T'Chaka didn't take decisive action to divert attention and achieve some success, he feared that the restless tribes might actually challenge the royal family.
In short, to maintain his rule and divert Wakanda's attention, T'Chaka saw no choice but to engage in battle—partly to vent his frustration as well.
"Prepare all our forces! Mobilize every available soldier and weapon! And bring out your inventions too!" T'Chaka urged Shuri, his tone grave. "You must understand, even if those aircraft weren't sent by Superman, it means our location has been exposed. When facing a predator, we must show our fangs..."
"I understand!" Shuri nodded, seeing that T'Chaka wasn't acting irrationally. She immediately turned to make the necessary preparations.
Just as T'Chaka predicted, the moment the mercenaries began their attack on Wakanda, its location was no longer a secret.
Although the mercenary leader was dead, their communication equipment had been monitored by the government agencies supporting them. The crash sites of the two aircraft instantly revealed Wakanda's coordinates.
Fearing that too many parties would target Wakanda, and that there wouldn't be enough vibranium to go around, the agencies quickly coordinated their efforts. They immediately dispatched troops, aircraft, and various mechs toward Wakanda, setting the stage for a
major conflict.
"This is such a headache. Why are you all so greedy?" Elsewhere, having left Wakanda, Clark frowned deeply, watching as military mechs and aircraft filled the skies, his expression full of exasperation.
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