Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1128 The Gladiator Match Begins (Second Update)

As expected, the gladiatorial combat was temporarily suspended.

Because of the promise, the Emperor wouldn't actively probe Princess Shuri's thoughts; however, he still pieced together some possibilities using the available intelligence. Even without using magic to detect thoughts, the relaxation shown by Princess Shuri and Queen Ramonda was palpable. Until the priests of the Black Panther Temple explained, T'Challa, who had already entered the lower waterfall arena, and En Jadaka, who was using the alias Erik Killmonger, had no idea why the gladiatorial combat had been temporarily suspended.

At the urging of the priests of the Black Panther Temple, the two sides distanced themselves to maintain the fairness of the duel as much as possible.

Even if T'Challa were to voluntarily relinquish the chainsword, it would be too late. The priests of the Black Panther Temple needed to devise a set of rules that would be applicable for the future, a matter that couldn't be resolved quickly. If the chainsword could be used, then, by the very definition of "mechanical," many weapons, even combat mechs, could become weapons. The priests of the Black Panther Temple, those who had benefited from the previous king T'Chaka's favors and those determined to remain neutral, were arguing fiercely. Those who supported the use of the chainsword had all spoken with Queen Ramonda—the Golden Horde had always held the Black Panther Throne, and even the nominally neutral Black Panther Temple couldn't remain unaffected. The only two who had consistently sought a fair duel were T'Challa and En Jadaka.

It seems that not many people know about this little conspiracy, and the members of the War Dogs organization who are coming and going around Queen Ramonda have also caught the emperor's attention. The emperor can tell that Princess Surrey is delaying the time so that the War Dogs organization can carry out some plans.

He told Princess Su Rui his guess, omitting the details.

"You guessed right, but I'm sure you'd never guess what mission I had them perform." Seemingly sensing the Emperor's doubts, or perhaps eager to defend herself out of guilt, Princess Shuri explained, "I didn't have the War Dogs perform any missions that violated morality or the law. Their actions were completely compliant and would absolutely not affect the fairness of the gladiatorial combat. No one dares to undermine the fairness of the combat, not even the Black Panthers, because it represents the pact signed between the Golden Horde and the other four tribes. Wakanda is a nation built upon this pact, and the fairness of the succession duel is equivalent to the constitution. That's why the Black Panther priests have been discussing it for so long without rushing into the succession duel."

"I hope that after today's duel, T'Challa will still be able to hear your explanation." The Emperor pointed to T'Challa standing in the stream below, his tone carrying a profound meaning that was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. "When you persuaded him to take that chainsaw sword last night, you certainly didn't tell him that the weapon would cause so much discussion."

“Indeed not.” Princess Shuri nodded. “If he wins, then my plan becomes unnecessary. If he loses, then I will bring him a complete victory, and incidentally unite Wakanda. I believe that no matter how dissatisfied he is, he will have to admit that I did the right thing. But how do you know it was me who persuaded him and not my mother? Oh, shit! Your magic, isn’t it?”

"If you want, I can also shoot lasers from my eyes. Temporarily, but that'll be intimidating enough."

Whether it's a common flaw in human social organization or not, no one expected the Black Panther Temple priests' meeting to allow those old guys to discuss things so profusely under the scorching sun for so long. Many in the audience were already suffering from heatstroke in the African summer heat, but they remained energetic, spitting at each other. Until sunset, these guys—who were useless except for their mouths—as Princess Shuri commented, finally came up with a suitable solution: any weapon powered by external energy could not be used in the arena. By this time, the stream was scalding hot from the sun, and the granite walls of the audience, carved with the images of generations of Black Panther warriors and Bastet, still retained the warmth of the stars. When the Black Panther priests announced the result, even the most devout followers of Bastet couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

It's the dry season now, and if they could, the Wakandans would much rather stay in air-conditioned rooms with temperature control. No matter how elaborately the nobles in the audience dressed to welcome the new king, such attire became torture in this hot and dry weather. Although lunch was provided, many people had lost their appetite due to the heat and couldn't swallow anything except ice water.

"I'm so glad we considered a temperature control system when designing the power armor." Emperor Latvinia had spent the entire morning with Princess Surrey in the granite stands, and compared to the disheveled crowd on either side of him, his expression was much more relaxed. "I thought you'd reveal your trump card at this point."

"Me too, but I can't do it." Princess Surui looked around anxiously. "Mother must be unable to hold out any longer. If the succession duel can't proceed by sunset, the nobles will have reason to suspect that we instructed the Black Panther Temple to delay the duel. This accusation would be an insult to Father's reputation, and she absolutely cannot allow the nobles to find an excuse. The war dogs should be here by now, why haven't they returned yet?"

"If I were you, I would care about what's happening below." Emperor Latvinia pointed to the shimmering stream below. The distant roar of the waterfall drowned out the Black Panther Priest's words to the two contestants. The stream, tinged with orange-red and gray by the setting sun, reflected the remaining sunlight into the eyes of the spectators. According to the ritual procedure, T'Challa was supposed to first stand in the center of the arena and announce his succession to the throne, then invite those who disagreed to challenge him—however, this time he could not do so, because En Jadaka possessed the same power as him, and even T'Challa's power was shaken due to the previous king's murder of his own kin. Therefore, the Black Panther Priest had the two duel face to face from the beginning, announcing that the ceremony of succession to the throne would be performed by the victor. This was also a product of Queen Ramonda's political maneuvering, only it failed.

Gladiator combat is the best arena for two participants to test their physical strength, intelligence, and skills.

Most gladiatorial combats in history were bloody and brutal battles, with both sides having nothing in mind but their opponents and their weapons.

If weapons are gone, then use fingers and teeth. If teeth are smashed and fingers are severed, then drown your opponent in your own blood, leaving their life scattered on the sand and ashes—only then can victory be claimed. Although the Wakanda succession duel has become almost ritualistic, to the point that the match can end with a surrender, this time the participants fought to the death for their fathers' honor. It was the only succession duel in Wakanda's nearly thousand-year history to come at the cost of death. This was gladiatorial combat, not a martial arts exchange in a training ground where a mere scratch could win, but a bloody battle fought to the death, where victory or defeat could be decided in an instant, and even those with superior weapons could be defeated.

The Black Panther priest ordered braziers to be lit near the arena, and the two competitors removed their shirts, took their weapons, and began to slowly approach.

Most people held their breath, especially Princess Surrey and Queen Ramonda, who were extremely nervous.

“Everything I’ve been through has brought me here.” En Jadaka turned his attention to T’Challa. “And you, cousin? Is it your pathetic pride? Did your father ever express any remorse after he committed his crimes? Where were you when we were about the same age, scavenging for food in the community dumpsters, huh?”

“I don’t know why my father did that.” T’Challa and N’Jadaka circled each other, gripping their short spears tightly, ready to thrust at any moment. He had a shield, but N’Jadaka had refused any protective gear, opting instead for two short spears. T’Challa knew N’Jadaka was more aggressive, but he wasn’t unfamiliar with aggressive opponents. “But I believe he had his reasons.” He felt his throat fill with the black smoke rising from the brazier, and a sense of unease crept up his spine. “I sympathize with what happened to you, but there’s still a chance to turn things around.”

"No, cousin. When my father died, everything was beyond repair."

En Jadaka pounced like a nimble cheetah, his two vibranium spears serving as his claws and fangs.

He completely abandoned defense, unleashing a storm of attacks the instant T'Challa thrust his spear aside. The relentless thrusts quickly put T'Challa on the defensive. The distance between En-Jadaka and T'Challa was far less than the length of their weapons, almost hand-to-hand combat. Their exchange was astonishingly fast; the three weapons reflected and shimmered with a grey-orange light like a stream. En-Jadaka slashed down on T'Challa's thigh, while T'Challa smashed his shield into En-Jadaka's forehead before piercing his arm with the tip of his spear.

Thirty seconds after the fight began, the blood of the two began to flow uncontrollably into the stream.

The first chapter was updated late, so as an apology, the second chapter was updated earlier.

(End of this chapter)