Wakanda Cannot Be Without a King

At dawn the next day, the Wakandan warriors returned in triumph after drinking their fill of enemy blood, laden with spoils. Since they were not a cannibal tribe, the trophies were all quite ordinary: mercenary ID tags, tribal native pendants, or at most, a tooth.

Annihilating an enemy force several times their own had always been a great victory in Wakandan history. Every warrior was jubilant, honored to have taken part in the battle.

But they soon discovered a problem: the king was gone!

Unable to find Azzuri anywhere, several elders were shocked and furious. They hurriedly gathered men to search for him, yet failed to find even a trace. Later, after questioning the tribal warriors one by one, they obtained an important clue: Azzuri had donned Black Panther attire and gone off to kill enemies with the Dora Milaje.

The elders breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that. Perhaps Azzuri had commanded a great victory, gotten into a very good mood, and gone off to make babies. After all, six female warriors were following him, the surrounding scenery was lovely, and there was no queen nearby keeping a close watch.

As for why he had not returned after an entire night… wasn’t that obvious? There were six Dora Milaje. Even for the sake of his pride, he had to take his time.

The third day!

The elders: Your Majesty, that’s about enough. Some things aren’t better the longer they last.

The fourth day!

The elders: Your Majesty, we know you care about appearances, but this is getting ridiculous!

Finally, on the afternoon of the fourth day, a shrieking sonic boom came from the sky. When Wakandan soldiers heard it, they could only see a black dot vanishing beyond the horizon.

Then, a parachute drifted down from the sky, with a package tied beneath it.

The soldiers looked at each other. Once the parachute landed, they opened the package, and everyone’s expression changed drastically.

"Quick! Get this to the elders…"

Wakanda’s capital—Boning Zana!

In the royal council chamber, the elders of four tribes gathered together, with queen Nanali presiding over the meeting in Azzuri’s place.

The four elders whispered among themselves, each wearing a different expression. Some were worried, some were enjoying the spectacle, and naturally, some were secretly delighted. Queen Nanali took in their expressions, and her heart sank. The situation was bad; she might not be able to hold them down.

Nanali took a deep breath and asked with the dignity of a queen, "Elders, what do you think about this ransom letter?"

The ransom letter had been written on Russell’s orders. It came with Azzuri’s VIP photo album, valued at 998, demanding that Wakanda set aside a piece of land and grant mining rights to its Vibranium vein.

If they refused, that was simple too. They would scatter the photos throughout African nations, especially within Wakanda, distributing them carpet-style and ensuring everyone received three copies.

One set would be for collecting, one for appreciating, and the last for spreading the faith—that was, specifically lending it to others of their own accord.

The four tribal elders could not understand the deeper meaning behind everyone receiving three copies. They only knew it was a malicious humiliation of Azzuri, and because of his status as king, Wakanda would be shamed along with him.

"…"

No one answered Nanali’s question. Each of the four elders had their own thoughts. Seeing that the others remained silent, they followed suit.

"Since things have come to this, let’s first think of a way to rescue His Majesty!" Nanali sighed. "The Golden Tribe’s warriors have already begun rescue operations, but we still do not know where the kidnappers are. The manpower of one tribe alone cannot cover Wakanda’s entire border. I hope you will all contribute and work together to rescue our king."

"…"

"Elders, Wakanda cannot be without a king!"

Still, no one responded. Nanali grew anxious. It was not that she feared Azzuri’s photographs would truly be distributed three copies per person. That threat sounded like a joke no matter how she looked at it. What kidnapper could be so bored?

What she feared was that if they failed to respond for too long, Azzuri would be killed. Then the sky would truly fall.

"That’s right, Wakanda cannot be without a king!"

At that moment, the elder of the White Ape Tribe spoke. A flash of joy crossed Nanali’s eyes, but Elder White Ape’s next words sent her entire body plunging into an icy abyss.

Elder White Ape slammed a hand on the table and rose to his feet. "Wakanda cannot be without a king, but it can be without Azzuri!"

"Elder White Ape, what do you mean by that?"

"What are you trying to do? How dare you utter such outrageous nonsense!"

"His Majesty led us in crushing the invaders. How can we lose him?"

The other three elders immediately shouted in rebuke, joining forces to condemn Elder White Ape. Each glared furiously, putting on the image of patriotic men devoted to their country with pure hearts.

Nanali’s face darkened as she watched the four argue without saying a word. When she had called for the rescue of Azzuri, this group had not uttered a single word. Now that the throne had been mentioned, every one of them had transformed into a loyal subject. Their ugly posturing was enough to make one sick.

Bang!

Elder White Ape drove his fist into the table, his gaze sweeping disdainfully over the three elders. "Put away that ugly act. Everyone knows what they’re thinking. Can’t you act like men instead of hiding it?"

The three elders’ faces flushed at his words. This was a heaven-sent opportunity. Anyone who had no ambitions at a time like this would be a fool. But they were all people of status—did they still care about their reputations or not?

"Elder White Ape, you…"

"Me what? You don’t dare say it, so I’m wrong for saying it for you?"

Elder White Ape sneered, looked around at everyone present, and said loudly, "The enemy is using Azzuri to threaten us for our Vibranium, but they do not understand that Wakanda has existed for generations to protect Vibranium. We will never yield because of this!"

"Elder White Ape, watch your words. How can you address the king by name?" Nanali’s face turned livid as she rebuked him sharply.

"If Azzuri is truly king, then he should sacrifice himself for the nation and ensure that Vibranium does not fall into outsiders’ hands." Elder White Ape snorted coldly. He carried the banner of ancestral teachings and represented righteousness; no one could condemn him.

"You…"

"Enough. The five tribes formed Wakanda for what purpose? Don’t tell me you don’t know. No matter how important Azzuri is, can he be more important than Wakanda?" Elder White Ape said with a stern face. He pulled out a photograph from his robes and slapped it onto the table. "Besides, I will never acknowledge a king who brings shame upon the honor of the kingdom like this."

In the photograph, Azzuri was pinned to the ground in a full split, with several muscular men grinning viciously beside him.

Nanali’s face went pale. The picture was too painful to look at. She could not even find the right words to defend him and could only stammer, "The king… the king was forced. Those despicable kidnappers…"

"That’s enough. I’ll call you Your Majesty the queen one last time. Put away your feeble explanation!" Elder White Ape picked up the photo, held it before everyone, and pointed to a corner at its edge. "Look. What is this?"

Everyone focused their eyes on it, their expressions turning strange. Even Nanali felt a wave of helplessness and did not know what to say.

In the corner of the photograph, an exceptionally handsome black panther had intruded into the shot, staring coldly at Azzuri. Its half-revealed golden eyes were filled with disdain, indifference, and arrogance. In short, that gaze contained every sort of contempt, except sympathy and pity.

Black panther: (╰ェ╯)

"Do you see? Even Black Panther God Bast, whom Azzuri worships, has abandoned him. What right does he have to be king?" Elder White Ape raised the split photograph high with both hands and declared in a booming voice, "Azzuri has been abandoned by the Black Panther God. He is a sinner, a sinner who has brought shame upon the nation."

Elder White Ape wielded the blade of faith, and every opposing argument crumbled on its own. In this tribal alliance where faith was greater than the sky, someone abandoned by the Gods had no place to stand.

"Gentlemen, our council of elders has no authority to depose the king. But for the nation, for our ancestral teachings, and for our faith, we must make this sinner Azzuri step down." Elder White Ape spoke with righteous passion, urging the three elders to join forces with him and fight for the nation’s future.

The three elders looked at each other. Under Nanali’s ashen expression, they nodded heavily. "Elder White Ape is right. Azzuri is no longer fit to serve as king."

"Everything for Wakanda!"

With that, the matter was settled. The four elders directly excluded the Golden Tribe and stripped Azzuri of his throne.

Elder White Ape could no longer suppress his excitement, and joy appeared on his face. "I said before that Wakanda cannot be without a king. I assume the three of you have no objections to that?"

"Of course. We must decide upon the next king as soon as possible."

"That’s right. Before the kidnappers make their move, we must have the new king ascend the throne and minimize the impact. We absolutely cannot let Wakanda be shamed because of his disgrace."

"Then who do you have in mind?"

Once Elder White Ape finished speaking, the hall fell silent again. The three elders stared straight ahead. As before, none would speak while the others remained silent.

"Since everyone has their own ambitions, then let’s each rely on our own abilities!" Elder White Ape sneered inwardly and strode out of the council chamber.

The three elders left one after another as well. After removing Azzuri from the throne, no one looked at Nanali again.

"We can’t let them do whatever they want. We must ransom the king back…"

On a high hill far from Wakanda’s borders, several trucks formed a circle. The soldiers stood guard and patrolled in squads, protecting the central tent.

Russell sat imposingly in a beast-hide chair. A black panther that only knew how to show off lay at his feet. Bucky stood to his left, while Natasha and Yelena stood to his right.

Azzuri stood in the center of the tent, his face deathly pale. Russell had not mistreated him. Other than disarming him, he had not even put handcuffs on him, fully demonstrating his respect for the ruler of a nation. He had also set up a separate tent for him and stuffed the six female guards inside. As long as he did not leave the tent, he could do whatever he wanted.

Azzuri looked deathly pale because his spirit had been ravaged. The tragic ordeal of that night had left a deep shadow in his heart, and he still had not recovered from it.

"Your Majesty, I heard you wanted to see me?" Russell tilted his head, and Yelena happily stepped forward to massage his shoulders.

Azzuri’s expression hardened, casting off his earlier dejection. "Regarding Vibranium, I can make a deal with you. But let me make one thing clear first: carving out a piece of land and granting mining rights is absolutely impossible."