The Savior of American Comics? I'm the Subspace Evil God!

Chapters 470, 856, and 857: Lies, Revenge, and Challenges

"You bunch of old codgers, you've been living a comfortable life in Wakanda for far too long."

Eric Steve noticed the reactions of all the tribal leaders, and his smile grew even wider.

But instead of immediately explaining his true identity to everyone, he continued speaking to King T'Chaka on the vibranium throne in a mocking tone:
"So much so that you've almost forgotten that on this continent of Africa, there are at least two billion 'black brothers' with the same skin color and similar appearance as us, suffering from hunger, poverty, and the ravages of war, and Wakanda happens to possess something that can completely liberate them from their suffering..."

"Hmph, that's easy to say." As if utterly enraged by the other party's unreasonable behavior, Prince T'Challa stepped forward from behind the vibranium throne, sneering as he spoke:

"I'm afraid what you're referring to as the thing that can save them is our vibranium and technology, isn't it?!"

"So... in the end, you're no different from Ulysses Klaue; you're both just bandits trying to steal Vibranium from us."

"The only difference is that you're better at using morality to disguise your despicable acts!"

Eric Steve, upon hearing this, wasn't angry. Instead, he shook his head with a sneer and said, "No, you're wrong. I'm not like Ulysses Crow..."

"But you guessed one thing right: I do need Wakanda's vibranium weapons to fulfill my great ideal of rescuing all the 'black brothers'."

"Stop dreaming. As long as I'm here, you won't succeed," Prince T'Challa warned, somewhat annoyed.

"Wakanda's weapons and technology have never been used to wage war. We have loved peace for generations... This is an unchanging principle that we have upheld for thousands of years."

"Moreover, interfering in the fate of others is not something we [Wakanda] should do!!"

"Not interfering in the fate of others?" Eric Steve retorted, his eyes narrowing and flashing with a fierce light. "Then I'd like to ask you, isn't the origin of humanity on this continent... Doesn't Wakanda count as one of them?"

"Since Wakanda is also part of this continent, wouldn't we be considered compatriots in some sense, along with those two billion 'black brothers'?"

"Hmph, stop trying to confuse things. Have you got something wrong...?" Prince T'Challa laughed angrily, pointing at his opponent and retorting sharply:

“My father is the king of Wakanda, not the king of all of Africa, or even all of humanity.”

"His job is simply to lead us in protecting the lives of the people of Wakanda and ensuring that vibranium is not stolen by thieves like you and Ulysses Klaue."

Before Eric Steve could retort, Queen Lamanda, who had already figured something out, quickly interrupted their argument.

“T'Challa, you’ve wasted far too much time on this cunning liar. The throne of Wakanda will never fall into the hands of someone like him…”

Then, with a cold expression, she looked at Eric Steve and warned him in a very stern tone:

"If you know what's good for you, leave before His Majesty the King becomes angry and never come back... Otherwise, death awaits you!!"

However, Eric Steve was not intimidated by her words and retorted nonchalantly, "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I think you must be mistaken. I'm not begging you, but informing you."

At this point, he suddenly turned to look at King T'Chaka, who had remained silent throughout, atop the vibranium throne, and roared fiercely:
"Come on, you've probably guessed it already... so tell them who I am!!"

At this moment, everyone turned their attention to King T'Chaka on the vibranium throne, but for some reason, he still did not speak, only his expression became more complicated and inscrutable.

Such actions undoubtedly deepened the suspicions of the tribal leaders.

They had never seen King T'Chaka show such 'weakness' before.

Is there some hidden story behind this?

Or perhaps this 'outsider' is King T'Chaka's illegitimate son?
"Let me answer this question..."

At this moment, Princess Su Rui, who was standing to the side, saw this and volunteered to step forward, angrily saying:
"You are Eric Steve, a lackey who helps America indiscriminately kill innocent people, a cold-blooded villain known by civilians as a 'murderer.' Isn't that your true identity?"

But to everyone's surprise, Eric Steve shook his head smugly and said, "No, little princess, you're wrong. My real name isn't that..."

Then, he said, enunciating each word clearly, "My real name is Ni Jadaka, and I am the son of Ni Job!!!"

These words, once uttered, were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, immediately causing a huge uproar among the tribal leaders.

The leaders of the various tribes exclaimed in surprise.

"What? He... he's actually the son of the deceased Prince Nicholas Job?"

"How is that possible? Didn't King T'Chaka say back then that Prince Nicholas Job had no children?"

"What exactly happened? Is he really Prince Nicholas Job's son...?"

"While it's too early to tell whether he's lying, the idea he just proposed is indeed very similar to that of the late Prince Nicholas Job!"

The Prince Nicholas mentioned by the leaders was none other than King T'Chaka's younger brother, and the former First Prince of Wakanda!

However, more than twenty years ago, Prince Nicholas Job was secretly executed by King Tchaka for 'treason'.

In fact, Prince Nicholas Job's execution was somewhat related to Ulysses Crow.

Prince Nicholas Job, who was sent to the United States on a secret mission, witnessed the tragic plight of his African brothers and longed to use his own efforts to bring Wakanda's advanced technology and weapons to other African countries.

In this way, they will be able to effectively resist the invaders and oppressors who trample on them.

Driven by this ideal and purpose, Prince Nicholas Job secretly reached an agreement with black market arms dealer Ulysses Klaue, helping him successfully infiltrate Wakanda and steal a large amount of vibranium.

But their good fortune didn't last long. Their plan was discovered by T'Chaka, who had become king, and he personally went to America to secretly execute his younger brother, Prince Nicholas Job.

However, fratricide is not a pleasant thing to hear.

Based on the idea that family scandals should not be aired in public, King T'Chaka has always claimed that Prince Nicholas Job died unexpectedly while on a mission in the United States.

Therefore, very few people know the truth.

But it is precisely this well-intentioned lie that has given Eric Steve the perfect excuse for revenge today.

He roared at the aged man on the vibranium throne like a raging cheetah: "You liar! My father didn't die in an accident! I found Black Panther's claw marks on him! You're the murderer... You killed your own brother! You don't deserve to be King of Wakanda! You're a murderer..."

"Shut up, you liar! I won't allow you to slander my father and my deceased Uncle Nick Job!!!"

Seeing that the other party had insulted his father, Prince T'Challa grabbed the other party by the collar, raised his fist, and wanted to teach this foul-mouthed bastard a lesson.

But he was immediately stopped by his good friend Wakabi, who was standing beside him. "T'Challa, don't be impulsive. What he said... might be true."

"What did you say?"

Prince T'Challa was stunned for a moment, looking at his friend with disbelief.

He knew in his heart that the other party would never make casual remarks on such matters.

Therefore, he must have some information that others do not know.

As expected, Wakkabi, with an extremely complicated expression, took out the gold necklace he had seized from Eric Steve, looked at King T'Chaka on the vibranium throne, and slowly said:

"This necklace is enough to prove that he is a descendant of Prince Nicholas Job..."

He then handed the necklace to several tribal chiefs.

“That’s right, this is indeed a royal heirloom left by the previous king, exactly the same as the one in King T’Chaka’s possession. Apart from members of the royal family, no one else could possibly possess such a thing, let alone replicate it…”

In an instant, all the tribal chiefs cast strange glances at King T'Chaka on the vibranium throne, waiting for him to give a reasonable explanation.

But it was Eric Steve who spoke first, grinning maliciously as he said:

“My dear uncle… I have royal blood flowing through my veins, so I have the right to challenge the current [Black Panther]… who is you, for the throne!!

These words caused a stir among those present.

As is widely known, Black Panther is the supreme national leader of Wakanda, combining military and political power, a position that has been hereditary for centuries.

However, this hereditary system is not static.

All members of the royal family, as well as the leaders of the 18 tribes under Wakanda, are qualified to challenge Black Panther.

If the challenge is successful, the challenger will be able to completely seize the title and status of the current Black Panther and become the new king of Wakanda!

Therefore, if Eric Steve is indeed Prince Nicholas Job's son, then he certainly has the qualifications to challenge the current Black Panther, King T'Chaka.

However, it is clear to everyone that King T'Chaka, who is now old and frail, is no match for Eric Steve, who is in his prime.

One of the necessary conditions for challenging for the throne is that the current Black Panther must take a special medicine to remove the Black Panther Power he gained from consuming the Heart-Shaped Grass.

This means that King T'Chaka will undoubtedly be defeated at that time!

However, if King T'Chaka were to hesitate to fight because of this, the prestige he had built up in Wakanda would vanish instantly.

Don't be fooled by the fact that Wakanda possesses the world's most advanced technology and civilization.

But in reality, the Wakandas are not much different from other primitive and backward tribes in Africa; they all have an extreme worship of individual strength.

This can be seen from the fact that they have never given up using the most primitive cold weapons to fight and kill!
Therefore, once Black Panther, Wakanda's strongest warrior, shows any sign of cowardice, the prestige that King T'Chaka had built up in the hearts of the people will be completely destroyed.

Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but feel a chill for King T'Chaka.

Given the current situation, whether King T'Chaka chooses to agree or refuse, he is clearly destined to lose.

"Tchaka, ignore that liar..."

Queen Lamanda naturally saw through the scheme. While secretly cursing Eric Steve's cunning, she quickly stepped forward to defend her husband, saying, "Even if he really is Nicholas Job's son, he has no right to challenge you."

"No, Your Majesty, he certainly has that power!!"

At this moment, several tribal chiefs stepped forward in perfect unison.

This doesn't mean they intentionally opposed King T'Chaka, or that they secretly conspired with Eric Steve.

The only objection was to King T'Chaka's act of personally killing Prince Nicholas Job.

Actually, it wasn't just a few of them.

Many of the other tribal leaders who did not step forward also harbored resentment towards this behavior.

It's just that the time hasn't come yet for them to take sides.

This internal disintegration is exactly what Eric Steve wanted to see.

Otherwise, after entering the palace, he wouldn't have needed to say those seemingly 'nonsense' opening remarks; he could have simply stated his identity directly.

Then, one of the tribal chiefs looked at Eric Steve and said with a complicated expression, "Preparing for the ritual to challenge the [Black Panther] will take at least several weeks..."

However, before he could finish speaking, Eric Steve on the other end shouted impatiently, "This kind of thing takes several weeks? Don't be ridiculous, I don't need that much time at all."

"I don't need to make a big fuss. All I need is a fair duel with the culprit who killed my father..."

Eric Steve deliberately emphasized King T'Chaka's status as his 'father's killer,' not to gain the sympathy of other tribal leaders and to side with him.

He simply wanted these guys to stay out of his way.

(End of this chapter)