When M'Baku saw Karl, he nodded in greeting.
Karl returned the gesture with a nod of his own.
After everyone took their seats, T'Challa spoke first.
"I believe all of you have already seen the footage. Aliens have invaded Earth. For the sake of our home, I think it's time the world learned the truth about Wakanda."
Seated upon the throne, T'Challa released the full presence of a king.
The tribal chiefs respected him greatly, and not a single person objected.
Even M'Baku remained silent.
As the leader of the Jabari, he had personally witnessed everything T'Challa had accomplished since ascending the throne. Under his rule, Wakanda had undeniably reached new heights.
Because of that, M'Baku held genuine admiration for him.
"Since no one has any objections, then prepare yourselves."
"It's time to show the world the real Wakanda."
Afterward, the group discussed their next course of action.
Although Wakanda possessed a large and powerful military, they couldn't send all of their forces to Titan.
T'Challa initially proposed leading the Royal Guard and the Border Tribe forces to Titan himself.
Erik immediately rejected the idea.
His reasoning was simple:
T'Challa was the King of Wakanda.
What king personally led an expeditionary force into battle?
If anyone was going, it should be the prince.
Besides, Erik was the type who couldn't sit still. The moment he heard there was a fight to be had, he practically wanted to jump for joy.
There was no way he was staying behind to manage Wakanda.
He wasn't suited for administration in the slightest.
And just as Erik suspected, T'Challa had indeed intended to leave him behind and go personally.
Naturally, Erik wasn't about to let that happen.
After further discussion, the final decision was made:
T'Challa, Shuri, and the Royal Guard would remain in Wakanda.
Erik would lead M'Baku's Jabari warriors and the Border Tribe forces to Titan.
M'Baku was every bit as battle-hungry as Erik.
The two had never really gotten along in the past and often settled their disagreements with fistfights.
Karl immediately contacted Wong.
Without delay, Wong arrived in Wakanda with a group of Kamar-Taj sorcerers.
True to their reputation, the sorcerers displayed absolutely no surprise upon seeing Wakanda's advanced technology.
In their eyes, only magic was sacred.
And unlike ordinary people, they understood the true nature of the world.
Wakanda might be able to hide its secrets from the rest of humanity.
But it could never hide them from the sorcerers of Kamar-Taj.
"Wong, how are the preparations?"
Karl asked the moment he arrived.
"We're ready."
Wong nodded.
"We can open a portal to Titan now."
Behind him, several sorcerers carried numerous magical artifacts.
Each one served the same purpose:
Amplifying magical range so they could access more distant sections of the Mystic Web.
They weren't Sorcerer Supreme-level casters.
They simply didn't possess enough magical power to reach Titan's node directly.
The artifacts were necessary to bridge the gap.
Under Wong's direction, the sorcerers set up a large formation beside the lake in the Wakandan palace gardens.
Six bronze cauldrons were placed at the six points of a hexagon.
The magical formation connected all six together, linking them into a single array.
While Wong and the sorcerers worked, everyone else stayed busy as well.
Wakandan troops continued assembling.
The Avengers completed their final preparations.
Everyone received newly forged vibranium equipment.
Everyone except Karl, who didn't need any.
Even Matt and Frank were outfitted with vibranium combat suits.
Only Wakanda could afford such extravagance.
Outside Wakanda, vibranium was worth more than gold.
Steve had also upgraded his shield.
Not the old vibranium-alloy version.
This one was pure vibranium.
Wakanda had no interest in cheap imitations.
Soon everyone was fully prepared.
However, one issue remained unresolved.
"Bruce, you still can't transform into Hulk?"
Karl looked toward Bruce.
Among everyone present, Bruce was the only one besides Karl who wasn't wearing vibranium gear.
T'Challa had offered him armor earlier, but Bruce declined.
Truthfully, Bruce himself was conflicted.
For years, he had wished Hulk would disappear forever.
Now that Hulk seemed to have vanished...
He found himself missing him.
Human beings were contradictory creatures.
You hated something while it was there.
Then missed it the moment it was gone.
Bruce sighed and nodded.
"That's right. I still can't communicate with Hulk."
"Either he doesn't want to talk to me... or he's simply gone."
But Karl knew better.
Hulk was still there.
He was hiding.
Thanos's overwhelming strength had genuinely frightened him.
In reality, Hulk was intelligent.
His logic and temperament simply resembled that of a child.
"Hulk is still there."
"He just doesn't want to come out."
"Don't worry. Leave this to me."
Karl sounded completely confident.
After all, dealing with troublesome children was simple.
Sometimes all it took was a good scare.
He called Wong and Wanda over.
Hulk might be good at hiding, but against experts in the soul like Wong and Wanda, there was nowhere to run.
"Ready, Bruce?"
Karl looked at him.
"Ready for what?"
Bruce swallowed nervously.
Sweat rolled down his face.
At that moment, he very much wanted to curse Karl out.
The guy kept asking if he was ready without ever explaining for what.
And unlike before, Hulk wasn't there as a safety net.
His body was currently about as durable as a cracker.
"Good."
"Here I come."
Karl bounced in place twice, adopting a boxing stance.
He rolled his neck.
Cracked his wrists.
Then shouted:
"Here it comes!"
Bruce's face scrunched up like a steamed bun as he clenched his fists tightly.
Suddenly—
Karl vanished.
But instead of attacking, Wong stepped forward from behind him and slapped Bruce squarely on the chest.
The world instantly froze.
Everyone watching became motionless statues.
Time itself seemed to stop.
Only Bruce remained unaffected.
Well...
Bruce, Karl, Wong, and Wanda.
Wong was immune because he was the caster.
Karl was protected by Wanda's Chaos Magic.
"ROOOOAR!"
A massive green figure was blasted out of Bruce's body.
When the green giant noticed his much smaller body floating nearby, he immediately let out a furious roar.
Then he charged Karl and Wong, throwing a flurry of wild punches.
The enormous green spirit was none other than Hulk's soul.
Unfortunately for him, every punch passed harmlessly through Karl and Wong.
They weren't affected in the slightest.
Karl found the sight fascinating.
In the original timeline, when the Ancient One punched Bruce's soul out of his body, Bruce's spirit emerged while Hulk remained in the body.
Now it was the exact opposite.
Bruce occupied the body.
Hulk occupied the soul.
Honestly, it worked out better this way.
It saved Wanda from having to use soul-searching magic to drag Hulk out.
"Alright, Hulk."
"You can't hit us."
"Just listen to me for a moment."
Karl raised a hand, attempting to calm him down.
Unfortunately, Hulk was currently nothing but pure anger.
After all, anyone suddenly dragged awake in the middle of a nap would be in a bad mood.
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