The sky above Wakanda was ablaze, not literally, but with the red glow of alarms and the flash of explosions tearing through the night. The outer walls, once impenetrable, now shuddered under the weight of a horde of Chimera Ants, their claws and fangs ripping through the earth as they surged through breaches created by Pitou's sabotage. The hum of vibranium shields had turned into an intermittent groan, each failure exposing more of the city to chaos. At the heart of the battle, the Wakandans fought with a courage bordering on madness, but even their determination was beginning to crumble under the primal terror the Chimera Ants inspired.
At the front line, the Dora Milaje formed a living wall, their vibranium spears gleaming as they cut down Chimera soldiers scaling the broken walls. Okoye, the general, moved like a storm, her spear spinning in precise arcs that felled enemies like wheat under a scythe. But for every chimera that fell, two took its place, their carapaces resisting less lethal blows. "Hold the line!" she shouted, her voice cutting through the roar of battle. "For Wakanda! For our king!"
T'Challa, the Black Panther, fought beside her, his vibranium claws tearing through enemy carapaces as he leaped among the hordes. He had faced these creatures before, but never on such a scale. Evelyn's sonic scream still echoed in his ears, a reminder of the humiliation he'd suffered in their previous battle. Now, he channeled that rage into every strike, but even he could feel the weight of impending defeat. "Shuri!" he yelled into his communicator, dodging a claw swipe that nearly split him in two. "The shields, now!"
In the command room, Shuri worked frantically, her fingers flying over consoles as she tried to restore the sabotaged systems. The monitors flashed with red alerts, showing cascading shield failures. "I'm trying, brother!" she replied, her voice tense. "Someone tampered with the main circuits—it's like they knew exactly where to hit!" She opened a hologram, tracking the source of the interference, but a tremor shook the palace, knocking her to the floor. The ceiling cracked, dust falling as the sound of claws scraping metal echoed through the corridors.
Outside the city, the still-functional automated cannons spat energy blasts, incinerating rows of chimeras. But Evelyn, hovering above the battle, neutralized them one by one. With precise screams, she made the cannons' internal systems overheat, exploding in clouds of smoke without touching the external vibranium. "Pathetic!" she laughed, her wings buzzing as she dove to disable another. The Wakandans tried to counter with drones, but Chimera soldiers scaled the walls with supernatural speed, destroying the machines before they could make a difference.
In the sky, Wakandan jets roared, launching missiles that exploded in blue flames against the hordes. But Millena, hidden in the jungle, opened portals that redirected the projectiles to useless targets—trees, rocks, or even back at the jets themselves. A pilot screamed over the radio as his jet was swallowed by a portal, reappearing in the jungle and crashing into a mountain. "They're killing us without even fighting directly!" he shouted before the transmission cut off.
Inside the city, Pitou continued her deadly dance. She moved through ducts and corridors, eliminating guards and technicians with terrifying efficiency. In a secondary control room, she found a group of scientists trying to reactivate the shields. "You're persistent," she murmured before leaping. Claws flashed, and within seconds, the room was silent except for the drip of blood on the floor. Pitou injected more Nen into the consoles, ensuring any repair attempts were futile. *The King is coming,* she thought, sensing Meruem's presence through their connection. *And no one will stop us.*
In the central square, Wakanda's citizens huddled in underground shelters, protected by warriors who knew they couldn't hold out much longer. Children cried, while elders prayed to Bast, pleading for a miracle. But miracles were in short supply. The ground shook with the advancing hordes, and the air was thick with the smell of blood and burnt metal.
Okoye, now covered in scratches and blue chimera blood, paused for a moment, panting. She looked at T'Challa, fighting a few meters away, and saw the exhaustion in his eyes. "My king," she said, her voice hoarse. "We can't hold them forever."
T'Challa tore his claws from a dead chimera and met her gaze, his face hardened. "Then we fight to our last breath. Wakanda does not surrender."
But even as he spoke, a supernatural roar echoed across the battlefield, a sound that made even the bravest warriors falter. It was Evelyn, soaring above the walls, unleashing a sonic wave that collapsed an entire section of the defenses. The Dora Milaje screamed, falling to their knees as the sound reverberated in their skulls. T'Challa rushed to shield Okoye, but a portal opened behind him, spewing a group of elite chimeras that surrounded him.
"You never learn," a voice hissed. It was Queen, emerging from the chimera crowd, her scorpion tail glowing with Nen. She struck, and T'Challa barely dodged, the venom grazing his armor and leaving a smoking mark. "Your vibranium means nothing to the King."
T'Challa growled, lunging at her, but the battle was already lost. The shields fell completely, and the Chimera hordes flooded the city like a tidal wave, destroying everything in their path.
Meruem stepped through Millena's final portal, his feet touching Wakanda's soil with a weight that seemed to shake the earth. The air was thick with the chaos of battle—screams, explosions, the clang of metal against carapace. His golden eyes swept the field, taking in every detail with supernatural clarity. In the distance, the vibranium walls lay in ruins, the Chimera hordes advancing like a force of nature. Pitou, Millena, and Evelyn had executed his orders flawlessly, and now it was his turn to seal this nation's fate.
He walked calmly, Nen pulsing around him like a living aura. Chimera soldiers bowed as he passed, their heads lowered in reverence. Meruem didn't need to rush; the battle was already won. Wakanda resisted, but it was a futile struggle, like a wounded animal fighting the inevitable. He felt Kurt's mind, his humanity, trying to surface amid the instinct for conquest. *Why fight so hard?* Kurt's voice whispered. *You could negotiate, offer peace.* Meruem silenced the thought with effort. Peace was an illusion; his race's survival demanded dominance.
He reached the top of a hill overlooking the city. Below, the central palace still held, surrounded by Dora Milaje warriors and what remained of T'Challa's forces. Meruem observed with almost clinical interest. The Black Panther fought with a ferocity he respected, but respect didn't change the outcome. He raised a hand, signaling Pitou through Nen. *Cut their communications. They can't call for reinforcements.*
Pitou, hidden in the rubble of a tower, responded instantly. Her claws severed fiber-optic cables, and Wakanda's last signals to the outside world died. Meruem nodded, satisfied, and began descending the hill. Each step seemed to amplify the Wakandans' fear, as if they sensed the true threat had arrived.
In the central square, T'Challa clashed with Queen, his claws blocking her venomous tail in a deadly dance. But when Meruem appeared, the air shifted. The chimeras stepped back, forming a circle around the King, and even Queen retreated, bowing. T'Challa, panting and covered in blood, glared at Meruem, his eyes burning with defiance.
"You," T'Challa growled. "This is your doing? Destroying everything we've built?"
Meruem tilted his head, studying the Black Panther. "Built? You hid behind vibranium and arrogance, believing you were untouchable. I merely showed the truth: nothing is eternal."
T'Challa charged, his claws gleaming, but Meruem was faster. In a single motion, he blocked the attack, seizing T'Challa's wrist and twisting until the crack of bones echoed. The Black Panther screamed, falling to his knees, but his eyes never left Meruem's. "You won't win," he spat. "The Avengers… they'll come for you."
Meruem let out a sound that might have been a laugh, cold and devoid of humor. "Let them come. They've already proven their weakness." He released T'Challa, leaving him on the ground, and turned to the city. The palace was in flames, the last warriors being crushed by the hordes. Evelyn soared above, her sonic screams toppling the remaining defense towers, while Millena's portals brought more reinforcements.
Kurt's voice stirred again, a pang of doubt in his mind. *Is this necessary? So many lives…* Meruem closed his eyes briefly, recalling his purpose. He wasn't just Kurt; he was the King, the pinnacle of evolution, responsible for ensuring his race's survival. Wakanda was an obstacle, and obstacles were removed.
He walked to the palace's throne, now empty, its guards dead or fled. He sat, Nen pulsing around him like an invisible crown. Pitou appeared at his side, her eyes gleaming with devotion. "The city is yours, my King," she said, her voice soft but laced with triumph.
Meruem gazed at Wakanda's ruins, the flames reflecting in his eyes. "It's not just the city," he murmured. "It's the beginning. The world will see what we're capable of." But as he spoke, Kurt's voice echoed again, more insistent. *And then? What comes after conquest?* Meruem didn't answer. For the first time, he had no answer.
The battle was won, but the war within him was just beginning.
---
Dawn broke over Wakanda, but the light revealed only ashes and ruins. The shields were destroyed, the walls reduced to rubble, and Wakanda's pride crushed under the Chimera Ants' weight. Meruem, seated on the conquered throne, surveyed his victory, but a growing emptiness gnawed at his chest. Pitou, Millena, and Evelyn had given him the world, but what would he do with it now?