Outriders?

Wakanda Royal Palace Banquet Hall

Inside the opulent banquet hall, golden candelabra cast a soft glow, and long tables were laden with Wakanda's unique delicacies. Eric, seated at the head of the table, smiled and raised his jewel-encrusted glass, "A toast to the friendship between Wakanda and the Arbitrators!"

Chen Tian picked up his wine glass, a faint smile playing on his lips. His gaze swept around—twelve Warrior stood on either side, seemingly in a ceremonial formation, but in reality, their positioning was extremely meticulous, bringing the entire exit of the banquet hall under their control.

Chen Tian gave Steve a look, and Steve understood and spoke up.

"King Eric's hospitality is truly overwhelming. But I'd like to know more: what kind of cooperation do you wish to discuss by inviting us here?"

Eric set down his glass, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Are all Arbitrators this direct? I like it that way. So I'll be blunt— Wakanda is willing to open its Vibranium Technology to the Arbitrators to jointly build a more powerful world."

Steve frowned slightly. "As far as I know, Wakanda has always prohibited the outflow of Vibranium."

"Times have changed, Captain," Eric chuckled. "Wakanda can no longer afford to remain stagnant. We need allies, and the Arbitrators ..." His gaze swept over the three men, "Are the most suitable choice."

Natasha toyed with the knife. "Sounds tempting. What's the price?"

Eric's smile vanished abruptly, his eyes sharpening. "It's simple. In my process of reshaping the world order, the Arbitrators must remain neutral."

The temperature in the banquet hall seemed to drop suddenly.

Steve placed his hands on the table. "Is this why you've been waging wars all over the Black Continent?"

"War?" Eric sneered. "No, this is liberation! For centuries, we Haji Black have been oppressed and enslaved. Now, it's time for them to stand up!"

Steve abruptly stood up. "This is not a reason to indiscriminately kill innocent civilians. There are many people of all races living peacefully with Haji Black across the Black Continent, and they have all been killed by your racial hatred!"

"This is just a necessary measure. Even if those Haki White are friendly to Haji Black now, their ancestors enslaved Haji Black," Eric said nonchalantly.

"Then tell me, why are you harming the Dragonborn?" Chen Tian's voice suddenly rang out, his tone as cold as a knife. "There are many Dragonborn doing business here in the Black Continent. Tell me, Eric, why are you hurting them?"

"Oh? Hahaha, judging from your tone, you seem to dislike this very much, Mr. Chen Tian." Eric chuckled twice and shrugged. "You know, there's no right or wrong in war; being accidentally injured is quite normal."

Chen Tian slowly stood up, raised his chin, and said, "Since that's the case, I think we have nothing to talk about. Accept the war. There are no Arbitrators, only you and me. It's an ancient script, only life and death."

Steve frowned as he looked at Chen Tian, who had suddenly become angry. However, he knew that Chen Tian was someone who really liked Dragon Country. This was evident from his Arbitrators in the Global Defense System in cooperation with various countries. He had provided Dragon Country with a lot of technology free of charge and even handed over control of Dragon Country's Global Defense System to Dragon Country without asking for anything in return.

Natasha was well aware of this, and from the Red Room's intelligence sharing to the Adjudicator' execution of adjudication missions in the Dragon Country, she would proactively cooperate with the relevant departments of the Dragon Country.

She stood up, walked behind Chen Tian, and put one hand on his shoulder to show her attitude.

Steve also walked up behind Chen Tian. Regardless of any past disagreements between Steve and Chen Tian, they were now on the same side and needed to make a statement.

Facing the assertive Chen Tian, Eric remained calm and composed. He simply leaned back in his seat, reached behind him, and his guards placed a cigar in his hand and lit it.

He slowly inhaled and exhaled a smoke ring. A holographic projection appeared on the dining table—a map of major cities around the world, with countless red dots flashing.

"Do you see them?" Eric's voice was calm and measured. "Nyu, London, Fence... the Warrior of Wakanda are in position. At my command, the oppressed will gain power to overthrow those who have ravaged them for centuries!"

Chen Tian raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

That's it?

Eric frowned. Chen Tian's reaction was very strange; he should have been nervous.

Chen Tian sneered and tapped his wrist a few times, instantly changing the holographic projection.

Newt said: Dante was sitting in a chair, eating pizza, with dozens of Haji Black knelt in front of him, and a pile of Vibranium weapons on the ground next to him.

London: Bayonetta sat on a table with her legs crossed, her long, beautiful legs stepping on the back of a Haji Black, while dozens of Haji Black knelt beside her, just like at Dante's place.

Fence: Madara's Sharingan swirled, his arms crossed over his chest. In front of him stood a group of Haji Black, binding their companions with neon-style 'tortoise shell bindings'.

In other regions, the situation was similar, the only difference being that a group of robots were working in conjunction with local law enforcement agencies to arrest Haji Black.

Eric jumped to his feet, smashing his wine glass on the floor with a 'crack,' splashing crimson liquid onto his boots.

His pupils contracted as he stared intently at the group of 'Warrior' pinned to the ground in the holographic projection—those Haji Black, who should have been igniting revolutions in major cities, were now kneeling at the Arbitrators's feet like stray dogs.

"How could you..." Eric's voice was forced out through clenched teeth, veins bulging in his neck.

Chen Tian sneered, "You think you can get things done with those drug-addled, brain-dead Haji Black gangsters and a few Wakanda spies?"

His fingertips traced across the holographic projection, and the image switched to a surveillance perspective—several Wakanda spies were locked in cages, their faces covered in blood. "Have you forgotten? Haji Black loves nothing more than arrogance when he's in power, wanting the whole world to know about even the smallest achievement."

Eric's hand slammed on the table, his fingertips trembling. He suddenly burst into wild laughter, the sound so loud it made the Crystal chandelier shake, "You truly are Arbitrators! It seems my plans have been thwarted?"

"There's more surprise in store." Chen Tian suddenly smiled, and the device on his wrist lit up with a ghostly blue pattern. "Thank you for inviting us into Wakanda, and for allowing us to access your holographic projection system..."

Eric had already consumed the Heart-Shaped Herb, clearly felt a slight tremor in the soles of his feet. He frowned and looked at Chen Tian, "What did you do?"

"Make a path for the vengeful king." Chen Tian looked at Eric with disdain.

A guard quickly approached Eric and whispered a few words in his ear. Eric looked at Chen Tian in shock, "You hacked into Wakanda's system?"

"Do you think that after you lost Shuri, Wakanda's technology can withstand the Arbitrators' invasion?"

Eric's face contorted in an instant. He swung his hand violently, and the holographic projection changed again—across the vast grasslands of Wakanda, the Deathwing fighter was approaching the palace at an alarming speed. The Vibranium defense barrier, which should have activated automatically, remained unresponsive, and the towering turrets were as silent as inanimate objects.

"This is impossible..." Eric's voice wavered for the first time.

Chen Tian walked slowly forward, the hem of his black trench coat swaying gently with his steps. "You've lost the hearts of the people, Eric." His voice was soft, yet it pierced Eric's heart like Blade. "You were too hasty. Wakanda's centuries-old policy of independence shouldn't have been used by you to wage war."

Suddenly, the sounds of fierce fighting erupted outside the banquet hall; the clanging of metal and the roar of energy explosions grew ever closer. Eric turned toward the door, a flicker of panic in his eyes—his guards were being steadily pushed back.

"The Wakanda aren't that warlike," Chen Tian continued, his gaze calmly fixed on Eric. "Their choice of peace isn't weakness, but wisdom."

"Boom--!"

The banquet hall doors were slammed open with tremendous force, scattering debris everywhere. Through the dust and smoke, a familiar figure slowly walked in— T'Challa, clad in a brand-new Black Panther Suit, followed by Tony, Banner, Pietro, Shuri.

Even more shockingly, following behind them were elders and Warrior from various Wakanda Horde — Dora Milaje of the Golden Tribe, nomads from the Border Tribe, and even W'Kabi, who had once pledged allegiance to Eric.

"Brother," T'Challa's voice came hoarsely, "Your reign is over."

Eric staggered back a step, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Chen Tian: "You... you planned all of this?"

Chen Tian did not answer, but simply raised his wrist and projected real-time images of various parts of Wakanda —people were removing Eric's portraits, children were returning to school, and Vibranium armories on the border were being sealed off one by one.

"It wasn't my plan," Chen Tian finally spoke, "It was the choice of the Wakanda people themselves."

Eric suddenly threw his head back and laughed, a chilling madness in his voice. "Thank you... thank you!" he thanked repeatedly, his lips twisted into a bizarre arc, his eyes beginning to turn an unnatural, deathly white.

"Thank you all for coming!" he suddenly roared, his voice echoing like thunder throughout the banquet hall. "The real banquet is about to begin!"

The entire Wakanda suddenly shook violently, Vibranium decorations on the walls fell off, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared in the ground. T'Challa and Tony exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

"What's going on?" Steve steadied himself, his shield instinctively raised in front of him.

Natasha keenly noticed the strange glint in Eric's eyes. "His eyes... something's wrong!"

Just as everyone was filled with surprise and doubt, Chen Tian suddenly sprang into action! His right fist, crackling with black lightning, swept out with lightning speed, slamming heavily into Eric's face.

"Bang!"

Eric's body flew more than ten meters like a rag doll, crashing into a pillar before coming to a stop, where he immediately lost consciousness.

"Capture him first!" Chen Tian said in a deep voice, his black trench coat fluttering in the energy storm. "Let's go see what happened."

T'Challa immediately signaled to Dora Milaje to come forward. "Lock him in the Vibranium cell and give him the Heart-Shaped Herb Neutralizer!"

Shuri's fingers flew across the holographic projection, the image zooming in. When she finally saw the creatures' true forms, her pupils contracted. "This is impossible... Wakanda's defense system gave absolutely no warning!"

In the projection, thousands of monsters were running wildly across the grassland. They had the distinctive purple skin and ferocious fangs of the Outriders, but their body structure had been clearly modified—their forelimbs had evolved Vibranium claws, and their backs were covered with energy patterns similar to those on the Black Panther Suit.

"Outriders?" Chen Tian frowned, his black trench coat fluttering in the energy storm. "How could Thanos's army be here?"

Tony's visor snapped shut, "JARVIS, scan biometrics!"

"Sir, a mixture of Vibranium and alien genes has been detected... along with a faint Heart-Shaped Herb energy reading."

T'Challa abruptly turned to look at the unconscious Eric: "He secretly modified these monsters using Vibranium and Heart-Shaped Herb!"

Suddenly, the entire grassland trembled violently. The ground in the distance exploded, and three gigantic creatures, each as tall as a ten-story building, burst from the earth—they resembled rhinoceroses, but were covered in Vibranium armor, with six cannons extending from their backs, and their eyes gleamed with the same pale light as Eric's.

"Damn it!" Pietro gasped. "He hybridized War Rhino with Outriders?"

Chen Tian frowned as he looked at the grasslands outside Wakanda, where dust billowed. He said in a deep voice, "No matter what, prepare. The Arbitrators, it's time to strike."

As he spoke, his figure vanished into thin air.

Tony laughed loudly, "Ha, what a grand party!" His gold and red armor began to change into blue and white, and six mechanical wings behind him carried him out of the palace.

Steve tightened his grip on his shield, about to board the Deathwing, when Pietro ran to his side. "Captain, I'll give you a ride." With that, he grabbed Steve and disappeared.

Natasha pouted, "You didn't even wait for me." Her Scorpio Cloth shimmered with golden light, and she shot off like a red lightning bolt.

T'Challa looked at the banquet hall, which had suddenly become empty, with only Banner operating Shuri's holographic projection system remaining. He took a deep breath, and the visor of the Black Panther Suit automatically closed, with purple energy patterns flowing between the Vibranium fibers.

"Border troops, listen up!" T'Challa's voice echoed throughout the palace via his suit's built-in communication system. "Immediately establish a defensive line three kilometers east of the city, prioritizing the protection of civilian evacuation routes!"

W'Kabi strode forward, his spear slamming heavily on the ground. "Your Majesty, allow me to lead men to reinforce the front lines!"

T'Challa pressed down on his shoulder. "No, you're in charge of the Border Cavalry, establishing a mobile defensive line across the steppes." His gaze shifted to Okoye. "The Dora Milaje will split into two groups: one to escort the elders into the underground bunkers, and the other to come with me."

The ground suddenly shook violently, and a deafening explosion echoed in the distance. Through the shattered stained-glass windows, a mushroom cloud could be seen rising from the grassland. Banner's glasses reflected the blue light of the holographic projection. "T'Challa, those monsters are advancing at 80 kilometers per hour!"

Shuri's fingers flew across the holographic keyboard. "I'm trying to restart the defense system..."

"Banner," T'Challa said in a deep voice, "This is your responsibility."

Banner adjusted his glasses, revealing faint green veins on his neck. "Don't worry, I'll do my best..."

T'Challa nodded, then turned and rushed down the corridor.

As he walked through the corridor, he saw Wakanda's civilians being evacuated in an orderly manner under the guidance of guards.

A mother holding a baby stumbled, T'Challa instantly appeared beside her, firmly supporting her shoulder.

"Head to the underground shelter," he said, retracting his visor and giving a reassuring smile. "Wakanda will protect her people."

A gust of wind whipped up yellow sand, and Chen Tian's figure flashed in the center of the battlefield. He flicked his right hand, and a greatsword appeared out of thin air—the engine of the 'Red Queen' roared, and the blade glowed with a scorching red light.

"You scum, are you ready to go to hell?" Chen Tian's lips curled into a mad smile as he cocked the Blue Rose in his left hand, the muzzle gleaming with a ghostly blue light.

The Outriders army surged forward like a tidal wave. Chen Tian neither dodged nor evaded, his left hand holding aloft Blue Rose—

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three specially made bullets whistled out, each wrapped with compressed 'Zi' energy. The moment the bullets hit their targets, a miniature black hole-like energy field suddenly erupted, tearing apart all enemies within a ten-meter radius.

"Warm-up complete." Chen Tian swung his right hand, the Red Queen sword, down suddenly, unleashing a burst of scorching sword energy from the engine overload. "EX! Slash!"

The crimson sword energy spread out in a fan shape, distorting space wherever it passed, and neatly slicing dozens of Outriders in two. The remaining blue-black energy at the cut prevented regeneration.

The three-headed mutated Outriders attacked from the flank. Chen Tian didn't even turn his head, his left hand quickly Hand Seals:

"Cang!"

The powerful gravitational field instantly compressed the three-headed monster into a ball of flesh. Then, with a powerful upward slash from his right hand, he unleashed a powerful attack from Red Queen—

"Huh!"

The repulsive force blasted the flesh ball into a shower of blood.

"Chen Tian! Reinforcements have arrived!"

A silver lightning bolt flashed across the battlefield as Quicksilver arrived with Steve, clad in the Leo Gold Cloth. Chen Tian grinned. "Captain, watch closely—"

He gripped the Red Queen sword with both hands, its blade shimmering with red and blue energy. "Virtual Style: Crimson Comet!"

A torrent of red and blue energy surged forth, cracking the earth wherever it passed, and hundreds of Outriders were reduced to ashes in the energy storm. The aftershocks blasted a giant crater a hundred meters in diameter into the mountainside a kilometer away.

"You bastard..." Steve stared in disbelief, "How come your destructive power is so similar to Dante's?"

Chen Tian flicked away the residual energy from his sword. "This is nothing."

Natasha's Scorpio Cloth descended from the sky, her fingertips flashing red light. "Crimson Needle - Starburst!" Countless beams of light precisely targeted the Outriders in the distance.

Tony's armor launched all its missiles, raining them down on the ground, before two laser swords popped from his wrists. "Leave the grunts to us!"

Chen Tian nodded, his gaze fixed on the three War Rhino in the distance. With his left hand, he quickly reloaded the Blue Rose, loading the specially made 'Zi' bullet.

"Teleportation - Azure!"

In a spatial distortion, he appeared atop the leading rhinoceros. His right hand, the Red Queen Engine, was overloaded to its limit. "MAX-Act! Crimson Dance!" (MAX-Act, Ultimate Charge)

Crimson sword light poured down like a torrential rain, instantly dismembering the burning rhinoceros into dozens of pieces. Just as the second rhinoceros raised its cannon barrel, Chen Tian vanished again, reappearing with Blue Rose pressed against its forehead with his left hand—

"Zi - Zero-range shooting!"

The head exploded with a thud, and the headless corpse crashed to the ground, the energy from the explosion sweeping over the surrounding Outriders.

The third rhinoceros turned to flee, but Chen Tian sneered and vanished again.

"MAX-Act! Meteor Fall!"

Chen Tian descended from the sky, holding the Red Queen aloft and engulfed in blazing flames.

"Boom!"

The immense power blasted the rhinoceros into a bloody pulp, sweeping away the surrounding Outriders and instantly creating an open area with a radius of tens of meters.

The battlefield suddenly fell silent. Tony's visor popped open. "Shit! Chen Tian! That fighting style is so cool! I want it too!"

Chen Tian hoisted the Red Queen onto his shoulder, flicked his white bangs with a smug grin, and smirked, "You'll never learn this, Tony. This is the unique fighting aesthetics of a handsome guy."

Tony's visor clicked shut, and the armored thrusters spewed out a dazzling plume of flame. "Ha! After this battle is over, I'm going to make JARVIS analyze your combat data!"

"Suit yourself~" Before Chen Tian finished speaking, his right hand suddenly flipped, and the Red Queen drew a perfect arc in a reversed grip. The moment the tip touched the ground, the engine roared deafeningly, "The battle continues!"