Just as Wakanda was under invasion, T'Challa, who had been hiding in the shadows and had lost the battle for the Black Panther mantle, watched his devastated homeland and the powerful Erik.
His fists clenched involuntarily.
"Father, I have failed your trust. I could not take on your responsibilities and continue to protect Wakanda…"
"Maybe Shuri was right. I should seek the guidance of the Panther God. Perhaps she can tell me what to do."
Erik was ambitious but unfit to be Wakanda's king.
Though he had yet to display the traits of a tyrant, Shuri's investigation revealed disturbing details—during his time in the Navy SEALs, Erik had taken pleasure in killing, sparing neither enemies nor civilians.
A man with such a cruel and dark nature, combined with his ever-growing magical strength, could lead Wakanda into ruin.
Moreover, T'Challa and his allies still suspected that Erik had a hand in T'Chaka's death.
It was too much of a coincidence.
With these thoughts weighing on him, T'Challa finally made up his mind.
With the help of Shuri's secret arrangements, he consumed the heart-shaped herb once again and entered the Ancestral Plane—a vast, mystical grassland where the spirits of past rulers dwelled.
There, he encountered the late T'Chaka.
Through their conversation, T'Challa learned a shocking truth—his father had been killed by Max!
And beside Max was Erik!
Their suspicions were right—Erik and Max (Electro) were working together!
Enraged, T'Challa was about to return and expose Erik's true nature.
But T'Chaka stopped him.
"A true king must be fully prepared."
"Even with the heart-shaped herb, you are no match for Max and Erik."
"I was wrong. I should have listened to you and accelerated our research on the magic net. I underestimated the power of magic."
"But it is too late for regrets. I cannot start over. You, however, must not repeat my mistakes."
"You need greater power—power strong enough to reclaim Wakanda and defeat Max, the hidden force behind Erik."
"Go. Seek out Bast, the Panther God. Tell her what has happened. She will guide you."
With those final words, T'Chaka's form shifted back into a Black Panther and disappeared into the tree.
T'Challa, still dazed, felt himself being pushed out of the ancestral realm.
When his vision cleared, a massive Black Panther appeared before him.
Its enormous frame, sleek black fur, and powerful limbs exuded an unmistakable divine presence.
"Great Panther Goddess!"
A soft, feminine voice echoed through the air.
"I already know what has happened in Wakanda. You have told me of the magic net and the god of magic."
Bast's piercing, feline eyes glimmered with curiosity and doubt.
After T'Chaka's death, she had been searching for answers.
Through her divine knowledge, she had learned that the God of Magic in Asgard had recently constructed a magic net—a vast, mystical system that allowed mortals to grasp magic rapidly and attain immense power.
This revelation had shocked her.
The title "God of Magic" had begun spreading among the divine pantheon ever since Odin bestowed it upon Aaron.
Even though Asgard had long withdrawn from the gatherings of the Almighty City, Odin remained a figure of immense respect and power—on par with Zeus himself.
Though Zeus continued to send invitations to Asgard, Odin never responded.
Still, the gods had dismissed the emergence of a new God of Magic as nothing more than a trivial event.
That is, until whispers began circulating among their believers.
Legends spoke of a god who had created the magic net, a force that had spread across the galaxy.
At first, the gods had ignored it.
Their attention had been on Gorr, the God Butcher, who wielded the Black Necrosword and had been hunting them relentlessly.
To avoid him, many gods had retreated to Almighty City.
Even Bast, unwilling to confront the God Butcher, had sought refuge there.
What T'Challa was speaking to now was merely her consciousness projection.
Listening carefully to T'Challa's account, Bast was mildly intrigued—until he mentioned something that left her stunned.
"Are you certain? The God of Thunder, Thor, is also connected to the magic net and using its power?"
"There is no doubt," T'Challa confirmed. "Not only Thor, but Odin himself, along with Loki, the God of Mischief, and Hela, the Goddess of Death, are all using the magic net."
"In fact, according to Thor, all of Asgard and the Nine Realms are now connected to it. The magic net has become essential for every civilization."
Bast took a step back, her mind racing.
If even Odin and his children had to rely on the magic net…
This changed everything.
To other gods, this was earth-shattering news.
It was like hearing that Zeus—the oldest and wisest of the gods—had to borrow the power of another deity.
An unthinkable notion.
After a moment of contemplation, Bast spoke.
"Find an opportunity to connect to the magic net. Observe its properties and report back to me."
Then, as an afterthought, she added,
"If possible, invite the God of Magic to Almighty City. A newly born yet powerful god must be introduced to the pantheon."
T'Challa nodded.
"And what about Erik and Max? Their strength is growing rapidly. If left unchecked, they will lead Wakanda into destruction.
"Great Panther Goddess, can you not intervene?"
Bast sighed.
"I cannot interfere directly. But I will watch over you. When the time comes, I will offer guidance."
Though dissatisfied, T'Challa had no choice but to accept this response.
Upon returning to the physical world, he left Wakanda with Shuri's secret assistance.
Following Shuri's investigation, he made his way to New York—where he found Aaron, who was deep in magical training.
T'Challa requested to be connected to the magic net.
Aaron, uninterested in the political struggle between Erik and T'Challa, simply handed him a contract.
Whether Wakanda would fall under Erik's rule or T'Challa's was of no concern to him.
As T'Challa studied the contract, he secretly relayed its contents to Bast.
Bast remained silent.
At that moment, Aaron sensed something unusual—a divine presence approaching T'Challa.
A consciousness distinct from the Panther God.
"A god's will?"
He murmured, recognizing the intensity of the projection.
"The Panther Goddess, Bast…?"
Aaron chose to ignore her.
If Bast didn't seek him out directly, he had no interest in pursuing her.
But he understood her motives.
She was intrigued by the magic net.
Perhaps… she could serve as a gateway to introduce the magic net to the cowardly gods hiding in Almighty City?
As Aaron pondered this, Bast's presence faded.
T'Challa soon signed the contract, briefly sensing the magic net before delivering Bast's message.
"The Great Panther Goddess invites you to Almighty City. She wishes to meet you but cannot leave."
Aaron considered for a moment before replying,
"Tell her I will come—but not yet. I have unfinished business."
For now, strengthening his own power took precedence over dealing with a gathering of timid gods.
After all, it wasn't him who was in a hurry.
The gods were the ones with reason to be anxious.
With T'Challa gone, Aaron resumed his magical training.
One year passed.
During that time, he expanded his Pocket Space to Level 9, vastly increasing its energy storage capacity.
At this stage, it was no longer just a pocket universe.
Its size had surpassed even the Dark Dimension!
Now, Aaron estimated that it could rival the Crimson Cosmos in scale.
If fully charged with energy, he could instantly ascend to the level of a Single Universe Dimensional Lord, wielding unimaginable power.
But for now, he was not yet capable of unleashing his full cosmic might in a single strike.
That was the next step.
And he had no intention of stopping.
His strength would only continue to grow.
The Magic Superman form infinitely increases Aaron's physical strength.
With sheer force alone, it becomes incredibly difficult to destroy the universe—if the magnitude of that power is sufficient.
Of course, the "small feat" of dragging a planet would be more than manageable.
After upgrading his pocket space to LV9, Aaron also practiced Materialization Magic. However, in such a short period, there was no way to immediately raise it to LV9.
Determined to refine it further, he continued investing in its improvement.
It took another six months to elevate Materialization Magic to LV9.
At the same time, he spent some effort upgrading Glory to LV7.
When Glory Magic reached LV7, it underwent yet another transformation—just as expected.
The Body of Glory evolved into the Iron God Body.
Compared to its LV5 form, the Iron God Body offered significant improvements in both base strength and upper limits.
In terms of raw power, Aaron's normal state now far exceeded his previous Magic Superman form.
His strength had surpassed the point of being quantifiable.
Additionally, unlike before, he no longer needed to actively trigger his Steel Body.
At this point, there was no longer any distinction between Magic Superman Form and Normal Form.
His normal state was now his Magic Superman form, and his Magic Superman form was now his normal state.
Even in the attribute column, Strength and Endurance were no longer enclosed in parentheses. There was only a single displayed value—7.
Now, as long as he accumulated enough energy, he could unleash power far beyond his previous limits.
And he could alter his size at will.
Aaron had tested this ability in the Mirror Dimension—in mere moments, he could expand into a colossal being spanning hundreds or even thousands of kilometers!
At that size, he was absolutely on par with the Celestial Gods!
What's more, his strength and durability scaled accordingly, growing exponentially with his size.
With a casual punch, he had nearly shattered the Mirror Dimension itself!
In order to refine these three spells—especially the two LV9 abilities—Aaron consumed an astronomical amount of magical energy.
The sheer power expended was enough to create an entire pantheon of powerful gods.
To be safe, he temporarily halted his progress in Atomic Reorganization Magic after reaching LV9.
He also refrained from attempting LV10 upgrades.
The reason was simple—he needed to preserve enough magical energy to remain battle-ready at all times.
Moreover, the mana he had left was insufficient to upgrade any spell to LV10.
The magic power required for LV10 was exponentially greater than that for LV9.
To continue his growth, he needed to further expand the reach of the Magic Net—
To harvest even more divine power.
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