While the Panther Goddess was speaking with Daniel and Carol, T'Chaka and his family were so excited they could barely contain themselves.
The Panther Goddess hadn't appeared for nearly a hundred years, yet now she had descended once again, and through his own son, no less. Didn't that prove their royal family was blessed by destiny and meant to rule Wakanda?
Quick, record everything. This would be invaluable when the time came for T'Challa to ascend the throne.
"I come with goodwill. I did so several years ago, and I do so now."
"T'Challa" spoke with a solemn expression.
"It was I who bestowed the power of the Black Panther. The Heart-Shaped Herb is merely the medium. Only those acknowledged by me can receive its enhancement."
The Panther Goddess proudly revealed her contribution. She had discovered that these two were as straightforward as they came. If she didn't explain things herself, they probably wouldn't even realize it.
More importantly, that man had become stronger again, as though he had undergone a complete transformation. Before, he couldn't perceive her existence at all, and now, he could actually see through space and directly into her divine realm.
If he ever lost his mind and barged into her divine kingdom, the Panther Goddess had the uncomfortable feeling she might not actually be able to stop him.
"So that's why you gave me such a huge lick back then?"
Carol clenched her fists as she spoke.
"That was a ritual. It was my blessing upon you. Only through it could you obtain your power. If you don't believe me, ask T'Challa later. I licked him too."
The Panther Goddess quickly explained, while secretly speaking to T'Challa's soul in a far less friendly tone.
"Kid, when you get back out there, you'd better tell them I licked your face too. Otherwise... hmph."
At that moment, T'Challa's soul was inside the Panther Goddess's divine realm, though he could still see everything happening outside. Hearing the Panther Goddess's threatening tone, T'Challa suddenly felt he was being treated unfairly.
"Back then, you barely gave me a casual lick before swatting me away with one paw!"
But what could he do?
He nodded and agreed with the Panther Goddess's explanation. He was the Panther Goddess's believer, and every ounce of his power came from the goddess' blessing. How could he possibly object?
In a small voice, T'Challa added, "Daniel's my best bro."
The Panther Goddess paused, her tone immediately softened.
"I shall strengthen you further."
"Thank you, Panther Goddess."
T'Challa replied respectfully.
For some reason, those words sounded a little strange to the Panther Goddess.
...
"Really?"
Carol asked suspiciously.
The Panther Goddess released her control over T'Challa's body, allowing him to take control once more.
He nodded.
"That's right. The Panther Goddess bestowed the same blessing upon me."
The moment they heard his voice, which was completely different from before, Daniel and Carol immediately knew T'Challa had returned.
"Uh... Panther Goddess, could you stop possessing my friend's body? It feels kind of weird."
Daniel finally spoke. He didn't worship the Panther Goddess, and he had absolute confidence in his own strength, so his tone was rather casual.
If they really fought, it wasn't certain who'd end up backing down. Besides, Carol was standing right beside him.
Daniel refused to believe the Panther Goddess could withstand a brother and sister tag team beating from both him and Carol.
If she were truly that powerful, why had she stayed in Wakanda for thousands of years? The gods of Asgard ruled the Nine Realms, yet they didn't seem that overwhelmingly powerful.
Could the Panther Goddess really be stronger than the Asgardians? Daniel didn't buy it.
Now that he'd become this powerful, was he supposed to watch every word he said? Worry about hurting everyone else's feelings? Sorry, he couldn't do that.
He was like someone who had won a massive lottery jackpot overnight. The fact that he hadn't already gone completely wild was restraint enough, but he was definitely getting carried away.
He still had a long road ahead of him, and his strength had grown far faster than the mindset needed to match it.
His humility, his easygoing nature, those were reserved only for his family and friends, and for people he couldn't beat.
After all, when it was time to back down, you backed down. That was simply following your heart.
Before his transformation, Daniel had been quite respectful toward the Ancient One. Now, he was starting to get a little cocky again.
"As you wish."
The Panther Goddess's voice echoed directly within everyone's minds.
Daniel curled his lip dismissively, though there was a trace of envy. This so-called goddess had all sorts of strange abilities, just like that old woman, the Ancient One.
Unlike him, other than super speed, super strength, a super brain, super vision, super hearing ...and a bunch of other superpowers...
He didn't really have anything fancy.
Daniel had never wanted to be a warrior. If he had the choice, he'd much rather be a mage who swung a magic staff around while beating people up.
After agreeing to Daniel's request, the Panther Goddess disappeared briefly. A moment later, a spatial passage suddenly opened inside the room, and a tiny panther with glossy black fur stepped out.
Her black coat shimmered brilliantly. She was only about the size of a house cat. There wasn't the slightest hint of a majestic godly aura. Instead, she looked unbelievably adorable.
If Nick saw her, he'd definitely fall in love with her and wouldn't be able to resist petting her nonstop.
The Panther Goddess leaped onto the table, lifted her head proudly, and asked, "Are you satisfied now?"
Daniel was very satisfied. In her current form, the Panther Goddess was simply too cute. Combined with her identity as an actual god, he was already tempted to pet her.
Her glowing fur looked incredibly soft. Just looking at it made him certain it would feel amazing to touch.
Daniel couldn't help feeling tempted, he really wanted a pet like this, especially one that was a goddess, just imagining it was enough to send his reputation soaring.
Carol didn't hesitate in the slightest. She scooped the Panther Goddess off the table and hugged the cat in her arms.
She was just as fearless as ever. With enough strength, she feared nothing.
"W-What are you doing, mortal?!"
The Panther Goddess panicked and struggled desperately to escape Carol's grasp. Unfortunately, Carol was surprisingly strong, and she couldn't break free any time soon.
"So you're the panther I saw before? You actually look more like a kitten."
Carol had completely forgotten how terrified she'd been when she'd first encountered the Panther Goddess. Now she simply held the cat in her arms and happily stroked her fur.
"Your fur feels so nice!" Carol grinned.
"A divine kitty really is different!"
"I'm a panther! I am the Panther Goddess!"
The Panther Goddess struggled to raise one paw in protest. Hearing Carol praise how soft her fur was, Daniel couldn't resist reaching over to give her a stroke himself.
She was right, it really was incredibly soft. Even T'Challa quietly reached out and petted it once when no one was looking.
The old king and the queen were tempted as well, but out of reverence for the Panther Goddess, neither dared to act.
"Mortal! This is disrespect toward a goddess!"
Having finally escaped Carol's embrace, the now cat-sized Panther Goddess leaped back onto the table. She carefully groomed her ruffled fur with one paw before speaking.
Carol smiled.
"Then, Panther Goddess, what brings you here to visit us ordinary mortals today?"
The Panther Goddess sat on the table. She first cleared her throat twice.
"Ahem... ahem..."
Then she said with great seriousness, "I require your assistance with a small matter."
"I don't mind helping. I'm still grateful for the enhancement you gave me back then."
Carol smiled brightly.
"But I do have one tiny request."
"What request?"
"You're just too cute."
"Meow for us."
"If you do, Daniel and I will help you."
"Impossible!"
The Panther Goddess declared proudly.
"I am the noble Panther Goddess. How could I imitate the cry of such a lowly creature as a cat?"
"If you won't meow, then I'm not helping."
Carol cracked her knuckles, producing a series of loud pops.
"Now let's settle the score for covering my face in drool when you licked me back then."
"Meow…"
A.N: Hey everyone! I recently noticed some comments saying the Superman story only gets one chapter update while the Game story gets two, so I just wanted to clear that up.
The main difference is that Game chapters are usually short, maybe around 900 to 1000 words, while Superman chapters are much longer, around 1700 to 2000 words, so it might seem like the Superman story is updated more slowly than the Game one, as everything comes in one larger chapter, but that's not actually the case.
Also, thanks for reading this story, I really appreciate all your support.