Peter stayed silent.
Thor looked awkward.
He had come to stop Malekith—only to find that both Malekith and Hawk, the one who had saved Jane and carried the Aether, were gone.
If he were alone, he wouldn't mind waiting.
But standing beside him was a stranger who didn't seem interested in talking.
Thor scratched his beard, half wanting to leave—yet this was the Convergence's focal point. If Malekith and Hawk vanished here, odds were they'd reappear here as well.
So he lingered.
Finally, Thor forced a grin. "Say, do you know Tony Stark? I fought beside him in New York."
Peter tilted his masked face up. "He's a billionaire."
Thor frowned. "And…?"
"I'm broke. I know him, but he doesn't know me."
Thor sucked in a sharp breath, then brightened. "Then surely you know Hulk?"
Peter's expression soured beneath the mask. He nodded stiffly. "Yeah. I know him."
Thor's eyes lit up—only for three black SUVs to roll up. Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton stepped out.
"Thor," Natasha called.
"Natasha," Thor greeted, relieved to see familiar faces. He turned quickly to Peter again. "See? They're my friends too. When Hawk returns, we can all meet together!"
Peter's silence grew heavier.
Even Natasha blinked strangely at Thor's words. She leaned closer and whispered, "Thor… Hulk is dead."
Thor froze. "What? Dead? How?"
Natasha's eyes flicked toward Peter. "During the battle with Abomination, Hulk caused Hawk's sister's death. Hawk hunted him down last year—he killed Hulk."
Thor's breath caught. His eyes went wide as he turned to Peter.
Peter hesitated, then gave a small nod.
Clint added quietly, "At first, Banner survived. But later, Betty Ross tried to avenge her father, targeted Hawk's girlfriend, and was killed. Then Banner himself hunted Hawk down in Africa… and died there."
"Hulk and Banner—both gone," Clint finished.
Thor staggered back a step. To him, it felt like he'd only been gone a year. Yet everything had changed.
He muttered, almost to himself, "So… this Hawk… whose blood runs in him? What god sired him?"
He couldn't believe a mortal could slay Hulk. Only a half-god could.
Natasha opened her mouth, ready to deny it, when the ground shook.
An eruption of energy burst from Stonehenge.
Boom!
Hawk came crashing back, body wreathed in magma from Muspelheim, the realm of fire giants. He skidded across the grass, gouging a blazing line a kilometer long.
His armor was shattered, cracked and dim. Blood streamed down his forehead.
Not far away, Malekith reappeared—half his face newly ruined.
But he still stood strong.
"Boy," Malekith rasped, no longer a gentleman, "surrender the Aether."
The Convergence's energy was peaking. If he missed this chance, he'd have to wait another thousand years.
Hawk pushed himself to his feet, swaying. His reply was firm.
"You'll have to kill me."
"Gladly!" Malekith sneered, Aether pulsing like a dark heart between his fingers.
Thor roared, charging with Mjolnir raised high.
But Hawk moved first.
His fist slammed—not into Malekith, but into Thor, blasting him out of the air.
Everyone froze.
Thor stumbled back, dented armor smoking. "What are you doing?!"
Hawk's voice was like iron. "He's mine. If you want him… get in line."
With that, Hawk launched himself forward, meeting Malekith head-on.
Their fists collided. Aether wrapped Malekith's blow, bending the very air around them. Hawk's armor cracked.
Snap!
Blood spurted from Hawk's mouth. His chestplate shattered, fragments falling like dying sparks.
Malekith had used the Aether to rewrite reality itself—making Hawk's armor as fragile as glass.
Hawk staggered but did not fall.
His bare chest bled, starlight glimmering in the strange golden-red ichor that poured from his wounds. His heartbeat slowed.
Boom. Boom.
He could feel his life ebbing.
The cosmos within him roared. The phoenix spread its wings, flames surging.
The program of rebirth had begun.
So this was it—Nirvana.
But where was the sixth sense? Where was the enlightenment that was supposed to come at the edge of death?
Even as his vision blurred, Hawk only sighed.
He closed his eyes.
And in that instant—
Something changed.
…
(End of Chapter)
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