An endless void of darkness.
Hawk opened his eyes again after vanishing from Mephisto's tavern in golden fire. All around him was pitch black—so dark he couldn't even see his own hand.
"Damn it," he muttered. He thought the rebirth had already ended. But it hadn't.
Wait… wasn't rebirth supposed to happen in an instant?
He focused, sinking his will into his Cosmos.
Shock flickered in his eyes.
His Cosmos… was gone.
No—still there, but unreachable. It was as though something in this black space had severed his senses, stripping away sight, sound, smell, taste, touch.
Realization struck him. This was the edge between life and death.
So Hawk sat cross-legged in the void, mimicking Shaka's serene posture, and slowly closed his eyes.
In that instant, the darkness was gone.
Light. Stars streaked like meteors across the void, rushing toward him. Countless thoughts swarmed into his mind, only to vanish in a blink.
He understood now.
He had reached the threshold.
The gate of the Sixth Sense appeared once more. This time, there was no hesitation. He stepped forward.
And the realm of the Sixth Sense opened before him.
…
Back at Stonehenge, the phoenix that had cocooned him spread its wings wide.
Scarlet fire roared skyward, flames surging like a tornado.
Within them, Hawk opened his eyes.
His pupils burned scarlet streaked with gold.
He raised a single finger toward Malekith, fifty meters away.
"Super… Sonic Punch!"
A white flash erupted. Malekith's body was hurled back violently—only after the blow landed did the earth shake with the delayed thunderclap.
The Supersonic Punch—silver-class technique. A strike at several times the speed of sound, capable of shattering bronze warriors with a finger.
This was the standard of a Silver Saint.
And Hawk had crossed that line.
From the flames, bare-chested, he strode forward. His Cosmos expanded, a phoenix spanning galaxies, its wings eclipsing the stars as if heralding his rebirth.
Malekith staggered from the crater, his ruined face twisting. "Impossible! No mortal can wield power like this—you're a god!"
"I am not a god," Hawk said calmly. "Not yet. Not until I reach the Ninth Sense. But when I do—I will be a creator god. The one who shapes the Phoenix Universe."
That was why Malekith called him divine. Because Hawk bore the god-authority of Deathlessness and Rebirth. Only gods could wield such a crown.
Malekith roared, summoning the Aether. Dark red matter surged into his hands, swelling into a mountain that crashed down toward Hawk.
Hawk looked up, unflinching. He raised his right hand.
Boom!
The colossal mass settled into his palm. Not a tremor, not a step back.
It was as though Hawk held the weight of a mountain with a single hand.
Peter gasped, nearly choking in awe. Natasha's eyes narrowed, Clint's focus sharpened. Thor shrugged and muttered, "That's nothing. I can lift a star."
Natasha side-eyed him. She had no proof of that. But Hawk's feat was undeniable.
For Silver Saints, this was the measure: to split seas, to move mountains.
Hawk tapped the mountain's base lightly with his left finger.
Crack—
The mountain shattered into dust.
Malekith's pupils shrank in disbelief. Hawk only shook his head.
"You're right. Before this, like Thor, I couldn't control my strength. I couldn't beat you."
Natasha's gaze cut to Thor. "Aren't you the God of Thunder?"
Thor opened his mouth—then shut it again.
"But now?" Hawk continued, his tone flat. "Now, you're weak. So weak I can't even find the will to fight you."
He turned away, as if done.
Malekith's face contorted. "You dare call me worthless?!"
In a flash, he appeared behind Hawk, reality-dagger in hand.
"Shit—Hawk, behind you!" Peter and Natasha cried.
Whap!
Hawk spun, slapping Malekith across the field with one palm. His voice stayed calm.
"But I'll give you a gift, for helping me awaken my Sixth Sense… and for delivering the Aether to me."
Flames surged again, this time carving a dragon's shape across Hawk's back. Not the azure dragon—this was a dragon of fire.
He raised his right hand toward the sky, taking the stance of his strongest, armorless technique.
The fire dragon roared, circling across his back, its cry rising with his Cosmos.
Hawk's eyes blazed.
"Ascend to the heavens… Heavenly Dragon!"
The dragon's roar shook the battlefield.
…
(End of Chapter)
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