In Carter Slade's cemetery.
Hawk stood quietly, sensing the aura drawing closer—the last of the Creation Four Elements, the Water Demon.
And beside him… a hellish presence.
"Shua!"
"Shua!"
With a flash of dark light, at the cemetery gate appeared a man in a sharp suit with a grim expression, and beside him, a disheveled middle-aged figure whose soaked hair still dripped as if from a storm.
It was Blackheart and the Water Demon, Hydros!
Their eyes met.
When Blackheart's gaze fell on Hawk, his pupils shrank sharply.
He felt a terrifying power radiating from Hawk.
"Who are you!"
But before Blackheart finished, Hydros didn't hesitate. He turned and bolted.
As if he had made a life-or-death decision.
Unlike Blackheart, who only sensed Hawk's overwhelming aura, Hydros felt something else—he recognized the essence of the other three Creation Elements within Hawk.
The four elements were linked. His sensitivity surpassed Blackheart's.
And because of it, he panicked completely.
Why would the powers of the other three Elements exist in one body?
The answer was clear.
This man had already devoured his brothers and taken the origin powers of wind, earth, and fire.
And here he was—delivering himself straight into Hawk's hands.
In that instant, Hydros sprinted away at a speed that left Blackheart dumbfounded.
At the same time—
Hawk blinked at the sight, then laughed aloud.
The next second—
He vanished.
Hydros cursed his legs for not being four instead of two.
And cursed the land.
Why was it so dry here?
Where was the water?
Even a puddle would do!
As he fled desperately, his eyes darted around, searching for the slightest place to hide.
Then—
Boom!
Hydros froze as ripples distorted the space before him, radiating the aura of the Creation Elements. Hawk suddenly appeared, barring his path.
He tried to stop—but it was too late.
"Dong!"
Hawk's right hand spread wide, pressing down like a mountain, gripping Hydros's skull as if he had willingly leapt into his grasp.
The next instant—
Even as Hydros lashed out with his water powers, a phoenix's phantom erupted behind Hawk.
A scream tore from Hydros's throat.
"Ahhhhhh!"
In that endless shriek, the last elemental core of water was drawn from his body, flowing through Hawk's palm, fused with the phoenix's claw, and absorbed into his cosmos.
Seized in one grasp.
Refined in an instant.
Under the phoenix talons, Hydros shriveled before Hawk's eyes, his body collapsing in on itself at an exponential rate.
In the blink of an eye—
With a wet pop, like a bursting water balloon, he exploded into a foul-smelling puddle that seeped into the barren earth.
At the same time—
The fourth and final Element had joined Hawk's cosmos.
Instantly—
A great transformation began again.
With water's arrival, the burning red sphere inside Hawk's cosmos cooled, hardening into the core of a newborn world.
Stones whirled around it, gathering into a planetary shell under the pull of the four Elements.
But—
This would take time.
A world could not be born in a breath.
A dimension, perhaps. But not a true world.
That was what Blackheart and the Elements wanted—a new dimension.
But Hawk wanted a new world.
He had the choice. They did not.
The Elements were key to building a world, but the true core was Aether.
Without Aether, the four could only birth a dimension.
But Hawk had it.
With Aether in hand, he could forge a true world.
Now, with the Elements, his barren cosmos would flourish quickly—if given time.
And time—
Could be cheated.
Cheating only came in two kinds: once or infinitely.
He had already cheated reality with the Reality Stone to embody his power as a Silver Saint. Why not cheat time with the Time Stone to accelerate his cosmos's growth?
Would the Sorcerer Supreme lend it to him?
Probably.
After all, he was only accelerating his inner cosmos, not the real universe. With luck, the Sorcerer Supreme might agree.
Thinking optimistically, Hawk took one last glance at the forming planet in his cosmos before opening his eyes.
The Four Elements were his.
Now only one thing remained for his underworld to be complete—
Blackheart's law of life and death.
Hawk had no such law, at least not until his cosmos became a full parallel universe.
But Blackheart did.
So he would take it.
He had already devoured the Elements. One more demon made no difference.
That was how Hawk saw it.
As for Blackheart?
It didn't matter.
One sentence summed it up:
I want to kill you. Why should you care?
Most importantly, Mephisto himself had sent Hawk to kill his wayward son.
So—
When Hawk's eyes fell on Blackheart, he smiled warmly.
"Blackheart?"
"Who are you!"
Blackheart's voice was sharp, his face tense, watching Hawk like an enemy after witnessing him obliterate Hydros.
Hawk didn't hide the truth.
"Consider me… your father's friend."
"Mephisto!"
Blackheart's face twisted.
Truly a rebellious son, daring to speak his father's name directly.
Hawk arched a brow. "Your father came to New York yesterday. Said if I stopped his son's plan to create a new Hell, he'd return my sister's soul."
Blackheart blinked, then burst into laughter.
"He lied to you. He's deceiving you."
"Is that so?"
"You don't know him. I do. Every soul in Hell is his property. He'll never release a single one."
His words confirmed Hawk's suspicions. Taking a deep breath, Hawk listened as Blackheart pressed on:
"But I am different. Give me the Four Elements and the San Venganza Contract, and we can create a new Hell together. Once it's built, I can free your sister's soul."
Hawk's eyes flickered, as if moved.
Blackheart's heart leapt. He pressed harder, spitting more venom at Mephisto.
"Your contract came from Carter Slade, didn't it? Do you know how Mephisto tricked him? Slade was a Texas Ranger. His wife was gravely ill. Mephisto cured her with a soul contract. But the very next day, she died in an accident.
"Just like with Johnny Blaze's father.
"Mephisto never keeps his word. Work with him, and you'll gain nothing but agony, while he laughs at your tears!"
Hawk lowered his head, thoughtful.
After a long silence—
He looked up. "Work with you, and you can revive my sister?"
Blackheart nodded firmly. "Yes. Trust me. Work with me, and we'll share Hell itself. A new Hell ruling Earth—half mine, half yours."
And when it's built, the first thing I'll do is kill you.
Blackheart smiled convincingly.
Hawk seemed persuaded.
He inhaled deeply.
"Fine. Compared to Mephisto, I think I'd rather believe you. At worst, we'll share Hell together."
"Exactly."
Blackheart's smile widened.
Hawk flipped his left hand, revealing the San Venganza Contract, and stepped closer, holding it out.
Blackheart's face lit with greed as he reached for it.
And then—
The phoenix phantom erupted. Alongside it, the Phoenix Bronze Cloth, reforged for his duel with Thor on Mars, appeared once more.
Clattering into place, the armor covered Hawk's body in an instant.
As the mask locked into place—
Hawk's right hand formed two fingers, already pressed against Blackheart's forehead.
"Phoenix—"
"Illusion Demon Fist!!!"
"…"
(End of Chapter)
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