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Hawk spat on the grass beside him.
He looked at Malekith, who had just asked if he was ready for more, and let out a short, sharp laugh.
"That was just the warm-up."
"Is that so?" Malekith's lips curved into a faint smile. "Then are you ready now?"
Hawk smiled back. "I am!"
The moment the words left his mouth, a spectral phoenix, bathed in crimson flames, materialized behind him.
The next second, the phantom phoenix dissolved, breaking apart into individual components that surged toward Hawk.
A pauldron, intricately detailed with the feathers of a magnificent bird, was forged in the roiling flames and collided with Hawk's left shoulder like a meteor. With a resounding metallic clang, it snapped seamlessly into place, fusing perfectly with the other pieces of the armor that arrived in the same instant.
Greaves, vambraces, cuisses... countless components, all glowing with a brilliant, fiery gold, shot from the flames as if they had a life of their own.
They moved with unerring precision, one after another, locking into place, covering every inch of Hawk's body.
As the last piece settled, Hawk finished his sentence.
"Lightning—"
"—Sonic Fist!!"
As his right fist shot forward, the cry of a phoenix tore through the sky. A storm of phantom fists materialized, closing the distance to Malekith in the blink of an eye.
CRACK!
Malekith's head snapped to the side, a visible ripple of force distorting the air around his cheek.
He was launched backward, crashing through the retaining wall the London government had built around Stonehenge and slamming into the ground, carving out a deep crater in the grass.
Dirt and rock flew into the air.
A cloud of dust rose.
Perched atop one of the monoliths, Peter's jaw dropped as he stared at Hawk, who was now clad in a suit of brilliant golden armor, complete with a pair of magnificent golden wings.
His jaw dropped even further as he watched Hawk reach back, detach the wings, and toss them aside.
Hawk, now free of the wings—which were, at this point, all flash and no substance—cracked his neck as a sudden downpour began to fall.
The Cosmo within him was burning at its absolute limit.
The next second, he left an afterimage in his place. He was already hovering in the air above Malekith's crater, his right fist, now wreathed in crimson flames, plunging downward.
BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—
The earth trembled amidst the deafening explosions and the rising cloud of dust and steam.
The systems at the London Earthquake Monitoring Centre began to shriek with anomalous readings.
Peter's eyes lit up.
Is it over?
"Heheheh..."
Just as the thought crossed his mind, Malekith's perfect, villainous laughter echoed from within the dust cloud.
"Child..."
"I must confess, I misjudged you."
The dust, washed away by the sudden torrential rain, quickly dissipated.
Malekith's figure reappeared.
He was completely unscathed.
A transparent, dark-red barrier, formed from the raw power of the Aether, shimmered around him.
His pale pupils were fixed on the now-armored Hawk.
"Your power... it is impressive."
"But it does not belong to this universe."
"That is why you require the Aether—to anchor it in reality."
"But in doing so, you cannot use the Aether for more... interesting applications."
"And I can sense that you do not have complete control over this power of yours."
"It reminds me of another Child."
"Thor."
Thor, God of Thunder?
No.
Thor, God of Hammers!
"So..."
"This is your final chance."
Malekith, feeling the approach of the other "Child" and the imminent peak of the Convergence, was losing his patience.
"Give me the Aether, and I will spare your life."
"I refuse."
Hawk's answer was swift and absolute.
Malekith's smile vanished. The next instant, he was standing directly in front of Hawk.
BOOOOOOOOM!
A punch, infused with the dark-red energy of the Aether, slammed into Hawk's faceplate.
The helmet cracked.
With a single blow, it shattered.
In the next instant, Malekith seized Hawk, and wrapped in the power of the Aether, they vanished as a wave of energy from the Convergence swept over them.
Peter, still perched on the monolith, stared at the spot where Hawk had just been, completely floored.
He leaped down, landing where they had disappeared.
And then... Nothing.
The wail of sirens grew closer, but Hawk and Malekith were gone.
Peter was utterly baffled.
Just then.
"MALEKITH! COME OUT AND FACE YOUR DOOM!"
CRACK!!!
A peal of thunder split the storm as Thor, the God of Thunder, descended from the sky with Mjølnir in hand.
He saw Peter and paused, a look of confusion on his face.
"Where is Malekith?"
"He's not here."
Peter shook his head, then pointed to the spot where Hawk had vanished. "He was here a moment ago, he disappeared with my friend."
Thor's voice was the kind of deep baritone that other superheroes could only dream of. He looked at Peter and nodded. "It is a spatial ripple, created by the Convergence of the Nine Realms."
Peter frowned.
"So, when will they be back?"
"I do not know."
"What?"
"The Convergence occurs only once every few thousand years. I was not yet born the last time it happened."
"...So what do we do now?"
"I do not know."
Thor's answer was blunt.
He had come to Earth because his girlfriend, Jane, told him that another human—a man named Hawk—also possessed the Aether. He came to protect Hawk and prevent Malekith from reclaiming its full power.
As long as Malekith didn't have both pieces, as long as they could hold out for the eight minutes of the Convergence, the Nine Realms would be safe.
He had wanted to come to Earth last night.
But his mother, the Queen of Asgard, had died, and he had been compelled to attend her funeral.
And now he was too late.
The Convergence was about to begin. During this time, even Heimdall's all-seeing eyes were blind.
So, for a moment, Thor just stood there, at a complete loss.
...
On the planet of Jotunheim, one of the Nine Realms, the scene was quite different.
This was the home of the Frost Giants—a harsh, desolate world of ice-covered mountains, glaciers, and frozen forests.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Hawk and Malekith, teleported here by the spatial ripple, were locked in a brutal battle.
Icebergs shattered.
Glaciers cracked.
They fought from the frozen peaks to the icy plains, from the mountains to the forests.
To call it a "battle" wasn't quite accurate.
Because Hawk was being completely overpowered, driven back by Malekith's relentless assault. If it weren't for the constant, burning power of his Cosmo, he would have been finished long ago.
But even so, he wasn't in good shape.
His Phoenix Armor was covered in a web of fractures.
His helmet had been shattered at the very beginning of the fight.
Just as he suspected. This armor, despite its golden brilliance, was still only a Bronze Cloth—flashy, but lacking substance.
The Aether he possessed was being used entirely to anchor his Cosmo in reality.
But Malekith also had the Aether.
At first, Hawk had been able to hold his own, using the kinetic absorption properties of his Vibranium armor to fight him to a standstill.
But the moment Malekith had realized what the armor was made of, the situation had changed.
Vibranium might be the strongest metal on Earth, but it wasn't the strongest in the universe.
Thanos's Uru-metal Twinblade had carved through Captain America's shield in three hits.
And this was Malekith—an ancient being who had lived for thousands of years and now wielded the Aether itself.
The moment he adapted, the battle was over.
But!
Hawk did not retreat. He was being beaten, but he was still fighting. His message was simple.
"You're going to have to kill me."
"Gladly!!"
Malekith, a man of few words and decisive action, seized him and plunged toward the ancient, miles-thick ice sheet below.
WHOOSH!!
Yet, just before impact, another spatial ripple swept over them, and they vanished once more.
...
In the distance, a group of Frost Giants who had been watching the two intruders devastate their homeland exchanged bewildered looks.
The next second, they raised their fists to the sky and roared.
"ODIN!!"
"ASGARD!!!"
Don't ask why they blamed Asgard.
Just know that Odin had stolen their most sacred treasure—the Casket of Ancient Winters.
...
Earth. Stonehenge.
Peter, who had been about to leave, was now stuck with the God of Thunder.
Thor, sensing the awkwardness of the moment, shifted his hammer from hand to hand. He glanced at the London police, who were cautiously approaching, then turned back to Peter. "Jane told me Hawk saved her life. That makes him a friend of mine as well."
Peter just nodded and said nothing.
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