As the S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite link went live, Commander Victoria Hand and Director Maria Hill simultaneously turned toward the screen.
On-screen—
A massive crater had formed in the middle of the ocean. Calm water filled its base, while towering seawalls surrounded it, stretching up until they met the sky.
Thankfully, the satellite hovered high above. Despite slight interference and static occasionally flashing across the image, the two figures colliding repeatedly—separating, then smashing together again—remained clearly visible.
The crimson energy unmistakably belonged to Hawk.
But that deep ocean-blue aura…
"Can you zoom in?"
"No," replied a S.H.I.E.L.D. technician quickly. "This is the limit. The energy overflow is too intense."
Hill nodded slightly.
"Capture as many frames as possible, archive them, and start identification analysis."
"Understood."
Boom!
Hawk's blow was simple and raw—another straightforward punch meeting Namor's lunging trident.
The clash of fist and trident echoed once more through the arena of seawater that surrounded them.
The trident shuddered.
Namor rode the recoil back to the seawall, glancing at his trembling right hand before lifting his gaze back to Hawk.
Hawk floated effortlessly in midair, calm as ever.
"I could do this all day."
"So could I."
Namor grinned, darting aside from Hawk's next punch. Sliding along the seawall as if skating, he glided down to the flat surface of the crater and slammed his trident upright with a resounding thud.
The endless water that formed the surrounding walls responded to his command—collapsing inward like a triggered trap.
Without hesitation, Hawk's form flickered. The instant the walls caved in, he appeared above the ocean's surface.
Splash!
The collapsing sea refilled the crater instantly, swallowing the spot where Namor had stood, trident and all.
"Is he dead?"
A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, watching remotely through the satellite feed, leaned forward, excitement in his voice.
Everyone knew it—
The Phoenix had once helped S.H.I.E.L.D. eliminate Hydra's chaos, making him a friend of S.H.I.E.L.D.
And a friend's enemy was, by default, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s enemy.
So naturally, the agents were rooting for Hawk.
Hand and Hill, however, said nothing.
Their eyes remained locked on the screen—on Hawk, still hovering above the ocean, expressionless.
Dead?
Impossible.
Namor was the Sea King.
He could die anywhere—but not in the ocean.
It was like Mephisto: unless you destroyed the Hell dimension itself, he couldn't truly die within it.
Namor was the same.
Within the sea, his power rivaled that of Thor himself.
Just as now—
Hawk's senses picked up movement beneath the waves.
Namor had stirred.
A blur of motion—Namor, back in his element, streaked through the water at supersonic speed, as if to retreat.
But the next second—
In the blink of an eye, he surged back toward the surface, thrusting his trident high toward Hawk.
Boom!
A colossal pillar of water, thick as the World Tree itself, formed instantly, spiraling upward like a roaring volcano and launching straight toward Hawk.
But—
The devastating torrent missed its mark.
Namor stood atop the surging column, trident in hand, glaring at Hawk hovering not far away.
"I thought you didn't run."
"Heh."
Hawk chuckled softly. "Who dove into the water first?"
Namor spread his arms, the darkening tone of his skin glistening with seawater.
"The ocean is my home. You're the one trespassing."
"No."
Hawk's calm gaze fixed on him. "Remember—it was you who provoked me first."
Namor blinked, then scoffed. "So what?"
"Nothing much," Hawk said with a faint smile. "Just remember that. When I destroy your kingdom the way I destroyed Wakanda, you'll at least know why."
"Just like your wife's brother."
"When I destroyed Wakanda, he survived long enough to ask me why. Do you know what I told him?"
Namor frowned, his brow creasing.
"What?"
"I said—"
"Destroying you has nothing to do with you."
"So now you know. I've given you your warning. When your kingdom falls, you won't ask stupid questions. I gave you a chance."
Hawk's smile widened.
Then—he vanished.
Sixth Sense: Instant Transmission!
Standing atop the water pillar, Namor felt danger sweep up behind him. He whipped his trident around in reflex—
But Hawk reappeared at his side and struck, blasting Namor clean off the column.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Crashing onto the ocean's surface, Namor didn't sink—he skipped across it like a stone, regaining balance with the rolling waves before roaring and hurling his trident.
Boom!
This time Hawk didn't meet the weapon head-on. He sidestepped, and as the trident skimmed past his shoulder, his fist slammed into its shaft—
The weapon spun away like a meteor, whirling through the air.
Namor extended his right hand to summon it back.
But the next instant—
Hawk appeared behind him again. A ripping sonic boom followed, then—BAM!—his fist crashed square into Namor's back.
Namor plummeted, a blazing meteor plunging into the sea.
Boom!
A towering plume of water erupted skyward. His descent was anything but graceful—he hit the ocean like a falling comet, sending torrents spraying in all directions.
"Your strength really is close to Thor's," Hawk said evenly.
"In fact, you're quite alike—"
"One's a god with a hammer."
"The other, a god with a fork."
"So what?"
"Lose your trident, and you can't control the ocean anymore?"
Watching Namor resurface, Hawk's tone was cold amusement. Then he turned his eyes toward the distant, spinning trident he'd knocked away.
A moment later—
Boom!
He streaked toward it like a crimson bullet.
Namor, seeing this, dove under once more, speeding through the depths at supersonic pace toward his sacred weapon.
Hawk in the air.
Namor in the sea.
The trident, skimming across the surface, was the finish line in their race.
The difference?
Hawk didn't care for the prize. Namor did.
Hawk glanced down. Through the water, his senses pinpointed Namor's form swimming nearly neck-and-neck with him—and caught sight of something near the Sea King's right lower back, close to his hip: a patch of dim scales.
No doubt—that was Namor's Achilles heel.
In Greek myth, Achilles was invincible—untouchable, immortal.
Except for one flaw: his heel.
An arrow to that heel ended him.
Yes.
A so-called immortal god slain by the one spot left uncovered.
Absurd? Maybe.
But it was a common theme among Western gods—
No matter how mighty, omnipotent, or divine, each had a weakness.
And since Marvel's pantheon came from the same Western mythic tradition, the rule applied here too.
Which meant—
Hawk had found Namor's Achilles heel.
The next instant—
He flickered and plunged into the sea, his right fist driving straight toward that precise weak spot.
Namor, closing in on his trident, felt an icy terror flash through him. Instinct screamed. He twisted aside as he reached the weapon—
But—
Hawk's supersonic strike still connected, landing squarely across most of that vulnerable point.
Splat!
Namor's face flushed red; he spat a mouthful of blood and shot downward, plummeting toward the depths at near-light speed.
Hawk's brow arched, and he dove after him.
Boom!
Clutching his trident, Namor slammed into the seafloor like a cannon shell.
The impact cracked the seabed wide open, bubbles bursting from the fissures as the surrounding waters turned murky.
Just as Hawk closed in, about to seize the unconscious Sea King before the collapsing ocean floor swallowed him—
A colossal octopus, easily the size of two Titanics, emerged from the abyss, countless tentacles lashing toward Hawk.
As Hawk vanished into the depths, the North Pacific surface fell eerily still once more.
But—
Watching remotely, Maria Hill and Victoria Hand didn't blink.
Every agent in the S.H.I.E.L.D. control room had stopped what they were doing, holding their breath, eyes glued to the screen.
Time ticked by—
Until—
Dawn broke across the horizon.
Boom!
…
(End of Chapter)
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