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The scene stretched before them.
In that moment.
High above the Atlantic—thousands of meters in the air, far from any trace of civilization—Strucker attacked from above while Namor struck from below. The two appeared to have Hawk completely surrounded.
And Hawk seemed to be struggling just to hold them off.
"Keh-heh-heh!"
"Hawk! I'm going to make you watch your children die screaming—right in front of your eyes—just like I had to!"
"RAAAAGH!"
Strucker roared from above.
The moment he'd realized Hawk's claims of indifference were a lie—that he did care about those three children—Strucker had doubled down on his determination to slaughter them. His Mind Stone beams grew even more savage in response.
"HAWK PHOENIX!"
"Bet you didn't expect me to still be alive!"
"Well, I'm not dead—but YOU will be today!"
Below, standing on the ocean surface, Namor McKenzie added his own savage roar to the chorus. His expression twisted with fury as he summoned water dragon after water dragon, each one hammering against Hawk's telekinetic barrier.
He'd nearly died.
If that deep-sea leviathan hadn't appeared at just the right moment—buying him enough time to escape through an underwater fissure—he would have been killed on the spot.
Even after his escape, the moment he'd returned to Talokan and let his guard down, he'd collapsed into a coma. His life had hung by a thread.
Fortunately—
He had a queen.
Shuri.
When Shuri had left Wakanda to marry into Talokan's royal family, the dying former king had given her a single Heart-Shaped Herb as part of her dowry.
Shuri had fed that herb to Namor when he'd been on the brink of death, moments away from entering a healing hibernation that might have lasted centuries.
That herb had saved his life.
And now that he'd survived, only one thought remained in his mind.
He was alive.
Which meant Hawk had to die.
Perfect timing, too.
Namor remembered that day—fleeing through the underwater fissures back to Talokan, he'd passed by the Romanche Trench and caught the scent of Hawk's bloodline emanating from the Hydra installation anchored to the seabed.
That was how he'd connected with Strucker.
Strucker had already decided—if Hawk couldn't be used, then Hawk had to be destroyed.
So when Strucker and Namor finally met face to face, they'd recognized each other as kindred spirits. The alliance had formed in an instant.
Strucker wanted to use Namor to kill Hawk.
Namor wanted to use Strucker's scheme to lure Hawk back to the ocean.
In the sea, Namor considered himself invincible. And this time, he wouldn't let Hawk exploit any weaknesses.
That was why Namor had appeared here today.
Hawk hovered in mid-air. He glanced down at the wound on his right shoulder—still seeping blood—then surveyed the scene before him. One enemy above, howling impotently. Another below, raging just as uselessly.
He listened to their declarations.
And laughed.
"A pile of scrap metal."
"A defeated has-been."
"Bottom feeders."
"You really think you can take me?"
"Don't forget about me!"
The instant Hawk's words fell, a woman's voice cut through the air—accompanied by a Vibranium aircraft that materialized out of nowhere overhead.
Then came another.
And another.
One by one, aircraft after aircraft dropped their cloaking—all of them bearing the unmistakable craftsmanship of Wakandan engineering. They filled the sky, every weapons system trained directly on Hawk.
Hawk turned toward the source of the voice, peering into the cockpit of the lead aircraft. Inside sat a dark-skinned woman, glaring at him with undisguised hatred.
He smiled.
"Wakandan remnants. I was wondering how long you'd stay hidden."
"My name is SHURI!"
Inside the cockpit, Shuri's eyes blazed with fury. Her voice tore from her throat in a raw, anguished scream.
"You killed my father! You killed my mother! You killed my brother! You killed my people! My family was destroyed because of you! My tribe was annihilated because of you! I will have BLOOD FOR BLOOD!"
Hawk's lips curled upward.
"Fine. I'll grant your wish—send you to reunite with your family."
With that.
Hawk's Sixth Sense swept across the entirety of the Atlantic in an instant. Once he'd confirmed no other hidden presences lurked in the shadows, his eyes drifted closed.
The wound on his right shoulder began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
...
Back in New York, inside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s central command hub.
Sharon watched this unfold and turned to Gwen.
"See? Hawk was fishing the whole time."
"Mm."
Gwen watched Hawk's wound close the instant his eyes shut. She nodded in agreement—but her face remained tense with worry as she stared at the main screen. Her hands clasped together involuntarily, pressing against her chest as she silently prayed for him.
After all—
Hawk wasn't facing just one enemy this time. He was facing three.
Three against one.
Shameless.
So—
Hawk, you have to win.
At that very moment!
The instant Hawk closed his eyes, Strucker sensed something was wrong.
He roared in fury.
"FUCK!"
"Namor—he's stalling to heal himself!"
"Stalling?"
Hawk's eyes had already reopened. He heard Strucker's words and looked up at him. Within those eyes, golden light flowed like liquid mercury, rapidly consuming his pupils until they shone with pure, brilliant gold.
A mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"I was stalling."
"But—"
"Not for myself. I was giving you and this world one last chance to say your goodbyes."
"Strucker."
Hawk's voice was calm. The instant his pupils completed their transformation into solid gold, his left hand—extended toward the S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft—clenched into a fist.
The next moment!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft detonated instantly, erupting into a massive fireball. From within that inferno, a black phoenix spread its wings and burst free, trailing flames as it collided with Hawk's body—transforming him into a figure wreathed in fire.
The moment those flames engulfed him, the components of the Black Phoenix Surplice began attaching themselves to his form, piece by piece.
When the fire faded—and a faceplate of black crystal descended over his features—Hawk stood fully clad in the Black Phoenix Surplice.
As for the S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft?
After the explosion, all that remained was a crumpled sphere of twisted metal—still leaking blood from its seams—plummeting toward the ocean below.
Standing on the water's surface, Namor stared at this scene in utter shock.
Inside her Vibranium aircraft—finger poised over the trigger, ready to unleash her people's fury upon Hawk—Shuri froze. Her mind went blank.
And Strucker?
His consciousness reeled like a ship caught in a tsunami.
He gaped at Hawk in disbelief.
"You... killed your own children with your own hands?"
"Heh."
Hawk heard the question. He glanced at Strucker, let out a soft laugh, then shifted his gaze to Shuri—still frozen in her cockpit. His voice was cold, yet impossibly calm.
"In this world, no one can threaten me."
"However—"
"If I hadn't acted like I cared, these two rats hiding in the shadows would never have crawled out to die in front of me."
"So—"
"I played along with your little game."
"Now that you've had your turn—it's mine."
Strucker's expression shifted dramatically.
Namor watched Hawk rocket toward his wife's aircraft at breakneck speed. He hurled his trident toward Shuri while roaring at the top of his lungs.
"SHURI—RUN!"
Too late.
WHAM!
"Get lost. This time, I'm turning your toy into a pitchfork."
CLANG!
The trident that had attempted to intercept Hawk was swatted aside with a single backhand—sent spinning away like a shooting star, its metallic frame humming from the impact.
Hawk had already arrived above Shuri's aircraft.
"NO!"
"PRINCESS!"
"SAVE THE PRINCESS!"
"OPEN FIRE! OPEN FIRE!"
The Wakandan warriors piloting the surrounding aircraft—arranged in a protective formation around their princess—finally registered the demon standing atop her aircraft. Their reactions kicked in a heartbeat later, and they squeezed their triggers.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT!
FZZZZT! FZZZZT! FZZZZT!
Aircraft-mounted machine gun rounds.
Missiles from underwing hardpoints.
Laser weapons mounted on Vibranium nose cones.
Every weapon system opened up at once, unleashing a storm of firepower upon the demonic figure standing atop their princess's aircraft.
Below, Namor let out a thunderous roar and launched himself skyward like a missile, hurtling toward Hawk at maximum speed.
"DON'T YOU DARE—"
WHAM!
Hawk answered Namor's threat with action.
A single punch shattered the Vibranium energy shield that Shuri had frantically activated inside her cockpit.
Wakanda's Vibranium shields? He'd been punching through those since his Bronze Saint days.
Now that he was half a step into Gold Saint territory?
A mere Vibranium barrier was nothing but glass.
The shield shattered on impact.
Hawk's fist continued through—smashing the cockpit windshield in the same motion. Then, like an eagle snatching a chick, his right hand formed a claw and clamped directly onto Shuri's face, yanking her bodily from the aircraft.
The moment Hawk's massive hand closed around her face, Shuri screamed in agony.
By then, Namor had nearly arrived.
But—
Hawk spun around. Shuri—still gripped by the face—was thrust directly toward the incoming Namor.
Namor froze mid-charge, trident still raised.
The surrounding Vibranium aircraft immediately ceased fire.
"PRINCESS!"
"RELEASE OUR PRINCESS!"
"YOUR HIGHNESS!"
"SHURI!"
Namor stared at his wife, helpless in Hawk's iron grip. He roared at Hawk.
"Let her go!"
Hawk laughed.
He was genuinely amused now.
"Scared?"
"LET SHURI GO!"
Namor clutched his trident, glaring at Hawk with murderous rage.
"Kneel."
"What?"
Hawk's right hand tightened slightly around Shuri's face, drawing another agonized scream from her. Behind his faceplate, golden eyes stared down at Namor with absolute, frigid contempt.
"I said—"
"KNEEL!!"
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~# 70 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
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