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Miles above the Atlantic.
As Hawk's right hand clenched, Namor—immortal within the ocean—died the instant he left it. His skull burst like an overripe melon.
The headless corpse began its descent toward the sea below, trailing a ribbon of crimson as it fell.
Simultaneously.
The moment Namor died, his soul emerged from the ruined body.
Hawk's Underworld gates swung open, ready to receive Namor's spirit into the depths of his prison—where eternal suffering awaited.
But just as those gates yawned wide to claim their prize—
Hawk's Sixth Sense pulsed.
The next second, A deep blue point of light flickered into existence. Then Hawk's vision was filled with an endless azure ocean—and rising slowly from its depths came a golden deity.
An Olympian God.
Poseidon—Lord of the Seas.
At first, Hawk assumed the Sea God had come to steal Namor's soul.
But, Even as Namor's spirit was pulled into the Underworld, even as the gates closed behind it, the manifested Poseidon made no move whatsoever.
Those golden eyes settled on Hawk. When he spoke, his voice thrummed with divine power.
"Hawk Phoenix."
"..." Hawk's eyebrow arched. He regarded the god before him.
"Poseidon."
"Do not be alarmed. I am not here for him."
"Heh."
Hawk let out a short laugh, meeting Poseidon's gaze.
"Even if you were, I wouldn't be worried. A mere projection can't take his soul from me."
Divine projections.
He'd seen them before. Hell, he'd killed one not long ago.
Jehovah himself.
The arrogant old bastard had boasted about being omniscient and omnipotent—apparently believing his own hype so hard that he'd projected himself right in front of Hawk without a second thought.
Talk about a death wish.
Hawk's thoughts churned, but he maintained a basic level of respect for Poseidon's projection.
His Surplice remained active.
That was Hawk's way of showing courtesy.
He had no patience for small talk with projections.
"You didn't come all this way just to tell me you're not here for Namor."
"I came for you."
Poseidon responded, golden trident in hand—a weapon radiating the same infinite divine power as its wielder. Those golden eyes fixed on Hawk.
Then—
"Thank you."
"..."
Hawk heard the gratitude—completely unprompted—and frowned instinctively.
"For what?"
WHOOOOSH!
Poseidon raised his left hand. Below, the Atlantic's surface instantly formed a platform of solidified seawater.
Atop that platform lay Namor's headless corpse.
Poseidon's left hand clenched. The corpse exploded—and from its remains emerged a single droplet. Pure, crystalline blue. The essence of the ocean itself.
Hawk observed the azure droplet returning to Poseidon's palm. His brow rose.
"A Law Fragment."
"Yes."
"You gave it to Namor?"
"No." Poseidon absorbed the fragment back into himself, then turned his attention to Hawk. A faint smile crossed his divine features.
"He killed me for it."
Hawk's pupils contracted slightly.
"He killed you?"
"The avatar I left behind when I departed Earth."
Poseidon's smile remained serene.
"You've already claimed the trident I left for that avatar, haven't you?"
Hawk's eyebrow rose again.
"I assumed he was your descendant. That you'd left it for him."
"HAHAHA!"
Poseidon's laughter rang with divine resonance. He regarded Hawk with genuine amusement.
"I'm not my brother—the one who'll stick his divine rod in anything that moves."
Hawk's brow twitched.
Zeus.
King of the Olympians. God of the Sky. God of Thunder. God of Storms. King of the Gods. Ruler of Olympus.
But... More than any of those titles, Hawk preferred to think of Zeus as the God of Getting Laid.
As mentioned before—the higher one's life tier, the lower the probability of producing offspring.
Zeus was the exception.
Throughout the entire Olympian cosmos, Zeus had fathered an obscene number of children.
Because Zeus had adopted a "quantity over quality" approach. To maximize his offspring, he'd abandoned all standards—mortal, divine, even familial boundaries meant nothing to him.
And Poseidon's comment was clearly a jab at his brother while simultaneously denying any blood relation to a dark-skinned descendant like Namor.
As everyone knew.
When Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades had joined forces to overthrow the second-generation Sky God Cronus, Zeus had promised they would share the glory equally afterward.
The result?
Zeus kicked Hades into the Underworld and banished Poseidon to the seas.
Neither brother particularly liked Zeus.
But Zeus had countless lovers and even more children. Their dislike didn't affect him in the slightest.
That didn't stop them from badmouthing him openly, though.
Poseidon observed Hawk's knowing smile at the mention of his brother. He began to explain exactly why a dark-skinned mortal like Namor had possessed his Law Fragment.
"When Earth was newly formed, the Olympians had already taken notice of this young world."
"However, we withdrew before Jehovah's arrival."
"Because Zeus struck a deal with the Celestials."
"He ordered us to vacate this planet. But to protect my kingdom here—Atlantis—I left behind a Law Avatar."
"Along with the trident I had forged during my time here, to guard my people."
"Then Jehovah descended and unleashed the Great Flood."
"To protect my kingdom, my avatar was severely damaged. It fell into slumber."
"When I finally awakened, my kingdom had been overrun by these... people."
"Namor killed my avatar and claimed my Law Fragment."
"Though honestly, it's a trivial matter—just the oceanic laws of a single planet."
"The reason I projected here was because I sensed the trident's distress."
As Poseidon spoke, his left hand made a summoning gesture. Deep below, the trident still embedded in the Vibranium mountainside began to hum.
Hawk glanced downward.
The trident went instantly silent.
Hawk's lips curved upward. His right hand opened—and the weapon shot from the mountain, piercing through the ocean surface to land in his palm.
He was quite pleased with the trident's performance just now.
Good boy.
Once you pledge loyalty, you stay loyal.
As everyone knew.
Partial loyalty is complete betrayal.
This applied to weapons even more than people.
If the trident had immediately answered Poseidon's call just now—scurrying back to its original master like an eager puppy—Hawk would have destroyed it on the spot.
But now?
Hawk gripped the trident, facing Poseidon—who held his own Sea Emperor's Trident.
"It's my Phoenix Trident now."
"HAHAHA!"
Poseidon blinked, observing the man who had completely claimed his former weapon. He laughed once more.
"Congratulations."
"Thanks."
Hawk smiled faintly, then his brow arched as he regarded Poseidon.
"Would you like to take that bastard's soul back to your realm? Give him a proper welcome? I can hand him over."
As everyone knew.
Hawk believed in returning kindness tenfold.
So—
He didn't mind giving Namor's soul to Poseidon as a reciprocal gift for the congratulations on his new trident.
Poseidon shook his head.
"My realm teems with countless life forms, but I won't allow such filth to pollute my waters."
"Fair enough."
Hawk chuckled.
"I'll make sure to extend your hospitality along with mine."
Poseidon offered Hawk a smile. Without further words—having reclaimed the Law Fragment stranded in this world—he turned. With a soft pop, he dissolved into ocean mist and departed.
But just as Poseidon's projection was about to vanish completely—
His voice echoed one final time in Hawk's ear. "Jehovah visited Olympus recently. He met with my dear brother."
"..." Hawk's eyebrow shot up.
Jehovah met with Zeus?
About what?
Teaming up to take him down?
Hawk's mind raced, but before he could ask for clarification, Poseidon's projection had already vanished from Earth entirely.
WHOOSH!
The Surplice disassembled, returning to the temple within his Underworld.
Bare-chested and hovering above the Atlantic's surface, Hawk gripped his Phoenix Trident, brow furrowed in thought.
...
S.H.I.E.L.D. Central Command Hub—New York.
Sharon and Gwen watched the screen with curiosity. The feed had just reappeared, showing Hawk standing motionless in the sky after crushing Namor's skull.
From the satellite's perspective, Hawk had been completely alone.
Poseidon had projected himself.
Forget satellite imagery—even if you were standing right next to him, you wouldn't have seen the Sea God.
Divine projections could only be perceived by other deities—or by those the god specifically chose to reveal themselves to. Everyone else could have Poseidon breathing down their neck and never know it.
But Hawk didn't brood for long.
Because Poseidon's message wasn't worth extended contemplation.
So what if Jehovah and Zeus had joined forces?
'Bring it.'
'Whoever shows up gets dealt with.'
'Jehovah comes? I'll handle Jehovah. Zeus comes? I'll handle Zeus.'
Simple as that.
More importantly—
Rather than wasting time worrying about a potential divine alliance, he should focus on continuing to grow stronger.
One thing mattered above all else.
He had the Mind Stone now.
So, Hawk's consciousness sank into his Cosmo. He gazed at the Mind Stone hovering serenely within that inner universe, eyes burning with anticipation.
The next second.
He withdrew his attention, glanced toward New York, and vanished from his position.
The Seventh Sense...
'HERE I FUCKING COME!'
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~# 70 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
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