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The moment the spectral black phoenix projected itself into Hell, the moment it unfurled its wings, the underworld of Hawk's Cosmo followed, merging perfectly with the celestial bird.
At the same time, as the phoenix burned with a dark, crimson fire, a black, crystalline armor—part metal, part crystal—materialized.
Mephisto was stunned. The next second, he let out a furious roar and threw a punch at Hawk.
"GIVE ME YOUR SOUL!"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Hawk didn't move. He stood his ground, completely ignoring the attack.
Just as Mephisto's massive fist was about to connect, the black phoenix's wings beat once, and with a flash of dark light, it merged with Hawk's body. An unstoppable wave of energy erupted from him—and even Mephisto, the Lord of Hell, was thrown backward.
He scrambled to his feet.
Hawk just glanced at him and offered a single, dismissive comment.
"Idiot..."
Did this guy seriously not know about transformation invincibility?
It's a well-known fact. During a transformation sequence, no matter how long it takes, no matter how strong or weak the character is afterward, they are invincible.
You can't interrupt it.
Even if the entire planet exploded, the character in the middle of transforming would be completely unharmed. It's an unwritten rule of the universe.
As Hawk finished his critique of Mephisto's breach of protocol, the black phoenix armor in the sky broke apart, and the individual components, wreathed in dark, crimson flames, shot toward him.
The first to arrive were the sharp, deadly claws of the gauntlets.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Arm guards. Leg plates. Shin guards. One by one, the obsidian-black components snapped into place with crisp, ringing precision, each piece glowing faintly as the flames danced across the surface.
Dark red fire coiled around his legs as the greaves and boots materialized, locking into position like living shadows forged from black gemstone.
Then came the helmet.
As it descended, the side panels—feathered, fierce, blazing with flame—unfurled like the wings of a phoenix. The faceplate dropped, concealing Hawk's expression entirely. Only his eyes remained visible—half crimson, half gold, heterochromatic and burning with the weight of the Underworld flowing within them.
Finally—
The waist guard, shaped like a tail feather wreathed in fire, locked into place with a satisfying snap.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A pair of massive, spectral black phoenix wings, forged of pure energy, unfurled behind him.
Black flames erupted from him, and as he clenched his fists, the fire spread in all directions, and the very ground of Hell began to shake.
Mephisto's expression was full of rage as he stared at the transformed Hawk, now clad in the black phoenix Surplice.
"Surprise."
Hawk, now fully armored, spread his hands. "Turnabout is fair play. You gave me the Ghost Rider. I had to get you something, too. And it seems my gift has surprised you a lot more than yours surprised me. Look me in the eye, Mephisto. Tell me. Are you surprised?"
Mephisto's entire body was trembling. "Good. Very good. The Reality Stone is in you. And the Time Stone too!! The Ancient One. Of course!"
He finally understood.
Hawk hadn't sold his soul to any dimension. He had sold it to himself. He had actually used his son's laws of life and death, and the Four Foundational Elements, to create his own Dimension in just two days.
And it wasn't just a dimension. It was a realm—a full-fledged afterlife, a tier above a mere pocket dimension.
And that should have been impossible. Even with the aether, it should have taken eons.
Unless… the Time Stone.
The moment Hawk's underworld had projected itself into Hell, Mephisto had felt it—the power of the aether, and the lingering, residual energy of time.
Mephisto's voice was low and dangerous. "How did you convince the Ancient One to lend you the Time Stone?"
Hawk just shrugged. "You might not believe this, but I just asked. I told her I needed to borrow it for a bit, and she handed it over. Guess she's more reasonable than you made her out to be."
He was telling the truth. The only difference was that he hadn't even had to state his promise. The Ancient One could already borrow power from her future self. She could do whatever she wanted with the Time Stone.
Hawk thought to himself.
Mephisto was stunned. The Ancient One? That celibate, bald woman? She's easy to get along with?
'That bald bitch has trapped me in a time loop more times than I can count. That's the only reason I could even recognize the residual time energy on his underworld in the first place.'
...
Mephisto quickly composed himself.
His gaze was cold as he looked at Hawk. "You think this is enough to defeat me? Don't forget, this is my Hell. I once tricked Odin into this realm, and even he was powerless against me. You think you can stand against me here?"
He paused. "And don't forget, your sister is in my hands. You're not afraid I'll just burn her soul to ash?"
Hawk, his face hidden behind the visor, stared at Mephisto with his half-crimson, half-gold phoenix eyes. "Give me back my sister's soul, and I'll leave. I have no interest in you or your Hell."
He was a busy man.
If Mephisto had shown even a shred of integrity, he wouldn't have even bothered creating his own underworld.
God was his witness. Before Mephisto had shown up, he had been sizing up Thor's hammer, trying to figure out how to ask for a few tons of Uru metal. It was a strategic resource of Asgard, after all. Not something you could just ask for.
Especially not in the quantities he needed.
He'd been plotting how to forge his Gold Cloth.
Then Mephisto showed up with his schemes, and suddenly Hawk had a reason to fast-track the Black Phoenix Surplice as a temporary solution.
So, from a certain point of view, he should be thanking him.
Of course, that was assuming Mephisto would actually hand over his sister's soul.
"NOT A CHANCE!"
Mephisto roared, his expression twisting with rage. "You killed my son! I'm going to kill your sister—"
Hawk just laughed.
"You were just thanking me for killing your son."
"I was lying! A demon can't be trusted!"
"Fair enough."
Hawk couldn't argue with that. He just pulled out the Contract of San Venganza, with its thousand fallen souls, and casually tossed it in his hand. "How about a trade? My sister for the contract."
"…You give it to me first. Then I'll give you your sister."
"HA!!"
Hawk just snorted. "You just said, not a second ago, that a demon can't be trusted. You really think I'm going to fall for that?"
Mephisto's grin was savage. "You don't have a choice. Give me the contract, or I'll burn your sister's soul right now."
As he spoke, his clawed hand shot out, fingers curling through empty air.
SNAP.
In an instant, Anya—who had been under "protective custody" in Mephisto's palace—was yanked through space and appeared before him, dressed in white, her expression confused and frightened.
The moment she saw the man in the black phoenix Surplice, even though she couldn't see his face, she knew who he was.
"Brother!"
"Anya."
The cold, hard light in Hawk's eyes softened the moment he saw her. The next second, as Anya started to run toward him, Mephisto held her in place.
His expression was savage.
"The contract. Give it to me!"
"Mephisto." Hawk's eyes went cold again. "I'll say this one last time. Release my sister. Then you get the contract."
Mephisto just laughed, his claw resting on Anya's head. "And I'll say this one last time. The contract. Now."
Hawk's visor retracted, revealing his face to his sister. He smiled.
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course. You're the best brother in the world."
"Good."
Hawk's smile was gentle. He then looked at Mephisto, his eyes filled with an infinite, chilling coldness. "Go ahead. Do it."
Mephisto was taken aback. "What?"
"Do it."
He took a step forward, his tone sharpening into something deadly.
"Because the second you do, I'm tearing up the San Venganza Contract. I'll contest every soul that tries to enter Hell. I'll make it my life's mission to ensure not a single damned spirit crosses into your domain. And I won't kill you—oh no. I'll just starve you out. I'll watch as your Hell withers. As your demons fade. As your empire crumbles into nothing."
"From now on, I won't do anything else. I'll dedicate every waking moment to making your existence a living nightmare. I'll be your full-time problem, Mephisto. So go on."
Hawk spread his arms. "Make your move."
Mephisto: "…"
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