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"When Earth wasn't Earth yet—when it was still Midgard—it belonged to the World Tree's parallel universe... Thor's universe."
"...Later, Earth fell from the World Tree. At that moment, Earth became just Earth."
"A seed fell with it and took root."
"Yahweh brought his Heaven dimension along for the ride."
"He came with a mission."
"Just like Mephisto is a Death Lord serving Death herself, Yahweh was created by someone too."
"Earth was meant to be Yahweh's farm. Its purpose was to provide nutrients for the Celestial seed gestating within it."
"When Earth's life reached critical mass, that sprouted seed would burst through the surface."
"But Yahweh wasn't the only one with designs on Earth."
"Mephisto had plans too."
"And then..."
"Mephisto defeated Yahweh and his Heaven dimension. He won Earth."
"Now Yahweh and his Heaven dimension are making a comeback."
"...That red apple is proof."
"Yahweh must have left it behind deliberately when he retreated. All for this moment."
"Because Merrick claimed he received divine revelation from God. He used the apple to continuously clone bodies, essentially laundering the formatted souls inside it—like money laundering, but with souls. Then he killed them and sent those souls to Hell."
"They're trying to manufacture a Death Angel. By doing this, they hope to defeat Mephisto, seize Hell, and reclaim Earth. That way, they can accelerate the Celestial seed's growth."
"This..."
"Is the truth behind this dimensional war."
Sitting back down on the deck steps, Hawk kept his word and told Sharon everything without holding back.
Sharon's expression shifted exactly as Hawk had anticipated. As the story unfolded, her face cycled through emotions like acts in a play.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Confusion.
The three expressions alternated across Sharon's features, performing their own dramatic production.
Her inner world was in turmoil. In the face of truth, her faith began to crumble.
Sharon tried desperately to stabilize her collapsing beliefs.
But it was useless.
Defeat comes like an avalanche.
Faith works the same way.
The moment Hawk finished speaking, Sharon's faith shattered completely.
...
After a long silence, Sharon looked up at Hawk, her voice hoarse. "So God is coming back to destroy us?"
Hawk nodded.
"Yes."
"I..."
Sharon opened her mouth, looking at Hawk. "I need a minute. To process this."
Hawk made a sound of acknowledgment.
"Understood."
"Thanks."
Sharon, whose faith was collapsing into ruins at that very moment, forced a weak smile onto her face. "So what does SHIELD need to do?"
Hawk stood up from the deck again, looking at Sharon—who, despite her faith crumbling, still held firm to her professional duties—and smiled. "Nothing. This war has nothing to do with ordinary people."
This was a dimensional war between Hell and Heaven.
Mortals need not apply.
Sharon also stood.
"But you said if God defeats Mephisto, he'll destroy Earth."
"Uh..." Hawk blinked, looking at Sharon's agitated expression. "So you don't want God to win?"
Sharon shook her head. "I want world peace."
If she had to choose between her faith and world peace—
She'd choose the latter.
World peace.
She'd believed in God because her mother told her to when she was little. But believing in world peace? That was her own choice.
It was also why she'd joined SHIELD in the first place.
If forced to choose between faith in God and faith in world peace—
Once again, She'd choose world peace.
"So..." Sharon exhaled deeply, swept the ruins of her God-faith into the mental trash bin, and looked at Hawk with determination. "What can SHIELD do to stop this from happening?"
Hawk looked at Sharon, whose entire demeanor seemed to have shifted in an instant, and raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.
"You really don't need to do anything."
"But..."
"Don't forget—God dragged me into this mess." Hawk's lips curved upward as he looked at Sharon. "When it's time to ask for help, I won't be shy about it."
Sharon finally caught on.
Oh, right.
Every single clone Dr. Merrick had used was a clone of Hawk.
Good grief.
They'd picked one sheep and kept shearing it?
Sharon thought back to the mountain of ruins on Molokai after the explosion—all those Hawk clones in various states of decay, scattered everywhere—and then looked at the smiling Hawk standing before her.
For some reason, she suddenly pictured Hawk destroying Heaven the same way he'd destroyed Wakanda.
...
Soon enough.
Hawk stood, shot into the sky, and flew toward New York City at high speed.
Sharon, standing on the speedboat, watched him disappear into the distance. She withdrew her gaze, took a deep breath, pulled out her satellite phone, and contacted SHIELD headquarters.
High above, Hawk used the Reality Stone to lower his presence as he flew toward New York at a steady pace. At the same time, his consciousness sank into his Cosmo.
WHOOSH.
The Underworld. One of the Eight Prisons—the Ice Prison.
On the endless frozen wasteland, Alexander Pierce was no longer alone.
He now had company.
Merrick.
At this moment, Alexander Pierce walked numbly through the eternal tundra, facing into the endless blizzard. He completely ignored Merrick—who had just arrived and seemed to still be confused about where he was—and his shouting.
Just then, Hawk appeared suddenly before both of them.
Merrick stared at Hawk's abrupt arrival, froze in place, then immediately erupted.
"SAMAEL! YOU TRULY ARE A TRAITOROUS ANGEL!"
"GOD GAVE YOU A SECOND CHANCE, AND YET YOU BETRAYED HIM AGAIN—"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Hawk's eyes narrowed. In an instant, he launched the idiot who still couldn't grasp reality tens of thousands of miles away. He had no interest in talking to this moron. The longer you talked to idiots, the more your own IQ dropped.
Alexander Pierce looked up, his numb gaze briefly meeting Hawk's before he looked away again. He didn't spare a glance at Merrick flying into the distance. He simply walked past Hawk mechanically, continuing his march forward.
Hawk smiled faintly, turning to watch Alexander Pierce ignore him and walk by.
Has the cold broken his mind?
The thought crossed Hawk's mind. With a flicker of will, he temporarily froze the Ice Prison itself.
"Pierce!"
"..."
Alexander Pierce's footsteps halted at the sound of his name. He felt the blizzard around him suddenly freeze in place, along with the ever-present cold. After a moment of silence, he slowly turned around and met Hawk's gaze.
"Mr. Phoenix."
"Still calling me mister?" Hawk looked at Alexander, whose voice sounded like dead wood from lack of use. "How many times have you died?"
Alexander's face remained expressionless. "I lost count. After I died thirteen thousand five hundred times, I stopped keeping track."
"That many?" Hawk raised an eyebrow at the number Alexander had just quoted, then smiled. "Do you regret it? If you do, I can let you leave this place."
"..." A flicker of light appeared in the depths of Alexander Pierce's numb eyes.
No one who hadn't experienced the Ice Prison could understand its despair.
An endless frozen wasteland you could never escape. A blizzard that never stopped howling, never stopped falling.
Alexander Pierce had tried suicide more than once, attempting to escape this place.
But he'd been deluding himself.
He couldn't escape. Not without Hawk's permission.
Now—
Alexander Pierce almost instinctively glanced at Hawk. "You'd really let me out?"
Hawk's expression remained calm. "I've left you here long enough. You've died enough times. By now, you should know why I put you here."
Alexander was silent for a moment, then nodded.
"Anna."
"Yes..." Hawk nodded, looking at Alexander Pierce. "Tell me where you've hidden Anna. I'll pardon you. You can leave the Ice Prison. Maybe you won't make it to the Elysian Fields, but you can live in the regular Underworld."
Alexander Pierce's lips twitched. Then he looked away.
"This place... is fine."
"Hah!"
Hearing that, Hawk actually laughed.
"Pierce, didn't you see Merrick?"
"I did."
"I already know you and Merrick were cloning me. Merrick's here now. So you should understand that your plan to clone me and kill me has failed."
"So..."
"What's the point of holding out? I said before I wouldn't give you another chance."
"But I'm giving you one now."
"Anna."
"Where is she? Tell me, and I'll pardon you."
"I never give anyone a second chance. But you? I'm giving you a second chance, Pierce. One last time. Don't disappoint me."
Hawk didn't have many friends. You could count them on one hand.
Actually—
You could see them all at a glance.
So far, however many people were in his phone's contact list—that was how many friends he had.
And among those few numbers, there was one friend whose phone never picked up.
So, Yes.
He missed Anna. It had nothing to do with anything else. Just friendship. Just like he'd always said—he didn't judge friends by their faction. As long as he recognized you, you were his friend.
Anna was his friend. And Alexander Pierce, standing before him, was the only person who knew where Anna was.
So for Anna's sake, he was willing to give Alexander Pierce one more chance.
The last chance...
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