The Witch Heart Demon, poised to receive the contract with his raised right hand, saw his pupils slowly dilate at this moment.
Time seemed to freeze at this instant.
The finger that appeared before him brought a slow sense of dread to the Witch Heart Demon, yet the motion was as quick as lightning.
Boom!
Space-time seemed to warp at this moment as ominous purple-black flames suddenly appeared at the tip of Hawk's finger.
This purple-black flame had no temperature, resembling a solid formed by countless grievances and fears, vaguely sketching out the sharp outline of Phoenix Wings, silent yet exuding a terrifying pressure capable of annihilating souls.
The next second.
Hawk's right finger touched the Witch Heart Demon's forehead.
Boom!
The body of the Witch Heart Demon instantly froze, standing there stiff as a plank of rigid wood, his pupils shrinking dramatically, then losing focus, and finally enlarging.
Phoenix Illusion Demon Fist.
The exclusive ultimate move of the Phoenix constellation.
It doesn't employ physical attacks but instead uses a spiritual attack, striking the target's brain with absolute energy, forcibly awakening the deepest fears within the enemy and creating illusions.
Enemies hit by this move either sink into their deepest fears or break through the illusion to gain enlightenment and significantly increase their strength.
Clearly.
The Witch Heart Demon is not the latter.
Hawk looked at the instantly frozen Witch Heart Demon before him, a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth. The Bronze Holy Armor of the Phoenix constellation that he had just donned disassembled once more, reassembling into the form of a Phoenix and returning to his Little Cosmos.
This Holy Armor was made using Vibranium, Meteorite, and Gamma Stone that he collected for backup.
It was called backup because, presently, this Holy Armor, which looked very much like a Golden Holy Armor, could not effectively enhance his strength.
Put it this way.
If he wore this Holy Armor, his Little Cosmos fully ignited, the armor would still shatter.
In the end, the grade of this Holy Armor is just bronze level.
But Hawk didn't want to make a Silver Holy Armor.
So…
After returning from London City these days, Hawk has been considering pushing the true Golden Holy Armor of the Phoenix constellation onto the agenda.
The work must be done ahead of time.
He had already figured out what materials he wanted to use for his true Golden Phoenix Holy Armor.
Not Vibranium this time.
Vibranium won't work.
On Earth, Vibranium, capable of absorbing all kinetic energy, is indeed the best metal.
But looking at the entire Universe, this is not the case.
Most importantly.
There is an essential difference between Golden Holy Armor and Bronze Holy Armor.
In a word.
Golden Holy Armor itself contains the energy of a sun.
Vibranium only neutralizes kinetic energy but cannot store energy.
So…
It's no longer feasible to continue using Vibranium to make Golden Holy Armor.
It must be made using Uru Metal.
The same Uru Metal used to forge Mjolnir and the future Storm Battleaxe of Thor.
Oh yes.
The material Thanos used to chop Captain America's Vibranium Shield to pieces with a propeller-like double-edged blade was also Uru Metal.
During Christmas, Hawk seemed to be trying to see if he could lift Mjolnir, but he was really there to determine if Uru Metal met his requirements.
But now Hawk has an even better option.
Netherworld Armor!
In addition to Golden Holy Armor, there's another high-grade armor known as Nether Armor worn by the Saint Warriors of the Netherworld, which is comparable in performance to Golden Holy Armor.
And compared to the multi-material Golden Holy Armor, the crafting material for Netherworld Armor is just one.
Netherworld Gemstone.
This is why Hawk said without hesitation, "Simple, I'll just find a Netherworld," when Gwen asked how he planned to manage it.
Even if he managed to create the Golden Holy Armor now, it wouldn't be wearable right away.
But the Phoenix Nether Armor isn't impossible.
He has Ether Particles and now possesses the Four Elements of Creation.
The Life and Death Law is right before him.
At this moment!
Hawk withdrew his right finger, looking at the Witch Heart Demon standing dumbfounded in front of him, fear saturating his gaze.
"Sorry."
"Demons are untrustworthy."
"Mephisto is untrustworthy, and so are you."
"Therefore…"
"I choose to do it myself!"
As Hawk finished speaking, with a 'boom,' a wisp of Phoenix Fire ignited beneath the Witch Heart Demon's feet, then quickly engulfed his entire body.
The Witch Heart Demon, caught in the Phoenix Fire, did not scream or shout because his consciousness was still deeply trapped within the unparalleled fear created by Hawk's Phoenix Illusion Demon Fist.
But…
This couldn't stop the refining power of the Phoenix Fire on him.
In the blink of an eye.
Instantaneous refinement!
Hawk extended his right hand; the Phoenix Fire landed on it, revealing a Law Fragment he had just obtained from refining the Witch Heart Demon.
It is called a fragment because the Witch Heart Demon did not inherently possess the Life and Death Law, and he only had it due to his identity, not his person.
But this was already enough for Hawk.
With this fragment of the Life and Death Law, he can build his own Netherworld ahead of time before his Little Cosmos materializes.
What?
Incomplete Law?
No matter, once his Little Cosmos materializes, let alone the mere Life and Death Law, he will instantly master all the Divine Authority that every God in the universe possesses.
Just like God King Odin of the World Tree Cosmos.
God King Odin is not only the God of War, but also the God of Prophecy, the God of Royal Authority, the God of Wisdom, and even the God of Healing, Magic, and Poetry.
This is also why Odin is called the Father of Gods.
He is a God, and more, the King of Gods, the King of all Gods, and also the Father of Celestial Gods.
Once Hawke's Little Cosmos materializes, it will be the same.
To be accurate, he will be even more powerful than Odin.
Because the World Tree wasn't created by Odin, but by that time, the materialized Little Cosmos will be something completely created by Hawke alone.
So by then, all great powers will return to himself.
Is there anything wrong with this statement?
No, there's nothing wrong.
Of course.
That's all for the future.
At the moment...
He's still pondering how to borrow the Time Gemstone from the Supreme Mage to give his forming Netherworld a boost and accelerate it.
After watching the Life and Death Law Fragment sink into the forming core of his Netherworld, Hawke took a deep breath and thought.
However, he already had a plan in mind on how to persuade the Supreme Mage.
But he's not sure if the Supreme Mage would accept it.
Half an hour later.
Hawke raised his hand and knocked on Carter Shire's door again.
The door opened.
Hawke looked at the opening Carter Shire and said with a smile, "In the interest of fair trade, I came back to let you know that the Witch Heart Demon has been dealt with, so you can rest assured."
Carter Shire listened to this, somewhat disbelieving.
"So soon?"
"Is it difficult? It's just a Demon, how long does it need to be fought?"
His current strength is already on par with Thor.
As for the Witch Heart Demon.
It's said to be the son of Mephisto, the Dimension God of the Hell Dimension. Other than that, what else does the Witch Heart Demon have left?
Just a Dimension Demon, a mere Dimension Demon with a Life and Death Law Fragment.
Not to mention that Hawke caught him off guard; even in a straightforward battle, at most fifty rounds, the Witch Heart Demon would still be slashed by him. Exceeding fifty rounds, it's not the Witch Heart Demon's problem, but his own strategy of suppressing his battle power.
Doing so wouldn't make the reader feel any thrill; instead, it would make the reader feel like the author fed them a pile of crap.
The most important point.
Now it's only eight o'clock, if he's quick, he can just catch the last flight back to New York City tonight.
After all, he had already completed the task he promised Mephisto.
It's likely that the old guy never imagined in his wildest dreams that he'd make his move so quickly, landing in Texas in the afternoon, and by eight at night, his blade had already fallen to cut down his rebellious son.
Click, click.
Speaking of which, Mephisto's backup plans probably didn't even have time to activate.
However, it's not that he was too fast.
Completely Mephisto being too slow.
Hawke, feeling somewhat pitiful yet schadenfreude, thought as he watched Carter Shire hurry off on his horse, then withdrew his gaze and called Sharon.
"Hello."
"I've finished my business, I'll be heading back to New York City first."
"Ah!"
On the other end of the line, Sharon was taken aback hearing this: "But didn't you just arrive this afternoon?"
Hawke laughed and said, "It just so happened that everything I wanted to do and everyone I wanted to see came together, and besides, it's the Christmas holiday, I need to go back home to accompany my fiancée."
It's a big holiday, leaving Gwen alone in New York City while he ran off to Texas.
Click, click.
What a thing.
Though Gwen wouldn't be angry because of this, if this matter got out and a certain overprotective father knew about it, he might give him the cold shoulder for quite some time.
After all, this Christmas is the first they've spent after Hawke and Gwen's relationship changed.
It's significant.
After hanging up the call with Sharon, Hawke looked up, with a whoosh, thinking of Gwen still waiting for him in New York City. He didn't even bother to catch a flight back, directly setting coordinates for New York City. With the appearance of a Phoenix shadow in the sky, the Holy Armor protecting him, he broke through five hundred Mach, streaking through the night sky towards New York City like a shooting star.
Though Hawke wanted to stay and see what kind of surprise Mephisto had prepared for him.
But his heart longed for home.
The most important point.
To give and not to reciprocate is impolite!
Although he didn't know what kind of surprise Mephisto had prepared for him in Texas, there must be some surprise for sure.
But the surprise he had prepared was just starting with the materials, not yet having a chance to wrap it.
So...
He went back first, making haste to get Mephisto's gift ready.
By that time...
Hawke thought that he might not feel surprised by the surprise Mephisto had prepared for him.
But the surprise he prepared for Mephisto?
Hawke bet.
Once Mephisto saw it, he would definitely feel very surprised!
...