Midnight had just passed.
On the rooftop of the old apartment, Hawk was training.
No sandbag.
No fighting techniques.
He didn't even move his feet. Standing still, eyes half-closed, lost in trance, Hawk punched the air again and again.
This time, he wasn't chasing speed. He had slipped into something like an epiphany.
He had always felt a strange sensation with every punch.
But tonight—it was stronger than ever.
Hawk felt as though he had stepped into a realm of endless darkness, infinite from every angle.
But…
With each punch, sparks of light bloomed in that darkness.
Had Hawk looked up, he would have noticed something even stranger.
The constellations of the forty-eight Bronze Saints—Pegasus, Dragon, Cygnus, Phoenix, Andromeda, Scutum, and more—all twinkled with every strike of his fists.
Yes.
Not one constellation.
All of them.
Every Bronze Saint constellation resonated with his punches.
Strike after strike.
Slow and fast at the same time.
Though he always pulled back fully before throwing the next blow, the afterimage of the previous punch had not yet faded before the shadow of the next appeared.
Then came the third, fourth, fifth—until the night sky was filled with fists.
Suddenly—
A deep boom echoed in his mind.
Faint yet deafening.
Bang!
A spark ignited. With that spark, the reflected stars in the void rippled outward, tearing apart the black curtain.
At first, just a tremor.
Then it expanded violently—like the Big Bang itself. Stars exploded in his inner void.
Inside Hawk's body, an invisible barrier shattered. A power slumbering for eons suddenly awakened.
Whoosh!
Hawk's eyes flew open.
This time, the flame in his gaze didn't flicker out.
It blazed.
Boom!!
He felt his blood boil like roaring rivers, every cell trembling, bursting like ten thousand stars swelling. His bones shattered and reformed in the blink of an eye, reshaped by this force like worlds forming at creation.
Buzz!
His ears rang. His vision blurred—then cleared into something extraordinary.
He saw the particles that made up his flesh spinning, burning, collapsing—erupting like the dawn of the universe.
He saw the rivers of blood beneath his skin like galaxies boiling with life.
He saw his heart, every beat like the primal pulse of creation, sending invisible ripples through the void.
And then—
The moment of clarity struck.
Hawk clenched his fist. His heel dug into the rooftop. With a sharp grind, his body recoiled—then lunged forward.
He punched.
And from his soul, not his throat, came the roar:
"Burn, my Microcosmos!!"
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The air itself rippled like water.
Space cracked like glass.
Time shredded like torn paper.
Air, space, and even time froze under his fist.
The next second—
"Shrrraaa!"
Air screamed as it split.
"Bang, bang!"
Space wailed as it shattered.
"Rumble!"
Time itself broke apart.
Then—instantly—
A new timeline replaced the broken one.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Across the street, windows exploded in a nearby apartment building. Glass rained down with deafening crashes.
"Bang bang bang!"
"Wooo!"
"Wooo!"
Cars along the road crumpled as if a giant hand had crushed them. Windshields shattered, alarms blared in a chaotic symphony.
Meanwhile—
Kamar-Taj.
"Hmm?"
"Master?"
The sorcerers turned to the Ancient One, who had made a sound of confusion.
In golden robes, she lowered her gaze to the Eye of Agamotto hanging from her neck.
Her hands formed a seal. The Eye rotated, opening. From its emerald gem shone a mysterious green light.
The Time Stone.
The gem that allowed its wielder to walk through any moment of time—past or future.
To control it was to control time itself.
"What is this?"
"The future… was just altered?"
The Ancient One's hands moved again, closing the Eye. Rising silently, she vanished from the spot.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You have activated Microcosmos Cultivation!]
[Ding!]
[It has been my honor to accompany you for one thousand days. The system will now unbind. Until next time!]
[Lastly, Microcosmos Cultivation is the way of battle, the way of the Holy War. To grow in combat, to transcend in combat!]
[Goodbye!]
The mechanical voice echoed in Hawk's mind.
One thousand days ago, the cheat had arrived quietly.
One thousand days later, it left just as quietly.
Silent arrival.
Silent departure.
By now, daylight had broken.
"Holy shit!"
"What just happened?!"
"My window!"
"My car!"
"Who the hell did this?!"
"Wait… look!"
"Oh my God…"
"Oh Jesus Christ."
On the rooftop, Hawk slowly opened his eyes at the noise below.
There, above Manhattan—
A rift tore across the sky, glowing with a faint blue light.
Hawk froze.
"Hisss!"
"Did I just… punch a hole in the sky?"
…
(End of Chapter)
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