Crack!
The Chitauri soldier's head twisted ninety degrees with a sickening snap. Its compound eyes, glowing an eerie green, stared in disbelief at Hawk standing before it.
How did he appear behind me?
The alien didn't understand.
But it didn't matter. That was its last thought before endless darkness swallowed it whole.
Its body crumpled onto the rooftop, weapon clattering from its grip.
"That's it?"
"Heh."
Hawk chuckled softly at the corpse of the alien whose neck he had just snapped.
The next moment—
He felt it.
Within his body, in the Microcosmos born of his own personal Big Bang, the death of the Chitauri soldier unleashed a warm current.
And with it—
It was as if a star had lit up inside his Microcosmos.
Along with the light came information.
In his inner cosmos, the forty-eight Bronze Saint constellations flickered faintly as the first star ignited.
Hawk closed his eyes, absorbing the knowledge that poured into him.
Grow through battle.
Transcend through endless combat.
After all—
The path of the Microcosmos was born for war. For Holy War. A path of battle. The path of the Saints.
"So…"
"If I want to light up the constellations in my Microcosmos, I need to fight. To keep fighting."
In Saint Seiya, awakening one's Microcosmos was linked to a constellation, though not always in a direct one-to-one way.
If the Microcosmos was liquid, then the constellation was the vessel.
The constellation was both the symbol of a Saint and the container for their power.
Bad news:
In the Marvel Universe, there were no Saints.
Which meant—if Hawk wanted a constellation, he would have to light them one by one himself.
Good news:
In the Marvel Universe, there were no Saints.
Which meant—in theory—he could awaken all forty-eight Bronze Saint constellations.
Unlike the world of Saint Seiya, where thousands of candidates fought for a single constellation, here…
There was only him.
So…
He could be the Saint of Pegasus, the Saint of Phoenix—any constellation he could ignite within his Microcosmos.
This was…
Awesome.
As the saying went—
A child makes choices. But though only seventeen, Hawk's mindset was already that of an adult.
He wanted them all.
Wait.
If he could claim all forty-eight Bronze constellations… what about the twenty-four Silver constellations?
And the twelve Gold constellations?
"Hisss!"
The thought made Hawk suck in a sharp breath.
Just then—
He sensed movement outside.
His eyes snapped open. Two Chitauri soldiers on hovercrafts spotted the corpse of their fallen kin at Hawk's feet. Without hesitation, they aimed and fired.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Angered at seeing a fellow soldier slain by a human, they unleashed their weapons in fury, pouring energy blasts onto the rooftop.
The already shattered rooftop couldn't hold any longer.
With every explosion, the structure groaned until finally—
It collapsed.
The entire five-story apartment building shook. In moments, the whole structure came crashing down, collapsing floor by floor in a storm of dust.
Residents who had escaped moments earlier stared in horror, mouths agape at the ruins.
Then their shock turned to terror—
Because the two Chitauri soldiers descended, lowering their hovercrafts, weapons at the ready.
The survivors screamed and turned to run.
Too late.
The soldiers' orders were clear: exterminate humans.
They pulled their triggers.
Energy blasts tore through the streets. People fell dead in an instant.
The poor district street was reduced to a war zone, like something out of Iraq.
After the massacre, the two Chitauri dismounted, drawing their energy rifles, aiming at the ruins of the apartment.
Because they sensed it—
The human who had killed their kin still lived.
Not only alive—
His life force was growing stronger.
Stronger… and stronger.
They exchanged glances.
And then—
Boom!
The ruins erupted. A shadow streaked out.
The Chitauri on the right vanished, only to be plastered against a wall across the street a heartbeat later.
Its green blood splattered everywhere.
The surviving soldier widened its tiny eyes—though no matter how wide, they still looked like green peas.
It rushed to help its comrade, but before it could take two steps—
Its vision blurred.
Then its body flew backward.
A deafening boom followed a moment later.
Its chest caved in mid-air, bursting apart. It crashed to the ground like a ragdoll, bouncing once before lying still in the rubble.
Dead.
"Clap."
"Clap."
"Clap."
Hawk appeared where the alien had been, brushing dust off his shoulders, glancing around with interest.
One Chitauri dead had brought two more.
Now two more were dead.
Next… maybe three?
His gaze shifted skyward—
To the massive Leviathan beasts pouring through the portal above Manhattan.
His eyes blazed.
His blood surged.
He was itching for a fight.
…
(End of Chapter)
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