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BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
Wakanda's distinctive drum-like alarm system echoed across the entire region the instant T'Challa's panicked order was given.
The Wakandans—who had been celebrating their supposed victory over the invaders, convinced they'd successfully defended their homeland—froze the moment the alarm blared without warning.
It wasn't that they didn't recognize the alarm.
They'd heard it recently. When the coalition forces had rolled in with their planes and tanks.
But hadn't their new king just led them to victory? Why was the alarm—the one that signaled impending catastrophe and ordered all tribespeople to take shelter in the capital—going off now?
Just then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A purple beam of light erupted from the heart of the Wakandan palace, accompanied by a tremor that shook the ground. The beam shot straight into the sky.
The next moment, a pale purple ripple tinged with golden light spread outward at visible speed, parting the clouds. Like an inverted bowl, it began slowly descending over Wakanda's capital below.
The Vibranium energy wave didn't just part the clouds—it also exposed Hawk, who had been hovering quietly behind them.
A massive Phoenix projection had already appeared behind him.
Phoenix flames roared.
The golden Phoenix Cloth blazed within the fire.
The Wakandans below saw it.
And so did SHIELD, which had already retreated to Hell Gate.
"Damn it, how many people are still out there?"
"Two more squads."
"Tell them to move faster."
Maria Hill snapped urgently, then continued staring up at Hawk hovering in the sky above.
Within the roaring Phoenix flames, the Phoenix Cloth's twin eyes flashed with light. The beam struck Hawk instantly.
The next second—
Endless flames of rebirth erupted from around Hawk's body. The magnificent Phoenix Cloth covered him entirely in an instant—
Shoulder guards like burning wings.
Chest plate engraved with the Phoenix totem of rebirth.
Arm and leg guards flowing with molten light.
Three Phoenix tail feathers swaying behind him.
...
Beneath the visor.
Hawk slowly opened his eyes. His half-crimson, half-gold pupils reflected the illusion of his continuously exploding Cosmo.
The moment the Phoenix Cloth attached itself and brought Hawk's power to its peak, his cold gaze fell on the scene below.
The Wakandan soldiers—who had finally caught on, no longer cheering but panicking, no longer shouting but screaming—frantically ran toward the capital, trying to get inside before the Vibranium shield closed.
From above, it looked like a swarm of black ants trying to storm a fortress.
Unfortunately, they failed.
The Vibranium shield protecting Wakanda's capital didn't slow its descent for them.
A few unlucky souls saw the shield coming down and tried to roll inside. The descending Vibranium barrier cut them in half without mercy.
Vertically.
Hawk hovered above Wakanda, his gaze sharp as a blade. He didn't speak. He simply raised both arms—casually, yet with a weight that seemed to crush the souls of everyone below—and slowly brought them together in front of his chest.
Between his palms, as his fingers aligned, a pinpoint of ultimate crimson light appeared. Compressed to a terrifying, heart-stopping degree, it began spinning and condensing at an insane speed.
The moment this crimson light appeared, it radiated destructive heat so intense that even the surrounding space warped.
And as the crimson light gradually expanded, a lifelike Fire Phoenix was born from within it.
"PHOENIX'S WINGED—"
"ASCENT!"
Three cold, merciless words—like the judgment of the apocalypse—left Hawk's mouth the instant his gaze locked onto Wakanda below.
In that instant...
As his palms became fists and struck downward toward Wakanda, the Fire Phoenix—composed entirely of destructive energy—spread its wings. With a piercing cry that tore through the sky, carrying heat capable of incinerating all things and drying rivers and mountains in an instant, it fell like a massive meteor. Trailing a long tail of flame, it plummeted toward Wakanda at a speed beyond the limits of human vision.
Maria Hill—who had received Hawk's advance warning and was now in the safe zone—stared up at the terrifying fireball falling like a second sun, her mouth hanging open in shock.
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
BOOOOOOM!
Countless burning feather-shaped fireballs struck the Vibranium energy shield above Wakanda's capital first, triggering violent golden energy ripples. Then, following close behind, the flaming phoenix spread its wings and slammed directly into the center of the shield!
In that instant, the world seemed to be reforged!
Indescribable light erupted the moment the Fire Phoenix—composed entirely of destructive energy—struck the Vibranium shield.
The ultimate flame is white!
Blinding white light—like countless invisible, searing blades—instantly tore through the Vibranium shield and swept toward the capital below without losing momentum.
The white light bloomed in all directions. Under its illumination, Wakanda's capital underwent a complete, all-encompassing reset.
Yes.
A reset.
The trees lining the streets dissolved the instant the white light touched them.
The buildings melted in slow motion under the light's radiance, turning to ash and vanishing into nothing.
As for the people—
What people? There were no people.
Accusations require evidence. Even the NYPD knew one simple truth.
No body, no case.
So—
From his high vantage point, hovering in the air, Hawk watched the white light sweep across Wakanda. A line from a famous novel suddenly came to mind.
A vast expanse of white, pure and empty—truly clean.
After today, if anyone entered the Wakanda region again and saw what remained, they would cry out in shock:
What a barren wasteland!
Wait.
Not completely barren.
Hawk stared at the single magnificent palace that had somehow survived, standing alone in the now-barren wasteland after the terrifying white light and heat dissipated. He raised an eyebrow and vanished from his position.
When he reappeared, he found himself staring at a Vibranium energy shield covered in spiderweb-like cracks. He raised an eyebrow, then reached out with his right hand and gently touched the shield protecting the core palace of Wakanda.
CRACK.
The moment his finger made contact, the Vibranium shield shattered completely.
The next instant—
A black blur shot out from the magnificent palace. T'Challa, clad in the Black Panther suit, radiated endless fury from his eyes. His Vibranium claws gleamed with sharp, cold light.
Gone.
All gone.
All of Wakanda had ceased to exist.
T'Challa's voice sounded like it had crawled up from Hell itself.
"DIE!"
WHAM!
Hawk threw a single punch.
The Black Panther, who had been flying toward him through the air, was instantly sent flying backward. He crashed into the wall of the only surviving palace with a heavy thud.
Hawk had been startled by the black thing that suddenly shot out at him.
"What the hell was that?"
"HAWK!!"
T'Challa picked himself up off the ground and hurled an accusation at Hawk. "You killed my father! You killed my people! You killed them all!"
Hawk finally got a clear look at what had just jumped out at him.
Black Panther.
What was his name again?
Hawk's mind turned briefly, then supplied the answer. He looked at the Black Panther. "T'Challa. You're the one who sent people to New York, right?"
The Black Panther's claws clenched.
"That's right. It was me."
"Oh."
Hawk's response was calm.
The next second—
His right hand shot up. He opened his palm toward the distant Black Panther, then suddenly clenched it into a fist.
WHOOSH!
The Black Panther, still far away, was suddenly yanked forward by some invisible force. He flew straight toward Hawk's hand—and obediently delivered his own throat into Hawk's grip.
The Black Panther's right hand flashed with cold light. He stabbed toward Hawk's chest.
Hawk's eyes lowered. His pupils focused.
"Ah!"
The Black Panther's right arm bent inward at an impossible angle.
Eye Beam!
A supersonic wind blade launched from the eyes to tear apart the opponent. It was something Bronze Saints could do.
This was Hawk's first time using it.
After all, he preferred fist-to-flesh combat. That probably had something to do with the fact that he'd spent a thousand days punching sandbags but had never actually hit a person.
It was like that movie—where a sniper spent years burning through thousands of rounds practicing his marksmanship, but retired without ever killing anyone. Finally, on his last day before discharge, he wanted to know what it felt like to take a life.
That was roughly Hawk's state of mind right now.
The Black Panther, gripped in Hawk's hand, gritted his teeth. He forced words through the crushing pressure. "Damn murderer. You killed my family. You killed my people."
Hawk glanced at the Black Panther without expression. He said nothing.
Using his telekinesis—
The Black Panther's right arm—which Hawk had just broken with his Eye Beam—slowly lifted against its owner's will. The sharp Vibranium claws pointed directly at his own head.
The Black Panther watched this happen. Feeling the claws he couldn't control slowly approaching his head, his left hand stabbed at Hawk again.
"Ah!"
Another scream.
Hawk didn't react.
The Black Panther's eyes widened. From the corner of his vision, he saw the sharp Vibranium claws now almost touching his helmet. He roared at the silent Hawk in front of him. "Damn butcher! Say something! Why did you do this to Wakanda?! Why?!"
Hawk paused the Black Panther's right hand temporarily. Hearing those words, the visor on his face slowly opened. He stared at the Black Panther in his grip, his voice perfectly calm.
"You shouldn't have sent people to New York."
SPLAT.
"..."
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