Boom!
Thud!
Boom!
Hawk, who was enjoying the complete process of the Phoenix Holy Armor's birth, was caught off guard and grabbed by the Demon Hulk outside the mountain and thrown out.
Thrown out by the Demon Hulk, Hawk's figure rubbed violently against the air. The moment he caught fire, he hit the grassland, and with unstoppable momentum, bounced up again and flew back.
Until—
Bang!
Like a golden dome protecting the whole of Wakanda, the Vibranium Protection Shield flashed brilliantly. From inside, Hawk slammed into it, feeling like his world changed, and with a boom, he heavily crashed onto the grassland outside Wakanda.
The grassland dented on impact.
The sound, like a meteorite crashing, scared the cattle and sheep on the distant grassland into a frenzied run.
The newly arrived S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were similarly terrified.
Leading them was none other than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s combat commander, Maria Hill.
However, she wasn't chasing Hawk to this place.
Maria Hill was following Bruce Banner here. New York S.H.I.E.L.D. suddenly noticed Bruce Banner's disappearance, and by the time his information resurfaced, he was already in Africa.
She immediately checked Hawk's current location.
The result...
Also Africa.
Sure enough.
Maria Hill rushed over with her team, but it seemed she was late.
Because when she arrived, all she saw was a chaotic scene full of broken limbs, not a trace of Hawk or Bruce Banner.
The result...
Just as she began to suspect the two had left and was ready to withdraw, a violent collision instantly caught her attention.
"Is that..."
"Holy shit!"
"It came from that forest."
"Wait, did you hear something?"
Upon hearing this, the distant S.H.I.E.L.D. agents instinctively went silent, listening carefully, seemingly hearing a furious and increasingly close roar.
Their gazes coincidentally focused on the distant forest.
The next second.
Boom!
Very suddenly, and abruptly, like appearing in the blink of an eye.
Accompanied by a roar, Hulk, as massive as a black mountain, suddenly appeared in the sky at the forest's edge. Descending like a crushing weight and looking at Hawk lying in the pit, a sinister smile appeared on his face, lifting his right foot and stomping towards Hawk.
Boom—
The grassland dented once more.
The Demon Hulk's huge footprint sunk deep into the pit, pure, destructive physical force radiating like waves in all directions.
In an instant.
Grass and soil flew wildly.
Dust covered the sky!
"Shit."
"It's Hulk, no, it's a black Hulk."
"How did he get out?"
The distant S.H.I.E.L.D. agents looked at the suddenly appeared Demon Hulk, filled with shock and confusion.
In the high-altitude S.H.I.E.L.D. Command Fighter, Maria Hill turned her gaze to the primitive forest where Hawk and Hulk suddenly appeared.
Soon.
The dust on the grassland came and went quickly.
"Hulk!"
"Die!"
After the dust cleared, Hulk maintained a trampling posture, fiercely pressing down with his massive right foot, his fiery eyes fixed on someone under his gigantic right palm.
Hawk, half of his body sunk deep in the soil, held Hulk's massive right foot in both hands.
At that moment, the Little Cosmos within him burned like a blazing sun.
The outline of the Phoenix Holy Armor gradually emerged under this scorching sun.
At the moment Hawk's arms straightened, unrivaled strength surged forth. Amid Demon Hulk's roar, Hawk's body slowly left the earth.
The next second.
"Hulk!!!"
"Boom!"
Hulk's huge body was flipped over. After staggering, with a thud, he fell onto the grassland, his enormous rear instantly forming a large crater.
Hawk hovered in low air, a few meters above the ground.
He looked extremely ragged at this moment.
His body was covered only by a pair of battle-damaged casual pants, which exposed his black underwear.
Scars covered every inch of his body.
Under Africa's blazing sun, the blood seeping from those scars glowed with a golden star-like sheen.
However...
As Hawk breathed a few times, the burning Little Cosmos within him accelerated the healing and disappearance of the wounds at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In just a few breaths, despite the battle-damaged pants that made him look disheveled, there were no visible signs of injury left.
Meanwhile.
Demon Hulk, who crashed onto the ground, used his house-sized right hand to pat his head and then stood up again from the grass.
With eyes burning with Hellfire, Demon Hulk watched Hawk, who was hovering at low altitude, level with him, exhaling fiery breath.
Four eyes met.
The moment Hawk gazed into Demon Hulk's Hellfire-lit eyes, a sudden illusion arose in his heart.
It was as if...
Someone seemed to be observing him through Demon Hulk's eyes, which burned with Hellfire.
No.
It wasn't an illusion.
Hawk's expression stiffened, seeing a man with a beard flashing past in the Hellfire-lit eyes of Demon Hulk, laughing evilly.
The next second.
As Demon Hulk's body seemed frozen, the Hellfire in his eyes burned more intensely, and the flames condensed into the form of a man, completely red, grinning wickedly yet somehow gentlemanly.
The man appeared in Demon Hulk's eyes, meeting Hawk's gaze, his voice hollow as if emanating from the depths of Hell, resonating beside Hawk's ears.
"I am—"
"Mephisto!"
"..."
Listening to the demonic words resonating in his ears, Hawk's eyes instinctively narrowed slightly.
"Mephisto!"
"You've been calling my name all along, so why are you afraid now that I've shown up?"
Mephisto's voice, though hollow, was light, as if mocking casually despite resembling a demonic whisper.
Hawk's stance paused, his eyes narrowing, locking gazes with Mephisto appearing in Demon Hulk's eyes.
"So… Demon Hulk's emergence is your doing."
"Naturally."
Mephisto replied nonchalantly, examining his right hand while casually glancing at Hawk: "You've been warning me left and right to be careful, to ensure your sister doesn't lose a hair. I had to come see who's been chirping behind my back."
Hawk's lips twitched subtly at his words.
"My sister…"
"She's fine."
As if anticipating Hawk's inquiry, Mephisto smiled: "Didn't you tell Hulk to pass a message when sending him to Hell? I received it. Rest assured, as long as you're alive, I promise your sister's safety. You won't get the chance to go berserk and kill me."
Hawk fell silent for a moment.
"Thank you."
"No need."
Mephisto responded with a smile, then his tone turned cold and piercingly chilling as he faced Hawk: "I assumed you'd be formidable, but surprisingly, you can't even handle the toy I casually tossed up here. If your power is merely this, I'm curious where your audacity to threaten me comes from."
He wasn't initially meant to come up.
But…
Couldn't resist exchanging lives with a fool, and coincidentally, he planned to test Hawk's oft-bragged power, so he modified the Hulk killed by Hawk and tossed him back.
Turns out…
This is it?
Demon Hulk might look intimidating, but in the eyes of gods, he's merely durable.
Even the Supreme Mage could dispatch Hulk with a single soul-shattering slap.
Let alone him, Hell's Monarch and Divine Spirit of the Hell Dimension, Mephisto.
The Dimension God is still a God!
After Mephisto coldly spoke, sensing something, he chuckled: "I must leave now. You'd better stay alive; if you do, I'll ensure your sister's well-being. But if you perish, and descend to my Hell, heh…"
During his words.
His figure dispersed with the chaotic Hellfire and, concomitantly, as Mephisto departed, Demon Hulk regained his senses.
Initially, Demon Hulk shook his head, which seemed momentarily dazed, then watched Hawk, roaring angrily, and charged again. When ten meters away, his massive arms suddenly swung, clapping together swiftly like smashing a mosquito.
"Hulk—Smash!"
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The airflow from Demon Hulk's clasped hands surged like blades, shattering the grass along its path, sweeping unimpeded towards Hawk.
Hawk's form blurred, reappearing in countless shadows, emerging behind Demon Hulk.
Demon Hulk's right hand clenched into a fist, swinging around the moment Hawk appeared behind him.
Hawk's right fist punched out.
Crash—
The earth quaked, white sonic boom clouds formed at their clashing fists, and the ferocious airwaves uplifted the surrounding grass yet again.
Along with it, Hawk, who grunted and got swept away, flying amidst the scattered grass and woods.
Dammit!
Demon Hulk has grown stronger again.
Swept away, Hawk felt the heavy black shadow looming overhead, flashing in mid-air, recovering and distancing himself from Hulk, expressionless yet contemplative as he watched Demon Hulk.
Just then.
In the burning Little Cosmos, a strand of golden light emerged from the Phoenix Fire.
Following that—
More golden light unfurled from the Phoenix Fire.
At this moment, the Phoenix Holy Armor was finally forged!
…