Stonehenge.
Also known as the Stonehenge Circle, Ring of Stones, Temple of the Sun, it's a renowned prehistoric cultural temple site in Europe.
Every year, no, to be more precise, almost every day, tourists flock here to witness the grandeur of Stonehenge.
To put it plainly.
It's just a few questionable old stones.
Anyway, after Hawk arrived at Stonehenge, he merely glanced at the stones, some lying down, some standing, and then looked away.
Perhaps it's because it's still early, or maybe because yesterday some guy was streaking at Stonehenge, today's Stonehenge is not open to the public.
But Hawk is an exception.
At this moment, Hawk quietly stands before one of the stones.
He can feel that the Stonehenge before him seems to have been activated, an inexplicable energy, similar to what he felt in the abandoned warehouse yesterday, is fluctuating.
Nine Realms Convergence.
This is a rare spectacle that occurs once in thousands of years, and today, with the tremors of the World Tree, the Nine Realms connected through the World Tree will appear as a brief spatial overlap, much like Nine Stars in alignment.
Technically speaking, Earth, having fallen from the World Tree Cosmos, should no longer count as one of the Nine Realms.
But despite Earth falling, its roots remain, and because of this, the spectacle of the Nine Realms Convergence takes place on Earth.
And because of this, Hawk can follow Jane Foster to find the Reality Gemstone sealed by God King Bor in the past.
Of course.
And precisely because today is the day of the Nine Realms Convergence, Dark Elf Malekith plans to use the Ether Particles today to turn the Nine Realms into a world of darkness.
After all, on any other day, even if he turns the Nine Realms into a world of darkness, it would be temporary, fake, and once his energy can no longer counteract the Reality Gemstone's consumption, or if the Reality Gemstone is stolen, the Nine Realms would return to normal.
After all...
The reality modified by the Reality Gemstone is not an eternally constant reality.
Otherwise, in the movie, Thanos wouldn't need to collect all the Infinity Gemstones; why not just use the Reality Gemstone to modify things directly?
First of all, the Reality Gemstone cannot directly replace, counteract, or surpass the core abilities of the other Infinity Gemstones.
If Thanos uses only the Reality Gemstone, he wouldn't be able to cover the entire Cosmos with a single thought.
He must wait for the Reality Gemstone, the dark red and writhing liquid of the Ether Particles, to take time to cover the entire Cosmos.
If he wishes to cover the entire Cosmos, conservatively speaking, it might take hundreds or thousands of billions of years.
After all, the Cosmos is vast.
But that's not the main point.
The point is that even if a single Reality Gemstone can modify reality, it can only do so temporarily, not perpetually.
This is why Thanos requires the other Infinity Gemstones.
Only when he has the other Gemstones can Thanos use them in conjunction with the Reality Gemstone, using the infinite power of the Power Gemstone to drive the Mind Gemstone, enhancing his thoughts with the Mind Gemstone, and then using the Reality Gemstone to modify the entire Cosmos on the levels of space, time, and soul.
Malekith is aware of this, which is why he plans to utilize today.
Because under the rare spectacle of the Nine Realms overlap that occurs once in thousands of years, the spatial boundaries between the Nine Kingdoms become blurred or even overlap, creating enormous energy channels and spatial-temporal anomalies connecting the realms, providing an unprecedented energy source and influence amplifier for the Ether Particles.
Thus, when Malekith uses the Reality Gemstone to modify the reality of the Nine Realms, it will achieve permanent change.
What a coincidence.
Hawk's idea is the same.
When his Little Cosmos transforms into reality, at the moment the Parallel Cosmos of the Reality Phoenix is born, it will also generate an unprecedented energy burst, allowing his Little Cosmos to achieve permanent realization.
So...
The Reality Gemstone.
He must obtain it.
Hawk thought expressionlessly.
At this moment.
His peripheral vision caught something, he looked towards the left at one of the stone columns of Stonehenge.
What he saw.
Hawk chuckled.
"Do you carry your Spider Battle Armor with you?"
"No, I wear it, so when I need it, I just pull off my jacket and put on the helmet."
Peter, with his limbs positioned like a household guardian beast on the stone column, shook his head, then explained earnestly why he always changed clothes so swiftly.
Because he wears it like underwear, and since he doesn't need a spider launcher, wearing it doesn't really get in the way.
Listening to Peter's explanation, Hawk nodded.
"What about Gwen and Mary?"
"They went out for a stroll."
"And you?"
"I saw you resting, so I figured I'd rest too. Besides, Mary and Gwen are off having a girls' day."
"Alright then."
Hawk chuckled upon hearing this.
Peter shot out his webbing, both hands gripping the web as he swung to Hawk's side, then looked towards the energy-fluctuating center of Stonehenge: "Do you need my help?"
Hawk smiled.
"Do you know what I'm about to do?"
"I don't know."
Peter shook his head, shrugged, and said to Hawk, "They're having a girls' day, so we can have a brothers' day."
He didn't know what Hawk was doing here, nor did he know what Hawk was going to do next.
But there was one thing Peter was sure of.
Hawk was his friend, and Peter was certain that if he wanted to do something, Hawk would be on his side.
Hawk naturally understood what Peter meant by this.
But...
"You can watch, but don't help."
Hawk looked at Peter and said seriously, "Even if I'm about to die, don't help."
Peter, wearing his Spider mask, tilted his head and looked at Hawk.
Hawk said, "Don't worry, I won't really die. Even if I die, it will just be a Nirvana, and I'll come back to life."
The Sixth Sense needs to be truly comprehended and mastered between the edge of life and death.
In short,
Only by being infinitely close to or actually experiencing death can one qualify to master the Sixth Sense.
Right now, his Little Cosmos is at the Silver Level, but it's just an empty facade. Only when he masters the Sixth Sense can he truly grasp his current Little Cosmos.
Peter listened to Hawk's serious tone, then looked at Hawk's equally serious expression, and nodded after a moment of silence.
"Alright, can you tell me who you're going to..."
"They're here."
Before Peter finished his sentence, Hawk suddenly sensed the rapid approach of the Ether Particles. With a raise of his eyebrows, he interrupted Peter and looked toward the center of Stonehenge.
In sight.
Accompanied by the silent ripple of space within Stonehenge, a figure with a newly disfigured left face, pale as stone, with deeply sunken eye sockets and pale pupils, filled with a gloomy, ancient, and exotic presence, Malekith silently appeared within Stonehenge.
Just by appearing.
Peter next to him, his Spider Sense rang instantly, and every hair on his body stood on end uncontrollably.
Hawk and Malekith locked eyes.
Malekith's pale pupils looked calmly at Hawk, his voice filled with a chilling air: "Child, I believe you have something of mine. Can you hand it over?"
Hawk smiled slightly, "I'm afraid not!"
Upon hearing this, Malekith chuckled.
He knew as soon as he first laid eyes on Hawk that Hawk would not obediently hand over his Ether Particles.
After all, Hawk had already used the Ether Particles.
But...
"The power from another Cosmos, with just the energy you've manifested now, might find it difficult to stop me."
"Let's give it a try."
After all, Malekith is a contemporary of Thor's grandfather, Odin's father, God King Bor, so it's not surprising that he, like Mephisto, can see through the source of Hawk's powers.
Hawk didn't mind, shrugged at Malekith and said lightly, "If I die, you get the Ether Particles. If you die, I get the Ether Particles."
"Very fair!" Malekith nodded with a smile, then suddenly shifted his gaze, his eyes landing on Peter standing next to him, "And what about this spider?"
Hawk smiled as well, "In a battle, there are always spectators. If I die, he can take care of my body, so you won't be bothered."
Malekith laughed.
Hawk laughed too.
Their eyes clashed once again across the Stonehenge.
The next second.
Dark red energy erupted from Malekith, instantly forming a sharp spear in the blink of an eye.
"Go!"
Almost at the moment when Malekith's expression changed, Hawk shouted at Peter beside him, then, as the sharp spear formed by the dark red energy came rushing at him, his right hand formed a fist to meet it.
Boom!
The sharp spear shattered like glass.
Malekith's pale pupils flashed with a hint of mockery.
"Gotcha—"
As soon as the words fell, the dark red substance that broke like a mirror reconstituted itself, bypassed Hawk's fist, and hit Hawk directly in the chest.
Boom!
Hawk was sent flying, crashing through the protective walls built by the London Government around Stonehenge.
Back on top of the stones of Stonehenge, listening to Hawk's words and not participating in the battle, Peter watched from afar as Hawk was blasted away.
Just as Malekith stepped out with his right foot, he appeared outside Stonehenge, and with another step, he had passed through the wall Hawk's body had just burst open.
In sight.
Smoke and dust rose from the ground not far away, and as the dust settled, Hawk reappeared, now looking quite battered.
Malekith smiled, quite gentleman-like, even looking at Hawk with an appreciative expression.
"Would you like to continue?"
"Of course!"