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BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Ikaris's fist slammed into Hawk from above, sending him crashing downward. His body collided with one of the floating mountains behind him with a deafening impact.
The mountain shuddered. Its petrified outer layer crumbled away.
Hawk flickered and reappeared behind Ikaris instantly. Both fists shot forward.
His burning Cosmo gathered in his fists, launching forward at impossible speed—creating a series of devastating strikes as beautiful and deadly as a phoenix spreading its wings.
"Phoenix Wing!"
"BOOM—"
Ikaris was launched backward, slamming into another floating mountain. The massive impact sent the already-suspended mountain drifting sideways, where it crashed into yet another mountain with a thunderous roar.
Hawk vanished again. When he reappeared, he was directly above Ikaris.
His palms opened wide. His Cosmo blazed to its peak. A brilliant phoenix manifestation took shape in an instant.
"Phoenix Soaring Wing—"
The conjured phoenix spread its wings and dove toward Ikaris below like an immortal firebird taking flight, its cry echoing through the cavern.
Ikaris's eyes widened. He launched himself upward, narrowly evading the attack's range.
RUMBLE!
The floating mountain below groaned under the violent shockwave. It trembled, then—as if suddenly released from whatever force had been holding it in place—plummeted through space and crashed into the ground of the Hollow World below.
The earth cracked on impact. Golden magma surged up from beneath like a volcanic eruption.
But—
Ikaris was completely unharmed.
"Figures."
"There's a reason why you don't blow your ultimate move right at the start—whether you're a Saiyan or a Saint."
Hawk watched as his strongest attack was cleanly avoided, his mind processing the tactical error.
If this had been the end of the fight, that attack would've either killed Ikaris or crippled him.
But the battle had just started. Ikaris's stamina and energy were still fresh. Which meant the killing blow had missed.
No big deal.
Hawk's lips curved upward.
"Again!"
"Die!"
Ikaris's eyes blazed cold and merciless. Golden heat vision erupted once more.
But—
"I already told you—the same move doesn't work twice on a Saint."
WHAM!
Hawk flickered again. While Ikaris hung in the air firing his heat vision, Hawk appeared at his side and delivered a brutal spinning kick that sent Ikaris flying. His mocking voice followed close behind.
He was exhilarated.
Saints were born for battle. But ever since his Cosmo had reached a new level, he'd rarely encountered anyone who could make his blood boil like this.
That was why he sparred with Thor on Mars every week.
He needed to fight.
He wanted to fight.
And Ikaris—the Eternal, the so-called Marvel Superman—was giving him that rush all over again.
Gentlemen, I love war!
"HAH!"
"Damn it!"
Ikaris turned and saw Hawk's fist coming at him again. He cursed instinctively and shot upward.
BOOM!
Hawk's fist slammed into the Adamantium mountain instead. He looked up, tracking Ikaris's trajectory.
The next second—
CRASH!
Ikaris was already back, slamming into Hawk from above and sending him hurtling toward the ground below.
The battle raged on.
Hawk and Ikaris's forms flickered constantly—appearing and vanishing in mid-air, between floating mountains, across the towering jungle floor, and along the edges of the glowing golden magma flows.
Ikaris—who possessed an energy conversion ability similar to Superman's—continuously absorbed the Adamantium-infused energy from the air, rapidly replenishing his stamina while increasing his strength and speed.
Hawk's Cosmo burned endlessly, its power providing him with an inexhaustible supply of energy.
Every move they made was lethal.
This wasn't a sparring match. This was war.
A battle that would decide both victor and survivor.
But the real victims were the creatures living in the Hollow World.
Countless flying beasts desperately tried to stay airborne, doing everything they could to avoid the shockwaves from the two combatants.
What was nothing more than a glancing blow to Hawk and Ikaris meant instant death to them.
So—
In no time at all, the entire Hollow World descended into absolute chaos under the weight of Hawk and Ikaris's battle.
Ikaris's cold eyes locked onto Hawk.
"You're one of Ajak's people, aren't you?"
"Pfft."
Hawk let out a derisive snort. His form flickered, reappearing behind Ikaris and delivering a spinning back kick. "Is that why you're trying to kill me? So Ajak won't find out you've been breeding Deviants down here?"
Ikaris vanished, dodging the kick. A sonic boom cracked through the air. Then he reappeared in front of Hawk, wrapped both arms around his waist, and drove him downward toward the dense jungle below.
"Phoenix Feather!"
"BANG-BANG-BANG!!"
As Ikaris carried Hawk downward, the wings of the Phoenix Cloth launched countless flaming, steel-hard feathers—like a dense rain of arrows—hammering into Ikaris's body at point-blank range.
Ikaris's blue-and-gold uniform was shredded to ribbons in seconds under the relentless barrage.
But—
Ikaris's eyes remained ice-cold. He stared at the ground below and roared.
"AAAHHH!!"
"BOOOOOM—"
Like a meteor slamming into the earth, the ground shook violently. The land on either side buckled upward and then shattered.
The massive impact reverberated through the entire Hollow World, echoing like a hammer striking an anvil in the ears of every creature living there.
Entire flocks of Psychovultures plummeted from the sky, knocked unconscious by the sheer force of the sound.
The massive red winged serpent let out a mournful cry and plunged into the golden magma below.
Ikaris hovered in the air, battered and bloodied. His once-pristine blue-and-gold uniform now looked like rags. Golden blood streamed from countless wounds.
Hawk rose into the air shortly after.
He was just as roughed up.
The Phoenix Cloth's glow had dimmed significantly. Visible cracks covered every inch of the armor.
Blood trickled from the corner of Hawk's eye.
Their gazes met.
Ikaris's chest heaved as he gasped for breath.
Hawk was breathing hard too.
The next second—
BOOM!
Both of them launched forward simultaneously. Their fists collided mid-air. The shockwave exploded outward from the point of impact, leveling the ancient trees below that had stood in the Hollow World for untold centuries.
CRASH!
Ikaris was sent flying backward, his back slamming into a floating mountain. His face went pale. He coughed up a mouthful of golden blood.
Hawk's back also crashed into a floating mountain. He grunted involuntarily from the impact.
Ikaris wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He glanced down at the golden blood staining his skin, then stood floating in the air once more, his expression blank.
Hawk took a deep breath. His form rose into the air, hovering across from Ikaris once again.
...
Back on Skull Island.
Because they knew they'd be leaving today, Peter and Felicia had stayed up all night. By the time the sun rose, both of them had dark circles under their eyes. They sat on the porch of their stilt house, staring blankly toward the Kong Canyon.
"Peter."
"Yeah?"
"Did Hawk say when he'd be back last night?"
"I don't think so."
"Should we go check on him?"
Felicia glanced at the Kong Canyon—where Hawk still hadn't returned after a full night—and suggested it to Peter.
Peter immediately shook his head. "I'll go check. You can't."
"Why not?"
"It's too dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
Felicia gave Peter an amused smile. "You forget—when your powers stopped working, I was the one who drove off that Mother Longlegs."
Give me a break...
Did he really think she was just some damsel in distress? She was the Black Cat!
Peter's mouth twitched, but he kept shaking his head. "That doesn't matter. You're pregnant. I'll go check. I'll be right back."
Felicia smiled at Peter, who was clearly set on this, and shrugged.
"Fine. Forget it. Let's just wait a little longer. You don't need to go either."
"Okay."
Peter's response was immediate.
He had almost blind faith in Hawk's strength. So the moment Felicia backed off, he dropped the idea of checking the canyon entirely.
Hawk could walk through the Kong Canyon like it was nothing.
He couldn't.
Better to wait.
Peter and Felicia exchanged a glance, silently agreeing. Then they both turned their attention back toward the Kong Canyon.
The next second, A violent explosion erupted from the direction of the canyon. Then a blue-and-gold figure shot into the sky like a missile, bursting out of the canyon. A sonic boom cracked through the air. Without looking back, the figure rocketed straight toward the massive storm system surrounding Skull Island.
As he flew, golden droplets fell from his wounds.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Hawk—his Phoenix Cloth covered in visible cracks—appeared in the air where Ikaris had been standing moments before. His eyes instantly locked onto Ikaris, who had already entered the colorful, lightning-filled storm wall in less than a second.
Under Hawk's gaze, Ikaris vanished into the storm—and his presence disappeared completely.
Hawk stared expressionlessly at Ikaris fleeing with his tail between his legs. He didn't chase.
Because his armor...
Had shattered.
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~# 70 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
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