Marvel: I Awake the Little Cosmos-Chapter 557 - 525: The Cycle of Death and Regret

Reed Stacy observed the expressions of those before him, a chill rising in his heart.

Once again.

If he hadn’t been forced into it, he wouldn’t have wanted to become this President.

This is the truth.

Although he considered himself not a good person, it’s quite normal. After all, who can be a good person and a politician at the same time?

But Reed believed that, at the very least, he was a person with principles.

This could be seen from the support he received from voters in his district.

The voters trusted him.

He did not betray the trust of his voters.

It was all a transaction.

Reed Stacy believed in the spirit of contracts, just like his agreement with Hawk this time. Although Hawk stated it as an ultimatum, to Reed Stacy, it was nothing but a transaction.

A transaction where the Stacy surname was the bargaining chip.

After all, Hawk mentioned that he made the offer only because of Reed’s Stacy surname.

So—

If he let down this choice, then the Stacy surname would be dead in Hawk’s mind.

Though Reed didn’t quite understand why he should care about this.

But he understood politicians.

Some things cannot be taken at face value.

On the surface, these people present seemed to seek his opinion and follow his direction, but in reality, they were looking for a scapegoat.

If Hawk died, everyone would be happy, and those hiding in their safe houses, involved in the scheme to hunt down the Demon King, and their sponsors would be grateful.

But if Hawk did not die, the blame would fall on him, this President, and these people in front of him would have no hesitation in throwing him under the bus.

Thus, Reed could not be bothered to argue, and clearly stated his opposition to the decision. But if they wanted to wager their lives and the Federation’s fate on whether Hawk was dead or not—

They were free to do so, but he would not participate.

He insisted on fulfilling the contents of his deal with Hawk. If Hawk was dead, he would at most be removed from office.

Anyway, he had been pushed to this position against his will, so being ousted wouldn’t be a loss.

But if Hawk wasn’t dead?

Reed believed the Stacy surname should be able to protect himself, his wife Helen, and his ten-year-old daughter Gwen.

The crowd fell silent once more, exchanging looks.

Gamble with their lives?

No way.

They had the courage to gamble with other people’s lives, and a lot of it too, but using their own lives?

Sorry.

Their lives were too precious.

However, if they won the gamble, the rewards would be substantial.

The people present hesitated.

They hesitated whether Hawk was truly dead or not.

While these people were speculating on whether Hawk was dead, Hawk had already arrived at Hell’s tavern, drinking with his long-lost friend.

Not quite right.

More accurately, it was a friend of sorts.

Mephisto, the Hell Monarch of this universe, was not the same Mephisto as in his own universe.

"You look just like the Old Mo I knew."

"There are differences."

This universe’s Mephisto lifted his glass, smiling at Hawk, clinking glasses, "I should be more handsome than him."

Upon hearing this, Hawk looked at the Mephisto before him, his expression serious, "Now I’m sure, you two are the same."

The same with not a truth in their mouths.

Mephisto naturally understood Hawk’s expression, laughed aloud, clinked glasses with Hawk again, and said joyously, "Welcome to my Hell, Main God Phoenix, are you ready to face your death?"

It was known to all.

Each Main God had their own world beyond death. Even if they died, they would still exist in their residing cosmos.

Just like Odin, who died on Earth, but didn’t go to the Hell Dimension where Earth is, instead returned to the Heroic Spirit Hall at the World Tree.

So according to this theory, if Hawk died, he should return to his own Netherworld.

However, Hawk came to Mephisto’s Hell Dimension.

This was because Hawk didn’t accept his Phoenix Cosmic Power, yet again:

To be reborn in death.

Only by bearing the death will, can he be reborn in death.

If upon death, he returned to his own Netherworld, there would be no death will.

So!

In order to be reborn in death, Hawk had to make a trip to Mephisto’s Hell Dimension.

Listening to Mephisto, he downed the bourbon in his glass and looked at Mephisto, smiling, "The Old Mo I knew, his world of death was a repetitive cycle of the world just before death. I’m curious, is yours the same here?"

In Hawk’s original cosmos, each soul that went to Mephisto’s hell would be stuck in a repetitive cycle of their pre-death world.

Dying over and over, extracting the soul’s Power Of The Soul through this method.

So Hawk was very curious if it was the same here.

Mephisto beamed brightly.

"A surprise, Main God Phoenix, save some for surprises."

"Alright then."

Hawk heard this and placed the wine glass in his hand on the table.

The next second.

Just as he was about to say what he had prepared, suddenly, the scene reversed, and in the blink of an eye, it seemed as if the world had changed.

A bustling street.

A noisy crowd.

And...

Two monsters fighting in the street.

Hulk and Abomination.

"This is——"

"My place of death is not the last world for every soul."

Mephisto’s voice appeared in Hawk’s ear, and as Hawk’s gaze fell on his sister Anya, who was buried in the rubble not far away after the dust cleared, the tone was gloomy: "The souls that come to me recur in their greatest regrets."

Hawk’s gaze was fixed on his sister Anya, trapped in the rubble. Even though he had already resurrected his sister, seeing this scene still caused a pang of pain in his heart.

He listened to Mephisto’s explanation without refuting.

Because Anya’s death was indeed his greatest regret.

"So how do I get out?"

"Hehe."

"No one can walk out of regret, just like I know that with your ability, you should have resurrected the woman who died in front of you, but this scene still appeared. Clearly, this remains your greatest regret, even if you resurrected her, it’s still regret, so..."

Mephisto chuckled softly, paused after saying this, and then spoke with a light tone: "I gladly accept your soul. Here, be lost, here, be consumed."

Just as his words fell, the previously still world suddenly started to move again.

The roaring sound of Hulk and Abomination fighting.

The sound of buildings collapsing.

And the screams of the fleeing crowd.

Also...

"Anya!"

Hawk looked at his sister Anya trapped in the rubble, feeling a sharp pain in his heart. Almost instinctively, he ran against the crowd to reach his sister Anya, trying to save her from the debris.

And at this moment.

Hulk roared, grabbing a car and preparing to smash it at Abomination, but Abomination dodged it, causing it to crash into a building and the outer wall to collapse.

Hawk looked up at the descending slabs, then looked at the rubble below, where his sister, who was knocked unconscious but not actually dead, lay. His eyes flickered.

This was the fundamental reason why his sister’s death was his regret.

Because initially, his sister hadn’t died on the spot, just passed out. Anya died when the building collapsed a second time.

The first time, Hawk chose to give up the chance to save his sister Anya and chose to retreat.

It was that retreat that cost him his sister.

Although it was an instinctive act at the time, after all, he was just an ordinary person with no ability and no time to save his sister before the slabs fell.

But that’s the regret.

The regret that Hawk hid in his heart, even though he had resurrected his sister, the reason remained.

Because a question kept echoing in Hawk’s mind.

What if?

What if he had the ability and the chance to save his sister at the moment the building collapsed? Would the story have been completely different?

And now the opportunity has come.

Although this is just an illusion of Hell’s regret, Hawk still wants to try.

Just like he said back then.

Envy his great power?

No need.

It was exchanged for his sister. If he had the choice, he would rather choose his sister.

Therefore!

In a flash, Hawk withdrew his gaze from the descending slabs and looked at his sister, who was half-buried in the rubble. He took a deep breath and chose another approach. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

He no longer retreated but tried to save his sister by himself.

The outcome was predictable.

The descending slabs hit the area where Hawk and his sister were like a cannonball, and the massive impact caused Hawk to vomit blood with a pale face and fall onto the rubble. Then they were buried by the crashing slabs.

Hawk died once more.

But in the blink of an eye, everything returned to the scene Hawk initially saw.

The monsters fighting, buildings collapsing, people fleeing, and the moment when his sister, who had passed out, called out "brother."

As Hawk reacted, he once again chose to rush against the crowd towards his sister as fast as possible.

And then got killed by the falling slabs once again.

Hawk tried again and again to rewrite the outcome, only to be killed by the falling slabs time after time.

But the price?

At home at Palm Street No. 521A.

After Wanda brought Hawk home, Jean kept watching her father Hawk, who Wanda placed under the sycamore tree in the backyard, with a worried expression.

She wasn’t sure if it was an illusion.

Jean suddenly felt something.

Her father.

Hawk was disappearing rapidly!

...