Marvel: The Enlightened One-Chapter 67: [] - The Quickest Way to Strengthen the Cosmo and the Saint Armor (Bonus)
~ Thank You for 2,400 Powerstones, Here’s Your Bonus Chapter!
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A few days later.
Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey.
Gwen parked the car, and as she stepped out, she took in the breathtaking view of the Statue of Liberty and the iconic Manhattan skyline. She let out a soft gasp of awe and turned to Hawk as he got out of the passenger side.
"I’ve never seen the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline from this angle before. It’s beautiful, isn’t it, Hawk?"
"It’s alright."
Hawk gave the monument a cursory glance, his eyes sweeping over the distant city with a practiced indifference.
Gwen’s mouth opened, a retort on her lips, but she just sighed. She should have known better than to discuss aesthetics with him. She quickly changed the subject.
"So, where’s this friend you mentioned?"
"We’re early," Hawk’s voice was calm. "The meeting is at ten. It’s only nine."
He had gotten the call from Anna a few nights ago, just as he was leaving Gwen’s house. When Gwen had asked who it was, he had told her.
Just as he’d promised, he wouldn’t hide things from her if she asked. But upon hearing that Anna was the one providing him with information, Gwen had insisted on coming along.
Hawk had agreed.
And so, here they were. Gwen had shown up at his apartment first thing in the morning, and now they were an hour early for a ten o’clock meeting.
An hour wasn’t long. In what felt like the blink of an eye, ten o’clock arrived.
Right on cue, an unremarkable semi-truck rolled into the port. It gave two short blasts of its horn, catching their attention.
Hawk turned to watch as the truck slowed to a stop beside them.
The driver’s side door opened.
It was Anna.
Her blonde hair was tied up in a high, neat ponytail, and she wore a pair of stylish, intellectual glasses. She hopped down from the cab, a warm smile on her face. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Hawk."
Hawk returned the smile. "For a friend, I’m a very patient man, Anna."
Anna’s gaze then shifted to Gwen, and a flicker of surprise crossed her otherwise composed features. She looked back at Hawk. "And this is...?"
"Gwen. My girlfriend," Hawk said simply. "Anna. My friend."
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Gwen."
Hearing Hawk’s introduction, Anna’s smile widened. She pulled off her driving glove and extended a hand to Gwen.
Gwen shook it, her own smile polite but measured. "You too."
She had seen this woman before.
But, Gwen thought back to that day, waiting in the car, watching the woman who walked with a chilling purpose, a cold and untouchable air about her—a walking iceberg.
She couldn’t reconcile that image with the warm, smiling woman standing before her now. Gwen kept the thought to herself, pushing her curiosity down.
After shaking Gwen’s hand, Anna turned her attention back to Hawk. "So, is this enough?"
"Let’s see..."
Hawk nodded. Anna turned and led him to the back of the truck’s trailer.
Gwen followed close behind.
As the trailer doors swung open, Hawk’s eyes widened. The entire container was filled, almost to the brim, with iron meteorites.
Gwen gasped, staring at the massive haul.
Anna patted the side of the container and looked at Hawk with a satisfied smile. "Sorry, this was a bit rushed. I could only find thirty tons. If it’s not enough, I can have my people find more."
Hawk felt a muscle in his jaw twitch.
Rushed? Thirty tons? Not enough?
Okay. No doubt about it now. It’s Hydra!!
In the entire world, besides government-level entities, only an organization like Hydra would have the resources to gather thirty tons of iron meteorites in just three months.
The thoughts raced through Hawk’s mind, but his expression remained calm. He looked at Anna and smiled. "It’s more than enough. I’m very satisfied. Thank you."
How many meteorites did it take to forge a Saint Armor?
What he truly needed wasn’t the meteorites themselves, but the Stardust Sand he could create by grinding them down with the power of his Cosmo.
But even so, thirty tons was a staggering amount. It was enough to forge the Phoenix Armor with plenty to spare for the next one.
Hearing his answer, Anna’s smile grew even wider. She patted the container again. "So, do you want to haul it away, or—"
"..."
She didn’t get to finish her sentence. Hawk was already moving.
The next second, Anna’s eyes widened, her pupils contracting as she watched what happened next.
She saw Hawk walk straight up to the open trailer. He took a deep breath, and as he extended his right hand, the thirty tons of meteorites inside began to vanish, piece by piece, as if drawn by an unseen force.
From a perspective only Hawk could see.
Hawk’s Cosmo had projected itself into reality, a slowly rotating black hole that was pulling the meteorites into its depths.
Within that inner universe, the Phoenix constellation flared like a star going supernova.
The meteorites, once inside his Cosmo, would be pulverized by its power, ground into a fine silver dust. This dust would then be drawn into the Phoenix constellation and refined by its ethereal flames, becoming one of the three essential materials for his Saint Armor: Stardust Sand.
But just like with the Gammanium, the process would take time. A Saint Armor was a living thing; the longer it had to mature and absorb power, the stronger it would become.
...
In the blink of an eye, the entire thirty-ton payload had vanished.
Anna could only stare in stunned silence. Beside her, Gwen was equally shocked by the bizarre, impossible scene.
Having finished, Hawk showed the first sign of strain, a flicker of fatigue in his eyes.
After all, this universe had no Saints. If the Marvel Universe was a video game, his power system wasn’t part of its native code.
He could burn his Cosmo to manifest it in reality, but compared to how it would work in its home universe, it was like trying to run software on incompatible hardware. It worked, but it was inefficient—twice the effort for half the result.
But he already had a solution for that.
Just as he had an idea on how to increase the power of his armor over time.
Those were problems for later, though. First, he needed to actually forge the armor.
Hawk let out a slow breath, the weariness in his eyes vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. He looked at the still-stunned Anna and extended his right arm. "Let’s do this."
Anna snapped out of her trance, a confused look on her face.
Hawk smiled. "200 milliliters isn’t going to cut it this time."
Anna’s eyes widened in understanding.
But before her expression could change, Hawk spoke again, his voice calm and steady.
"I’ll give you 400."
"..."
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