Chapter 416: [520] - Tiamut, We Meet Again

Hawk would've preferred not to be this shameless.

But he had no clue how to explain that the Wanda in front of Jean really was her mother, even though her 'other' mother was also waiting for them on Earth-828.

Explaining it meant talking about Hawk's timeline, Wanda's timeline, and all the messy places where they crossed. Time was never simple. The more you tried to explain, the more confusing it got.

That's why Eternity stood out, even among Marvel's five great cosmic beings. He was time itself, and time only made sense to time.

Hawk wasn't going to try explaining something he barely understood. He didn't want to ruin his reputation as the all-knowing dad.

Besides, Wanda had taken away his parental authority. Now, this was her problem to deal with.

Hawk just smiled at Wanda's silence and turned away.

"I'm going to visit an old friend."

Before Jean could react, Hawk shot into the sky. He turned into a streak of gold and crimson light, racing west toward the Pacific.

Jean watched her father vanish before turning to Wanda.

"Mom, I thought Dad didn't have any friends in this universe. Where did this 'old friend' come from?"

"Tiamut," Wanda answered.

Jean blinked. "Who?"

"A sleeping Celestial. Tiamut helped your father get started, or at least that's what he says."

"A Celestial?"

Jean stared at her.

Weren't the Celestials supposed to be the Phoenix family's mortal enemies? How did one of them suddenly become Hawk's old friend?

By the time Jean recovered, Wanda had already turned toward the house.

"Mom, wait!" Jean hurried after her. "Aren't the Celestials our enemies? And what did Dad mean when he said you weren't coming home with us?"

Wanda kept walking.

"Mom!"

Jean followed her inside, throwing questions at Wanda's back as Wanda made what looked a lot like a tactical retreat.

Once time got involved, almost nobody could explain things in a way that made sense from start to finish.

Not even Wanda.

Luckily for him, Hawk got away before Jean could corner him.

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A gold-and-crimson streak descended from the sky and plunged into Skull Island.

Hawk immediately spotted Kong locked in a brutal battle against the mutated Deviants known as Skullcrawlers.

Wait, those weren't Kong and the Skullcrawlers.

Two enormous apes were fighting for their lives in Death Valley, surrounded on every side by the pale reptiles. Farther up the mountain, a much smaller ape paced frantically as it watched the battle.

Kong's parents were still alive.

Judging by the situation, Hawk had arrived shortly before the Skullcrawlers were supposed to kill them.

He appeared in front of the young Kong.

"..." The little ape froze, staring at the human who had just appeared. A moment later, it roared and charged, deciding Hawk must be another enemy.

Hawk didn't move.

"Let me pat your head, and I'll save your parents."

The words entered Kong's mind directly.

The young ape's charge ended with a strangled squawk. It tried to stop so fast that its feet tangled, and it tumbled across the ground.

Hawk watched, managing not to laugh.

Kong scrambled upright but remained on his knees. He looked up at Hawk with wide, pleading eyes.

Since Hawk had spoken through telepathy rather than aloud, Kong had understood every word.

Seeing this, Hawk instinctively reached for his phone. He wanted a picture to show the adult Kong back on his own Skull Island.

His hand found an empty pocket.

Apparently, he hadn't brought his phone.

Hawk shook his head, then reached up and patted the thick fur on young Kong's head. A sonic boom sounded as he vanished and reappeared above Death Valley.

He touched two fingers to his forehead.

"Psychic Teleportation."

"WHOOSH!"

Kong's parents disappeared from the middle of the Skullcrawler pack.

They reappeared inside their cave with their fists still swinging. One punch slammed into the stone wall before either ape realized that their enemies were gone.

Young Kong screamed with joy and threw himself at his parents.

After a hurried exchange, the two adults moved to the cave entrance and stared toward Death Valley. What they saw made all three members of the family fall silent.

Above the valley, Hawk still held his fingers against his forehead.

The image of a vast Phoenix appeared behind him, its wings embracing an endless cosmos. As those wings spread, the towering golden silhouette of the Taurus Saint stepped out from among the stars.

Below, the Skullcrawlers had been left confused by the sudden disappearance of their prey. Then they sensed the danger overhead.

Every creature in the valley raised its head and roared at Hawk and the golden figure behind him, trying to frighten them away.

None attempted to flee.

It wouldn't have mattered if they had.

By the time the Skullcrawlers looked up, Hawk's attack was already complete.

"Great Horn!"

The cry rang across Skull Island like the blast of a war horn.

The Taurus Saint crossed his arms in front of his chest. It looked defensive, but it wasn't. His whole body was like a giant bow pulled back, ready to fire.

Hawk's Cosmo surged through every inch of the golden apparition before gathering inside its clenched fists.

The air compressed and ionized under the pressure, filling the valley with a deep electrical rumble.

Then the bowstring snapped forward.

A huge horn made of gold and crimson energy burst out between the Taurus Saint's arms. As it shot forward, it cleared the air, carving a path through the sky as its force crashed down on the valley.

The Great Horn hadn't even reached the ground when the Skullcrawlers began to disappear.

Not die.

Disappear.

This wasn't an attack thrown by the weakened Hawk who had been forced to rely on his physical strength. This was the power of Hawk Phoenix—the Phoenix Saint who had reached the absolute peak of the Gold Saints and stood half a step from the Ninth Sense.

The Skullcrawlers never had a chance.

Every creature in Death Valley crumbled into ash before the Great Horn touched down.

A moment later, the attack struck.

The valley floor split apart with a deafening impact, exposing the Hollow Earth far below—the subterranean world formed around the sleeping body of Tiamut.

The Great Horn continued through the breach and plunged into the depths without slowing.

"Now that's more like it." Hawk grinned, feeling a rush of excitement. "I missed this. Nothing beats a good old-fashioned steamroll."

This was the first time since entering the universe that Hawk had used one of his familiar techniques.

His strength had kept him alive, but just surviving was never enough for Hawk. Deep down, he always felt insecure. That fear once pushed him to chase more and more power, until he lost himself in it.

Hawk understood that now.

It didn't mean he had stopped appreciating power.

There was no such thing as too much.

Still smiling after his attack, Hawk noticed three stunned faces watching from the cave in the distance.

Kong and his parents stood at the entrance, staring at him like their minds had just shut off.

Hawk waved goodbye to young Kong. Then his body turned into gold and crimson light and shot through the opening into Hollow Earth.

This time, he didn't pause on the way.

Hawk crossed the subterranean world at incredible speed and soon entered the cavern surrounding Tiamut's heart.

An unfinished metallic heart pulsed before him. Like the Sentinel's core, it was made entirely of adamantium, though it had yet to assume its final form.

As Hawk studied it, a voice entered his mind.

It sounded familiar, but also a little different.

"Have you come to destroy me, traveler from another universe?"

"Tiamut." Hawk smiled at the beating heart. "Would you believe me if I said no?"

"I would," the Dreaming Celestial answered without hesitation.

"You're that sure?"

"You have no reason to deceive me. You are neither a demon of Hell nor one of this planet's leaders."

Hawk burst out laughing.

When he stopped laughing, Hawk got straight to the point.

"I didn't come here to kill you, Tiamut." He looked into the heart of the sleeping Celestial. "I came to ask you something simple."

"Come with me." Hawk extended his hand.

"What do you say?"

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