6. Hawk, the Almighty Bronze Saint!

Snap!

The Citari soldier, still holding an attack stance, suddenly twisted his head ninety degrees. His compound eyes, glowing with an eerie green light, resembled those of a fly, reflecting a mixture of disbelief as he stared at Hawk standing before him.

How did he suddenly appear behind me?

The Citari soldier didn’t understand.

But he didn’t have to, because that was the last thought to cross his mind before an endless darkness engulfed him instantly.

His body went limp and collapsed onto the rooftop floor, his energy weapon slipping from his grasp with a clatter.

“Is that all?”

“Hmph.”

Hawk chuckled lightly as he looked at the Citari soldier whose neck he had just snapped.

In the next moment, he felt a warm current surge within the microcosm born from the cosmic explosion inside him. With the soldier’s death, it was as if a star in his microcosm had been ignited.

Simultaneously, along with the lighting of this star, a message was transmitted to Hawk.

Within his microcosm, the phantom images of the Forty-Eight Bronze Constellations flickered faintly after the first star was lit.

Hawk closed his eyes, absorbing the information conveyed by his microcosm.

Growing through countless battles.

Transcending through endless combat.

After all…

The art of microcosm cultivation was born for war, for holy wars—a path of combat, a sacred warrior’s way.

“So…”

“If I want to light up the constellation that belongs to me within my microcosm, I need to fight—constantly fight?”

In the setting of the Saints, the awakening of the microcosm is deeply connected to one’s constellation, though not in a simple one-to-one correspondence.

If the microcosm’s awakening is the liquid, then the constellation is the vessel.

The constellation symbolizes a Saint’s identity and serves as the container of their power.

Bad news:

In the Marvel Universe, Saints don’t exist at all. Therefore, if he wants to possess his own constellation, he must light up the stars of his constellations one by one by himself.

Good news:

Because Saints don’t exist in the Marvel Universe, theoretically, Hawk can awaken all Forty-Eight Bronze Constellations.

Unlike in his memories, where thousands of people fought over a single constellation, with only one victor.

After all, in his memories, constellations were few, and Saints were many.

But here, things are different.

Here, he is the only one who has awakened his microcosm.

So…

He can be the Pegasus Saint, or the Phoenix Saint, as long as he can light those constellations within his microcosm.

That’s…

Wonderful.

There’s a saying.

Children will face choices. Though he is only seventeen, not yet an adult by age, mentally he is already mature.

He wants them all.

Wait.

If he can claim all Forty-Eight Bronze Constellations, what about the Twenty-Four Silver Constellations?

And the Twelve Zodiac Signs?

Hawk suddenly thought of this and involuntarily drew a breath.

At that moment,

He heard the wind outside, and with a swift motion opened his eyes to see two Citari soldiers piloting flying crafts. Upon noticing the corpse of their fallen comrade beneath his feet, their eyes locked onto him instantly. Without a word, they pulled their triggers.

Bang, bang, bang!

Furious at seeing their comrade slain by a seemingly weak human, the two Citari soldiers unleashed a barrage of gunfire onto the rooftop, venting their rage.

Under their onslaught, the already fragile rooftop finally gave way.

With the echoing sound of explosions, the apartment rooftop collapsed.

The entire building trembled precariously.

Soon after, the relentless gunfire from the two Citari soldiers around the rooftop caused the building to collapse from top to bottom.

The ground seemed to quake as a massive cloud of dust rose, turning the original five-story building into a pile of rubble.

Some residents who had fled the apartment just before its collapse stood dazed, mouths agape as they watched their home crumble amidst the dust.

But they quickly snapped back to reality.

Because the two Citari soldiers lowered their flight altitude, appearing within sight.

Realizing the inhuman figures before them, the terrified residents screamed and turned to flee.

But it was too late.

Following orders from their base to eliminate all Earthlings, the Citari soldiers showed no hesitation and opened fire again upon seeing the fleeing humans.

Exploding energy blasts.

Falling victims.

In mere moments, the impoverished, already rundown street transformed into a war-torn scene, reminiscent of a battered Iraqi avenue.

After clearing the humans from the area, the two Citari soldiers dismounted their crafts and drew their energy weapons, aiming them at the ruined apartment building.

They noticed the life signal of the human who had killed their comrade still remained.

Not only that—it was growing stronger.

Stronger and stronger.

The two exchanged glances.

Then—

“Boom!”

The ruins shattered as a blur streaked across.

The Citari soldier on the right vanished on the spot, accompanied by a deafening roar. The soldier’s body was slammed against the wall of the opposing apartment like a mural.

A pool of eerie green blood flowed down.

The remaining Citari soldier stared wide-eyed at his suddenly flung comrade.

Unfortunately, his eyes were so small that even wide open they looked like tiny green beans.

Instinctively, he ran toward his fallen companion to assist, but before taking a few steps, his vision blurred, and he was violently hurled backward.

At that moment, a tremendous explosion erupted beside his ear.

“Boom!”

“Bang!”

His chest burst open mid-air, his body falling limp like a ragdoll into the rubble of the destroyed apartment.

His corpse bounced once like a pinball before settling motionless amidst the debris.

“Clap. Clap. Clap.”

Hawk appeared where the Citari soldier had been thrown, brushing dust off his clothes with curious eyes surveying the surroundings.

He had killed one Citari soldier, and now two more had come.

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