Christmas in 2012 didn't seem much different from previous Christmases.
Christmas songs played in street shops.
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky.
In the community, children gathered in groups, playing happily on this very special holiday.
The entire New York City was immersed in the joy of Christmas's arrival.
Families either celebrated in various restaurants or gathered at home, lighting bonfires and sitting around them to celebrate the holiday's arrival.
Hawk was also spending time with his family.
Just like in previous years, as dusk approached, he took a bus to Calvin Cemetery, stepping on the accumulated snow on the ground to spend the holiday with his sister.
Helen had wanted to invite him to go to Long Island with the Stacy family for the holiday.
But he declined.
Although Hawk felt that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, he would definitely marry Gwen in the future, and Gwen would become his only wife, making them a family.
But that was for the future.
The future was the future; it wasn't now.
The most important point was that he also had his own family.
So...
Hawk politely declined Helen's invitation.
Since childhood, he had always spent Christmas with his sister Anya, even after his sister passed away in 2009, he would still come to spend Christmas with Anya every year.
Because Hawk knew his sister loved lively atmospheres, but due to her congenital heart disease, she often could only watch from afar.
This already pained Hawk's heart; how could he let Anya spend the holiday alone?
Sorry, he couldn't do it.
In the cemetery.
Just like last year, Hawk placed the food his sister Anya liked, which he had bought, in front of her tombstone, then leaned against her tombstone, sat on the ground, and gazed at the distant scenery.
Heavy snow fell from the sky.
It was quite magical.
The heavy snow, which had been falling for nearly two hours, had already covered the nearby ground with a layer of white, but around Hawk and around his sister Anya's tombstone, the ground was as dry as if it were a sunny day.
It was as if in a snowy wilderness, the area around a fierce tiger was as dry as summer.
Hawk leaned against the tombstone, his eyes slightly closed, his mind sinking into his Little Universe.
After three days of rest, his Little Universe had completely absorbed the Gamma Power plundered after Hulk's death, and it had been completely renewed.
Clearly, his Little Universe had sublimated.
Gamma Power was a real existing power in the Marvel Universe.
So his Little Universe had become somewhat more real after absorbing this truly existing Gamma Power.
Although it was still far from a true Little Universe, it could even be said to be miles apart.
But...
Even just that tiny bit of added reality, compared to his previous Little Universe, could be said to be like heaven and earth.
For example, if Hawk needed to rely on the power of drowning in lake water to kill Hulk before, he no longer needed to now.
If he were to face Hulk again now, even on land, as long as Hulk maintained his previous combat power, he could beat Hulk to death.
That's no exaggeration.
Most importantly, Hawk, whose mind was immersed in his Little Universe, looked up at the brilliant, scorching Phoenix, radiating unparalleled light above his Little Universe, and the dozens of new stars that had appeared in the starry sky.
Yes, dozens of stars.
This was another unexpected gain besides Gamma Power after he successfully avenged himself on Hulk.
It couldn't be called unexpected.
saint seiya was originally a method of holy war; each of Hawk's battles would add some stars to his Little Universe, strengthening his power, thereby achieving the positive effect of growing stronger with each battle.
Hawk planned to use these dozens of new stars to light up the dragon.
The Phoenix gave him the confidence of 'immortality' and 'rebirth'.
Then the dragon would provide him with the 'fierceness of the dragon' and the 'protection of the dragon'.
Fierce power and unparalleled defense.
This was the dragon.
Among many saint seiya, the only one who was stronger without his saint cloth than with it.
Most importantly, this was a dragon!
The Phoenix cries in the heavens.
The dragon roars through the nine heavens!
Hawk slowly opened his eyes, glanced at his sister's photo on the nearby tombstone, which seemed to be smiling at him, and a gentle expression appeared on his face.
"Hulk should be in hell by now, right?"
"You must have seen it."
"Don't worry, there's also Abomination. Abomination will be soon too."
"Remember to tell Mephisto, if he doesn't take good care of you, when I go to hell, I'll twist his head off and use it as a urinal!"
Just like Mephisto treated Zartannos back then.
What? You don't know who Zartannos is?
You know Ghost Rider, right? Ghost Rider uses Zartannos's power.
Back then, after Mephisto defeated Zartannos, he twisted off Zartannos's head and made it into a urinal.
Ghost Rider's power was bestowed by Mephisto using one of his urinals.
Hawk's voice was gentle, as if this way, his sister Anya in hell could hear him.
Leaning against the tombstone, Hawk closed his eyes, rambling on about the year's events that might interest and amuse his sister Anya.
At this moment, Hawk was no longer inarticulate but quite talkative.
Very talkative.
Including today's headlines, Hawk also chattered to his sister Anya.
That was about Tony Stark's battle against Extremis Killian at the Roslyn Port pier in Tennessee, and how he used the Iron Legion he had accumulated over the years to put on a fireworks display.
His sister Anya, like other little girls, loved to hear news related to billionaires when she was alive.
"Last night, at the oil tanker pier in Roslyn Port, Tennessee, an unprecedented heroic farewell and identity revelation dramatically unfolded."
"Tony Stark, after successfully thwarting the deadly threat of the Terrorists Aldrich Killian and his Extremis soldiers, made an even more astonishing move—"
"He ordered all remaining Iron Legion armors to fly into the sky and conduct a priceless, sky-illuminating fireworks self-detonation."
"Just this morning at seven o'clock, Tony Stark, who reappeared, accepted an interview and stated..."
Leaning against the tombstone, Hawk murmured, recalling the contents of the morning newspaper.
The cemetery was silent, with only Hawk's murmuring.
If a timid person passed by the cemetery at this moment, upon approaching and hearing the devil-like hellish sounds echoing in their ears, they might even think they had encountered a ghost.
After a while, Hawk's murmuring also ceased.
He leaned against his sister Anya's tombstone, seemingly asleep.
Just like last year and the year before, Hawk planned to stay here and spend Christmas with his sister this year.
After all, barring any accidents, this would be the last time.
Because... next year, at the latest before Christmas next year, he would find a way to go to hell and bring his sister back from hell openly.
Mephisto either gives him back his sister, or he gets rid of Mephisto.
Besides that, there was no other choice.
It was unknown how much time had passed.
The slight commotion outside the cemetery also completely disappeared as time went on.
At this moment, the entire New York City seemed to fall silent simultaneously.
But...
Just then, a faint, rustling sound, seemingly from afar, accompanied by a slight tremor of the ground, began to be heard.
Footsteps.
The sound of tracks crushing the ground.
At first, it was very distant, but gradually it became clear, and then, closer and closer.
The phone in Hawk's pocket vibrated at this moment.
Because he was afraid Gwen would call, Hawk had only turned off the ringer, not the phone itself. Feeling the vibrating phone in his pocket, he opened his eyes and took out his phone.
He looked at the incoming call.
It wasn't Gwen calling.
It was Anna.
Hawk thought for a moment and answered the call.
"Hello..."
"Hawk, I just received news that the Military already knows you're the one who forced your way into Quantico Military Base that day, and they've already locked onto your location and sent people your way."
As soon as the call connected, Anna's voice urgently came through the receiver.
The message conveyed was just one: Still sleeping? Your people are here to get you.
Hawk's eyebrows twitched, and his five senses, which usually remained in a normal state, were fully unleashed.
Instantly!
He heard the rumble of armored vehicles sweeping across the ground.
He also heard the sound of fully armed soldiers' weapons clashing together as they jogged.
And...
Hawk didn't speak. He directly hung up Anna's call, and after expressionlessly getting up from the ground, he looked up at the sky, where armed helicopters, with their searchlights on and propellers roaring, were rapidly approaching from the distance.
Soon, the speeding armed helicopter swept across the sky. With a thump, its searchlight accurately landed on Hawk, illuminating his surroundings as brightly as day.
Rumble!
After the armed helicopter stabilized its position above the cemetery, the cabin door opened, and a soldier was already seated in front of a metal storm, aiming the metal storm, capable of firing hundreds of bullets per second, at Hawk under the searchlight.
At the same time, thump!
Two leading armored vehicles, equipped with some kind of sonic cannon weapon, crashed through the cemetery gate with a bang, then disregarded the tombstones in the cemetery, directly rolling over them, making a rumbling sound as they drove to Hawk's front.
Click.
Click.
Following closely were the federal soldiers. As the searchlights and sonic cannons were in position, the soldiers also loaded their weapons, then, either standing or crouching, aimed their guns at Hawk, who stood not far away.
War! Imminent!!
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