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Smiles don't disappear, they just moves to someone else's face.
And right now, as Sharon looked at the knowing smile on Hawk's face, the reassuring smile she had just given him vanished from her own.
A knot formed in her stomach.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing..." Hawk's voice was calm as he looked at her. "Just a Wind Demon trying to crash the plane."
He said it as if he were commenting on the weather.
And in a way, he was.
With his current level of power, it didn't matter if the demon tried to crash the plane, tear it apart in mid-air, or make it explode. Hawk wasn't afraid.
But the universe had just proven, with bloody finality, that he was cursed. He could never take public transportation out of New York City without disaster striking.
'Well, At least now I know for sure. No more wishful thinking.'
Hawk thought with a silent, weary sigh.
Sharon felt completely dead inside.
"A demon? Crashing the plane?"
"Yep."
"..." Sharon drew in a sharp breath, her eyes wide, desperately searching his face for any sign that he was joking.
But there was none. His expression was calm, with absolutely no hint of humor.
A chill ran down her spine. "So what do we do?"
"I'll go take a look."
Hawk said, and the next second, Sharon's eyes widened as he simply vanished from his seat.
...
When Hawk reappeared, he was standing on the fuselage of the plane.
He saw it immediately.
Abigor, the Demon of Wind, one of the four Elementals—was cackling with glee as it transformed into a turbulent vortex, slamming against both sides of the aircraft.
"Gahahahaha!"
"Shake, tremble, and explode in the wind!"
The passenger jet bucked and shuddered under Abigor's assault.
In the cockpit, the pilot and co-pilot were fighting with all their might, manually wrestling with the controls, trying to keep the plane from stalling and plunging to the earth.
Hawk didn't engage immediately. He just watched Abigor's performance with a quiet intensity.
His eyes—fixed on the Wind Demon—held an unconcealed burning desire.
With Wind, the other three elements that formed the material world could be pushed, combined, and fused.
With wind, Hawk knew his own speed could become even greater.
Most importantly—
With wind, he wouldn't have to hunt down Blackheart in Texas. He could just wait for him to come knocking.
So, yes. Wind was a very good thing to have.
And he would have it.
...
At the same time, Abigor, who had been reveling in the chaos, toying with the plane and savoring the terrified screams of the passengers, finally noticed the figure that had suddenly appeared on the fuselage.
Abigor paused for a second, then let out another cackle, conjuring a storm of invisible wind blades that shrieked toward Hawk.
Rip!
Rip!
Hawk's jacket was instantly shredded, and in the howling gale, his shirt disintegrated, once again revealing his powerful physique.
"Gahahaha!"
Abigor materialized into a swirling vortex of air, a vaguely humanoid, and rather ugly, face forming within it. It cackled as it looked at the now-shirtless Hawk. "This plane is mine now, little bug. Get lost, if you know what's good for you."
Abigor clearly had no respect for Hawk.
Hawk didn't get angry. He just smiled at the vortex. "Wind Demon, interested in a change of scenery?"
Abigor was getting impatient. "No. Get lost. Don't bother me."
"Alright."
Hawk wasn't surprised by the answer. He sighed, then looked at Abigor again. "Then let me rephrase. Abigor, I require your assistance in my training."
Hearing that, Abigor felt a sudden jolt. It was only then that it noticed the look in Hawk's eyes—his crimson-gold irises, filled with an insatiable hunger.
Hunger for what?
For whom?
For him, of course.
Abigor snapped back to reality. It saw the crimson aura around Hawk ignite into a raging fire, and a wave of pure terror washed over it. It instinctively tried to flee.
But it was too late.
"Weather Control!"
Hawk's right hand shot out, aimed at the vortex that was trying to dissipate. His voice was calm, but edged with ice.
The Sixth Sense—Weather Control!
One of the powers awakened by a Silver Saint.
It was, in its simplest form, the ability to control the weather.
A Silver Saint's control was limited, but a Gold Saint, who had mastered the Seventh Sense, could control the weather of an entire planet with ease.
Like when the High priest of Asgard in the Saint Seiya universe had plunged the Earth into a three-year-long, sunless winter.
The wind was just another part of the weather.
To be fair, if Abigor had stayed hidden in the wind instead of showing off by materializing in that vortex, Hawk would've had no way to catch it. After all, wind has no form. If Abigor had really wanted to hide, Hawk would've been helpless unless he broke through to the Seventh Sense and became a Gold Saint.
Now, as Hawk's Sixth Sense and Silver Phoenix Cosmo blazed to life, Abigor—who'd been so cocky just moments ago—was reduced to a formless stream of air, slamming uselessly against the invisible barrier trapping it.
As Hawk burned his Cosmo to contain the Wind Demon, he slowly, deliberately, began to walk toward it.
And Abigor finally understood.
It was trapped.
Thump!
Abigor materialized its physical form and, without a moment's hesitation, fell to its knees before Hawk.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong, don't kill me."
"…"
Hawk blinked in surprise for a moment. One second the demon was calling himself a god, the next, he was kneeling. "Relax. I'm not going to kill you. I need your help with my training."
With that, he didn't hesitate. He pushed his Cosmo to its absolute limit. A spectral phoenix appeared, and with a soft pop, a wisp of crimson flame ignited at Abigor's feet.
Hawk needed the four elements.
As for the Elemental Demons themselves? His Cosmo would not tolerate a being more arrogant or powerful than himself.
As the Phoenix appeared, Abigor finally understood what Hawk wanted.
He didn't want Abigor. He wanted its essence.
Abigor screamed. Sure, it was a wind demon, but it wasn't the only wind demon out there.
"Please, spare me."
"I'll serve you! I swear it!"
"Anything you want! I'll do anything."
"Please, don't kill me."
"…"
It seemed its pleas were having an effect. The Phoenix flickered and dimmed.
Abigor's face lit up with joy, but deep within its eyes, a flicker of hatred appeared.
'Serve you? In your dreams.'
With his Sixth Sense fully open, Hawk saw the hatred in Abigor's eyes and just sighed to himself.
Demons really can't be trusted—
He looked at Abigor, his voice calm. "Abigor, what do you think is most important to me?"
"Loyalty!"
Abigor answered without a thought. "Don't worry, I will be one hundred percent loyal to you."
Hawk smiled.
Abigor smiled back.
And then, Hawk's smile vanished. He looked at Abigor, and as the Phoenix roared back to life, his voice became deep and hollow.
"Wrong. What's most important to me… is not having you around."
"Aaargh!"
As the Phoenix Fire surged, engulfing Abigor completely, a scream tore from its soul.
"AHHHH!"
"DAMN YOU!" Abigor shrieked, its voice dripping with venom as it was torn apart. "YOU LIAR! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS! MY BROTHERS WILL COME FOR YOU! YOU WANT TO ABSORB ME?! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS!"
But in the end, its curses were impotent.
Hawk's expression didn't even flicker as Abigor hurled its curses.
In a final act of spite, the demon chose to self-destruct, unleashing a chaotic blast of air that sliced off both of the plane's wings—Hawk didn't even blink.
Abigor, choosing to burn its own soul in a last-ditch effort to create an opportunity to escape in the ensuing crash, looked at Hawk, at the man who hadn't moved a muscle, who seemed completely unconcerned with the lives of the passengers, whose eyes were still filled with that insatiable, greedy hunger—and finally despaired.
Within Hawk's Cosmo…
Wind…
Was born.
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