Power develops in three stages—in the first of these stages, speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness are essential, and by the age of thirty, one can conquer the world using a flexible sword.
The second stage was the one at which Hawk now found himself.
A sword that is heavy does not need an edge, and real power doesn't rely on technique.
That described Hawk. Since awakening his Cosmo, even before coming to this universe, he relied on its overwhelming force to defeat anything in his way. He was fast—lethally fast and perfectly accurate.
But he wasn't balanced.
Everything changed when Death showed him the flaws in his timeline, and Wanda helped him fix it. After more than two years retracing his steps from the start, he finally solved his stability problem.
Before, Hawk needed flashy moves to fight his enemies. Now, things were different. Take his old rival Mephisto, for example. If Hawk threw a regular punch at him today, Mephisto would have just a tenth of a second to beg for mercy. If not, there would be nothing left of him—not even ash.
As soon as Hawk said, "A heavy sword needs no edge," Wanda sensed it. The physical power she had sealed inside him started to surge, almost visibly. It felt like his raw strength might break through her scarlet Chaos Magic restraints at any moment.
But then the rising aura stopped suddenly. Just as his power reached the limit of Wanda's seal, the energy disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Wanda tilted her head. "Huh."
"What is it?" After taking a few deep breaths, Hawk opened his eyes and looked at her in a confused manner.
Wanda frowned, putting the pieces together. "Is it not time yet?"
"No." Hawk smiled. "By retracing my steps, my control over time reached perfection first. And just now, my mind reached its milestone of perfection."
The idea that a heavy sword needs no edge was just the second stage of power. He had not reached the third stage yet, where even a blade of grass or a falling leaf could become a weapon. Although it sounded like a lesson about physical strength, it was really about his mindset.
When one is young, one is passionate and impulsive—in middle age one becomes mature and steady—in old age one is calm and detached.
Before he came to this universe, Hawk often used the Mind Stone to force his mind to its peak, which was another form of cheating. This time, he did not want to take shortcuts. After Wanda sealed his physical body, he finally calmed his thoughts and gained a mental strength that matched his current power.
He didn't use the Mind Stone to fake it. He earned it himself.
This was what it really meant to claim all power for himself. His time was his alone, and now his mind was too. Forget Professor X. Even if ten Charles Xaviers joined forces and tried to enter his mind while he was unguarded, they would not even get a glimpse, much less invade it.
Wanda caught the slight pause at the end of his sentence.
"But?"
"I'm still missing one."
"Missing one?" Wanda looked at him with curiosity. "Missing what? I fixed your timeline, and you just perfected your mind. What else could there be?"
Hawk smiled. "Life."
Wanda blinked, her face showing disbelief. "You used the Time Stone to cheat your timeline and left loopholes. You used the Mind Stone to force your mental state. But life... You cheated on that too? Wait, there is no Life Stone among the Infinity Stones."
Hawk's mouth moved slightly. "Who says that there's no Life Stone? And who says that you need one to cheat?"
His Cosmo training was a complete system. He was not talking about the life force of the Eighth Sense right now. He meant the boundary between life and death that he crossed when he awakened his Sixth Sense.
This happened during the battle at Stonehenge against Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves. Hawk used Malekith to push himself to the very edge of death. That was how he broke through, changing from a Bronze Saint with all five senses open to a Silver Saint who had mastered the Sixth Sense.
But!
"I actually cheated that time, too."
"..."
Wanda stared at him in dead silence. After a long moment, she spoke with absolute seriousness. "Mr. Hawk Phoenix, don't ever think about getting involved in our children's education. Your teaching privileges have been officially revoked."
Hawk gave her a puzzled look. "Wait, why?"
"Because you cheat at literally everything!" Wanda rolled her eyes hard. "Is your entire power set just built on cheating?"
He had cheated time. He had cheated his own mind. Now, even his breakthroughs between life and death were the result of cheating?
Hawk scoffed at the judgment. "Can you blame me? I'm not a billionaire like Tony Stark who can rely on tech. And I'm not a lucky lottery winner like Peter Parker or you, who just stumbled into superpowers by birth or coincidence."
Wanda fought back a smile. "So what does that make you?"
"The rich rely on tech, and the poor rely on mutation." Hawk quoted the golden rule of the Marvel universe, meeting her gaze dead on. "I rely on cheating."
"Cheating comes with a price," Wanda countered. "And now it's time to pay up."
The rich used technology, spending money to get ahead. The poor depended on mutation, risking their luck and even their lives. Take Spider-Man, for example. If Hawk hadn't stepped in and changed things, how many mutated heroes would have actually lived happy, fulfilling lives? Almost none.
By cheating, Hawk had managed to skip paying the price altogether.
But as people say, what goes around comes around. Sooner or later, you always have to pay your debts. Even if you get things by cheating, they might be in your hands, but they never truly belong to you.
So here's the bad news: Hawk had to start his whole journey from the beginning.
The good news? Going back over his steps was like taking an open-book test. Not all cheaters are the same. Some just copy the answers and turn in the test without thinking. The smart ones copy the answers, then study them later so they actually learn.
Hawk was the latter.
Which is why he was able to take the test again and achieve a perfect score so quickly. The only question that remained was the one concerning the boundary between life and death.
Wanda still didn't get it. "Wait. How exactly do you cheat life and death?"
Hawk smiled, glancing sideways at her. "Did you forget my divine authority?"
"The Phoenix doesn't die—it only undergoes rebirth."
"But that just gives you a safety net," Wanda argued instinctively. "That doesn't count as cheating."
Then, it clicked. She narrowed her eyes. "Don't tell me... back in London, you could have actually killed Malekith? You lost on purpose just to force yourself to the brink of death?"
Hawk rubbed his nose, looking a bit guilty under her gaze. "I wasn't completely sure. I'm careful by nature. Before you try to win, you have to be ready for defeat. I had to think about what would happen if the Phoenix power didn't work right."
When she saw how guilty he looked, Wanda started to say something but couldn't find the words. "Honestly, I'm starting to wonder if your power was a cheat from the start."
"..." Hawk didn't say a word.
In some ways, she was right. He remembered how the system had left him as soon as he started Cosmo training.
When he stayed quiet, Wanda rubbed her forehead, suddenly feeling exhausted. She understood what he was planning. "So you're going to let the Sentinel nearly kill you? And this time it isn't cheating?"
"Nope," Hawk said, waving his hand. "One good punch from a Sentinel, and I'll be right at death's door."
His power had diminished, but he hadn't yet come to terms with it. Wanda still kept his divine body sealed up. Since he was in his present human form, he didn't need a Sentinel at all—even a heavyweight boxer would be able to knock him out and send him straight to Hell for a drink with Mephisto.
Wanda looked at him with suspicion. "So you're not worried that dying this time might actually mean you stay dead?"
Hawk smiled. "How can you let go of something if you've never held it?"
"You seem to enjoy quoting philosophy, don't you?"
"The meaning is still true." Hawk didn't say more. "If you never really face oblivion, you can't understand it. If I want to move forward, I have to go through this."
This was about the Eighth Sense of life.
To understand it, he first needed to know what life meant. And to truly understand life, he had to experience its end himself.
Those who cheat always have to pay up... It was time to settle the score.
Wanda shook her head, real concern showing in her eyes. "That's not what I'm asking. What if something goes wrong and you don't have a backup plan?"
Hawk laughed. "Who said I don't have a backup plan? I never put myself in real danger."
"I thought so," Wanda said with a dry laugh, looking at his smug grin. She didn't push further, but pointed out, "But if you have a backup plan, isn't that still cheating?"
"The backup plan isn't mine," Hawk said, brushing it off. "So it doesn't count."
Wanda gave him a curious look. "Then whose plan is it?"
"I have you, don't I?" Hawk looked her in the eye, his voice calm and steady. "I know that even if I fall into oblivion, you'll bring me back."
Wanda: "..."