Marvel: The Awakened One

The moment Gwen’s words landed—

Hawk was already moving.

Not because he was impatient. He just wasn’t about to give Gwen any chance to back out.

So, With a single thought, the telekinetic field he’d already blanketed across the entire building—covering every inch, every angle, with zero blind spots—activated instantly.

In that split second...

The vampires in the dance pit—arms raised, screaming toward the ceiling, lost in their frenzy—froze like someone had hit pause on reality.

The scantily clad female vampire spinning records on the DJ platform froze mid-motion.

The world seemed to stop.

But—

(BGM: Le Castle Vania - John Wick Medley)

The music kept playing.

The lights kept flashing.

The only things frozen were the vampires in this building.

Including the bearded man in the private room, still holding his camcorder. And the black-haired female vampire, who had already pulled George’s pants down a notch, her red lips already parted and ready.

Of course.

George wasn’t among the frozen.

But George was frozen in place anyway—because he’d just spotted Hawk.

Hawk strolled over with a smile, then raised an eyebrow, his gaze drifting downward.

”Uh, George, you might want to pull your pants up first?”

”...”

George snapped back to reality. No time to process what had just happened. He glanced down at his partially undone pants, then hurriedly hiked everything back into place—underwear, pants, the whole package.

The next second.

Just as he was about to turn to Hawk and ask what was going on—

He saw Hawk turn and call out behind him.

”All clear. You can open your eyes now.”

”...”

George blinked in confusion. Then he watched as Gwen—who definitely hadn’t been there a second ago—materialized beside Hawk. His brain short-circuited.

”What the—”

”DAD!”

Gwen glared daggers at George. ”How could you do this to Mom?”

George’s mind was still buffering.

Fortunately.

Hawk, standing nearby, threw George a lifeline. ”In his defense, Gwen—his pants weren’t all the way down.”

Though George still couldn’t comprehend when his daughter and future son-in-law had arrived, he shot Hawk a grateful look upon hearing those words.

Good kid. Solid assist.

But then—

After Hawk finished speaking, Gwen whipped around and glared at him too. ”That’s only because I spoke up in time! If I’d waited another second, this skank would’ve already—”

She stopped mid-sentence.

The image of what would have happened if she and Hawk hadn’t come here tonight flashed through her mind. Then her gaze locked onto the bearded man—still holding his camcorder, body frozen in place, but eyes darting around in sheer terror.

The next second.

Gwen stormed forward, wound up, and threw a punch she’d been saving for this exact moment—right into the bearded man’s face.

WHAM!

The bearded man’s face took the full brunt of Gwen’s fury.

Because his body was frozen, his head didn’t snap back. But the moment Gwen’s fist withdrew, two streams of blood began trickling from his nostrils at a visible rate.

One punch to break a vampire’s guard. Terrifying indeed.

An ordinary person couldn’t have done that.

Gwen was still human. But Gwen wasn’t exactly ordinary anymore.

After all—

As Hawk’s life level continued to rise, the constant nourishment Gwen received from their bond—though she hadn’t noticed—was quietly evolving her own vitality.

SLAP!

One punch wasn’t enough to vent her rage. Gwen raised her hand again and delivered a crisp, resounding slap across the bearded man’s face.

The sound rang out sharp and clear.

”Ptuh!”

”YOUR mother’s the old ugly hag!”

”And another thing—”

”I HAVE a mother!”

SLAP!

Gwen followed up her first slap with a second one on the backswing. Then, radiating the fury of an enraged lioness, she stalked over to the black-haired seductress still kneeling in front of her father. She grabbed a fistful of the vampire’s long hair and dragged her away from George, shoving her aside.

”I don’t want to look at her anymore, Hawk!”

”Done.” Hawk nodded.

George finally caught up to the situation.

”Gwen...”

”Dad, don’t tell me you feel sorry for her.”

”...”

Hawk glanced at George, whose expression had turned awkward after Gwen’s remark. Then his eyes flashed crimson.

Sure, this female vampire was curvy and seductive.

But—

In Hawk’s dictionary, there was no distinction between men and women. There was only ”kill” and ”don’t kill.”

So!

WHOOOM—

The instant the Phoenix Beam touched the black-haired vampire, it seized her and vaporized her on the spot.

George’s pupils dilated visibly. He stared at Hawk in disbelief.

”Holy shit!”

”Don’t look at me.” Hawk met George’s shocked gaze, the blazing crimson in his eyes slowly fading. He smiled. ”Gwen said she didn’t want to see her. And you said it yourself—if I ever treat Gwen badly, you won’t let me off the hook.”

George instinctively looked at the daughter standing before him.

Gwen ignored George entirely. She turned to face her fiancé—the opportunist who’d exploited the situation to extract two months of costume seduction from her.

”Who’s the one that called my dad?”

”No idea.”

Hawk said this casually, then with a thought, used his Sixth Sense—Teleportation to yank a vampire who’d been hiding in another room of this vampire bar. The guy had been lounging with two female vampires, watching the surveillance feed of this very room—and he was the same vampire who’d called George from that rooftop this morning.

THUD.

The disheveled vampire—who’d been frozen in place in that other room, paralyzed with fear—landed on the floor of the private room.

He instinctively scrambled to his feet and tried to bolt.

”Where do you think you’re going, buddy??”

”If you run now, I’ll lose face in front of my dear fiancée.”

Hawk rolled his eyes. The instant the vampire pushed off the ground, Hawk froze him in place again.

The vampire—one foot suspended in mid-stride, frozen in a sprinter’s pose—had panic written all over his darting eyes. When he realized he could still speak despite being immobilized, he immediately started shouting.

”ATTACK! Someone get in here!”

”You should probably yell ’get the hell in here’ instead...”

Hawk glanced at the vampire attempting to call for backup, his smile radiant. ”Go ahead. Scream. Scream your lungs out. Nobody’s coming to save you.”

He didn’t even need to point it out.

Because the vampire had already seen through the room’s glass—the dance floor outside, packed with vampires in various poses, all frozen in place. Every single one of them.

GULP.

The vampire swallowed hard, then looked at Hawk, who stood with hands in pockets, watching him with that half-smile.

”I was wrong.”

”You don’t think you were wrong. You just know you’re about to die.”

Hawk’s smile didn’t waver. His tone held no anger whatsoever—completely calm, as if stating something obvious.

He genuinely wasn’t angry.

After all—

This time, he was just a mercenary. His fiancée had paid ”two months of proactive costume seduction” to hire him as muscle.

So right now, Hawk had no emotions. Only anticipation for those costumes.

Gwen listened to the exchange between this vampire and her fiancé, then turned to George, who still looked shell-shocked.

”Dad, is this the one?”

”...”

George’s expression was complicated as he looked at the good little girl he remembered from his memories. Hearing Gwen’s question, he snapped out of it and nodded instinctively.

”Yes.”

”I don’t want to see him anymore.”

”Wha—”

”No problem.” Hawk smiled faintly. Before George could even react, his eyes flashed crimson again. The Phoenix Beam struck the vampire—and vaporized him on the spot. Not even ash remained.

Take whoever’s money, do whoever’s job.

Simple as that.

Gwen was paying him two months of costume seduction to step in. George hadn’t offered him anything. And honestly, even if George tried to pay him, Hawk wouldn’t dare accept.

Hawk looked at George again and flashed a grin.

”Sorry. I listen to Gwen.”

”...”

George took a deep breath and looked at his daughter once more.

This felt like a dream.

In his memories, his daughter Gwen had always been a good girl—gentle, kind, beautiful, graceful. His pride and joy.

And then there was Hawk.

Sure, George hadn’t exactly been thrilled about him at first. But that wasn’t really Hawk’s fault—the kid was an orphan, after all.

That might sound harsh, but it was the truth.

Put it this way.

Forget anywhere else—just in New York City alone, boys who came out of the foster system? Most of them ended up either in prison or dead in some corner nobody cared about.

The ones who actually clawed their way out of that system and made something of themselves? They weren’t just rare. They were miracles.

As a precinct captain, George knew this better than anyone.

But over time, his opinion of Hawk had shifted. Maybe he hadn’t fully accepted Hawk as a son yet, but at the very least, he’d grudgingly acknowledged that Hawk would become his son-in-law.

And now?

The good little girl from his memories was more ruthless and decisive than he was.

And Hawk.

What the hell was up with those laser eyes?

Mutation?

George’s mind raced—and then he noticed his ”good little girl” had already fixed her gaze on the bearded man, still frozen in place, face already swollen.

Hawk’s gaze followed hers.

George caught on, sucked in a sharp breath, and quickly spoke up.

”Wait! If you kill him, we’ll never find the mastermind!”

”We don’t need him anymore, Dad.”

”What?”

George blinked again.

Gwen turned to her father with a small smile. ”Hawk’s right. Hiding things is pointless. And it’s way too easy to blow up in your face.”

It had almost blown up tonight.

Gwen couldn’t imagine what would have happened if she and Hawk hadn’t come here—what her father might have sacrificed to save his partner. And when her mother eventually found out...

Sure, she could understand her dad.

Helen would probably understand too. But understanding was one thing. Accepting was another.

Good grief.

She’d nearly let a ticking time bomb get planted in her perfect family.

Gwen shuddered at the thought.

So—

She was done playing games.

If Hawk hadn’t been exposed, playing detective might have been fun.

But Hawk had already shown his hand. If she kept playing detective now, what was the point of him revealing himself?

Most importantly.

Gwen looked at Hawk with a smile. ”You already knew who the mastermind was, didn’t you?”

George heard this and instinctively looked at Hawk as well.

Hawk ignored George’s stare entirely. With admirable professional ethics, he turned to his paying client—Gwen—and nodded with a smile.

”I did.”

”Who is it?”

George blurted out.

Hawk glanced at George, said nothing, and continued looking at his client.

Simple logic.

Gwen had paid. The least he could do was provide his gold-tier client some emotional value—just like Gwen had done earlier, pretending not to know things to make him feel useful.

Gwen felt the emotional value being delivered. She pressed her lips together, fighting hard not to laugh.

”Who?”

”Deacon Frost.”

Hawk shrugged. ”Leader of New York’s Vampire Council of Elders. The real power behind Blood Apocalypse.”

Gwen frowned.

”Leader? So compared to the Original vampires...”

”Same level.”

Hawk knew what Gwen was getting at. He cut her off, smile radiant. ”You tell me when you want him dead, and I’ll make it happen. You’re paying. I’m working. Your wish is my command.”

George blinked again beside them.

”Paying? Paying for what?”

”Nothing.”

Gwen shook her head and looked at George, changing the subject. ”Dad, shouldn’t you go check on Uncle Ben? He’s still hanging up there.”

”SHIT!”

”Ben!” George snapped out of it, spun around, and bolted out of the private room.

Hawk glanced at the bearded man, still frozen in place.

”What about this one? Kill him too?”

”No.”

Gwen waited until George had left, then turned. Her expressive eyes seemed coated in frost as she stared at the bearded man—whose eyes were now filled with terror after witnessing two vampires get vaporized in the blink of an eye.

The bearded man’s terrified gaze held endless pleading.

Hawk watched with a half-smile, not giving the bearded man a chance to speak. He continued looking at Gwen, still providing emotional value to his costume-paying client. ”So what do you want to do with him?”

Gwen’s expression was ice-cold as she stared at the bearded man.

”That ’old ugly hag’ you were talking about? That’s my mother.”

”Her name is Helen.”

”Helen Stacy.”

”...”

The bearded man heard Gwen’s words. Whatever hope he’d been clinging to died completely.

Even the light in his eyes went dark.

But—

He wanted to try. A final spark of survival instinct flared in his gaze.

He tried to open his mouth, to tell Gwen—

This wasn’t his idea. He was just following orders.

Too bad Gwen didn’t give him the chance to speak.

”Can you hang him in the sky? Invisible to everyone else? Let him enjoy some sunlight. Get some calcium.”

”Absolutely...” Hawk nodded with a smile. ”You say the word. I do the work.”

With that—

A single thought. The frozen bearded man vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was floating in the sky outside the building.

The bearded man looked down and saw two vampires on the ground below, smoking cigarettes.

They weren’t frozen.

He realized that aside from being unable to move, he could apparently still speak.

So he immediately started screaming for help.

But—

He felt like his throat was about to rupture from screaming, yet the two vampires below—clearly within earshot—acted like they couldn’t hear a thing.

He was literally right above their heads, but they looked right through him as if he didn’t exist.

The bearded man screamed desperately. Thinking about the fate that awaited him once the sun rose, tears nearly streamed down his face.

By now, Hawk had already followed Gwen out of the private room.

George had made it to the center of the dance floor. Looking at the mass of frozen vampires—bodies locked in place, but eyeballs rolling frantically—he hesitated for just a second. Then he leaped, snatching his old partner Ben Urich from where he hung in mid-air.

WHOOSH!

George landed, didn’t dare linger, and moved like a ghost through the dance floor, Ben Urich in his arms. He reached the side in a flash, then quickly undid the restraints binding Ben and ripped the tape from his mouth.

Ben Urich stared at George with a dazed expression, replaying in his mind the jump George had just made—and that inhuman speed.

”George, you...”

”Are you okay?”

George didn’t want to discuss that topic with his old friend. He looked at Ben with worry and concern.

Ben Urich shook his head, then let out a sigh.

”I should have told you the truth sooner.”

”It’s not too late.”

After everything that had happened these past few days, George had come to terms with it. God hadn’t let him die, which meant it wasn’t his time yet.

And since he was still alive, he’d keep doing his duty.

As for what the bearded man had said—watching Helen grow old, day by day?

So what?

Worst case, when Helen finally passed, he’d go with her. The only downside to suicide was that he wouldn’t make it to Heaven to reunite with her.

George thought this as he helped his old partner Ben Urich to his feet. ”Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Ben Urich, leaning on George for support, let his gaze fall on the vampires frozen all around them.

”What happened to them...”

SCREEEEEE—!

Just as Ben started to voice his confusion, a piercing phoenix cry split the air. Two searing Phoenix Beams erupted, starting from directly above their heads, then sweeping in a wide arc across the entire dance floor.

Wherever the Phoenix Beams touched, every single vampire was vaporized on the spot. In the blink of an eye, the dance floor—which had been packed wall-to-wall with vampires—was completely empty.

Even the two vampires outside the building—the ones who’d been keeping watch while smoking—didn’t even have time to react before they were vaporized where they stood.

Three breaths.

The entire building and its surroundings.

Vampires—

Gone. Without. A. Trace!

❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁

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