The next day.
Since it was Saturday, Hawk arrived early in the morning at the apartment across from Queens Bridge Park.
His new apartment was here.
It hadn't taken much time to find it.
After all, apartments that were both cheap and good were hard to find, but cheap apartments were everywhere.
But even for a cheap apartment, the landlord wouldn't rent to a minor, especially one who couldn't provide any guarantor.
However...
After Hawk hurriedly explained that he had already applied to the court for emancipation, the landlord finally relented.
And so.
Hawk came over early that morning.
Once the landlord saw that Hawk's emancipation had been confirmed by the court, he didn't waste any words. He signed the lease with Hawk, then, after Hawk paid six months' rent in one go, left him the apartment keys, completing the handover.
After the landlord left, Hawk closed the door and looked around at his new apartment.
The new apartment wasn't large either.
To put it dramatically, it looked like a box flattened by life.
The carpet was old, and the walls were mottled.
The living room was pitifully small. With a secondhand sofa and a folding dining table inside, he had to be careful just turning around.
The bedroom was much the same. After fitting in a bed, there was hardly any space left.
Still...
Though it was small, it had everything it needed.
Most importantly.
Like his previous apartment, this new one had a fire escape outside the window that led straight to the rooftop.
That was also why Hawk had asked the landlord for time to settle the court emancipation matter.
Besides.
For seven hundred bucks a month, what more could he ask for?
Hawk spent two days cleaning up and arranging his new apartment.
Calling it arranging was a stretch. He had only bought a new mattress and replaced the battered, yellowing showerhead in the bathroom.
He also opened the windows and aired the apartment out for two days, finally getting rid of the curry smell that had lingered in the room.
Of course.
Hawk hadn't forgotten to visit his hiding place at night and bring back his spoils—the five Chitauri weapons.
He wrapped them in the bedsheet from his old apartment's bedroom and shoved them beneath the bed.
When night came.
Just as he had at his old apartment, Hawk bought a burger and a Coke downstairs, then climbed the fire escape to the rooftop of his new building. After looking around, he found a relatively clean spot and sat on the ground.
He ate his burger while watching the stars hanging overhead.
As several stars flickered in the night sky, the stars within Hawk's Cosmo flickered as well.
Hawk had already decided which Bronze constellation he would light up first.
Not Pegasus.
Not Cygnus.
Nor Draco.
But—
Phoenix!
Constellations were not only vessels for a Saint Seiya's power, but also marks of inheritance.
Once a Saint Seiya awakened their Cosmo and possessed their own constellation, they could inherit the attributes of that constellation.
And in Hawk's view, among the forty-eight Bronze constellations, none possessed attributes superior to Phoenix.
Because Phoenix had an attribute that even the Twelve Zodiac Houses lacked.
Phoenix never dies, it only undergoes nirvana.
If Draco's core was "the dragon's might" and "the dragon's protection," then Phoenix's core was "immortality" and "nirvana."
The bad news was—
Because Phoenix's core was so absurdly overpowered, the conditions for becoming a Phoenix Saint Seiya were far too demanding.
In his memories, ever since the first Holy War, among Athena's planned roster of eighty-eight constellations, Phoenix had never appeared until it first showed up in the SS arc.
The good news was—
This wasn't the Saint Seiya universe. Therefore, the Phoenix here wasn't as aloof as the Phoenix in the Saint Seiya universe.
As long as he lit up Phoenix's Star Chart in his Cosmo one second, he could obtain Phoenix's core the next.
Phoenix never dies, it only undergoes nirvana.
His life force would reach a terrifying level. Even if someone truly killed him, he wouldn't really die. As long as Phoenix remained, he would still be reborn through nirvana and return bathed in flames.
So...
Hawk would have to be crazy to leave Phoenix's Star Chart unlit and go light up another constellation instead.
After all, his original goal had never changed.
Survive. And if possible, live more comfortably and live longer.
Having decided on the first constellation he would light up, Hawk no longer hesitated. He mobilized the twelve stars within his Cosmo that had been lit by killing Chitauri and began constructing Phoenix's Star Chart according to its pattern.
Phoenix was formed from one second-magnitude star, two third-magnitude stars, and six fourth-magnitude stars.
The stars Hawk had lit up in his Cosmo by killing Chitauri Soldiers were the smallest, fourth-magnitude stars.
Two fourth-magnitude stars could combine into one third-magnitude star, and two third-magnitude stars could combine into one second-magnitude star.
So...
"Just two more."
"Not bad."
"Beautiful."
Hawk drank his soda and smiled at the Phoenix Star Chart above his Cosmo, already mostly lit up and only two stars away from being fully completed.
Just then.
The phantoms of the remaining forty-seven Bronze constellations flickered within his Cosmo.
For some reason.
Hawk suddenly sensed complaints tinged with resentment from the other forty-seven Bronze constellations.
But amid the accusations of those forty-seven voices, he heard a phoenix cry. After that cry rang out, the complaints from the flickering forty-seven Bronze constellations vanished as well.
Uh...
Hawk blinked and looked at the Phoenix Star Chart above his Cosmo.
The mostly illuminated Phoenix hung overhead like a truly proud phoenix, looking down upon the other forty-seven Bronze constellations.
Clearly.
As Hawk's chosen first constellation, the proud Phoenix had become even prouder in the face of the other forty-seven Bronze constellations.
Look.
Phoenix was the most badass of them all!
The corner of Hawk's mouth twitched. After thinking about it, he didn't linger and directly withdrew from his Cosmo, returning to his new apartment by way of the fire escape.
A little while later.
Lying in bed, Hawk closed his eyes and pondered the matter of Cloths once more before falling asleep.
Lighting up Phoenix would allow him to obtain Phoenix's immortal core.
And once he forged the Phoenix Cloth and put it on, he would gain Phoenix's constellation-exclusive powers and skills.
For example...
Phoenix Genma Ken, which could shatter an enemy's mind rather than their body.
Mental Strike, which could directly invade an enemy's mental world and use his powerful mental force to tear their spiritual body to pieces.
And another one.
The ultimate move unique to Phoenix: transforming into a phoenix and unleashing a blazing current like a phoenix spreading its wings, possessing the power to destroy everything.
Phoenix Wings Soaring!
Before you continue