Marvel: The Enlightened One#183+184: Deviants in the Deep Temple—The Eternal, Ikaris

In the Kong Canyon—

Hawk's form materialized silently at the edge of the underground tunnel entrance—the one still belching out yellow smoke into the canyon above.

The smoke didn't seem to be deliberately released. It looked more like a natural overflow.

It was possible that when the Iwi had escaped from below, they hadn't sealed the entrance properly. Which explained why Skullcrawlers kept crawling out.

But...

Why were Skullcrawlers coming up instead of Deviants? The Deviants were far superior—both in appearance and ability—to these overgrown lizards.

Was it because they didn't want to? Or because they couldn't?

Hawk was leaning toward the second option.

The Deviants weren't choosing to stay down there. They were trapped. But as for why they couldn't come up, he'd have to go down and find out for himself.

Decision made.

Hawk didn't hesitate. He stepped forward—and vanished into the earth beneath the Kong Canyon.

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH!

Hawk let gravity do the work, free-falling through the tunnel. The wind howled past his ears as he plummeted. He glanced up.

The opening to the Kong Canyon had already shrunk to the size of a grain of rice.

Hawk looked down.

The tunnel was still choked with that thick yellow fog, visibility zero. Even his enhanced vision couldn't pierce through the dense smoke to see what was waiting at the bottom.

The next second, Hawk ignited his Cosmo. His descent accelerated instantly. At the same time, Phoenix flames wrapped around both feet—just in case. If he ran into anything hostile down there, this Flying Kick would obliterate it on contact.

Time became meaningless.

Then—suddenly—his vision cleared.

The Hollow World unfolded before him.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Hawk's body came to an abrupt halt mid-air. The forced stop created a sonic boom beneath his feet, blasting a donut-shaped hole through the yellow cloud layer below.

The shockwave echoed through the Hollow World, reverberating for what felt like forever.

Hawk looked up again.

Above him—

A thick layer of faintly glowing moss covered the ceiling. Massive, razor-sharp crystals hung down like stalactites.

Dense yellow clouds filled the sky. If you looked closely, you could see the smoke drifting upward through a single opening in the ceiling.

As for what lay below the ceiling...

Hawk looked down. Massive, jagged mountains floated in mid-air, held aloft by some invisible force.

The surface of each mountain was covered in the same faintly phosphorescent moss that coated the ceiling.

The mountains were connected to each other by enormous, semi-transparent crystal bridges and thick, glowing vines.

Beneath the floating mountains, the ground was cracked and fractured. Through the gaps, you could see that there was even more space below—not an abyss, but churning rivers of golden energy, like molten lava, flowing endlessly beneath every fractured piece of land.

On the surface itself—forests, rivers, everything that existed above ground existed here too.

And there were creatures here besides the Skullcrawlers.

A piercing shriek echoed through the air. A massive creature—over a hundred and thirty meters long, shaped like a red serpent but with a pair of crimson wings—unfurled itself from a coiled position on one of the mountains. It opened its gaping maw and shot toward Hawk.

Hawk snapped out of his thoughts. With a flicker of intent, he dove toward the creature, Phoenix flames wrapping around his right leg once more.

"Phoenix Flying Kick!"

WHAM!

The creature's head exploded on impact, spraying red fluid everywhere. Its massive body plummeted toward the ground.

But before the corpse could hit the surface—

A swarm of shrieking cries filled the air.

Hawk turned toward the sound.

He saw them—creatures that looked like a nightmarish fusion of owl heads and bat wings, massive bodies swooping in. They descended on the dead winged serpent, already fighting over ownership of the heaven-sent meal while still airborne.

Hawk glanced at them briefly, then followed his instincts and flew in a specific direction.

Soon, he arrived at a canyon formed by two massive floating mountains.

The canyon was deep, filled with dense forest.

But here, there were no signs of any strange creatures. Even the owl-bat hybrids that had been tailing Hawk earlier screeched and fled the moment they saw where he was heading.

Every living thing had an instinct to avoid danger.

Clearly, This deep canyon held something so terrifying that even the creatures of this Hollow World refused to go anywhere near it.

But Hawk didn't sense any fear from the canyon.

His gaze settled on something across from him—a temple that seemed to have fused with the mountain itself. It looked hauntingly familiar.

Right.

It was identical to the temple in the Iwi village. But unlike the one on the surface, this temple was completely covered in that faintly glowing moss. From a distance, it looked like it had become one with the mountain behind it.

Hawk took a step—and instantly found himself standing inside the abandoned temple.

The temple blazed with light.

Strange crystals embedded in the beams and along the tops of the walls radiated white light, illuminating the entire interior like daylight.

The first thing he saw were ten massive statues carved from the same strange crystal. Each one depicted a different figure.

Ten giant statues stood in a row.

There was a woman with a gentle expression. A tall, imposing man. A man with an exaggerated expression. A woman with an icy demeanor.

"The ten members of the Eternals??"

Hawk's gaze swept over the faces of the statues, his mind already piecing things together. Then his attention shifted to the murals covering both walls of the temple.

If the murals in the Iwi village temple documented their history after arriving on Skull Island, then the murals here depicted their origins...

After the last Deviant was eliminated, the solemn leader stood alone by the sea. Behind him, the nine other members each walked in different directions.

The woman with the gentle expression and the tall man went together. They came to the Hollow World and settled here.

The first Iwi was born.

They settled in this canyon. As dozens more Iwi were born, this temple was built.

Then, the tall man left without a word.

The gentle woman chased after him. Neither of them ever returned.

The first male Iwi was chosen as the patriarch. Over time, the Iwi population grew. Clearly, the dangers of inbreeding didn't apply when you were dealing with beings touched by the divine.

That first Iwi became the High Priest.

Countless Iwi lived in this canyon—peaceful, harmonious lives. Their extraordinary strength and abilities gave them confidence. They had never faced danger. They didn't even know what danger was.

And then everything changed.

The Deviants appeared, bringing catastrophe to a people who had never known fear.

Over time, the Deviants—who could evolve through combat and absorb the abilities of those they killed—quickly gained the upper hand in the war.

And then—

There was no "then."

The final mural stopped abruptly, frozen on an image of an opening in the ceiling of the Hollow World—the tunnel leading to the surface.

...

Hawk pulled his gaze away from the murals and looked down at the base of the ten massive statues. There, sitting on the steps with its head bowed, was a skeleton holding a metal staff.

Based on the murals, this skeleton was probably the first Iwi.

But, this skeleton hadn't been killed by Deviants.

Hawk's gaze settled on the gaping hole in the skeleton's ribcage—right where the chest should have been.

This Iwi had died because something—some incredibly powerful energy—had punched straight through his chest.

Hawk processed that information.

The next second, His gaze shifted to either side of the ten massive statues. From the shadows, silent and deadly, Skullcrawlers emerged. Their eyes glowed with murderous intent. The moment they appeared, they launched themselves at Hawk without hesitation.

Hawk raised an eyebrow.

Instantly—

The sound of Hawk's fists.

The shrieks of the Skullcrawlers.

The wet, sickening noise of fist meeting flesh.

All of it echoed through the temple in rapid succession. But the chaos came and went in a flash.

The moment Hawk finished off the last Skullcrawler, the temple fell silent once more.

And then, two angry roars—accompanied by the rattling of chains—echoed from behind the statues.

Hawk ignored the mangled Skullcrawler corpses scattered around him. His form flickered, and he reappeared behind the row of ten statues.

In front of him, A massive curtain of white light. It was this light that made the ten statues look like they'd been carved from pure jade.

The roars were coming from behind the light.

Hawk raised an eyebrow. He reached out and touched the white barrier. Ripples spread across its surface. His hand passed through without resistance.

There was another space on the other side.

Hawk didn't hesitate. He stepped forward, passing through the white light. His vision went white—and then cleared.

What should have been a paradise—a massive cavern filled with flowers and greenery—had become something else entirely. It was now littered with Skullcrawler bones and reeked of decay. It looked more like hell than heaven.

The rattle of chains filled the air. The roars continued.

Hawk followed the sound.

And then he saw them.

Deviants.

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Their bodies were covered in rough, black chitinous shells—cracked and fissured all over.

Dark golden light leaked through the cracks and crevices, as if molten lava flowed beneath the surface. Asymmetrical limbs—some with multiple arms, others with writhing tentacles...

As Hawk looked at the two Deviants in front of him, he remembered Felicia's description.

It wasn't just close.

It was identical.

But—

These two Deviants, which were currently roaring at him in aggressive postures, weren't attacking.

Was it because they didn't want to?

No!

They couldn't. Because these two Deviants had been chained up.

That's right.

Caged.

Hawk immediately noticed the chains wrapped around the two Deviants.

Two thick chains—gleaming silver, looking almost identical to Adamantium—were wrapped tightly around each Deviant's torso. The other ends were anchored deep into the mountain wall behind them.

No matter how hard the Deviants struggled, the chains connected to the mountain remained taut and unyielding. There wasn't even the slightest sign of breaking.

"Deviants... Chained up."

"What the—"

After processing what he was seeing, Hawk couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. His mind was racing with questions.

But that wasn't the point.

The point was—as the two Deviants thrashed in fury at the sight of him, the rattling chains caused the moss and outer layer of the mountain to crumble away, revealing what lay beneath.

Hawk stared as the mountain's surface peeled back, exposing a silver glow. He froze for a second, then walked over to the exposed section. The moment his hand made contact with the wall, he opened his Sixth Sense fully.

And then—

He was stunned.

No way...

The entire mountain was Adamantium? Are you kidding me?

Hawk's mind flashed back to when he'd first descended—all those floating mountains he'd seen scattered throughout the Hollow World. His shock multiplied tenfold.

To be honest, before coming down here, Hawk had been hoping to find some Adamantium. But he'd assumed it would be like Vibranium—something he'd have to dig out like a miner.

Turned out, he didn't need to dig at all. These floating mountains—large and small—suspended in the Hollow World's sky were made entirely of Adamantium. They'd just been petrified over countless millennia, forming what looked like ordinary rock.

Hawk's heart started racing. He made an immediate decision, turned around, and didn't even spare a glance at the two chained Deviants.

He didn't know what had happened here.

But... Not his problem.

He'd come here to find Adamantium. What happened in this place—and why it happened—was none of his business.

Grab the Adamantium and get out.

That was the plan. Hawk stepped back through the white barrier, returning to the temple.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Two beams of golden energy slammed into Hawk's chest. Caught off guard, he shot backward like a meteor, rocketing through the barrier and back into the canyon where the Deviants were chained. His momentum didn't stop until his back slammed into the Adamantium mountain wall.

The mountain shuddered. More moss and stone crumbled away, exposing an even larger section of that distinctive silver glow.

At the same time—

The two Deviants, seeing that Hawk had suddenly reappeared within their attack range, didn't hesitate. Roaring like chained guard dogs, they lunged at him.

Hawk's Cosmo ignited instantly. He threw a punch, and with a sickening crunch, his fist punched clean through one Deviant's torso. Then, without missing a beat, he spun mid-air and delivered a brutal axe kick to the second Deviant, slamming it into the ground.

The impact was so powerful that the Deviant's head smashed into the earth—revealing that the ground itself was also made of Adamantium.

Which was harder—a Deviant's skull or Adamantium?

The answer was obvious.

With a melon-splitting sound, the two chained Deviants were now just corpses—one with its stomach blown out, the other with its head shattered.

Inside the gut of the one with the blown-out stomach, a partially formed Skullcrawler was visible.

Clearly, The Skullcrawlers that had been roaming outside—and the ones climbing up to Skull Island—were mutated offspring born from these two captive Deviants breeding with each other.

Hawk's mind raced as he pulled his gaze away from the Deviant corpses and focused on the white barrier in front of him.

...

Soon.

The sound of footsteps echoed through the temple. A man emerged.

He had a rugged face, black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a muscular build. He wore a blue-and-gold uniform.

The man's gaze first landed on the two dead Deviants at Hawk's feet.

Then, When his eyes shifted to Hawk, his blue irises flooded with golden energy. An instant later, two beams—identical to Superman's heat vision—shot toward Hawk.

"The same trick doesn't work twice on a Saint."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Hawk watched the attack coming and threw a punch to deflect it. At the same time, his body flickered and vanished. When he reappeared—accompanied by the sound of the Phoenix Cloth materializing and locking into place—he was directly in front of the man. And his fist slammed into the man's chest.

Turnabout's fair play.

The rugged man's expression flickered with surprise. Then, just like he'd done to Hawk moments earlier, he was sent flying backward.

CRASH!

The man shot through the white barrier and slammed into one of the massive statues in the temple.

The impact caused the petrified outer layer of the statue to crack and fall away, revealing the silver glow beneath.

Even the statues are made of Adamantium?

Hawk flickered after him, watching as the massive statue began to topple. His mind reeled. Then he flickered again, reappearing in front of the man—who had just stabilized himself mid-air.

Another punch.

WHAM!

"You're asking for it!"

The man's eyes blazed with golden energy once more. Scorching beams erupted from his pupils and collided with Hawk's fist in mid-air.

The violent energy exploded outward, flooding the temple. The entire structure began to tremble.

From the ceiling beams to the walls to the floor—everything began to crack and peel. The petrification and moss fell away completely, revealing what the temple had always been made of.

Still Adamantium.

The legendary metal—supposedly rarer and stronger than Vibranium, indestructible once set—was lying around this place like trash.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The shockwave from the clash sent both Hawk and the man flying backward.

Soon, The two of them stabilized mid-air—one hovering near the temple entrance, the other near the white barrier. They faced each other across the vast, open space of the temple.

Hawk's Cosmo continued to burn. He stared at the rugged, black-haired man across from him. His mind raced through possibilities until it landed on a name.

"Ikaris!"

"..."

Hearing Hawk call out his name, Ikaris—who had been preparing to unleash another blast—paused. The golden energy in his eyes flickered but didn't fire.

Still, his gaze remained ice-cold as he stared at Hawk. His voice was low and dangerous.

"Who are you?"

"So it really is you..."

Hawk's suspicion was confirmed. His gaze swept across the ten statues in the temple, then the murals on the walls. Finally, his eyes settled on the skeleton that had just fully collapsed from the tremors—the one with the hole punched through its chest.

"The two people in those murals—that's you and Sersi, right?"

"The Iwi living here are your descendants. Yours and Sersi's."

"Am I right?"

Hawk spoke while keeping his eyes locked on Ikaris.

Ikaris's gaze was glacial.

His response was the same as before.

"Who the hell are you?!"

"Hawk. Just a guy passing through."

"Passing through?" Ikaris's gaze lowered slightly. Then his eyes returned to Hawk. "No one on this planet has energy as powerful as yours."

Hawk smiled faintly. "I had my own lucky break."

See?

Before Hawk had gotten the Reality Stone, Mephisto had seen through him immediately—recognized that his power came from outside this universe.

But after using the Reality Stone to manifest and solidify his energy, even an Eternal like Ikaris couldn't tell where his power really came from.

By now, Hawk had pieced together what had happened here.

Years ago, after Ajak—the leader of the Eternals—led the team in eliminating the last Deviant, she told everyone to scatter across the world and wait for the Emergence.

Ikaris and another Eternal, Sersi, had stumbled upon the Hollow World. They'd settled here. And the Iwi were born.

But later, Ikaris and Sersi left for some reason, abandoning the Iwi to fend for themselves.

At some point after that, Ikaris came back. And he brought two Deviants with him.

The Iwi had no choice but to flee to the surface—to Skull Island. Over time, thanks to the different flow of time, they gradually devolved into the native tribespeople. Only the high priests, passed down from generation to generation, knew the truth about the Deviants.

As for why Ikaris did all this?

Who knew? But one thing was certain—Ikaris had brought back Deviants that were supposed to have been wiped out. That much was undeniable.

In the Eternals storyline, after the truth came out that Ikaris had used Deviants to kill Ajak, Sersi had confronted him. She'd demanded to know: "Did you bring the Deviants back?"

And Ikaris's response?

Silence.

Silence was answer enough.

Just like now.

Ikaris listened to Hawk's claim about having a "lucky break," then let out a cold laugh. His eyes flooded with golden energy once more.

"I don't care who you are. Now that you know, you're not leaving."

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

"..."