Chapter Summaries

Lin Xu obtained Mjolnir from Loki for Steve, while Strange’s attempt to summon Shuma was thwarted by Aoben, who resealed the demon. Strange woke determined to find a way to defeat Shuma, despite the cost of summoning having aged him.

• Loki panicked when Lin Xu appeared, but agreed to provide him with Mjolnir after Lin Xu asked for the hammer for Steve.
• Loki’s will opened a passage to send Mjolnir, despite Kronos’s warning, and Loki collapsed when his head struck the steps.
• Lin Xu confirmed Mjolnir was genuine, tested it on Loki, and left with the hammer after telling Loki that Thor was fine.
• Strange summoned Shuma at the Cagliostro Library and offered to borrow the demon’s power, but Shuma threatened to take his eyes instead.
• Aoben reactivated the Ancient One’s seal and forced Shuma back into his sealed space, then carried the unconscious Strange to bed.
• Strange woke hours later and asked how to defeat Shuma, while Aoben noticed that Strange’s hair had turned white and his face had aged.

Strange sealed the Cagliostro Library outside of time so he could grow stronger before facing the Eye Demon, determined to save Christine. In Norway, Lin Xu learned that Odin’s God-King Oath Spell required Asgardian royal blood, but Odin watched him leave wielding the Power of Thor and began to believe he did not want the throne.

• Strange used the Time Stone and the Book of Cagliostro to isolate the library from time and prepare to absorb smaller monsters before confronting the Eye Demon.
• Aoben warned Strange that devotion could become delusion, but Strange insisted Christine was worth the pain.
• Lin Xu brought Mjolnir to Odin and asked him to teach the God-King Oath Spell; Odin explained that only a king with Asgardian blood could use it.
• Odin tried and failed to lift the alternate-universe Mjolnir, while Lin Xu laughed and asked to photograph him.
• Odin explained that the spell had no incantation and required drawing on Asgardian royal blood, and Lin Xu admitted he lacked it.
• As Lin Xu departed with Mjolnir, Odin noticed he wielded the Power of Thor and reconsidered whether Lin Xu wanted the throne.

Lin Xu learned that the Ancient One had seen millions of futures in which Dark Strange devoured both versions of Strange, and discovered that Lin Xu might be the key to stopping him. He reconsidered fleeing to another world and began thinking about how Strange’s time magic might bring someone into their universe.

• Lin Xu found Strange alone in the Kamar-Taj Library, where Strange asked whether he would sacrifice everything to save someone he loved; Lin Xu said he would.
• The Ancient One told Lin Xu that she had observed fifty million futures and that he was the key, then explained four types of timelines and Dark Strange’s split timeline.
• Lin Xu learned that Dark Strange devoured both Stranges in every future the Ancient One had seen, and he left before returning to ask when she would give back the Orb of Agamotto.
• On a Houston rooftop, Lin Xu considered escaping to another world, but remembered someone who had protected him and realized his departure could affect the closed time loop.
• Lin Xu recalled Loki’s warning about his unique nature in time and wondered whether Strange could use time magic to bring him into their universe.

Lin Xu arrived in Hong Kong after sensing Dormammu’s approach and learned that the Ancient One had sent the Sanctum’s sorcerers elsewhere. At Kamar-Taj, Strange used the Book of Cagliostro and then fought off Kaecilius, who escaped toward the Hong Kong Sanctum.

• Lin Xu saw Dormammu’s dark power surrounding Earth and traveled to the Hong Kong Sanctum to take command of its defense.
• Hamir told Lin Xu that the Ancient One had sent the Hong Kong Sanctum’s other sorcerers to guard Death Valley.
• Strange restored the torn pages in the Book of Cagliostro and read about Dormammu and the Dark Dimension before Mordo and Wong confronted him.
• Kaecilius attacked Kamar-Taj through the London doorway, and Strange protected himself and Wong with the Shield of the Seraphim.
• Strange fought Kaecilius in the Mirror Dimension and shattered it with a powerful blow, injuring Kaecilius.
• Kaecilius fled toward the Hong Kong Sanctum, intending to deal with Hamir.

Lin Xu and Hamir confronted Kaecilius at the Hong Kong Sanctum, where Lin Xu used Mjolnir to kill him and disrupt his attempt to connect the Dark Dimension to Earth. After disposing of Kaecilius, Lin Xu agreed to hear Hamir’s proposal for a milk tea shop near the Sanctum.

• Wong sent Strange to New York to help Master Daniel and said Lin Xu was at the Hong Kong Sanctum.
• Lin Xu and Hamir sensed the Sanctum’s door opening and confronted Kaecilius as he emerged.
• Lin Xu caught Kaecilius’s spatial blade, then summoned Mjolnir and struck him with thunder before he could finish calling on Dormammu.
• Lin Xu repeatedly hammered Kaecilius until he stopped moving, then froze the body and sent it through a portal to the Ancient One’s bedroom.
• Hamir asked Lin Xu to fund a milk tea shop near the Hong Kong Sanctum, and Lin Xu agreed to hear his suggestion.

Lin Xu uncovered a disguised White Magic user on Hong Kong Island, while the conflict over the Sanctums drew Ancient One and several demon gods into Death Valley. Ancient One confronted Set and Chthon and called on the still-hidden Dormammu to join them.

• Lin Xu recognized the sanitation worker as a powerful mage, revealed the Eye of Agamotto, and watched the old man kneel and call him his Lord.
• Mephisto left the gathering of demon gods, deciding to pursue a fragment of Hell in the Underworld after Odin's time ran short.
• Strange rescued Daniel at the New York Sanctum, learned London had fallen, and told him to stay on guard while the other mages supported the Sanctums.
• Ancient One discarded Kaecilius's corpse and went to Death Valley, where she sent Mage Haring and the other mages away to face Set and Chthon alone.
• Ancient One tempted Set and Chthon with the prospect of Gaia's body, then called out to Dormammu as the demon gods prepared to leave.

The Ancient One turned on Set and Chthon during a clash with Dormammu, while Lin Xu learned that the amnesiac sorcerer Genghis had once been attacked by Victor von Doom. After discovering Doom’s connection to Mephisto, Lin Xu left to make a deal with the demon.

• Dormammu demanded the Book of the Vishanti from the Ancient One, then attacked Chthon over the Darkhold as Set proposed an alliance against him.
• The Ancient One pretended to ally with Set and Chthon, then struck all three demon gods with red lightning and mocked them.
• At the Hong Kong Sanctum, Lin Xu questioned the amnesiac old man and learned he was Genghis, a guide who had helped find successors to White Magic.
• Genghis remembered that Victor von Doom had beaten him, killed his servants, and thrown him out of his cave.
• Lin Xu learned that Doom’s mother, Cynthia von Doom, had died and that Mephisto had taken her soul.
• Lin Xu asked Hamir to care for Genghis and set off to make a deal with Mephisto.

Lin Xu traded the date of Hela’s death to Mephisto for Cynthia von Doom’s soul and learned that Odin’s return to Valhalla would coincide with Hela’s death in twenty-five Earth days. After Cynthia asked about her son Victor, Ancient One summoned Lin Xu to Death Valley.

• Lin Xu opened a portal to Hell and told Mephisto he wanted to trade for a soul.
• Lin Xu offered the exact date of Hela’s death, and Mephisto gave him Cynthia von Doom’s soul in exchange.
• Mephisto told Lin Xu that Hela would die in twenty-five Earth days, when Odin’s soul returned to Valhalla.
• Lin Xu told Cynthia that Victor had become king before the American air force destroyed his territory, and Cynthia said she only wanted to see her son.
• Ancient One summoned Lin Xu to Death Valley, and he left Cynthia to decide what to do.

Lin Xu and Strange found the Ancient One dying after she had restrained Dormammu, Set, and Chthon, then faced the two demons who remained. Lin Xu battled Chthon until Chthon trapped him in an illusion of his parents urging him to marry.

• The Ancient One died after telling Strange he would become the next Sorcerer Supreme and warning him to heed Lin Xu's advice.
• Set fled when the seals broke, while Strange confronted Dormammu and Lin Xu prepared to fight Chthon.
• Chthon cast his Black Magic Domain, but Lin Xu used the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade and mystic arts to pierce Chthon's neck.
• Chthon vanished to evade Lin Xu's attacks, then enveloped him in a shadow that created an illusion of Lin Xu's parents nagging him about marriage.
• Lin Xu recognized the illusion and called out Chthon for failing to imitate his mother convincingly.

Lin Xu and Strange drove Chthon and Dormammu away, then returned to Kamar-Taj to mourn Ancient One and prepare for his successor. Tony investigated the battle site and called Lin, who asked him to order funeral wreaths and a sound system while hinting that Odin would soon die.

• Lin Xu dispelled Chthon’s illusion, sent him back to the Black Magic Dimension, and heard Chthon declare that he was leaving Earth.
• Strange told Lin Xu that he had trapped Dormammu in repeated time loops until Dormammu gave up and left, and they returned to Kamar-Taj with Ancient One’s body.
• Tony and Rhodey investigated Death Valley, connected its traces of lightning to the vanished weapon, and Tony asked F.R.I.D.A.Y. where Lin Xu was.
• At Kamar-Taj, Lin Xu explained to Lao Chengjisi that Ancient One had already chosen the next Sorcerer Supreme, leaving Lao Chengjisi to mourn the loss of the mages’ assembly.
• Tony called Lin Xu, who denied that Odin had died but predicted that he would soon, then asked Tony to order forty-four funeral wreaths and a sound system.

Lin Xu interrupted the Ancient One’s funeral with extravagant wreaths and music, while Tony in another universe faced pressure to release a Super Soldier Serum and decided to test it on himself. The chapter left Tony entering a medical radiation chamber with the serum.

• Tony told Rhodey that Odin was dying and had asked him to prepare funeral wreaths.
• Lin Xu arrived at the Ancient One’s funeral and set out wreaths from Tony, Pepper, Steve, Rhodey, and Odin, making Strange kneel to give thanks.
• Lin Xu set up speakers to play funeral music, prompting the Ancient One to protest when the music began.
• In Earth-120703, Tony and Dr. Maya Hansen disagreed over whether to sell their new Super Soldier Serum for use against Wakanda.
• Rhodey warned Tony that the military might force his hand and urged him to protect himself.
• Tony took the serum to the medical radiation chamber to conduct the clinical trial on himself.

Tony gained superhuman strength, refused Nick Fury’s invitation to join the Avengers Initiative, and accidentally vanished when his Time Watch activated. At Kamar-Taj, Lin Xu made Strange begin observing possible futures millions of times, then went to dinner with Lao Wang, who reported a problem with the restaurant’s manager and cashier.

• Tony emerged from the radiation chamber transformed, and Nick Fury confronted him about the Super Soldier Serum and the Avengers Initiative.
• Tony refused Fury’s offer, burned the file with his newly discovered power, and accidentally triggered the Time Watch, disappearing.
• Lin Xu burned the wreaths at Kamar-Taj and told Strange to observe possible futures a few million times before reporting back.
• Lin Xu and Lao Wang went to Nine Sun Restaurant, where Lin Xu ordered fermented mung bean drink and West Lake vinegar fish to tease Lao Wang.
• After they entered a private room, Lao Wang apologized and told Lin Xu that the restaurant manager, Xiao Wang, and the cashier were causing trouble.

Lin Xu used a newly discovered Telepathy mystic art to send Wong a mental message, leading Wong to mistakenly identify Wang Haotian as a Hydra agent. Meanwhile, Tony Stark arrived in an unfamiliar universe and caused a high-energy reaction in Central Park, which Charles left to Howard and Steve to investigate.

• Lin Xu showed Wong the Telepathy mystic art he had taken from Ancient One's bedroom and learned that Wong had never seen it before.
• Lin Xu sent Wong mental instructions while Wang Haotian served them food, then Wong pulled Wang Haotian aside and said, "Hail Hydra!"
• Wang Haotian accepted Wong as a high-ranking Hydra colleague, but Lin Xu and Wong exposed the misunderstanding by declaring, "Avengers, assemble!"
• Tony Stark, stranded in a universe without Stark Industries or S.H.I.E.L.D., confronted armed robbers in Central Park and used red-glowing powers that made them think he was a Mutant.
• Beast reported the high-energy reaction to Charles, who said Tony lacked the X-Gene and asked him to notify Howard, his wife, Steve, and his wife.

Tony met Steve and Howard in Hell’s Kitchen, while Lin Xu uncovered Wang Pite’s intelligence assignments and handed him over to Tom Liu. Lin Xu then brought douzhi and West Lake vinegar fish to Banner, whose reaction began to trigger Hulk’s transformation.

• Tony borrowed money from sugar dealers in Hell’s Kitchen to buy materials for an energy source, then encountered Steve, who introduced Howard and identified himself as Steve Rogers.
• Tony recognized Howard and became emotional, then suspected that Steve and Howard were psychic Mutants.
• Lin Xu learned that Wang Pite was a S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, and CIA agent, and that his assignments involved monitoring Lin Xu, protecting him, and investigating his secrets.
• Tom Liu reported that he had joined the Extraterrestrial Joint Defense Agency, and Lin Xu appointed him restaurant manager and left Wang Pite in his custody.
• Lin Xu brought douzhi and West Lake vinegar fish to Banner at the Avengers Compound, and Banner’s disgusted reaction began turning him into Hulk.

Lin Xu explained that Christine’s death was an absolute point in time, but revealed he had preserved her body and planned to use a time-loop loophole to bring her back. As five days remained before Dark Strange’s attack, Lin Xu went to the Avengers Compound to help prepare Steve’s armor and gave Steve Mjolnir to test.

• Strange told Lin Xu that he had seen 23,070,000 futures, all ending with another version of himself falling into darkness.
• Lin Xu explained that Christine’s death was an absolute point in time, then revealed he had preserved her body and intended to retrieve her from the future after Strange became Sorcerer Supreme.
• Lin Xu explained that delaying his trip into the past would keep him alive until then, and Strange worried about dying during the coming incident.
• Lin Xu visited the Avengers Compound, where Tony said the team had gone to California to test equipment after Thaddeus Ross accused him of harboring wanted criminals.
• Tony said Steve’s armor frame could not hold together because the bones Lin Xu supplied repelled surrounding materials, so Lin Xu gave Steve Mjolnir to hold.
• Steve caught Mjolnir and then handed it to Tony, who dropped it and realized it was real.

Lin Xu tested whether Captain America could wield Mjolnir, then left the Avengers debating Thor’s fate and his cryptic remarks. He traveled to a branch universe and found a gravestone bearing his own name, where Strange confronted him about crossing universes without permission.

• Lin Xu confirmed that Captain America could lift Mjolnir and told Tony to prepare bone armor for him within four days.
• Banner asked Lin Xu to share the food he had brought, and Lin Xu agreed to let the whole Avengers team try it.
• After Lin Xu left, Steve questioned Tony about Thor and Lin Xu’s remarks, while Banner urged them to focus on contacting Thor.
• Lin Xu considered the limits of time magic and decided to visit the branch timeline the Ancient One had foretold.
• Lin Xu used the Orb of Agamotto to travel to a neighboring white universe and found a gravestone with his own name in Green Shade Cemetery.
• Strange opened a Mystic Portal and challenged Lin Xu for crossing between universes without Kamar-Taj’s permission.

Lin Xu told Strange that he was incomplete and offered to save him from the other Strange who might devour him. In the Agamotto Universe, Tony discussed his abilities and time travel with Howard and Steve, then began writing down details of the Super Soldier Serum from before he traveled.

• Strange recognized Lin Xu as the man whose crash had killed Christine and confronted him, but lowered his hands after Lin Xu explained that they were different people.
• Lin Xu told Strange he had come to save him and described how Strange had become incomplete because of Christine.
• Lin Xu offered Strange two options: wait for the other Strange to kill him or go somewhere far away to avoid being devoured.
• Steve told Howard that Tony was stronger and faster than him, could turn into lava, and healed rapidly.
• Tony explained that he had developed his regenerative abilities using cell tissue, Howard's Super Soldier Serum research, and a botanist's work, and Howard identified him as a time stowaway.
• After returning to his room, Tony could not sleep and began writing down information about the Super Soldier Serum from before he traveled.

Lin Xu and Strange planned to trap Dark Strange in a miniature isolation array using artifacts tied to their shared origin. After Strange agreed to the plan, Lin Xu went to Kamar-Taj to recruit Lao Wang and prepare the array, leaving Strange to explain the crisis to him.

• Lin Xu asked Strange if he had decided to face Dark Strange, and Strange resolved to stay because he could not escape their shared origin.
• Lin Xu proposed restricting time and space to weaken Dark Strange, then returned to Kamar-Taj to gather what he needed.
• At Kamar-Taj, Lin Xu discovered Lao Wang had given him the title Grand Elder and found Lao Wang and Strange in the library.
• Lin Xu proposed a miniature version of Earth's dimensional-sealing array, using the Orb of Agamotto and three Eyes of Agamotto as its core and foundations.
• Strange agreed to take the array core, and Lin Xu went to study the array in the secret chamber while Strange was left to explain the plan to Lao Wang.

Strange defeated Shuma the Eye Demon with a time-and-space trap, severed one of his tentacles, and absorbed its power. Aoben revealed he was near death and warned Strange that energy was not what he lacked; Strange was still incomplete.

• After two days, Lin Xu left Kamar-Taj with Strange and Wong to collect Captain America and prepare for the coming battle.
• At the Avengers Compound, Lin Xu learned Tony had taken everyone to his restaurant, and the Avengers laughed at Captain America's bone-equipped uniform.
• Dark Strange summoned Shuma the Eye Demon and attacked him with duplicates and Crimson Bands of Cyttorak, but Shuma dispelled them and immobilized Strange.
• Strange used a time-and-space trap to sever Shuma's tentacle, then forced the demon back through the Ancient One's seal.
• Strange swallowed the severed tentacle and gained tentacles and a horizontal eye, while Aoben revealed he had reached the end of his life.
• Aoben told Strange that he was not complete, leaving Strange questioning what he still lacked.

Lin Xu and the others prepared a sealing formation at the New York Sanctum for Dark Strange’s arrival, but Steve and Lin Xu attacked before he could explain himself. Lin Xu’s powerful strike shattered Dark Strange’s shield and collapsed the Sanctum, yet Dark Strange remained unharmed.

• Lin Xu assigned Steve, Xiao Wang, Lao Wang, Stephen, and Strange roles in a formation to trap Dark Strange at the New York Sanctum.
• Stephen and Strange discussed Christine and whether Stephen blamed Lin Xu for the accident in his timeline.
• Dark Strange arrived through a dark portal, but Steve struck it with lightning and collapsed it as the four sorcerers completed their formation.
• Dark Strange revealed his Eye Demon powers and began taunting Strange, but Steve hit him in the face with Mjolnir.
• Lin Xu blocked Dark Strange’s black magic blast, then struck him with the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Blade and shattered his shield, but Dark Strange remained unharmed as the Sanctum collapsed.