Chapter Summaries

Greed and Overlord Superman escaped aboard a spaceship while Bruce landed back in the command room, where he and Selene worked out how her stealth-and-theft skills functioned. Bruce and Selene then set off to target a fight between Schiller and Natasha, hoping to steal their items.

• Greed used the powered spaceship to escape with Overlord Superman, leaving Bruce behind.
• Bruce explained that Selene’s skills let her build stealth and sleight-of-hand points to steal items, especially during a free-for-all.
• Selene recounted her experience as a Gotham cat burglar and admitted she had secretly influenced criminal rivalries across the city.
• Bruce asked Selene to help find buyers for farm machinery he had assembled from surplus materials.
• Bruce heard Schiller and Natasha fighting nearby and proposed that he and Selene sneak over to steal their items.

Greed defeated Natasha with his mental-abnormality skills, then used his ultimate to send Bucky back to the command room as Natasha returned to the fight. Selene stole Greed’s damage-reflection necklace and escaped with Bruce, while Pikachu and Peter found Bruce’s exclusive badge and headed toward Tony and the others.

• Natasha’s burst attacks repeatedly missed because Greed’s mental abnormalities raised her miss chance, and Greed eventually emptied her health bar with percentage damage.
• Bucky entered the fight and overwhelmed Greed with rapid gunfire, so Gray Mist used Doctor’s Choice to send him back to the command room.
• Natasha returned in Bucky’s place and charged at Greed, while Selene stole Greed’s damage-reflection necklace and fled with Bruce.
• Bruce suggested building Selene’s equipment around reflected damage, and the two ran off to search for more gear.
• Pikachu and Peter found Bruce’s damage-stacking badge in a watchtower and decided to look for Tony and the others to trade for their exclusive equipment.

Pikachu pointed out that Stark could work around the game’s crafting rules, but Stark had already completed his armor by following them. After discovering its powerful defenses and upgrade paths, Stark set out with Steve, Pikachu, and Peter to hunt monsters for parts and equipment.

• Pikachu found Stark crafting armor and asked whether he had found his exclusive key item.
• Pikachu explained that the world allowed players to work outside the game’s rules, prompting Stark to realize he could have built armor from salvaged materials.
• Stark finished his armor and discovered it more than doubled his health, reduced damage, and offered skill-tree upgrades.
• Steve told Stark that skills and battles could earn parts, so Stark decided to hunt monsters to upgrade his armor.
• Pikachu and Peter asked to join Stark and Steve in exchange for exclusive drops, and Stark agreed.

Selene and Bruce crossed paths with Overlord Superman and Overlord Batman, then Selene followed them and stole from their opponents during a battle against Pikachu and Stark. The chapter left Overlord Superman baiting Selene with an apparent opening so he could attack her.

• Selene and Bruce met Overlord Superman and Overlord Batman, and Overlord Superman rejected their company after accusing Selene of being a thief.
• Selene explained that she had no excuse for stealing and secretly followed Overlord Superman to vent her anger through theft.
• Overlord Superman attacked Pikachu and Stark after finding them looting a snow hut, but Pikachu's lightning and Stark's armor forced him to summon the sun.
• Selene stole Bruce's exclusive equipment badge from Pikachu and tried to steal from Stark, but found only armor components.
• Selene stole from Justice Superman, prompting Overlord Batman to warn Overlord Superman and propose baiting Selene into an attack.
• Overlord Superman deliberately left an opening while fighting Stark, waiting for Selene to take the bait.

Selene and Greed both died after Selene’s damage-reflection necklace countered his attack, and Gray Mist’s ultimate terrified everyone before a falling spaceship wiped out the battlefield. The game then changed to cooperative body control, leaving the players struggling to coordinate their merged characters while Greed remained amused by his unchanged body.

• Selene revealed herself to Greed and warned him that killing her would trigger her damage-reflection necklace, but they both died when his attack resolved.
• Greed ordered Gray Mist to use his ultimate, spreading fear and draining mental energy from players on the battlefield and in the command room.
• A spaceship crashed into the battle zone, killing everyone there and sending the players back to the command room.
• The players returned to the wreckage and discovered that the game had changed from character switching to cooperative control of shared bodies.
• The merged players struggled to control their bodies, while Greed laughed at being unaffected by the change.

Schiller and the others struggled to control each other’s bodies after the game mode changed, while Overlord Batman adapted to Overlord Superman’s Kryptonian body. The chapter ended with Batman claiming Superman’s lack of education had left him unable to use Kryptonian development systems, and Superman challenging him to prove he could.

• Greed mocked the fallen players and defended queueing alongside his Symbiote after Stark accused him of cheating.
• Stark struggled with Steve’s enhanced senses and strength, while Steve explained that Stark could not control his motor nerves effectively.
• Overlord Batman was overwhelmed by the information flooding from Overlord Superman’s brain until Superman showed him the simple-mode button.
• Overlord Batman argued that Superman’s unfamiliarity with Kryptonian development systems came from his lack of a complete education on Krypton.
• Overlord Batman said he knew how to use the systems, leaving Overlord Superman surprised.

The contestants watched Overlord Superman use Overlord Batman’s knowledge to compress a sun into a black hole and absorb its light, plunging the battlefield into darkness. Inside the singularity, the two discussed Cosmic Construction Theory and resolved to pursue the path to becoming Creators together.

• Gray Mist and Greed worried about how to fight Overlord Superman, while Natasha and Bucky joined them and confronted Greed over the spaceship crash.
• Pikachu and Peter discussed the difference between Peter’s heightened senses and Pikachu’s small body as Overlord Superman rose above the wreckage.
• Overlord Superman compressed a sun into a black dot and swallowed it, capturing the surrounding photons and spreading darkness across the battlefield.
• Gray Mist warned that the experiment could damage the game, while Greed suspected Overlord Superman and Overlord Batman were too focused to hear them.
• Overlord Superman and Overlord Batman discussed Cosmic Construction Theory and agreed to continue their journey toward becoming Creators together.

Overlord Batman and Overlord Superman entered the battle after absorbing the black hole’s energy, and their opponents combined skills to fight them. Selene and Overlord Superman were eliminated, while the battle ended with Overlord Superman’s defeat and the survivors trading insults as souls.

• Gray Mist and Greed found Overlord Superman and Overlord Batman in a distorted mental world, and Greed urged them to return before the game crashed.
• Overlord Batman removed the black hole, and Overlord Superman absorbed its energy before flattening a monster that emerged from the wreckage.
• Steve, Bucky, Natasha, Pikachu, Selene, and the others combined their skills and attacked Overlord Superman, while Greed repositioned allies and Selene stole his consumables.
• Overlord Superman used Overlord Batman’s ultimate, Ten Thousand Arrows, to eliminate Selene, but Bucky drained Superman’s mental energy and Steve finished him with his shield.
• Overlord Superman and Selene remained on the battlefield as souls and exchanged insults with Bruce after the physical fight ended.

Greed and Gray Mist defeated Steve and Stark’s mech in the Snowfield duel, only to learn that the regional winners still had to fight in a final arena. The contestants and spectators were teleported to a futuristic colosseum, where Beyonder welcomed them to the final duel.

• Pikachu attacked Bucky with Thunderbolt, and Bucky’s area attacks took them both out of the duel.
• Greed stalled Steve and Stark while Gray Mist’s ultimate drained Steve’s mana and Greed’s status effects weakened his attacks.
• Greed triggered a settlement and used his saved ultimate to defeat Steve before he could heal.
• The winners learned they would face the duel champions from five other regions and were teleported to the final arena.
• Selene revealed she had taken Doctor Schiller’s reflective armor, and Beyonder opened the final duel before the assembled contestants and spectators.

As the crowd gathered for the Hero Strike final, the chapter explored Overlord Superman’s doubts about his violent approach before Beyonder introduced the first regional champions. Jarvis and Wanda, Magneto and Professor X, and Batwoman and Main Universe Superman entered the arena, leaving the remaining champions and the final duel ahead.

• Selene went looking for grilled corn while Stark and Steve searched the crowd for posters, and Peter and Pikachu discussed the strength of the contestants.
• Overlord Batman told Overlord Superman that their power was insufficient, prompting Overlord Superman to reflect on the limits of killing criminals and the difficulty of changing society.
• Beyonder announced the final duel’s rules and introduced Jarvis and Scarlet Witch Wanda as rainforest champions.
• Beyonder introduced a youthful Magneto and Professor X as champions who had won the forest region in fewer than two hundred rounds.
• Beyonder announced Batwoman and Main Universe Superman as Deep Sea champions, surprising the audience and prompting Overlord Batman and Overlord Superman to discuss their partnership.

The tournament winners gathered as the Beyonder announced a knockout bracket and contestants drew their first opponents. The first matches were set, leaving the competitors to size up their rivals and worry about the possibility of facing Schiller.

• The Beyonder introduced the winning teams, including the two Batmen, Pride and Nyarlathotep, and Greed with Gray Mist.
• The Beyonder explained that teams would face off in pairs until one champion remained, then began the draw.
• Scarlet Witch drew a red ball, Magneto drew yellow, and Main Universe Superman and Batman both drew blue, setting them against each other.
• Pride drew yellow and was matched with Magneto, while Greed and Gray Mist were matched with Wanda and Jarvis.
• Greed and Gray Mist discussed Wanda's abilities and their odds, while Pride privately worried about being eliminated before facing Nyarlathotep.

The audience voted to see Batman versus Superman first, and Arkham Batman used combos, a grapnel, and Selene’s spicy corn to challenge Main Universe Superman. Superman recovered and interrupted Batman’s attacks, leaving both fighters still battling in the arena.

• Selene and Bruce voted for Batman versus Superman, and the match won by a landslide.
• Arkham Batman launched a grapnel-assisted aerial combo that knocked Main Universe Superman down and dealt heavy damage.
• Main Universe Superman used Heat Vision to interrupt Arkham Batman’s combos, while Batwoman identified the combo system’s weakness.
• Arkham Batman grabbed Selene’s spicy corn cob from the stands and threw it at Superman, distracting him long enough to land another combo.
• Superman quickly recovered from the chili powder and used Heat Vision to knock Arkham Batman away, prompting Batman to scan the audience for another item.

Bucky’s mechanical arm and a self-built Batmobile helped Arkham Batman battle Main Universe Superman, who resorted to throwing the host’s floating island at him. The match ended with both fighters struck, but the replay showed that Main Universe Superman’s knockout came first.

• Natasha dislocated Bucky’s arm and threw it into the arena, where Arkham Batman used it to knock down Main Universe Superman.
• Rocket Raccoon caught and admired Bucky’s arm after Superman threw it toward the stands.
• Main Universe Superman lifted the host’s floating island and smashed it down at Arkham Batman, who survived inside a self-built Batmobile.
• Batwoman advised Main Universe Superman to bait Arkham Batman into grappling him, then throw him into the air and attack with Heat Vision.
• Main Universe Superman threw Arkham Batman and the Batmobile out of the arena, but Arkham Batman answered with Batarangs as Superman fired Heat Vision.
• The replay showed that both fighters were hit, but Main Universe Superman’s white knockout light appeared first.

The Beyonder interviewed Main Universe Superman and Arkham Batman about their final duel, while Batwoman explained Batman’s skill-focused strategy and Main Universe Batman’s reason for teaming with another Batman. Bruce and Selene discussed whether Bruce had changed, and Selene reassured him that his immaturity was part of what made them a good match.

• Main Universe Superman explained that Arkham Batman had predicted his move and that Batman’s upgraded skills, rather than lucky items, had decided the duel.
• Arkham Batman confirmed that his skills had reached their maximum levels through repeated knockdowns, while Batwoman reflected on how her water-based minions had been useful early in the competition but ineffective in the final arena.
• Batwoman told Main Universe Superman that Main Universe Batman was investigating an awakening darkness and might be practicing teamwork with other Batmen because he felt he needed help.
• The Beyonder questioned Main Universe Superman about partnering with another Batman, and Superman said the match was an opportunity to build friendships and prepare for future crises.
• The Beyonder’s questions excited the audience, while Magneto and another spectator wondered whether Superman and Batman were lovers.
• Bruce asked Selene whether she loved him for his looks and whether he had changed, and Selene said his curious, impulsive nature had never changed and was part of why they suited each other.

Pride defeated Magneto and Charles with a black-umbrella skill that blocked the arena broadcast, leaving the audience and Administrators confused about what happened inside. Greed then began his match against Wanda, whose Scarlet Power interrupted his channeling, so he prepared to attack in Gray Mist form.

• Peter urged the crowd to vote for Pride, and Pride's team was chosen to face Magneto's team.
• Pride opened his black umbrella and swallowed the arena in darkness, preventing the audience from seeing the fight.
• The Beyonder and Lucifer entered the darkness, then emerged arguing; Pride returned and was declared the winner.
• Greed entered the arena against Wanda, who used Scarlet Power to damage him and interrupt his channeling.
• Greed saw that Wanda's damage barely reduced his health and decided to attack in Gray Mist form.

Wanda fought Gray Mist in the finals, where his high-health strategy and mental-contamination ultimate pushed her close to defeat. She cleared her abnormal-status debuffs and fought back, but the match ended in a simultaneous knockout, with Beyonder declaring Schiller and Gray Mist the winners.

• Wanda discovered that she could damage Gray Mist by striking the dense layer of power around him, and Jarvis noted that his hacking skills were useless in the duel.
• Gray Mist endured Wanda's attacks until he used Nameless Mist, inflicting mental contamination on her and the audience; Beyonder reinforced the arena barriers and restored the crowd's Sanity Value.
• Greed exploited Wanda's disorientation to stack debuffs while Gray Mist waited for his ultimate, but Wanda activated her immunity skill and cleared the effects.
• Wanda chased and battered Gray Mist as his health fell, but he ambushed her with a three-hit physical combo that left her near death.
• Wanda charged Gray Mist instead of retreating, and a flash of white light ended the fight; Beyonder declared Schiller and Gray Mist the winners.

Gray Mist defeated Batman in the semifinals, setting up a final against Pride. Pride’s exam-like challenge brought Greed to the brink of victory, but its last question asked what he had deleted, and Greed surrendered rather than answer.

• Gray Mist exploited Batman’s inability to land attacks on a fog-like opponent and defeated Arkham Batman with three ultimates.
• Bruce returned to the audience with Selene, who stayed to watch the final after recovering from Gray Mist’s attack.
• Pride’s arena turned into an exam space, where Greed answered increasingly difficult questions and steadily depleted Pride’s health.
• When Pride’s final question asked, “What exactly did you delete?”, Greed smiled and surrendered.

Bruce Wayne warned Clark Kent that his burdens could lead him to make a terrible mistake, while Clark insisted he could handle the coming change. Schiller Rodriguez recruited Diana Prince to find a stolen Egyptian artifact and sold its radioactive serpent tail to Lex Luthor, leaving its nature unknown.

• Clark Kent visited Damian Wayne’s grave with Bruce Wayne, who warned him that the grief and responsibilities he carried could cloud his judgment.
• Bruce told Clark that a detector in low Earth orbit had found signals from beyond Earth, and Clark said he was ready for the trouble ahead.
• Schiller Rodriguez showed Diana Prince old photographs of her, including one of Steve, and persuaded her to help locate the missing serpent tail.
• Schiller described the serpent tail as part of an ancient Egyptian mural whose emerald was exceptionally large.
• Schiller offered Lex Luthor the genuine, radioactive serpent tail, and Lex bought it after Schiller suggested Superman might become another buyer.

Schiller investigated the spreading Dark Force in another universe while Main Universe Batman trusted him to uncover what the other Batmen could not. Back in his apartment, Clark dwelled on Bruce Wayne and their earlier conversation, leaving him unsettled by Bruce’s sorrow and warning about taking responsibility for everyone.

• Schiller told Adventure Batman that he had tricked two people over a nonexistent treasure instead of finding signs of the Dark Force.
• Main Universe Batman recalled that the Dark Force had spread across every universe and explained why he had sent Schiller to investigate the universe where it was most active.
• Clark searched online for information about Bruce Wayne and his dead child but found little, then wondered why Bruce occupied his thoughts so completely.
• Clark replayed his conversation with Bruce, in which Bruce questioned Clark’s belief that he was responsible for saving everyone.
• Clark awoke from his reverie and realized that Bruce’s words had come from personal experience, hearing sorrow in the memory of his sigh.

Schiller used a drunken act to send Diana and a group of thieves searching for a stolen Egyptian emerald through Luthor Manor, while Lex Luthor grew suspicious of the gem and its owner. The chapter ended when Superman destroyed a massive spaceship above Metropolis and confronted its survivors.

• Schiller pretended to be drunk and told Diana that he was searching for a royal Egyptian artifact, which he thought might be in Gotham with Bruce Wayne.
• Diana identified the emerald as the Serpent of Phryne and decided to search Luthor Manor before checking Wayne Manor, while a pair of thieves planned to follow Schiller and steal the artifact if he found it.
• Lex Luthor discovered that the emerald showed no radiation, then caught intruders breaching Luthor Corp and learned that Diana had tried to enter his vault before escaping.
• Lex called the person who had given him the emerald and demanded an explanation, while suspecting the artifact had some hidden property.
• A gigantic spaceship appeared above Metropolis, and Clark changed into Superman, destroyed it, and confronted the survivors on the wreckage.