Chapter Summaries

Allen and Aelionteu’s army defeated the Chitauri invasion, and Artoria healed and resurrected many people in Manhattan. Allen claimed the Space Stone and prepared to make Loki pay for his actions.

• Edna Bevin’s forces wiped out the Chitauri in New York, and Allen ordered the super battleship to destroy the fleet beyond the wormhole.
• The main cannon annihilated the Chitauri fleet, after which Edna Bevin withdrew Aelionteu’s forces from the city.
• Artoria used Holy Light to resurrect the dead and heal the wounded, prompting many people, including Steve Rogers, to kneel in gratitude.
• Allen found Loki battered by Hulk, took the Mind Scepter, and used it to pierce the Tesseract’s shield and claim the Space Stone, closing the wormhole.
• Nick Fury agreed that Allen should safeguard the Tesseract, and Allen said he would leave the cleanup to S.H.I.E.L.D. before approaching Loki to hold him accountable.

Allen brutally tortured Loki for leading the Chitauri invasion, then sent him back to Asgard after ten days impaled on Stark Tower. Afterward, Steve Rogers learned of US government and military experiments, and Tony Stark urged the Avengers to rebuild the country themselves.

• Loki surrendered to the Avengers, but Allen struck him before Hawk Eyes could restrain him and then healed him while inflicting severe torture.
• Allen impaled Loki on Stark Tower’s lightning rod for ten days, warning him never to return to Earth, and Thor eventually escorted Loki back to Asgard.
• Allen told Tony Stark and the others that he had punished Loki for invading Earth and said an agreement with the Sorcerer Supreme and Odin had kept him alive.
• Allen gave Steve Rogers records of US biochemical, nuclear, and radioactive experiments, prompting Steve to rage at the government he had once trusted.
• Tony Stark urged Steve to rely on themselves and help rebuild the country, while nations began demanding access to advanced technology and a broader role in the International Security Council.

After the Battle of New York, Allen refused to attend the United Nations meeting and planned to fuse the Space Stone into himself, while Artoria went in his place. Across the universe, Odin accepted Loki’s punishment, Thanos turned his attention to the Orb, and his forces discussed the rising Queen Sakura and her war against the Kree.

• Allen told Artoria that he would avoid humanity’s internal conflicts and use the Life Evolution Equation to fuse the Space Stone into his body, eventually seeking all six Infinity Stones.
• Artoria agreed to represent Allen at the United Nations meeting and traveled to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters before boarding a special plane.
• Odin heard Thor’s account of Loki’s defeat and decided against further punishment, warning Frigga that Asgard needed powerful allies to face Hela and prevent Ragnarok.
• Thanos dismissed the failed Earth invasion and ordered Gamora to find the Orb instead of sending more forces to Earth.
• Nebula and Ebony Maw told Thanos that the Kree were losing ground to Queen Sakura, whose Frost Magic and loyal forces had devastated their fleet.

As Kree leaders debated how to respond to Sakura’s raids, news that Earth had destroyed Thanos’s Chitauri fleet sent Ronan after Thanos and the Orb. Meanwhile, Sakura rejected occupying captured Kree territory and ordered her fleet to watch Star-Lord as he searched for treasure.

• Ronan the Accuser demanded a counterattack, but other Kree officials argued that the Empire should defend Hala and avoid a decisive battle against Sakura.
• A young officer reported that Earth had destroyed the Chitauri fleet with a powerful weapon and opened a wormhole using the Tesseract.
• After learning that Thanos had sent Gamora to search for the Orb, Ronan left Hala with his fleet to approach Thanos about an alliance.
• Sakura learned that Xandar had offered supplies and suspected the Xandarians wanted her fleet to weaken the Kree Empire.
• Sakura refused to occupy abandoned planets, explaining that her fleet’s advantage depended on mobile raids rather than defending territory.
• Sakura ordered three warships to watch Star-Lord and report if he found anything interesting.

Artoria reaffirmed Sky City’s neutrality at the United Nations while Nick Fury asked for support for Coulson’s new team. In Azerath, Allen adapted his body to the Space Stone and discussed creating a stable source of magic on Earth with Ancient One, who warned that Kasilas and Mordo were nearing a dangerous path.

• At the United Nations, countries demanded access to advanced technology, and Artoria told Nick Fury that Sky City would not interfere in human conflicts.
• Nick Fury revealed that he had been demoted and asked Artoria to support Coulson’s special operations team; Artoria agreed to pass on the request to Allen.
• Artoria addressed the assembly, reaffirming Sky City’s alliance with humanity and its refusal to interfere in Earth’s internal affairs.
• Allen emerged from an adaptation tank, embedded the Space Stone in his chest, and unleashed an energy blast that sent the Guardians outside Sky City.
• Ancient One visited Allen in Azerath, declined his offer to remove Dormammu’s energy, and heard his plan to use the Infinity Stones and Well of Eternity water to establish a lasting magical source on Earth.
• Ancient One said Kasilas and Mordo had begun suspecting her and would soon pursue the Dark Dimension’s power.

Allen reopened his Queens grocery store and upgraded Tony Stark’s Class Template while discussing Tony’s trauma after the Battle of New York. Coulson then selected a dangerous soul-cutting Zanpakuto, and a hacker’s intrusion revealed that the Tidal Organization had been targeting the store.

• Allen returned to the reopened Wonderful House after research into the Life Evolution Equation stalled, and Coulson arrived with a team to buy special equipment while Tony Stark made another purchase.
• Tony asked Allen to upgrade his Mage Class Template, and Allen raised its level cap to forty by removing its Limiter.
• Allen recognized Tony’s fear and exhaustion from recurring nightmares about the Battle of New York, but Tony left to build his Mark XLII armor and develop coordinated Iron Man suits.
• Coulson asked whether Tony was all right, then showed Allen the items he had selected, including a Zanpakuto that Allen had forged to grow stronger by taking souls.
• A laptop webcam activated unexpectedly, and Coulson disconnected it from the network as Allen explained that hackers, including the Tidal Organization, had repeatedly targeted the store.

Skye discovered the Wonderful House and met Allen, who revealed that he and his companions were Travelers and explained their alliance with Earth’s governments. After learning about Artoria and Alesia, Skye left determined to publish the truth, unaware that she was being watched.

• Skye identified Allen as the mysterious ally and entered the Wonderful House after hiding from Coulson.
• Allen examined Skye, took a small blood sample, and told her she carried a dormant special power.
• Allen confirmed that he was the person in her photograph and explained that he and his companions were Travelers who had allied with the International Security Council.
• Allen told Skye that Artoria was King Arthur from a parallel Earth and described her Holy Light abilities.
• Skye asked to publish their conversation, and Allen warned her she would face the consequences while she cursed S.H.I.E.L.D. and the US Government.
• Allen promised to arrange for Alesia to meet Skye, who left to share the news as unseen watchers tracked her.

Coulson had Skye arrested after Allen revealed that her dormant Inhuman shockwave power made her unusually significant. As Coulson tried to interrogate her aboard a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft, he threatened to use a mind-control pocket watch, leaving Skye facing a dangerous interrogation.

• Coulson called Allen, who told him Skye possessed a dormant power and was classified as a S.H.I.E.L.D. 084, then urged the agency to adapt to changing times.
• Coulson ordered agents to capture Skye, and they hooded and restrained her before taking her to a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft.
• Allen and Vilnalasath discussed Skye’s mixed human, Kree, and mutated genes, the need for a Terrigen Crystal, and their plans to pursue the Infinity Stones.
• Coulson accused Skye of hacking and leaking classified information, but she mocked S.H.I.E.L.D. for failing to decrypt her files.
• Coulson placed a mind-control pocket watch on the table and threatened Skye with it, making her feel her mind grow hazy.

Coulson investigated Skye’s unknown origins, while Nick Fury weighed a plan to expose Hydra amid growing limits on his authority. At Hammer Industries, Alexander Pierce prepared Project Insight’s weapons and ordered the operation officially launched.

• Coulson interrogated Skye but learned nothing about her origins, then called Nick Fury for advice on how to handle her.
• Nick Fury explained that the International Security Council had curtailed his authority and that Alexander Pierce was overseeing the investigation into suspected Hydra agents.
• Nick Fury decided to set a trap for Hydra’s leaders using the list Natasha had provided.
• Alexander Pierce inspected Hammer Industries’ energy cannon and automated robot production line, while Justin Hammer complained that Stark Industries was limiting reactor supplies.
• Pierce told Sitwell that Hydra planned to use modified Helicarriers and new weapons to conquer the world, and Sitwell agreed to support the plan.
• Hydra members planted within S.H.I.E.L.D. received a secret timetable as Project Insight was officially launched.

As S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra reacted to the spread of superpowers and Hydra’s renewed plans, Steve Rogers struggled with his disillusionment and received advice from Allen. The chapter ended with Coulson’s team seeking Allen’s help after Tony Stark took a healing item for Happy.

• Allen reflected on the rising number of superpowered people, Hydra’s experiments, and Project Insight’s expansion into space warships.
• Steve Rogers told Allen that he felt betrayed by the United States and trapped between the government’s hostility and the public’s expectations, and Allen urged him to study politics, economics, and society.
• Natasha arrived to recruit Steve for a mission to recover dangerous objects stolen from a S.H.I.E.L.D. warehouse, and Allen vanished using the Space Stone while everyone in the bar remained unaware.
• Natasha inferred that Allen had concealed himself by influencing people’s perceptions, then flew Steve away in a S.H.I.E.L.D. car that rose into the sky.
• Tony Stark asked Artoria for help after Happy was badly injured in an explosion, and she gave him a Holy Light Seed to take to the hospital.
• Coulson arrived at the grocery store with Skye, Jemma Simmons, Leo Fitz, Melinda May, and Grant Ward, then asked Artoria where Allen was because the team needed his help.

Coulson brought his team to Aelionteu to ask Allen for help investigating a moving, apparently supernatural town in Romania, where six S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had vanished. As they traveled there, Allen learned Tony Stark had been attacked, and Skye confronted him about knowing S.H.I.E.L.D. had been waiting to recruit her.

• Coulson and his team entered Aelionteu through Allen's portal and explored a treasure vault that Allen said was only the smallest of the city's many vaults.
• Coulson showed Allen a dark Romanian town that evaded surveillance and had swallowed six agents, and Allen agreed to investigate it with the team.
• A Guardian reported that Tony Stark's home had been attacked and that Tony was moving in his Iron Man suit, but Allen said Tony was not in danger and should handle the matter himself.
• Coulson's team and Allen flew toward Romania aboard a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft after Coulson refused to teleport directly to the destination.
• Skye confronted Allen about knowing S.H.I.E.L.D. had been waiting for her, and Allen blamed her for failing to notice and escape.

Skye and Coulson’s team entered a mysterious black barrier in Romania after Allen advised them to use silver weapons against the dark creatures within. They survived an attack and discovered they were in another dimension where their equipment failed, then set off through a strange forest with no clear way back.

• A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent reported that the black barrier was rapidly expanding and presented ancient silver-plated arrows and a cursed claw to Coulson’s team.
• Allen identified the claw as a lethal weapon and advised the agents to arm themselves with silver-plated weapons and ammunition.
• Coulson’s team passed through the barrier, which hardened behind them, and Allen blasted the forest with a fireball when he sensed an ambush.
• The team fought off a horde of monsters with silver bullets and Allen’s magic, and the surviving creatures fled after suffering heavy losses.
• Jemma Simmons and Leo Fitz concluded that the team was no longer on Earth, while Melinda and the others found that their vehicles and electronic equipment had failed.
• Coulson ordered the team to carry supplies and trek through the forest, relying on Allen’s magic light to see.

After S.H.I.E.L.D. encountered a wyvern in the strange world, Allen killed it and met a local archer who agreed to guide the team to Edmir Castle in exchange for part of the beast. The team gained a guide and learned that the region was isolated by the Black Forest and plagued by Cursed Creatures.

• Coulson asked Allen how far the team was from the castle and village, and Allen said they had four or five hours of walking left.
• A wyvern attacked five local people, and Allen killed it just before it could burn the fleeing archer.
• Allen absorbed the dead locals’ souls and learned the language and that the world’s settlements fought Cursed Creatures with silver-plated weapons.
• The archer woke, accepted food from Melinda, and agreed to guide the team to the nearest human settlement in exchange for wyvern hide and tail meat.
• The archer harvested the wyvern’s Fire Sac, skinned it, and packed a chunk of meat from its tail.

Coulson’s team entered Edmir Castle and learned about its brutal society and the hidden Mansell ruler, while Allen left alone to investigate. After Skye’s attempt to feed starving children ended in a massacre, a bell summoned the city’s people to the walls, where Coulson witnessed a shocking sight.

• Cleo guided Coulson’s team through a slave-worked plain and into Edmir Castle, where they traded their monster meat and leather for Laida.
• Allen told the team that a sixteen-year-old Mansell heir might still rule from hiding and decided to search for the heir alone.
• Allen vanished in a streak of electric light, leaving the team in their shack while he investigated the castle.
• Skye gave Laida to starving children, who fought and killed one another for the food before patrol soldiers slaughtered them.
• Coulson comforted the horrified Skye, and Melinda forbade the team from giving food to hungry locals.
• A bell rang across Edmir Castle, and Coulson’s team followed the armed residents to the City Wall, where Coulson saw a sight he would never forget.

Coulson and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team fought off a Curse Monster siege at Edmir Castle, while Allen encountered the ancient being Sithorn inside the castle. The battle continued as Allen refused Sithorn’s offer of a contract.

• Coulson chose to defend the City Wall with the locals, and Ward reported the team’s limited ammunition as the Curse Monsters charged.
• The castle’s defenders used molten silver, arrows, and heavy crossbows to thin the horde and kill a giant beast, though its impact damaged the wall and killed defenders.
• Ward destroyed a second giant beast with a silver-loaded rocket, helping the S.H.I.E.L.D. team repel monsters that had climbed onto the wall.
• Allen questioned a black-robed boy, who said humanity had cursed the world and introduced himself as Sithorn, an Ancient God and ruler of the underworld across the multiverse.
• Sithorn revealed that he knew about the Infinity Stone inside Allen and offered him power through a contract, but Allen refused and warned Sithorn against using him to invade other worlds.

Allen confronted Sithorn as the Dark God destroyed the cursed world and left behind an egg containing Dark Magic. Allen brought the S.H.I.E.L.D. team back to Earth, where Ancient One learned of Sithorn’s involvement and began addressing the lingering threat.

• Allen accused Sithorn of causing the world's ruin with Dark Magic, while Sithorn blamed humanity and described his connection to Earth as an accident.
• Sithorn resonated with the corrupted world core, annihilating its inhabitants, creatures, and structures while leaving the S.H.I.E.L.D. team on a surviving patch of ground.
• Sithorn gave Allen an egg containing Dark Magic knowledge and withdrew; Allen destroyed the possessed boy and considered how to use the magic without remaining connected to Sithorn.
• Allen opened a portal to Earth, and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team escaped the collapsing dimension and emerged near Romania.
• Ancient One arrived, confirmed the agents were not marked by Sithorn, and said Kamar-Taj mages would clear the residual Dark Magic.
• Nick Fury and Maria Hill arrived with S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjets, and Ancient One opened a portal and left.

Allen explained to S.H.I.E.L.D. that Pluto Hisoka was a dangerous Ancient God whose Dark Magic had destroyed another world, while Hydra began secretly seeking information about him. Back at Sky City, Allen studied a Dark Magic egg, and Guardians sought Vilnalasath’s help to stabilize the Extremis virus.

• Allen told Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Coulson that Pluto Hisoka was a powerful Demon God and that only magic could defend Earth from dimensional threats.
• Coulson recounted his team’s ordeal, and Nick Fury agreed to give them leave and psychological counseling while Maria Hill reported the threat to world leaders.
• Hydra began secretly searching for rumors and relics connected to Pluto Hisoka.
• Allen tested the Dark Magic egg with Artoria’s Holy Light and admitted that Sithorn was currently stronger than he was.
• Guardians testing the Extremis virus proposed asking Vilnalasath for gene sequences to control its instability and headed to her Dragon’s Nest.

Vilnalasath absorbed the Extremis virus and gave the Guardians a stabilizing gene sample while Allen explained his plan to seize control of Dark Magic by targeting Dormammu and Sithorn. Meanwhile, Nick Fury briefed the International Security Council on the supernatural threat and proposed a magic school, leaving the Council to consider S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plan.

• Vilnalasath absorbed the Extremis virus, analyzed its effects, and gave two Guardians a blood sample to stabilize their research.
• Allen showed Vilnalasath the Dark Egg and described his plan to use it, the Darkhold, Wanda, and Vishanti's power against Sithorn after taking control of part of the Dark Dimension.
• Allen named Dormammu as the first target, and Vilnalasath agreed to prepare for the coming war.
• Nick Fury and Maria Hill reported the incident to the International Security Council, which approved centralized silver stockpiling to combat monsters and curses.
• Nick Fury explained that Pluto Hisoka was an Ancient God and discussed humanity's lack of defenses, while the Council proposed a magic school.
• Nick Fury sent the Council a prepared proposal for the school, seeking its support and giving S.H.I.E.L.D. responsibility for carrying it out.

Tony Stark recovered from surgery, reunited with Ethan, and accepted S.H.I.E.L.D.'s proposal to build a magic force using Azerath as its power source. Meanwhile, Coulson's team enjoyed leave in Miami and learned that missions involving magic could soon become more frequent.

• Tony Stark awoke after surgery, and Ethan visited him to explain that Artoria had revived him and congratulate him on finding renewed purpose.
• Allen appeared in Tony's hospital room and gave him S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plan to establish a magic training institution under his leadership.
• Allen explained the dangers and limits of drawing magic from Azerath or dimensional Demon Gods, and Tony chose Azerath as the trainees' power source.
• Tony began outlining a plan to identify people with magical talent and train them.
• Coulson's team relaxed on paid leave in Miami, where Skye, Grant Ward, Jemma Simmons, and Leo Fitz joked about their recent experiences.
• Coulson told Melinda that Nick Fury planned to establish a magic training institution with Tony in charge, and she realized their missions might become more dangerous and frequent.

Tony Stark struggled to teach magic to S.H.I.E.L.D. trainees while Allen let Hydra’s infiltration go undetected to provoke competition. Allen then traveled to Svartalfheim to claim the Aether, where Malekith’s forces attacked him.

• Tony Stark led S.H.I.E.L.D.’s first magic training class, while Allen secretly identified Hydra agents among the trainees and chose not to warn anyone.
• Allen told Artoria he wanted rival magical factions to push Earth’s magic users to grow stronger, and Tony complained that none of his trainees had sensed magical energy after four days.
• Allen departed for Svartalfheim after sensing the Aether’s location, leaving Artoria to handle matters on Earth.
• Allen found the Aether on Svartalfheim and could not extract the Reality Stone from it, so he sealed it for storage with the Space Stone.
• Malekith arrived with his army, demanded the Aether, and ordered his last Curse Warrior to attack Allen.