Chapter Summaries

Elson led the assault on Hydra’s heavily fortified base after aerial bombardments failed to breach it. The attackers corroded a passage through the gate, but Drill Demon and Shockwave emerged underground and began tearing through the advancing forces.

• Bernardo accidentally fired an energy bolt near Rona, apologized, and then joined the fight while a logistics player healed wounded teammates.
• The assault force advanced through the mountains toward Hydra’s base as Doctor Octopus warned Elson that Hydra might have nuclear weapons.
• Fighter jets, bombers, Cluster Missiles, and High-Explosive Armor-Piercing Bombs bombarded the base, but its armored shell remained largely intact.
• Elson ordered drones to use Alien Acid Solvent on the alloy gate, and they corroded a passage roughly three meters wide.
• Drones entered first, followed by the assault troops, but Drill Demon and Shockwave burst from underground and attacked the Transformers and players.
• As players scattered from Drill Demon’s rampage, the Holy Knight accelerated down from the sky toward the battlefield.

Shockwave used his Tesseract-powered weapon to destroy more than half of the Holy Light Tribunal’s Knight Mech Unit, forcing Elson to order the survivors to test him rather than commit all their forces. Bumblebee, Crosshairs, and the others attacked Shockwave and the Drill Demon while the remaining Knight Mechs joined the fight.

• Shockwave fired a powerful blue energy beam that destroyed more than half of the Knight Mech Unit.
• Elson and Doctor Octopus assessed Shockwave’s apparent loss of energy, and Elson ordered the remaining knights to test him while protecting the Exoskeleton Squad inside the Hydra base.
• Bumblebee and the other Autobots charged Shockwave as Crosshairs covered them and warned the others to retreat.
• The Drill Demon attacked the Autobots, but Hound’s gunfire let Yipiao Sisi sever one of its tentacles.
• Bumblebee dodged the Drill Demon’s attacks and advanced toward Shockwave as Ratchet and the others attacked the creature.
• The Knight Mechs in the sky joined the battle.

The Holy Light Tribunal’s attack on the Hydra base met devastating resistance from advanced robots, forcing Elson and Doctor Octopus to consider retreat. Just as Elson ordered a withdrawal, a silver greatsword struck Drill Demon.

• Rona incapacitated three Hydra members before they could fire and continued advancing with the Exoskeleton Squad.
• A Hydra robot blasted Bernardo through his shield, severely injuring him and knocking him and Rona down; Rona treated Bernardo with a Healing Potion before they fled.
• Hydra robots overwhelmed the Exoskeleton Squad and inflicted heavy casualties despite the squad’s shields and Healing Potions.
• Elson and Doctor Octopus assessed the losses and the threat posed by Shockwave and Drill Demon, then decided to retreat.
• A silver greatsword suddenly split through the sky and pierced Drill Demon.

Merlin, fused with Arcee, arrived with the Iron Legion and rescued Bumblebee from Shockwave and Drill Demon. As the battered Autobots faced the worsening battlefield, Stark claimed Shockwave as a test for his new Anti-Transformer Armor while Merlin reserved Shockwave’s Spark for herself.

• Shockwave’s Infinite Energy Bullet knocked Bumblebee down, and Drill Demon wrapped him up and began crushing him.
• Merlin (Arcee) arrived and impaled Drill Demon through the head with her Silver Greatsword, freeing Bumblebee from its attack.
• Bumblebee recognized the towering Transformer as Arcee, and Merlin explained that she was fused with Merlin and had undergone only minor modifications.
• Merlin asked where Optimus Prime was, and Bumblebee said he had gone after Megatron.
• Shockwave fired at Merlin, but she blocked the shot; Stark stopped her from retaliating so he could test his Anti-Transformer Armor on Shockwave.

Tana and Elson arranged for Hellfire and the Holy Light Tribunal to cooperate against Hydra, while Stark arrived in Anti-Transformer Armor to fight Shockwave. Merlin removed Drill Demon's Spark, and Shockwave began forcing Stark back.

• Tana told Elson that Hellfire had partnered with Stark and Merlin after she offered Stark information about Dr. Zola.
• Tana agreed that the Holy Light Tribunal would support Hellfire in exchange for one percent of the information, with the Exoskeleton Special Team continuing to scout.
• Hellfire players and the Iron Legion entered Hydra's base as the fighting outside quieted, leaving Stark facing Shockwave.
• Stark donned his Anti-Transformer Armor and attacked Shockwave with energy beams and a laser cannon.
• Merlin scanned Drill Demon, removed his Spark, and considered creating a pet with it.
• Shockwave's Infinite Energy Cannon struck Stark's armor, and Shockwave began driving him back.

Shockwave used Tesseract energy and Hydra’s special metals to overpower Stark and destroy the Anti-Transformer Armor. Merlin confronted Shockwave while Stark entered the base to deal with Dr. Zola, and their fight continued after Merlin discovered that Shockwave’s hand cannon was made with Vibranium.

• Shockwave recovered from Stark’s attacks with Spark energy while the Infinite Energy Bullet wore down the Anti-Transformer Armor.
• Shockwave struck Stark out of the armor, then kicked the pilotless suit apart.
• Merlin told Stark to enter the Hydra base and deal with Dr. Zola while he stayed behind to fight Shockwave.
• Merlin blocked Shockwave’s cannon blast with his energy shield, then put the shield away as its energy reserves dwindled.
• Merlin’s greatsword struck Shockwave’s hand cannon without cutting it, and Shockwave revealed Hydra had helped him modify himself with Vibranium and Adamantium.
• Merlin kicked Shockwave into the air and swung his greatsword down at him again as Shockwave raised his cannon to defend himself.

Merlin defeated Shockwave with Timefall, a rain that rapidly aged living things and corroded metal. After Shockwave collapsed, Merlin ripped out his Spark and recorded data on Timefall's effects.

• Merlin overpowered Shockwave in a brutal fight, but Shockwave escaped after tearing off the arm pinned by Merlin's sword.
• Merlin launched a Timefall missile that burst over Shockwave, rapidly rusting and aging his body while black BT slowed him down.
• Merlin fired more missiles, creating a curtain of Timefall that left Shockwave too weakened to escape.
• Merlin explained Timefall's effects, pierced Shockwave's chest, and removed his Spark as Shockwave's consciousness faded.
• Merlin scanned Shockwave's corpse and concluded that collecting Timefall had been worthwhile.

Merlin returned to the battlefield after dealing with Shockwave, while the Holy Light Tribunal gathered the remains of the Knight Mech Unit. Inside the base, Roman and Bernardo fought off three Hydra robots, and Iron Man arrived to find them destroyed.

• Merlin reassured Bumblebee and the others that the situation with Shockwave had been handled, then said he would treat Bumblebee after the battle.
• Merlin spoke with Crosshairs and asked about meeting Wheeljack, while the Holy Light Tribunal collected the surviving Sparks from the battlefield.
• The Planner warned Roman and Bernardo that three Hydra robots were approaching, and Roman chose to fight while Bernardo stayed to support her.
• Roman and Bernardo dodged the Hydra robots' fire and attacked, with Roman destroying two robots and Bernardo helping bring down the third.
• Iron Man arrived in the hall and saw Roman standing among the destroyed Hydra robots.

Stark and the Iron Legion fought Dr. Zola’s robot army while Natasha and Hellfire’s teams infiltrated the Hydra base. The battle continued as the infiltrators advanced toward the base’s main control systems.

• Roman healed his injuries after Stark arrived, and Hellfire warned Stark that Dr. Zola had surrounded him with robots.
• Dr. Zola revealed that his algorithms had arranged Howard Stark’s assassination and that Tony was part of Project Cradle.
• Stark summoned the Iron Legion, and it clashed with Zola’s robot army as Roman and Bernardo withdrew.
• Natasha killed a Hydra Planner, extracted his Special Chip, and took control of the Surveillance Room while searching for the Main Computer Control Room.
• Hellfire split its forces to distract the guards and install a Signal Locator near the Package Drop Point.
• Hellfire reported that it had found Zola’s Consciousness Transmitter and told Stark and Hawkeye they could make their move.

Stark and Hawkeye captured Dr. Zola by sealing his consciousness inside a Core Computer Board, while Hellfire installed a Signal Locator and escaped the Hydra base. Merlin confronted Baron Von Strucker over the Tesseract and trapped him and the Hydra forces in a desolate battlefield conjured from black Tar.

• Stark lured Dr. Zola into position, and Hawkeye sealed Zola’s consciousness with a Virus Arrow while Stark destroyed the robot and seized the Core Computer Board.
• Hellfire’s Android installed the Signal Locator, and the Planner detonated a bomb inside it to cover the players’ retreat as the base began to empty.
• Merlin monitored the base’s network while Stark, Hellfire’s players, and the Iron Legion fled with Dr. Zola captured.
• Baron Von Strucker emerged from a hidden tunnel with Hydra members and confronted Merlin near the exit.
• Merlin refused Baron Von Strucker’s offer to join Hydra and demanded the Tesseract.
• Merlin enveloped Baron Von Strucker and the Hydra forces in a barren battlefield of black Tar, where ghostly soldiers rose from a Tar Pit.

Merlin used Uncle Ba’s Beach to trap Baron Von Strucker and his Hydra squad in a supernatural World War II battlefield, where they were devoured. He secured the Tesseract, rejoined his allies as they evacuated ahead of a Sky-Based Cannon strike, and watched Hellfire’s bombardment prepare to hit the Hydra base.

• Merlin brought Baron Von Strucker and the Hydra squad into Uncle Ba’s Beach, where Uncle Ba and skeletal soldiers attacked them.
• Uncle Ba kicked Strucker into the Tar Pit, and the hands within it dragged him under as ghostfire consumed him.
• Uncle Ba and the Beach devoured the remaining Hydra members, while Merlin prevented the substances in their bodies from reacting.
• Uncle Ba gave Merlin the Tesseract, and Merlin later tossed it into a Tar Pit before returning to the battlefield.
• Merlin joined Bumblebee, Stark’s group, Arcee, and the withdrawing players as they retreated from the battlefield.
• Hellfire and the Holy Light Tribunal regrouped on a hill, where they watched Hellfire’s sixteen million worth of firepower target the Hydra base.

After Hellfire destroyed the Sokovia Hydra Base, a strange giant erupted in a blast that erased the mountain, and the players received their rewards. The platform then announced a system update that activated resurrection through the Beach and introduced Resurrection Coins and the hidden profession Dooms.

• Stark and the others watched a pitch-black giant emerge near Hydra’s base as black hands dragged Hydra members into a tar pit.
• The Orbital Cannon countdown reached zero, but the giant exploded in a flash of light and the resulting blast erased the mountain.
• Tana received the platform rewards for Hellfire’s destruction of the Sokovia Hydra Base.
• The platform announced that its system update had activated the Resurrection Mechanism and explained how human souls would enter the Beach after death.
• The update introduced Resurrection Coins made from Strand Material and revealed the hidden profession Dooms.

The platform introduced Dooms abilities, Resurrection Coins, and a new Kairol Crystal Collector, prompting players to harvest Kairol Crystals in a sinkhole. Horn became a beginner Dooms after exposure to the crystals, and Stark learned that Merlin was an Internal Test Player.

• The platform revealed Dooms levels, resurrection rules, and a Kairol Crystal Collector, stunning players with the promise of returning from the Beach.
• Otto, Stark, and the others went to the sinkhole, found Kairol Crystals, and began collecting them with newly purchased devices.
• Horn started crying while collecting crystals, then received a notification that he had become a beginner Dooms who could sense BTs and craft Resurrection Coins.
• Players from Holy Light Tribunal and Hellfire rushed to gather crystals in hopes of becoming Dooms.
• Stark noticed Merlin's calmness, and Merlin told him he was an Internal Test Player.

After the Hydra mission, Merlin met Stark in Apple City, where they discussed Resurrection Coins and the growing presence of Androids. The Ancient One confronted Merlin in the Mirror Space, sensed another world within him, and invited him to Kamar-Taj, leaving open the possibility of bringing the game platform to other dimensions.

• Merlin gave Stark a Resurrection Coin, and Stark agreed to study it for possible ways to exploit the platform.
• The players finished the mission: Hellfire destroyed the Hydra base, Stark captured Dr. Zola, Horn awakened a DOOMS Ability, and Merlin obtained the Tesseract and his test results.
• Merlin and Stark met at a burger joint in Apple City and discussed the spread of Androids and public backlash against Merlin and his technology.
• The Ancient One pulled Merlin and Stark into the Mirror Space, then told Merlin she had sensed another world within him and had been watching his actions.
• Merlin suggested that the Ancient One join the game, and she invited him to Kamar-Taj and gave him the Sanctum's address.

Merlin treated Bumblebee’s extensive injuries while helping Arcee adjust to her new mechanical Android body. After learning Wheeljack and the others would arrive in a week, Merlin decided to leave for that time and asked Crosshairs to notify him when they were close.

• Merlin returned to the laboratory and found Marvin and Charlie playing volleyball with Crosshairs and the others while Bumblebee waited for treatment.
• Merlin examined Bumblebee and developed a repair plan, then met Arcee in her new semi-humanoid body and helped her get used to it.
• Merlin arranged for Marvin Robot to repair Bumblebee and spent the night testing Arcee’s sensors and engine oil viscosity.
• The next morning, Crosshairs told Merlin that Wheeljack and the others were in Britain and would arrive in about a week.
• Merlin said he would leave for the week, and told Crosshairs that Bumblebee’s repairs would take about half a year because nearly his entire body needed replacing.

Merlin went to the Eagle Aerospace Museum to awaken Skyfire and obtain his Spark, but Madame Hydra and her forces arrived before he could take it. Merlin vanished using the Chiral Network, leaving Skyfire to fight the soldiers and Transformers in the hangar.

• Merlin used a Mechanical Spider to locate Skyfire's Spark inside the retired Blackbird aircraft and cut open its fuselage.
• Madame Hydra arrived with soldiers and three Military Cybertronians, challenging Merlin over the aircraft.
• Merlin activated Skyfire with a touch of AllSpark energy, then teleported away through the Chiral Network.
• Skyfire awakened, questioned the newcomers about Cybertron's war, and Madame Hydra ordered her forces to extract his Spark.
• Skyfire fought back, flinging the three Transformers and killing one after it carried him out of the hangar.

Skyfire destroyed the three Military Cybertronians but was captured by the Countess’s troops before a Tar Swamp swallowed him and pulled him away. A week later, Merlin transferred Amelie’s consciousness into a new Android body and took her to see the transformed city, while Arcee stayed behind to oversee Bumblebee and Skyfire’s recovery.

• Skyfire destroyed the last Military Cybertronian, but the Countess’s troops surrounded and restrained him.
• A Tar Swamp appeared and dragged Skyfire away as dark handprints spread beneath the nearby soldiers.
• A week later, Merlin transferred Amelie’s consciousness into a red-haired Android body, and she awoke in his laboratory.
• Merlin told Amelie to get dressed, then took her out for a tour in Drift’s sports-car form while Arcee remained to oversee Bumblebee’s treatment and Skyfire’s new body.
• Amelie marveled at Times Square, where humans, Androids, and Transformers shared streets filled with advanced technology.

Merlin spent time with Amelie and the Stacy family, while Connor explained the resurrection mechanics and themes of R-Star’s new game. At the end of the month, Merlin tested the Space-Jumping Wristband Skyfire had helped him complete and prepared to leave for Kamar-Taj.

• Merlin showed Amelie around the plaza and explained the Cybertronians’ history before Drift brought her back to the laboratory.
• After resolving Amelie’s identity issue, Merlin returned home and decided to spend a few days with the Stacy family.
• Connor streamed R-Star’s new story game, explaining Sam’s resurrection, DOOMS abilities, BTs, and the game’s Rope and Stick imagery.
• Merlin put on the completed Space-Jumping Wristband and opened a Space Channel with Skyfire’s approval.
• Merlin stepped through the Space Channel, ready to set out for Kamar-Taj.

Merlin traveled to Kathmandu and met The Ancient One at Kamar-Taj, where she showed him strange dimensions and realms. After the overwhelming journey left him exhilarated, he demanded to see more.

• Merlin arrived in Kathmandu and used his bracer to blast three thugs who tried to rob him.
• Merlin reached the house The Ancient One had given him, accidentally kicking Mordo in the face when the door opened.
• Mordo brought Merlin through Kamar-Taj to meet The Ancient One, who welcomed him and asked him to sit for tea.
• The Ancient One pressed her hand to Merlin's forehead and took him through space, a black hole, and other unfamiliar dimensions.
• Merlin collapsed after the journey but grinned and asked The Ancient One to take him through the experience again.

Merlin traveled through the Multiverse in a vision, encountering Dormammu before the Ancient One brought him back and discussed his unusual talent. The Ancient One began teaching him the principles of magic, and Merlin eagerly asked to learn about powerful entities from other dimensions.

• Merlin's consciousness passed through countless worlds and encountered Dormammu, who asked who he was in the Multiverse.
• The Ancient One returned Merlin to the hall, called him dangerous but exceptionally talented, and had Mordo arrange a room for him.
• The next day, Mordo took Merlin to the library, where Merlin received basic spellbooks and met Wong.
• Merlin explained his understanding of magic to the Ancient One and demonstrated that he could draw a Magic Array using energy from Hell.
• The Ancient One explained spells, energy from other dimensions, and conceptual entities, and Merlin immediately asked to learn more.