Chapter Summaries

Merlin settled into Kamar-Taj, learned teleportation magic, and rapidly advanced his magical studies while technology spread through society. In spring 2012, a spatial-energy anomaly triggered an evacuation at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Joint Dark Energy Research Facility, where the Tesseract had released a burst of energy.

• The Ancient One explained the origins of magic, and Merlin began training at Kamar-Taj with Mordo and the other apprentices.
• Merlin used a Sling Ring to open a stable portal to his bedroom on his first attempt, impressing Mordo.
• Merlin studied spells with the Ancient One and exchanged ideas with Wheeljack about Time Slowing Bullet technology.
• Big White Robots and Androids spread through society as technological breakthroughs signaled the approach of a new era.
• A spatial-energy fluctuation struck near a rebuilt S.H.I.E.L.D. base, prompting Fury, Coulson, and Hill to evacuate personnel.
• Coulson and Hill told Fury that the Tesseract had activated four hours earlier and released a burst of energy, though they did not know why.

The Tesseract opened a portal at the Dark Energy Experiment Center, and a mysterious young man emerged as Merlin sensed the event from the Sanctum. The platform then issued a Civilization Level mission announcing the Chitauri Invasion, leaving the Punisher, Journey of the Saint, John, and other players facing an imminent war.

• Fury learned that the Tesseract had activated by itself and went to the experiment center as its energy continued to rise.
• The Tesseract opened a spatial portal, and a black-robed young man carrying a crescent Scepter stepped through.
• Merlin sensed the portal opening from the Sanctum and told Little Mute to send out the notification early.
• The Punisher and Journey of the Saint received a platform mission while discussing their hopes of fighting alongside Merlin again.
• Gianna told John that her allies were hunting the Tribunal and warned that Pinga Assassin Academy and The Hand in Neon were looking for him.
• John, Gianna, and the other players received the Chitauri Invasion mission, which identified the threat as a Civilization Level war against Earth.

A civilization-level mission made the entire Eagle Service Zone the battlefield for humanity’s first war against an alien civilization, and players rushed to reach Eagle. Ross ordered a search for the envoy and the missing S.H.I.E.L.D. team, while Fury and his allies sought Stark’s help, but Stark refused to join the Avengers.

• The platform announced a civilization-level mission in the Eagle Service Zone, offering points, weapons, and major rewards to participating players.
• Players worldwide found flights to Eagle sold out and sought rides in flying vehicles as the platform’s service zones spread across North America, Europe, and Asia.
• Ross learned that the Tesseract had gone out of control at a research institute and ordered his people to find the god’s envoy before he opened a Space Wormhole.
• Fury, Natasha, and the others went to Stark for help, and Stark rejected the Avengers plan after Pepper handed him the file.

Stark agreed to cooperate with the Avengers but refused to join or lead them, while Coulson failed to recruit Merlin. Steve struggled to adjust to Apple City's advanced society as Fury brought him in, and Loki learned that the R-Star Platform had exposed his invasion plans.

• Coulson urged Stark to help form the Avengers, and Stark agreed to cooperate only if he could lead, which Coulson rejected.
• Stark refused to join the team and said Merlin was too young to involve, while Coulson left hoping he would reconsider.
• Steve walked through futuristic Apple City, felt like a caveman, and accepted a ride from Fury.
• S.H.I.E.L.D. began recruiting against the coming alien invasion, sending Natasha to find Bruce Banner, Coulson to Stark, and Fury to Steve.
• Loki asked Dr. Esek and Hawkeye how the R-Star Platform knew of his plans, and they admitted they did not know.

Loki chose to continue playing the platform’s game and prepared to make a declaration, while Merlin left Kamar-Taj to join the fight against the alien invasion and obtain a Magic Tool. The chapter ended as Loki appeared on television worldwide and announced himself.

• Loki told Hawkeye to continue the game and said he would make a declaration.
• Merlin returned books to Wong and left the Library to meet The Ancient One.
• The Ancient One told Merlin to do what he wanted and promised to cover for him.
• Merlin told Mordo he would join the resistance against the alien invasion and asked for a Magic Tool.
• Mordo led Merlin through a spatial node to the New York Sanctum.
• Loki appeared on television broadcasts worldwide, holding the Mind Scepter and declaring, “I am Loki!”

Loki was captured after Captain America and Natasha intervened in Stuttgart, while Hawkeye secured the materials needed for the portal device. At the New York Sanctum, Merlin searched for a Magic Tool, and a ring containing a lively fae revealed detected Fae Power.

• Snorin attacked Loki in Stuttgart, but Captain America and Natasha took over the operation and captured him.
• Hawkeye obtained the key materials needed to activate the portal device after using Loki as bait.
• Mordo brought Merlin to the New York Sanctum to choose a Magic Tool.
• Merlin walked through the air with magic before Mordo showed him the Sanctum’s collection of Magic Tools.
• The Floating Cloak reacted to Merlin, and he noticed an ancient ring containing a fae as the system detected Fae Power.

Merlin chose the Fae Ring and received the Eye of Agamotto from Mordo, then began investigating both artifacts in his laboratory. After putting on the ring, he learned it held a Fae Power fragment fused with the core of the Tree of Life and survived its attempt to consume his life force.

• Merlin recognized the Fae Ring’s aura and chose it, while Mordo handed it over and the Floating Cloak drooped dejectedly.
• Mordo gave Merlin the Eye of Agamotto and relayed The Ancient One’s instruction to handle matters outside the Sanctum himself.
• Merlin returned to his laboratory, examined the Time Stone, and told Little Mute to shift the Tesseract’s transmission calculations toward Multiverse travel.
• Merlin’s system identified the ring as a Fae Power fragment, and he put it on, causing pink energy to drain his vitality.
• The fae in the amber awakened and released green energy that restrained the draining, while Merlin received a memory of the Life Dimension lord fusing the Tree of Life’s core with a torn-off fragment of Fae Power.

Merlin tested how Fae Power could devour Sparks and other energy, strengthening his body and control over magic. As the Autobots departed for Egypt to confront Megatron, Merlin learned that Loki had only been a decoy and saw the Wormhole open over Apple City, activating the Chitauri invasion mission for all players.

• Merlin used the Fae Ring and the Tree of Life’s life force to control Fae Power, then devoured Sparks and part of the AllSpark, gaining strength, mechanical transformation, and greater control over magic.
• After Loki was captured, Eagle reassured its residents, while players flocked to its cities and prepared for the platform’s mission.
• Optimus Prime and the Autobots left with Merlin’s allies for the Egyptian Pyramids to support the fight against Megatron and reclaim the AllSpark.
• Coulson told Merlin that Loki had distracted S.H.I.E.L.D. while Dr. Esek, Hawkeye, and others used the Tesseract to build a Wormhole Generator.
• Merlin saw a blue energy pillar rise above Apple City and realized the wormhole had already opened.
• The platform activated the Civilization Level mission, announcing the Chitauri invasion to every player.

Loki and Dr. Esek activated the Tesseract device atop Stark Tower, opening wormholes across Eagle and unleashing the Chitauri invasion. As the mission platform revealed a second threat from a Cybertronian Extraction Tower in Egypt, Stark confronted Loki, but the Scepter's force field blasted back the Iron Legion.

• Loki arrived at Stark Tower after Hawkeye rescued him from the Sea Prison, and Dr. Esek confirmed the other devices were ready.
• Dr. Esek activated the rooftop device, and fifty beams opened into a massive wormhole that exposed a mechanical planet and let Chitauri forces pour toward Earth.
• The mission platform ordered players to seize Loki's Scepter and redirect the Extraction Tower in Egypt before it drained the Sun.
• Eagle officials and Egypt tracked Optimus Prime, Megatron, and their forces near the Egyptian pyramids, while Chitauri occupied Eagle and the government sought military and international aid.
• Stark and the Iron Legion confronted Loki and Dr. Esek, but Loki's Scepter unleashed a force field that hurled them backward.

Chitauri forces poured through the Wormhole and attacked Earth, turning Apple City and other regions of Eagle into a battlefield. Stark, the players, military forces, and Merlin’s allies fought to defend the city as the invasion spread.

• Stark received a warning that Loki’s generator was protected by a force field, then ordered the Iron Legion to defend the city and guide residents to safety.
• Players and military forces engaged the arriving Chitauri, but the enemy overwhelmed the first defenses and aircraft crashes caused destruction and civilian casualties in Apple City.
• Merlin left Chappie and Marvin to protect the research institute while he and Arcee used Space Jump to reach the city.
• Merlin arrived above Stark Industries and saw Chitauri forces fighting Transformers, Stark and the Iron Legion, players, and other defenders across the devastated city.

Merlin and the players saw the Chitauri unleash Leviathan warships and enormous motherships, while Stark prepared to counter the invasion. Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Natasha, and Hawkeye joined the battle, which ended with Captain America accidentally breaking Deadpool’s legs after catching him.

• Merlin noticed the Green Goblin attacking Chitauri aircraft, then turned his attention to the Leviathans emerging from the Wormhole.
• Chitauri Leviathan warships and massive motherships poured through Wormholes across the city, and Stark found that he could not lock onto them with the orbital cannon.
• Thor struck down a Leviathan with lightning, Hulk smashed another, and Captain America, Natasha, and Hawkeye joined the fight as Stark assigned them tasks.
• Captain America saw veteran players and Transformers cutting through the Chitauri while Baymax protected children, and he realized how much stronger the battlefield’s defenders had become.
• Deadpool excitedly grabbed Captain America and tried to kiss him, so Captain America threw him down and accidentally broke both his legs.

Captain America rescued civilians while Deadpool joined the battle, and Elson sent Horn to plant Signal Locators on Leviathans. Stark and Thor fought their way toward the Chitauri Mothership but were surrounded by Leviathans until Merlin offered support.

• Deadpool introduced himself to Captain America, got an autograph, and then headed off to fight while Captain America entered a church to rescue trapped civilians.
• Elson agreed to defend the hospital Respawn Point and sent Horn to place Signal Locators on Leviathans so the team could earn points.
• Stark recharged his armor with Thor’s lightning, and Thor cleared a path through the Chitauri as Stark flew toward the Mothership.
• Thor and Stark were stopped by a swarm of Leviathans, and Merlin appeared overhead with a Blue Energy Storm Cloud and a huge white figure in the passage.

Merlin arrived above Apple City in Arcee Gundam and rescued Stark and Thor before destroying the Chitauri Mothership with a missile and an antimatter beam. The other Motherships retreated, while Apple City’s battle resumed and Horn finished placing his locators.

• Merlin emerged from a Space Wormhole in Arcee Gundam and cut down the Leviathan Titans surrounding Stark and Thor.
• Stark and Thor withdrew as Merlin stayed behind to fight the remaining Leviathans.
• Merlin fired a Signal Cluster Missile through a Space Wormhole beneath the Chitauri Mothership, then hit it with a beam that triggered matter-antimatter annihilation.
• The Chitauri Mothership was destroyed, and the other Motherships retreated after players saw that Merlin Shaw had destroyed it.
• Horn used the locators he carried on Leviathans across Apple City, and Elson prepared to give the battle a shock.

The Holy Light Tribunal annihilated the Leviathan Beasts across Manhattan, giving the Avengers a chance to establish defensive lines. On the Los Santos Server, Deck Xiao gathered the Xiao Family, Hobbs’s people, and Dom Toretto’s convoy to pursue the Chitauri Mothership as it began retreating.

• Elson approved Bernardo’s plan to spend thirty million on annihilation strikes against the Leviathans in Manhattan.
• The Holy Light Tribunal warned players to evacuate, then its Antimatter Annihilation Bombs struck and destroyed the Leviathan Titans.
• Stark and the Avengers Alliance began rescue operations and moved to establish defensive lines, while the Holy Light Tribunal offered Resurrection Coins for sale.
• Owen Xiao raced through Los Santos in a Bevel Magic Treasure as Deck Xiao, Hattie Xiao, and Planner Toledo urged the family to focus on the Mothership.
• Deck Xiao ordered the Xiao Family and Hobbs to assemble and break through toward the Mothership, and Dom Toretto’s convoy joined them.
• Deck Xiao and Hobbs raced to reach the retreating Mothership, but a burning Chitauri aircraft fell toward Hobbs.

After dying in a crash, Hobbs revived at Los Santos Hospital and returned to the battle against the Chitauri. Owen and Xiao's Mom used a heated cable between their fighters to cut through the enemy ranks, and the group reached the Leviathan Titan swarm.

• Hobbs's fighter crashed into the Garden Building, killing him, and he revived from the Beach using a Resurrection Coin.
• Hobbs woke at Los Santos Hospital, discovered he had lost his assets except for his Mechanical Spider, and collected a Combat Prediction Chip and Electromagnetic Rifle.
• Hobbs returned to the hangar, took a Hydra fighter, and rejoined the battle while players defended the hospital Respawn Point.
• Owen and Xiao's Mom connected their fighters with a heated steel cable and climbed toward the sky as Deck and Jane covered them.
• Owen and Xiao's Mom's fighters sliced through Chitauri forces, and the group reached the Leviathan Titan swarm.

As Chitauri forces overwhelmed the players’ breakout, Xiao's Mom proposed a suicidal charge to clear a path for Hobbs. Hobbs made it through the blazing corridor beneath the Mothership, but his Hydra’s controls malfunctioned as the ship was about to enter the Wormhole.

• Owen and Xiao's Mom flew through the Leviathan swarm, while Chitauri weapons and enemy attacks killed many players.
• With only a few dozen fighter jets left and the route behind them blocked, the survivors found themselves surrounded about five hundred meters from their target.
• Xiao's Mom proposed that everyone sacrifice themselves to open a path for Hobbs, who was at the end of the formation.
• Owen and Xiao's Mom charged the enemy together, carving a fiery passage before their jets exploded; the other players followed into the battle.
• Hobbs flew through the flames and reached the space beneath the Mothership, but heat damage caused his Hydra’s control panel to malfunction.

Luke Hobbs destroyed a Chitauri Mothership with an Orbital Cannon, but its falling wreckage devastated central Los Santos. As players held back the continuing invasion, Stark, the other superheroes, and the Pro Gamers searched for Loki and his Scepter.

• Hobbs used himself as the Orbital Cannon’s target, and the blast destroyed a Chitauri Mothership.
• The Mothership’s burning wreckage fell over Los Santos, destroying buildings and killing Chitauri and players caught beneath it.
• Hobbs worried that players had become a disaster for the world, and Deck urged him to keep moving forward while trying to limit the damage.
• The players learned that a Xiao Family guild had surged into first place, overtaking the Holy Light Tribunal by nearly one hundred million points.
• Merlin explained that he had intervened to balance the game, while the remaining Chitauri Motherships withdrew and continued sending troops through the Wormhole.
• Players used cheap Resurrection Coins and established defenses around Respawn Points, while Stark, the other superheroes, and the Pro Gamers searched for Loki and his Scepter.

Merlin joined Optimus Prime’s battle against Megatron in Egypt, then helped Skyfire and the others search for the Allspark Fragment. The group learned Fallen had already taken it and hurried to stop him, but they were interrupted by the sight of Heracles climbing a Pyramid.

• Merlin arrived in Egypt and saw Optimus Prime fighting Megatron, who blamed humanity and remained under Fallen’s influence.
• Merlin met Skyfire, Simmons, the Twins, Brakes, and Mudflap, then recalled information from his contact with the AllSpark that revealed the location of the gate.
• Merlin led the group to a temple, where they found the entrance to the cavern broken and the Seven Primes’ corpses inside.
• Skyfire learned through a mental realm that Fallen had already taken the Allspark Fragment, and he asked Merlin to locate Fallen using satellite coverage.
• A distant boom sent the group outside, where they saw Heracles climbing a Pyramid.

Merlin and Arcee raced to stop Fallen from taking control of the Extraction Tower, defeating Heracles before confronting Fallen himself. Fallen crushed their advance beneath a gigantic stone sphere, leaving their fate uncertain.

• Heracles uncovered the Extraction Tower hidden inside the Pyramid as the Decepticons began moving toward it.
• Merlin left Skyfire, Simmons, and the Twins behind, reunited with Arcee, and set out to stop Fallen and secure the tower.
• Optimus Prime tried to persuade Megatron to abandon Fallen, but Arcee's appearance interrupted their confrontation.
• Merlin repeatedly fired his Railgun into Heracles, forcing the giant to slide down the Pyramid and fall silent.
• Fallen appeared atop the Extraction Tower and hurled rocks at Merlin and Arcee, then dropped a massive stone sphere onto them.

Merlin (Arcee) attacked Fallen but was gravely wounded as he activated the Extraction Tower and shattered the Pyramid’s outer shell. Merlin joined with Skyfire’s parts and Spark, then Arcee charged Fallen and caught him with a scarlet energy chain.

• Merlin (Arcee) surprised Fallen with a sword strike, but he teleported away and pierced her chest with the Scepter.
• Merlin tore the Scepter from her chest and fell to one knee as Fallen recovered it and began activating the Extraction Tower with the Allspark Fragment.
• The Pyramid collapsed around the device, exposing the enormous Extraction Tower as the Transformers fighting nearby fled.
• Merlin refused Arcee’s offer to fight alone and merged with her further, summoning Skyfire’s wing components through a Space Wormhole and equipping them to her.
• Arcee charged Fallen, and a scarlet energy chain suddenly wrapped around his arm as he tried to teleport away.