Chapter Summaries

The Zero Collective debated whether to capture or cooperate with the conqueror who could travel between universes, ultimately deciding he was their only hope of reaching other universes. One member volunteered to observe him closely and plan a way to contact him as the universe underwent dimensional reduction.

• The Zero Collective considered capturing the conqueror but feared he could escape through the Traversal Vortex and leave them trapped.
• The Collective discussed his rule over the Solar System and his plans to use the universe to gather troops, resources, and research.
• The Collective reasoned that direct cooperation would be unlikely, but that distinctive, weaker civilizations might be absorbed into his forces and travel with him to other universes.
• One member volunteered to observe the conqueror at close range and devise a plan for contacting him.
• The Collective ordered the plan to restart the universe suspended, declaring the conqueror their only hope as the universe underwent dimensional reduction.

He-El returned to Three-Body Earth after 150 years and asked Honor what he thought of the world. Honor said humanity had forgotten He-El’s gifts and resented his rule, and they flew toward the palace built for him.

• He-El rode atop Honor and surveyed Three-Body Earth’s colorful, technologically advanced cities and people.
• He-El asked Honor how he had been, and Honor said he was glad to serve as He-El’s mount again.
• Honor recounted how humanity had once thanked He-El but later called him an invader and tyrant, removed his image from textbooks, and took his gifts for granted.
• Honor said people were proposing that an emperor should have no role in political affairs, while He-El recognized that humanity no longer thanked him and resented his throne.
• He-El stroked Honor’s armrest and acknowledged that he had been holding in his thoughts for 150 years.
• Honor flew with He-El toward the grand palace that Three-Body Earth’s people had built for him.

He-El returned to Three-Body Earth, where many officials from the Autonomous Faction refused to give him the Emperor’s formal salute and were considering forcing him to abdicate. After confirming that Zero’s real body had safely returned to the cosmic mothership, He-El announced that he had come to order preparations for war.

• Honor landed at the palace, and the officials divided between those who saluted He-El and those who remained standing.
• He-El sat on the imperial throne while the Autonomous Faction showed their dissatisfaction.
• Zero confirmed that her task was complete, and He-El realized her real body had safely returned to the cosmic mothership.
• He-El considered how the officials’ rebellion had grown while he was away, and Leon asked why he had come.
• He-El said he had come to order preparations for war.

He-El ordered preparations for war, drawing strong objections from the Autonomous Faction, while Zhang Beihai backed the emperor’s authority. He then ordered the Solar System to see him and kneel, leaving Leon and the other faction officials to comply despite their anger.

• He-El announced that the Solar System should prepare for war, and Autonomous Faction officials warned that Earth’s people would resist abandoning their long peace.
• Zhang Beihai declared that the Willpower Corps would follow He-El’s command, while privately judging that sacrifice might be needed to prevent humanity’s extinction.
• Leon tried to delay the war preparations by proposing that military supplies be assembled before further discussion, but He-El interrupted him.
• He-El ordered Leon to ensure that the entire Solar System saw him and knelt before him.
• Leon agreed to He-El’s order, and the other Autonomous Faction officials echoed him after he signaled them to suppress their anger.

After the Autonomous Faction met He-El and vowed to prepare for war and make humanity kneel, Leon and Zhang Beihai clashed over the Emperor’s rule. Zhang Beihai warned that overthrowing He-El would bring humanity back to division and war, but Leon dismissed him and left with the faction.

• The Autonomous Faction ended its meeting with He-El after discussing war supplies, publicizing the Emperor, and making humanity kneel to him.
• Leon and the Autonomous Faction officials encountered Zhang Beihai and older officials outside the administrative hall.
• Zhang Beihai warned Leon that removing the Emperor would lead to superpower blocs, civil war, and worsening inequality.
• Leon told Zhang Beihai that the older generation had fallen behind the times and left with the Autonomous Faction officials.

Zhang Beihai warned officials that He-El was allowing the Autonomous Faction to challenge his rule, while the Willpower Corps and ETO would not stop the plan. Leon then persuaded Autonomous Faction leaders to unite against the Emperor, leaving them ready to confront him when he appeared before humanity.

• Zhang Beihai refused to let the Willpower Corps act against the Autonomous Faction because He-El wanted to see whether they could remove him from the throne.
• Zhang Beihai warned officials to maintain respect for He-El and tell their families and subordinates to do the same.
• Autonomous Faction officials gathered after their audience and questioned Leon about his plan.
• Leon declared that humanity did not need an Emperor and urged the faction to abolish the position when He-El appeared before everyone.
• The Autonomous Faction leaders embraced Leon's plan and called for freeing their spiritual leader and all humanity.

He-El showed Cheng Xin how the Autonomous Faction had distorted her report into a movement to abolish the emperor, while Cheng Xin maintained that He-El’s rule made their self-governing society possible. He-El said he did not blame her, as the faction had begun planning to remove him from the throne.

• After the other officials left, He-El kept Cheng Xin behind and reviewed her report on a society governed by ability users.
• He-El showed Cheng Xin records tracing how the Autonomous Faction had embraced her report and later twisted it into opposition to the emperor.
• Cheng Xin learned that the faction had treated her as its spiritual leader despite her refusal to support its cause.
• Cheng Xin argued that He-El’s capability as monarch, not the absence of an emperor, had enabled society to flourish.
• He-El told Cheng Xin he did not blame her as the Autonomous Faction prepared to drag him from the throne.

Cheng Xin learned that the Autonomous Faction had grown to dominate Three-Body Earth's government and win support from most of humanity, using her as its spiritual leader. He-El told her she would preside over the reckoning and introduce the Emperor they should be loyal to, leaving her to face the consequences of the movement she had enabled.

• Cheng Xin panicked after He-El showed her a dossier revealing the Autonomous Faction's plans and the extent of its support.
• He-El explained that Cheng Xin's report and her failure to defend the imperial position had helped the faction grow, though he said he did not blame her.
• Cheng Xin asked He-El what he would do about the faction, whose members included over seventy percent of officials and over seventy-five percent of civilians.
• He-El recalled Cheng Xin's husband, Van-Ze, and she described his devotion to the Emperor as the faith he would follow for all eternity.
• He-El declared that he had never disappointed those loyal to him and warned Cheng Xin to prepare to preside over the event and introduce the Emperor to everyone.

After He-El revealed the Autonomous Faction’s plans, Cheng Xin saw that people no longer understood or cared about the Emperor and returned home in despair. The announcement of the Emperor’s New Year’s Eve appearance thrilled ETO’s followers, who prepared to travel to Earth and pay homage to their Lord.

• Cheng Xin left the administrative hall and wandered through the city in a levitating magnetic vehicle, shaken by He-El’s words.
• A news broadcast announced that the Emperor would appear on Earth on New Year’s Eve, nine days later.
• People in the plaza dismissed the Emperor as irrelevant, and Cheng Xin concluded that the Autonomous Faction had erased his influence before heading home.
• A young ETO member recognized the announced Emperor as his Lord and excitedly called his father.
• The young man and his father resolved to go to Earth so they could see the Lord and pay homage to him.

A Quantum Monitor observed He-El while discussing the limits and dangers of studying his Traversal Vortex with another Quantum Being. He-El overheard their conversation, and nine days later, New Year's Eve arrived.

• A Quantum Being arrived at the administrative hall and asked why the Quantum Monitor had taken on a humanoid appearance.
• The Quantum Monitor explained that it was observing He-El, but could not truly empathize with him or learn useful physical data about his Traversal Vortex.
• The Quantum Monitor revealed that its predecessor had invaded He-El’s consciousness and become trapped as a second spinning quantum.
• The Quantum Beings discussed the Traversal Vortex’s inevitability and agreed that He-El should not be contacted because the consequences were too uncertain.
• He-El withdrew his celestial telescope and wondered whether hearing the Quantum Beings through psychic power counted as observing them.
• Nine days passed, and New Year’s Eve arrived.

On New Year's Eve, Cheng Xin hosted a Solar System-wide broadcast meant to remind people of His Majesty the Emperor’s achievements and preserve respect for him. The film instead intensified public resentment, while ETO members eagerly awaited the Emperor’s appearance.

• New Kryptonians across the Solar System prepared for New Year's Eve as celebrations and fireworks filled the night.
• Cheng Xin hosted the palace-square broadcast and introduced a film about the Emperor’s rule over the previous hundred and fifty years.
• Cheng Xin’s attempts to persuade Autonomous Faction officials to avoid disrupting the celebration had failed, and the faction’s plan was already underway.
• Families watching the film voiced anger at the Emperor and rejected the idea of an Emperor ruling over them.
• ETO members watched the film tearfully and prepared to see the Lord appear at the palace square.

Leon rejected calls to remove Cheng Xin from the stage, confident the Autonomous Faction’s control would withstand her praise of the Emperor. As He-El watched, he considered Fan-Ze’s proposal to give conquered peoples fewer equal benefits, then listened as Cheng Xin welcomed him before the crowd.

• An Autonomous Faction official urged Leon to stop Cheng Xin from praising the Emperor, but Leon refused, believing the crowd would resent her and their plan remained secure.
• He-El watched the plaza while Fan-Ze thanked him for giving Cheng Xin a chance to address the crowd.
• He-El reassured Fan-Ze that Cheng Xin was not to blame and said New Krypton’s failures could help it govern future conquests.
• Fan-Ze suggested that conquered people should have to struggle for advancement rather than receive the same benefits as New Krypton’s civilians.
• He-El pondered whether the world deserved the peaceful and equal life New Krypton had granted it, as Cheng Xin welcomed the Emperor.

He-El appeared before humanity and took the imperial throne, but the public rejected the ceremony’s demand that they kneel. As Leon and the Autonomous Faction declared that humanity neither wished nor needed to kneel, He-El smiled at the standing spectators.

• Cheng Xin welcomed the Emperor, but the crowd remained silent while Leon and the Autonomous Faction watched approvingly.
• Wade, Zhang Beihai, the Willpower Corps, and the Kryptonian Army gathered as He-El emerged and took his place on the imperial throne.
• People across the Solar System criticized the Emperor’s elevated position and rejected the idea of an unequal society, while ETO members cheered He-El as their Lord.
• Cheng Xin urged the audience and viewers to pay respects, and He-El’s supporters knelt, but the spectators and people watching at home refused.
• Leon and the Autonomous Faction officials told He-El that humanity did not wish to kneel and had no need to do so.

Leon and the Autonomous Faction refused to pay respects to He-El, declaring that humanity did not need an emperor. He-El projected people from across the nine planets into the sky and waited to see who would kneel, as the Willpower Corps began to turn against him.

• Leon’s refusal to kneel inspired many citizens, while ETO members condemned him and the officials who accompanied him.
• He-El signaled for silence and projected images of people across the nine planets into the sky using Zero’s Proton Computing Terminal.
• Leon told He-El that humanity did not want an emperor and urged him to step down from the throne.
• More than a hundred members of the Willpower Corps, including soldiers under Wade and Zhang Beihai, rose and called for He-El to leave the throne.
• He-El smiled and said he would wait to see how many more people would pay respects to him.

As Leon and the Autonomous Faction moved to force He-El from the throne, Roger and others across the Solar System paid homage to the Emperor despite widespread mockery. Leon then began the assault on the Kryptonian Army, as giant mechs, an invading AI, and superpowered troops entered the fray.

• On Mars, Roger knelt before the broadcast of He-El and declared that the Emperor deserved his respect, even after a classmate lifted and insulted him.
• After He-El smiled at Roger, people across the Solar System began paying homage to the Emperor, including sailors, researchers, and ETO members.
• Leon watched the scattered displays of homage and decided that the Autonomous Faction would end what he considered feudal traditions.
• Only eight percent of humanity paid homage to He-El, a total that matched Leon's expectations.
• Leon advanced toward the imperial throne as tricolored mist spread toward the Kryptonian Army, four Autonomous Faction mechs approached, an AI began invading the database, and superpowered troops rushed into the plaza.

Leon and the Autonomous Faction launched a coup against He-El, convinced they were freeing humanity from imperial rule. As Cheng Xin and Wade warned that their actions would destroy humanity, the plaza erupted into battle and Leon’s faction advanced toward the Emperor.

• ETO members grew furious at the coup and tried to obtain sewer blueprints so they could reach the palace and help He-El.
• Leon’s forces spread a mist designed to weaken the Kryptonians as giant mechs, ability users, and traitorous Warriors of the Willpower Corps joined the coup.
• Cheng Xin watched the attack unfold and accused the rebels of destroying humanity, grieving that she could no longer avert the disaster.
• Wade confronted Leon, but Leon and the Autonomous Faction kept advancing, declaring that they were acting for humanity’s future.
• Ability users and defecting Warriors attacked Wade and his remaining loyalists, leaving him trapped as Leon approached He-El.

He-El answered the Autonomous Faction’s coup by ordering the execution of everyone who had not paid homage to him. When Leon tried to stop the order, Li Xi obeyed He-El, and the Kryptonian Army and Marshal-class Battleship Honor revealed their allegiance to the Emperor.

• Leon and the Autonomous Faction officials climbed the stairs toward He-El, expecting him to abdicate as the new year began.
• He-El ordered the execution of 55,299,530,026 humans who had not paid homage to him.
• Leon demanded that Li Xi reject the Emperor’s commands, but Li Xi bowed to He-El and obeyed him.
• Fan-Ze led the Kryptonian warriors out of the mist and advanced on the Autonomous Faction.
• Marshal-class Battleship Honor transformed, cut all four mechs in half, and moved toward the plaza as it challenged anyone who would defy He-El.

Emperor He-El ordered the execution of humans who had not shown reverence to him, and robots and city authorities carried out the killings across the planets. Roger survived the massacre in Mechanical City Plaza, where mechanical guards identified him as a New Krypton citizen.

• Household robots on Uranus executed families and spread through Outezhou City to hunt down more people.
• Authorities destroyed Venus’s Industrial Nova City by igniting its central energy supply, killing all thirty million residents.
• On Mars, Roger and the people in Mechanical City Plaza watched the executions and learned that the emperor intended to kill more than fifty-five billion humans.
• A terrified classmate blamed Roger for the broadcast and tried to strangle him, but a laser killed him.
• Lasers killed the surrounding crowd while Roger remained unharmed, and mechanical guards told him that anyone who harmed a New Krypton citizen would be judged.

He-El ordered mechanical guards across the Solar System to execute humans who had not sworn loyalty to him, turning his utopia into a massacre. As Wade and Zhang Beihai fought the Autonomous Faction, He-El accused them of destroying humanity.

• He-El reflected that freeing humanity from labor and hardship had led to unrest, and decided those who rejected him no longer deserved citizenship in New Krypton.
• Mechanical guards and other machines massacred civilians across the nine planets while projection screens showed cities burning.
• Wade and Zhang Beihai fought former Willpower Corps allies, calling the Autonomous Faction traitors who had endangered human civilization.
• The Marshal-class Battleship Honor attacked the crowds and stood behind He-El as executions continued.
• Leon condemned He-El as a devil and asked why he was destroying humanity, and He-El replied, "Who is destroying humanity, if not you?"

He-El confronted the Autonomous Faction as Kryptonian Warriors crushed their resistance and projections showed humanity's destruction. After Leon denounced him and charged the throne, Fan-Ze struck him down, and Leon died apologizing to his leader for failing.

• He-El showed the Autonomous Faction officials scenes of humanity's destruction while Kryptonian Warriors blocked their attacks and massacred the superpowered Warriors.
• Leon accused He-El of destroying humanity and argued that the Autonomous Faction had protected civilization and would lead it to a better future.
• He-El recalled humanity's past conflicts and claimed that he had brought the age of prosperity, which he could also destroy.
• Leon charged up the staircase to attack He-El, but Fan-Ze stopped him and punched him in the chest.
• Leon rolled to the bottom of the staircase, apologized to his leader for failing, and died.