Chapter Summaries

Leo destroyed the Dark Star and its mobile legion, leaving Difan and the others stunned by his power. Difan offered to build the group a new ship, while Quill worried about the Milan and the chapter ended as a huge figure approached.

• Rocket rested while Groot and he salvaged valuables from the damaged Milan, and Karina helped Jason.
• Difan and the others watched the battle footage and realized Red Whale could contend with the Dark Star and Leo had destroyed it.
• Difan learned that the Dark Star's mobile legion had surrounded the ship, but Leo had already dealt with them and the companions were unharmed.
• Difan offered to host the group and build them a new spaceship, while Nebula rebuked him for coveting the Infinity Stone.
• Quill worried that the Milan and the small gift aboard it had been destroyed, as a huge figure flew toward the group.

Leo and the Red Whale returned to the Void Land after destroying the Dark Star, while Rocket and Karina faced a new Mecha Legion surrounding the Milan. Jason arrived and began a stealth attack from behind the enemy force.

• The Red Whale shattered the Dark Star, swallowed much of its wreckage, and flew back toward the Void Land with Leo.
• Rocket guarded the Milan while Karina woke and learned that Groot was growing; Rocket warned her not to disturb him.
• Over a thousand Mecha-clad soldiers advanced on the Milan, and Rocket tried unsuccessfully to contact Leo for support.
• Rocket prepared to fight as Karina operated the communicator, but Difan's shielding prevented the signal from reaching Leo.
• Jason emerged from the inner layer, activated his Nano Defense Armor, and silently killed a soldier with the Spatial Blade before sneaking toward the legion's rear.

Leo returned to Black Prison after a series of attacks and took charge of protecting it and his aunt and uncle. The attackers remained unidentified, and Reiz noticed that Leo seemed weaker than before.

• Leo learned that Black Prison had suffered eight attacks and that the intruders killed themselves with poison when caught.
• Leo suspected a spy inside Black Prison and promised to protect George and Jenny while investigating the attacks.
• Leo reassured Zost that the organization’s recent failures were not his fault and ordered everyone to keep his return secret while bringing him the attack reports.
• Zost ordered Langdu and Reiz to supervise repairs to the damaged tower around the clock.
• Reiz questioned Leo’s apparent weakness, and Zost kicked him aside and told him to review the surveillance footage to learn what had happened.

Zost and Dick were ambushed by two assassins, and Zost fought on despite severe injuries as his flames and Healing Factor emerged. The fight continued with the assassins attacking him with short swords while Dick reached the wall and stopped rolling.

• Two assassins appeared suddenly and attacked Zost and Dick with daggers.
• Zost shoved Dick aside, caught a dagger in his palm, and dodged a second slash as flames began to burn across his body.
• The assassins teamed up against Zost, cutting his back while he tackled one of them to the ground.
• Zost continued fighting to protect Dick, and flames erupted from his hands as his Healing Factor began closing his wounds.
• The assassins drew short swords and attacked Zost, whose healed hands melted the dagger embedded in his palm.
• Dick finally hit the wall and stopped rolling as Zost swung his flaming fists at the attackers.

Impersonators infiltrated Black Prison Tower to steal the finished Extremis Serum, triggering a full-scale attack after they disabled the surveillance system. As Zost and Dick guarded the laboratory entrance, two attackers lunged at them.

• Langdu grew suspicious of the construction crew entering Black Prison Tower and realized Bobby had been replaced by an impostor.
• The infiltrators killed the seven workers they had impersonated, dumped their bodies in a sewer, and prepared to begin their operation.
• The attackers disabled Black Prison Tower’s surveillance and killed three guards, prompting Zost to order a floor-by-floor search and call for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s help.
• Zost told Dick that the attackers were targeting the Extremis Serum and that he had already summoned the boss.
• Two figures swept out of black mist and attacked Zost and Dick at the laboratory entrance, and Zost reacted by shoving Dick aside as molten-lava patterns spread across his face.

Zost fought off two Gold Medal Assassins while Dick provided covering fire, and Black Prison Security surrounded the surviving attacker. Unnoticed, the third Gold Medal Assassin slipped past Dick and headed toward the laboratory.

• Zost blocked the two Gold Medal Assassins’ attacks with his flames and endured their throwing stars and blades.
• Dick fired at the attackers, and Zost exploded a fireball against one assassin, leaving him unable to fight.
• Dick shot the fallen assassin’s arm, disarming him, while Zost pursued the remaining attacker.
• Black Prison Security surrounded the fleeing assassin as the third Gold Medal Assassin silently passed Dick and entered the laboratory.

Zost captured two assassins but realized others had infiltrated the Black Prison Tower and rushed to protect Maya and Stacy. He drove off a Gold Medal Assassin who escaped with reagents, then left to pursue him.

• Zost restrained a fleeing assassin, and Black Prison personnel captured him and another attacker.
• Zost realized that only two of the seven intruders had been accounted for and heard patrol Captains report sightings throughout the tower.
• Zost rushed into the laboratory, where a Gold Medal Assassin had trapped Maya and Stacy inside a damaged Glass Pillar.
• The assassin attacked Zost, then used miniature bombs to create smoke and escape with several reagent bags.
• Zost broke the Glass Pillar to free Maya and Stacy, ordered them to find the boss, and chased after the assassin.

Leo captured the attackers inside the Black Prison and tracked down the people directing them from a nearby high-rise. He sent Chen Haoran to seize the old man leading the group.

• Leo crushed a fireball, captured the fleeing Silver Medal Assassin, and gathered six attackers behind him.
• Leo and Chen Haoran left the building with Zost and Reiz, while Langdu reported that the fallen Black Prison members could not be saved.
• Leo apologized for the losses and ordered that compensation and support be given to the victims’ families.
• Leo used his abilities to locate three fit men in a room on the thirteenth floor of a high-rise two blocks away.
• Leo ordered Chen Haoran to bring back the old man, and Chen Haoran flew toward the building surrounded by flames.

Leo reunited with Jenny and George in Black Prison, heard about George’s enhanced fire powers, and tested them against his shield. After sharing gifts from space, Leo’s visit was interrupted by a group of strangers appearing outside Black Prison Tower.

• George asked Leo about his trip to space, and Leo warned him that powerful forces there could threaten Earth.
• George demonstrated his enhanced flames, but Leo blocked the attack with his blue shield without being harmed.
• Leo assessed George’s strength and learned that using his abilities left him extremely hungry.
• Leo gave Jenny and George jade pendants, protective suits, and other gifts from space.
• A group of strange people appeared outside Black Prison Tower.

Zost and Reiz fought three traitors who had stolen the Extremis Serum, while two wavering recruits chose to stand with Zost. Leo arrived, captured the traitors, and then turned his attention to a major assault on the gate guarded by Langdu.

• Zost and Reiz attacked the three traitors, but their Extremis-enhanced regeneration kept the battle at a stalemate.
• The two recruits chose to help Zost and stabbed at one of the traitors with heated tungsten steel knives.
• Leo appeared beside Maya and seized all three traitors with metal wires, ending the fight.
• Leo gave Zost and Reiz shorts made from Dark Metal that could withstand extreme heat, and Zost apologized for the stolen Extremis Serum and the Black Prison betrayal.
• Leo lifted the captured traitors and declared that he wanted to discover who else was after the Extremis Serum as Langdu's guarded gate came under a terrifying assault.

Leo captured a Black Prison killer and explained that the Enhancement Serum made its users powerful but left them helpless when it ran out. As Zost hunted for the missing vial, three of Black Prison’s senior members rebelled, while a new group of men approached the tower.

• Leo and Maya examined a captured killer, and Leo broke the serum supply to show how quickly the man weakened without it.
• Leo analyzed the Enhancement Serum and compared its effects with the Extremis Serum.
• Zost searched Black Prison for the missing vial and, with Chen Haoran and Reiz, captured three sub-captains suspected of helping the attackers.
• One captured sub-captain burst into flames after Zost kicked him, and Zost ordered the Black Prison members to fire.
• The flaming man urged the other two captives to resist, and both began fighting back.
• More than a dozen men in black appeared outside Black Prison Tower and headed for the entrance.

Leo rescued Rocket and Jason, but the Milan was wrecked in the fight. Groot awoke with enhanced strength and healing abilities, and Leo left the cleanup to others while promising to recover their losses.

• Leo found the Milan reduced to scrap and asked Rocket if he was all right.
• Rocket dismissed his failed communicator and explained that Difan had likely isolated the inner and outer layers with a special channel.
• Karina told everyone that Groot had awakened, and Leo brought her inside for safety.
• Groot grew larger and stronger, formed a vine spear, and pierced the Milan's metal hull.
• Groot healed Rocket with green light, filling him with life energy.
• Red Whale told Leo that people had arrived to clean up, and Leo said they would recover the damage before heading deeper inside.

Leo explained the Celestial skull and left the Beck Stone with Tony and Banner to study, then learned Hydra remnants guarded the Mind Scepter and planned to retrieve it. After visiting Black Prison Tower, where Maya reported the Beck Stone had greatly improved her strength, Leo set off for Thor’s location to find a suitable weapon.

• Leo explained to Banner that Void Land was a black-market city built inside a Celestial skull, while Tony tested the Beck Stone and detected faint green energy entering his body.
• Leo told Tony that Rogers need not worry about the one-armed man and agreed to join the operation against Hydra remnants guarding the Mind Scepter.
• Leo left Tony and Banner, and Banner began examining the Beck Stone until J.A.R.V.I.S. sounded an alarm after five minutes.
• Leo arrived at Black Prison Tower as Dick, Chara, and two other men prepared to receive Extremis Serum injections, while Maya reported that the Beck Stone had improved her physical fitness by nearly thirty percent.
• Leo instructed Zost to contact him if anything happened, received Thor’s coordinates from J.A.R.V.I.S., and disappeared.

Leo told Tony and Banner about the threat The Hand posed to Black Prison and offered Tony a supply of Beck Stone, a rare cosmic material that strengthened the body. Tony sent most of it to his laboratory for study, leaving one large piece behind.

• Leo confirmed that Maya had joined Black Prison and told Tony he had already found a way to compensate for the flaw in her gene-repair serum.
• Leo explained that The Hand had been harassing Black Prison, and Tony offered to have J.A.R.V.I.S. investigate their whereabouts.
• Leo said he planned to send Jenny and George to China for safety, then revealed that he had brought back a large supply of Beck Stone from space.
• Banner examined the Beck Stone while Tony and Mark XLIII scanned it, and Leo explained its gentle strengthening energy and its origins in an ancient Celestial's skull.
• Tony asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to send the Beck Stone to the laboratory, and mechanical arms carried away all but one pillow-sized piece.

Leo found Thor drinking alone in a New Mexico bar and joined him after knocking out a man who attacked him. Thor claimed he was only relaxing and offered Leo some aged Asgardian liquor, while someone in the bar reached for a weapon.

• Leo entered the bar and spotted Thor drinking alone, looking dejected.
• A burly patron insulted Leo and swung at him, but Leo kicked him into a table and left several patrons injured.
• Leo sat beside Thor and asked why he was drinking alone despite his recent relationship with Jane.
• Thor dismissed Leo’s concern, offered him aged liquor from a silver flask, and explained that he had mixed it into his drinks.
• Someone in the bar reached toward his waist while Thor remained unconcerned.

Loki, disguised as Odin, faced Frigga after she awakened, fearing she would expose him before Asgard had recovered. Frigga’s knowing gaze made Loki drop the disguise, and he asked whether he looked unlike Odin.

• Loki learned that Frigga had awakened and worried that she would discover his impersonation before Asgard had stabilized.
• Loki chose to face Frigga and changed into Odin’s form, hoping to conceal his identity.
• Loki entered Frigga’s recovery room, and she dismissed the gathered healers and attendants so they could speak alone.
• Frigga met Loki’s gaze, and he could not deliver his prepared words.
• Loki revealed his true form while still holding Gungnir and asked Frigga whether he looked unlike Odin.

Leo and Thor arrived at Nidavellir, where Leo earned Dwarf King Eitri’s respect and asked him to forge a weapon. Eitri revealed that the forge was preparing a secret weapon for Odin, while Leo prepared to show Eitri his sword.

• Eitri greeted Thor and questioned why he had brought a Midgardian to Nidavellir.
• Thor introduced Leo as a powerful friend who had helped Asgard during the Dark Elf invasion.
• Leo released his aura, forcing Eitri and the other Dwarves to retreat, then introduced himself as an Earthling.
• Eitri apologized and welcomed Leo after recognizing his strength.
• Eitri explained that the Star Forge was completing a secret weapon for Odin, and refused to tell Thor what it was.
• Thor told Leo to show Eitri his sword so the Dwarf King could forge a weapon for him.

Leo met Loki in Asgard and asked to use the Bifrost to reach Nidavellir, where he wanted the Dwarves to forge him a weapon. He then asked where Loki had sent Odin, and Loki said Odin was sealed as an elderly man on Earth and that he would not undo the seal soon.

• Leo reassured Loki that he would not expose his disguise, which Frigga had approved.
• Leo told Loki he wanted to visit Nidavellir to have a weapon forged, and Loki explained the Dwarves’ craft and the hidden forging star’s history.
• Loki suggested that Thor take Leo to Nidavellir through the Bifrost, and Leo hurried off because he was short on time.
• Leo asked where Loki had banished Odin, and Loki revealed that Odin was sealed and disguised as an elderly man on Earth.

Leo bargained with Tony Stark for metal and a place to stay, offering knowledge of Tony’s past and future in return. After Leo’s aunt and uncle left, he settled into Stark’s home with several tons of metal, while Tony kept him out of the underground workshop.

• Leo asked Tony for high-quality metal in exchange for answers to Tony’s questions, and Tony arranged for four tons of alloy plates to be delivered.
• Leo told Tony how Yinsen had saved him and revealed details about Yinsen, Dr. Wu, Tony’s past, and the Mark II project.
• Leo asked to stay with Tony and agreed to let Tony study his blood, while asking him to arrange for his aunt and uncle to go home.
• After promises, paperwork, and a monthly salary, Leo’s aunt agreed to let him stay for up to two months, and Uncle George took her home on first-class tickets.
• A truck delivered metal to Leo’s room, and Tony told him not to enter the underground workshop.
• Pepper welcomed Leo with dinner while Tony remained in the workshop.

Thor returned to Asgard and learned that Frigga had awakened, then hurried to see her while Leo stayed behind to speak with Heimdall. In the palace, Loki worried that Frigga’s recovery would disrupt his rule from the throne.

• Heimdall told Thor that Frigga had been awake for three days, and Thor flew to the palace to visit her.
• Leo stayed at the bridge fortress, asked Heimdall how the Bifrost had been rebuilt, and learned that Nidavellir had forged its components.
• Leo asked where Nidavellir was so he could visit and forge a weapon, but Heimdall stayed silent because of Asgard’s promise to protect it.
• Leo flew toward the palace, while Heimdall watched him leave before returning to his post.
• Odin sat on the rebuilt throne and worried because Frigga had awakened sooner than expected.
• Loki recalled how satisfied he had felt ruling Asgard in Odin and Thor’s absence, but Frigga’s awakening made him anxious.