Chapter Summaries

The group arrived on Kontraxia Star, a frozen planet whose lively central district served as a gathering place for the Ravagers. Quill hoped to find Yondu there, and he set out with Chen Haoran, Lorelei, and Howard the Duck while the others replenished supplies.

• Rocket explained that Kontraxia Star's sun had died and its people had been trying to revive it, while the planet had grown into the Ravagers' gathering place.
• Quill described the Ravagers' shared rules and strength, and considered whether he could find Yondu and learn more about his origins.
• The spacecraft landed, and Chen Haoran marveled at reaching another planet while the others dealt with their own concerns.
• Chen Haoran, Lorelei, and Howard the Duck agreed to accompany Quill into the central district to look for Yondu, while Rocket and the rest replenished fuel and energy.

Leo returned to Nidavellir with Red Whale and left the Blade of the Undead with Eitri to study while Corvus Glaive remained restrained. Eitri then proposed that they begin forging Leo’s Horizontal Blade.

• Difan ordered his guards to gather information on Thanos and promised the Devan Group’s assistance to Leo and his companions.
• Red Whale carried Leo from the Void Land to Nidavellir, breaking through the Star Ring’s outer shell as it arrived.
• Leo returned to the Dwarves, who had cleared the battlefield and were recovering from wounds caused by the Blade of the Undead.
• Eitri recognized Red Whale as a Starry Sky Giant Beast and dropped his brief desire to claim it after Leo warned him off.
• Leo left the Blade of the Undead with Eitri for study and planned to keep Corvus Glaive imprisoned.
• Eitri told Leo they could begin forging his Horizontal Blade.

Leo interrogated General Corvus Glaive, learned about the Blade of the Undead and Thanos's forces, and restrained the general after he tried to take the weapon back. Leo left the soul-damaging blade under guard and departed while Eitri prepared to finish forging a new divine weapon.

• General Corvus Glaive revealed Thanos's military strength, base, and other forces after Leo's control of the Blade of the Undead made him fear its soul-deep pain.
• Leo asked how to heal the three dwarves wounded by the blade, but General Corvus Glaive said he did not know and explained that the weapon absorbed souls to strengthen him.
• General Corvus Glaive lunged at Leo to reclaim the Blade of the Undead, but Leo pinned him to the ground with golden restraints and sealed his head inside Uru.
• Leo plunged the Blade of the Undead into the ground, warned the dwarves not to touch it, and told Eitri that the new divine weapon was nearly finished.
• Leo vanished, and the dwarves assigned guards to watch General Corvus Glaive and the blade before clearing the area.

Leo and the Avengers prepared to travel to Sokovia to destroy Hydra’s base, capture Baron Strucker, and recover the Mind Scepter. As the team assembled, Leo worried about the mental strain of fighting large numbers of humans, while S.H.I.E.L.D. contributed forces and Clint Barton arrived for the mission.

• Natasha asked whether Leo could contact Thor, but Tony and the others agreed Leo’s strength made Thor’s help unnecessary; Rogers said Thor had returned to Asgard because something might have happened there.
• Banner asked to sit out the operation because transforming was uncomfortable, and Leo said he might be able to help while leaving Banner’s decision to him.
• Natasha explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. would send a large force to destroy Hydra’s base, capture Baron Strucker, and recover the Mind Scepter, and Leo reassured her that he was fine.
• Natasha told Leo that Clint Barton was finishing a mission and would join them, and Barton soon arrived by helicopter and greeted the team.
• Rogers announced that the team would leave for Sokovia in two hours, and Stark told Natasha that J.A.R.V.I.S. would guide her to her room and that he had prepared new equipment for her.

Leo received the completed Horizontal Blade from Eitri, and its radiance restored and increased Leo’s Mental Power. As the weapon absorbed mysterious energy, its glow dimmed while its aura grew more condensed and terrifying.

• Eitri’s two molds shattered, revealing a hilt and blade that joined together in Leo’s hand.
• The Horizontal Blade released a vast pale-red and golden radiance that restored Leo’s depleted Mental Power and gave him even more.
• Leo examined the blade’s Five-Clawed Golden Dragon designs and pale red-gold edge, then tested its balance with a few swings.
• When the blade began to feel heavier, Leo used Piercing Golden Eyes to see layers of unseen energy flowing into it.
• The weapon’s radiance became more restrained as black lightning coursed across it, leaving the watching dwarves in awe.

Leo accepted the universe’s power through the Horizontal Blade, becoming stronger as the weapon manifested two enormous Five-Clawed Golden Dragons. Eitri revealed that he had forged the blade after Leo’s original design and believed the dragons were its derivative ability.

• Leo accepted the force flowing through the Horizontal Blade, restoring his strength and increasing his Intermediate Origin Body progress from 83 to 89.
• The Horizontal Blade blazed with golden light, and two Five-Clawed Golden Dragons emerged from its sides.
• The Golden Dragons passed through Nidavellir’s defensive barrier and tore a massive tunnel through the celestial fragment.
• Leo moved the Horizontal Blade, turning the dragons around and directing them toward the people below.
• A Dwarf assistant asked Eitri what the dragons were, and Eitri said he did not know but recognized their pattern from Leo’s original knife.
• Eitri explained that high-level divine artifacts had derivative abilities and expressed surprise at the Horizontal Blade’s dragons.

The Avengers gathered at a S.H.I.E.L.D. base near Sokovia to prepare for an assault on a Hydra stronghold holding the Mind Scepter. As the team rested before the attack, Leo stepped outside to enjoy the snowfall, and Agent Hill approached him.

• Agent Hill told Leo and the others that S.H.I.E.L.D. had found the hidden Sokovia base and confirmed that the Mind Scepter was inside.
• Hill reported that 2,300 attackers would face approximately 25,000 Hydra forces, and Natasha named the Mind Scepter and Sitwell as their objectives.
• Hill gave the Avengers tablets showing the terrain and defenses, and Rogers told the team to rest before the assault.
• Hawkeye, Natasha, Tony, and Banner went inside to prepare, while Leo stayed outside in the snow with Red Whale.
• Leo heard footsteps behind him and asked Agent Hill whether something was wrong.

Rogers briefed the team on Hydra’s advanced weapons at the Sokovia base as they traveled toward the mission. The group discussed S.H.I.E.L.D.’s lost intelligence, Hawkeye’s plans to retire, and Red Whale before the plane approached Sokovia ahead of the dawn assault.

• Rogers showed the team footage of Hydra’s powerful energy weapons and warned them to be careful.
• Tony questioned S.H.I.E.L.D.’s lack of information, and Natasha explained that Hydra had hidden base records during the organization’s collapse.
• Hawkeye reflected on his growing family and decided to apply for retirement after the mission, while Banner and Tony voiced concerns about Hydra’s return.
• Red Whale approached Tony’s Mark XLIII, but Leo called it back before it could bite the armor.
• Leo offered to show the team Starry Sky Giant Beasts, and Tony asked to come along while Barton chose to stay on Earth.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. announced that the plane was nearing Sokovia, three hours before dawn and the planned assault.

Leo reassured Agent Hill that he would protect Earth, and Hill found hope despite the overwhelming threats ahead. After Nick Fury requested a meeting, Hill told Leo that Thor was returning to Earth, while Tony prepared for a possible battle over the scepter.

• Leo told Hill that Earth was safe for now and that he would do everything he could to prevent future threats.
• Hill overcame her despair and affirmed that humanity would keep striving and never give up hope.
• Hill told Leo that Nick Fury wanted to speak with him after obtaining the scepter.
• Hill reported that Thor's Bifrost energy had been detected over Mexico and that he would arrive in about an hour.
• Leo found Tony preparing for a battle, and Tony said his Iron Peacekeeping Legion was insufficient to protect civilians.

Thor arrived on Earth and told Leo that the Nine Realms were in chaos and he had recently investigated abnormalities in Muspelheim. Leo suspected Loki had acted against Heimdall and taken control of the Bifrost, then showed Thor the newly forged Dragon Blade.

• Thor leaped from a Quinjet and landed before Leo, then said he had returned from investigating trouble in Muspelheim.
• Leo asked about Heimdall, and Thor said he had not seen him and that Odin had met him at the Bifrost.
• Leo inferred that Loki had likely dealt with Heimdall and taken control of the Bifrost, but chose not to interfere in Asgard’s family matters.
• Thor asked to see Leo’s weapon, and Leo produced the scabbard containing the Dragon Blade.
• Leo unsheathed the Dragon Blade, whose powerful aura seemed to weigh on Mjolnir, and Thor stared at it in disbelief.

Tony told Leo he wanted to create Ultron and an Iron Legion to defend Earth and reduce human casualties, but Leo warned that no individual or country could safely control such a force. Tony remained determined to pursue the idea, while Leo resolved to take Ultron, Vision, the Life Cradle, and the Mind Stone for himself.

• Tony explained that he wanted an Iron Legion powered by a new artificial intelligence called Ultron to protect Earth from alien threats and save lives.
• Leo said a true Iron Legion would be politically impossible and too dangerous until humanity united against a crisis.
• Tony admitted the plan was still a fantasy but insisted that he wanted to put a suit of armor around the world.
• Tony went into a room with the Mark XLIII to think, while Leo said humanity itself might threaten Earth.
• Leo declared that he would take Ultron, Vision, the Life Cradle, and the Mind Stone.

Leo restored Rogers's damaged Vibranium Shield and returned it with its original paint, while the Avengers prepared to launch their final assault on the Hydra base. The group was ready to depart with Leo leading the way.

• Leo repaired the battered Vibranium Shield, restoring its shape and sharpening its edge, but could not restore its paint.
• Tony explained that the coating equipment was back at Avengers Mansion, so Leo took the shield there and asked J.A.R.V.I.S. to restore it.
• While Leo was away, Hill and the others discussed the destructive power of his weapons and his role in defending Earth.
• Hill said they would begin the final assault once Leo returned, and Thor insisted that the Mind Scepter had to be returned to Asgard.
• Leo returned with the shield fully restored, tossed it to Rogers, and urged the group to get ready to go.

Leo and the Avengers attacked Hydra’s Sokovia base to seize the scepter, while Hydra’s defenses slowed their advance. As the fighting intensified around the base, two young twins in the command room appeared to form a plan of their own.

• Leo drew Hydra’s fire from the air and crushed several armored vehicles, helping Natasha and Barton fight their way out of an encirclement.
• A powerful energy shell engulfed Leo in a huge explosion, but Barton assured Natasha that Leo would be fine as they continued fighting.
• Tony Stark neared the base, while Thor flew toward its main building and was swallowed by concentrated Energy Cannon fire; Tony struck the building’s hidden Energy shield.
• Baron Sitwell recognized that the Avengers had come for the scepter and ordered the reserve tanks to attack Hawkeye, Black Widow, and the others.
• Two young twins beside Sitwell exchanged a glance and appeared to form a plan.

Stark relived a vision of the Avengers dead and Earth under attack, with Steve Rogers blaming him for failing to save them. He found a glimmer of hope in Leo, but watched Leo fall as his Golden Light Shield failed under the Chitauri assault.

• Stark saw Hulk, Natasha, Clint Barton, Thor, and Steve Rogers lying dead or dying on a platform beneath an enormous shadow in space.
• Rogers briefly grabbed Stark and accused him of failing to do everything he could before dying.
• Stark saw Earth being devastated by a vast Chitauri force while its defenders lay dead and he could not reach the planet.
• Stark spotted Leo standing against the Chitauri troops, wounded but protecting him with a Golden Light Shield.
• Leo staggered and fell, and the shield disappeared as energy blasts engulfed him.

Baron Sitwell's command room descended into panic as the Avengers attacked the Hydra base and Golden Legend appeared. Pietro and Wanda escaped, with Pietro heading into battle while Wanda flew toward the upper level.

• Sitwell watched the Avengers advance and saw the twins react with hatred to Iron Man.
• After a commander cursed at Golden Legend's arrival, Sitwell shot him and ordered a desperate assault.
• Sitwell announced he would surrender and ordered his assistant to delete the confidential files, then discovered the twins had vanished.
• Pietro carried Wanda through an underground passage and left her near the battlefield before racing off to fight the Avengers.
• Wanda warned Pietro to return if he faced danger, then used red energy to fly toward the upper level.

Stark escaped Wanda’s nightmare after seeing an illusion of Leo dying, while Leo confronted Wanda and Pilot and offered them a chance to talk. Wanda remained curious about Leo and memorized his number despite Pilot’s distrust and her insistence that they still sought revenge.

• Leo’s Golden Shield shattered under the Energy Cannons, and Stark watched the illusion show Leo being gravely wounded and engulfed in fire.
• Wanda’s crimson energy inside Stark ran out, the nightmare broke, and Leo caught the weakened Stark as he collapsed.
• Leo removed the metal plates blocking the doorway and gave Pilot a phone number, asking the twins to contact him within a week before they left.
• Wanda noticed Leo’s gaze and experienced a strange blur in her vision before she and Pilot found themselves in Sokovia.
• Pilot warned Wanda not to trust Leo and threw away the card, but Wanda caught it, memorized the number, and argued that Leo could have captured them if he intended to.

Leo tried to help Stark after Wanda’s power left him in severe pain, while Wanda and Pilot remained trapped in the Secret Chamber. Stark’s fear-filled illusion revealed his memories of the Chitauri invasion and the guilt that had haunted him since.

• Stark collapsed, and Leo examined him with Golden Light but found no physical injury.
• Pilot tried to take Wanda out of the Secret Chamber, but the exit was blocked by locked Metal Plates.
• Leo demanded that Wanda undo what she had done to Stark, and Wanda explained that she had magnified his fear and that the illusion would soon fade.
• Stark saw the Leviathan Beast rise through the Secret Chamber and witnessed the starry sky and the Chitauri ships from his nightmares.
• Stark’s memories showed his guilt over failing to protect Earth and the Avengers, while the Golden Light remained a comfort in his nightmares.

Leo tried to speak with Pilot and Wanda after the twins mistook him for the Golden Legend and fled into the Secret Chamber. He opened the sealed entrance and offered to contact them outside, while Tony began to collapse.

• Pilot and Wanda recognized Leo as the Golden Legend and feared he had come to capture them.
• Pilot grabbed Wanda and fled at super speed, but Leo sealed the Secret Chamber’s exit with metal plates, forcing the twins to hide inside.
• Pilot approached Leo alone and insisted they should talk outside rather than in the Secret Chamber.
• Leo denied intending to capture the twins, moved the metal plates away from the entrance, and asked Pilot for a way to contact him outside.
• Tony groaned, knitted his brows, and went limp as if he were about to collapse.

Leo told Tony that Wanda and Pilot had been affected by superhuman experiments and revealed why they sought revenge on him: Stark Industries weapons had killed their parents, and a dud Stark missile had trapped them beside it for two days. Tony recognized the harm his company had caused and said he wanted to change.

• Tony asked Leo about the two superhumans, and Leo confirmed that one of them had caused Tony’s strange state before he let the twins leave.
• Tony pulled up the twins’ files and learned that their parents had been killed by a bomb and that they had volunteered for Sitwell’s experiments.
• Leo explained that the twins wanted revenge because Stark Industries had manufactured the missiles used in the war that killed their parents.
• Tony admitted that Stark Industries had profited from weapons sales before he shut down its weapons division and began trying to make amends.
• Leo revealed that Wanda and Pilot had survived the bombing but spent two days trapped beside a dud Stark missile, afraid it would explode.

Wanda told Pilot what she had seen in Stark’s fear: the Avengers’ losses, disasters threatening Earth, and Golden Legend’s death. Shaken by Stark’s sense of responsibility and the despair of losing Earth’s last hope, Wanda decided she wanted to meet Golden Legend.

• Pilot asked Wanda what she had seen at Stark’s, and she reflected on Stark’s fear of Earth’s destruction and Golden Legend’s death.
• Wanda reconsidered her desire to kill Stark after feeling his despair over the Avengers and humanity, especially when Golden Legend sacrificed himself.
• Pilot wondered whether Wanda had fallen for Golden Legend, but Wanda denied it and explained that Stark feared the Avengers’ deaths, Earth’s disasters, and Golden Legend’s death.
• Wanda told Pilot that Stark had seen a terrifying shadow in the universe after flying through the wormhole above New York.
• Wanda stood up and told Pilot that she wanted to meet Golden Legend so they could learn more.