Chapter Summaries

Leo watched Pietro test whether his speed let him descend a cliff safely, and Pietro proved he could run down it and back up without losing control. Leo said Pietro could train to join him in space to face stronger enemies, while Wanda appeared to make a decision of her own.

• Leo asked Pietro to try running down the cliff face, and Wanda and Jenny objected because they feared he would crash.
• Pietro decided to attempt it, trusting that Leo would protect him if anything went wrong.
• Pietro ran down the cliff, controlled his descent, landed safely, and continued across the ground before sprinting back up the cliff face.
• Leo praised Pietro's ability to cross difficult terrain and said he could take him into space after he trained further.
• Pietro looked excited at the prospect, and Wanda clenched her fists as if she had made a decision.

Leo searched the tundra for the origin of the black sphere he had found in its magma layer, but discovered nothing unusual beneath the ground. As the group headed back, Pietro challenged Leo to race, and the two set off in flashes of silver and gold.

• Old Li asked Jenny, Wanda, and Pietro whether they knew why Leo was studying the tundra, but none of them knew.
• Leo searched beneath the tundra and found no explanation for how the black sphere had appeared in the magma layer.
• Old Li offered to have his people inspect the area, and Leo considered asking Master Ancient One, King Eitri, or others about the sphere.
• Old Li suggested that everyone return to the hotel, and Pietro decided to run while Leo offered to fly.
• Wanda chose to fly with Leo, while Old Li chose to ride with Pietro; Leo and Pietro launched into a race back to the rest area.

Old Li recognized Pietro’s extraordinary speed and concluded that befriending Leo was the best way to prevent him from becoming a threat. Leo decided to ask Master Ancient One about the Black Sphere Substance after dinner, then vanished while the others planned to visit downtown.

• Leo praised Pietro, and Old Li realized Pietro’s speed and judgment made him nearly impossible for Dragon Fang to stop.
• After hearing Wanda and Jenny and her husband describe how relaxed they had been during the journey, Old Li resolved to befriend Leo and report what he had learned to Zhang Huan.
• Leo told Old Li he had found an unidentified substance in the lava layer and planned to consult experts about it.
• Leo chose to have dinner with Jenny and George before asking Master Ancient One about the Black Sphere Substance, with Eitri as a possible source of answers if needed.
• After dinner, the group planned to go downtown, and Leo said goodbye and vanished.

Leo showed Master Ancient One the massive Black Sphere that had drawn his third Golden Core, but neither of them could identify it or affect it with their abilities. Master Ancient One agreed to search historical records about the sphere before testing it with a conjured cleaver.

• Leo cut the chain connecting the Black Sphere to the sealed Little Black Box and confined the box in a separate space.
• The Black Sphere sank deep into the ground until Master Ancient One reshaped the earth and raised it back onto a platform.
• Leo told Master Ancient One that the sphere had rested beneath the lava under Changbai Mountain for at least a thousand years.
• Master Ancient One examined the sphere, found that her magic could not penetrate it, and agreed to look through records dating back fifteen hundred years.
• Master Ancient One formed a cleaver from sparks and Golden Light and brought it down on the Black Sphere.

Leo learned that Loki had banished Odin to Earth and planned to find him for a conversation. Before leaving, Leo asked Frigga to contact him through Heimdall once she found a lead, while Loki was left to manage Asgard.

• Loki defended his plan to Leo, who warned that Frigga's guidance was keeping Asgard from falling into chaos.
• Loki explained that the Book of Wisdom was an old historical record kept in Odin's study, not a divine artifact.
• Leo asked Loki where he had banished Odin, and Loki admitted he had left him on a street on Earth, hoping someone would take him to a nursing home.
• Leo promised not to disrupt Loki's plans and said he would find Odin on Earth to speak with him.
• Leo asked Loki to have Heimdall open the Bifrost to Earth once Frigga had a lead, then disappeared.
• Frigga returned a few minutes later and asked whether Leo had left.

Kaecilius tried to threaten Leo over his suspected identity as the Golden Legend, but Leo dismissed and injured him before walking away. Kaecilius left nursing his hatred and became more determined to pursue power by his own path.

• Kaecilius approached Leo and said he could expose Leo as the Golden Legend without proof.
• Leo mocked Kaecilius and warned that he lacked the strength to threaten him.
• Leo snapped his fingers, blowing up the recorder and training belt at Kaecilius's waist and injuring him.
• Leo told Kaecilius he would have killed him if not for Master Ancient One, then walked toward her room.
• Kaecilius blamed Leo and Kamar-Taj for hoarding power, and limped back to his room with growing hatred.

Leo left Kamar-Taj without borrowing the Time Stone and went to Asgard to ask Odin about the black sphere. At the Bifrost Citadel, Heimdall told Leo that he had never seen it during an inspection of the Changbai Mountain region twenty-one years earlier.

• Master Ancient One decided to review Kamar-Taj's historical records while Leo left, reassured that he would not interfere with her plans for Strange.
• Leo realized he had forgotten to borrow the Time Stone, then chose to ask Odin about the black sphere instead.
• Leo arrived at Asgard and told Heimdall that he had come to see Odin, who was in the main hall.
• Leo asked Heimdall his age, and Heimdall said he had lived approximately 2,230 years by Earth's calendar.
• Leo asked whether Heimdall had seen the black sphere beneath Changbai Mountain, and Heimdall said he had not found one when he surveyed the area twenty-one years earlier.

After Leo left, the group discussed the immense weight of the object he had obtained and drove toward downtown. Leo returned to Kamar-Taj, where he noticed Kaecilius’s growing magical power and restlessness, with only a few months remaining before his defection.

• The group felt relieved after Leo departed, and the narration explained how his and Red Whale’s life-form pressure affected ordinary people.
• Pietro asked how much weight the building could support, and Old Li estimated that Leo’s unknown object far exceeded the mass of Earth’s densest known material.
• Jenny discouraged further speculation about Leo, and the group drove toward downtown.
• Leo went to Kamar-Taj at night and attracted the attention of the Mage Apprentices there.
• Leo recognized Kaecilius and reflected on his talent, dedication, and growing desperation as he pursued a way to regain his dead family and achieve immortality.

Leo watched the Dwarves forge a weapon for a powerful Suk warrior who had landed on Nidavellir. Songda completed the hammer’s physical forging, then handed it to the warrior for the final forging with his mental power.

• Leo joined the Dwarves gathered around the Ring Forge to watch Songda forge a weapon for the Suk warrior.
• Song Wu told Leo that Songda was his father and had been chosen because he had the best chance of forging a divine weapon for the strong Suk.
• Songda hammered the weapon’s components against a descending patterned mold until they fused into one.
• Songda revealed the finished great hammer and told the Suk warrior to infuse it with his mental power for its final forging.
• The Suk warrior grabbed the hammer and stared at it with excitement as bloodlight appeared across his pale blue skin.

Leo traveled to Nidavellir to seek more forging knowledge and found the Dwarves preparing a divine artifact under Songda. He learned Eitri was in his workshop, still reflecting on the top-level weapon he had forged for Leo.

• Frigga told Loki she had found clues in the Book of Wisdom and explained that it could search by keyword; Loki disguised himself as Odin and followed her to investigate.
• Leo traveled to Nidavellir, hoping the Dwarves’ long forging history could help him find more information.
• Leo arrived unnoticed amid the Dwarves’ busy forging and learned from a Dwarf child that Songda was preparing to forge a divine artifact.
• The child explained that a damaged spaceship had crashed onto the Star Ring with a Suk warrior aboard, whom Songda planned to use as the weapon host.
• Leo went to watch Songda’s work and learned Eitri was in his workshop, savoring the experience of forging Leo’s top-level divine artifact.

Leo found no immediate clues about the Black Sphere on Asgard and planned to search elsewhere, while Frigga took the black Chain Lock to investigate. Left alone with Leo, Loki nervously tried to excuse himself, but Leo teased him about his plans to build statues and stage plays.

• Loki and Frigga admired the black Chain Lock, and Frigga took it to the Secret Chamber to search Asgard's records for information.
• Leo decided to leave Asgard and seek clues about the Black Sphere from Eitri, The Collector, the Nova Corps, or Nebula.
• Loki feared that Leo could destroy Asgard's warriors and reflected on the kingdom's weakness and uncertain future under Odin and Hela.
• Loki claimed he was busy, but Leo joked that he wanted to build statues and put on plays, leaving Loki wondering if Leo could read his mind.

Leo visited Asgard and praised Loki for revitalizing it while ruling in Odin’s guise. After seeing that Thor had not discovered the deception, Leo prepared to explain the problem that had brought him to Asgard.

• Frigga quietly guided Loki during Asgard’s meetings, helping him govern more carefully.
• Loki dismissed the guards and revealed himself to Leo, who praised Asgard’s recovery.
• Loki described how he and Frigga had changed Asgard’s rules and customs to restore its vitality.
• Leo asked whether Thor had noticed the impersonation, and Frigga said he had not.
• Frigga asked Leo to explain the problem that had brought him to Asgard.

Leo showed Eitri and Songda a section of Chain Lock that Eitri identified as Nirvana Gold, a rare metal from Nidavellir’s records that repelled all energy. Eitri demonstrated its resistance to his enchanted Warhammer, confirming that the Chain Lock remained unaltered after the blow.

• Eitri told Songda that Nirvana Gold had vanished nineteen hundred years earlier and urged him to study the Chronicle Boards.
• Songda pressed Leo to show him Nirvana Gold, and Leo revealed a short section of Chain Lock he had found on Earth.
• Eitri sensed the Chain Lock’s properties and confirmed it was high-quality Nirvana Gold that repelled energy and could not be infused.
• Eitri explained that Deep Star Silver was heavier than Nirvana Gold, but less valuable and unsuitable for Leo’s weapons.
• Eitri struck the Chain Lock with an energy-infused, superheated Warhammer, but the energy dissipated and the metal remained unchanged.

Eitri told Leo how the Chak Clan’s discovery of Nirvana Gold ended with their destruction and explained how Nidavellir used the material to forge an artifact for a Vancian. The Vancian later died at Nidavellir, leaving his Medium Artifact unclaimed, while Leo considered visiting Difan to learn whether any Chak people survived.

• Eitri explained that a Vancian seized a small piece of Nirvana Gold from the Chak Clan, whose civilization was later destroyed and vanished from the records.
• Leo recognized the Chak Clan’s name from a catalog in Difan’s collection and hoped the previous disturbance had not harmed its surviving members.
• Eitri said Nidavellir used Nirvana Gold to forge a Great Saber-type Intermediate Artifact for the Vancian, who wanted to undergo another ascension.
• The Vancian returned to Nidavellir gravely wounded after being hunted for plundering nearby planets, and he died because Nidavellir had no medical healers.
• Leo realized that the Vancian’s death had left his Medium Artifact among Nidavellir’s unclaimed artifacts.

Leo visited the Dwarves’ design workshop to find records about rare materials, and Songda said Nidavellir’s forging records might contain what he needed. Eitri emerged astonished to hear Songda had successfully forged a divine weapon, then recognized Leo and greeted him warmly.

• Songda showed Leo the ancient design workshop where the Dwarves had forged Gungnir and Mjolnir.
• Leo asked whether Nidavellir recorded information about rare materials, and Songda said its forging records were the most complete in the universe.
• Songda opened the workshop and showed Leo its corridor of weapon designs, molds, and formulas.
• Eitri guessed that Songda’s recent divine weapon attempt had failed, but Songda told him the weapon had been successfully forged.
• Eitri hurried out to ask how Songda had done it, then noticed Leo and cried out in delight.

Eitri told Leo how the Dwarves used Nirvana Gold to deplete a divine weapon’s source, only for a disguised spy to steal it before it was lost in space, possibly on Earth. He also explained that the Dwarves’ final three attempts to forge their own divine weapon failed, leaving it sealed and unfinished.

• Eitri said the Dwarves used one chance to remove a Source Lord’s aura from a low-level divine weapon, but a spy who had devoured a Dwarf’s soul stole it.
• The Dwarves shot down the spy’s spacecraft with the Star Ring Cannon, but found neither the spy’s corpse nor the Source-Depleted weapon, which might have flown to Earth.
• Eitri described the weapon as ten rings that could form two gauntlets, absorb and attach energy, and deliver short-range impacts.
• Leo connected the ten rings to a story and symbol he knew from Earth, then decided to ask Old Li about them after returning.
• Eitri recounted how his father and Song Yong used the remaining three chances to forge a Dwarf weapon, but failed to complete its third Source Infusion.
• Eitri said Song Yong died 815 years ago and the unfinished weapon remained sealed, then looked to Leo with excitement.

Leo learned that his powerful body could give him an extraordinarily long lifespan, then followed Eitri into the Dwarves' treasury to inspect its weapons. He planned to choose divine weapons for his family, while Eitri offered him free choice among the treasury's high-grade arms.

• Eitri told Leo that his strength could protect a star sector and that his lifespan had greatly increased.
• Leo considered giving some of the ownerless divine weapons to Jenny and George, who wanted only to travel and enjoy their restored health.
• Eitri explained that the Dwarves valued their materials vault more than the treasury, which held finished weapons and relics.
• Eitri led Leo into the treasury and offered him any of its ownerless divine weapons and other high-grade weapons, including arms left behind by Asgard.

Eitri showed Leo two historic weapons: the Dwarven Forging Hammer and the Dra Stick, explaining their origins and abilities. Leo showed little interest in the Dra Stick, and Eitri continued guiding him through the artifacts.

• Eitri explained that the cracked Forging Hammer embodied the Dwarves’ early craft and served as a warning against relying on outdated techniques.
• Leo asked why the Dwarves had not repaired the hammer, and Eitri said his father had forbidden it despite the repairs being possible.
• Eitri opened a display case containing the Dra Stick, a weapon recovered after its owner’s Vanguard fleet attacked Nidavellir and was destroyed by the Star Ring Cannon.
• Eitri described how the Dra Stick split into two shockwave-producing clubs, absorbed mental power, and could be controlled or recalled over a limited distance.
• Leo judged the Dra Stick average and showed little interest in it.

Leo examined Nidavellir’s treasury with Eitri and found the Cold-blooded saber, a divine weapon forged by Eitri’s father for a Vancian. After learning about its enchantments and power, Leo picked it up as Eitri asked whether he wanted it before they moved on.

• Leo saw that Nidavellir’s treasury was a plain, dusty warehouse-like room filled with finished goods.
• Eitri opened a long-neglected display case and revealed the pristine Cold-blooded saber.
• Eitri explained that his father had forged the 310-kilogram saber for a Vancian and that it ranked alongside Mjolnir as a divine weapon.
• Leo learned that Cold-blooded had acceleration and freezing runes, while Eitri clarified that Mjolnir was stronger because of Odin’s enchantments.
• Leo picked up the saber, and Eitri asked whether he wanted it before they continued to the other items.

Leo examined the final unowned artifact with Eitri, a low-level Kosu arm ring designed for underground combat. Though it was unsuitable for Earthlings, Leo accepted it for its Cosmic Energy, and Eitri offered to show him other standard weapons.

• Leo had Eitri put away the Dra Stick, whose remaining effects were heavy strikes and shockwaves.
• Eitri warned Leo that the final unowned artifact was unsuitable for Earthlings, but Leo said he would take any unowned artifact.
• Eitri described the Kosu race, their underground civilization, and their near-destruction after wars and invasion.
• Eitri showed Leo the Kosu arm ring, which transformed into a blowpipe and carried an earthy smell from soil added during its forging.
• Leo accepted the arm ring, and Eitri offered to show him other standard weapons.