Chapter Summaries

Gu Qing mastered Blood Saber Slash in the Olympic Mountains and began training Matt to awaken Magnetic Field Rotation so he could challenge Andrew. As Gu Qing beat Matt in a brutal sparring match, Steve, overwhelmed by their choices and worried about his family, headed toward Seattle.

• Gu Qing demonstrated Blood Saber Slash, a powerful attack he had created by condensing the Great Blood Saber Technique into one strike.
• Matt insisted that he needed to grow stronger to defeat Andrew, while Steve argued that they should clear their names and return to normal life.
• Gu Qing explained Magnetic Field Rotation and offered to help Matt awaken it; Matt agreed because he wanted to stop Andrew.
• Gu Qing attacked Matt to push him toward awakening, and the two fought violently across the mountains while Steve watched.
• Steve worried about his parents and left for Seattle after seeing Gu Qing continue to overpower Matt.

Andrew witnessed Karen Demotte’s death in the hospital and broke down in grief, while Steve discovered his parents’ bitter conflict and wandered away in despair. The chapter ended with Steve spotting a massive explosion near Bala General Hospital.

• Polly Osmond ordered Karen Demotte transferred to a hospital after learning that her cancer had suddenly worsened.
• Andrew secretly followed the F.B.I. convoy to the hospital, where a doctor’s failure to save Karen left him stunned.
• Andrew entered the operating room, held Karen’s body, and wept as F.B.I. agents gathered outside.
• Steve returned home and overheard his parents arguing over his birth, Bright’s affairs, and their blame for the family’s troubles.
• Steve left without revealing himself and wandered the streets until a huge explosion lit the sky near Bala General Hospital.

Andrew Detmer rampaged through Seattle, destroying FBI helicopters and killing armed personnel as Steve Montgomery confronted him. Steve’s power surged to two hundred thousand volts, and he attacked Andrew from behind, leaving their fight unresolved.

• Andrew Detmer destroyed FBI helicopters and evaded the armed forces with his electricity and telekinesis.
• Andrew rose from a crater after being struck and killed FBI personnel with arcs of electricity.
• Steve Montgomery attacked Andrew, but Andrew overwhelmed him and drove him onto the defensive.
• FBI missiles blasted Steve into a car while Andrew disabled another missile with electricity.
• Steve returned behind Andrew with a violent presence and struck at him with two hundred thousand volts.

Gu Qing healed Matt enough to fight after Andrew went berserk in downtown Seattle and began attacking the military and civilians. Matt arrived to confront Andrew, who proclaimed that he would create a new era for their evolved kind.

• Gu Qing battered Matt during their training and warned that he needed to master Magnetic Field Rotation to stop Andrew.
• Gu Qing sensed that Andrew was slaughtering people in Seattle while Steve struggled to stop him, and a fighter jet passed overhead as the military intervened.
• Matt rushed to help, but Gu Qing used Magnetic Field Rotation to restore enough of his strength for the fight.
• Matt flew to Seattle and saw Andrew destroy military vehicles and aircraft while the city burned and Steve lay beneath him.
• Andrew revealed that he considered humans necessary sacrifices in the creation of a new era, and Matt vowed to stop him.

Matt fought Andrew across Seattle, determined to stop him despite the destruction and casualties. As their battle reached a stalemate, someone appeared and broke the deadlock.

• Matt realized Andrew could no longer be turned back and attacked him with all his strength.
• Matt's electricity surged to 300,000 volts, sending Andrew into an armed helicopter that crashed in a blaze.
• Matt urged Andrew to surrender, but Andrew refused, and the two continued fighting through Seattle as civilians fled and suffered casualties.
• After watching satellite footage of the battle, the Federation authorized every means necessary to eliminate the superpowered individuals.
• After more than an hour of fighting, Matt and Andrew remained locked in a stalemate until someone appeared.

Andrew killed Steve after Steve attacked him and Matt, causing Matt to awaken Magnetic Field Rotation and turn against Andrew. Before Matt could finish him, a fighter jet dropped a nuclear warhead over Seattle, leaving both men caught in its blast.

• Steve returned with 200,000 Volts and attacked Andrew and Matt in a confused rage.
• Andrew struck Steve in the chest, destroying his heart and killing him.
• Grief and rage over Steve’s death awakened Matt’s Magnetic Field Rotation at 20,000 Horsepower.
• Matt attacked Andrew with his new power and prepared to deliver a final blow.
• A fighter jet dropped a nuclear warhead, and Matt failed to stop it before it exploded over Seattle.

After the Seattle explosion, Gu Qing found no trace of Matt or Andrew and left, while troops recovered a charred body from the ruins. In New York, Gu Qing used ten consecutive draws, gained new training insights, and saw Andrew Detmer appear on a Times Square screen.

• Gu Qing searched the Seattle ruins with Magnetic Field Detection but found nothing and assumed Matt and Andrew had died in the thermobaric blast.
• General William's troops dug a charred corpse from beneath a collapsed skyscraper and reacted with satisfaction.
• A week later, Gu Qing watched Seattle disaster coverage in Times Square and used his accumulated Spacetime Value for ten consecutive draws.
• Gu Qing obtained a Space Ring and Eight Extremes Fist Mastery, discovering that the ring held a vast space and that the mastery improved his Complete Realm.
• Gu Qing considered traveling east to pursue further growth, then saw Andrew Dettmer appear on a flickering Times Square screen.

General William learned that Andrew Detmer had publicly declared war on the United States, while Gu Qing realized Andrew had reached the Magnetic Field Rotation realm and chose to keep pursuing his plans. Half a month later, Gu Qing was in China, posing as a wealthy foreign investor in martial arts as Andrew began changing America.

• General William questioned Dr. Norris about the captured Matt Garetty and ordered him to suppress Matt if he resisted.
• A soldier told General William that Andrew Detmer had appeared, and William watched Andrew proclaim himself the One True God and name the United States as his first target.
• Gu Qing sensed that Andrew's message had been broadcast across the country, saw his Spacetime Value rise, and concluded Andrew had entered the Magnetic Field Rotation realm.
• Gu Qing decided not to search for Andrew immediately, reasoning that Matt might also be alive and that Andrew would eventually reveal himself.
• Half a month later, Gu Qing attended a banquet in China as Mr. Lehnsherr, a wealthy foreign investor supporting the country's martial arts industry.

Andrew attacked the World Trade Center and demanded that the United States recognize him as the new era’s One True God before fleeing when the military could not stop him. Meanwhile, Gu Qing prepared a martial arts tournament on Mount Hua to find genuine fighters, and General William learned that Matt’s power was called Current Propulsion.

• Andrew threatened General William at the burning World Trade Center, declaring that the United States must submit to him and warning that the attack was only the beginning.
• Andrew flew away at Mach 1.5, while missiles failed to track him and satellite surveillance lost sight of him.
• Gu Qing funded the Number One Martial Arts Tournament Under Heaven and chose the peak of Mount Hua as its venue, with Xie Lan helping coordinate the event.
• At Moffett Military Base, General William questioned Matt after Dr. Norris explained that brainwave hypnosis had temporarily controlled him.
• Matt told General William that his power was called Current Propulsion.

General William learned that Matt’s superhuman abilities came from strange crystals and from Erik Lehnsherr, and he set out to find the crystals. At the martial arts tournament, Gu Qing left disappointed by the fighters’ skills, but Xie Lan challenged him to spar after he claimed to practice National Martial Arts.

• Matt revealed under hypnosis that strange crystals beneath Ravenhill had granted him Telekinesis and that Erik Lehnsherr had developed Current Propulsion and Magnetic Field Rotation.
• William decided to locate the crystals and build a superhuman army, unaware that Matt’s eyes flashed with electricity after everyone left.
• Gu Qing watched the Number One Martial Arts Tournament Under Heaven and judged the competitors’ skills inadequate.
• Gu Qing told Xie Lan he wanted to find a true martial arts master, then left the tournament with her.
• Xie Lan challenged Gu Qing to spar, and he warned her that he practiced true National Martial Arts and asked if she was sure she wanted to fight him.

Gu Qing sparred with Xie Lan using only Baji Quan, accidentally triggering her awakening of Current Propulsion, then demonstrated the martial art for her. In Seattle, William’s search for the crystal turned up nothing, and a mysterious caller told him Dr. Norris was dead and threatened him.

• Gu Qing suppressed his powers and fought Xie Lan with Baji Quan, discovering that she knew its basic forms.
• Gu Qing’s Fierce Tiger Climbs Mountain move overwhelmed Xie Lan, whose survival instinct awakened Current Propulsion.
• Gu Qing explained the awakening and demonstrated Baji Quan’s techniques and force application for Xie Lan before leaving.
• William oversaw the search beneath the clearing at Ravenhill, but his soldiers found no sign of the crystal.
• William contacted Moffitt Base and learned from a mysterious caller that Dr. Norris was dead; the caller threatened that William would be next.
• William crushed his communicator in anger, unaware that Matt had told him the truth while hypnotized and that the crystal’s disappearance remained unexplained.

Andrew recovered from the thermobaric blast, seized a Middle Eastern country as his base, and rejected Snape’s demand to honor their agreement. Snape revealed that Matt Garetty was alive, leaving Andrew eager to find and confront his cousin.

• Andrew survived the blast by crawling into a sewer, then killed the criminals who found him and agreed to cooperate with their backers.
• Andrew occupied a small Middle Eastern country and made himself its king.
• Snape confronted Andrew about leaving U.S. Military bases untouched, and Andrew choked him with his power before throwing him out of the palace.
• Snape returned and revealed that Matt Garetty had been held at the destroyed Adak Island base but had disappeared.
• Andrew learned that Matt was alive and vowed to tear his cousin apart with his own hands.

On a deserted island, CIA director James Torres found Matt and recruited him to stop Andrew, who had occupied Bahrain and declared war on the United States. Matt remained furious about being imprisoned and experimented on, but Torres explained that his family had been threatened and offered protection, leaving Matt to decide whether to help.

• James Torres flew by helicopter to the island where Matt had been sitting alone for twelve hours.
• Torres showed Matt Andrew’s declaration and explained that Andrew had destroyed Bahrain’s military base and the Fifth Fleet, while missile strikes were too risky and unreliable.
• Matt confronted Torres about the military’s experiments on him and accused the government of betraying him after he tried to stop Andrew.
• Torres told Matt that he was the only person who could stop Andrew and warned that his parents might be cursed by the public.
• Matt reacted with anger and raised nearby rocks and sand as Torres explained that Garrety had faced protests and attacks, so the CIA had given his family new identities and a safe home.

Torres persuaded Matt to focus on stopping Andrew and undergo special training, while Matt’s resolve pushed his power to 50,000 Horsepower. Three months after the martial arts tournament, Gu Qing had reached the same strength through intensive combat training and traveled to Bangkok to seek his next opponent.

• Torres told Matt that his parents were safe, then urged him to avoid seeing them until Andrew was dealt with.
• Torres convinced Matt that his power made him responsible for stopping Andrew, and Matt’s strength surged to 50,000 Horsepower.
• Matt wanted to confront Andrew immediately, but Torres persuaded him to undergo special training and prepare a decisive attack away from the United States.
• Over the three months since the tournament, Gu Qing studied fighting styles across Asia while suppressing his powers and training like an ordinary person.
• Gu Qing’s combat experience and willpower grew, his strength reached 50,000 Horsepower, and he went to Bangkok to find his next target.

Gu Qing defeated Sompa and impressed Shama Payakarong, who praised his ability to master many fighting styles in only three months. In Florida, Matt passed the CIA base’s assessments, but Torres revealed that Andrew Detmer had destroyed military bases in the Middle East while trying to force Matt out.

• Gu Qing visited Shama Payakarong’s estate and agreed to fight his student Sompa before meeting the Muay Thai master.
• Gu Qing defeated Sompa in under ten minutes, and Shama praised his skill at integrating several combat styles.
• Shama asked whether Gu Qing had only begun learning combat three months earlier, and Gu Qing credited his rapid learning to World-Shaking Wisdom.
• Matt passed every CIA base assessment, impressing Torres with his progress despite having his superpowers suppressed.
• Torres told Matt that Andrew Detmer had destroyed the military bases in the Middle East, causing massive losses and killing tens of thousands of people.
• Matt reacted with fury and vowed never to forgive Andrew.

Matt confronted Andrew in Manama, but their battle devastated the city and killed and injured many civilians. Matt drove Andrew back to the Persian Gulf docks, where his punch shattered a 100,000-ton cargo ship as their fight continued.

• Matt located Andrew in the royal palace but hesitated to fight in Manama because of its civilians.
• Andrew ambushed Matt and battered him through the city, destroying buildings and killing civilians.
• Andrew taunted Matt about his morality, and Matt resolved to accept sacrifices to kill him.
• Matt struck Andrew with his Evil Extermination Fist and Judgment Slash, but Andrew healed with Cellular Recombination and continued fighting.
• Matt overwhelmed Andrew and forced him toward the Persian Gulf docks after their battle devastated Manama.
• Andrew dodged Matt's 50,000-Horsepower Evil Extermination Fist, which split a 100,000-ton cargo ship into fragments.

After mastering Muay Thai in Bangkok, Gu Qing sensed Andrew and Matt fighting and rushed to the Persian Gulf. He intercepted their clash and declared that he intended to fight them, leaving the three men in a standoff.

• Gu Qing fought Sompa using only Muay Thai, drew with him, and left Bangkok after seven days of training.
• Shama recommended that Gu Qing study with an Indian Tantra Yoga Master, but Gu Qing sensed that Andrew and Matt were battling and flew toward the Persian Gulf.
• Andrew and Matt fought for nearly three hours, unleashing attacks that flooded Manama City and sent towering waves across the gulf.
• Gu Qing caught Andrew and Matt's simultaneous punches, stopping their battle as satellites watched.
• Matt urged Gu Qing to help stop Andrew, while Andrew invited him to join forces, but Gu Qing declared that he wanted to fight them and either kill them or be killed.

Gu Qing rejected Matt’s demand to help stop Andrew and fought him, then provoked Andrew into attacking by accusing him of fearing the strong. Andrew broke through that fear and unleashed 70,000 Horsepower, while Gu Qing answered with Blood Saber Slash, leaving their clash unresolved.

• Gu Qing told Matt he had watched the Seattle battle and believed a new era was coming, so Matt attacked him with Evil Extermination Fist.
• Gu Qing countered Matt with Facing the Wind Rising Sun Palm and Three Uniques at the Door, blasting him into the sea.
• Gu Qing challenged Andrew to fight, and Andrew hesitated until Gu Qing mocked him as a coward who preyed on the weak.
• Andrew’s anger surged, and he attacked Gu Qing with Magnetic Field Rotation at 70,000 Horsepower.
• Gu Qing met Andrew’s attack with Blood Saber Slash at 50,000 Horsepower, splitting the sea and leaving the battle’s outcome unknown.

Gu Qing fought Andrew and Matt in the Persian Gulf as both men reached 70,000 Horsepower, while the United States prepared a nuclear strike against the three. The battle gave Gu Qing the chance to refine his fighting techniques, as Torres contemplated how to interfere with the planned strike.

• Andrew recovered from a near-fatal slash and charged Gu Qing with a 70,000 Horsepower punch, but Gu Qing countered with Fierce Tiger Climbs Mountain.
• Matt burst from the sea after breaking through to 70,000 Horsepower and struck Gu Qing from behind with Evil Extermination Fist.
• The U.S. president learned about the superpowered individuals and ordered preparations for a nuclear strike, planning to attack when the three were weakened.
• Torres learned of the planned strike and worried that Matt would be killed before his efforts to influence him could matter.
• Gu Qing fought Andrew and Matt in a prolonged battle, using the contest to absorb and refine the techniques he had learned.

Gu Qing fought Andrew and Matt and provoked them to increase his strength, breaking through to 70,000 Horsepower. After crushing Andrew with Ground-Shattering Cannon, Gu Qing faced Matt’s Judgment Slash with Blood Saber Slash.

• Gu Qing fought Andrew and Matt, mocked their attacks, and explained how his training and techniques let him withstand their combined assault.
• Matt struck Gu Qing with Evil Extermination Fist, but Gu Qing healed instantly with Cellular Recombination and threatened to slaughter cities to provoke him.
• Gu Qing’s Magnetic Field Rotation accelerated, raising his strength through 60,000 to 70,000 Horsepower.
• Andrew returned to the fight, and Gu Qing hit him with Ground-Shattering Cannon, shattering his bones.
• Matt chose to attack Gu Qing rather than rescue Andrew and unleashed Judgment Slash as Gu Qing countered with Blood Saber Slash.