Chapter Summaries

Aaron and Loki returned to the Helicarrier, where S.H.I.E.L.D. discussed Loki’s invasion plan and the Cosmic Cube. As the team investigated, Aaron sold Nick Fury five hundred million dollars’ worth of alchemical bullets.

• Aaron and Loki agreed on a cover story, while Steve’s clash with Thrór ended in a truce before they escorted Loki back to the plane.
• Nick Fury interrogated Loki in a falling glass cell, and Thrór explained that Loki intended to invade Earth with a Chitauri army in exchange for the Cosmic Cube.
• Aaron warned that Loki might escape or seize the Helicarrier, while Tony and Banner identified iridium as a portal stabilizer and high-density energy as the missing power source.
• Tony planted a hacking device at the console and joined Banner to investigate Loki’s scepter and the Cosmic Cube.
• Nick Fury asked Aaron to supply weapons, and Aaron persuaded him to buy all available grade-one through grade-five bullets for five hundred million dollars.

Aaron warned Nick Fury that the Cosmic Cube would cause a war, while Tony and Banner investigated S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrets and narrowed their search for the Cube. Natasha learned Loki's claim that Gaius secretly loved Thrór's girlfriend, but Loki's real plan remained unclear as Fury confronted Tony over a new discovery called Phase Two.

• Aaron divined a vision of an alien invasion and warned Nick Fury to prepare for war caused by the Cosmic Cube.
• Nick Fury sent Natasha to question Loki and investigate Aaron, while Tony and Banner studied Loki's scepter and discussed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secrecy.
• Tony revealed that J.A.R.V.I.S. was cracking S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files, and Banner's search model locked onto the Cosmic Cube within half a mile.
• Loki told Natasha that Gaius was secretly in love with Thrór's girlfriend, then threatened to use Barton against Natasha; she mistook his words for a plan to unleash Hulk and warned the others.
• Nick Fury confronted Tony in the laboratory as Tony spotted a file labeled Phase Two on the screen.

Steve exposed S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Cosmic Cube weapons research, and the group argued over security, threats, and whether the project had provoked Loki. After Aaron redirected them toward finding the Cube, Natasha revealed that Loki intended to use Banner, while Tony and Steve’s argument ended with Aaron pointing out that Steve’s shield had been made by Tony’s father.

• Steve and Tony revealed evidence that S.H.I.E.L.D. had used the Cosmic Cube to develop weapons, and Nick Fury defended the research as a precaution against threats.
• Aaron showed the group his destructive bullets and Rooster Talisman, then argued that the weapons debate mattered less than finding the Cosmic Cube.
• Natasha said Loki had revealed Aaron’s supposed crush on Jane Foster, and Aaron told Thrór he had stayed away from Jane but might pursue her if Thrór did not return within two years.
• Natasha reported that Loki planned to use Banner, while Tony, Steve, and the others clashed over trust, heroism, and personal sacrifice.
• Aaron reminded Steve that his shield had been made by Howard Stark, and Tony used that point to needle Steve.

The Helicarrier came under attack after Banner’s agitation exposed the Cosmic Cube’s location, and Barton’s forces sabotaged the ship while Aaron helped defend the command center. The battle continued as Hulk destroyed a fighter sent to contain him, and Steve fell through a hole while guarding Tony as he repaired Engine Three.

• Banner became agitated while holding Loki’s scepter, and the scanner showed a 99% energy match before an explosion tore through the laboratory.
• Nick Fury learned that Engine Three was offline, ordered the Helicarrier toward the ocean, and dispatched Stark to repair the engine as Barton’s squad boarded the ship.
• Aaron saved Hill from a grenade and helped Nick Fury repel intruders attacking the command center.
• Aaron stopped Barton’s explosive arrow from reaching the main computer, then agreed to accompany Nick Fury to support Coulson at the detention level.
• Hulk fought Thrór, destroyed a fighter sent to contain him, and threw its pilot clear of the aircraft.
• Tony worked to restore Engine Three while Steve defended him from intruders, but Steve lost his footing and fell through a hole beside the turbine.

Loki escaped after killing Coulson, but Aaron revived him with Phoenix Tears, and Nick Fury staged Coulson's death to inspire the Avengers. Aaron gave Tony and Steve moonstones for the coming battle, declined to join the team, and went to check on Barton.

• Tony restored the Helicarrier's third turbine, and Steve pulled its control lever before they fought off an invader.
• Loki tricked Thrór into the cell, stabbed Coulson, and escaped after Coulson fired a laser cannon at him.
• Aaron revived Coulson with Phoenix Tears after demanding five hundred million from Nick Fury, who then arranged to make Coulson appear dead.
• Nick Fury showed Tony and Steve Coulson's bloodstained Captain America cards and urged them to believe in the Avengers Initiative.
• Aaron gave Tony and Steve six moonstones each, warned that Loki's army was coming, and said he would not join the fight.
• Aaron went to check on Barton and told Nick Fury that the help would cost extra.

Aaron freed Barton from Loki’s control with the Goat Talisman, then equipped Natasha and Barton to help stop Loki while concealing the talismans’ true nature. Tony and Steve deduced that Loki was targeting Stark Tower, and Aaron found Banner after his latest Hulk transformation, offering to solve his condition at a price.

• Aaron used the Goat Talisman to remove Loki’s influence from Barton, and Natasha persuaded Aaron to save its final use for Dr. Selvig.
• Aaron lent Natasha and Barton moonstones for protection and gave Natasha the pistol Xuguang, asking them to capture Loki and recover the Cosmic Cube.
• Tony and Steve concluded that Loki wanted an audience and realized Stark Tower fit his plan.
• Aaron left an illusion aboard the Helicarrier and followed Captain Jack’s Compass to Banner, who had crashed into an abandoned church as Hulk.
• Aaron offered to solve Banner’s condition for a price, then erased the security guard’s memory of their conversation.

Aaron Gaius revealed to Bruce Banner that he was a highborn wizard and offered to solve Banner’s Hulk problem in exchange for eternal loyalty. Aaron brought Banner into his inner world to meet Hulk, but their attempt to talk turned into a fight, leaving Aaron facing Hulk head-on.

• Aaron revealed his wizard identity to Banner and offered to erase his and the guard’s memories if Banner refused his help.
• Banner agreed to consider Aaron’s offer to become his retainer, and Aaron showed him a contract promising to resolve the Hulk problem in exchange for loyalty and his soul.
• Aaron explained that Hulk was like a child shaped by pain and brought Banner into his inner world to speak with him.
• Aaron showed Banner Hulk isolated inside the green fog and urged Banner to offer him care and understanding.
• Hulk charged at Aaron, who caught his punch, flew out of reach, and struck him with yellow lasers, provoking Hulk to grow stronger and angrier.
• Aaron challenged Hulk to a fair fight, and when Hulk charged, Aaron hit him in the face with an uppercut.

Aaron defeated Hulk in Banner’s Mind World, helped Banner and Hulk agree to communicate, and established a Master-Servant Relationship with Banner. He then explained the dangers surrounding the Gaius family and his plan to grow strong enough to return home, leaving Banner and a security guard stunned by the scale of the cosmic power hierarchy.

• Aaron overpowered Hulk, weakened him, and threatened him with increasingly powerful lightning magic until Hulk accepted that he was beaten.
• Aaron helped Banner and Hulk discuss their conflict and proposed a Sealing Barrier so Banner could communicate with Hulk and decide when to let him out; Banner chose this over permanently sealing Hulk away.
• Aaron returned Banner’s consciousness to reality, and Banner signed Aaron’s Magic Contract before Aaron used Soul Energy to clear Hulk’s territory from Banner’s Mind World.
• Banner asked why Aaron held back, and Aaron explained that his Gaius ancestors had enemies and left warnings that made it dangerous to reveal his wizard identity.
• Aaron described the universe’s six power tiers and said his current self barely counted as Sub-Heaven Level, while Thrór with Mjolnir was at a similar level.
• Banner worried that becoming Aaron’s follower would make him a target, and Aaron said Banner could leave the universe with him after he became a god.

Aaron persuaded Bruce Banner to accept a new life in his world and returned to the Helicarrier, where he chose not to join the coming battle. Loki activated the Cosmic Cube, the Chitauri invaded Manhattan, and the Avengers began fighting back as Thrór confronted Loki.

• Aaron made Bruce Banner his second retainer, promised him a place in his future Divine Kingdom, and erased a security guard’s memories before leaving Banner a motorcycle.
• Aaron returned to the Helicarrier and told Abei that Banner had joined him, while Nick Fury and Hill prepared to monitor the battle.
• Tony arrived at Stark Tower and confronted Loki, using a bracelet with Gaius’s defensive artifact and then donning the Mark Seven armor.
• The Cosmic Cube opened a portal above Manhattan, sending Chitauri forces into the city as Tony fought to intercept them.
• Thrór confronted Loki on the rooftop and clashed with him, while Barton, Natasha, and Steve arrived and Tony directed them toward Parker Street.

As the Chitauri invasion devastated New York, the heroes joined forces to fight back while searching for a way to close the portal. Hulk destroyed a Leviathan, and Steve assigned the Avengers their roles as more alien forces poured into the city.

• Tony, Barton, Natasha, and Steve tried to reach Thrór and Loki, but Loki damaged the Quinjet and forced it to crash-land as a Leviathan and more Chitauri soldiers attacked the city.
• Aaron told Tony and Natasha that he had lent them defensive artifacts and a weapon, while Thrór fought Loki on Stark Tower until Loki stabbed him, escaped on a skiff, and abandoned the Mind Scepter.
• Steve organized police evacuations and joined Barton, Natasha, and Thrór in fighting the Chitauri, but the heroes could not penetrate the energy barrier around the cube to close the portal.
• Banner arrived and transformed into Hulk, who stopped and destroyed a charging Leviathan with a punch while Tony helped blast it apart.
• Aaron warned Nearly Headless Nick that the heroes could not hold out against the growing Chitauri army for long, as several more Leviathans and soldiers emerged from the portal.
• Steve ordered Barton to scout from a rooftop, Tony to defend the perimeter, Thrór to attack the invaders and portal, and Natasha and Hulk to fight on the ground.

Natasha used Xuguang to destroy a Leviathan and learned from Selvig that Loki’s scepter could close the portal, while the Avengers began losing ground. When S.H.I.E.L.D. officials attempted to launch a nuclear strike on Manhattan, Aaron stopped the unauthorized fighters and took a plane to deliver a bomb through the wormhole himself.

• Natasha fired all sixteen Xuguang bullets into a Leviathan, destroying it, then rode a Chitauri skiff toward the portal to reach Selvig.
• Aaron discovered the mission rewarding Magic Points for killing Chitauri and watched Fury refuse the council’s order to nuke Manhattan.
• Barton’s explosive arrow knocked Loki into Stark Tower, where Hulk repeatedly smashed him into the floor.
• Natasha reached Selvig, who told her Loki’s scepter might close the portal and lay below them.
• As the Avengers fell into disadvantage, S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel launched fighters without authorization; Fury destroyed one, and Aaron shot the pilot of another.
• Aaron accepted the invasion mission, boarded the remaining fighter, and told Fury he would fly a nuclear bomb through the wormhole.

Aaron used the Council’s nuclear bomb to destroy the Chitauri fleet and end the invasion, then claimed his mission rewards and recovered some of his lent defensive artifacts. Loki was captured, the portal was closed, and Aaron confronted the others over the artifacts they had used or lost.

• Aaron flew the nuclear bomb through the portal and detonated it against the Chitauri warship, destroying the fleet and disabling the Chitauri on Earth.
• Natasha and Selvig shut down the portal, and Aaron retrieved the Cosmic Cube after confirming the invasion was over.
• Aaron claimed 6,660 Magic Points for completing his missions and checked his personal status.
• The others returned the defensive artifacts they had kept, while Aaron learned that Natasha had lost seven beads and Steve had used five to save civilians.
• Loki accepted his defeat and asked for a drink as Aaron complained that he had recovered only four of the twenty-eight artifacts he had lent out.

Aaron uncovered that Steve, Tony, and Scott had traveled from another timeline to retrieve the Mind Scepter and Cosmic Cube, and learned that Thanos had destroyed everything they cherished in their future. The chapter ended with Aaron asking them to explain the catastrophe while the travelers faced the possibility that the Cosmic Cube had already been taken to Asgard.

• Aaron accepted a mission to recover five lost moonstones, while Steve promised to find them.
• Abei sensed two intruders, including another Tony Stark, and Aaron suspected they had come from a parallel timeline to take the Cosmic Cube.
• Alexander Pierce tried to seize the Cosmic Cube, but a disguised intruder attempted to steal it before Hulk stopped him; Aaron recovered the Cube.
• Aaron met the time-traveling Tony, Steve, and Scott, deduced their mission, and offered to help in exchange for information about their future.
• Aaron warned that Thrór might take the Cosmic Cube to Asgard, and Steve revealed that Thanos had destroyed everything the travelers cherished.

Aaron learned how Thanos erased half of all life and concluded that the Snap could not affect Heaven Level beings, then offered to help the Avengers find the Cosmic Cube in exchange for information about the future. As Tony realized Doctor Strange had likely guided their choices toward the one winning outcome, the Avengers prepared to continue their mission with Aaron’s help.

• Tony explained that Thanos had gathered the six Infinity Stones, erased half of all life, and later destroyed the Stones, while Aaron reasoned that Thanos might wait for powerful opponents to die and that the Snap could only affect beings below the Heaven Level.
• Banner arrived with the Time Stone and learned that Aaron had helped another version of him reconcile with Hulk; Tony and Scott admitted that Hulk had knocked Tony away before they could secure the Cosmic Cube.
• Aaron offered to reveal a passage from Earth to Asgard that could help them find the Cosmic Cube, and Tony agreed to share future information in return.
• Steve told Aaron that Alexander Piers led Hydra’s infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. and asked him to help Bucky, while Tony asked him to warn against Ultron, watch over Peter Parker, and slap Star-Lord if they met.
• Banner explained how he had obtained the Time Stone from the Ancient One, and Tony concluded that Strange had seen the possible futures and arranged events around the single outcome in which they won.

Aaron learned more about the Avengers’ future and proposed using their remaining time-travel opportunity to obtain both the Cosmic Cube and Pym Particles. He arranged to approach Hank Pym through Scott, who revealed how Janet had been rescued from the Quantum Realm.

• Banner told Aaron that Odin and the Ancient One had been obstacles to Thanos, then described Hela’s return, Ragnarok, and Thanos’s attack on Asgard.
• Scott explained his path from prison to becoming Ant-Man and said that Pym Particles had enabled the Avengers’ time-travel plan.
• Aaron suggested traveling to a time when the Cosmic Cube and Pym Particles were both on Earth, and offered to approach Hank Pym so the others would not disrupt their own timelines.
• Aaron brought the group through his portal to the All-Things House and asked Scott for evidence that would convince Hank to hand over Pym Particles.
• Scott revealed that Hank believed Janet was alive in the Quantum Realm and explained that a quantum tunnel and Scott’s connection to Janet had enabled her rescue.

Aaron left the Avengers at the House of Everything and went to find Hank Pym for Pym Particles and the Cosmic Cube’s past location. After the Avengers entered Aaron’s Secret Chamber and heard a warning about an approaching war, Aaron reached Hank and began telling him that Janet was alive.

• Aaron offered Scott Lang a chance to become his follower and promised to try to help Ava, then left the House of Everything to find Hank Pym.
• Tony led Steve, Scott, and Banner into Aaron’s Secret Chamber, where Abei transformed into a White Dragon before allowing them to enter.
• The Avengers examined Aaron’s collections and heard the Book of Prophecy warn that a war would bring either victory and the return of the lost or total defeat.
• Aaron found Hank Pym’s home and asked him for four vials of Pym Particles, but Hank denied having any and tried to send him away.
• Aaron mentioned Janet, and Hank opened the door again; Aaron then claimed that Ant-Man II had traveled from the future and that Janet survived shrinking to subatomic size.

Aaron obtained Pym Particles from Hank Pym and helped the others prepare for their time-travel mission to retrieve the Cosmic Cube. After they departed, he collected all twelve talismans and received Shendu’s original Fire Qi.

• Aaron convinced Hank Pym that he knew the future, learned Hank had lost four vials of Pym Particles in 1970, and took four more from Hank’s Secret Chamber.
• Hank confirmed the Cosmic Cube had been kept at a New Jersey Military Base in July 1970, and Aaron told the others to steal four vials of Pym Particles there to preserve the timeline.
• Aaron gave the travelers Pym Particles and Felix Felicis, and Steve and Tony left for 1970 while Banner and Scott returned to the future with the Time Stone and Mind Scepter.
• After the four departed, Aaron bought the Snake, Dragon, and Monkey Talismans, completing the set of twelve.
• The system rewarded Aaron with Shendu’s original Fire Qi, which he summoned into his palm.

Aaron absorbed the origin Fire Qi and became a Demon God, drawing the attention of Mephisto and the Ancient One. After the Ancient One failed to observe him through time, Aaron remained hidden at the Hundred Affairs Shop, bought more Ghost Masks, and claimed half the authority over the Shadow Realm.

• Aaron absorbed the origin Fire Qi along with the Snake, Dragon, and Monkey Talismans, becoming a Fire Demon God.
• Mephisto sought out the unknown Demon God, but the Ancient One confronted him and destroyed his projected clone when the target vanished.
• The Ancient One searched through time with the Eye of Agamotto but could not see the Demon God, whom she considered a possible pure variable.
• Aaron worried that his exposed magic aura had attracted attention and resolved to be more cautious.
• After the Shop offered a system upgrade, Aaron bought the Zamo Mask and refreshed the Ghost Mask series.
• Aaron absorbed the shadow energy of two Ghost Masks and claimed half the authority over the Shadow Realm.

Aaron upgraded his magical power, talked Brock Rumlow out of detaining him by claiming to be Hydra, and arranged to meet Jean. After the system upgrade, he received twenty-two Divine Pathways.

• Aaron spent all 718 Magic Points on Magical Energy, advancing his main body and Thoughtform to Intermediate Grand Archmage before upgrading the system.
• Brock Rumlow and a S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike Team came to take Aaron in, but Aaron whispered “Hail Hydra” and convinced them he was a Hydra agent working with Alexander Piers.
• Aaron explained that he used S.H.I.E.L.D. for potion experiments and supplied weapons to Hydra, and Rumlow left without detaining him.
• Fawkes delivered Jean’s letter, and Aaron replied that she should visit the Hundred Affairs Shop next Saturday.
• The system completed its upgrade and gave Aaron twenty-two Divine Pathways.

Aaron learned that the system’s upgrade package contained all potions and rituals for the twenty-two Divine Pathways, which he could use to cultivate followers or claim their highest sequences himself. He chose pathways for his companions and gave Ake Moens, Ramon Lancelot, and Naga Shatiel their first potions, leaving them to advance toward godhood.

• Aaron learned that his blood could reduce the harmful side effects of consuming Divine Pathway potions and that the system’s next upgrade required one hundred thousand Magic Points spent in the shop.
• Aaron selected the Knowledge pathway for Clea Darwin, the Hermit pathway for Hermione Granger, and the Paragon pathway for Fleur Delacour.
• Aaron summoned Ake Moens, Naga Shatiel, and Ramon Lancelot, heard that they had completed the Mind World’s design, and ordered them to triple its size.
• Aaron gave Ake the Seer potion and promised to provide each subsequent potion after Ake digested his current one.
• Aaron gave Ramon the Marauder potion, which Ramon drank, then gave Naga the Assassin potion after explaining that its later sequences suited her and would enhance her beauty.