Chapter Summaries

Natasha learned that William Stryker and the military had known about Apocalypse for months and arrived at the ruins with a large force, claiming control of the site. Stryker rejected S.H.I.E.L.D.'s plan to reinforce the seal, leaving the fate of Apocalypse's tomb in military hands.

• Natasha, Hill, and Barton discussed the ancient Egyptians’ revolt against Apocalypse and the need to protect his seal.
• Natasha followed the compass to a museum, where Talik revealed that William Stryker had commissioned translations of two Stone Tablets and learned about Apocalypse last year.
• Natasha warned Nearly Headless Nick that Stryker’s faction had been searching for Apocalypse’s tomb, and Nick told her to try to stop them but not risk everything.
• Natasha returned to the ruins and found Hill facing more than a hundred soldiers led by Stryker, who claimed the military had legal rights to the site.
• Stryker told Hill that the military wanted a permanent solution to the threat of Apocalypse rather than S.H.I.E.L.D.’s plan to reinforce the seal.

S.H.I.E.L.D. withdrew after William Stryker refused to abandon his plan to destroy Apocalypse’s tomb, while Natasha warned Nick Fury that a prophecy named a Phoenix as the cause of Apocalypse’s eventual defeat. Stryker’s explosives awakened Apocalypse, who rose from the buried pyramid and demonstrated overwhelming power by stopping a missile attack.

• William Stryker told Hill that destroying Apocalypse’s tomb would either eliminate a threat or force humanity to confront Mutants, and Yuriko briefly restrained Hill before Stryker ordered her to stand down.
• Hill called Nick Fury, who told the S.H.I.E.L.D. team to withdraw; Natasha then revealed the Stone Tablets’ prophecy that Apocalypse would emerge, fail, and be defeated because of a Phoenix.
• Natasha urged Fury to seek Alchemical Bullets from Aaron and warned him that S.H.I.E.L.D. should stop pursuing Aaron’s compass, while Fury said he would have Coulson contact him.
• Stryker ordered his soldiers to plant explosives and evacuate, and the blasts buried the golden pyramid without damaging its tip.
• Apocalypse awakened inside the pyramid, used his powers to escape the rubble, and halted hundreds of Jericho Missile submunitions in midair before they exploded.
• Stryker learned that Apocalypse displayed telekinesis and molecular control, and he welcomed the Mutant’s immense power as a way to make humanity confront the Mutant threat.

Apocalypse revealed his power and vanished, while Ancient One sensed that Horn Gaius’s descendant had arrived in the world. Mephisto and Dracula learned of the descendant’s return and began seeking him for their own purposes.

• Apocalypse survived the explosion, destroyed three S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinjets with sand, and teleported away as Stryker planned to exploit the coming conflict.
• Nick Fury sent Coulson and Hill to warn Charles and deliver the three Stone Tablets to Mutant Academy.
• Ancient One told Mordo that Gaius had arrived, explained Horn Gaius’s legacy and prophecy, and ordered Kamar-Taj’s mages to search for him without offending him.
• Lucifer visited Mephisto and discussed Gaius’s return, while Mephisto resolved to send his knight to find the descendant.
• Dracula sensed the return of the descendant of the person who sealed him and ordered two vampires to bring him the descendant’s blood.

Aaron realized Apocalypse’s escape would bring danger to him and tried to keep Jean close while staying hidden. Meanwhile, Apocalypse began planning to reclaim Earth, and S.H.I.E.L.D. warned Charles that he might be targeted, only to learn Aaron had already left with Jean and the Phoenix.

• Aaron sensed many threats through Horn’s flashing ring and asked Jean to stay with him during their vacation.
• Apocalypse explored modern Cairo, learned about humanity and the Avengers, and decided to find his knights before taking control of Earth.
• Coulson, Hill, Natasha, and Barton brought the prophecy tablets to Charles and warned that Apocalypse’s return could expose Mutants and put Charles at risk.
• Charles learned that the prophecy linked Apocalypse’s defeat to the Phoenix and revealed that Aaron had left the academy with Jean and the Phoenix.
• Coulson complained that Aaron had used Phoenix Tears to charge S.H.I.E.L.D. despite apparently having a Phoenix at his disposal.

Apocalypse recruited Psylocke and transformed the broken-winged Angel into a metal-winged Horseman while seeking Erik Lehnsherr. At Aaron’s shop, Coulson and Hill revealed Apocalypse had been freed and asked for help from his Phoenix, but Aaron resisted getting involved.

• Apocalypse found Caliban and Psylocke, destroyed Caliban’s pistol, and strengthened Psylocke’s powers until she agreed to help him find powerful Mutants.
• Apocalypse restored Angel’s broken wings as sharp silver-black metal wings, and Angel accepted his transformation and joined the Four Horsemen.
• Psylocke told Apocalypse that Erik Lehnsherr, also known as Magneto, was missing, so Apocalypse planned to find Caliban and search for him.
• Hill returned Aaron’s compass, and Coulson showed Aaron footage of Apocalypse breaking free; Aaron learned the military had released him and urged them to prepare for war.
• Coulson and Hill said they had come to find Aaron’s Phoenix, and Aaron acknowledged selling them Phoenix Tears while refusing to help directly.

Aaron refused to risk Fawkes against Apocalypse and offered S.H.I.E.L.D. Phoenix Tears and eighth-rank Alchemical Bullets instead. Meanwhile, Apocalypse sent Caliban to find Magneto and went to check whether his old allies still existed.

• Aaron told Hill and Coulson that Fawkes could not defeat Apocalypse and refused to send it into battle.
• Aaron interpreted the Seer's prophecy as referring to Phoenix Tears or powerful Alchemical Bullets, then sold S.H.I.E.L.D. twenty-five eighth-rank bullets for 2.4 billion dollars.
• Hill confirmed Nick Fury approved the purchase, and Aaron handed her the bullets.
• Apocalypse ordered Caliban to find Erik Lehnsherr within two days, and Caliban volunteered to persuade Magneto to join him.
• Apocalypse opened a portal and left to check ancient temples, churches, and castles for his old friends.

Caliban warned Magneto that Apocalypse was recruiting powerful Mutants and asked him to join the Four Horsemen. Apocalypse brought Magneto to Auschwitz and awakened his full power, while S.H.I.E.L.D. suspected Magneto had not truly submitted to him.

• Caliban found Magneto and Mystique, warned them that Apocalypse planned a war against humanity, and described his ability to enhance other Mutants.
• Magneto agreed to meet Apocalypse, while Caliban stayed with him and agreed to search for a Mutant who could absorb and use other Mutants' abilities.
• Magneto met Apocalypse, who revealed his ancient identity and took him through a portal to Auschwitz.
• Apocalypse urged Magneto to feel the metal beneath the earth, and Magneto unleashed a magnetic force that destroyed the abandoned camp.
• Nick Fury, Hill, and Coulson watched the satellite footage and concluded that Magneto might be using Apocalypse opportunistically rather than truly joining him.

Nick Fury weighed S.H.I.E.L.D.’s options against Apocalypse and learned that the Tree of Knowledge resembled the Gaius Family’s totem, though Thrór confirmed Aaron Gaius was unrelated. At Xavier’s School, Charles used Cerebro to contact Erik, who openly defended Apocalypse as a possible way to break the Mutants’ deadlock.

• Nick Fury learned that most Avengers would not help against Apocalypse, while Steve agreed and Stark refused, and he decided S.H.I.E.L.D. should support the Mutant Academy rather than lead the fight.
• Coulson told Nick Fury that Thrór recognized the Tree of Knowledge as resembling the Gaius Family totem and described the family’s divine members and their role in humanity’s ancient history.
• Hill dismissed the idea that Aaron Gaius belonged to the family, and Coulson confirmed Thrór had ruled it out because Aaron lacked the family’s totem and magical abilities.
• Nick Fury asked Coulson to warn Charles that Erik had joined Apocalypse and offer the Mutant Academy S.H.I.E.L.D.’s support if war began.
• Charles and Hank prepared for war, and Charles used Cerebro to find and contact Erik despite the helmet that blocked his telepathy.
• Erik welcomed Charles into his mind and said Apocalypse might break the deadlock facing Mutants because he was stronger than Charles or Erik.

Apocalypse linked with Charles Xavier through Erik, used Charles’s telepathy to seize control of the world’s nuclear forces, and was stopped before launching the weapons. Apocalypse then captured Charles, and Hank began assembling the X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D.’s support to rescue him.

• Erik explained why he would help Apocalypse, and Apocalypse detected Charles through their psychic connection and began invading his mind.
• Apocalypse took control of Charles and searched for nuclear launch codes, but Hank destroyed Cerebro and tore off Charles’s helmet, breaking the connection.
• Charles warned that Apocalypse intended to disarm humanity and told Hank to gather the X-Men and notify S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Apocalypse identified Charles as his prospective fourth Horseman and traveled with Erik, Psylocke, and Angel to capture him.
• Hank gathered Ororo, Scott, and Piotr, then secured Nick Fury’s promise of intelligence and a team led by Natasha, Barton, and Steve.
• Scott urged the X-Men to contact Jean, and Hank agreed to tell her about Charles’s capture.

Apocalypse used Charles to broadcast a message to everyone on Earth, revealing his intent to destroy the world and prompting powerful groups to prepare for a response. Charles secretly sent Jean his location in Cairo, and she learned of his capture despite Aaron’s efforts to keep her away from the crisis.

• Aaron ignored repeated calls from Scott and Ororo while Jean worked on a potion at the Divination Shop.
• In Cairo, Charles failed to control Psylocke and Angel, and Apocalypse enhanced his telepathy so he could address the minds of everyone on Earth.
• Tony blocked Apocalypse’s mental broadcast in his laboratory and ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to develop Anti-Mind-Control Armor, while Nick Fury sent teams toward Cairo and the Ancient One chose not to intervene yet.
• Apocalypse ordered Erik to destroy humanity’s constructions, but Erik privately resisted the plan, and Charles urged the powerful to protect the weak.
• Charles secretly told Jean that he was in Cairo, and Jean left the workshop to tell Aaron that the Professor had been captured.
• Aaron realized Charles had bypassed his efforts to keep Jean uninvolved, while Hela laughed at his frustration.

Aaron tried to keep Jean from returning to the school after learning Professor Charles had been taken to Cairo, but the Mutants school's plane arrived and she left with her friends. Aaron then received missions to rescue Charles and kill En Sabah Nur, and opened the shop to prepare for what was happening in Cairo.

• Jean found dozens of missed calls from Hank, Ororo, Scott, and Piotr and insisted on going back to the school to help Professor Charles.
• Aaron made excuses about Fawkes, his car, and nearby taxis to delay Jean, while Abei texted Tony Stark for help; Tony arranged a taxi competition that kept the cabs occupied.
• Jean used telepathy to discover Tony's plan and walked away, but the Mutants school's invisible plane arrived and Storm and Scott brought her aboard.
• Jean told Aaron they both needed to calm down, and he tightened the Moonstone Bracelet around her wrist and asked her to return safely.
• After Jean left, Hela teased Aaron for failing to stop her, and the system offered him missions to rescue Charles Xavier and kill En Sabah Nur.
• Aaron postponed accepting either mission and opened the shop to review its magic, materials, and items.

Aaron used Mirror Projection to watch Apocalypse destroy Cairo and raise a vast pyramid, while S.H.I.E.L.D. and military leaders debated how to respond. At the Divination Shop, Hela judged Apocalypse powerful but far beneath Aaron, as the X-Men and Avengers headed toward the coming battle.

• Aaron spent 600 Magic Points to learn Mirror Projection and used a large mirror to observe Cairo from his shop.
• Apocalypse turned Cairo’s buildings and vehicles into sand, formed a colossal pyramid, and killed countless residents.
• Magneto, Psylocke, Angel, and Charles witnessed the destruction, while satellites broadcast it to S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military.
• Nick Fury urged the World Council to restrain the military, while military officials considered deploying weapons and establishing Sentinel Services.
• Aaron, Hela, Jane, Abei, and Fawkes watched the mirror as Hela compared Apocalypse’s power with Aaron’s and discussed Thrór and Mjolnir.

Magneto’s attempt to reshape Earth’s magnetic field caused worldwide destruction as Apocalypse prepared to take Charles Xavier’s telepathic power. The X-Men and S.H.I.E.L.D. arrived in Cairo, splitting up to rescue Charles and stop Magneto and the other Horsemen.

• Magneto expanded his magnetic field, tearing metal from the ground and seabed and causing catastrophic damage across the world.
• Aaron, Hela, and Jane discussed the scale of Magneto’s attack, while Hela offered to fight Apocalypse if Aaron lent her Horn’s ring; Aaron refused and drank Felix Felicis.
• Apocalypse bound Charles on a stone bed and revealed that he intended to take Charles’s body and use his telepathy to control everyone.
• Hank’s team reached Cairo and learned that Apocalypse was preparing to transfer his consciousness into Charles, so Hank assigned Jean and Piotr to rescue Charles.
• Steve Rogers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agreed to help the X-Men confront Magneto, Psylocke, and Angel while Jean and Piotr entered the Pyramid.

Hank, Steve, and their allies tried to reach Charles and stop Apocalypse’s ritual while Magneto resisted their efforts. Jean’s defensive artifact protected her from Psylocke, and Natasha’s alchemical bullet forced Magneto back before he flew away from Cairo.

• Hank led Jean, Piotr, Scott, and Ororo toward the pyramid while Steve ordered the special operations team to hide and prepare to disrupt Apocalypse’s ritual if needed.
• Angel and Psylocke attacked the X-Men, but Ororo, Scott, Hank, and Jean’s Moonstone Bracelet helped Jean and Piotr enter the pyramid.
• Jean’s bracelet raised a protective barrier that blocked Psylocke’s light whip, though one of its moonstones developed cracks.
• Natasha fired an alchemical bullet at Magneto, whose barrier held but was overwhelmed by the blast and pushed him back.
• Magneto refused to cooperate with Steve and Natasha, trusted Charles’s students to rescue him, and flew away from Cairo.

Steve's team rescued Charles from Apocalypse's failed transfer ritual and launched a coordinated ambush at the pyramid. As the pyramid collapsed in flames, Aaron prepared to act on Horn's prophecy connecting him to the Phoenix.

• Barton shot Angel with a costly arrow, while Steve knocked Psylocke unconscious and Jean and Piotr rescued Charles from the ritual.
• Apocalypse woke, realized the transfer had failed, and pursued Charles, Jean, and Piotr toward the pyramid entrance.
• Aaron accepted missions to rescue Charles and kill En Sabah Nur, and asked Fawkes to take him to the scene and bring Jean back to the Mutants school.
• Steve's team attacked Apocalypse with lightning, lasers, an enhanced arrow, and enchanted bullets, whose combined power formed a flaming Phoenix and engulfed him.
• The flames drove into the pyramid, triggering explosions that collapsed the structure as the onlookers watched in shock.

Aaron confronted the wounded Apocalypse in the collapsing pyramid, then drew him into his Mind World to fight on the mental plane. He evaded Apocalypse’s attacks and ended the chapter calmly considering which spell to use against a towering stone statue.

• Coulson and Nick Fury watched the pyramid collapse and discussed whether Apocalypse had been defeated, while Fury ordered Charles moved to safety.
• Aaron and Fawkes reached Apocalypse in the pyramid, where Aaron revealed that his enchanted bullets had injured him and called him a False God.
• Apocalypse attacked Aaron, but Aaron used his psychic power to pull him into his Mind World, which Hela identified as a secret and advantageous battlefield.
• Aaron revealed that he was Aaron Gaius, descendant of Horn Gaius, who had designed Apocalypse’s ancient seal.
• Apocalypse transformed the Black Grassland into sand and formed a colossal statue of himself to strike Aaron, who calmly considered several spells to counter it.

Aaron beat Apocalypse in his Mind World, then trapped him there and attacked with Fiendfyre after reflecting the giant's blast and resisting its attacks. Apocalypse tried to flee, but Aaron sealed portals and teleportation, leaving him unable to escape the flames.

• Aaron battered Apocalypse with punches, then used Apparition to evade his attacks and countered with magic, fire, and Dragon-Slaying Flame.
• Apocalypse formed a giant from the sea of clouds and fired a golden beam at Aaron, but Aaron reflected it into the giant and slowed it with a petrification spell.
• Aaron summoned a Fiendfyre Phoenix that began consuming the giant, while Apocalypse abandoned it and attempted to open a portal.
• Aaron revealed that Apocalypse was trapped in his Mind World and had sealed space, preventing him from using portals or teleportation to escape.

Aaron explained why Apocalypse’s many stolen abilities could not overcome his Level Four limit, then trapped him inside a Mind World protected by interlinked defensive Magic Arrays. When Apocalypse sacrificed half his powers to reach Level Five and the pyramid began collapsing, Aaron revealed that he was also the Sky Demon God and could control clouds and wind.

• Aaron mocked Apocalypse’s abilities as a collection of weaker powers that could not bridge the gap between Level Four and Level Five.
• Aaron attacked Apocalypse with the Fiendfyre Phoenix, but Apocalypse sacrificed his life, youth, and half his abilities to empower himself and the Cloud Sea Giant.
• Apocalypse struck at Aaron’s Mind World, but dense defensive Magic Arrays repelled the giant’s attacks and prevented him from escaping.
• When stones fell from the collapsing pyramid, Apocalypse expected their real-world bodies to be affected and threatened Aaron, but Aaron said he could still confront him.
• Aaron revealed that he was the Sky Demon God and could control clouds, wind, and mist, leaving Apocalypse stunned.

Aaron killed Apocalypse, returned to the Divination Shop, and discovered that the mission to rescue Charles Xavier remained incomplete because someone else had rescued him. He claimed the reward for killing En Sabah Nur, spent most of his Magic Points on shop purchases and upgrades, and decided to use what remained to hasten Abei’s evolution.

• Aaron used his demon wings to collapse Apocalypse’s cloud giant, then burned Apocalypse to ash with Fiendfyre.
• Back in reality, Aaron avoided Apocalypse’s falling corpse, left it for S.H.I.E.L.D., and Apparated to the Divination Shop with Fawkes.
• Aaron told Hela he had erased Apocalypse’s soul and learned that Fawkes had taken Jean to Charles Xavier.
• Aaron found the Charles Xavier rescue mission incomplete because he had not personally rescued Charles, but he claimed 3,000 Magic Points for killing En Sabah Nur.
• Aaron bought the Armor of God, the Compass of Repentance, the Shiva Temple Bracelet, the Blood Flower, several materials, and Spirit Communication magic.
• Aaron raised his Magic Power to 38,000 total and decided to spend the remaining budget to shorten the time until Abei’s next evolution.

Aaron began modifying the Armor of God into a protective outfit while S.H.I.E.L.D. prepared a public response to the revelation of Mutants. At Xavier’s School, Charles warned the X-Men that Erik planned to turn world leaders into Mutants and asked Hank to repair Cerebro so they could search for the Mutant Erik needed for his experiments.

• Aaron added the remaining budget to Abei’s Magical Energy, then stored several artifacts in the Secret Chamber and gave the Treant Root and Flame Demon Heart to the Thoughtform.
• Aaron showed Hela the Armor of God, and after she explained its limits compared with the Destroyer, he took it to the workshop to reshape it into a dark-blue outfit and retrieved the Human-faced Rose to make another mask.
• Nick Fury told the World Council that Sentinel Services and the Mutant Affairs Division were ready to address the public crisis, and he recommended Henry McCoy to lead the latter.
• Hill warned Nick Fury that the military, including William Stryker, might approach Aaron, but Fury expected Aaron to resist coercion and possibly favor S.H.I.E.L.D. instead.
• Charles told Hank, Ororo, Scott, and Piotr that Erik planned to turn powerful people into Mutants and was having Caliban search for a Mutant who could absorb and use others’ abilities.
• Ororo urged the X-Men to find and protect the sought-after Mutant, and Hank agreed to repair Cerebro so they could search.