Chapter Summaries

Russell sought counseling for a week of depression after absorbing too much energy from a gang fight, and recognized his therapist, Dr. Yao, as the Ancient One. After she treated him, the Ancient One considered him a potential Supreme Mage Candidate.

• Russell explained that his loneliness and depression had worsened after he absorbed more than two hundred Attribute Points during a gang fight.
• Russell visited Dr. Yao's counseling clinic and suspected she was the Ancient One because of her resemblance to the sorcerer.
• Dr. Yao questioned Russell about his life and suggested that he find roommates or hire employees for his reading room.
• Russell fell asleep after Dr. Yao's tea and soothing fragrance eased his exhaustion.
• The Ancient One revealed herself, dispersed the black mist surrounding Russell, and left through a Portal.
• The Ancient One considered Russell's energy-absorption talent promising and wondered whether he would make a better Supreme Mage Candidate.

Russell left his consultation, rescued Ghost-Spider from a vampire, and learned that the Iron Man and Iron Monger battle was unfolding in New York. He stayed out of the fight and prepared to recruit bookstore staff while waiting for his Panel Upgrade.

• Russell found Dr. Yao’s note scheduling consultations for three every Saturday and left it unchanged.
• Russell killed a vampire with a UV flashlight, then learned the blonde girl was Ghost-Spider, who had been tracking the vampire to find abducted girls.
• Russell returned to his Queens home and saw an emergency broadcast showing Iron Man fighting Iron Monger.
• Russell decided not to intervene because he was still vulnerable and did not want to expose his forged identity; he expected Ghost-Spider to help Iron Man win.
• Russell made a recruitment notice for reading room administrators and planned to begin interviews the next morning.

Gwen applied for a job at Russell’s bookstore, and Russell hired her as the reading room manager while discussing recent Vampire attacks and the battle involving Iron Man and Iron Monger. Gwen accepted a reduced salary but asked Russell for a month’s pay in advance because she had run out of money and needed a place to live.

• Gwen met Russell at the bookstore and told him that the girl taken by a Vampire had been found after being turned.
• Gwen said she had encountered three or four Vampire incidents that week, but Russell declined to join her in investigating them.
• Russell asked Gwen about the robots’ fight, and she said Ghost-Spider had helped defeat Obadiah.
• Russell hired Gwen to manage the reading room and offered her a monthly salary of ten thousand without requiring a contract.
• Gwen negotiated her salary down to three thousand a month and asked Russell to advance her one month’s pay so she could rent a place to live.

Tony Stark and Pepper Potts visited Gwen to thank her for saving them, while Russell gave them privacy by waiting outside the lounge. Tony offered Gwen a reward and Pepper gave her a gift; after they left, Russell invited Gwen to lunch and she teased him for being too perceptive.

• Russell offered Gwen an empty room above the bookstore, and she gladly accepted.
• Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, and Tony’s bodyguard arrived at the bookstore to meet Gwen.
• Pepper thanked Gwen for saving them, while Tony explained how his armor could have handled their attacker and offered Gwen any reward she wanted.
• Gwen said she had no wish to ask for, and Pepper promised her a small gift before chatting with her.
• Russell returned with green tea from a nearby milk tea shop, and Tony and Pepper soon departed.
• Russell invited Gwen to lunch, and she joked that men should not be so smart.

Tony Stark discovered that Russell’s identity was forged and told J.A.R.V.I.S. to keep a slight eye on him and Gwen. Russell and Gwen visited the Smiths’ pizzeria, then went to check on Uncle Smith’s kidnapped granddaughter, with Gwen introducing herself as Ghost-Spider at the door.

• Tony Stark learned that Russell’s records were forged and ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to monitor him and Gwen without intervening.
• Russell drove Gwen to Smith’s Pizza, where they discovered that Mr. and Mrs. Smith had taken them both in when they were short of money.
• Uncle Smith told Russell and Gwen that his friend’s granddaughter had been kidnapped but was safely returned by a mysterious person the previous night.
• Gwen admitted she had been careless, and Russell promised Uncle Smith that he would keep an eye on and protect her.
• Russell suggested visiting the rescued girl and said a friend might help them check her condition.
• Gwen put on her Spider Suit and introduced herself as Ghost-Spider at Miss Smith’s home, asking to come in and examine her.

Russell used coconut water to calm Eileen’s blood thirst and promised her mother he would seek a permanent cure. He and Gwen visited The Ancient One, who said she could help but had one condition.

• Mrs. Smith asked Ghost-Spider and Russell to help Eileen, who had locked herself in her room and gone without food or water.
• Russell broke into Eileen’s darkened room and gave her coconut water, which eased her symptoms and let her fall asleep in Mrs. Smith’s arms.
• Russell reassured Gwen that Eileen’s condition was not her fault and told Mrs. Smith to contact him if anything unusual happened.
• Russell and Gwen went to Yao’s Place, where The Ancient One watched a movie with them in silence.
• After the movie ended, The Ancient One said she knew what had happened, could help, and had one condition.

Russell and Gwen uncovered Deacon Frost’s plan to gather over ten thousand Vampires in New York and persuaded Tony Stark to help stop them. Tony agreed to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D. after learning its agents had begun preparing for the threat.

• Gwen told Russell that more than ten thousand Vampires had gathered in New York, and Russell decided to bring Tony Stark into the investigation.
• Russell and Gwen told Tony about Deacon Frost’s Blood God Descent plan and the danger of a Vampire uprising.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. found S.H.I.E.L.D. records confirming the Vampire threat and reported that S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military already knew about it.
• Nick Fury ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to watch the Vampires and quietly establish a cordon while the military delayed action.
• Tony challenged Nick Fury about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s response, and Coulson persuaded Tony to cooperate and exchange intelligence.

Tony, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the military prepared for a battle against Deacon Frost’s vampire forces as Russell tested the immense gains from his upgraded panel. Meanwhile, Deacon Frost’s ritual transformed him into the Blood God’s apostle, leaving the vampires poised to conquer the planet.

• Coulson reported that Deacon Frost had attacked the vampire elders and gathered thousands of vampires, while Tony revealed the threat could exceed ten thousand and offered Stark Industries’ support.
• Gwen and Russell volunteered to join the battle, and Tony invited them to stay at his home while he prepared Anti-Vampire Armor.
• Russell found that his upgraded panel had raised his attributes to five and increased his Lifespan by 7,600 years, then burned 7,400 years to boost his physique, Perception, and Spirit.
• Deacon Frost began the godhood ritual using Blade’s blood and the twelve controlled Pure-Blood Vampires as sacrifices.
• The Blood God’s power transformed Deacon Frost and bathed the vampires in the hall in divine grace, ordering His apostle to conquer the planet.

Russell, Gwen, Tony, and S.H.I.E.L.D. responded to a ritual summoning the Blood God at the Hall of Eternal Night, where Russell saw a demon approaching through a dimensional passage. The team headed to support Agent Hill while Blade found himself trapped in a far more dangerous fight than expected.

• Nick Fury detected abnormal energy and magnetic fluctuations near the Hall of Eternal Night and connected with Tony Stark and Agent Hill.
• Russell explained that the vampires had performed a ritual to summon an Interdimensional Demon God, and said the Sorcerer Supreme would handle the Blood God.
• Nick Fury arranged a Helicarrier strike while ordering Tony, Gwen, and Russell to support Hill and stop vampires from escaping.
• Tony and Gwen flew toward the site as Russell leaped across rooftops, tested his ability to push off the air, and thought about learning Kamar-Taj's Portal spell.
• Blade reached the altar's center after fighting through enemies, but the battle turned out to be far more dangerous than he expected.

S.H.I.E.L.D. attacked the Hall of Eternal Night, but Blade revealed that Deacon Frost had created a powerful Blood Clan immune to the weapons used against vampires. After the Hall was destroyed and the Blood Clan charged the blockade, Russell, Gwen, and Tony moved to fight them, with Russell charging ahead alone.

• S.H.I.E.L.D. used ultraviolet lamps, garlic extract, and silver bullets to attack vampires around the Hall of Eternal Night while Russell waited to intercept anyone emerging from the tunnels.
• Blade escaped from the Hall of Eternal Night and warned Hill that Deacon Frost's ritual had transformed hundreds of vampires into Blood Clan, who resisted silver, garlic, and ultraviolet light and could regenerate unless exposed to Anticoagulant.
• Hill requested a missile strike on the Hall of Eternal Night, and Nick Fury approved the use of a Jericho Missile.
• The missile destroyed the Hall and killed thousands of untransformed vampires, but nearly a thousand Blood Clan regenerated from their injuries; Russell absorbed energy from the injured creatures and gained more than four hundred Attribute Points.
• Deacon Frost ordered the Blood Clan to attack, and Hill ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. forces to retreat while Russell, Gwen, and Tony advanced against them.
• Gwen discovered that her webbing could temporarily restrain the Blood Clan and suggested weaving a large net, then realized Russell had charged ahead alone.

Russell slaughtered the Blood Clan and discovered that Deacon Frost’s strength came from energy supplied by the Blood God. After The Ancient One urged Russell to keep pressing him, Russell chased down Deacon Frost and began beating him for Lifespan Points while the Blood God paid an enormous cost to keep him alive.

• Russell killed seventy-six Blood Clan members in a minute, breaking their Undying Body and earning Lifespan Points as Nick Fury watched from the Helicarrier.
• Russell pretended to be weaker than Deacon Frost and drew him through the fleeing Blood Clan, quietly telling the others not to interfere.
• The Ancient One told Russell to keep applying pressure, while Russell absorbed some of the Blood God’s energy and found that he could not purify it.
• The Blood God increased Deacon Frost’s strength, but Deacon Frost reached his body’s limit as Russell killed more of the Blood Clan.
• The Blood God ordered Deacon Frost to run, and The Ancient One told Russell to catch him without killing him.
• Russell’s attributes reached sixty-six, and he chased down Deacon Frost for Lifespan Points while the Blood God spent huge amounts of energy repairing him.

Russell, Tony, and Gwen cornered Deacon Frost, but he revealed himself as the Blood God and threatened to empower seven hundred Blood Clan members. Russell discovered he could gain energy by killing the empowered Blood Clan and considered how to exploit the situation.

• Nick Fury ordered Tony and Gwen to support Russell while Hill held the defensive line.
• Tony and Gwen helped Russell stop Deacon Frost, and Russell struck him into the ground with a powerful blow.
• Deacon Frost unleashed the Blood God's power, which could transform living beings into Blood Clan and strengthen the seven hundred gathered around him.
• The Blood God threatened to kill the heroes after strengthening his followers, unless they let him complete his goal and leave their universe.
• Russell tested the energy field by killing one Blood Clan member and gained 184 units of energy, then considered maximizing his gains.
• Nick Fury asked whether Russell could reach the Blood God and kill the other Blood Clan, and Russell paused to weigh his options.

Russell and the others attacked the Blood Clan, and Russell used his Spiritual Power to incapacitate most of them before confronting Deacon Frost. After the Blood God stopped supplying energy and Russell saw how much he had absorbed, the Ancient One told him to finish off the remaining enemies.

• Russell told Nick Fury and the others he could resist the Blood God's Power briefly and proposed attacking Deacon Frost while they covered him.
• Nick Fury ordered the team to stop the Blood Clan from reaching the city, but their attacks failed to overcome the vampires' rapid healing.
• Russell unleashed his Spiritual Power, incapacitating the Blood Clan members outside the Blood God's range, then charged Deacon Frost and struck him with a punch that hurt his body and soul.
• The Blood God appeared in an avatar, stopped supplying energy to Deacon Frost, and Russell noticed that Deacon Frost's healing had slowed.
• Russell checked his Attribute Panel and discovered a vast surplus of energy; the Ancient One then told him to finish the remaining enemies.

The Ancient One bargained with Blood God for permission to inspect Earth, then revealed that the supposed Heart of Eternity was a deception. In New York, Russell sensed the danger and left with his allies, while Blood God realized he had lost and was sent away.

• The Ancient One blocked Blood God from entering Earth, then agreed to let him look in exchange for the energy Blood God had previously sent there.
• Russell and his allies finished containing the Blood Clan in New York, and Blade warned that S.H.I.E.L.D. might misuse the captives.
• The Ancient One brought Blood God to Earth, and Russell recognized him and urged Gwen, Tony, and Blade to leave for safety.
• Blood God attacked the Ancient One, who drew him into the Mirror Dimension and revealed that the Heart of Eternity had been a fake.
• Blood God admitted defeat, and the Ancient One opened a Portal for him to leave.

The Ancient One revealed that he had diverted the Blood God’s true energy into the Mirror Dimension and offered it to Russell if Russell would take his place as Sorcerer Supreme. Russell left without securing his wages, then agreed to attend George Stacy’s Halloween party with Gwen, who hoped to meet this universe’s Helen.

• Russell asked the Ancient One for wages in the Blood God’s energy, and the Ancient One revealed he had secretly diverted a vast reserve into the Mirror Dimension.
• The Ancient One offered Russell the energy if he became Sorcerer Supreme and accepted the burden of protecting the world from magical corruption, but Russell made no decision.
• Russell realized after leaving that the Ancient One had distracted him and failed to pay his wages.
• At Russell’s bookstore, George Stacy from Universe 404 met Gwen Stacy from Universe 65 and recognized her resemblance to Helen.
• Russell agreed that he and Gwen would attend George’s Halloween party, where Gwen hoped to meet Helen from this universe.

Russell refused Coulson’s attempt to recruit him into S.H.I.E.L.D. and went with Gwen to a Halloween party. There, Gwen reunited with Helen, her mother from this world, while Russell gave them privacy and took Tony Stark away.

• Russell accepted Coulson’s identity documents but asked for a green card instead, then declined to discuss joining S.H.I.E.L.D. on his day off.
• Russell and Gwen attended the Halloween party, where Gwen appeared as Ghost-Spider and Russell wore a mage costume.
• Russell gave candy to Little Gwen, who was dressed as Ghost-Spider, and Gwen met the girl’s mother, Helen.
• Helen recognized Gwen as the Gwen from another world, and Gwen embraced her, calling her Mom.
• Russell left Helen and Gwen alone and took the unexpected visitor Tony Stark with him.

Tony visited Russell’s Halloween party and asked whether magic could cure his Palladium Poisoning, so Russell arranged for them to visit the Sorcerer Supreme. Gwen stayed with Helen, and Russell messaged both Gwen and The Ancient One before bed.

• Tony arrived at the Halloween party in his Mark IV armor and explained that S.H.I.E.L.D. had asked him to draw attention away from reports about the events before dawn.
• Tony privately asked Russell whether magic could cure his Palladium Poisoning, and Russell agreed to take him to a mage the next day.
• Russell warned Tony to watch his temper around Master Ancient One, whom he called the Sorcerer Supreme, and Tony reacted skeptically.
• Helen and George discussed how Gwen had been their daughter in another universe, while Gwen told Little Gwen that they were alternate-universe versions of each other.
• Gwen told Russell she was staying at Helen’s, and Russell messaged Gwen and The Ancient One before going to sleep.

Tony met the Ancient One to learn how she had cured Eileen, and she showed him and Russell the universe before agreeing to train them in sorcery. Russell immediately demonstrated extraordinary magical perception and portal-making ability, while Tony began learning the basics at Kamar-Taj.

• Tony questioned the Ancient One about curing Eileen, and she used a palm strike to send his soul out of his body after accounting for the Arc Reactor in his chest.
• The Ancient One sent Tony away, then brought Russell into the Mirror Dimension and showed them the greater universe.
• Tony and Russell asked the Ancient One to teach them, and she gave them Sling Rings and explained how to open Portals.
• Russell used the Sling Ring to perceive Earth and opened Portals to destinations across the world and beyond the Solar System.
• The Ancient One reassured Tony about his potential and told Russell to focus his Spiritual Energy.

The Ancient One explained that Russell could reach Gwen’s universe through the Quantum Realm once six entangled universes were separated, and sent Russell and Gwen to Universe 1610 to resolve the incident. Gwen learned she could travel freely between Earth-65 and Earth-404, said goodbye to the Stacy family, and left with Russell.

• The Ancient One told Russell that Gwen’s universe was entangled with five others and that the group’s central universe was numbered 1610.
• Russell learned that the Ancient One could send him and Gwen to Universe 1610, where another Ancient One would watch over them and help them return.
• Russell visited George’s house, where he and Gwen discussed how he had recognized her as Ghost-Spider.
• Russell told Gwen that the method would let her travel freely between Earth-65 and Earth-404, easing her worry about leaving the Stacy family.
• Helen, George, and Little Gwen planned to write letters to their counterparts, and Russell and Gwen entered the Portal to Universe 1610.

Russell reunited with the Spider-Men after teleporting Spider-Man Noir, Miles, and Pot-bellied Peter out of an ambush. After learning their plan and confirming Peni had copied the needed data, Russell led them to Fisk Tower and swiftly incapacitated Kingpin’s forces, leaving the Spider-Men to deal with the remaining villains.

• Spider-Man Noir, Spider-Ham, and Peni attempted to rescue Miles and Pot-bellied Peter from a trap, but Russell’s Portal unexpectedly teleported them away.
• Russell learned that Kingpin’s Dimensional Collider had connected several universes and that the Spider-Men needed to destroy it; he introduced himself as Mage Spider-Man and revealed his Spider Totem.
• Russell opened a Portal to Kingpin’s office, but Pot-bellied Peter explained that Peni had already copied the data needed to destroy the Collider.
• Russell led the Spider-Men through another Portal to Fisk Tower, where his Spiritual Power knocked out the mercenaries guarding the Collider.
• Russell used precise attacks against the remaining villains while sparing Prowler, then told the Spider-Men to handle whoever was left.