Chapter Summaries

John and Cortana discovered that the vast underground realm was a peaceful, habitable landscape containing an enormous ancient city. After a mysterious voice invited them into the pyramid temple, John and Cortana headed inside to meet its source.

• Cortana reported that the people in the passage were alive and may have been under hypnosis or mind control, while John continued toward the tunnel’s end.
• John and Cortana emerged into a vast realm with a blue sky, thriving landscapes, animals, and a huge ancient city centered around a pyramid temple.
• The wooden-faced people regained their awareness and were escorted toward the city by armed soldiers who ignored John’s God Body.
• John prepared to attack the giant Anubises guarding the temple, but a deep voice told him not to approach everything with hostility and invited him inside.
• The Anubises moved aside, and John decided to enter the temple with Cortana despite the presence of a heat source larger than their God Body.

John and Cortana met the true Anubis in his temple at the center of Duat. Anubis questioned whether humanity should continue living, and Cortana’s case for humanity left him reconsidering its worth.

• John and Cortana entered the temple and found Anubis, who revealed that the figures outside were copies he had created.
• Anubis said he had allowed them to approach because he wanted to discuss whether humanity needed to keep living.
• Anubis showed them Duat and explained that he judged the dead, then argued that few humans now passed his weighing and that Earth needed cleansing.
• John insisted humanity deserved to survive, citing its unity and determination to build a better future.
• Cortana presented evidence of the UNSC, humanity’s expansion into space, and Umbrella’s work to protect people and the environment.
• Anubis fell silent after Cortana asked him to give humanity a chance, appearing to reconsider his judgment.

John and Cortana persuaded Anubis to give humanity another chance, and he teleported them back above Cairo after lifting the barrier. The chapter ended with Umbrella classifying Anubis as God-class after his attack killed approximately fourteen million people and destroyed Cairo’s landmarks.

• Anubis acknowledged Umbrella’s protection of humanity and, influenced by John’s fearless faith, decided to give humanity another chance.
• Anubis teleported John and Cortana above Cairo, where they saw the barrier had vanished but the city lay devastated and a massive fissure had been sealed.
• John told Cortana he believed Anubis had intended to warn humanity rather than exterminate it, while Cortana lamented the immense death toll.
• John reported the outbreak’s resolution to William and ordered Cortana to send their underground data to the Infinity for analysis.
• Umbrella’s report recorded approximately fourteen million deaths and classified Anubis as God-class, a level above Exafanistei.

William put Yelena to bed, then joined Halsey as she analyzed Anubis and its implications. Halsey concluded that Earth contained several more God-class anomalies, possibly including ancient gods tied to a conflict between Eastern and Western traditions.

• William waited for Yelena to fall asleep, left her room, and went to Halsey's study.
• Halsey worried about William's dangerous frontline operations, and William promised to avoid them unless necessary.
• Halsey told William that data from Anubis had challenged scientists' understanding of Earth and revealed that several Ancient Gods remained.
• Halsey showed William images representing Nuwa and God and proposed that the Ancient Gods had once fought a war.
• Halsey concluded that Earth still held at least several God-class anomalies.

William and Halsey discussed the threat posed by powerful gods and humanity’s evacuation plan, then reviewed a new Mobile Suit project equipped with Phase Shift Armor. Halsey said the Strike could broaden Umbrella’s options but could not defeat a divine body, and William promised to avoid containment operations unless necessary.

• William asked Halsey why Athena was weaker than Anubis, and she said Athena was a fourth-generation Greek god who knew little about the Ancient Gods.
• William and Halsey agreed that Umbrella could evacuate as many people as possible from Earth to its colonies if necessary.
• Halsey showed William the Strike, an 18-meter Mobile Suit designed with Phase Shift Armor and a dedicated Fusion Engine.
• Halsey said the Strike’s prototype would cost around two to three hundred million and could not defeat a divine body.
• William praised Halsey’s work, and she asked him to stop participating in containment operations; he promised to do so unless absolutely necessary.

Halsey showed William Umbrella’s research file on a naturally occurring alloy from Mars that disrupted telekinetic effects and could affect human behavior. After reading its experiments and safeguards, William recognized its resemblance to SCP-148, while Halsey suggested it could help counter mind-affecting or telekinetic anomalies.

• William and Halsey returned to her computer, where she opened the file on Telekinesis Interruption Alloy.
• Halsey explained that Umbrella miners had discovered the natural alloy in Valles Marineris on Mars and that prolonged exposure had temporarily affected their behavior.
• The file described experiments showing that the alloy’s effect on humans reached up to five meters and that hats made from it protected D-Class personnel from FuckoffCult.
• Halsey’s records stated that Umbrella employees who signed the Confidentiality Agreement could work with the alloy, subject to regular psychological examinations.
• William recognized that the alloy resembled SCP-148, and Halsey said it could counter anomalies that affected minds or used telekinesis.

William and Halsey discussed the Telekinesis Interruption Alloy, while Umbrella’s response to the Anubis outbreak and its aftermath was recounted. The story then followed Ivan’s Spartan training on Minos Island, where he encountered Athena after a run.

• William named the Telekinesis Interruption Alloy 148, and Halsey teased him about the designation before they headed to bed.
• Umbrella used Memory Modification to conceal the Egyptian disaster, supported survivors, and told the UNSC that its Spartans had killed Anubis.
• Umbrella distributed 148 equipment to its forces, and no new anomalies were reported during the following three months.
• Ivan completed a fifty-lap run around Minos Island with the Second Batch Spartans.
• After the run, Ivan headed toward the Orbit Station and saw Athena waiting for him.

Athena trained Ivan in staff combat before Kent summoned them to Kenya Base for a containment operation involving a giant man-eating creature near Lake Tana in Ethiopia. Ivan joined the operation to observe and learn, and the chapter ended with the forces advancing toward the anomaly’s sealed-off location.

• Athena sparred with Ivan on the beach, but Ivan redirected her attacks and provoked her by invoking his father’s advice.
• Kent arrived with a team and told Ivan and Athena that a giant man-eating creature had been discovered near Lake Tana in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
• Kent explained that William had assigned him to command the containment operation so Ivan could observe and learn, and they left for Kenya Base.
• At Kenya Base, Kent and Ivan examined a projection of the area as Spartan-II personnel led by Cortana and USS and UBCS troops advanced toward the sealed-off site.

Kent briefed Ivan on the Immortal Giant Lizard’s deadly abilities and Keter-class status while Umbrella’s forces deployed to Lake Tana. Athena and the Spartans landed in the jungle, and Athena ordered the containment operation to begin.

• Kent explained that the Immortal Giant Lizard had killed four agents and 144 civilians, healed rapidly, resisted pulse rounds, and moved with extraordinary speed.
• Kent told Ivan that the creature was classified as Keter and could not be killed, then instructed him to learn from the operation’s deployment.
• Umbrella’s aircraft carried UBCS, USS, and Spartan-II forces toward Lake Tana, where Athena was assigned to lead the Spartans in immobilizing the creature.
• Cortana urged the Spartans to treat the mission as their coming-of-age battle, and Athena led them in jumping from the aircraft.
• Athena landed in the jungle without a parachute, told the Spartans to gather, and ordered the Command Center to begin the Immortal Giant Lizard’s Containment Operation.

UBCS troops and aerial forces attacked the Immortal Giant Lizard, while Athena and the Second Batch Spartans contained it with a spear and specialized nets. The creature remained alive but immobilized as Kent dispatched a transport formation, and Athena reflected that William still had a long way to go.

• UBCS Beta Team found the Immortal Giant Lizard and drew it toward an open area six hundred meters west of their position.
• Vulture craft and Viking Fighters bombarded the lizard, which regenerated its wounds and grew bone armor.
• Athena pierced the lizard's head with her Golden War Spear, and titanium-fiber hunting nets restrained it.
• Athena ordered the Second Batch Spartans to secure the perimeter while Cortana requested transport from Kent.
• Kent reported that a transport formation would arrive in fifteen minutes, and Athena thought William still had a long way to go.

After Athena’s forces contained the Immortal Giant Lizard, Kent directed its recovery and transport while teaching Ivan how to coordinate specialized units. Days later, William visited the Endless’s research bay to check on the Strike prototype, where Halsey was discussing the project with researchers.

• Kent dispatched transport and recovery units, then explained to Ivan how the forces’ different capabilities had supported the containment operation.
• Kent reported that the Olympus Board approved Spartan-I support, and the Immortal Giant Lizard was transported to the Containment Center beside a black hole.
• The containment procedures restricted access to the creature, and Halsey rejected proposed experiments because of their unknown risks.
• On August 20, 2015, William, Hunk, and the Alphas entered the Endless’s research bay to see the eighteen-meter Strike prototype.
• William approached Halsey, who was discussing the Strike project with researchers, intending to ask about its progress.

William approved a test flight for Umbrella’s MS-X101 Assault prototype, which Cortana piloted successfully from the Infinity. The test results led Umbrella to begin production planning, with the prototype still requiring combat evaluation before mass production was fully confirmed.

• William approved the MS-X101 test flight and told Halsey and the researchers to prepare the prototype.
• Cortana entered the cockpit and launched the Assault from the Infinity after Serena cleared its departure.
• Cortana activated the PS Armor and completed a series of flight tests outside the ship.
• William watched the successful test and decided to ask Halsey to design a specialized unit.
• Umbrella’s report stated that it would begin producing Assault units in September 2015, with an initial order of twenty for General Ostrovsky’s fleet, subject to combat testing.

William reviewed plans for Umbrella to develop Assault-type MS units for the UNSC, then prepared to visit Minos with Halsey and Yelena. Halsey suspected SCP-682 was only a three-dimensional shell of a being whose true body existed in another dimension.

• William read the Assault-type MS archives and considered the UNSC’s past attempts to modify a Thor mecha and Umbrella’s plans to develop exclusive MS units for the UNSC.
• William reviewed SCP-682’s containment file and wondered how his son Ivan was doing after several months away.
• Halsey brought Yelena to see William, and Yelena admitted she missed Ivan and wanted to visit him at Minos.
• William asked Serena to prepare the Phantom for a trip to Earth while Fleet Zero continued its patrol under Serena’s direction.
• Aboard the Phantom, Halsey said she had handed the UNSC MS design work to the research team and suggested that SCP-682’s visible form was a three-dimensional shell of a being in another dimension.

William and Halsey set aside work to plan a family trip to Europe, while Andre visited Ivan on Minos Island. William, Halsey, and Yelena arrived at the island, where Andre greeted William with an accusation about neglecting his son.

• William and Halsey agreed to keep dangerous Containment Objects secured and planned to travel through Europe after picking up Ivan.
• The Phantom returned to Earth, and Andre gave the Second Batch Spartans a lecture on containment before dismissing them for the day.
• Andre privately checked on Ivan, who assured him that he was being well cared for on Minos Island.
• A USS guard informed Andre that William and Halsey were arriving, so Andre took Ivan and Athena to the landing pad.
• William landed with Halsey and Yelena, and Andre greeted him by asking if he had finally remembered he had a son.

William reunited with Andre and brought his family from Minos to Venice for a vacation after promising Ivan would stop the training until he came of age. At St. Mark’s Square, Ivan noticed a girl while the family visited the cathedral.

• Andre confronted William for leaving Ivan in training on Minos, and William promised Ivan would not train again before turning eighteen.
• Yelena charmed Andre into taking her to the beach, while Halsey asked Ivan to stop the training and William announced their trip to Venice.
• Athena thanked William for letting Ivan train with her and Kent, and William’s family left Minos aboard the Phantom.
• William gave Umbrella employees large bonuses and covered travel expenses for the Phantom’s crew in Venice.
• That evening, the family toured St. Mark’s Square and entered the cathedral, where Ivan’s attention settled on a girl.

William took Halsey, Yelena, and Ivan to St. Mark's Basilica, where Ivan noticed a red-haired girl dressed as a nun surrounded by solemn monks. As the monks escorted her toward the Golden Altar, Ivan sensed something was about to happen and urged William to leave for another attraction.

• William bought four tickets to St. Mark's Basilica after the ticket seller pointed out that the children needed tickets too.
• Yelena admired the church's paintings while Halsey told her about Christianity, and William encouraged the gloomy Ivan to smile more.
• Ivan spotted a green-eyed, red-haired girl in a nun's habit surrounded by solemn monks, and she glanced back at him before entering the church.
• William's family admired the basilica's lavish Golden Altar, and Halsey and Yelena asked William to take them shopping for jewelry.
• Ivan watched the monks escort the girl toward the Golden Altar, sensed trouble, and whispered to William that they should choose another attraction.

William used Super Speed to escape St. Mark's Basilica with Halsey and Yelena after armed men attacked, while Ivan stayed behind to protect a mysterious girl. William reached the port and discovered Ivan was missing as Umbrella forces deployed toward Venice.

• Ivan pointed out the monks and red-haired girl, and William ordered his family to leave while alerting Cortana and the Venice agents.
• Armed men attacked St. Mark's Basilica, killing visitors and monks as they moved toward the girl.
• William activated Super Speed, carried Halsey and Yelena out of the basilica, and ran to the port.
• Yelena clung to William in fear, and Halsey asked where Ivan had gone after he failed to appear.
• Ivan recognized the girl as a likely anomalous phenomenon and charged at an armed man to stop her abduction.

Ivan rescued a frightened girl from armed men attacking a church, then Umbrella forces evacuated them to a military base near Athens. During the girl's interrogation, William and Halsey learned that the attackers were linked to an ancient church called the Star of Light.

• Ivan defeated the armed men in the church with his super strength and speed after discovering their titanium-alloy armor resisted rifle fire.
• Ivan comforted the girl, who clung to him when Drop Pods landed outside the church.
• Helljumpers arrived, treated the injured travelers, and escorted Ivan and the girl out of the area.
• At Umbrella's military base near Athens, the girl remained too frightened to answer the researcher's questions.
• Cortana told William and Halsey that the attackers belonged to the Star of Light, a church with records dating back to the twelfth century and immense resources.

William ordered the company to prioritize investigating the Star of Light church after learning it had advanced equipment and surgically modified soldiers. Ivan took over questioning Hia and learned she had grown up in the church and was meant to be sacrificed as a witch.

• Cortana reported that the Star of Light's Armed Cultists had advanced equipment and bodily modifications, prompting William to make the church the company's priority target.
• Halsey told William that the church's modified soldiers were likely a small elite force and that Ivan's victory had cost it dearly.
• Ivan reassured Halsey that he was coping with killing the Armed Cultists and asked to question Hia himself.
• Ivan introduced himself to Hia, who told him that Deacon Barret and the monks had tried to help her escape from the church.
• Hia revealed that she was called a witch and was to be sacrificed to the God of Light.

Ivan questioned Xia about her past and discovered that she could create fire by speaking an incantation. Halsey suspected the Star of Light Church had limited Xia’s power by shaping her beliefs, and William assigned Ivan to protect her.

• Xia demonstrated a fire spell for Ivan and explained that fear had made her forget the incantation when the Armed Cultists tried to capture her.
• Xia told Ivan that she had grown up confined in the church and was meant to be sacrificed, then wept while recalling Deacon Barret, who had encouraged her.
• In the observation room, Halsey speculated that the Star of Light Church had restrained Xia’s imagination and warned that her emotions must not become too agitated.
• Xia told Ivan she had lived in a castle surrounded by forests and escaped with Deacon Barret and other priests by speedboat.
• Xia asked Ivan not to leave her alone, and William entered the Interrogation Room and ordered Ivan to protect her.