Chapter Summaries

The Fujiwara Family Head faced John Edgar Hoover, who unleashed a darkness scroll to threaten Jian Xiong and Old Wood and draw out Japan’s plans. Minamoto no Yorisetsu intervened, devastated John’s power with a single attack, and left him badly wounded and fleeing.

• John Edgar Hoover questioned the Fujiwara Family Head’s repeated efforts to protect Jian Xiong and Old Wood, while the Fujiwara Family Head suspected John had a powerful trump card.
• John tore a support scroll, plunging the area into darkness and using its power to threaten Jian Xiong and Old Wood.
• Minamoto no Yorisetsu arrived through an Anywhere Door and used her Vajra Pestle to shield Jian Xiong and Old Wood.
• Minamoto summoned the Ox-Head Heavenly King and unleashed Bull King Summons Lightning: Heaven's Net Is Vast, crushing John’s power throughout the darkness.
• John shattered a life-saving accessory and escaped as Minamoto’s attack carved a vast, lava-filled crater into the park.
• Minamoto dismissed the Fujiwara Family Head as superficial and departed through the Anywhere Door.

John Edgar Hoover survived the Genji Empress’s attack and decided to gather US Federal factions against the threat he believed Japan posed. After BOI’s destruction, Caesar and Little John Pierpont Morgan accepted Hoover’s invitations, while European observers assessed the US Federal mission and its participants.

• John Edgar Hoover escaped the Genji Empress’s near-fatal attack and resolved to use the threat to unite the US Federal factions.
• The Supreme Mage sent the group away after they destroyed BOI headquarters, and the participants returned to their separate bases.
• Caesar stripped a Guardian Knight of his status after learning the knight had accepted Hoover’s invitation, then agreed to meet Hoover for information.
• Little John Pierpont Morgan accepted Hoover’s invitation, suspicious of the reason for his outreach.
• Montgomery reviewed footage of Heinz killing a mage and inferred that Europe wanted to draw the US Federal into the conflict.
• De Gaulle volunteered for the dangerous US Federal mission to distract himself from Snow’s impending marriage, while Barbo arrived in Italy as an observer seeking spaghetti.

Hoover revealed that the Sun Country merchants had spread false intelligence and provoked conflict between the factions, then showed evidence of powerful Japanese leaders. The others accepted that the merchants were exploiting the chaos and plotting against them, and they began to connect the scheme to the earlier mission involving Kariel.

• Hoover told Morgan and Caesar that the Sun Country merchants, not BOI, had spread intelligence and might have provoked their earlier conflict.
• Hoover showed footage of himself fighting the Fujiwara Family Head, revealing the man's extraordinary strength.
• Hoover showed Minamoto no Yorisetsu's attack and identified her as the Japanese Emperor's empress and head of the Genji Clan.
• Morgan, Caesar, and the others concluded that Japan might be using European chaos to seize control of East Asia.
• Albert recalled that the Japanese Merchant Consortium had been involved in the Transformers-world mission, and Caesar concluded that they had likely plotted against Kariel.

Caesar, Hoover, Kariel, and their allies agreed to guard against Japan’s hidden strength and prepare for a world-level mission. General Zod then threatened Earth while searching for Clark, whose unease grew after hearing the broadcast.

• Caesar persuaded Battle Angel Kariel to join the alliance against Japan and urged the three sides to send messengers for reinforcements.
• Hoover and Albert agreed that Japan’s overwhelming strength required caution and that their forces might need to activate defensive formations in advance.
• General Swanwick’s systems detected the Kryptonian mothership, and Zod broadcast an ultimatum demanding that Earth deliver Kal-El within three days or be destroyed.
• Clark, Bruce, Arthur, and Steve heard Zod’s broadcast during their meal, and Bruce asked Clark if he was the Kryptonian Zod sought.

Clark revealed his Kryptonian identity and went to meet General Zod, hoping to persuade his people. Bruce, Arthur, and Steve secretly stowed away on Zod’s landing craft as it carried Clark away.

• Clark told Bruce and the others that he was the person Zod was seeking, and insisted that he could handle the meeting himself.
• Jian Xiong rejected the Fujiwara Family Head’s offer, convinced that the man wanted to use him to infiltrate China.
• Clark surrendered to the US Federal military and was questioned alongside Louis while other factions watched the crisis unfold.
• Lex Luthor ordered his researchers to alter cloned flesh masses and program them to kill aliens.
• Fiona arrived at a military base and summoned Clark to General Zod, and Clark boarded her landing craft.
• Bruce stayed behind with Louis while Arthur and Steve used the Anywhere Door and Invisibility to secretly board the craft.

Clark’s weakness aboard the Kryptonian mothership led Arthur and Bruce to intervene, but Steve ultimately rescued them and destroyed the ship. General Zod and Fiona survived and began rescuing the trapped Kryptonians.

• Clark collapsed when the mothership’s Kryptonian environment weakened him, and Zod ordered his officers to extract the Codex’s information from him.
• Arthur appeared and tried to stop the Kryptonians from taking Clark, but a soldier’s strength overwhelmed him.
• Bruce attacked the Kryptonians with Chain Lightning, and Zod and Fiona easily resisted it while the soldiers were temporarily stunned.
• Steve appeared, blasted Zod with Finger of Death, imprisoned the Kryptonians, and teleported Bruce, Arthur, and Clark away from the mothership.
• Steve dismantled the mothership with Disintegration Spell and escaped with the others through an Anywhere Door.
• Zod and Fiona escaped their restraints and began rescuing their trapped subordinates near a smaller ship.

After Steve destroyed the Kryptonian mothership and helped rescue Clark, Zod changed course and began preparing for a prolonged war on Earth. The chapter ended with Zod and his warriors arriving in secret and starting to adapt to the planet’s sun and atmosphere.

• Clark thanked Steve and his brothers for saving him, while Steve admitted that he had fled rather than fight Zod directly.
• Hoover learned that Steve had destroyed the Kryptonian mothership, and Caesar told the coalition that the Supreme Divine Court had received the Lord’s favor.
• Hoover, Caesar, and Little John Pierpont Morgan planned to lure out their hidden enemy while disguising their hostility toward the Kryptonians and pinning the Time-Space Interveners label on the Japanese group.
• Zod abandoned his original rapid invasion plan and ordered his surviving forces to search for the other Kryptonian ships while adapting to Earth.
• Zod, Fiona, and several elite Kryptonian Warriors landed secretly, changed into Earth clothes, and began gaining strength from the sun.

After a month of adapting to Earth and growing stronger, General Zod and the Kryptonians prepared to search for their ship and leave the farm where they had been working. Xu Yue let them go while Diana questioned his plans for the people he had resurrected, and he said he was showing them the truth of the world.

• General Zod criticized the last Kryptonian Warrior to adapt to Earth, then announced that the Kryptonians were ready to search for their nearby ship.
• Zod fixed the farm’s broken harvester with his heat vision and went to say goodbye to Xu Yue.
• Xu Yue welcomed Zod for coffee, and Zod left, promising to return after completing his mission.
• Diana asked Xu Yue why he had allowed the Kryptonians to grow stronger and what he intended for the resurrected people.
• Xu Yue told Diana that he was showing the resurrected people the truth of the world so they could face reality.

General Zod confronted the Kents over Clark’s ship and Codex, then overwhelmed Clark and forced Bruce and Steve to rely on control spells. Caesar and the others arrived as reinforcements, but Fiona punched Caesar into space, leaving the battle still hopelessly outmatched.

• General Zod tracked the Kryptonian ship to the Kents’ farm, and Fiona found it hidden beneath the hay, though the Codex was missing.
• Clark attacked General Zod, but Zod stopped him and smashed him into a crater with a single blow.
• Bruce and Steve used spells to hold back the Kryptonians while King Arthur guarded the Kents, and Steve prepared to retreat.
• Caesar, Little John Pierpont Morgan, the others, and Hoover arrived on a flying carpet after tracking Superman’s magical beacon.
• Fiona punched Caesar into space before he could land, leaving the other newcomers stunned as Clark’s allies remained unable to turn the fight around.

Caesar returned from orbit and warned that the Kryptonians were far stronger than expected, prompting the US Federal side to prepare more reinforcements. Heinz attacked the Adams warlock, who revived with a Soul Stone, while Montgomery and De Gaulle watched and wondered what threat had forced the Supreme Divine Court and the Federation to cooperate.

• Little John Pierpont Morgan ordered the Adams warlock to pull Caesar back, and Caesar reported that the Kryptonians' attacks carried the power of a military formation.
• Caesar urged them to bring Kariel over, but Heinz used an invisible force to drag the Adams warlock to a hill and kill him.
• The Adams warlock revived through his Soul Stone, identified Heinz as the Death Lord, and accused him of conspiring with Japan to disrupt their plans.
• Montgomery and De Gaulle observed the battle without intervening, hoping the Federation and Heinz would weaken each other.
• Montgomery wondered what powerful Reincarnator faction had made the Supreme Divine Court and the Federation join forces.

Diana intervened in Clark and General Zod’s fight, wounding Zod with her enchanted sword and forcing both sides into a wary standoff. As the Reincarnators debated changing sides, a snowflake tornado attacked them, prompting their leader to commit to a war of resources and capital.

• General Zod broke through the restraints, seized Clark, and slammed him into the ground as the spells restraining him weakened.
• Diana arrived beside Zod and struck him with the God-Killer Sword, inflicting magical injuries that forced him to retreat.
• Diana and Zod sized each other up while the Reincarnators questioned whether they had chosen the right side.
• Hoover and the others considered switching to the Kryptonians but decided to wait for a better opportunity.
• Snowflakes formed a tornado around the Reincarnators, but a huge phantom tore it apart.
• Hoover’s group abandoned their hesitation and resolved to rely on their resources and capital against their rivals.

The US Federal’s financial magnates used a Three Talents Military Formation to expose the hidden observers and target Heinz. Heinz answered by deploying an Advanced Military Formation, Reverse Buddha, shattering their formation and splitting the temporary alliance between the Supreme Divine Court and the US Federal.

• Little John Pierpont Morgan, Rockefeller, and Adams deployed a Three Talents Variant Military Formation that protected Caesar, Albert, and Hoover and revealed Minamoto no Yorisetsu, Heinz, Montgomery, De Gaulle, and an unknown observer.
• Albert urged the group to target Heinz, judging that Minamoto no Yorisetsu could escape and that Heinz was the clearest threat.
• Heinz rejected retreating or trading a weaker formation, summoned his hidden subordinates, and instantly deployed the Advanced Military Formation Reverse Buddha.
• The Evil Buddha shattered the Three Talents Military Formation, forcing the US Federal magnates and Supreme Divine Court members to save themselves separately.
• Montgomery recognized that Heinz’s attack had exploited the alliance’s hesitation to commit an equivalent formation, fracturing the temporary team.

The battle over Earth spiraled into confusion as rival factions misread one another’s moves and Montgomery intervened under false pretenses. Meanwhile, Xu Yue prepared the Seven Deadly Sins for release, while Qianza decided she no longer needed to join the fighting.

• Zod and the other fighters halted when the Evil Buddha destroyed a phantom with a single strike, and Superman concluded that the attackers were Time-Space Interveners.
• Superman’s bond favorability dropped below zero, while Hoover tried to keep the Supreme Divine Court and the financial syndicates from turning on each other.
• Montgomery decided to aid Heinz, disguised his intervention as Italy’s support, and attacked the local financial syndicate Coalition Forces.
• Caesar held back from attacking Montgomery, while Little John Pierpont Morgan used a formation to meet the assault.
• Xu Yue isolated Clark’s parents’ farm and fed new information to seven resurrected laborers, whose negative emotions began emerging as the Seven Deadly Sins.
• Qianza watched the melee, praised the efficient double use of a bargaining chip, and decided she did not need to act.

Clark identified the four combatants as Time-Space Interveners, and the heroes joined forces with Zod's Kryptonians to exploit their infighting. Japan and the Supreme Divine Court then revealed powerful formations of their own, escalating the battle.

• Clark explained to Zod that the four figures were Time-Space Interveners whose conflict had disrupted the Kryptonian invasion of Earth.
• Steve urged the Kryptonians to eliminate one of the Interveners while they were distracted, and Diana chose Hoover as the target.
• Zod and Fiona ambushed Hoover as Heinz pressured him, while Caesar declined to intervene on Hoover's behalf.
• Minamoto no Yorisetsu appeared in golden light with a special Advanced Military Formation, prompting Caesar to recognize Japan's move against the other factions.
• Caesar summoned Kariel through a crystal, and Kariel activated the Angel Formation to confront Japan's power.

Minamoto no Yorisetsu and Heinz withdrew after the other factions combined their Advanced Military Formations, leaving the Reincarnators to turn on Superman and the Kryptonians. As they prepared to attack, Xu Yue altered the River of Time, and a golden figure raced upstream toward the present.

• Montgomery stopped fighting Little John Pierpont Morgan and joined him, Caesar, Kariel, and Hoover against Heinz and Minamoto no Yorisetsu.
• Minamoto no Yorisetsu rescued Heinz and vanished with him after their forces were overwhelmed.
• Little John Pierpont Morgan tried to reconcile with Superman, but Clark rejected the offer, and the Reincarnators decided to attack the Kryptonians and claim their bodies.
• Xu Yue received an SS-reward mission and used the River of Time to enforce Superman's future and preserve history in the present.
• A golden figure broke free of the Speed Force space and raced upstream toward the present.

Future Golden Superman intervened when the Reincarnators’ military formations overwhelmed Zod and Fiona, then restored the battlefield and left without killing anyone. Zod agreed to seek peace with Earth, while Lex Luthor secretly collected Zod’s blood to develop a powerful force.

• The Reincarnators and Kariel’s Angel Formation attacked Zod and Fiona with four military formations, leaving them unable to withstand the assault.
• Future Golden Superman appeared, dismantled all four formations, and ordered the Reincarnators to withdraw; they fled after thanking him.
• Golden Superman restored the damaged area, revived the innocent victims, exchanged a nod with Clark, and departed through a tear in the sky.
• Zod and Fiona agreed that Kryptonians could coexist peacefully with Earthlings, and Arthur invited the group to his lighthouse for seafood.
• Lex Luthor arrived at the restored battlefield, collected Zod’s blood, and considered using it to create powerful fighters.

After Clark joined the Daily Planet, Eddie was assigned to interview Life Foundation director Dr. Drake about the crash of its sample-return spacecraft. While staying at his girlfriend Anna’s home, Eddie discovered documents suggesting the foundation had conducted human experiments after the crash, and he realized he had found a major story.

• The Daily Planet’s editor-in-chief introduced Clark to Louis, who recognized him as Superman and welcomed him to the newspaper.
• Eddie mocked Louis about staring at Clark, then received an assignment to interview Dr. Drake and help improve the Life Foundation’s reputation.
• Eddie complained about the assignment to his girlfriend Anna, who advised him to say something positive about the company.
• Eddie noticed an open document on Anna’s computer and found records of unexplained deaths among Life Foundation volunteers.
• Eddie suspected the Life Foundation had been conducting human experiments with samples from its crashed spacecraft and recognized the documents as a major scoop.

Xu Yue visited the Life Foundation as Dr. Drake studied the recovered organisms, then watched Drake’s interview with Eddie turn into an exposé of deadly experiments on homeless people. Xu Yue openly tried to bribe Eddie and had security seize him, leaving Drake to follow Xu Yue while the guards dealt with the reporter and cameraman.

• Xu Yue questioned Dr. Drake about the organisms and encouraged him to seek more funding for the research.
• Dr. Drake and Xu Yue met Daily Planet reporter Eddie, who first asked questions that let Drake present the Life Foundation favorably.
• Eddie confronted Dr. Drake with allegations that homeless people had died in experiments, and Drake’s reaction suggested the accusations were true.
• Xu Yue offered Eddie money on camera, then had security block the exits and took Eddie’s recording pen.
• Xu Yue and Dr. Drake left as the guards confiscated Eddie and the cameraman’s equipment and subdued them.

Xu Yue arranged for Eddie to return to the Life Foundation laboratory by making his arrest seem like a warning and giving him back an access card. As Eddie sneaked inside, Xu Yue discussed a possible partnership between the Life Foundation and the Luthor Group with Drake.

• The police accepted the Life Foundation's planted evidence against Eddie and his cameraman, then released them after Xu Yue declined to press charges.
• Anne blamed Eddie for her firing and their invasion of her privacy, ended their relationship, and left in a taxi.
• Eddie found the returned Life Foundation access card, bought a maintenance uniform, and used the card to slip back into the building toward the laboratory.
• Xu Yue explained to Drake that he had made it easier for Eddie to reach the laboratory by drawing Drake away and letting security grow lax.
• Drake agreed to consider working with the Luthor Group, provided the Life Foundation stayed in the lead.

After Eddie escaped the Life Foundation with Venom, Drake turned to Lex Luthor for help studying the symbiotes. Lex recognized that they were intelligent and proposed communicating with them, taking charge of the research.

• Drake received an alarm that the Life Foundation laboratory had been breached and left Xu Yue to investigate.
• Drake learned that Eddie had escaped with a symbiote, while Dr. Dora concealed her role in deleting the surveillance footage.
• Eddie returned home, was overwhelmed by hunger, and hoped the evidence he recorded would win Anna back.
• Lex Luthor visited the Life Foundation and examined its symbiotes.
• Lex concluded that the symbiotes could communicate and began directing the research, leaving Drake to follow his lead.