Chapter Summaries

Josh revived Sop and the other fallen soldiers, then brought Price back after he died defeating Makarov. Price learned that Josh wanted the group as bodyguards in other worlds, and Josh restored his youth before preparing to take them with him.

• Josh revived Sop and the Sandman Trio, who joined Gaz, Griggs, Ghost, and Roach as his rescued soldiers.
• Yuri died blocking Makarov’s shot, and Price killed Makarov by hanging him from a cable.
• Price died after defeating Makarov and encountered his revived comrades, who explained Josh’s plans.
• Josh told Price he wanted the soldiers as bodyguards and helpers in other worlds, including the Marvel Universe.
• Josh restored Price’s youth, then explained that he had learned English while teaching at Dumbledore’s academy.

Josh brought nine soldiers from another world to work as his bodyguards, then Coulson returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. and told Fury about the war, the nuclear explosion, and Josh’s powers. Fury was left alarmed by the scale of Josh’s abilities.

• Josh returned with Price, Sop, Sandman, and six other soldiers, and the newcomers agreed to work for him as bodyguards.
• Tony arranged housing and Coulson volunteered to handle the soldiers’ identities while Josh showed them around the church and the city.
• Coulson hurried back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters and told Fury that Josh had frozen their world’s time while they spent months in another world.
• Coulson recounted the nuclear explosion that killed thirty thousand soldiers, Tony’s rescue, and Josh’s revival of the dead soldiers.
• Fury comforted Coulson, considered counseling for his war trauma, and worried about Josh’s ability to control time and revive the dead.

Josh settled the nine newcomers into their new lives, learned why his time-controlling magic failed in the Marvel Universe, and spent his days exploring with Natasha and his new bodyguards. The chapter ended with Tony inviting Josh to a charity gala at Disney Music Hall and saying he would be waiting there.

• Coulson delivered identities and documents to the nine newcomers, while Tony bought them an apartment building and gave them spending money.
• Josh tested his new time-controlling magic with Master Ancient One, who explained that the Marvel Universe’s higher world level made the spell ineffective.
• Josh decided to focus on stabilizing his strength and took Natasha around town, accompanied by Price, Sop, and Gaz.
• Josh told Price, Sop, and Gaz that their world was a game and that he had visited other worlds, including Middle-earth.
• Tony called Josh and invited him to a charity gala at Disney Music Hall, then said he would be waiting for him there.

Josh agreed to attend Tony's gala with Natasha and his bodyguards, taking them to the Kingsman world to obtain formalwear and equipment. At the venue, Tony said he had passed his tests and was now watching the final target to see what he was really up to.

• Josh decided to attend the gala after Natasha said she wanted to see what a ball was like.
• Josh took Natasha and the bodyguards to the Kingsman world, where Harry Hart made them formalwear and sold them equipment.
• Josh contacted Price and the others, then led the group to Disney Music Hall.
• Tony greeted Josh at the entrance and admired the clothes they had bought in another world.
• Josh asked Tony about his tests, and Tony said he had figured out how to recover the weapons division's losses, was making progress with magic, and was watching the final target.

Josh watched Tony’s carelessness let Obadiah Stane build armor and steal an Ark Reactor, then learned Akathosh had reached Seventh Tier and could help conceal Josh’s magical fluctuations. Akathosh gave Josh the depleted gemstone and told him their contract would let him use it despite not being a dragon.

• At Tony Stark’s party, Tony told Josh he had figured out the real mastermind, and Josh later saw Coulson greet them respectfully.
• Days later, explosions and a red Iron Man Armor interrupted Josh and Natasha, so Josh called Tony and learned Obadiah Stane had stolen an Ark Reactor and built his own armor.
• Tony refused Josh’s offer of help and went to confront Obadiah, while Josh accepted that events had returned to their original course.
• Akathosh emerged from Josh’s Dimensional Space and revealed that the gemstone had let him advance to Seventh Tier and that he could make something to conceal Josh’s magical fluctuations.
• Akathosh gave Josh the dimmed gemstone and explained that their contract would allow Josh to use it even though he was not a dragon.

Josh tried to absorb Akathosh’s gemstone power, but it collided with the silver Void elements inside him and began destroying his body. As Josh neared death, he thought of one last possible way to respond.

• Josh decided to channel the power in Akathosh’s gemstone into his body while Natasha stood guard.
• The gemstone unleashed a terrifying surge of power that shook the world, alarming the Ancient One, Fury, Odin, and countless others.
• Josh successfully drew Akathosh’s power into himself, but it clashed violently with the silver Void elements already inside him.
• The collision destroyed Josh’s magic sea and organs, leaving him unable to control the energy or stop it from advancing toward his heart and brain.
• As Josh began to lose consciousness, he thought of one last thing to try.

With his magic sea destroyed and volatile void magic threatening to kill him, Josh used Akathosh’s world-rules blueprint to restrain the energies with his spiritual power. After completing the final connection and passing out, he left the magic quiet and fusing inside him as his damaged organs began to heal.

• Josh recalled the world-rules blueprint Akathosh had analyzed and used it to arrange the scattered magic energies inside him.
• Josh’s construction of nodes and curves slowed the rampaging magic, while Akathosh discovered the danger and told Natasha what had happened.
• Natasha fainted after seeing blood pour from Josh’s seven orifices, and Akathosh regretted pushing Josh to absorb the power.
• Josh continued connecting the blueprint’s curves as his spiritual power dwindled and the magic remained restrained.
• Josh connected the final curve to its node and passed out; the energies quieted, fused into a pale golden-silver vortex and sphere, and began repairing his organs.

Josh woke after nearly half a month unconscious and discovered that, despite losing his mana sea, his body had been restored and transformed. After accidentally summoning a meteor with overwhelming magic, he was left wondering what had happened to him.

• Natasha told Josh that he had been unconscious for almost half a month and that most of his body had been destroyed before he recovered.
• Garen and the others visited Josh, and Josh confronted Akathosh for causing his near-death ordeal.
• Josh punched Akathosh hard enough to injure him, then discovered he could sense the dragon’s magic despite believing he had lost his own.
• Josh examined his inner world and found a pale golden-silver vortex with a sphere containing Void power and an unknown power.
• Josh tried casting a simple spell, summoned a meteor that replaced the sunlight with an apocalyptic scene, and quickly canceled it.

Josh discovered that although his magical sea had vanished, he could still wield immense magic after engraving the world's laws into his body with Void Power. Akathosh explained that Josh's body had evolved to Ninth Tier, but his brain and heart limited him to roughly Eighth Tier strength.

• Josh used a spell that nearly summoned a meteorite large enough to destroy New York, despite believing he had lost his magic.
• Josh asked Akathosh to examine his memories and explain how he had survived the destruction of his organs.
• Akathosh saw that Josh had engraved a blueprint of the world's laws into his body using Void Power, and concluded that luck had helped him survive.
• Akathosh explained that new energy had repaired Josh's organs, leaving only his heart and brain damaged.
• Akathosh compared Josh's body to a Ninth Tier gaming computer with an underpowered processor and power supply, limiting Josh to around Eighth Tier strength.

Josh learned that Void Power and Akathosh’s power had rebuilt his body and created a new magic-power vortex, raising his body and magic power to the Ninth Tier while limiting his usable strength to the Eighth Tier. He evolved his Seraph to peak Ninth Tier, but lost control and exposed it to a crowd in the street.

• Akathosh examined Josh’s memories and explained that the fused powers had destroyed and reforged his body, replacing his sea of magic power with a vortex.
• Josh learned that his brain and heart could not handle Ninth Tier power, so he could only unleash Eighth Tier strength.
• Akathosh asked about Josh’s Seraph, and Josh summoned it, evolving it into a towering armored form with feet and wings of light.
• Josh and Akathosh assessed the Seraph’s peak Ninth Tier strength and its limited endurance, while Josh acknowledged he still lacked knowledge and true evolution.
• Josh’s loss of control shattered Dimensional Space, revealing the enormous Seraph to a street full of onlookers, and Akathosh scolded him.

Josh watched the public reaction to the Seraph he had created and discussed his training and plans with Garen and Natasha. He planned to use the quiet period before Iron Man 2 to pursue Watch Dogs and the bald professor, while Garen suggested forming the Illuminati.

• Josh watched people and Vatican officials on television mistake his Seraph for an angel and reflected on the crowds now visiting the Secret Ones Alliance's church.
• Natasha and Garen arrived and reminded Josh that Akathosh wanted him to train and stabilize his power.
• Josh recalled how Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. had recognized him as the Seraph, been subdued by Price and the other guards, and thrown out of the church.
• Garen joked that Josh's meteorite and Seraph incidents had overshadowed Tony's Iron Man reveal, while Josh and Garen discussed Garen's progress to the Sixth Tier.
• Josh said he intended to pursue Watch Dogs and the bald professor rather than wait for Iron Man 2, and Garen suggested recruiting Mister Fantastic, Batman, and Aquaman to form the Illuminati.

Josh decided to travel to the Days of Future Past mutant world to find mutants and obtain X-Gene for his bodyguards. Before leaving, he chose to go to Chicago and bring Big Dog Brother along.

• Josh rejected Garen's idea of forming an Illuminati because the Secret Ones Alliance already filled that role.
• Josh planned to bring Natasha, Garen, and his bodyguards to a mutant world to acquire X-Gene and improve their abilities.
• Josh chose Days of Future Past because its Professor X had endured enough to change, and Josh could recruit mutants from other worlds as well.
• Josh told Garen they would go to Chicago first so he could take Big Dog Brother to a mutant world and shock him.

Josh and his companions entered a Chicago human trafficking center after Red Queen tracked Aiden Pearce, the vigilante hacker, to the area. Josh ordered his bodyguards to destroy the operation, spare only its main culprit, and capture Aiden.

• Josh explained to his bodyguards that they were in the Watch Dogs world and learned that Red Queen had located Aiden Pearce monitoring someone's phone.
• Red Queen identified the person Aiden was watching as auctioneer Joshua Kremer, and Josh realized Aiden had already become a vigilante.
• Josh followed Red Queen's directions with his companions to a secluded Chicago street concealing a human trafficking center.
• Josh controlled the entrance guard and led the group inside, where Price saw trafficked women and asked what they should do.
• Josh ordered Price and the others to wipe out the center, spare its main culprit, and capture Aiden Pearce.

Aiden Pearce entered a human-trafficking base to rescue Maurice’s wife, but Price’s elite team disarmed him and swiftly cleared the building first. After capturing Aiden and leaving Joshua Kremer alive, the team met Josh and two other young people, leaving Aiden unsure whether the military planned to recruit or arrest him.

• Aiden scouted the trafficking base, entered it, and used ctOS to unlock its gate.
• Price’s team caught Aiden, took his phone and weapons, and ordered Ghost to eliminate the guards while they secured Joshua Kremer.
• Price’s team stormed the office, killed everyone except Joshua, and Aiden watched in shock as they confirmed the area was clear.
• Price shot Joshua in the thigh, ordered Red Queen to call the police and send Joshua’s information, then led the team away with Aiden in custody.
• The group met Josh and two other young people in the alley, and Josh praised the soldiers before greeting Aiden.

Josh met Aiden after the events of Aiden’s revenge story had already concluded and offered him work, but Aiden feared for his family and refused. Josh demonstrated that he could retrieve the dead as souls and promised to restore Aiden’s loved ones once their DNA was found for cloning.

• Josh learned from Aiden that Quinn and Damian Brenks were dead, realizing that Aiden’s story had already ended.
• Josh offered Aiden a job and threatened to reunite his family with the dead whether Aiden accepted or refused.
• Aiden agreed under pressure, but Josh clarified that he did not intend to kill him or his family.
• Josh opened a Hell Gate and pulled out the souls of people Aiden knew, including Clara and Lena.
• Josh explained that Aiden needed to find their DNA so their bodies could be cloned, and introduced himself as a mage.

Josh explained the difference between mages and gods to Aiden, then brought him and his companions through a portal into the X-Men world. They arrived as the mutants were nearly finished and encountered Wolverine after Price and his team killed a group of tire thieves.

• Josh told Aiden that mages were travelers on the path to becoming gods and recruited him before taking him through a portal.
• Josh gave Aiden a Red Queen subprogram to help him understand the new world.
• Josh and his companions arrived near the border of the X-Men world, where Josh said the mutants were almost finished.
• Price, Sop, and Gaz killed the men who shot an old man while stealing tires from his Lincoln.
• Wolverine stood confused among the bodies and asked who Josh's group were.

Josh and his companions found an aged, weakened Logan and sought Charles Francis Xavier, claiming they could cure his dementia. Logan distrusted them, but Josh demonstrated his magic and restrained him, leaving Logan stunned by the offer.

• Logan recognized Josh's group as dangerous former soldiers and challenged them after they said he was nearing the end of his life.
• Josh healed Logan's bullet wound with magic, and Logan asked whether Josh was a mutant.
• Josh said he had come to find Charles, but Logan denied knowing where the Professor was.
• When Logan tried to leave, Josh used magic to suspend him in the air and insisted he wanted to solve problems, not cause them.
• Josh offered to cure Charles's dementia, leaving Logan speechless.

Josh forced Logan to reveal Charles's location, then teleported to the frail, dementia-stricken Professor X and used golden energy from Alexios's scepter to treat him. The chapter ended as Josh’s psychic power awakened Charles.

• Logan refused to reveal Charles's location, but Josh forcibly controlled him into disclosing it.
• Logan mistook Josh and his elite soldiers for government agents targeting mutants, while Josh explained that he had come to solve a problem.
• Josh teleported with Logan and his group to Charles's dilapidated attic, where Logan shielded the ailing old man.
• Josh used a Silence Spell to stop Logan from interrupting, drew golden energy from Alexios's scepter, and sent a small thread of psychic power into Charles's brain.
• Charles opened his eyes as Josh's psychic power awakened him.

Josh Augustus awakened Charles and offered him and Logan a chance to build a new future by working for him in another timeline or universe. Charles agreed to hear more after Josh blamed his leadership for the mutants’ decline, and Josh introduced himself as a wizard from a distant world.

• Charles awoke with his clarity restored and asked Josh to release Logan, whom Josh freed from his magic.
• Josh told Charles he was not a mutant and asked how Charles viewed the future of mutants.
• Charles admitted he could see no future, and Josh criticized his past leadership and peaceful approach.
• Josh offered to take Charles to the past or a parallel universe if he worked for him, and said he could resurrect up to five dead mutants.
• Charles asked who Josh was, and Josh introduced himself as Josh Augustus, a wizard from a distant world.

Josh brought Professor Charles and Aiden together to work on a psychic-powered network, then offered Logan a chance to leave the mutant-targeting world with him. He prepared Logan’s healing ability as serum for his nine bodyguards, who were told to inject it and adapt to their new powers.

• Josh explained his resurrection method to Charles by opening a Hell Gate and showing him the souls of people connected to him.
• Josh tasked Aiden with building a network using psychic power, with Charles and Red Queen to help him.
• After Charles recovered, Caliban left, while Logan learned that a genetic drug targeting mutants—not Adamantium poisoning—had caused his decline.
• Logan agreed to leave with Josh and voluntarily gave him blood so Josh could obtain his healing ability for his bodyguards.
• Akathosh created nine doses of Logan’s healing serum, and Josh gave them to Price and the other bodyguards to inject.