Recaps

Li Si attacked the Astral Wanderer but could not break the mage tower’s barrier, and the wanderer’s attempt to control his mind backfired against the mass of humanity’s negative emotions within him. The Astral Wanderer ordered his armies to exterminate all intelligent life on the planet, reasoning that cutting off their emotions would weaken Li Si.

• Li Si charged the Astral Wanderer, resisted Greater Disintegration, and struck his protective barrier without effect.
• The Astral Wanderer used Dominate to invade Li Si’s mind, but the chaotic negative emotions there forced him to sever the connection.
• Li Si recognized the failed mind attack and resumed pounding on the barrier.
• The Astral Wanderer ordered his legions to exterminate every intelligent life-form on the planet.
• The Astral Wanderer concluded that the planet’s intelligent beings supplied the emotions behind Li Si’s strength.

The Astral Nomads launched a devastating assault on Earth's cities, forcing humanity's forces to unite against them while Li Si faced the enemy on the floating continent. Max arrived through the Earth OL achievement exchange system, and Li Si sent him to help defend the forces below.

• The Astral Nomad legions descended on cities near the floating continent, massacring civilians before Earth's armies and Players arrived to fight them.
• Human forces slowed the invasion with missiles and advanced weapons, but powerful Astral Nomad fighters repeatedly broke through their defensive lines.
• Li Si recognized that the Astral Nomads had exploited his lack of preparation, while the enemy mocked the Magnetic Storm Infantry's ability to threaten his legions.
• Humanity's desperate hopes empowered the Lord of the Astral Realm to reopen Earth OL's achievement exchange system, letting Players acquire combat gear and summon Max.
• Max arrived in a massive sphere of ball lightning, greeted Lee Stein, and agreed to handle the Astral Nomad legion below while Lee Stein confronted the enemy on the floating continent.

Max drew power from Earth’s electrical grid while Li Si battered the Astral Nomad’s mage tower, but the Astral Nomad used wish power to overwhelm Li Si’s mind and turn him berserk. As Max struggled to contain him, the Astral Nomad prepared to destroy the astral node and wipe out the planet.

• Max became a vast thundercloud and electrocuted Astral Nomad troops across the battlefield.
• Li Si hammered the mage tower’s barrier until a small crack appeared, enraging the Astral Nomad.
• The Astral Nomad used wish power to drown Li Si’s consciousness in negative emotions, sending him into a berserk rampage.
• Max tried to stop and awaken Li Si, but Li Si shattered Max’s manifested body and kept attacking him.
• The Astral Nomad activated the mage tower and gathered wish power to destroy the astral node, intending to collapse the astral realm and erase the planet.

Lee absorbed the destructive energy aimed at the astral realm, fused with humanity’s collective consciousness, and regained control of himself as Li Si. He destroyed the floating continent and battered the Astral Nomad toward the ground, where his final meteor-like strike wiped out many of the Astral Nomad troops.

• Max tried to stop Lee from firing the energy pillar at the astral realm, but Lee’s berserk body intercepted it and began absorbing its energy.
• The Seven Deadly Sins healed around the pillar, absorbed its power, and transformed as Lee’s consciousness spread through humanity and fused with the collective consciousness.
• Lee regained his clarity as Li Si and drew on humanity’s emotions and strength, declaring that the Astral Nomad should never have attacked Earth’s astral realm.
• Li Si shattered the floating continent and the mage tower, seized the fleeing Astral Nomad, and repeatedly struck him as they fell.
• Li Si hurled himself and the Astral Nomad toward the ground like a meteor, creating a mushroom cloud and wiping out many Astral Nomad troops.

Lee destroyed the Astral Nomads’ forces, returned to the Astral Realm, and challenged Thanos’s plan to kill half the universe. He reunited with Pandora and Gwen, then married them both in a lavish wedding.

• Lee defeated the Astral Nomads and opened a portal back to Marvel Earth in the Astral Realm.
• Lee confronted Thanos, mocked his theory of universal balance, and left him questioning his life’s purpose.
• Lee returned to Stein Tower and reunited with Pandora and Gwen, promising Gwen they would marry the next day.
• Lee and Gwen welcomed Pandora into their relationship, and the three prepared to marry.
• Lee used his influence over the Astral Realm to give Pandora a real body, then married Pandora and Gwen at a grand wedding attended by guests from both Earths.

The author reflected on the novel’s creation, setbacks, plagiarism, and long-delayed completion. He apologized to readers, thanked them for their support, and left open the possibility of returning to write science fiction in the future.

• The author described how he developed the novel’s Marvel Comics and online-game premise after quitting his job to pursue writing.
• The novel began with strong subscription results, but slow updates, anxiety, writer’s block, and the Skull Island arc caused its readership and the author’s confidence to fall.
• The author recounted how another site plagiarized the novel and how he eventually contacted that site’s editor, after which the plagiarist stopped updating.
• The author explained that he had delayed marking the novel complete because he could not let it go, despite the financial costs.
• The author completed the novel, apologized to readers, thanked them, and said he might write black-technology science fiction again.