Chapter Summaries

He Shenyan prepared magical safeguards in Bilgewater ahead of Soul Eater Night, which threatened to spread the Black Mist across the world. He met Sarah Fortune and agreed to help her once, telling her to put her feud aside until the danger passed.

• He Shenyan placed a magical rune on Bilgewater’s cliffs and sent pale blue magic to the island’s peak as preparations for Soul Eater Night.
• He Shenyan confronted Sarah Fortune, who had followed him, and told her to put on a coat because of the cold.
• Sarah Fortune revealed that she intended to kill her enemy, who had been involved with the Buhr priestess.
• He Shenyan told Sarah Fortune to rest and conserve her strength, promising to help her once and urging her to postpone her grudge until after Soul Eater Night.

Illaoi confronted the badly wounded Gangplank after he begged her to help him reclaim Bilgewater from Miss Fortune. She subjected him to Naga Kaboros’s trial, leaving his fate unresolved as Soul Eater Night approached.

• A Serpent Caller told Illaoi that Gangplank had been brought to the Buhr temple.
• Illaoi found Gangplank injured and furious, and he blamed Miss Fortune for sinking his ship and killing his men.
• Gangplank pleaded for Illaoi to rally the pirates and help him take back Bilgewater, but she offered him only a canoe.
• Illaoi dismissed the clergy and began a trial, drawing Gangplank’s illusory soul out with Naga Kaboros’s tentacles.
• Gangplank screamed as visions of his past appeared, while Illaoi left without watching the trial continue.

He Shenyan discovered a curse fragment in a sea beast that was set to unleash an undead creature before Soul Eater Night. Sarah Fortune prepared to fight the coming undead with her crew, despite Riven warning her against it.

• He Shenyan created a wind spirit and sent it into a slaughtered sea beast, where it retrieved a glowing shard.
• He Shenyan recognized the shard as a curse fragment that would summon an undead creature craving flesh and blood that night.
• Sarah Fortune told Riven she would not let Soul Eater Night take Bilgewater after they had driven Gangplank from power.
• Riven and Sarah's crew insisted on joining the fight, and Sarah ordered them to prepare explosives and cannons.
• Riven reminded Sarah of the man they had encountered the previous night, and she found herself thinking about him again.

He Shenyan confronted Thresh after the undead captured Mina and her child, then trapped Thresh in an endless punishment tailored to his own cruelties. He freed the souls from Thresh’s lantern and agreed to help one lingering Light Spot.

• Thresh abducted Mina’s child, used her dead husband’s face to deceive her, and trapped both their souls in his lantern.
• He Shenyan approached Thresh with a green shard, and Thresh was dragged into a void where the elder of his former order condemned him.
• Thresh’s victims repeatedly killed and revived him, subjecting him to the pain and torment he had inflicted on others.
• He Shenyan opened and crushed Thresh’s lantern, releasing the imprisoned souls, including Mina, her child, and a hunched man.
• A larger Light Spot lingered beside He Shenyan, and he agreed to see its request through.

He Shenyan entered Bilgewater’s black mist and discovered that the undead were animated by a reversed blessing, not necromancy. He destroyed Hecarim and began to vanish from the mist’s world, leaving the dockworkers and their families outside.

• Dockworkers including Hark prepared to face the approaching black mist while their families watched from inside their homes.
• As the black mist reached the streets, Yada spotted He Shenyan standing before it, and golden flames erupted around him.
• He Shenyan entered the mist’s cursed wasteland and found that his magic could dissolve the undead’s curse.
• He Shenyan burned Hecarim, silenced the other undead, and forced the knight to relive his betrayal and slaughter through his golden gaze.
• He Shenyan shattered Hecarim’s skull and began erasing his presence from the world inside the black mist.

During Soul Eater Night, Olaf fought the undead swarming the slaughter docks and discovered his True Ice axes could destroy them. In Bilgewater, Sarah Fortune and Riven sheltered at Pickpocket Plaza as the black mist engulfed the city, and Sarah fired into it.

• Olaf watched the undead tear apart ships at the harbor and rejected a sailor’s attempt to reassure him.
• Olaf struck an undead creature with his True Ice axes and found that the blow destroyed it.
• Olaf charged into the mist, retrieved his thrown axe, and fought through the undead despite their wounds.
• Sarah Fortune and Riven stayed with their men at Pickpocket Plaza as Soul Eater Night devastated Bilgewater.
• Sarah thought of the man she trusted, fired her pistol into the black mist, and made the ghosts and monsters scream.

Sarah and his crew fought the undead during Soul Eater Night as He Shenyan protected civilians from the Black Mist. As dawn approached, Viego mourned Isolde, while Lucian found a human figure appearing from the light of Senna’s pistol.

• Sarah and his crew fought the undead in Pickpocket Plaza, and Riven saved Sarah from a diving specter before the Black Mist gathered into a massive shadow.
• He Shenyan struck undead with golden lightning and explained that Black Wolf could not claim their souls while the Black Mist remained; he waited for daybreak to act.
• Viego sat on his ruined throne, grieving over his lost memories of Isolde and dismissing the deaths of Thresh and Hecarim.
• Olaf fought through the Black Mist while a Freljordian captain explained that Olaf sought an epic death because his tribe’s diviner had foretold he would die peacefully.
• Lucian destroyed a spectral horse with a silver nail and lamented that he had not found Thresh; Senna’s pistol then shone, and a human figure appeared before him.

Illaoi left the temple to confront Soul Eater Night, while He Shenyan summoned Naga Kaboros’s power and set the city’s people and sea beasts against the undead. He Shenyan learned why Viego sent the Black Mist into the world and then summoned Viego himself.

• Illaoi assured the refugees that Naga Kaboros protected them and declared she would be the first to resist Soul Eater Night.
• He Shenyan raised the God-Idol, unleashed Naga Kaboros’s power, and caused stones to destroy undead so thoroughly that their souls vanished.
• He Shenyan summoned fifteen of Naga Kaboros’s Scions and gave Illaoi a horn, challenging her to command the sea beasts against the undead and Black Mist.
• Viego learned that thousands of undead had truly died and lamented that mortals could now resist his search for Isolde.
• He Shenyan captured an undead servant, learned that Viego spread the Black Mist to find Isolde’s shattered soul, and dismissed the servant.
• He Shenyan summoned Viego with a golden Thunderbolt and greeted him as he appeared with his sword.

He Shenyan ended Bilgewater’s Soul Eater Night and later gave the Emperor a memory fragment containing advanced technology. After noticing an unexpected flag on a satellite above the Earth he had been tasked with saving, He Shenyan decided to return and investigate.

• He Shenyan emerged from the black mist after killing Fyego, took the Blade of the Ruined King, and watched Bilgewater begin to recover.
• The Soul Eater Night ended, and some witnesses who had seen golden lightning began worshiping a new religion.
• He Shenyan gave the Emperor a memory fragment containing over a thousand kinds of black technology, then rejected his offer to command an Imperial fleet.
• He Shenyan asked about the four Primarchs, and the Emperor said he had given them no assignments because they lacked Legions.
• He Shenyan showed the Emperor the Earth he had been asked to save and spotted a satellite bearing both Stark Industries’ logo and a red flag with stars.
• He Shenyan decided to return to that Earth, while the Emperor went back to tending his wheat beneath the Throne.

After Soul Eater Night, Sarah Fortune questioned what she had witnessed as Illaoi arrived with news that the messenger of Naga Kaboros had ended the annual threat. Illaoi collapsed from exhaustion, then joked with Riven before falling asleep.

• Sarah Fortune sat in Pickpocket Plaza and reflected on the strange events of Soul Eater Night while Riven sharpened his cutlass.
• Illaoi told Sarah that Naga Kaboros saw great potential in her and urged her to seek her true self, but said the time for Sarah’s trial had not come.
• Sarah described seeing a flying figure scatter fluorescent light on the mountaintop, and Illaoi recognized him as the messenger of Naga Kaboros.
• Illaoi announced that Soul Eater Night had ended and that Bilgewater’s people no longer needed to seek refuge at the temple.
• Illaoi collapsed from exhaustion, then punched Riven for disrespecting Naga Kaboros before falling asleep.

Tony Stark went fishing at Van Cortlandt Park and rescued a strange silver-haired girl after she disappeared into the lake. The girl appeared unharmed and asked him to grill her a fish, leaving Tony wary as he realized she was not human.

• Tony drove his McLaren out of New York to fish after refusing Rhodey's invitation to play mahjong.
• Tony spotted a silver-haired girl fishing at Van Cortlandt Park and saw her vanish into the lake.
• Tony called for a medical drone and dove into the lake to search for the girl.
• Tony surfaced and found the girl sitting on shore with a fish, completely dry-haired despite being soaked.
• Tony formed a small piece of armor and cautiously asked the girl what she was.
• The girl corrected Tony and said that he should ask who she was, confirming his suspicion that she was not human.

Tony met Merlois, a Nymph and Lady of the Lake, who recognized He Shenyan as the Black-Robed Mage protecting him. After reuniting with He Shenyan, Merlois asked him for help, and the lake began to boil as she prepared to explain.

• Tony learned that the girl by the lake was Merlois, a Nymph searching for someone.
• Merlois recognized He Shenyan as the Black-Robed Mage protecting Tony, and He Shenyan appeared through a portal.
• Merlois rushed into He Shenyan's arms, and he threw her into the lake after Tony joked about calling Strange.
• He Shenyan teleported Tony home and asked him to gather everyone for dinner once he was finished with Merlois.
• Merlois told He Shenyan she had come to ask him for a favor, then stood on the lake as its waters began to boil.

Merlois showed He Shenyan a world where Batman and the other heroes died in bizarre accidents before the world was destroyed, then offered to protect his world if he saved theirs. He Shenyan accepted the offer as a possible deal but pressed Merlois to understand its price.

• John Tillison encountered unnatural fog in Van Cortlandt Park and saw a flash of light within it.
• Merlois asked He Shenyan to help her under the witness of the White Tower Council, then showed him visions of a world where Batman and its heroes died.
• Merlois revealed that the world was destroyed seven days after its heroes died, while He Shenyan remained unimpressed by the visions.
• He Shenyan told Merlois he would not save the world without payment and demanded she offer something in return.
• Merlois offered to protect He Shenyan's world if he saved the doomed one, and she insisted she understood what she was promising.

He Shenyan learned that Merlois needed him to protect a world from the Goddess of Creation, who might destroy it, and accepted her deal despite having to restrict half his power. The chapter ended with Merlois preparing to conceal his aura as he entered the threatened world.

• He Shenyan questioned Merlois about why she had shown him a projection of the world's fate, and she explained that the Goddess of Creation wanted to destroy the worlds she had made.
• Merlois said Seyani had rescued one world from the Goddess, but the world she had sworn to protect remained in danger.
• He Shenyan challenged Merlois's claim that he was her only choice, and she admitted that she needed him to restrict half his power so she could conceal his aura.
• He Shenyan accepted the deal, confident that he could handle the danger with half his power.

Batman searched old Gotham case files and met He Shenyan, who warned that Bruce Wayne’s death would trigger the world’s destruction and urged him to defy the gods. After He Shenyan saved Bruce and Superman from assassins, he identified The Flash as the next target and the group prepared to wait for an attack.

• Batman searched the police station’s old paper archives, where He Shenyan revealed that he knew Batman was Bruce Wayne and introduced himself as a mage.
• At Wayne Manor, Bruce learned from He Shenyan that his death would start a chain of events leading to the world’s destruction, and He Shenyan urged him to defy the gods.
• He Shenyan killed a monster that had attacked Bruce, and Bruce inferred that a god or creator wanted him dead.
• A creature wearing Bruce Wayne’s appearance attacked Clark Kent, but He Shenyan destroyed it before it could infect Superman with a deadly virus.
• He Shenyan told Bruce and Clark that someone was targeting the heroes to destroy the world and predicted that The Flash would be the next one in danger.

He Shenyan and Batman investigated the attack that left The Flash gravely injured, discovering that the Rogues had not caused it and that creatures tied to the Goddess of Creation were attacking Central City. The chapter ended with He Shenyan realizing the Void were spreading underground.

• Clark Kent watched the news report that The Flash had been gravely injured, while Bruce Wayne and He Shenyan discussed the Rogues' denial.
• He Shenyan told Clark that Captain Cold had been telling the truth and sent Clark home to protect his family with magical wards.
• A monster attacked police officers outside Central City Municipal Bank, and He Shenyan and Batman arrived to freeze time, shrink the creature, and seal it in a distant star.
• Batman found evidence linking Captain Cold to the scene and discovered a manhole cover that moved on its own.
• He Shenyan examined the manhole cover, detected the Goddess of Creation's aura, and concluded that the Void were attacking from underground.

Kara Kent ignored Superman’s warnings about school and encountered Batman after hearing strange sounds beneath New York. Batman had escaped a realm filled with creatures of malice while He Shenyan stayed behind to fight them, and Kara pressed Batman to explain the danger.

• Kara Kent read a message from Superman telling her to focus on her studies and avoid Metropolis and Kansas, then left the subway after shouting that she would not eat vegetables.
• Batman and He Shenyan explored a corrupted realm beneath Central City, where He Shenyan explained that its monsters fed on human malice and could eventually destroy the world.
• He Shenyan opened a portal for Batman to leave, claiming he would stay to control the monsters, while secretly continuing his attack because he suspected the Goddess of Creation could observe them.
• Batman emerged into New York’s sewers and found Kara Zor-El waiting after she heard strange sounds underground.
• Kara demanded to know what Batman was doing beneath the city and whether Superman knew, while Batman regretted encountering her.

Batman and Kara encountered Perpetua, who subdued Batman and sought He Shenyan; she then trapped He Shenyan in an apparent false life and tested his response. After he rejected the illusion and killed the woman in it, He Shenyan faced Gotham police until Batman arrived, and his consciousness sank into darkness.

• Kara pressed Batman for an explanation in the sewers, and he claimed he was searching for data lost by Clark Kent.
• A strange hum overwhelmed Batman, and Perpetua appeared, controlled his body, and questioned him about He Shenyan.
• Perpetua confronted He Shenyan, revealed her identity, and used her power to pull him into a test based on false memories.
• He Shenyan realized his life with the woman was an illusion, killed her, and fought off people who tried to stop him.
• Jim Gordon tried to calm He Shenyan and persuade him to surrender, but He Shenyan recognized that Gordon was waiting for Batman.
• Batman appeared above He Shenyan, who greeted him before his consciousness fell into darkness.

He Shenyan broke free of Perpetua’s illusion and defied her after she stripped away his magic, but she killed him. Seyani rescued him from Perpetua’s world and revived him, leaving him safe with her in a lake.

• He Shenyan told Batman that his Gotham life and Nancy Novia were an illusion, then escaped the fabricated world by realizing it was inside his own mind.
• Perpetua removed He Shenyan’s powers and tortured him, explaining that she had designed everyone’s fate and that he had been central to the world’s deal with outsiders.
• He Shenyan seized Perpetua by the throat and declared that he had fate in his grasp, but his burst of blue light failed to harm her and he died.
• Seyani arrived and challenged Perpetua, while He Shenyan’s soul waited to learn what would happen to him.
• Seyani rescued and revived He Shenyan in a lake, explaining that the World Barrier had allowed her to intervene, and He Shenyan accepted her embrace.

He Shenyan returned to Kaer Morhen after seven years away and reunited with Geralt, who was caring for Ciri there. The old friends headed inside to share dinner and beer, with Ciri waiting in the hall.

• After Seyani released He Shenyan, he went to Kaer Morhen on foot and helped a village girl by magically turning an apple core into a protective tree spirit.
• Geralt scolded Ciri for tracking mud across the hall, and she promised to change clothes and help him clean.
• Ciri heard someone knocking at the castle gates, so Geralt took a dagger and went to investigate.
• Geralt opened the gates and found He Shenyan, exhausted after climbing the mountain with his magical enhancements sealed.
• Geralt told He Shenyan that Ciri was inside and that she stayed at Kaer Morhen for six months every year.
• He Shenyan and Geralt agreed to share dinner and beer, despite Geralt admitting that he sometimes let Ciri drink.