Chapter Summaries

Salomon avoided committing to Odin’s plan for Hela while Odin explained how he had erased her from Asgard and prepared for her return. Back home, Salomon slept beside Bayonetta, who threatened to destroy his university if he failed to visit daily.

• Odin described his plans for Salomon to placate Hela or accompany her to Asgard and restrain her.
• Salomon kept drinking to avoid answering Odin, and Frigga confiscated the flask and led him inside.
• Odin said he trusted that Salomon would become a qualified king and believed Thor could surpass Hela.
• Salomon tossed the cat aside and cuddled closer to Bayonetta in bed.
• Bayonetta warned Salomon she would blow up his college if he did not come home every day after starting university.

Salomon explained his plans for creating Homunculi and an enhanced-soldier research program to Maya Hansen, who demanded more genetic material and expertise. He promised to study genetics while keeping the most dangerous experiments theoretical for now, and said a major operation would follow once the Artificial Humans matured.

• Bayonetta thanked Salomon for refusing Hela and Odin's plans, while Jeanne insisted she wanted to protect Cereza and their family.
• Salomon decided to mass-produce Homunculi with the Philosopher's Stone and reinforce the Artificial Human legion using materials from the City of Seraphim and a small amount of Abyssal metal.
• Salomon showed Maya Hansen the Incubation Tanks and explained how the Philosopher's Stone let him create Homunculi without paying the usual cost of his own life.
• Maya demanded Salomon's genetic material for her research, and Salomon offered her hair from Odin's giant wolves instead.
• Maya explained that she lacked genetics expertise, so Salomon agreed to study genetics and urged her to develop theories for combining magic and science without rushing into dangerous experiments.
• Salomon said the mature Artificial Humans would need computer science textbooks because an upcoming operation would secure resources.

Salomon recruited an Artificial Intelligence to support his next operation, offering it a purpose-built body and additional servers in exchange for its help. He then met with Nick Fury to discuss the aftermath of the London crisis, the Aether, and dangerous creatures, before Fury questioned his interest in Laura Croft.

• Salomon showed Maya Hansen his plans for the Artificial Human legion and explained that he needed the Artificial Intelligence’s technical support.
• Salomon negotiated with the Artificial Intelligence, offering it a body and more servers in exchange for help, and assigned it to optimize a Bolter Gun.
• Salomon told the Artificial Intelligence to look into the safety of its operative and warned that its server location could be traced.
• Salomon met with Nick Fury and defended his actions during the London crisis, then explained that the Aether was the Philosopher’s Stone and that the Dark Elves might return years later.
• Salomon and Nick Fury discussed alien creatures in London, and Fury asked why Salomon was interested in Laura Croft.

Salomon warned Nick Fury about Skrulls, then left S.H.I.E.L.D. through a bathroom stall and sparked an urban legend. Alexander Pierce later told Fury that the World Security Council wanted to inspect S.H.I.E.L.D. and learn about Salomon, leaving Fury to defend Salomon while Pierce dealt with the Council.

• Salomon told Nick Fury he would kill any Skrulls he found, and Fury assured him that Agent Coulson had removed footage showing Salomon's face.
• Salomon vanished from a Triskelion bathroom stall in an orange-red flash, prompting agents to spread rumors about a secret exit or a Ministry of Magic connection.
• Alexander Pierce dismissed the bathroom rumors, then told Nick Fury the World Security Council wanted assurances about Loki's scepter and planned to send inspectors.
• Pierce promised to block the inspectors but asked Fury to reveal Salomon's identity and arrange a meeting with him.
• Fury explained that Salomon had warned them about the invasion and killed its leader, and said Salomon's teacher had long fought threats beyond ordinary people's affairs.
• Pierce and Fury hoped Salomon would keep his attention on aliens and demons rather than conquering the world.

Salomon answered Laura Croft’s questions about supernatural history and joined Agent Coulson’s team to examine a mysterious staff fragment connected to Norse mythology. He identified the Berserker Army as Asgardian commoner levies and revealed that Frigga had educated him at court.

• Salomon gave Laura Croft guarded answers about Asgard, witches, and the Salem Witch Trials, and she accepted his warnings.
• Salomon sought Laura’s help obtaining an invitation to an antique auction while the Cheshire Cat reacted disdainfully to his warning about damaging antiques.
• Agent Coulson and Fitz told Salomon that a staff-like object recovered after the Dark Elves’ invasion had spectral characteristics matching Mjolnir, and they asked him to help investigate it.
• Salomon brought Laura Croft to meet Agent Coulson’s team and Professor Elliot Randolph, who identified the object’s runes as part of the Berserker Staff.
• Salomon explained that the Berserker Army consisted of Asgardian commoners levied for war, then told Professor Randolph that he had learned about Asgard through Queen of Heaven Frigga’s court education.

Salomon explained the Berserker Staff’s runes and how to calm its wielder, then told Professor Elliot Randolph that Frigga had died and the Dark Elves had been defeated. After Randolph revealed the staff’s hidden pieces, Coulson learned that Randolph was the ancient Berserker from The Man from Earth and agreed to keep his identity secret.

• Salomon explained that the Berserker Staff’s runes enhanced its bearer and said the Isa rune could dispel the wielder’s rage.
• Salomon told Professor Elliot Randolph that the Dark Elves had killed Frigga, and that Asgard had avenged her by killing Malekith and the Dark Elves.
• Professor Elliot Randolph raised a toast to Frigga and, while drunk, described the Berserker’s arrival on Earth and the three poems that marked the staff pieces’ hiding places.
• Coulson asked Salomon to speak privately and learned that Randolph was the ancient Berserker who had lived on Earth since the twelfth century.
• Coulson agreed to keep Randolph’s identity secret and not use Asgardian genes to create super-soldiers.

Salomon gave Professor Elliot Randolph a contract after discovering he was connected to the Berserker Staff, while S.H.I.E.L.D. tested rune stones and learned Randolph had gone after the staff. Salomon and Laura Croft ate at a bar, where Laura complained about American life and the bar patrons teased them as a couple.

• Salomon gave Professor Elliot Randolph a contract, and Laura Croft realized Randolph was not an ordinary person.
• Salomon told Laura that Randolph had hidden a treasure cache and explained that he was an onion farmer, a joke about his secret identity.
• Fitz, Simmons, and Skye examined rune stones aboard the plane while Agent Coulson warned them not to say the activation word.
• Agent Coulson returned to Randolph's office, found him gone, and warned the team that Randolph had gone after the Berserker Staff.
• Salomon and Laura ate at a bar, where Laura complained about the patrons and the bar owner called her Salomon's girlfriend.

Salomon explained how Kamar-Taj could protect Professor Randolph from punishment in Asgard while Laura Croft questioned the morality of his willingness to kill supernatural criminals. Meanwhile, Simmons searched for a way to ease Grant Ward’s prolonged reaction to the Berserker Staff, and the chapter ended with Salomon arguing that survival came before the laws of human society.

• Salomon told Laura Croft that Kamar-Taj had issued Professor Randolph a certificate treating him as an Asgardian special envoy, which could spare him from returning to Asgard for punishment.
• Simmons reported that she could not reach Salomon and considered scientific ways to treat Grant Ward’s reaction to the Berserker Staff, while Grant planned to work through his rage by hitting a punching bag.
• Laura Croft learned that the Berserker Staff’s effects could last for decades and asked Salomon to intervene for Grant Ward.
• Salomon said the criminals involved in the Berserker Staff incident could be killed easily, prompting Laura to insist that S.H.I.E.L.D. should arrest them and enforce the law.
• Salomon argued that human laws did not govern all supernatural forces and told Laura Croft that survival came before discussions of civilization and morality.

The Cheshire Cat tried to force the refrigerator open for food and made a mess of the kitchen before Salomon caught it. After cleaning up, Salomon read Agent Coulson’s update on Professor Randolph and learned that Athena had taken Bayonetta, Jeanne, and Dinah to the spa, leaving him home alone until dinner.

• The Cheshire Cat threatened and pleaded with the refrigerator, then pulled out its contents and ate cake while trying to get food.
• Salomon returned home, caught the Cheshire Cat in the refrigerator, and summoned Invisible Servants to clean up before washing the cat in the sink.
• Salomon learned that Bayonetta and Jeanne had gone out with Dinah after Athena called.
• Salomon received Agent Coulson’s report that Professor Randolph’s matter had been resolved and saw a photograph of people frozen with Berserker Staffs.
• Salomon gave Coulson Professor Randolph’s location and ignored the Artificial Intelligence’s demand that he finish the Alchemical Body and visit its agent.
• Salomon learned Athena had taken Bayonetta and Jeanne to the spa, leaving him alone at home until dinner.

Salomon balanced domestic life, Kamar-Taj’s postwar recovery, and the City of Immortals’ research before warning Agent Coulson against Nick Fury’s plan to employ Skrulls. He left Coulson with instructions to tell Fury that Skrulls could never be trusted.

• Salomon dried the Cheshire Cat, planned a family dinner with Bayonetta and Athena, and later shared private time with Bayonetta after Jeanne fell asleep.
• Salomon reviewed the City of Immortals’ research, heard that Maya Hansen had made progress, and visited Kamar-Taj to check on Arcanists returning from battle.
• Salomon met Master Wong, who described being wounded while delivering food amid a chaotic battle between Extra-dimensional Beings, and asked to try the creatures’ dishes.
• Salomon encountered Agent Coulson while retrieving Professor Randolph’s contract and learned Nick Fury wanted to explore contracts with trustworthy Skrulls.
• Salomon explained the long-standing agreement between Kamar-Taj and Asgard, warned that Skrulls were dangerous parasites, and told Coulson to make Fury abandon the plan.

Salomon told Agent Coulson he planned to use death row inmates for genetic experiments to create warriors against supernatural threats. He prepared to confront the First Demon Pillar alone and asked Coulson to relay his proposal to Nick Fury, before Coulson invited him to meet Fitz-Simmons.

• Salomon proposed a secret deal with Nick Fury to obtain serious criminals for human experimentation and genetic modification.
• Salomon explained that he intended to create loyal warriors to fight Dark Magic Creatures and Extra-dimensional Beings, using their deaths or survival to refine his experiments.
• Coulson questioned Salomon about supernatural threats and recorded his words to report them to Nick Fury.
• Salomon said he planned to kill the First Demon Pillar that coveted Satan's Throne and asked Coulson to pass his message to Nick Fury.
• Coulson invited Salomon to relax with Fitz-Simmons, mentioning games and Call of Duty, and Salomon asked how he knew he played it.

Salomon led a team of rookie Arcanists and Master Wong to investigate a minor dimensional overlap near Batesville, but S.H.I.E.L.D. had already taken Hannah Hawkins away. He explained to Agent Coulson that the particle accelerator accident had likely opened a brief passage during the Celestial Convergence, then reported that his team found no further anomalies.

• Salomon declined Agent Coulson's invitation and asked him to pass along his thoughts before Salomon went to university.
• The Venerable One assigned Salomon to lead rookie Arcanists on a minor dimensional-overlap mission, with Master Wong as his assistant.
• Salomon took the apprentices through a portal to Batesville and reassured them before they began investigating.
• Salomon recognized a S.H.I.E.L.D. aircraft leaving town and called Agent Coulson after realizing the team had arrived too late.
• Salomon told Agent Coulson and Fitz that the Celestial Convergence had likely amplified the particle accelerator and created a fleeting black hole that pulled something into the world.
• Salomon reported that his team found no further anomalies and asked Agent Coulson to return because local police might detain them.

Salomon brought a group of Arcanist apprentices to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Airbus to investigate Hannah Hawkins, whose uncontrolled powers had led to an explosion. He learned she was being held for transfer to Cold Storage and began questioning her, leaving her startled by a floating cup of ice cream.

• Salomon led the apprentices aboard the Airbus, where Fitz and Coulson welcomed them and Coulson offered to arrange their accommodations.
• Coulson told Salomon that Hannah had been sedated and described how Melinda May had moved her to the Airbus to prevent a local conflict.
• Salomon reviewed Hannah's files and insisted on seeing her before she was taken to Cold Storage, suspecting her powers might be connected to the Outer Dimensions.
• While the others watched from the conference room, Skye asked Master Wong whether the magic school had magical PE classes and then felt embarrassed by the attention.
• Salomon entered the interrogation room with two cups of ice cream, and Hannah woke to see one cup floating in front of her.

Agent Coulson questioned Hannah Hawkins about the accident and the strange incidents that followed, while Salomon discovered her fear of demons was genuine. Salomon put Hannah to sleep to keep her from breaking down and urged the agents to focus on the demon.

• Salomon handed Hannah Hawkins over to Agent Coulson after frightening her with his magic, and Coulson began questioning her calmly.
• Hannah told Coulson that she had repeatedly inspected Sector Two’s coupling assembly but found no problems before the accident killed Frank Draco and others.
• Coulson explained that the agents suspected Hannah had gained telekinetic powers, but she denied causing the incidents and said God had abandoned her to demons.
• Salomon used an illusion of holy light to comfort Hannah, then put her to sleep before she could break down further.
• Salomon told Coulson and Melinda May that Hannah was telling the truth about demons and that they should investigate them.

Salomon identified Hannah Hawkins as being targeted by a lower-plane creature and organized the Arcanists aboard S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Airbus to protect her and hunt it. He then had Skye guide him through the aircraft, where he hinted that the creature might already be aboard.

• Salomon told Master Wong that Hannah Hawkins's faith was not the main concern and that the Extra-dimensional Being entangled with her mattered more.
• Salomon explained to Coulson's team and the Kamar-Taj apprentices that Hannah carried signs of a lower-plane creature, then ordered the apprentices to prepare paired defensive and offensive spells.
• Salomon assigned Master Wong and two female apprentices to guard Hannah while Coulson arranged precautions and Salomon requested a tour of the aircraft.
• Salomon had Skye show him the equipment room and control deck, and told her he had previously helped Nick Fury foil the King of Hell's plot.

Salomon and S.H.I.E.L.D. discovered that a ghost had entered the Airbus through the accelerator accident, and the plane began losing power. Salomon used magic to reduce the plane's weight as May prepared an emergency landing, leaving the team ready to confront the ghost after they landed.

• Salomon told Skye that he could not abandon humanity, while Fitz and Simmons confirmed that the accelerator had exploded at its faulty coupling assembly.
• Simmons saw an image of Hell in the accelerator scans and was attacked by a ghostly man who vanished after smashing the holographic table.
• Simmons told Coulson and Salomon that Hannah Hawkins had no telekinetic abilities and that someone else was aboard the plane.
• The Airbus lost power and began to go down, so Salomon cast a spell that reduced its weight while May changed to a steadier landing approach.
• Salomon ordered the arcanists to form a perimeter after landing and said they would force the ghost off the plane before it could reach Hannah.

After Tobias attacked the plane and vanished, Salomon prepared to hunt the incorporeal entity in the Inner Plane. The chapter ended with him inviting Agent Coulson through a portal and giving him a pistol that could hit incorporeal beings.

• Master Wong reported that an attacker had appeared and disappeared after being struck, and Hannah Hawkins identified him as Tobias.
• Coulson's team reported that Tobias had attacked Ward and Fitz in the electrical room and May in the living room.
• Fitz and Simmons speculated that Tobias had caused the accident and become trapped in a superposition state, but Salomon cut off their discussion.
• Salomon placed Hannah within the apprentices' protective circle and opened a portal to the Inner Plane.
• Salomon handed Coulson a pistol that could hit incorporeal entities and invited him on an adventure.

Salomon and Agent Coulson entered the Ether Boundary to confront Tobias, the ghost responsible for the explosion and Hannah Hawkins’s ordeal. After capturing him, they decided he would atone to Hannah before they helped him die completely.

• Salomon explained the Ether Boundary’s dangers to Agent Coulson and led him to find Tobias near Hannah Hawkins.
• Tobias charged at them, and Agent Coulson shot him with Salomon’s magical pistol.
• Salomon easily captured Tobias and dragged him back through the portal with Agent Coulson.
• Tobias startled Skye and Hannah when he appeared in the cargo hold, then fled to the Arcanist apprentices.
• Skye concluded that Tobias had caused the explosion and frightened Hannah to keep her close, and Agent Coulson agreed he had wanted to protect her.
• Salomon said Tobias must atone to Hannah before they helped him die completely.

Salomon and the Kamar-Taj apprentices subdued Tobias and left him with Hannah Hawkins to reveal the truth about the particle accelerator explosion. Back home, Bayonetta and Jeanne teased Salomon over his charm, and the household prepared for another family quarrel.

• Salomon provoked Tobias into attacking, but Master Wong stopped him and suggested seeking Ghosts on the Ether Plane instead.
• Salomon ordered the apprentices to protect Hannah Hawkins, question Tobias about the accelerator explosion, and then crush his soul.
• Salomon suspected Tobias had been tempted by one of Baal's underlings and discussed other possible demonic influences with Master Wong.
• Salomon left Tobias with Hannah Hawkins, who asked how she could find him, and told her to go home and praise God.
• Bayonetta pinned Salomon against the wall and teased him about charming Hannah, while Jeanne showed off Bear's obedience and called out Bayonetta for kissing him.

Salomon took Root out of a psychiatric hospital while protecting her from Hydra and brought her to the City of Immortals. He left her there to meet her god.

• Salomon went to Kamar-Taj and confirmed with the Venerable One that he had no work there that day.
• Salomon sparred with Athena during her morning training before leaving to fulfill a deal.
• Salomon led Root through the psychiatric hospital after she had incapacitated its staff and patients, explaining that Hydra was targeting her.
• Salomon used the Imbecile Spell to keep Hydra's agents from stopping them and brought Root to the City of Immortals.
• Salomon told Root that her god was waiting for her.