Chapter Summaries

Victor von Doom consolidated Latveria’s guerrilla fronts by arranging Marek Koletszky’s death and removing officers who obstructed the City of Immortals. Salomon approved plans to equip and reinforce Latveria as war with NATO approached, then checked on Constantine’s mission.

• Victor von Doom ordered an assault team to surround the camp and told the officers to prevent further bloodshed while he tried to persuade the guerrillas.
• Victor von Doom revealed that he had selected the officers involved in Marek Koletszky’s murder to die in the next battle, clearing the way for younger leaders who supported the City of Immortals.
• Victor von Doom burned Marek Koletszky’s corpse to ashes and left the command tent.
• Salomon reviewed reports on Latveria’s fronts and requested satellite reconnaissance reports on NATO military bases.
• Salomon signed orders to send servers, power generators, technical personnel, communications satellites, and Spy Satellites to Latveria as military forces prepared for war.
• Salomon told Bayonetta he would check how Constantine’s mission was going.

Wanda Maximoff used magic to help the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. escape the Los Angeles police, then turned on Elias Morrow after suspecting he had read the Darkhold. The chapter ended with her trapping Elias in the containment pod, stopping its thrusters, and demanding answers about Lucy Bauer’s death.

• Robbie Reyes recognized the last surviving Fifth Street Gang member in prison and left Wanda Maximoff and Elias Morrow to confront him.
• Wanda turned the police officers’ weapons into animals and covered the road in slippery asphalt while the team escaped aboard Zephyr One’s containment pod.
• Daisy Johnson descended from Zephyr One and reunited with Agent Coulson as the agents prepared to evacuate.
• After Robbie Reyes returned from the prison, Wanda used Mind Reading to assess the situation and shoved Elias Morrow into the containment pod.
• Wanda crushed the pod’s thrusters, warned Robbie to stay back, and demanded that Elias explain what he had seen in the Darkhold and how Lucy Bauer died.

Wanda Maximoff’s report detailed how she obtained the Darkhold and how Constantine ended the three-hour standoff over Robbie Reyes. Wanda later convinced Robbie that Elias Morrow was a murderer and told him the City of Immortals needed him to capture Evil Spirits; Robbie agreed to leave in two days.

• Salomon read Wanda Maximoff’s report, which described how her evidence led her to detain Elias Morrow and recover the Darkhold.
• A three-sided standoff erupted at South Ridge Prison, and Constantine ended it by threatening Director Mace and Robbie Reyes with death and a nuclear strike unless they followed Wanda’s orders.
• Director Mace backed down, and S.H.I.E.L.D. and the City of Immortals agreed to jointly take over the energy laboratory while Robbie remained in the City of Immortals’ custody.
• Wanda showed Robbie Elias Morrow’s testimony, revealing that Morrow had murdered Lucy Bauer and other researchers and caused the laboratory workers to become spirits.
• Wanda told Robbie he must capture Evil Spirits and stay away from Gabe Reyes to protect him from S.H.I.E.L.D., and Robbie asked when he would leave.

Wanda Maximoff visited Salomon in the City of Immortals' heavily fortified dungeon and asked him to tell Robbie Reyes the truth about himself. Salomon agreed to let Robbie know what he should know, while warning Wanda to learn from her mission mistakes before she met Robbie.

• Wanda Maximoff received temporary clearance and descended through the City of Immortals' dungeon to find Salomon.
• Salomon gave Wanda a knitted red scarf, and Wanda asked him to stop keeping Robbie Reyes in the dark about himself.
• Salomon explained that Constantine could choose his own methods and needed time to develop an independent personality.
• Salomon criticized Wanda's Los Angeles highway standoff and her unauthorized arrangement of a meeting with Robbie Reyes, and Wanda apologized for those actions and the repair-shop incident.
• Salomon told Wanda to apologize to Bayonetta and Jeanne and to find the person who had helped repair the cover story at the top of the Ministry of Internal Affairs tower.
• Salomon agreed to take Wanda to see Robbie Reyes and warned that she would have to complete future missions independently.

Salomon visited Robbie Reyes in his cell while preparing to resolve the Ghost Rider problem, and he planned to send Steve Rogers to Eastern Ukraine to expose the atrocities behind the conflict. At breakfast, he introduced a gifted young girl to Lorna and assigned Dinah to train her as his apprentice.

• Salomon guided Wanda through the dangerous corridors to Robbie Reyes's cell and noted that she lacked a ready trigger spell.
• Salomon planned for Steve Rogers to investigate Eastern Ukraine alongside the City of Immortals and learn the truth about the genocides and their funding.
• Salomon opened Robbie Reyes's cell, where Robbie waited nervously and relaxed somewhat when he saw Wanda.
• Lorna watched the young girl steal bacon at breakfast and wondered whether she was Salomon's illegitimate daughter.
• Salomon explained that the girl was born to a demon-possessed nun and a priest with demon blood, and that she could read Lorna's thoughts.
• Salomon told Dinah to make the girl her apprentice and teach her everything she needed to learn.

Salomon brought the nameless girl to his estate, where he began teaching her and protecting her from Marduk’s influence. He left her in Dinah’s care with a protective collar, while Bayonetta teased him about the girl calling him “Daddy.”

• Salomon stopped the girl from grabbing smoked beef and taught her to eat with a fork.
• Salomon explained to Little Lorna that the girl had no name and that naming her was a serious matter.
• Salomon decided to keep the girl apart from Sister Gabby and gave Dinah a protective collar to put on her.
• Dinah carried the girl away, and Bayonetta teased Salomon about being good with children and the girl calling him “Daddy.”

Salomon revealed to Robbie Reyes the war-torn children he had rescued and raised as members of the City of Immortals, then challenged Robbie to accept responsibility as a Ghost Rider. Robbie was shaken by what he saw, and Salomon assigned him a mission with Johnny Blaze to fight those corrupted by the Darkhold.

• Salomon had rescued children from war zones, educated and trained them, and brought them into the City of Immortals, where they called him their great father.
• Robbie Reyes used the Eye of Judgment on Salomon and saw fragments of his past, including war, death, and the children he had saved.
• The Spirit of Vengeance recoiled in fear, and Robbie woke battered and sweating after glimpsing Salomon's memories.
• Salomon told Robbie that he had given the children new lives and insisted Robbie take responsibility for his Ghost Rider powers.
• Salomon ordered Robbie to work with Johnny Blaze and kill everyone corrupted by the Darkhold to protect the real world.
• Little Lorna praised Salomon's words and asked when she would be able to say something as cool.

Salomon explained to Lorna how changing productive capacity shaped human societies and argued that Ghost Rider had to put his duty to humanity ahead of personal ties. He said he would take responsibility for Gabe Reyes, while Lorna recognized his goal of a society where everyone fulfilled their duties.

• Lorna criticized Salomon’s reasoning about Robbie Reyes and suggested he reunite Robbie with Gabe Reyes.
• Salomon traced the rise and fall of patriarchal and matriarchal societies to changes in food production, warfare, and reproduction, and assigned Lorna an essay on the subject.
• Salomon argued that modern society was returning to matriarchal traits, but humanity still had to unite against threats from beyond Earth.
• Salomon explained that Robbie Reyes had to serve as Ghost Rider to protect humanity and said he would take Gabe Reyes from S.H.I.E.L.D. and care for him.
• Lorna compared Salomon’s plan to Plato’s Republic, and Salomon said he would begin by fulfilling his own responsibilities.

Salomon explained that Latveria was an experiment for The Republic and assigned little Lorna a demanding reading list. In Latveria, George forced the captured Audra to confront her family’s exploitation of the poor and told her she must work to repay their debt.

• Salomon defended reshaping Latveria despite the deaths it would cause, then ordered little Lorna to read several Marxist works and write papers.
• Salomon tested little Lorna’s resolve to quit smoking and told her to pour them both a glass of whiskey.
• City of Immortals lecturers spread Unified Truth among Latverian guerrillas, and Victor von Doom ordered cultural and ideological instruction for every unit.
• George confronted Audra about the suffering of ordinary Latverians and told her that her family owed them a debt of blood.
• Audra demanded to leave and threatened a hunger strike, but George refused and gave her one day to decide whether to work and repay the debt.

Commissar Sophia arrived at the Latverian camp and reprimanded its checkpoint guards for failing to properly inspect her identification. She entered the command tent to meet the commander-in-chief, while Captain Andras agreed to replace and punish the guards.

• Sophia drove through the camp's guarded checkpoints and reached the command headquarters.
• Sophia ordered Captain Andras to replace the guards at Checkpoint A-12 because they had not checked her identification properly.
• Captain Andras teased Sophia about the guards being intimidated by her battlefield reputation, but she did not understand his humor.
• Captain Andras agreed to replace and punish Ivanovich and Popescu, then told Sophia the commander-in-chief was waiting.
• Sophia entered the command tent.

Victor von Doom sought Sophia’s approval to form a veteran unit that could teach recruits both combat experience and the City of Immortals’ ideals. Sophia approved a broader mobilization of Latverians, including women and prisoners, as Doom accepted the sacrifices required to pursue the plan.

• Victor von Doom asked Sophia to approve a rotating unit of experienced soldiers who could instruct newly trained recruits.
• Doom explained that Latveria’s small population and difficult terrain left its army outnumbered, while Sophia argued that the economy and civilian welfare remained under control.
• Sophia proposed training healthy women to form an army and insisted that everyone must contribute to the future envisioned by “Unified Truth.”
• Sophia told Doom that prisoners burdened with crimes would become Mecha-servants and that Latverians needed to grow accustomed to them.
• Victor von Doom pondered Sophia’s proposals and reluctantly agreed.

Sophia organized young Latverian women into a military training group as Victor von Doom prepared for war and considered the costs of Salomon’s plans. Latveria’s conflict was nearing, with the possibility of a wider war against NATO and the United States looming.

• Unified Truth’s lecturers promoted women’s rights and responsibilities, encouraging Latverian women to contribute to society and fight for their future.
• Sophia addressed the volunteers, assessed their reactions, and led the selected young women through the military checkpoint toward a closed training camp.
• Women outside the checkpoint cheered and waved banners, while lecturers prevented others from using forbidden Tarot cards.
• Victor von Doom watched the recruits depart, then returned to his command tent and worried about Mecha-servants and the approaching conflict.
• Latverian forces prepared for war by probing attacks against small landowners, stockpiling supplies, and constructing bases as Internal Affairs planned for possible NATO and U.S. intervention.

Salomon considered Latveria’s technological advantages and shortage of trained soldiers, while planning how its revolution could expand into a Human Empire. He then prepared for a coming conflict in the Outer Dimensions with Marduk, the first Demon Pillar, Baal.

• Latveria’s advanced weapons and supplies gave it overwhelming strategic strength, but its small population and untrained recruits left it lacking tactical skill.
• Salomon recalled his plan to spread Latveria’s ideology through neighboring regions before deciding whether to unify them peacefully or by conquest.
• Salomon accepted a major industrial order with Wakanda while accelerating plans to annex it and reduce the City of Immortals’ dependence on its production.
• Little Lorna recognized Rome, prompting Salomon to consider whether his future journey through time had already influenced human history.
• Salomon prepared to confront Marduk, the first Demon Pillar, Baal, in the Outer Dimensions so the girl on his lap could fulfill her potential.

Constantine returned to Oxfordshire Manor to tell Salomon that two candidates had survived the trials to become Praetorian Guard. Salomon ordered their training to begin and left Constantine with time to read before his next mission against the approaching Latverian attack.

• Constantine arrived at the manor, verified the Artificial Humans guarding it, and took control of its automated defenses.
• Constantine passed the guards and entered the residence, where he privately reported that two candidates had passed the Praetorian Guard trial.
• Constantine told Salomon that the candidates were compatible with the Kingdom of Ancient Babylon and the Hittite Empire, while three other gene templates had failed.
• Salomon ordered Constantine to take the candidates to the arena for closed training and help them master their weapons and armor.
• Salomon told Constantine to rest and read before his next mission, and Constantine said he had finished The Lord of the Rings trilogy and planned to read The Silmarillion.

Constantine was sent away by Salomon after failing to understand Aragorn and Arwen’s love, then prepared to gather intelligence on NATO activity at Ramstein Air Base. In the gladiatorial arena, Number Two survived his test and received the name Hammurabi Badiya, while Salomon called Number Three to begin.

• Constantine compared Aragorn and Arwen’s relationship to human-Skrull pairings and discussed reproduction with Salomon, who cursed him out and sent him away before lunch.
• Constantine prepared to travel to Kaiserslautern to meet undercover agents and obtain satellite data from Ramstein Air Base.
• Stephanie, Constantine, and Victoria Hand planned operations against NATO and discussed using Intelligence Department agents to exploit former S.H.I.E.L.D. spies.
• Number Two fought armed Mecha-servants in the training arena, endured an explosive round to his shoulder, and defeated his opponents.
• Salomon named Number Two Hammurabi Badiya and called Number Three forward.

Hammurabi Badiya crossed a ruined planet to reach a rendezvous with Supiluliumas as part of his Praetorian Guard training. Meanwhile, Salomon scheduled their mission and helped the girl communicate at home, where she shared a message from one of her mothers.

• Hammurabi Badiya studied the ruins and learned from his Power Armor's database about the planet and its remaining tribes.
• Hammurabi failed to contact Supiluliumas through the storm interference and set out for their mapped rendezvous point.
• Salomon scheduled Hammurabi and Supiluliumas's assignments, expecting them to return and begin their mission.
• The girl tugged at Salomon's clothes, and he understood her thoughts by touching her mind before carrying her from the study.
• Salomon asked which mother the girl meant, and she nodded solemnly after indicating that one of them had said something else.

Salomon accepted Athena’s invitation to an art salon after she reminded him that Vanessa needed his help, and Bayonetta agreed to attend with him. He named the girl Miriam to protect her from the First Demon Pillar, but Bayonetta warned that using his power directly could expose him and promised to find a safer solution.

• Bayonetta passed Salomon a call from Athena and told him she had already accepted the invitation for him.
• Athena convinced Salomon to attend the art salon by reminding him that he was the gallery’s art director and that Vanessa needed help; Salomon insisted Bayonetta and Jeanne come too.
• Salomon teased Bayonetta during the call, and she hurriedly ended it after realizing Athena had overheard him.
• Bayonetta urged Salomon to give the girl a name and begin educating her, and he said he had already chosen one.
• Salomon named the girl Miriam, intending the name and his protection to block the First Demon Pillar from reaching her soul.
• Bayonetta warned that Salomon’s protection could expose him and said she would find another way to protect Miriam.

Salomon and little Lorna planned to disrupt a New York social dinner with an African wildlife documentary, elephant-dung shovels, and a stampede of goats. Their prank left Jeanne warning them that Minerva would punish them if they tested her limits.

• Little Lorna complained about having to attend the social season and wear formal dresses.
• Salomon proposed taking little Lorna to Tanzania to film an adventure documentary and bringing their wilderness gear to the social dinner.
• Salomon and little Lorna imagined releasing more than a hundred goats into the dinner, while Salomon noted that Taylor Swift and Pepper Potts would be kept safe.
• Bayonetta noticed Salomon watching little Lorna closely and kicked his ankle to caution him.
• Jeanne warned Salomon and little Lorna that Minerva would punish them for the prank, and Bayonetta teased Jeanne about kissing Salomon after he brushed his teeth.

The Latverian Legion advanced toward the capital as Salomon and Victor von Doom discussed the expanding war, American interference, and plans to confront NATO. Salomon gave Victor a battle standard and promised to fight alongside the Latverians in the final assault.

• The Latverian Legion crossed a temporary pontoon bridge while mechanized infantry moved to coordinate with guerrillas and block routes around the capital.
• Salomon joked with Victor von Doom about his childhood dream and explained that his ridiculous reputation could help conceal his role in the war.
• Victor von Doom reported that captured CIA agents had revealed American involvement and warned that Salomon had little time left after his vacation.
• Salomon told Victor to negotiate with Serbia and prepare to move troops north to face NATO, while Victor insisted that liberating Latveria required more time.
• Salomon handed Victor a battle standard that could shield its bearer and guide the Praetorian Guard's teleportation, then promised to fight beside the Latverians in the final assault.

Salomon introduced Dave, the heir of the Merlin School, to Victor von Doom after Dave returned from studying with the Druid Sect in a dazed state. The chapter recounted the Praetorian Guard’s brutal training and left Dave admitting that he hated magic.

• Victor von Doom accused Salomon of delaying his plans, then questioned why Dave was at his side.
• Salomon explained that Dave was his sword-bearer and the heir of the Merlin School, and that Dave’s dazed condition came from his studies with the Druid Sect.
• Hammurabi and Supiluliumas completed competitive survival training, earned access to forbidden knowledge, and received their shields and greatswords as the first Praetorian Guard.
• Salomon introduced Victor von Doom to Dave and warned Dave about the situation awaiting him after his return from the extragalactic system.
• Dave said he hated magic and reflected on how Merlin’s educational plan had upended his life.