Chapter Summaries

Salomon prepared to recruit Steve Rogers to the City of Immortals’ cause, arguing that they shared a goal of protecting ordinary people and ending conflict between human nations. Steve, troubled by the return of the ideals he had fought for and betrayed, was left considering Salomon’s invitation and certainty.

• Victor von Doom left the valley to focus on Latveria, while Salomon approved housing and benefits for Dave.
• Salomon prepared tea to receive Steve Rogers, who was unsettled by the Praetorian Guard and the military power he had discovered.
• Steve deduced that Salomon was behind the mechanized force in Latveria and reflected on how far he had fallen behind the times.
• Salomon urged Steve to fight for ordinary civilians rather than remain a tool of powerful interests.
• Steve asked how Salomon could guarantee his efforts would be worthwhile, and Salomon replied that he knew he was right.

Steve Rogers accepted Salomon’s offer to leave Captain America behind and join the City of Immortals. Salomon then met Helmut Zemo, who sought help avenging his wife and child, and agreed to assist him if he followed Salomon’s plan.

• Steve Rogers accepted Salomon’s request to betray the United States and received a crimson shield made for him by the City of Immortals.
• Steve Rogers said he would use his own name instead of Captain America and left with Hammurabi aboard a Sisterhood Assault Transport.
• Salomon explained to Supiluliumas that Steve Rogers’s defection could make Americans question their faith in their country.
• Helmut Zemo recalled how he had been captured, endured brutal interrogations, and demanded a meeting with the City of Immortals’s leader so he could seek revenge for his wife and child.
• Helmut Zemo asked Salomon for help destroying the Avengers and the United States, and Salomon agreed on the condition that Zemo follow his plan.

Helmut Zemo was sent to Prague with resources and a mission in exchange for adding names to a list, and he accepted the bargain to pursue what he wanted. Meanwhile, the City of Immortals expanded its relief and ideological programs, and Stephanie summoned Mrs. Zemo to her office.

• Helmut Zemo suddenly found himself on a Prague bench with a briefcase and recalled the city and his late wife.
• Helmut Zemo examined the identities, safehouses, money, and phone in the briefcase, then listened to his wife's final recording.
• The City of Immortals used relief programs and temporary schools to recruit people and spread its Unified Truth among refugees and other groups.
• Stephanie asked Diana to bring the copyist, Mrs. Zemo, to her office.

Mrs. Zemo learned that her husband, Helmut Zemo, was working for the Monarch without knowing it and could reunite with her if he completed his mission. Stephanie planned to use Mrs. Zemo’s survival and ongoing medical needs to make Helmut accept the dangerous task, leaving Mrs. Zemo unaware of its classified details.

• The City of Immortals had rescued and treated Mrs. Zemo after the Sokovia disaster, and she later joined the Ministry of Internal Affairs as a copyist.
• Stephanie told Mrs. Zemo that Helmut Zemo was working for the Monarch and offered her the chance to see him after his task was finished.
• Diana explained that Helmut’s reward could fund a full reconstruction of Mrs. Zemo’s face and voice.
• Mrs. Zemo asked what work Helmut was doing, but Stephanie said the mission was classified.
• Stephanie planned to include reports about Mrs. Zemo’s condition with Helmut’s mission materials to make him feel responsible for keeping her alive.

Salomon left the negotiations and assigned Supiluliumas to secretly protect a woman from armed mercenaries, while he and Hammurabi prepared to visit the Vatican. The chapter ended with Salomon receiving a mechanical-pigeon invitation and planning to speak with Jorge Mario Bergoglio about a nun.

• Stephanie Malik explained that she protected the City of Immortals' interests by handling dirty work, following Gideon Malick's advice about staying within the Sovereign's limits.
• Salomon left after the negotiating parties disappeared, and Hammurabi and Supiluliumas argued over a cat-face mug and the meeting's supposed hidden meaning.
• Salomon ordered Supiluliumas to find a woman, secretly eliminate the mercenaries threatening her, and ensure she was not seriously injured.
• Salomon told Hammurabi that they were heading to the Vatican because he had received an invitation.
• Salomon changed into his Red Shroud robe and said he wanted to meet Jorge Mario Bergoglio and discuss the fate of a nun.

Salomon landed the City of Immortals' Assault Transport at Gondorff Castle to meet Pope Francis, bringing him a copy of Unified Truth and asking him to read it. As Salomon waited in the garden, the City of Immortals prepared for a war with NATO over Latveria.

• Salomon diverted the Assault Transport over Lake Albano before landing in the garden behind Gondorff Castle's Apostolic Palace.
• Christoph Graf and the Swiss Guard surrounded the transport, and Father Morlu arrived to explain that Pope Francis was waiting for Salomon.
• Salomon refused to meet Francis indoors, kept Hammurabi with him, and gave Father Morlu Unified Truth for the Pope to read.
• Salomon told Father Morlu he would wait three hours and asked for wine while Francis rested.
• The City of Immortals prepared for high-intensity conflict by deploying forces to northern Latveria and planning electronic warfare, satellite attacks, and a campaign into Europe.

Salomon showed the Pope simulations suggesting that life could arise through natural laws as a way to dissipate energy, though his research could not yet model complex life fully. The Pope accepted that faith would endure even as humanity’s beliefs changed, and recognized Salomon as someone walking alongside humanity.

• Salomon explained that his supercomputer simulations reproduced the Mika-Urie experiment but failed to generate life without an added energy-dissipation objective.
• Salomon showed the Pope an animation in which compounds self-organized into nucleotides and DNA, presenting life as a product of physical laws and entropy.
• Salomon described creating virtual prokaryotes and explained that limited computing capacity prevented his team from simulating their further evolution.
• The Pope told Salomon that he knew his identity and the results of the Mass of the Alps, and that he had come to comfort him.
• The Pope said faith would endure in changing forms and asked Salomon to remain among humanity.

Maria Hill warned Steve Rogers about the political risks surrounding the Avengers and asked him to watch Pietro’s training. Steve found a signed Bible and cryptic note from Salomon, then went to the bar to consider the Avengers’ future.

• Maria Hill gave Steve Rogers a FedEx package and questioned him about his Vatican connections and armament case.
• Maria Hill warned Steve that Pietro had been distracted and making mistakes in training.
• Steve returned to his room and reflected on how the White House and media could undermine the Avengers’ transformation.
• Steve opened the package, found a Bible signed by the Pope, and read Salomon’s note saying he would come to collect it.
• Steve left for the bar to think about the Avengers’ future.

Helmut Zemo waited at St. Peter's Cathedral in Geneva for intelligence that would bring him closer to a Swiss military target and let him contact the woman claiming to be his missing wife. Meanwhile, the City of Immortals prepared a three-front campaign against NATO-aligned countries and expanded its plans for Latveria's future conquests.

• Helmut Zemo bought a chocolate at Confiserie Arn and struggled to trust the dossier claiming his wife had survived her catastrophic injuries.
• Helmut Zemo chose Brigadier General Jean-Paul Taylor and the FUB as his intelligence target, planning to exploit a listening device planted by a bribed priest.
• Helmut Zemo waited at St. Peter's Cathedral, prepared to use force if necessary to obtain intelligence, unaware that another City of Immortals operative and an assassin were active nearby.
• The City of Immortals prepared strategic offensives against Romania, Hungary, and Serbia, while its Ministry of Internal Affairs debated how to govern the conquered regions.
• Stephanie proposed replacing local governments with City of Immortals recruits, deploying Maya Hansen's unfinished super-soldier technology, and expanding the Wakanda industrial order.
• The City of Immortals secured Ulysses Klaue's cooperation by giving him a prosthetic arm and made contingency plans under Salomon's orders.

Bayonetta spoke with Salomon through a holographic projector as he prepared weapons and equipment for the assault on Latveria’s capital. Salomon said the offensive would begin the next day, while Bayonetta remained at home and insisted he return for dinner.

• Bayonetta teased Salomon about Cheshire Cat and asked when he would come home, while a girl in shark pajamas raced through the house and Cheshire Cat chased after her.
• Salomon showed Bayonetta the Praetorian Guard helmet and weapons he was upgrading as distant engines rumbled around his camp.
• Salomon explained that the Latverian army had advanced to within fifty kilometers of the capital and planned to attack the next day, while Victor von Doom negotiated for civilians to evacuate.
• Salomon said Hammurabi and he would handle the assault while Constantine commanded the northern front, and he greeted the camp personnel as he walked among the armored vehicles.

Salomon and Victor von Doom prepared to crush the Latverian Royalty’s resistance while the City of Immortals readied for a larger confrontation on Latveria’s northern front. Salomon planned a rapid assault on the capital before heading north to lead the Gene-modded Warriors and auxiliary forces.

• Victor von Doom shared the results of his negotiations with the Latverian Royalty, and Salomon learned that the Royalty had a hidden Black Warlock and was preparing to flee the capital.
• Salomon used his magic to uncover the Black Warlock’s plans, including the failed escape attempts by helicopter and through a secret passage beneath the castle.
• Salomon ordered artillery to bombard the castle, then directed The Exempt to enter the city, eliminate royal forces, and evacuate civilians within two hours.
• Salomon focused on the northern defensive line, where Constantine oversaw Gene-modded Warriors as the City of Immortals prepared to face NATO forces.
• Salomon said he would personally kill the Black Warlock if he survived the assault, while Victor von Doom reacted to Salomon’s enthusiasm.

Little Lorna practiced with firearms at Oxfordshire Manor while Victor von Doom tightened the blockade around Latveria’s royal city. Salomon ordered the bombardment to begin and said he would lead the assault into the city in three hours.

• Little Lorna fired a Beretta 92F and a Smith & Wesson M500, then watched Jeanne demonstrate superior accuracy with an M1911A1.
• Bayonetta let Little Lorna use Salomon’s firearms collection but recommended a Laser Handgun for self-defense.
• Dragan and Novak used a twin-mounted laser weapon to destroy a military Humvee at a Latverian blockade.
• Victor von Doom strengthened the blockade, demanded the royal family leave the city and surrender its weapons, and positioned weapon teams to stop their armored forces.
• Salomon ordered the bombardment to begin and said he would lead his forces into the royal city in three hours.

Latverian forces began their offensive against the royal city as Salomon prepared to lead them in Power Armor. Victor von Doom reassured Salomon that the soldiers believed in him, and Salomon ordered Europe to burn.

• Dragan and Noval heard rockets strike the royal city, and Dragan told Noval that the offensive had begun.
• Milos and Tiana arrived at the outpost with orders to hold their position, while Tiana took up a sniper's role to cover against Royalty deserters fleeing with hostages.
• Victor von Doom watched as Salomon was fitted into enchanted Power Armor capable of matching a Super Heavy Tank in combat.
• Salomon worried that Latverians might lack the resolve to face NATO, but Victor told him that he believed in them and they believed in Salomon.
• Salomon told Thumbelina to let Europe burn.

Sophia led The Exempt elite squad toward the City Outskirts while Salomon and the Latverian resistance prepared for their assault on the royal city. War correspondents watched the fighting under military guard, and the chapter ended as they were ordered aboard an aircraft bound for the Sky Sword Space Station.

• Sophia ordered The Exempt elite squad to prepare to enter the City Outskirts and evacuate civilians, while Salomon arrived with Hammurabi to support the mission.
• Sophia boarded an Armored Personnel Carrier with Hammurabi, who said he would assist her while prioritizing her protection.
• Victor von Doom saluted Salomon as he appeared before the assembled Latverian resistance and City of Immortals forces, declaring their readiness for unity.
• War correspondents filmed the Latverian resistance's bombardment and received copies of Unified Truth describing its plans for a new world order.
• A soldier ordered the war correspondents aboard an aircraft for transport to Sky Sword Space Station and warned them not to film without permission.

Victor von Doom’s Resistance captured Latveria’s capital and castle, where Salomon defeated the Black Warlock and forced the Royal Guard to surrender. Salomon then rallied the survivors to unite humanity and begin a broader war against the Plutocratic Tyrants.

• Reporters were escorted through the city as the Resistance advanced, seizing streets and firepoints while evacuating civilians and guarding prisoners.
• Victor von Doom’s forces reached the ruined castle, where the Royal Guard and Latverian Royalty had surrendered to Salomon and the Sisterhood.
• Victor noticed the Black Warlock’s corpse at Salomon’s feet and saw the breach leading to tunnels beneath the castle.
• Salomon declared Latveria’s liberation the first step toward ending exploitation, human conflict, and the rule of the Plutocratic Tyrants.
• Salomon rallied soldiers, prisoners, and civilians to shout, “For unity! For humanity!” and vowed that humanity would claim a future among the stars.

War correspondents arrived at a space station and were escorted by Sergeant Luis Salvador, who promised them food and a chance to learn about their captors. Salomon and Victor von Doom explained that they were using the press to build deterrence before going to war with NATO, and the chapter ended with them heading for the northern front.

• The war correspondents emerged from their turbulent flight, then were escorted off the craft by five black-armored soldiers.
• Sergeant Luis Salvador introduced himself, confirmed that the correspondents were on a space station, and ordered them to surrender their recording equipment before cleaning up and eating.
• Ramish Diaz questioned whether the group were truly Latverian rebels, and Luis Salvador described their loyalty to their master and their opposition to exploitation and false freedom.
• Hammurabi asked why the correspondents had been shown so much, and Salomon answered that Latveria needed deterrence through information as well as force.
• Victor von Doom explained that the leaders were going to the northern front, where they planned to use intelligence from Council on Foreign Relations insiders and U.S. military movements before striking NATO.

Latveria prepared to expand through Silcaria and Transylvania while Victor von Doom and Salomon inspected genetically modified soldiers for the campaign. On a space station, Luis Salvador showed war correspondents evidence of an approaching Chitauri fleet and explained the City of Immortals’ plan to unite Earth, leaving Ramish Diaz to identify their master as King Arthur.

• Hungary sent aircraft to reconnoiter Latveria, but Victor von Doom’s defenses shot them down, while Serbia reinforced its border more cautiously.
• Victor von Doom’s plan for the annexation of Silcaria relied on the City of Immortals funding Silver Sablinova’s Wild Legion, and he had also arranged a peaceful conquest of Transylvania.
• Salomon brought Victor von Doom to inspect genetically modified soldiers equipped with the City of Immortals’ power armor and vehicles before the campaign against Silcaria.
• Luis Salvador led war correspondents to observe Void Fighters and then showed them evidence that a Chitauri fleet of thousands of battleships was approaching Earth.
• Luis Salvador said the City of Immortals sought to unite Earth to resist the fleet, and Ramish Diaz concluded that their master was King Arthur.

Salomon outlined Wild Legion’s plan to strike NATO across the Balkans and revealed his vision of unifying humanity under one regime. After his speech was broadcast worldwide, Congress summoned Tony Stark and offered the Avengers a mission in Latveria in exchange for advancing the Avengers Restriction Act.

• Salomon divided the Gene-modded Warriors into forces assigned to Silcaria, Transylvania, and attacks on NATO facilities in the Balkans.
• Salomon told Victor von Doom that the Gene-modded Warriors included former extremists and soldiers who had refused reeducation.
• Luis Salvador argued to Ramish Diaz that Salomon intended to end human conflict by uniting humanity under a powerful regime.
• Luis Salvador showed the war correspondents a recording of Salomon declaring NATO the primary target and the liberation of the Balkans the first objective.
• Salomon’s speech replaced social media headlines worldwide, prompting Maria Hill to summon Tony Stark and tell him Congress wanted the Avengers to go to Latveria.
• Maria Hill offered the Avengers an officially endorsed United Nations-assigned operation in exchange for Congress passing the Avengers Restriction Act ahead of schedule.

Tony Stark learned that the Pentagon viewed Latveria’s civil war as a possible prelude to World War III and wanted the Avengers to help NATO. Unable to reach Salomon or Natasha Romanoff, Stark was left with no clear way to resolve the crisis.

• Maria Hill told Tony Stark that the White House would support him if he joined the war and secured the Avengers’ signatures on the Sokovia Accords.
• Ashton Carter and Thaddeus E. Ross asked Stark to help NATO stabilize the Balkans and showed him evidence of Latverian missiles, disabled satellites, and advanced forces in Silcaria.
• Stark realized the Pentagon believed Latveria had global nuclear strike capability and might invade neighboring countries.
• Stark left the meeting to contact Salomon, but Friday could not breach Salomon’s powerful firewall or reconnect their encrypted line.
• Stark tried to reach Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner, but Friday could locate neither of them.

Tony Stark recognized that the Sokovia Accords were being used to pull the Avengers into a proxy war against Latveria, while Salomon prepared Latveria for NATO intervention and expanded the conflict across the Balkans. The chapter left Salomon ordering a strike on Hungary and seeking Wakandan support as a coup there approached.

• Tony Stark reviewed the political fallout surrounding Latveria and prepared to persuade the Avengers to accept intervention.
• Thaddeus E. Ross and Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter told Tony that Latveria had attacked Silcaria and Transylvania and summoned him to Washington.
• Salomon received word that Silver Sablinova wanted to meet and ordered the Wild Legion to handle security in Silcaria.
• Salomon directed the Space Station to prepare its missile bays and ordered Latverian forces to strike Hungary and NATO installations across the Balkan Peninsula.
• Salomon told Constantine to contact Erik Killmonger and Helmut Zemo because the Wakandan coup was about to begin.