Chapter Summaries

After returning from Cuba with a curse-riddled wound, the Emperor let Victor von Doom treat him before pushing through urgent meetings and returning to Oxfordshire Manor. He finally went upstairs to reunite with Bayonetta and Jeanne, leaving the household to prepare for a long night and repairs.

• Victor von Doom examined the Emperor's nearly reopened waist wound and agreed to expel the lingering curse.
• The Emperor insisted on attending meetings about civil service reform, corporate taxation, and disaster relief, and Victor von Doom agreed to take over official affairs afterward.
• The Emperor ordered the Wild Legion to prove its worth as a military police force during the emergency response.
• At Oxfordshire Manor, Dinah and the other Artificial Humans tried to make the Emperor rest, while Milia greeted him and pointed him toward the second floor.
• The Emperor went upstairs to Bayonetta and Jeanne, where heavy crashes and gunshots followed, and Dinah ordered extra food and blast-proof repairs.

Salomon discussed the Kuiper Belt battle and Bayonetta’s anger at Athena’s reckless treatment of him, then traveled to Kamar-Taj to address the continuing aftermath of the Feathered Serpent God’s disaster. He arrived to find that incorporating magical schools had led to twenty-six bloody incidents.

• At breakfast, Salomon asked Bayonetta about Jeanne and Pegasus, and Bayonetta teased him about their night together and Pegasus’s demand that he wear its hoodie.
• Salomon thanked Bayonetta for saving him in the Kuiper Belt, while she complained that Athena had teleported him there without warning and threatened to challenge her over her disrespect.
• Salomon promised Bayonetta he would speak to Athena about the matter, and she warned him to settle it quickly.
• Salomon boarded the Pegasus Heavy Assault Transport with the Praetorian Guard and traveled to Kamar-Taj to deal with the lingering disaster and the incorporation of magical schools.
• A Praetorian Warden gave Salomon a report documenting twenty-six bloody incidents connected to the incorporation of magical schools.

Salomon visited Kamar-Taj as its crackdown on lawbreaking magical schools continued and ordered Mordo to help build an institution to regulate the magical world. He also checked on Sherlock Holmes and Stephen Strange, who were being considered for the title of Sorcerer Supreme, and explained that the role was intended as a disposable shield for their plan.

• Mordo presided over a trial and sentenced a wizard who had sold dangerous alchemical products to mortal addicts to two hundred lashes.
• Salomon told Mordo he would send more knights to bring magical schools under control and required Kamar-Taj to provide Arcanists for a new institution.
• Mordo admitted that the trials had revealed widespread crimes among magical schools and agreed to recruit Arcanists for the institution.
• Mordo explained that Sherlock Holmes had earned a partial sentence reduction by helping expose a contraband network, while Stephen Strange had been punished for trying to steal library books.
• Salomon said the Sorcerer Supreme title would serve as a scapegoat and shield, and that the candidate need not know the plan's secrets.

The Emperor warned Sherlock Holmes against probing dangerous Outer Dimensions mysteries and revealed that a creature hidden inside the observatory telescope had distorted his observations. The chapter left Sherlock tasked with repairing the telescope while Stephen Strange remained under strict scrutiny and unable to use a Sling Ring.

• Arcanists greeted the Emperor as he passed through Kamar-Taj, where news of the Vatoum Temple massacre had fueled rumors about his coming rule and Kamar-Taj's involvement in secular affairs.
• Sherlock Holmes questioned the Emperor about strange celestial signs and the recent departure of senior stewards and prisoners.
• The Emperor explained the crimes of the imprisoned spellcasters and cautioned Sherlock that curiosity about the Outer Dimensions could lead to madness.
• The Emperor removed a flesh-like creature from the telescope, revealing that it had distorted Sherlock's observations of Ursa Minor Constellation.
• The Emperor ordered Sherlock to repair the telescope by the following evening and asked whether Stephen Strange was still in the apprentices' quarters.
• Stephen Strange remained under Mordo's close surveillance and could not use a Sling Ring until he proved he was free of contaminated knowledge.

The Emperor visited Kamar-Taj’s Himalayan dungeon to oversee the sealing of a dangerous Sun Stone and improve security around its civilization-threatening prisoners. After entering the shifting dungeon with his guards, he began mapping its passages and sought answers from some of its inmates.

• The Emperor left Stephen Strange and examined Kamar-Taj’s dungeon, where hundreds of dangerous objects and creatures were held under guard.
• Mordo refused to enter the dungeon and suggested that the Sun Stone’s slave carriers be turned into Mecha-servants; the Emperor ordered their minds cleansed and their frontal lobes removed.
• The Emperor entered the dungeon with Hammurabi, Amon, and the Praetorian Guard, joking that the eerie cries might come from musicians he had hired.
• The dungeon’s supernatural distortions made the ground tremble and sent stones floating while the Emperor’s drones surveyed its shifting passages.
• The Emperor used Biochemical Brains to analyze the drones’ data and said he wanted to question friends in the dungeon about secrets.

Mordo left the dungeon relay station and returned toward Kamar-Taj while the Emperor and the Praetorian Guard explored the underground ruin. The Watchers stopped at a gate depicting the Emperor, and Hammurabi’s records described their unusual biology and breeding sanctuary.

• Mordo waited for the Emperor and Praetorian Guard, then took an XZ Horse and sleigh back toward Kamar-Taj when they did not emerge.
• The Watchers and the Emperor reached a vast underground complex where the Emperor’s presence suppressed its supernatural threats.
• The Watchers stopped before a gigantic stone gate bearing a relief of an armored man who resembled the Emperor.
• Hammurabi identified the relief as an unsettling sign, while the Emperor suggested Agamotto had foreseen his future actions.
• Hammurabi’s observation records described the Watchers’ lack of ordinary senses, their unusual resistance to inbreeding, and a magical sanctuary where they reproduced.

The Emperor searched the dungeon for answers about the Sorcerer Supreme’s death and the time-traveling threat connected to it. He confronted a captured extradimensional being and demanded that she explain what she knew.

• The Emperor ordered the silicon-based prisoner dismantled and its data storage cleansed, then planned to move the City of Immortals’ Gene Laboratory into the dungeon.
• The Emperor told his subordinates to send Nick Fury to retrieve the long-lived person at Lighthouse Base.
• The Emperor reviewed the uncertain fragments about a future extradimensional being that would travel into the past, forcing him to follow and defeat it.
• The Emperor brought two collectibles to a hidden dungeon location, shut down their stasis devices, and demanded an answer from the woman in a qipao.

The Emperor explained how magical talent damaged the mind and revealed that the Sorcerer Supreme had saved him from a fate of madness and imprisonment. Resolving to enter a dangerous place despite the prophecies, he ordered the Praetorian Guard to expand its forces and prepare for a greater enemy and a shortage of time.

• The Emperor told Amon and Hammurabi that magical talent could overwhelm the mind with hallucinations and dreams, and that its power carried a severe cost.
• Hammurabi recalled the Emperor’s artworks, including a marble sculpture of Saint Teresa that the Emperor had given to the Witch.
• The Emperor said the Sorcerer Supreme had taken him from a church parking lot, giving him the education and chance to reshape his mind that prevented his likely descent into madness and imprisonment.
• The Emperor admitted that fate repeatedly pointed toward the same outcome, then chose to proceed despite Nightmare’s whispers and the bloodshed he foresaw.
• The Emperor ordered the Praetorian Guard to expand its ranks, directed Maya Hansen and the Druid Order of Sola Red Forest to accelerate knight production, and told Victor von Doom to annex the Balkan Peninsula and secure more resources.

Aparajita and Deputy Nixon accepted the Emperor’s order to assist Laura Croft in investigating a cave tied to the Yaaxil Tribe’s origins, while insisting the knights retained authority over the expedition. The knights had also entered Peru’s civil war by agreeing to support Shining Path against government forces as part of the Emperor’s directive.

• Aparajita finished meditating and welcomed Deputy Nixon back from medical treatment, where Nixon had received a replacement shoulder plate from the Emperor.
• Laura Croft asked Aparajita and Nixon to accompany her into a cave and investigate a stone door that might reveal the Yaaxil Tribe’s origins and sorcery.
• Aparajita agreed to follow the Emperor’s order, while Nixon asserted the knights’ authority to supervise the expedition and decide whether the Yaaxil secret was dangerous.
• Laura Croft introduced Wanda Maximoff as the expert sent to help decipher the ruins and asked that she assess the danger.
• Aparajita’s knights had agreed to help Shining Path arrest CIA spies and find secret drug facilities in exchange for using fighter jets against Peruvian Government Forces aircraft.

Latveria pressed Wakanda to expand its influence and food production as global disasters threatened future supplies, while its forces intervened in Peru alongside Shining Path. The chapter ended with Victor von Doom warning Shuri to stop probing Latveria’s possible role in the South American earthquake.

• Latveria stationed First Company in South America, where Aparajita ordered air strikes against Peruvian Government Forces in cooperation with Shining Path.
• Victor von Doom summoned Shuri and criticized Wakanda for hesitating to intervene in Kenya and confront its warlords.
• Shuri defended Wakanda’s cautious approach and its need for international support, while Victor argued that military strength and expansion mattered more.
• Victor told Shuri that earthquakes and floods had damaged major grain-producing regions and that Latveria’s planned farms would not provide enough food for wartime.
• Shuri questioned whether Latveria had caused the South American earthquake, and Victor denied any knowledge before warning her against further probing.

Victor von Doom managed Latveria’s preparations for an alien invasion and traveled to Kamar-Taj to find the Emperor. After confronting Mordo, Victor found the Emperor studying prophecies and warned that they offered only danger, not answers.

• Victor von Doom prioritized stockpiling food, fuel, steel, and construction materials, while seeking control of Moldova’s fuel routes for Latveria.
• Victor found that the protests against Latveria’s seabed projects were backed by the US Democracy Foundation and relegated them to the bottom of the Emperor’s document box.
• Victor passed through a portal to Kamar-Taj, where Mordo blocked his way and accused him of being untrustworthy.
• Victor refused to fight Mordo, apologized for his past, and said an Alchemical Doll would soon be needed for a public appearance.
• Praetorian Guard Amon arrived, ending Victor’s standoff with Mordo.
• Victor found the Emperor surrounded by ancient prophecy tablets and warned that they held danger rather than answers.

The Emperor searched ancient prophecies at Kamar-Taj for clues about his past and the dangers ahead, while Victor von Doom urged him to rest. After the Emperor moved rooms, Victor confronted Mordo, leaving their dispute to be settled in a supposedly nonlethal fight.

• The Emperor told Victor von Doom that prophecies offered possibilities, then continued studying records in Kamar-Taj's library despite having gone without sleep or water for three days.
• Victor von Doom brought the Emperor wine and learned that he suspected his own past actions included abducting Pythia and insulting Apollo.
• Victor von Doom persuaded the Emperor to bathe, and Hammurabi and Amon moved the Emperor's belongings into a new room arranged by Mordo.
• Victor von Doom said Mordo wanted to fight him, and the Emperor encouraged him to accept while warning him to use nonlethal spells.
• Mordo challenged Victor von Doom, and the Emperor returned to his room for snacks, remaining calm when a gunshot sounded outside.

The Emperor treated Mordo after Victor von Doom shot him, then ordered him to put aside his anger and return to his duties. He confronted Stephen Strange about reading forbidden books and tested whether Strange was still himself, concluding that his confusion proved it.

• The Emperor explained that Mordo’s gunshot wound was survivable and refused to let him pursue Victor von Doom, reminding him that his duty came before personal feelings.
• Mordo apologized for losing control, and the Emperor left him the bullet as a reminder of how close he had come to death.
• The Emperor told Stephen Strange that Victor’s bullet had been a sand-filled practice round, then confronted him about entering the library and reading forbidden books.
• The Emperor threatened Strange with a gun while questioning whether an unknown entity had replaced his consciousness.
• Strange could not explain how to test whether he was a brain in a vat, so the Emperor concluded that he was still himself.

Stephen Strange explained why he refused to ask the Emperor to divert medical resources to heal his hands, then learned that fate had shaped his life to bring him to Kamar-Taj. The Emperor warned that Strange had never controlled his own fate and suggested Jonathan Byrne had been guided by fate to bring him there.

• Stephen Strange chose not to ask the Emperor for treatment because Latveria’s limited medical resources were needed by people in greater danger.
• The Emperor warned Stephen Strange that reckless behavior could get him killed, then said no magic could heal him until he understood magic and the Outer Dimensions.
• The Emperor told Stephen Strange that fate had shaped his education, talent, and car accident to bring him to Kamar-Taj.
• Stephen Strange asked whether fate had also arranged Jonathan Byrne’s injury and arrival at Kamar-Taj.
• The Emperor suggested Jonathan Byrne had been injured and healed so he could guide Stephen Strange to Kamar-Taj.

The Emperor explained to Stephen Strange that talented Arcanists were prey to Extra-dimensional Beings and had a responsibility to protect humanity. He revealed that Kamar-Taj had carefully guided Strange’s path, while the Emperor sought control of the next Sorcerer Supreme to free humanity from the gods.

• Stephen Strange challenged the Emperor’s fatalistic view, and the Emperor said powerful beings could influence the destinies of the talented.
• The Emperor warned Strange that Arcanists’ strong souls attracted predators from the Outer Dimensions and urged him to accept his responsibility.
• The Emperor identified Sherlock Holmes as a multiversal counterpart and said Kamar-Taj had carefully calculated who could enter its ranks.
• The Emperor concealed Kamar-Taj’s involvement in Strange’s car accident and planned to keep Strange on the path set by the Sorcerer Supreme.
• The Emperor explained that the Sorcerer Supreme opposed the Vishanti’s control and had entrusted him with finding a way to protect humanity from the gods.

The Emperor’s views on Outer Dimensional Entities and humanity’s defenses against their influence framed Supiluliumas’s warning to Laura Croft about Goddess Xquic. At a sealed silver door in the ruins, Queen Yaaxil recognized something and demanded to approach it, leaving Laura to urge Supiluliumas to hear her out.

• The Emperor concluded that true gods were monstrous Outer Dimensional Entities that sought souls and emotions to fuel their eternal war.
• The Emperor contrasted Kamar-Taj’s restraint, Asgard’s preparations for Ragnarok, and the Olympian king’s retreat as different ways factions resisted or endured Outer Dimensional corruption.
• Supiluliumas warned Laura Croft not to trust Goddess Xquic or romanticize witchcraft as they approached the ruins’ silver stone door with Queen Yaaxil and the Gene-modded Warriors.
• Supiluliumas explained that explosives and technical scans had failed to open or reveal anything behind the door, which was protected by supernatural power.
• Queen Yaaxil recognized the door and angrily tried to approach it, so Laura Croft asked Supiluliumas to let her explain what she knew.

Laura Croft and Wanda Maximoff investigated the mysterious silver stone door while Supiluliumas warned that opening it could carry an unknown cost. Queen Yaaxil approached Wanda as if she recognized her, and the group faced pressure to finish before foreign forces and political tensions escalated.

• Supiluliumas told Laura Croft that the stone door came from beyond Earth and could be sealed if the danger of opening it proved too great.
• Queen Yaaxil raised her rune-covered hunting spear, and Supiluliumas and the Praetorian Guard moved to stop her.
• Laura Croft intervened to protect Queen Yaaxil and reminded Supiluliumas of his sovereign's promise.
• Wanda Maximoff arrived, and Supiluliumas lowered his spear as Queen Yaaxil approached Wanda and spoke excitedly in an unfamiliar language.
• Supiluliumas told Wanda that his lord wanted the investigation accelerated before the cooperation period with Shining Path ended.
• Wanda insisted the silver stone door needed more study, while Supiluliumas warned that the CIA and SEAL Team were planning an operation and another conflict in South America must be avoided.

Nick Fury and Maria Hill discussed a secret mission while Latverian intelligence monitored them and planned to manipulate the U.S. election. Supiluliumas ordered surveillance and operations targeting Agent Coulson, General Hale, and Ruby as Latveria continued purging infiltrators along its coast.

• Nick Fury told Maria Hill that he was undertaking a secret mission and asked her to erase records of his movements.
• A Praetorian Guard soldier arrested Maria Hill after secretly installing a backdoor on Fury’s phone, then assigned her a mission to manipulate the election results.
• Supiluliumas ordered Sacred Guard officers to monitor Agent Coulson and investigate his links to General Hale and possibly hidden S.H.I.E.L.D. agents or Skrulls.
• Supiluliumas sent a classified proposal to arrange a meeting between Gideon Malick and General Hale, make Ruby a hostage, and deploy agents, probes, and a rapid strike force.
• Constantine approved Supiluliumas’s proposal while his forces killed Albanian separatists and human traffickers attempting to bring infiltrators into Latveria.

Constantine and Supiluliumas discussed his Peru mission and the Yaaxil spear before Constantine oversaw Latveria’s response to an intercepted refugee convoy. After the fighting ended, Constantine left the beach and contacted Hammurabi to ask whether the Regent was still at the Oxfordshire Manor.

• Supiluliumas agreed to resolve the trouble in South America and establish a training ground before joining the hunt for Kree Empire hunters.
• Constantine told Supiluliumas to update his Power Armor with a Qhichwa translation plugin and warned him to avoid deploying air forces in Peru.
• Constantine’s forces killed the extremists and infiltrators hidden among the refugees, then searched and supplied the survivors.
• Constantine left the beach with the knights aboard a Hippogriff Assault Transport while Latverian agents processed the refugees.
• Constantine contacted Hammurabi and asked whether the Regent was still at the Oxfordshire Manor.

The Emperor welcomed Balder and Rosa to Oxfordshire Manor after they brought back trophies from a monster hunt, and he discussed their payment and lodging with Balder. He then invited Balder to his laboratory, where their conversation turned to alchemy and black holes.

• Balder presented the Emperor with a bill for fifty-two Children of Dagon heads and hearts, and the Emperor agreed to pay the unchanged price and offer another commission.
• The Emperor gave Balder a key card for the underground wine cellar and arranged guest rooms for him and Rosa.
• The Emperor invited Balder to see his alchemical projects, and Balder followed him toward the laboratory while asking for brandy.
• The Emperor showed Balder a paper about whether information was lost at the Black Hole Horizon and asked which school of thought Balder favored.
• Balder asked what the Black Hole Horizon was.