Chapter Summaries

Steve Rogers explained how the public’s worship of Captain America depended on the image they had created, and resolved to investigate what had happened to the refugees brought into Latveria. Sam Wilson and James Buchanan Barnes agreed to help him, though Steve feared the truth might be grim.

• Steve Rogers recalled the Emperor of Latveria’s warning that people rejected any god who contradicted their beliefs, and applied the idea to the public’s worship of Captain America.
• Sam Wilson and James Buchanan Barnes questioned Steve about the Emperor’s theory and listened as Steve described how losing his title had changed how Americans viewed him.
• Sam said he and others still supported Steve, but Steve argued that he was Steve Rogers rather than a figure defined by Captain America.
• Steve told Sam and James that he planned to find out where the refugees had gone, and both agreed to accompany him.
• Steve said the refugees might have been sent to a sweatshop rather than killed, and warned Sam to stay alert when they returned to the royal city.

On the way to Latveria’s capital, Steve Rogers warned James Buchanan Barnes and Sam Wilson about the Emperor’s persuasive political rhetoric and his power. Steve insisted that he would not compromise his moral principles, while Bucky agreed to help and urged them to prepare for the danger ahead.

• Steve Rogers read the Emperor’s claims about prophets and candidates to his companions and warned them not to accept his arguments uncritically.
• James Buchanan Barnes and Sam Wilson questioned why Steve had brought them to Latveria, and Steve described the Emperor’s rhetoric as sophistry rather than pure deception.
• Steve read the Emperor’s argument that electoral politics radicalized political propositions while wealthy elites retained real power, leaving Sam Wilson troubled and Bucky interested.
• Steve warned his companions that Latveria was no paradise and recalled the Emperor’s violent actions in Romania, then asked for their help without abandoning his principles.
• James Buchanan Barnes agreed to help Steve but warned that they needed a detailed plan in case the Emperor deployed Gene-modded Warriors.

Victoria Hand ordered surveillance on Natasha Romanoff after learning Steve Rogers had discussed betraying the Emperor, but the Sacred Guard rejected her security recommendation. Constantine then asked Victoria to help investigate an active Kree star fortress discovered in the Kuiper Belt.

• Victoria Hand received intelligence that Steve Rogers had planned to betray the Emperor and ordered surveillance on Natasha Romanoff.
• Victoria Hand warned the Regent's Office and Sacred Guard that Natasha might threaten the Emperor, but Constantine rejected the request and invited her to lunch.
• Constantine told Victoria that the Emperor needed her help and showed her an image from the Kuiper Belt.
• Victoria learned that a Kree star fortress had existed there since before human civilization and that signs of activity indicated Kree were still inside.

Victoria Hand met Imperial Guard Commander Constantine, who revealed the origins of a device that had contacted an alien star fortress in the Kuiper Belt and exposed a Kree-led alliance’s deception. Constantine tasked Victoria with arresting the alliance’s members and seizing the fortress to gather intelligence about an approaching alien fleet.

• Victoria Hand struggled to converse with Constantine, who explained that his memories had been shattered and reconstructed through trials that elevated his soul to serve the Emperor.
• Constantine revealed that Chitauri wreckage from the Battle of New York had yielded a faster-than-light device, which Hydra agent Hale used to contact aliens in the Kuiper Belt.
• Constantine told Victoria that the aliens belonged to a Kree-led trade alliance that falsely promised to protect Earth from an approaching fleet in exchange for its resources and population.
• Constantine ordered Victoria to arrest the alliance’s members and seize the star fortress, promising authority, equipment, and information to help her gather intelligence about the alien fleet.

Victoria Hand traveled to a secret facility inside Dhaulagiri Peak, where Supiluliumas explained that she was needed to bring thirteen deep-space surveillance satellites into regular intelligence operations. She reached the satellite control center, where she was to learn about work the Emperor had done before Latveria was founded.

• Supiluliumas welcomed Victoria Hand at Dhaulagiri Peak and guided her through the storm into an underground facility.
• Victoria Hand demanded to know what the facility was, but Supiluliumas withheld classified details and said her authorization did not cover them.
• Supiluliumas revealed that a thermonuclear power station supplied the mountain facility and that Victoria Hand had to take over intelligence access to thirteen deep-space surveillance satellites.
• Supiluliumas asked Victoria Hand to provide experts for the facility, offering to have the Sacred Guard bring them in and screen them.
• Victoria Hand reached the satellite control center and learned Supiluliumas would show her the Emperor's work from before Latveria was founded.

Victoria Hand transferred satellite control authority at Kappa-2 and pressed Supiluliumas for information about hyperspace entities. Supiluliumas agreed to take her to a nearby facility to learn about the Outer Dimensions and teleportation strikes.

• Victoria Hand completed Kappa-2’s security checks and entered Control Room Two with Supiluliumas.
• Victoria Hand gave the Martian scholars a copy of her key so they could transfer satellite control authority to her.
• Victoria Hand asked Supiluliumas for information about hyperspace entities and the Outer Dimensions.
• Supiluliumas explained that the Emperor had permitted her to learn limited information and said harmful knowledge had to be controlled.
• Victoria Hand asked how to reach the place where she could learn more, and Supiluliumas offered to take her there himself.

Supiluliumas brought Victoria Hand to Kamar-Taj for a one-week course, where Master Hamir welcomed her and explained the training arrangements. Victoria began to understand that her stay would protect her during a government personnel transfer and prepare her to become Minister of the Legal Department.

• Master Hamir welcomed Supiluliumas and Victoria Hand to Kamar-Taj and confirmed that Victoria would take a one-week course.
• Victoria objected that she had not been given advance notice and needed to arrange her work.
• Supiluliumas explained that S.H.I.E.L.D.'s armed personnel would be transferred to the Legal Department and given new equipment and training.
• Supiluliumas told Victoria she could become Minister of the Legal Department after completing her studies and could use Kamar-Taj's external communication tools to manage her work.
• Master Hamir and Supiluliumas showed Victoria around Kamar-Taj, where she saw apprentices studying and avoided sleeping Pallas's Cats.

Victor von Doom and Constantine prepared Latveria for a transfer of power while discussing the Emperor’s demands and the future beyond military rule. Constantine reported that the Emperor was at Oxfordshire Manor with the Witch, whose next plan could expose him to dangerous supernatural threats.

• Victor von Doom arrived at the castle airfield and handed the Golden Eagle standard to the leading officer of the First Secret Regiment.
• Constantine told Victor that key people and facilities were protected and that no one would be hurt or escape during the transfer of power.
• Victor and Constantine discussed the Emperor’s pressure to dismantle the bureaucratic bloc and the need to maintain military control until Latveria could survive on its own.
• Victor recalled that the Emperor viewed Latveria as a factory for producing materials for war and accepted the need to prioritize efficiency.
• Victor and Constantine discussed preserving art and human-centered ideals, while Constantine described his interest in algae cultivation and tropical fish.
• Constantine told Victor that the Emperor was accompanying the Witch at Oxfordshire Manor before traveling to Kamar-Taj, and warned that her weapons and supernatural enemies could endanger him.

Salomon prepared to leave for Kamar-Taj while Bayonetta and Dinah discussed Milia’s training and the risks of adapting her to demon weapons. He chose portable armor for the trip, with a second set loaded as a precaution, and said he did not intend to kill anyone that day.

• Dinah entered Salomon’s bedroom, served him tea, and told Bayonetta that he would leave for Kamar-Taj in half an hour and could join them only for dinner.
• Bayonetta reviewed Milia’s sleep data and ordered training that included demon weapon adaptation, while Salomon objected because it could weaken Milia’s hold on her physical form.
• Bayonetta insisted on harsher training and a monk’s robe made from Holy Shroud, and Salomon conceded that she would decide how to keep Milia safe.
• Dinah reported that Hammurabi had inspected Salomon’s Power Armor and was loading ammunition onto the Assault Transport.
• Salomon chose portable armor, ordered the other armor set loaded as a precaution, and said he planned to kill no one that day.

Victor von Doom’s covert counterintelligence campaign eliminated threats while his operatives stirred strikes and protests across the Netherlands to create chaos in The Hague. As the city lost power and descended into disorder, the operation moved toward the UN Detention Facility, where war criminals awaited trial.

• Victor von Doom authorized silent operations that killed targets and seized evidence before plots against the newborn nation could proceed.
• Victor von Doom’s plan exploited labor unions and political divisions, triggering strikes among Dutch transport, port, and refinery workers and protests over livestock policy.
• Farmers drove tractors to The Hague, where protests escalated and Molotov cocktails appeared among the crowds.
• A freight van moved through quiet streets as a power outage plunged The Hague into chaos.
• The UN Detention Facility remained isolated amid halted transit, blocked roads, and spreading unrest.

Regent Victor von Doom used an information-warfare test to paralyze the Netherlands and cover a Latverian assault on Scheveningen Prison. The First Secret Regiment extracted its target by air, demonstrating that Latveria would enforce the Emperor’s law beyond its borders.

• Victor von Doom’s information-warfare unit spread fabricated reports that inflamed Dutch political divisions, then erased its traces after sparking unrest.
• The disinformation triggered protests and conflicts that paralyzed Dutch public services, transportation, power, and government functions.
• During a power outage, the First Secret Regiment blasted through Scheveningen Prison’s walls and fought past the guards to reach its target.
• The regiment split its forces, with five soldiers defending the prison perimeter while ten searched for the target cell using intelligence from the Intelligence Department.
• A minor malfunction in a Dutch frigate’s radar let the Hippogriff Assault Transport extract the assault team and target, then escape into space.

Regent Victor von Doom arranged a prison break to bring Srebrenica Massacre perpetrators to Latveria and reopen investigations into crimes committed during the Yugoslav wars. He planned a series of tribunals and anti-nationalist measures to establish the Emperor’s “Unified Truth” as the basis for Balkan peace and unity.

• Victor von Doom brought Slobodan Medić and Branislav Medić to Latveria for the reopened Srebrenica investigation.
• Victor von Doom established a committee of Balkan officials, scholars, and survivors to investigate the wars and prepare trials in Latveria.
• Victor von Doom ordered strict gun control and the dismantling of civilian armed groups to prevent backlash from disrupting the trials.
• Victoria Hand was scheduled to return in five days to take charge of the Bosnian War Investigation Committee and lead its tribunal.
• Victor von Doom planned further trials for Kosovo War crimes and other atrocities, along with laws, documentaries, and monuments opposing populism.

Victor von Doom defended his decision to free the war criminals from The Hague Prison, and the Emperor accepted his plan to release The Hague Court’s refusal to surrender them. Their discussion then turned to the Emperor’s extensive review of Latveria’s education and infrastructure paperwork, which Victor had brought to his office.

• Stephanie Malik protested the consequences of the prison break, then left the Emperor’s office furious.
• The Emperor told Victor von Doom that the rescued prisoners could now face death, and Victor said he would resolve the problem by releasing The Hague Court’s statement refusing to hand them over.
• The Emperor trusted Victor’s judgment despite the likely political and trade repercussions, and Victor thanked him for staying to handle official business.
• Victor saw the many documents awaiting the Emperor’s review, including plans and budgets for compulsory education.
• The Emperor claimed he wanted to try fishing, and Victor listed further transportation and procurement reports that still needed attention.

Salomon and Bayonetta discussed the international dispute over Latveria and the political leverage of rejuvenation surgery, while Salomon prepared to take on the resulting work. The next day, Victor von Doom and Constantine disagreed over how to stabilize the country and protect the Emperor, and went to seek Salomon’s judgment.

• Bayonetta asked Salomon about the news and Milia’s training, and Salomon said he trusted her methods while cautioning against Milia drinking too much.
• Salomon told Bayonetta he would accept the blame for Latveria’s actions and predicted that wealthy interests would push politicians toward cooperation over rejuvenation surgery.
• Salomon spent the next day in Royal City Castle releasing his essence to reassure the people while taking on a vast workload.
• Constantine warned Victor von Doom that the Emperor’s public appearances would not establish lasting support and opposed treating him as a symbol.
• Victor von Doom told Constantine that the appearances were needed until reforms could address famine, illiteracy, and unemployment, and warned that Steve Rogers’s team was buying ammunition.
• Victor von Doom reminded Constantine that he could only make decisions for the Emperor with his approval, then directed him to seek Salomon’s judgment.

The Emperor and Regent Victor von Doom discussed plans for the suspects’ public appearance in Bosnia and Herzegovina while Constantine demanded stricter security. The Emperor rejected a large military deployment and insisted on balancing his safety with the political need to earn civilians’ trust.

• Regent Victor von Doom outlined Latveria’s administrative and military power structures and said the suspects would appear publicly at two o’clock before their trial.
• Constantine warned that unrest in Bosnia and Herzegovina could endanger the Emperor and argued that military forces should secure the appearance.
• The Regent urged Constantine to be prepared to use force against a crowd if necessary and noted that armed civilians could still pose a threat.
• Constantine proposed Power Armor, personal security, and defensive fortifications, but the Emperor refused a large-scale deployment.
• The Emperor ordered Constantine to follow his security plan, mentioned his dinner promise to Bayonetta, and asked for ice cream to be brought back.

Victoria Hand learned how a rural ritual had summoned a dangerous being called the Bison God and how Kamar-Taj had failed to find it. Master Hamir warned that cults could bring Outer Dimensional Entities into reality, and Victoria asked how such infiltrations could be stopped.

• Victoria Hand asked Master Hamir to explain the malformed woman she had seen the previous day.
• Master Hamir recounted how a 2012 doomsday ritual in a Montana village had left one woman alive in a grotesquely altered state after she killed and ate her family.
• Master Hamir explained that the Arcanists believed the ritual had summoned a being they called the Bison God, possibly connected to a cow-like supernatural creature born during the ritual.
• Master Hamir told Victoria that the creature had vanished into the Montana wilderness despite divination and a hunt.
• Master Hamir warned that cultists could summon Outer Dimensional Entities into physical bodies, and Victoria asked what defenses could prevent their infiltration.

Master Hamir explained the purpose and cost of sorcery to Victoria Hand, then offered her the choice to see Bigfoot. Meanwhile, the Emperor and his advisers discussed Latveria’s diplomatic standoff and the need to secure The Machine before arriving in Bosnia and Herzegovina to help Victor.

• Master Hamir told Victoria Hand that her seven-day course was a ritual meant to teach her the world’s truth and prepare her to protect humanity, while warning that sorcery brought a terrible price.
• Victoria Hand rejected the idea that she would have to take LSD, and Master Hamir explained that apprentices used small doses to endure visions from the Outer Dimensions.
• Master Hamir offered Victoria Hand the choice of continuing her studies or seeing Bigfoot.
• Regent Victor von Doom admitted that Latveria had raided a UN detention facility and threatened to expose and execute foreign spies unless the United Nations recognized the Yugoslav Federation.
• The Emperor told Hammurabi that Latveria’s teleportation strikes gave it a deterrent advantage, while Amon urged them to obtain The Machine’s location from Ruby before General Hale could exploit it.
• Hammurabi reported that General Hale had grown suspicious of Ruby, and the Emperor set aside the issue as their transport neared Bosnia and Herzegovina to help Victor.

Victoria Hand investigated a Montana ranch disappearance linked to a horrifying cult case, then was ordered by Constantine to prioritize intelligence on weapons smuggling in Bosnia and Herzegovina. She accepted a deadline for the report and continued working at Kamar-Taj, unaware that the Emperor had arranged time for her to recover.

• Victoria Hand searched the Defense Intelligence Agency archive and found that the Montana ranch case matched Master Hamir's account of a corrupted woman and missing bodies.
• Constantine ordered Victoria Hand to prepare a report on weapons-smuggling cases and foreign arms dealers before the Emperor arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Victoria Hand negotiated a two-hour deadline and reflected on her exhausting duties and reluctance to undergo mechanical or biochemical enhancements.
• Victoria Hand summoned an apprentice and asked Master Hamir to excuse her from submitting her paper and possibly from class the next morning.
• Victoria Hand told the apprentice to keep delivering breakfast while she continued handling documents.

The Emperor traveled to Hungary to confront the ruling party over its weak enforcement of Unified Truth and the religious organizations resisting Latverian rule. He prepared a negotiation backed by military force and delayed a decision until Victoria Hand could take over the matter.

• The Emperor ordered Constantine to send heavy armaments and more Gene-modded Warriors to Hungary, with further action depending on the talks.
• The Emperor and Regent Victor von Doom discussed Hungary’s religious resistance and activated contingency plans Zeta-13 and Zeta-15, favoring the peaceful approach for now.
• The Emperor planned to negotiate with Orbán while War Engines and knights surrounded Budapest, buying time for Victoria Hand to return from Kamar-Taj.
• The Emperor told Victor von Doom to handle his duties properly and warned that Bayonetta and Jeanne might act if his oath was broken.

The Emperor visited Hungarian Province officials and demanded a resolution from the provincial assembly while Bayonetta dealt with a household ice-cream theft and Milia missed her promised sword game. The chapter ended with the Emperor ordering the officials to remain without their duties until the assembly voted, as he waited for the result.

• The Cheshire Cat confessed that Jeanne had secretly eaten Bayonetta’s handmade ice cream, and Bayonetta attacked Jeanne with a pillow.
• Milia chased the Cheshire Cat with a foam sword after her adoptive father failed to come home early to play with her.
• Bayonetta sent the Emperor pictures of Milia, the cat, and the household’s aftermath while he reviewed Hungarian Province officials’ reports.
• The Emperor met with the province’s senior officials and called for every assembly member to vote on a resolution.
• The Emperor said other officials would temporarily take over their duties and that the officials would receive only water and bread while he waited for the vote.