Chapter Summaries

Medusa assessed Attilan’s failing defenses and pressed the Kymellian Clan Sorcerer Council for an answer about the invaders’ leader. The sorcerers said their ritual was nearing its goal, but the enemy’s power had unnaturally calmed the Sea of Souls.

• Thermonuclear bombardment battered Attilan’s remaining shields as Medusa watched from the Star Fortress bridge.
• Medusa reviewed the damaged systems and the forces marked on the holographic projection, noting that Black Bolt still guarded Attilan’s core districts.
• A Kymellian Clan sorcerer explained that ninety-nine imprisoned sinners were being tortured to help the sorcerers search the Aether Wave for the invaders’ leader.
• Medusa demanded a specific timeline, and the sorcerer said the answer was close but warned that the enemy was far stronger and had calmed the Sea of Souls.
• Medusa set aside her suspicions about the Kymellian Clan’s past experiments and ordered the sorcerers to proceed as soon as possible.

Master Wong warned Hammurabi that alien sorcery threatened the war and that the Emperor was investigating it, but Hammurabi refused to let Kamar-Taj question Attilan Base’s arrangements. Beneath the Kymellian royal hall, sorcerers began a sacrifice to bring ancient wisdom into the Material Plane, killing and grotesquely transforming their slaves.

• Master Wong told Hammurabi that Kamar-Taj could not decipher the Mutants’ alien rituals and urged him to destroy the Star Fortress.
• Hammurabi said the Emperor was already deciphering the sorcery and barred Master Wong from questioning Attilan Base’s plans.
• Kymellian Clan sorcerers gathered nine slaves in a ritual circle beneath the royal hall and chanted to summon ancient wisdom.
• The first slave burst into flames and died after uttering an unfamiliar word.
• The second slave grew a third face, which shouted “Supreme Good!” and triggered a horrifying transformation that left it alive and mutilated.

Gronov Rutov’s squad recruited No-Nose and his Alpha Primitive brother to guide him into the longfaces’ territory during a secret reconnaissance mission. Gronov set off alone with a micro-drone to map the route, while the chapter ended with an author’s note about an injured fingertip.

• Gronov Rutov’s squad identified the blind, malnourished Mutant as the contact left by the Praetorian Guard.
• Gronov Rutov gave No-Nose a bio-sealed bag as partial payment, and No-Nose agreed to arrange a guide.
• No-Nose summoned his Alpha Primitive blood brother and told Gronov Rutov that the brother would lead him to his destination.
• Gronov Rutov agreed to go alone, instructed his team to follow closely, and prepared a micro-drone to map the pipe.
• The author noted that a swollen, bruised fingertip made typing painful.

Gronov Rutov’s squad followed an Alpha Primitive through Attilan’s pipes and entered the Kymellian Clan’s residential district, where an unseen witchcraft presence had killed civilians. The squad found a dead family with their internal organs removed and continued toward the Praetorian Guard’s mission site.

• No-Nose concealed the Gene-modded Warriors as they passed through his pipe network, then returned to his usual routine.
• Gronov Rutov’s squad followed the Alpha Primitive through the pipes for more than an hour, carrying weapons and explosives for the mission.
• The Alpha Primitive warned Gronov Rutov about a large breach and poor air before the squad emerged and left it behind with payment.
• Gronov Rutov led the squad across a garbage dump and into another pipe marked with a Golden Eagle.
• An unseen presence swept over the residential district and seemed to probe the squad’s minds and emotions.
• The adjutant examined a dead Kymellian Clan family whose internal organs had been removed, and Gronov Rutov ordered the squad to move on.

Gronov Rutov’s squad investigated a massacre in the Kymellian Clan slums and reunited with the hidden Praetorian Guard, Derrick Xian. They learned the clan’s sorcerers were conducting a ritual that had spiraled out of control and prepared to split up to investigate it and the shield generators.

• Gronov Rutov and his squad searched the Kymellian Clan slums and found more than a thousand civilians dead with their organs removed, but no signs of recent violence.
• The squad reached the slums’ highest point and saw clan civilians gathering near a bomb-damaged political core building while the settlement remained mostly dark.
• The deputy commander and Gronov Rutov discussed the missing Praetorian Guard and the possibility that the clan’s sorcerers had used sorcery to kill the civilians.
• Derrick Xian revealed himself from beneath an optical camouflage cloak and said the clan’s sorcerers needed the pain of sentient beings to fuel a ritual that had spiraled out of control.
• Derrick Xian and Gronov Rutov agreed to split their forces to investigate the ritual site and shield generators, while awaiting another squad that was maintaining communications silence.

Derrick Xian’s forces discovered that the Kymellian Clan’s uncontrolled blood-sacrifice ritual was consuming slum humans and civilians, while Black Bolt’s Clan Allied Forces learned the Kymellian leadership had cut off contact. Black Bolt sent forces to protect the Kymellian Clan and prepared to face the enemy himself.

• Derrick Xian’s squad found a trail of organs taken from slum humans leading to the Kymellian Clan’s royal tower and judged the ritual to be out of control.
• Derrick Xian concluded that the Kymellian Clan’s civilians might be controlled or willingly serving as Blood Sacrifice offerings, and that the settlement would be destroyed once its shield fell.
• Black Bolt arrived at the Gene Council and, through Matriarch Medusa, questioned why the Kymellian Clan sorcerers had not faced the enemy and demanded a prophecy about the enemy leader.
• Matriarch Medusa learned that the Kymellian Clan representative knew nothing of the ritual and that communications with the clan had been severed.
• Black Bolt’s Clan Allied Forces removed the Kymellian Clan representative from Matriarch Onomi’s throne, and Black Bolt assigned allied forces to protect the clan.
• Black Bolt gave Medusa private written instructions, then declared that the enemy had not yet faced him.

Black Bolt decided to secure the Kymellian Clan before joining the fight against the enemy, while Medusa worried about the political consequences and the dangers of sorcery. Derrick Xian’s squad prepared to destroy the shield around a building where the settlement’s surviving Kymellian-type Mutants had gathered.

• Black Bolt told Medusa he distrusted the Kymellian Clan sorcerers and would resolve their Wizarding Council before turning to the enemy.
• Medusa reassured Black Bolt that she trusted his judgment and promised to watch over Crystal.
• Black Bolt said he would bring Tetanus and use a route discovered by Kymellian Clan warriors to bypass the shield.
• A squad leader reported to Derrick Xian that the settlement had no living people outside the building where the Mutants had gathered.
• Gronov Rutov ordered the squad to destroy the shield, maintain radio silence, and protect the teleportation beacon while the others bought them time.

Gronov Rutov led the Gene-modded Warriors in an assault on the Kymellian Clan spire, using a thermobaric missile strike to clear its entrance while Derrick Xian and the Praetorian Guard charged inside. The squads carved through the Mutants toward the spire’s interior, leaving the mission’s outcome unresolved.

• Gronov Rutov guided the Gene-modded Warrior squads to opposite sides of the spire and planned a diversionary assault to cover Makati Squad’s covert operation to destroy the shield.
• A heavy weapons trooper fired a thermobaric missile into the Mutant crowd at the spire’s gate, creating a devastating blast zone.
• Gronov Rutov’s squad used their jump packs to land amid the charred Mutants and attack the survivors, while Derrick Xian dropped into the crowd and swung the Spear of the Garrison.
• Gronov Rutov’s squad fought its way into the spire, and Derrick Xian followed, throwing Plasma Grenades before racing along their bloody path.
• The Praetorian Guard charged through the Mutants behind Derrick Xian as the squads pressed deeper into the spire.

Derrick Xian and Gronov Rutov’s Gene-modded Warriors fought through the Kymellian Clan Mutants and confronted a sorcerer performing a ritual over a strange pit. After Gronov killed the sorcerer and destroyed its staff, Derrick disappeared into the hall’s fissures to continue his separate mission.

• Derrick Xian used his Spear of the Garrison and explosive rounds to slaughter Mutants while Gronov Rutov’s squad charged through the crowd toward the spire hall’s central gate.
• Gronov Rutov and the Gene-modded Warriors found Mutants plunging into a supernatural pit as a cloaked Kymellian Clan Mutant sorcerer chanted above it.
• The sorcerer stopped and dismantled the squad’s explosive rounds with psychic power, then unleashed flames at the attackers’ hiding place.
• Derrick Xian struck the sorcerer with a precisely timed plasma round, and Gronov Rutov followed by destroying its staff and killing it.
• Gronov Rutov threw a thermobaric bomb into the pit and joined his squad in clearing the side passages while Derrick Xian vanished into the hall’s rock fissures.

Black Bolt prepared to reach the clan settlement by monorail while Medusa received a report on Crystal’s health and the invaders’ genetics. WD-15 then attacked Medusa and the security team, disguising herself amid the chaos as she escaped.

• Black Bolt directed his forces to activate backup generators and take the monorail, with Tetanus set to teleport him to the settlement station.
• The Gene Council secretly arranged Black Bolt’s mission and imprisoned the Kymellian wizard representative for interrogation.
• Quan Fang told Medusa that Crystal showed no signs of contamination, but the researchers could not fully analyze the invaders’ modified genetics.
• Medusa asked Quan Fang to conduct regular blood tests on Crystal and keep the royal family healthy, including Maximus.
• WD-15 stabbed Medusa, shot security officers, changed into a security uniform, and returned to the scene disguised as an officer.
• WD-15 threw a Plasma Grenade into the crowd and disappeared amid the chaos, believing she had carried out the Emperor’s justice.

Black Bolt and Tetanus activated Attilan's backup generators to restore the transportation system. Meanwhile, Derrick Xian secretly searched the Kymellian Clan Wizard Library for a tome while observing injured Mutants, and the chapter ended with him killing a dying Mutant who tried to speak with him.

• Black Bolt and the Centaur Clan warrior used the royal family's master key to open the neglected backup generator room.
• Black Bolt cleared the rusted blast door, and Tetanus began preparing to start the equipment.
• Derrick Xian followed the Gene-modded Warriors through the spire while secretly seeking a tome from the Kymellian Clan Wizard Library.
• Derrick Xian examined injured Mutants as research samples and recorded their condition and genetic test results.
• Mutant number 162 asked Derrick Xian to talk with him and help him die faster, and Derrick Xian severed his head with the Spear of the Garrison.

Black Bolt oversaw an electromechanical specialist checking the orbital train’s backup generators while Derrick Xian advanced through Attilan Base with the First Legion. As the Emperor watched the battle, Hammurabi saw him open a file named Ultron.

• Black Bolt let Tetanus pester the Centaur electromechanical specialist while the specialist checked the orbital train’s backup generators and fuel cells.
• Derrick Xian checked his armor and blade, then continued toward the library after killing Mutant Sample No. 162.
• Derrick Xian kept his ammunition and energy in reserve while pursuing the mission to destroy the Kymellian Clan’s shield and call in bomber and artillery support.
• First Legion troops and an Armored Personnel Carrier fought through the corridors, securing transit points as Derrick Xian followed their advance.
• Hammurabi watched the Emperor turn from the tactical displays and open the file named Ultron.

Derrick Xian advanced through the Kymellian Clan settlement toward a secret part of the Sorcerer Tower while an orbital train crashed into the city. He entered a hidden passage and came under attack, but a golden radiance weakened the incoming green light before he fired back.

• Hammurabi explained to Master Wong that the conflict had three battlefields and that the Emperor was waiting for his opponent to respond.
• Derrick Xian climbed through the spire, examining the grotesquely mutated corpses left by the Gene-modded Warriors.
• An orbital train smashed through the settlement checkpoint and stopped at the station, prompting GR-19-10 to dispatch troops to intercept the intruders.
• Derrick Xian followed the Emperor's directions into a secret passage beneath the Sorcerer Tower and was struck by a sickly green beam.
• A golden radiance repelled and weakened the beam, and Derrick Xian fired his Spear of the Garrison toward the attacker.

Derrick Xian fought through shadow creatures and confronted a Kymellian sorcerer inside the Sorcerer Tower while Black Bolt’s allied forces reached the tower and found injured, confused Kymellian mutants outside. The sorcerer’s purpose remained unclear as Black Bolt’s team prepared to investigate what was happening inside.

• Derrick Xian advanced through the tower, destroying shadow hounds with his Spear of the Garrison and melta pistol.
• A sorcerer’s attacks hurled Derrick Xian through the library, but he located the concealed Kymellian mutant and fired at it.
• Tetanus warned Black Bolt’s group that teleportation across the settlement’s shield was dangerous.
• The Centaur Clan electromechanical expert and a Kymellian mutant explained the Sorcerer Tower’s dark rumors to Black Bolt, who agreed to investigate it.
• Black Bolt’s team found injured Kymellian mutants crowded outside the burned tower gate and used sound waves to calm them.
• The survivors could not explain how they had reached the tower or what was happening inside, leaving Black Bolt’s team to investigate the sorcerers.

Black Bolt restored order among the Kymellian civilians and prepared Attilan’s defenders to fight the invading forces. As Gene-modded Warriors fought through monsters toward the wizards, explosive fire swallowed Black Bolt.

• Black Bolt calmed the Kymellian crowd, arranged aid for the injured, and promised that the people behind the attack would be held accountable.
• A Kymellian warrior agreed to obey Black Bolt and focus on killing the invaders while they waited for Matriarch Onomi to awaken.
• A burning creature fell from the Sorcerer Tower, and a black silhouette appeared in its window before explosive rounds engulfed Black Bolt.
• Huron and Gronov Rutov led the Gene-modded Warriors through monsters packed into the tower corridors, using concentrated fire to advance.
• Gronov Rutov killed a Mutant wizard, then a flamethrower’s stream of heat burst through the rose window and engulfed the fighters.

Black Bolt and the Clan Allied Forces pursued the invaders through the tower after an attack scattered Kymellian civilians and left Black Bolt unable to speak. Derrick Xian killed a wizard but remained dissatisfied, believing he was still far from the Emperor’s objective.

• A hidden gunman fired explosive rounds into the plaza and detonated a grenade, sending the Kymellian civilians fleeing in panic.
• The Centaur Clan electromechanical expert and the Ghost Clan gunman confirmed that Black Bolt was alive and examined an unexploded round; Black Bolt led the allied forces into the spire while the Kymellian warrior promised to protect the evacuation route and arm civilians.
• Black Bolt’s party found mutilated bodies in the hall and argued over whether the invaders or the wizards were enemies; Black Bolt refused to let Crystal join the mission.
• The invaders began a second interception phase with energy ammunition as Black Bolt’s forces pursued them toward the second floor.
• Derrick Xian moved through the library after killing a wizard with a melta blast, ignored repeated radio calls, and judged that the wizard’s limited knowledge left him far from the Emperor’s objective.

Black Bolt’s Clan Allied Forces pursued the intruders through the tower, where a booby trap killed Lisa and another mine buried Black Bolt. Meanwhile, Gronov Rutov’s Gene-modded Warriors regrouped with Derrick Xian, who warned that Black Bolt was advancing and said they needed to kill him.

• Lidossurige tracked the intruder’s trail through the tower while Lisa stayed behind to move the dead and mourn her brother.
• A booby trap exploded beneath Lisa, killing her and leaving Black Bolt’s force devastated by grief and guilt.
• Black Bolt destroyed an incoming plasma attack and the Clan Allied Forces pursued the attackers, but a second mine collapsed the ceiling and buried him.
• Gronov Rutov’s Gene-modded Warriors rested on the forty-fifth floor after fighting wizards and suffering casualties.
• Derrick Xian arrived with a captured wizard, told Gronov that Black Bolt was advancing, and said they had to kill him after he found the wizard directing the distorted space.

Derrick Xian escaped an Outer Dimension Psychic Energy Entity in Kamar-Taj’s library, then turned back to hunt it as more monsters blocked his path. Meanwhile, Black Bolt’s mixed-clan squad pressed onward, and the Gene-modded Warriors prepared to intercept him and destroy the Shield Core.

• Derrick Xian warned Gronov Rutov that Black Bolt could destroy Attilan Star Fortress and urged him to break the shield and stop Black Bolt from speaking.
• Derrick Xian described escaping a tentacled Outer Dimension Psychic Energy Entity with a Mutant sorcerer and a grimoire, then returned to hunt the creature.
• Derrick Xian encountered the tentacled monster and a red canine creature blocking his route through the library.
• The Centaur Clan electromechanical specialist urged Black Bolt’s surviving squad to leave, and Black Bolt ordered them to make haste.
• The Gene-modded Warriors placed a bomb near the Shield Core and prepared to intercept Black Bolt, with their captain promising them the honor of killing him.

The Emperor used Tarot divination and battlefield orders to press the assault on Attilan Star Fortress, while Derrick Xian and Aparajita fought through the Mutants’ defenses. Aparajita received Contingency-Kappa-9 orders to prepare the next advance, but Deputy Nelson reminded him that he still had to explain ignoring Commander Malcolm’s call.

• The Emperor turned over the Devil, King, and final Tarot cards, judged that he had gained the upper hand, and ordered Commander Malcolm to move artillery within range of the far side of Attilan Star Fortress.
• Derrick Xian pinned and destroyed a regenerating canine Outer Dimensional Entity with his oath-engraved dagger before another attack struck from the shadows.
• Aparajita’s First Combat Group secured a transportation passage, while workers and technicians began clearing it and preparing a route for War Engines.
• Deputy Nelson relayed Contingency-Kappa-9, and Aparajita ordered the Second Combat Group to withdraw from Assembly Point C in three hours and War Engines Mortal One and Mortal Two into the passage.
• Aparajita told Deputy Nelson to prepare the technical personnel, armored units, and War Engines, and Nelson asked how he would explain ignoring Commander Malcolm’s call.

Deputy Nelson coordinated the assault while the Emperor learned that Derrick Xian had missed his scheduled contact, but trusted he would complete his mission. Derrick fought the Outer Dimensional Entity, which called itself Ifrit, and gained a chance to strike when the Emperor’s intervention weakened it, though the demon insisted it would not die.

• Technicians repaired the Star Fortress airlock passage, and Aparajita said the Mutants were only buying time for a greater target.
• Deputy Nelson gathered officers to share battlefield intelligence and coordinate the next phase of the assault.
• The Emperor reviewed Malcolm’s report on Aparajita’s disobedience and two casualties at Rally Point B, while Hammurabi warned that Derrick Xian had missed contact.
• Derrick Xian endured the demon’s attacks as it transformed and claimed it had witnessed humanity’s destruction across countless timelines.
• The Emperor’s intervention weakened the demon’s influence, allowing Derrick Xian to regain strength and attack it with his halberd and Oath Dagger.
• Derrick Xian struck the demon’s head, but it laughed and declared that it would not die there.