Chapter Summaries

Fury and the heroes opened the portal expecting to face the Chitauri, but Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian arrived first and revealed that Thanos knew of Loki’s betrayal. Thanos’s army poured through the portal, leaving Earth’s defenders overwhelmed as Fury tried to call Captain Marvel.

• Fury confirmed that the Avengers and automated weapons were ready, and Natasha activated the Tesseract to open the portal.
• Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian emerged instead of the Chitauri, and Ebony Maw subdued Steve and captured Loki with magic.
• Thor fought Cull Obsidian while Ebony Maw controlled Natasha and blocked Tony’s attack.
• Ebony Maw announced Thanos’s plan as enormous warships descended through the portal and crashed onto Earth.
• Thanos’s monsters poured from the warships, and Fury pressed Captain Marvel’s communicator as the invasion overwhelmed Earth.

The superheroes lost the battle against the alien forces, and the invasion plunged the world into panic and chaos. Governments blamed Fury and the heroes, leaving Tony stripped of his company and reputation as the survivors regrouped at an unknown villa.

• Fury ordered a retreat as the superheroes were overwhelmed by the enemy forces, and Tony carried Steve away from the battlefield.
• World governments launched nuclear strikes and announced the alien invasion, prompting panic and disorder across the globe.
• Governments blamed Fury and the superheroes for opening the passage, and Fury was arrested while angry crowds attacked Stark Industries and S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Tony watched his company collapse and rejected Thor's offer to take refuge in Asgard, reflecting on the defeat.
• Steve returned to the villa with the dust-covered Coulson, and the others gathered around them.

Coulson reported that Earth’s forces were retreating against Thanos’s advance army, and Tony said Shen Mo had ignored his plea for help. As Tony rallied the group to seek knowledge and resistance, Loki revealed a possible route for Asgardian reinforcements and confronted Asgard’s weakness, while Shen Mo watched them become ready to open chests.

• Coulson told the heroes that the battlefront had not yet drawn civilians into the fighting, but Earth’s army and air force were being pushed back.
• Tony said he had called on Shen Mo for help without receiving a response and urged the group to rely on themselves.
• Tony explained that Earth could still damage the enemy and presented knowledge as their remaining hope.
• Loki told Thor that Heimdall could use a special spatial passage to bring Asgardian troops near Earth, but said Asgard lacked the Bifrost and had grown weak.
• Loki reflected on his defeat and Asgard’s decline as Shen Mo watched, expecting Tony and Loki’s desire for power to qualify them to open chests.

Tony worked himself to the brink while developing a giant mecha to defend humanity, then collapsed after learning the enemy had accelerated its invasion and the human defensive line might last only half a month. He awoke in Shen Mo’s white world, where he learned that Ancient One had kept his body alive but his soul had come to Shen Mo.

• Tony pushed through another mecha simulation despite Jarvis and Pepper urging him to rest, and the test failed because the machine lacked maneuverability and durable materials.
• Jarvis reported that enemy reinforcements had shortened the defensive line’s expected survival to half a month and that the Security Council had approved an Elite Evacuation Plan.
• Tony collapsed from exhaustion while thinking that he had to devise a new plan and produce weapons within half a month.
• Tony awoke in Shen Mo’s white world and panicked when Shen Mo joked that he was dead.
• Shen Mo told Tony that Ancient One had used magic to keep his body alive, while his soul was with Shen Mo.

Shen Mo explained why Ancient One had not protected humanity and offered Tony a chance to break free of fate by joining a Jars series. Tony chose the specially designed Knowledge Series and eagerly prepared to begin.

• Tony questioned why Ancient One had not stopped Thanos's army, and Shen Mo explained that she protected Earth from other dimensions rather than humanity.
• Tony accepted that he could rely only on himself, while Shen Mo said Tony's will now qualified for nourishment that could help it escape fate.
• Shen Mo gave Tony knowledge of the Merchant Guild, the Jars, and a new Knowledge Series designed for him.
• Tony chose the Knowledge Series, confident that his genius made him suited to it.
• Tony asked to begin immediately, and Shen Mo agreed.

Tony explored the Knowledge Series, discovering that its cross-world information could inspire research but could not directly grant him its original powers. He continued opening jars, expanding his knowledge and mental capacity, and ended by obtaining an Implantable Smart Processing Chip.

• Tony received alchemy basics from a Level 1 Chest and asked Shen Mo whether its ability to transform matter could work in his universe.
• Shen Mo explained that Tony had gained knowledge, not alchemy itself, and that the absence of a Gate of Truth prevented him from practicing it directly.
• Tony realized he could use the alchemy information as a foundation for researching his own universe’s alchemy and decided the Knowledge Series suited him.
• Tony opened more jars, absorbing varied information about fantastic creatures, magic, Spirit Beasts, Gundam operation, and AT Fields.
• As Tony absorbed the knowledge, his mental strength grew and his mind separated into a library of information and his own rationality, emotions, and wisdom.
• Tony opened his first Grand Prize in a Level 2 Chest and obtained an Implantable Smart Processing Chip.

Tony opened chests with Shen Mo and chose a Class aligned with his talents and ambitions. He became an Apostle, gained Psionic Energy, and learned that he would have to build his knowledge and abilities step by step.

• Shen Mo explained that Tony could implant a Jarvis-like chip into his mind, while Tony asked whether it could be upgraded to match Xiongxin.
• Tony vowed to obtain something even better someday and said he would deal with Thanos first.
• After Tony opened the remaining Level 2 Chests, Shen Mo advised him to choose a compatible direction that combined different fields of knowledge.
• Tony opened ten Level 3 Chests, and the final chest's light transformed him into an Apostle and awakened Psionic Energy.
• Shen Mo explained that the Apostle Class drew on a dimension beyond most universes, but Tony would have to develop its knowledge and abilities himself.

After meeting Shen Mo and gaining knowledge of Psionic Energy, Tony awoke with controllable power and told the Avengers that God had made him Earth's savior. The Ancient One departed to guard her post, leaving Tony to face the threat of Thanos while her protective spell would last about another month.

• Tony opened about two thousand three hundred Level 3 Chests before Shen Mo sent him back to his world.
• Tony woke beside Pepper and told her he was fine, while the Ancient One sensed the Psionic Energy within him.
• Tony explained that his energy was controllable and that the Abyss, not Psionic Energy, was the danger.
• Tony told Steve and the others that God had designated him Earth's savior and promised to handle their difficulties.
• The Ancient One said her spell would last about another month, then left through a portal to guard her post.

Tony used his new power to extract materials and build a massive magical technology device while Coulson brought trusted agents to witness the work. As humanity’s defenses crumbled, the agents found hope in Tony’s project, though Maria Hill wondered if it looked like a coffin.

• Tony extracted trace elements from the earth and transformed them into components powered by Psionic Energy.
• Tony assembled the components in midair, revealing his magical technology to Banner and the others as they watched.
• Coulson reported that human governments were divided over whether to keep fighting, worsening the collapse of the front lines and S.H.I.E.L.D.
• With Tony’s permission, Coulson brought several trusted agents, including Maria Hill, to see the device taking shape.
• Coulson called the device a source of hope, but Maria Hill remarked that it looked a little like a coffin.

Tony Stark revealed that he had spent half a month building an incomplete Eternity-class Space Battleship, then appeared before an angry global audience to announce that Earth still had a chance to defeat the alien invaders. His speech began as protests erupted over a secret evacuation plan that reserved spacecraft tickets for the wealthy.

• Shear and the others questioned the coffin-like shape of Tony's battleship, and Tony explained that he was building an incomplete version with a Psionic Barrier.
• Fury received a coded note saying that dawn had appeared, swallowed it, and finally slept soundly.
• The Tide Rising Organization revealed that the UN Security Council planned to evacuate wealthy elites from Earth for five hundred million euros per ticket, sparking protests in New York and unrest among front-line soldiers.
• Tony appeared on screens around the world from Stark Tower, where an angry crowd gathered and accused him of being one of the rich people abandoning them.
• Steve urged Tony to end the chaos, and Tony declared that the public had been deceived and that he had built hope for defeating the alien invaders.

Tony revealed the Space Battleship Eternity to calm public unrest and rally the world behind him, presenting it as humanity’s hope against the alien army. The team boarded the unfinished ship, where Tony told them to watch him fight on a live broadcast.

• Tony unveiled the Space Battleship Eternity and claimed he had built it in half a month.
• The crowd’s anger turned into excitement and support as people saw the ship and heard Tony condemn the politicians’ evacuation plan.
• Tony told Jarvis that the display had stirred the public and reduced the rioting, while privately aiming to use the crisis to gain prestige and resources.
• Tony had the ship descend and promised to broadcast the battle live as he fought the aliens.
• Steve and the others boarded the crude, unfinished ship, and Tony told them to sit back and watch him perform.

Tony told Steve, Banner, and the others to watch as he took Eternity alone to confront the Chitauri fleet, while General Ross demanded an analysis of the warship. Eternity’s Psionic Shield repelled the alien attack, and Tony ordered Jarvis to unleash full firepower.

• Tony said Steve, Banner, and the others would only hinder him on the battlefield, upsetting Banner until Steve calmed him down.
• General Ross ordered the military to analyze Eternity’s speed, defenses, weapons, and technology.
• Tony reached the front line, where Chitauri aircraft swarmed toward Eternity as cameras broadcast the encounter around the world.
• The Chitauri aircraft fired on Eternity, but its Psionic Shield blocked every blast without the warship moving.
• Tony told Jarvis to unleash full firepower against the enormous alien aircraft.

Tony used the warship’s laser weapons to devastate the alien army, while Ebony Maw prepared to confront him and the Avengers. After surviving their attack, Ebony Maw claimed that mages were the true masters of energy and began to challenge the warship’s defenses.

• Tony fired the warship’s lasers at the alien aircraft and Floating Dragons, destroying many of them as people around the world celebrated.
• Ross demanded that his people contact the United Nations Security Council and uncover what Fury knew about S.H.I.E.L.D.’s secrets.
• Steve worried about the power granted by God, but Hawk Eyes reminded him to focus on defeating the enemy; Tony then resumed the warship’s advance toward the portal.
• Cull Obsidian confronted Ebony Maw about his failures, and Ebony Maw rose into the air to face the Avengers.
• Tony ordered Jarvis to concentrate the warship’s laser fire on Ebony Maw, but the mage remained unharmed outside the psionic defensive barrier.
• Ebony Maw declared that mages were the true masters of energy and prepared to show the Avengers that their barrier could not stop him.

Tony used Psionic Energy to kill Ebony Maw and close the Time Gate, ending the alien invasion and winning Earth's battle. As the heroes celebrated, Loki questioned why Tony had received God’s power, while Shen Mo wondered whether Thanos would grow from the defeat.

• Steve and Banner urged Tony to stop Ebony Maw, but Tony said Psionic Energy would destroy anyone who touched it.
• Ebony Maw was overwhelmed by Psionic Energy and turned to ash as Thanos watched helplessly.
• Tony closed the Time Gate, and the alien troops fled until Asgard’s reinforcements arrived to attack them.
• Thor congratulated Tony, while Loki angrily demanded to know why Tony had received God’s power and warned that Thanos would not give up.
• Tony declared that he would seek out Thanos, and Shen Mo watched Thanos silently consider the defeat from his throne.

Shen Mo discovered the source of Thanos’s death-related power and learned that Death remained imprisoned, then skipped a year ahead. Tony had rapidly transformed Earth through Stark Industries, but his surveillance and sweeping changes had estranged him from other heroes and left Pepper warning that he was becoming a dictator.

• Thanos decided to travel to Earth himself to investigate the strange power that had corrupted Ebony Maw.
• Shen Mo sensed Death’s influence within Thanos and realized Death was still imprisoned by Eternity.
• Shen Mo left the universe’s time dimension and returned after a year had passed.
• Tony used his knowledge to expand Stark Industries and rapidly advance Earth’s technology while secretly monitoring the world.
• Tony discovered Hydra and learned that Buggy had killed his parents, but Steve hid Buggy, and most other heroes sided against Tony.
• Pepper told Tony that his rapid reforms and surveillance risked turning him from a hero into a dictator.

Tony struggled with whether the knowledge Shen Mo had given him justified sacrificing individual freedom to make humanity stronger, and his doubts strained his relationship with Pepper. Shen Mo appeared and told Tony that his own will mattered more than strength or knowledge, leaving him with a way to reconsider his choices.

• Tony asked Pepper whether Hydra's rigid hierarchy might be the right path, but Pepper urged him not to take responsibility for all human civilization alone.
• Pepper left after another painful conversation, and Tony wished aloud that the god represented by his badge could guide him.
• Shen Mo appeared and told Tony that knowledge had exposed his faltering will, then challenged him for wavering despite possessing only a little of it.
• Tony pleaded with Shen Mo to tell him whether to follow his heart or his knowledge, but Shen Mo said he did not care how Tony chose to act.
• Shen Mo explained that he had returned because Tony's will had changed, and that will mattered more than the strength and knowledge contained in the jars.

Thor sought Tony's help after Thanos invaded Asgard and overpowered Odin, and Tony sent his forces to join the battle. They arrived to find Asgard's defenders struggling at the Bifrost, while Odin fought at the royal palace.

• Shen Mo left Tony, who felt abandoned and failed to understand the answer Shen Mo had given him.
• Thor arrived through the Bifrost, battered and without Mjolnir, and told Tony that Thanos had invaded Asgard and defeated Odin.
• Tony ordered Jarvis to deploy twenty-four Eternity-class Battleships to Asgard while keeping twelve in orbit around Earth.
• Tony and Thor traveled to Asgard, where the battleships arrived as Asgardian soldiers fought Thanos's army at the Bifrost.
• Thor found the gravely wounded Heimdall, who directed him toward the royal palace, where Odin's power was surging.

Tony joined Odin's battle against Thanos in Asgard, where Thanos wielded the Power Stone and demanded the truth about Earth's upheaval. Tony attacked with Psionic Energy, but Thanos brushed it aside, and Tony ordered Jarvis to unleash full firepower.

• Tony directed the Eternity-class Battleships to destroy the invading forces, relieving pressure on the Asgardian army.
• Odin fought Thanos, who used the Power Stone and demanded information about Earth, the Tesseract, and half of Asgard's population.
• Tony appeared between Odin and Thanos and challenged Thanos, who called him the one cursed by knowledge.
• Tony fired a Psionic Energy attack, but Thanos slapped it aside and asked where Tony's power came from.
• Tony dismissed the setback as a minor obstacle and ordered Jarvis to use full firepower.

Tony and Odin stopped Thanos’s attack at the cost of Asgard’s palace, Odin’s remaining strength, and four of Tony’s battleships. Before Odin died, he ordered Thor to evacuate his people and warned him never to return without the favor of the Outer God.

• Tony’s battleships and Psionic Energy weapons scorched Thanos, but Thanos unleashed the Power Stone’s force in every direction.
• Odin and Tony’s Psionic Barrier halted the spreading destruction after it reduced Asgard’s palace to ashes and consumed four battleships, while Thanos disappeared.
• Odin’s soul reached its limit, and he told Thor that he was now King of Asgard.
• Odin ordered Thor to evacuate the Asgardians to another world and not return without the Outer God’s favor.
• Odin reflected that Ragnarok might not be inevitable, then transformed into light and died.
• Tony offered Thor his condolences and reminded him that they still had much to do.

Thor learned that his imprisoned sister Hela was returning and would threaten Asgard and the Nine Realms. He and Tony chose to stay and face her, but Hela arrived and ordered Tony to kneel.

• Thor ordered Heimdall to gather Asgard's civilians and asked his mother to explain Odin's final command.
• The Queen Mother told Thor and Tony that Hela was his older sister, sealed away after her slaughter and ambition threatened Asgard.
• Tony refused to abandon Earth, and Thor chose to stay with him rather than flee.
• The Queen Mother warned that Hela drew strength from Asgard and could not be defeated there, while Thor urged her to escape.
• Jarvis detected a spatial jump, and Hela emerged from a blue wormhole and confronted the Queen Mother.
• Hela noticed Tony, called him a lowly Midgardian, and commanded him to kneel.