Chapter Summaries

Ancient One fought the Avengers in the Mirror Dimension while Mephisto’s interference and Kaecilius’s attack threatened her and the Sanctums. Neos intervened, destroyed Kaecilius and his followers, and faced Mephisto as the chapter ended.

• Ancient One trapped the Avengers in the Mirror Dimension and held off Thor and Carol with precise spatial magic.
• Ancient One sensed the Sanctums’ protective formation under attack and prepared to use the Eye of Agamotto, but Mephisto appeared and hindered her control of the Mirror Dimension.
• Carol struck Ancient One as she began reversing time, interrupting her spell and sending her toward Kaecilius, who emerged through a portal and attacked with a dark sword.
• Neos erased Kaecilius and his followers with a thought, collapsed the Mirror Dimension, and caught Ancient One before she fell.
• Neos confronted Mephisto, whose smile disappeared as he sensed Neos’s immense power.

Neos killed Mephisto’s avatar, shattered Thor’s Mjolnir, and spared Thor at Ancient One’s request. The Primarchs arrived and joyfully reunited with Neos, sharing their recent adventures and new powers while the Avengers stood ignored.

• Neos gave Mephisto a warning for his master before crushing his avatar and making it vanish.
• Thor attacked Neos, who shattered Mjolnir and caught Thor by the throat.
• Ancient One pleaded for Thor’s life, and Neos threw him toward Captain America and told the Avengers to restrain him.
• The Primarchs teleported beside Neos and gathered around him, calling him Father.
• The Primarchs told Neos about their modifications, their adventures in another universe, and the powers they gained from the Paths.

Neos stopped Lion from killing Carol and spared the Avengers, judging that their resistance came from ignorance of the visitors' true identities. He led the Primarchs away to meet Emperor Hua Wei as three nuclear missiles raced toward the ruined base.

• Sanguinius asked Neos who the battered people around them were, and he explained the conflict with the Avengers.
• The Primarchs reacted furiously to the Avengers' attack on Emperor Hua Wei and Neos, and Lion seized Carol and prepared to kill her.
• Ancient One pleaded with Neos to spare the Avengers, explaining that Earth needed strength against future threats.
• Neos ordered Lion to release Carol, and Lion hurled her through several walls, knocking her unconscious.
• Neos led the Primarchs away from the Avengers to meet Emperor Hua Wei as three nuclear missiles approached the base.

Neos and the Primarchs stopped a military faction’s nuclear strike, but Dormammu broke through Earth’s barrier and began consuming reality. Horus asked Neos to let her fight the Dark Dimension’s ruler so she could cross a threshold, and he allowed her to attack.

• Three nuclear warheads approached as Neos sensed Dormammu closing in through the broken dimensional barrier.
• Nick Fury tried to cancel the unauthorized launch, but communications were disrupted; Perturabo stopped the missiles and compressed them into a metal sphere.
• Dormammu broke through Earth’s defenses, darkened the sky, and began corrupting matter and reality with its power.
• Neos prepared to destroy Dormammu, but Horus pleaded for the chance to fight it and prove herself.
• Neos warned Horus not to underestimate Dormammu and let her go; Horus charged into the darkness.

Horus fought Dormammu alone in the Dark Dimension, using her fused Valkyrie technology and power of Destruction to pierce his dimensional core. She halted his invasion and ascended to godhood, though her armor and strength were nearly spent.

• Odin watched Horus enter the Dark Dimension and challenge Dormammu alone.
• Horus activated her Valkyrie Armor and fused the Mind Cube's energy with the power of Destruction, suppressing Dormammu's reality-warping abilities.
• Horus evaded Dormammu's attacks and wounded his dark form, while observers on Earth and in Asgard watched in shock.
• Dormammu gathered the Dark Dimension's power to launch a devouring attack, but Horus ignored the system's warnings and charged at his maw.
• Horus concentrated her power into a Spear of Destruction and pierced Dormammu's dimensional core, forcing his invasion to retreat.
• Horus's armor cracked and her strength nearly ran out, but she crossed a barrier within herself and ascended to godhood.

After Horus defeated Dormammu, Neos and the Primarchs left Earth, while the surviving Avengers and Ancient One reckoned with the power and political reach of the Imperium. Odin prepared to visit Midgard, Tony planned to investigate Star Ring Technology, and a faint signal stirred inside the Tesseract.

• Horus returned to Neos after her victory and challenged Lion and the other Primarchs to a fight, prompting Lion to vow to surpass her.
• Neos led the Primarchs away, and Ancient One returned the Tesseract to Nick Fury before leaving, relieved that a powerful human Imperium stood behind Earth.
• Fury and the Avengers realized they had attacked the Emperor and imperial royalty, while Carol Danvers noticed a fleeting energy fluctuation in the Tesseract.
• Odin told Frigga that they would go to Midgard to apologize and open talks with the Imperium.
• Tony Stark asked JARVIS about reproducing Horus's armor, then arranged a trip to Huaxia to consult Star Ring Technology.
• An imperceptible ripple spread from the Tesseract's core, seemingly calling for something or waiting for it.

Neos and the Primarchs returned to Hua Wei at the manor, where officials discussed attacks against Star Ring Technology. After the officials departed, Hua Wei and Neos reflected on how profit drove people to greed.

• Hua Wei and Pandora watched media reports about efforts to discredit Star Ring Technology while meeting with two Huaxia officials.
• Neos and the Primarchs arrived, and Hua Wei praised their progress, especially Horus, while teasing her about acting alone.
• Horus acknowledged that the auxiliary system had warned her and promised not to repeat her lone-hero act.
• A senior Huaxia official vowed to investigate the false claims and malicious attacks against Star Ring Technology, and he and the general then left the manor.
• Hua Wei told Neos that profit drove people mad, and Neos agreed that human greed remained the same across civilizations.

Hua Wei considered Neos’s proposal to bring more worlds under the Imperium’s protection and secretly sent the Abyss into the Marvel main universe. Meanwhile, Loki stole the Tesseract, enslaved Hawkeye, and began gathering materials for a portal while the Avengers remained incapacitated.

• Neos urged Hua Wei to proactively incorporate human worlds into the Imperium, and Pandora supported the proposal.
• Hua Wei said the Imperium should discuss standards for intervention and incorporation, showing that he was more receptive to Neos’s idea.
• After learning that the Marvel main universe’s barrier had been breached, Hua Wei opened a passage for the Abyss to enter and cause chaos.
• Loki appeared inside S.H.I.E.L.D.’s containment facility and used the Mind Stone to turn agents against one another before taking the Tesseract.
• Loki controlled Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, and ordered him to find special materials for a stable portal while the Avengers recovered from their injuries.

After Fury was dismissed and the Avengers disbanded, Earth's other potential defenders scattered while S.H.I.E.L.D. struggled to investigate the Tesseract's theft. As governments pursued dangerous weapons and Loki prepared his invasion, the chapter ended with Earth weakened and divided.

• The World Security Council dismissed Nick Fury, and the Avengers disbanded after rejecting government control.
• Thor and Jane Foster broke up, while Steve Rogers took in the drunken Thor; the X-Men returned to Xavier's school, and Magneto retreated from the battlefield.
• Maria Hill became acting director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and, at Fury's suggestion, sought Bruce Banner to help track the Tesseract.
• General Ross expanded his Super-Soldier Program, while Colonel William Stryker's experiments transformed Wade Wilson into Deadpool.
• Tony Stark took Pepper Potts to Huaxia, and Carol left Earth after saying goodbye to Fury.
• Loki held the Tesseract and Mind Scepter with mind-controlled Hawkeye beside him and prepared to launch an invasion.

As the Chitauri invasion overwhelmed New York, Tony Stark returned to fight while Hua Wei authorized the Primarchs to deploy their legions into the Marvel universe. The legions mobilized to purge the aliens and claim territory for Hilling, leaving Earth on the brink of a much larger conquest.

• Loki ambushed Thor with the Mind Scepter after exploiting his hesitation, and Captain America rescued the gravely injured Thor as he fell from Stark Tower.
• Tony Stark returned to New York in his X-Enhanced armor and attacked the Chitauri, briefly bolstering the failing defenses.
• Guilliman and Lion asked Hua Wei to let them join the battle, and Hua Wei authorized the Primarchs to summon their legions and conquer the region for Hilling.
• Hua Wei told the Primarchs that their contributions could earn Imperial Contribution Points and Hilling Credits, including access to Psionic Crystals.
• The Primarchs used their Crystal Cross insignias to order their legions to deploy to the Solar System, and Hilling-equipped warships and teleportation arrays began preparing for the invasion.

Titus and the Ultramarines arrived in New York through a cross-universe deployment channel and turned the tide of the battle against the Chitauri. As they slaughtered the invaders, Tony Stark and Loki watched in shock, while Nick Fury wondered whether the newcomers were a blessing or a threat.

• Tony Stark fought the Chitauri alone as his armor ran low on energy and ammunition, while Steve Rogers protected civilians and the military's attempted nuclear strike failed.
• Loki appeared atop Stark Tower and began declaring himself the new king of Midgard.
• A fleet of blue warships appeared in low Earth orbit, and Titus led the Ultramarines' Second Company through teleportation beacons into Manhattan.
• Titus ordered the Ultramarines to begin their assault, and they overwhelmed Chitauri soldiers, airships, and a Leviathan with boltguns, chainswords, and jet packs.
• Tony Stark watched the massacre in disbelief, Nick Fury questioned the newcomers' intentions, and Loki's confidence gave way to horror.

Titus’s Ultramarines cleared the Chitauri and uncovered Skrulls hidden among civilians, while Tony learned why they had opened fire. Elsewhere, the Ultramarines subdued Hulk and discovered he was human, leaving him to be taken for examination and possible transfer to Queen Liang Bing.

• Titus ordered the Ultramarines to scan the battlefield and eliminate remaining threats, and they detected and killed disguised Skrulls among the crowd.
• Tony Stark confronted an Ultramarine for shooting a supposed civilian, then saw the green blood and learned the dead were not human.
• Bruce Banner transformed into Hulk under fire and fought Chitauri soldiers and military vehicles.
• An Ultramarine squad sparred with Hulk, repeatedly knocking him down until he gave up.
• The squad’s scan identified Hulk as a mutated human, so its captain ordered him restrained for examination and considered sending him to Queen Liang Bing.

Titus attacked Loki on Stark Tower, but Odin and Frigga intervened to protect him and begged Titus to spare his life. As Loki reeled from his parents’ protection, a devastating blue beam descended toward them.

• Titus leapt onto Stark Tower and attacked Loki, splitting the Mind Scepter and sending Loki flying.
• Titus saw through Loki’s illusions and pursued him, but Gungnir struck his power sword and forced him back.
• Odin and Frigga appeared between Titus and Loki, and Odin apologized for Loki’s invasion and promised compensation if Titus spared him.
• Frigga vowed to protect Loki, while Loki was shaken by his parents’ desperate defense of him.
• Titus’s orbital attack command brought a devastating blue beam down toward Odin, Frigga, and Loki.

Odin resisted the Ultramarines’ orbital strike and bolter fire by summoning the Destroyer Armor, but Guilliman and then the Lion King confronted him. As Lion’s relentless attacks overwhelmed Odin’s defenses, Odin resolved to break the deadlock and secure Asgard’s chance to negotiate, even at a cost.

• Odin used Gungnir to hold back the orbital strike while shielding Frigga and Loki from the Ultramarines’ bolter fire.
• Odin summoned the Destroyer Armor and drove the blue orbital beam back with a powerful golden blast.
• Guilliman appeared, clashed with Odin, then signaled Titus to halt the attack and ordered the Ultramarines to protect him.
• Lion charged Odin and used fast, hard-to-block attacks that forced Odin to defend himself while protecting Frigga and Loki.
• Odin recognized that Lion’s assault was steadily overwhelming him and resolved to break the deadlock, even if he had to pay a price.

Hua Wei and Neos watched Odin battle Lion and discussed Odin’s failing body, Asgard’s pride, and the purpose of letting the conflict teach Odin and his sons a harsh lesson. Neos predicted Odin would win, while Hua Wei chose Lion, leaving the outcome unresolved.

• Neos noticed Odin was holding back and sensed a deeper burden in his power as he fought Lion.
• Hua Wei explained that Odin’s past use of power to defeat formidable enemies had depleted his life essence, and that every battle hastened his body’s collapse.
• Neos suggested recruiting Odin, but Hua Wei argued that Odin and Asgard were not ready to join the Imperium and needed to face defeat and reality first.
• Hua Wei described the battle as a chance to challenge Asgard’s pride and help Thor, Loki, Odin, and their civilization change through hardship.
• Neos judged that Odin would win because of his artifacts and experience, but Hua Wei said he would bet on Lion.

Lion defeated Odin in their final clash and ascended to godhood, leaving Odin’s divine body shattered and near death. Neos intervened, spared Asgard on the condition that Loki face the Imperium’s judgment, and restored Odin enough to save his life.

• Odin and Lion unleashed their strongest attacks, and their collision devastated the top of Stark Tower while sending both fighters flying.
• The battle’s pressure broke Lion’s final barrier, and he ascended to godhood as Odin’s divine power collapsed.
• Ancient One arrived as Odin’s Destroyer Armor fell apart and his body began to shatter; Odin pleaded with Lion to spare Asgard and his children.
• Hua Wei sent Neos to resolve the confrontation, and Neos took the Mind Stone from the broken scepter.
• Neos declared that Asgard would be spared but that Loki must remain to face the Imperium’s judgment; Loki submitted to the Ultramarines.
• Neos used dark-blue energy to repair Odin’s body and halt the destructive force that had afflicted him, leaving Odin alive but with most of his power gone.

Lion contemplated his newly awakened divine power while Guilliman ordered Titus to destroy the Chitauri fleet, whose defeat left Earth’s leaders terrified of the Imperium’s might. Odin learned that his weakened power had broken Hela’s seal, and she emerged ready to claim Asgard’s throne.

• Lion steadied his new divine power and began contemplating it, while Guilliman affirmed his chosen path to Neos.
• Guilliman ordered Titus to eliminate the Chitauri, and the Ultramarines fleet destroyed the mothership and annihilated the enemy fleet beyond the portal.
• Earth’s military leaders and Nick Fury watched the destruction in fear, while Hydra factions severed ties with Alexander Pierce’s faction.
• Odin asked Neos about Loki’s judgment and possible visits, then Frigga comforted Loki as he admitted his past arrogance had been fragile.
• Odin realized his weakened divine power had broken Hela’s seal, and Hela emerged from a dark portal, declaring her intention to take Asgard’s throne.

Hela attacked Odin after rejecting his explanation for sealing her away, while Neos and Guilliman judged her a threat to the Imperium. Guilliman intervened to protect Odin, and Hela began to realize the strangers around them were far more powerful than she had assumed.

• Odin tried to explain that he had sealed Hela away to protect Asgard, but she dismissed his words and attacked him with her Death Sword.
• Hela overwhelmed the weakened Odin and wounded him, while Neos and Guilliman discussed whether Hela or Odin would be more valuable to the Imperium.
• Neos judged Hela an agent of Chaos and concluded that Odin was more useful to the Imperium.
• Guilliman blocked Hela's next strike with the Sword of Order and ordered her to surrender.
• Odin pleaded with Neos to let him take Hela away, warning that killing her could trigger Ragnarok.
• Hela heard Odin's fearful plea and began to question who Neos and the others were.

Hela attacked Guilliman but was subdued, while Odin asked Neos to let Asgard join the Imperium to protect its future. Neos accepted the request in principle and sealed Hela’s powers and connection to Asgard, leaving her fate uncertain.

• Hela unleashed her deathly sword attack on Guilliman, who blocked it and gradually overwhelmed her.
• Odin decided Asgard needed the Imperium’s protection and asked Neos to accept his people into it.
• Odin explained Asgard’s weaknesses and promised to help his people adapt to Imperial laws and order.
• Guilliman bound Hela and brought her before Neos, who sealed her divine power and severed her connection to Asgard.
• Neos told Hela her power would remain sealed until she learned to control it and understand the Imperium’s order.

After Odin submitted and Hela was sealed, an immense fleet bearing the same Crystal Cross as the Ultramarines appeared through a portal near Jupiter and advanced into the Solar System. Its arrival left Earth’s leaders, Odin, and Hela confronting the overwhelming scale of the force that had come to claim the heavens.

• Odin requested to join, and Neos sealed Hela’s power as the fighting in New York subsided.
• Earth’s leaders considered seizing alien technology left on the battlefield before a vast shadow darkened the sky.
• Earth’s surveillance agencies detected a huge portal near Jupiter as countless warships bearing the Crystal Cross emerged and headed toward the inner Solar System.
• Neos, Guilliman, Lion, and Odin sensed the fleet, and Odin realized that submitting early had secured a chance for Asgard to integrate rather than be crushed.
• Hela accepted the truth of Odin’s warning as Earth’s leaders abandoned their plans to claim the alien technology.