Recaps

Lu Xi watched Carol recover from her breakdown and resume studying magic, but Carol discovered that her limited magical power and low borrowing limit still kept her from advancing as quickly as she hoped.

• Lu Xi explained to Wanda that Nick Fury had arranged the hearing to target Carol's weaknesses, and Wanda decided against exploring new Universes because of the risk from Chthon.
• After two days of support from Natasha and Nick Fury, Carol mastered the Ring of Raggadorr and went with them to the library to seek advanced spells.
• Wong told Carol that her magical power reserves were too small to sustain mid- and high-level spells, while Natasha and others could rely on borrowed power through Soul Contracts.
• Carol learned to borrow magical power from the Vishanti and successfully gained some, but Wong warned that her credit limit allowed her to cast only one high-level spell.

Carol learned that the Vishanti had granted her almost no magic power, while Strange had an enormous credit limit, and Nick Fury and Natasha persuaded her to seek another trade with Lu Xi. She agreed to trade again to regain her powers and guide Earth’s expansion, but Lu Xi warned that the terms would be different.

• Wong told Carol that Strange had a vastly higher magic-power credit limit and that she would need to complete missions to raise hers.
• Carol gave up on advanced spells, and Nick Fury and Natasha urged her to apologize to Lu Xi and trade with him again.
• Carol agreed that she should lead any future expansion into the Universe so she could prevent other civilizations from being slaughtered.
• Nick Fury opened a portal and brought Carol and Natasha to Lu Xi’s villa, where Wanda let them in.
• Carol asked Lu Xi to trade with her again, and he said the new terms would not match their previous deal.

Lu Xi restored Carol’s power after she agreed to serve him and the Earth Federation, then revealed that he had relocated the Skrulls to Attilan on the moon. He rewarded Nick Fury and Natasha with new abilities and decided that using contractors to recruit others could become an effective model.

• Carol accepted Lu Xi’s conditions, signed a contract, and received authority from the Space Stone that restored her power.
• Carol planned to report to the Federation and address the Skrulls, but Lu Xi told her he had moved them to the vacant Inhumans city of Attilan on the moon.
• Carol left to report to the Federation, while Lu Xi kept Nick Fury and Natasha behind to discuss rewards.
• Natasha asked for power, and Nick Fury asked for a reward at least as valuable as Pierce’s.
• Lu Xi gave Natasha Space Stone-based abilities and Nick Fury a powerful strength enhancement.
• After Nick Fury and Natasha left, Lu Xi decided that contractors could help him recruit new people more easily.

Lu Xi issued his contractors a mission to secure Stephen Strange’s soul contract, then left Earth while Natasha rushed to claim the reward. Natasha and Barton brought Strange to a safehouse and convinced him that powerful enemies were targeting him, though Strange began questioning their story.

• Lu Xi issued a mission to contract Stephen Strange’s soul, offering contractors a choice of three major rewards, and said he would be away from Earth for several days.
• Natasha teleported into Strange’s room, took him to her safehouse, and messaged Barton to join them.
• Barton arrived at the safehouse after taking precautions against being followed, while Strange demanded an explanation.
• Natasha told Strange that Lord Lucifer had selected him as a Chosen One and that hostile forces planned to attack him while Lucifer was away.
• Strange reasoned that the supposed enemies must be powerful gods, then began to suspect Natasha and Barton might be deceiving him.

Natasha and Barton convinced Strange that a godlike force was targeting him and that a contract with Lord Lucifer was his only hope. Meanwhile, Kaecilius staged a betrayal at Kamar-Taj, prompting the sorcerers to gather at the New York Sanctum, while Lu Xi prepared to merge his newly acquired authority.

• Strange concluded that a god-level force had targeted him, and Natasha and Barton agreed with him to win his trust.
• Lu Xi instructed Kaecilius to stage an attack and began merging his newly acquired authority.
• Kaecilius stole pages from the Book of Cagliostro, while Wong pretended to be badly wounded and Mordo sounded Kamar-Taj's alarm.
• Mordo told the sorcerers that Kaecilius served Dormammu and persuaded them to abandon the Hong Kong and London Sanctums to defend New York.
• Natasha told Strange that he would have to wait for Lord Lucifer to return before he could make a contract, and Strange lamented how his pursuit of healing had led him into danger.

Strange agreed to stay involved after Natasha and Barton warned him that people he cared about could be caught in supernatural battles. As Kaecilius attacked the New York Sanctum in Dormammu’s name, Wong and Mordo secretly coordinated with him, revealing that the confrontation was part of a plan to test Strange.

• Natasha and Barton persuaded Strange to abandon his plan to return to surgery by reminding him that Christine could become a casualty of the coming conflicts.
• Natasha, Barton, and Strange received Kamar-Taj’s emergency alert about Kaecilius and teleported to the New York Sanctum, where Mordo said the Hong Kong and London Sanctums had fallen.
• Natasha announced that Strange had agreed to contract his soul to Lucifer, disappointing the other contractors who had hoped to claim him.
• Kaecilius entered the Sanctum empowered by Dormammu, and Wong enclosed himself, Mordo, and Kaecilius in the Mirror Dimension.
• Inside the Mirror Dimension, Kaecilius told Wong and Mordo to follow Lucifer’s plan to lure Dormammu and give Strange special trials.

Kaecilius and the other mages staged a battle to push Strange into using the Eye of Agamotto and its time magic. After Kaecilius cornered and injured Strange, Strange activated the artifact and froze him in time.

• Kaecilius explained that Lucifer wanted the trial to speed up Strange’s growth, then Mordo and Wong helped stage Kaecilius’s apparent betrayal.
• Kaecilius and his duplicates overwhelmed the mages, while Wong gave Strange the Eye of Agamotto and urged him to stop Kaecilius.
• Kaecilius pursued Strange through the Sanctum and struck him with lightning magic, injuring him.
• Strange activated the Eye of Agamotto and froze Kaecilius in time.

Strange fought Kaecilius as the three Sanctums’ defenses fell and Dormammu began descending on New York. Seeing Christine’s hospital threatened, Strange rallied the mages to attack Dormammu.

• Kaecilius’s duplicates overwhelmed Strange and knocked him through a window, but his red cloak carried him back inside.
• Strange’s attempt to use the Eye of Agamotto reversed Kaecilius’s movements, letting Kaecilius destroy the last Sanctum array node.
• Dormammu’s Dark Dimension opened over New York, and he demanded to know where Ancient One was when he saw Strange instead.
• Strange realized the Dark Dimension’s effects threatened Metropolis General Hospital, where Christine was working.
• Strange ordered the mages to attack Dormammu, and they unleashed their magic while Dormammu mocked them.

Strange accepted a Soul Contract from Lu Xi and used his enhanced magic to defend New York from Dormammu. He borrowed an enormous amount of White Magic Power from the Vishanti, turning the battle in his favor while taking on a debt that could last ten thousand years.

• Dormammu broke free of Strange's time magic and overwhelmed the sorcerers' defenses.
• Lu Xi sent Strange a Soul Contract, and Strange signed it as his last chance to save Earth and Christine.
• Strange used Infinite Firepower Mode to create duplicates and raise a Shield of the Seraphim over New York.
• Strange combined his own magic with the White Magic Power of the Vishanti, bringing Dormammu's advance to a stalemate.
• Strange borrowed vast amounts of White Magic Power, and his shield began pushing Dormammu's Dark Dimension upward.
• Hoggoth, Oshtur, and Agamotto approved the loan, expecting Strange to repay it over as long as ten thousand years.

Dormammu’s invasion of New York drew the mages, Iron Man, Carol, and Black Bolt into battle, while Hydra shaped the news coverage to protect Lucifer’s reputation. Their combined attacks pushed Dormammu back, but he remained too powerful in the Dark Dimension, leaving the fight at a stalemate.

• A Daily Bugle reporter described the invasion and praised the mages as they maintained a magical barrier against Dormammu.
• Pierce watched the broadcast and approved of Hydra’s efforts to shape public opinion in Lord Lucifer’s favor.
• Iron Man attacked Dormammu’s tentacles, but JARVIS warned Tony Stark that physical weapons had little effect on the magical entity.
• Carol plunged into the Dark Dimension and injured Dormammu with energy blasts, insisting that she wanted to prove herself and become a hero.
• Nick Fury brought Black Bolt to the New York Sanctum, where Black Bolt unleashed a massive sound wave at Dormammu.
• The attackers pushed Dormammu and the Dark Dimension back, but Carol could not overcome his full power there, and the battle reached a stalemate.

Strange restored the Earth Defense Formation and Lu Xi captured Dormammu, revealing that Kaecilius had been acting under his orders. Two days later, after the Sanctums were repaired, Lu Xi prepared arenas in his Hell Dimension featuring Dormammu and Laufey as prisoners.

• Strange used the Eye of Agamotto to restore the damaged Sanctum nodes and reactivate the Earth Defense Formation, forcing Dormammu out.
• Lu Xi appeared at the New York Sanctum and compressed Dormammu and the Dark Dimension into a Pocket Dimension.
• Strange accused Kaecilius of betraying them, but Lu Xi revealed that Kaecilius had infiltrated Dormammu's side under his orders.
• Lu Xi took Dormammu to his Hell Dimension, intending to study him and use his power to supply Infinite Firepower Mode.
• Two days later, Mordo reported that all the Sanctums and the defensive formation had been restored.
• Lu Xi showed Mordo two arenas he had created in his Hell Dimension, with Dormammu and Laufey as their prisoner stars.

At the Arena District, Contractors challenged Laufey and Dormammu through protected portals while Lu Xi rewarded Natasha and Barton for helping him contract Strange. Natasha reached Skyfather-level strength, and Barton received an enchanted bow as the chapter ended with the other Contractors eager for another mission.

• Lu Xi's portals let Contractors challenge Laufey and Dormammu without lasting injury, and Pierce and Nick Fury emerged defeated after lasting 26 minutes and 55 seconds.
• Natasha and Barton asked Lu Xi for strength as their reward, and he told them they would each receive half of one Skyfather-level power reward.
• Lu Xi strengthened Natasha's Spatial Power, raising her to Skyfather-level and making her slightly stronger than Carol in her normal state.
• Lu Xi enchanted Barton's compound bow with powerful spells, and Barton tested it by firing magic arrows into the sky.
• The other Contractors watched Natasha and Barton receive their rewards and vowed to compete for credit on the next mission.

Strange exhausted the Vishanti magic he had borrowed while fighting Dormammu, then learned that his soul belonged to Lu Xi and could not be claimed as repayment. In the White Magic Dimension, Vishanti discovered that many powerful sorcerers’ souls had also been taken, and suspected Ancient One had taught them to default on their debts.

• Strange used Infinite Firepower Mode and his new Hybrid Fuel-Electric Mode to hold off Dormammu until his borrowed Vishanti magic ran out and Dormammu killed him.
• Strange returned from the challenge and learned that his borrowing limit was exhausted and his first repayment was due.
• Strange told Lu Xi what had happened, and Lu Xi explained that Strange’s soul belonged to him, preventing Vishanti from collecting it.
• Hoggoth discovered he could not bind Strange’s soul, and Oshtur realized that the souls of Mordo, Wong, and Kaecilius also no longer belonged to Vishanti.
• Hoggoth and Oshtur concluded that sorcerers across the Universe had become debtors and suspected Ancient One had encouraged their behavior.

Hoggoth descended into the Hell Dimension to confront Strange and the Kamar-Taj mages over their unpaid magical debt and the souls they had traded away. Lu Xi mocked Hoggoth, who threatened to take Lu Xi’s soul and struck at him with a magic array.

• Agamotto tried to calm Hoggoth, but Hoggoth opened a portal and charged into the Hell Dimension to confront those who had intercepted the Vishanti’s souls.
• Hoggoth arrived near the arena and accused Strange and the Kamar-Taj mages of evading their debt to the Vishanti.
• Mordo argued that he, Wong, and Kaecilius owed little magic power and would repay it, but Hoggoth insisted they had broken their agreement.
• Lu Xi mocked Hoggoth by asking why the mages should repay what they had borrowed, confident he could overpower him.
• Hoggoth threatened to take Lu Xi’s soul and make him perform unpaid labor, then raised a paw and struck with a magic array.

Lu Xi effortlessly shattered Hoggoth’s spell, grabbed the Multiversal-level Vishanti, and rode him away while Kamar-Taj and the Contractors watched in shock. Hoggoth summoned Agamotto and Oshtur for help, and Oshtur attacked Lu Xi with an invisible magical blade.

• Hoggoth struck Lu Xi with the Soul-Seizing Magic Formation, but Lu Xi popped it like a soap bubble.
• Lu Xi appeared behind Hoggoth, grabbed him by the scruff, and rode him away as Mordo, Wong, Kaecilius, and the Contractors watched.
• Natasha called Lu Xi invincible, while Mordo explained that Hoggoth was a Multiversal-level god and Nick Fury and the others reconsidered Lu Xi’s power.
• Hoggoth struggled to throw Lu Xi off but remained trapped, so he called Agamotto and Oshtur for help.
• Agamotto and Oshtur arrived through a teleportation formation, and Oshtur attacked Lu Xi with an invisible magical blade.

Lu Xi faced the Vishanti and effortlessly endured Oshtur’s barrage while holding Hoggoth captive. After Lu Xi invited them to combine, the three formed their most aggressive Trinity Mode and launched a coordinated attack, leaving Lu Xi confronting their full power.

• Lu Xi shattered Oshtur’s magic blade and moved Hoggoth and himself near the cosmic barrier, leaving traces so Oshtur and Agamotto could follow.
• Lu Xi stopped Hoggoth from reaching the others, while Agamotto studied Lu Xi’s unfamiliar, blended aura.
• Oshtur unleashed a relentless barrage of magic, but Lu Xi dodged and scattered the attacks while keeping Hoggoth in hand.
• Lu Xi threw Hoggoth back and challenged the Vishanti to use their strongest state, prompting Hoggoth, Oshtur, and Agamotto to fuse into Hoggoth-led Majestic Form.
• Lu Xi joked about joining their combination, and the enraged Hoggoth attacked with an energy torrent as Oshtur sealed escape routes and Agamotto used time magic to try to immobilize Lu Xi.

Lu Xi escaped the Vishanti’s coordinated attack and struck back, forcing them to evade a blow that tore through the Universe’s barrier. Meanwhile, the contractors in Hell Dimension wondered why the Vishanti had descended, until Strange revealed he had borrowed twenty million units of magic power.

• Agamotto, Hoggoth, and Oshtur trapped Lu Xi with temporal confinement, destruction magic, and a massive magical assault, but Lu Xi broke free and escaped their encirclement.
• Lu Xi attacked from behind, but Agamotto accelerated the Vishanti’s time and Hoggoth moved their body out of range.
• Lu Xi’s missed punch shattered space and blasted a breach through the Universe’s barrier, and he welcomed the chance to fight a worthy opponent.
• In Lu Xi’s Hell Dimension territory, Pierce worried about him while Mordo, Strange, and Wong discussed the Vishanti’s strength and questioned why they had descended.
• Strange admitted that he had borrowed twenty million units of magic power, shocking Mordo, Wong, and Kaecilius.

Lu Xi used the authority he gained through his contract with Strange to defeat the Vishanti and force them out of their fused form. After discovering they had invaded the Morningstar Universe, Agamotto admitted defeat and offered compensation.

• Strange admitted that he had borrowed and spent all twenty million of his credit from the Vishanti, and Mordo warned him to expect punishment.
• Mordo and the others felt a sudden palpitation that was shared by every living being in the Universe.
• Lu Xi absorbed the authority granted by his contract with Strange and used its power to knock Hoggoth, Oshtur, and Agamotto out of their fused form.
• Lu Xi pointed out that the Vishanti had invaded his Universe, and Agamotto recognized him as a Universe Sovereign.
• Lu Xi summoned his Dominion Throne, strengthened himself with the Morningstar Universe, and weakened the Vishanti until Agamotto conceded and offered compensation.

After defeating Vishanti, Lu Xi decided not to imprison them but demanded compensation for their defeat. Agamotto gave him Vishanti's Book, restored the galaxies damaged in battle, and agreed that Lu Xi's mages could borrow Vishanti's magic without restriction.

• Lu Xi considered imprisoning Vishanti but rejected the idea and decided to keep a lower profile around stronger Multiversal beings.
• Agamotto offered Lu Xi the original Vishanti's Book, and Lu Xi accepted it after examining its White Magic and defensive powers.
• Lu Xi demanded that Agamotto restore the galaxies destroyed in their battle, and Agamotto reversed time to bring them back.
• Lu Xi demanded unrestricted access to Vishanti's magic for mages whose souls belonged to his faction, and Agamotto reluctantly agreed.

Lu Xi's attack pierced the barrier of Earth-2149, a universe overrun by zombies, and Wanda sensed the opening into another universe. Lu Xi then returned to the Hell Dimension and told the contractors they could borrow the Vishanti's magic without restriction.

• Lu Xi's lingering punch wave entered Earth-2149, tore the Moon apart, and passed over Earth without harming the zombies below.
• The chapter recounted how Janet van Dyne infected Hank Pym with the Quantum Virus, which spread rapidly and turned nearly all of humanity and many Avengers into zombies.
• Wanda's Chaos Magic balanced the virus within her, leaving her half-zombified with immense power and the ability to sense the damaged cosmic barrier.
• Wanda sensed the universe beyond the barrier and recognized it as a source of living flesh for the starving zombies.
• Lu Xi appeared before the worried contractors in the Hell Dimension, and Mordo asked whether the Vishanti had left.
• Lu Xi confirmed the Vishanti had been defeated and said the contractors could now borrow the Vishanti's magic without restriction.

After Lu Xi revealed that he had defeated Vishanti and obtained the original Vishanti's Book, he punished Strange by sending him into the arena for a week of nonstop battles, where the time array would turn the sentence into nearly thirty-five years of fighting. Strange accepted the punishment but asked Lu Xi whether he would still receive his exclusive contractor benefit.

• Lu Xi told the contractors that Vishanti had been defeated and handed Mordo the original Vishanti's Book to study.
• Lu Xi reprimanded Strange for exposing the magic-loan loophole and created a portal to the arena as his punishment.
• Lu Xi explained that Strange would fight continuously without sleep or rest for a week, with accelerated time making every outside second equal half an hour inside.
• Rumlow asked to join the training but withdrew after hearing how long and exhausting it would be, while Strange reluctantly accepted his sentence.
• Mordo, Kaecilius, and other mages lined up to challenge Strange, who returned to Lu Xi and asked whether he would still receive his exclusive benefit.

Lu Xi offered Strange a contract benefit and explained why he should continue developing his magical talent rather than receive new powers. He revealed that Destiny prevented Strange and Christine from ever ending up together, then showed Strange a parallel version whose obsession destroyed an entire Universe; Strange asked if Lu Xi could break that fate.

• Lu Xi offered Strange a benefit, but advised him to focus on magic because his talent had exceptional potential.
• Strange agreed to use the Eye of Agamotto and discovered that millions of futures showed him and Christine never becoming a couple.
• Lu Xi explained that Destiny's convergence force kept Strange and Christine apart across every Parallel Universe.
• Lu Xi showed Strange a parallel Strange who used the Darkhold to try to resurrect Christine, only for Destiny to destroy his Universe.
• Strange asked Lu Xi whether he could help him break Destiny.

Lu Xi severed the destiny blocking Strange’s romance with Christine and discovered that changing Strange’s fate had increased his Destiny Authority. Thor then arrived with news that the Nine Realms’ spaces had folded together and Jane had disappeared.

• Strange chose to trade his contract reward for freedom from Destiny’s restraints, and Lu Xi severed the thread governing Strange’s love life.
• Strange thanked Lu Xi and headed to accept his seven-day punishment, planning to confess to Christine afterward.
• Lu Xi sensed his Destiny Authority had grown and traced the increase to a raised growth ceiling in Strange’s possible futures.
• Heimdall warned Lu Xi of disturbances in the Nine Realms, and Lu Xi returned to his villa.
• Thor arrived and reported that the Nine Realms’ spaces had folded together and Jane had disappeared during a test.

Lu Xi removed the Aether from Jane Foster, protecting her and preventing the Dark Elves’ attack on Asgard from unfolding as it had before. As Malekith led his fleet toward Earth to reclaim the Aether, he encountered a fast-moving group of zombie-like beings.

• Lu Xi located Jane Foster in a hidden pocket dimension and pulled her out after the Aether possessed her.
• Lu Xi extracted the Reality Stone from Jane, then told Thor to handle the approaching Dark Elves.
• Thor eagerly agreed to fight, confident in the Skyfather-level strength Lu Xi had given him.
• Malekith and the awakened Dark Elves sensed the Aether on Earth and set out to seize it before Odin could respond.
• Malekith spotted a group of skull-faced, zombie-like beings flying through space toward his fleet.

Zombie Wanda brought a horde of zombie heroes into the Morningstar Universe, where they devoured the Dark Elves and infected Malekith. Lu Xi sensed the invasion and realized the mysterious Zombie Virus might threaten even him and the wider Marvel multiverse.

• Zombie Wanda gathered powerful zombie heroes from Earth-2149 and led them through the breach into the Morningstar Universe.
• Drawn by Lu Xi's immense life energy, Wanda headed toward Earth, planning to feed on familiar people from a parallel universe.
• The zombies encountered Malekith's Dark Elves fleet and devoured its ordinary crew in moments.
• Malekith resisted briefly but was bitten several times and transformed into a zombie, while his people were wiped out.
• Lu Xi sensed the invasion from his villa and realized he did not understand the Zombie Virus or know whether it could infect him.