Chapter Summaries

Lu Qi ignored the Soul Stone’s sacrifice requirement, tore apart Vormir until he found the Stone, and absorbed its soul energy to give his Shadow Ninjas independent souls. He left Red Skull trapped on Vormir and headed for Xandar, planning to watch a show.

• Lu Qi recognized Red Skull and revealed that he already possessed five Infinity Stones, then searched Vormir for the Soul Stone without offering a sacrifice.
• Lu Qi destroyed the mountain and forced a hidden pocket dimension into view before grabbing and suppressing the Soul Stone.
• Lu Qi drew the Soul Stone’s energy into the Shadow World, where his Shadow Ninjas gained independent souls and the potential to learn magic.
• Red Skull asked to remain inside the Soul Stone, but Lu Qi refused, sealed him inside a small crystal block, and left him behind.
• Lu Qi carved a message into Vormir for Hawkeye and Black Widow, then took the spaceship toward Xandar to watch a show.

On Xandar, Shadow rescued Star-Lord from Rocket and Groot, then escaped the Nova Corps by vanishing into Star-Lord’s shadow. Lu Qi arrived near the planet and ordered his crew to announce that Earth’s lord wished to visit.

• Star-Lord landed on Xandar with Shadow, whose newly changed, muscular appearance confused Star-Lord and the Xandarian girl.
• Lu Qi spoke with Old Master, who explained that the Infinity Stones had deeper uses as foundations of the universe’s laws, then urged him to help Star-Lord.
• Rocket and Groot ambushed Star-Lord to collect the bounty, but Shadow intervened and fought them.
• The Nova Corps captured Star-Lord, Rocket, and Groot, while Shadow evaded their weapons and disappeared into Star-Lord’s shadow.
• Lu Qi reached Xandar and ordered his crew to contact the Nova Corps and announce that Earth’s lord wished to visit.

Lu Qi met Nova Prime on Xandar to discuss buying Nova technology and retrieving Star-Lord, who had been imprisoned after a fight involving Lu Qi’s subordinate Shadow. When Nova Prime learned Ronan had massacred Kyln Prison’s inmates, Lu Qi blamed the Nova Empire and demanded compensation, leaving negotiations set to begin.

• Nova Prime learned that Lu Qi, reputed to be as powerful as Odin, had requested a meeting on Xandar.
• Lu Qi told Nova Prime that the Nova Corps had arrested Star-Lord and sent him to Kyln Prison after Shadow escaped their drones.
• Lu Qi revealed that Shadow was his subordinate by summoning Shadow Ninjas into the meeting hall, then had them vanish.
• Nova Prime’s assistant reported that Ronan had raided Kyln Prison and killed everyone there.
• Lu Qi threatened to destroy Xandar unless Nova Prime took responsibility for Star-Lord’s death, and she agreed to provide compensation.

Lu Qi negotiated compensation from Nova Prime for Star-Lord’s injury, then arranged for Star-Lord’s group to sell the Orb to The Collector so he could raise the credits needed for advanced technologies. He left for Knowhere while Nova Prime hurried to secure technology-sharing agreements and feared the Shadow Ninjas he had left behind.

• Lu Qi cited the Celestials’ assessment of humanity and asked Nova Prime to compensate Earth with the technologies he had requested, learning that access to a few jointly owned technologies could cost about ten billion credits.
• After comparing the price with the estimated value of an Infinity Stone, Lu Qi planned to use Star-Lord’s Orb to obtain twenty billion credits from The Collector.
• Lu Qi ordered Shadow to stop Drax from returning to face Ronan, and Shadow persuaded Drax to train before seeking revenge.
• Shadow convinced Star-Lord, Rocket, Drax, and Groot to take the Orb to Knowhere, claiming it could be worth hundreds of billions of credits.
• Lu Qi departed Xandar for Knowhere, while Nova Prime ordered her officials to arrange the technology-sharing rights and watched the shadows warily.

Shadow Ninjas and the Guardians sold the Orb to The Collector for fifty billion credits, only to discover it held a black Energy Crystal rather than an Infinity Stone. The Collector put a bounty on them and Knowhere erupted into a battle, until a mysterious figure appeared and destroyed the attacking fleet.

• Shadow Ninjas led Star-Lord, Rocket, Drax, and Groot to The Collector’s casino and showed Karina the Orb.
• The Collector offered one billion credits, but Shadow Ninjas demanded fifty billion, and The Collector agreed to pay.
• After dismantling the Orb, The Collector found a black Energy Crystal and realized the group had not sold him an Infinity Stone.
• The Collector broadcast a ten-million-credit bounty for the group, and Star-Lord, Rocket, Drax, Groot, and Shadow Ninjas fought off Knowhere’s attackers.
• The Collector ordered ships to ram the group, but a mysterious figure appeared and destroyed the fleet with black lightning.

Lu Qi defeated the Collector’s forces on Knowhere, then found Star-Lord’s group alive and revealed that he ruled Earth. He prepared to leave with them and collect the payment they had agreed on.

• The Collector confronted Lu Qi over the Orb’s price, then attacked him with Knowhere’s anti-ship cannons.
• Lu Qi blocked the beams and counterattacked, destroying most of the cannons before the Collector sheltered behind a Celestial Shield.
• The Collector apologized after Lu Qi’s attacks battered the shield, and Lu Qi remembered to search for his companions.
• Shadow Ninjas found Star-Lord, Rocket, Drax, and Groot in a pool; Groot revived the unconscious members of the group.
• Lu Qi revealed that he was Earth’s ruler, discussed Earth music with Star-Lord and Rocket, and offered to take them home.
• Lu Qi told the group to leave Knowhere and demanded the agreed payment, while Rocket tried to bargain for Groot’s share.

Lu Qi hired Rocket and the others to find Thanos, then agreed to help Nova Prime stop Ronan’s Kree Fleet in exchange for stargates linking Earth to other empires. He planned to bring Megatron into the conflict and seize the Kree ships.

• Groot offered to share his one-hundred-million-credit credential with Rocket, Star-Lord, Drax, and Shadow Ninjas, and Rocket agreed to divide the money.
• Lu Qi paid Rocket a one-hundred-million-credit deposit and hired the group to find Thanos, promising another nine hundred million and a Dark Crystal that would let him reach them in an emergency.
• Rocket accepted the job, and Lu Qi sent Shadow Ninjas with the group to protect them as they searched for Thanos.
• Lu Qi went to Nova Corps headquarters and learned that Ronan’s Kree Fleet was attacking Nova Empire outposts despite the ceasefire agreement.
• Lu Qi contacted Megatron about taking the Kree Fleet’s ships, then offered Nova Prime help against Ronan and asked her to build stargates connecting Earth to other empires.
• Nova Prime agreed to arrange the stargates after Lu Qi’s offer, despite realizing the project would be expensive and complicated.

Lu Qi and Megatron used Nova Prime’s supplies to lure Ronan’s fleet into an ambush, where Megatron infiltrated and captured Kree warships before the Starship Giants destroyed the fleet. Lu Qi captured Ronan and planned to hand him over to the Nova Empire, while Megatron claimed the Dark Aster for his forces.

• Lu Qi brought Megatron and his subordinates to Nova Prime’s base, then Nova Prime moved valuable goods there to bait Ronan into attacking.
• Ronan led his fleet to the planet, and Megatron drew several Kree warships into battle before infiltrating their systems and taking control of their ships and Necrocraft.
• Megatron analyzed the Kree fleet’s weaknesses, produced specialized weapons and copied Omni-Wave Projectors, then sent captured ships back into Ronan’s formation.
• Starship Giants emerged through wormholes and attacked Ronan’s fleet, while Megatron restrained the Dark Aster and Lu Qi arrived at the battlefield.
• Lu Qi captured Ronan and explained that he intended to sell him to the Nova Empire; Megatron then activated the Dark Aster as a mechanical lifeform.

Nova Prime bought Ronan from Lu Qi and announced a live execution on Xandar, prompting Lu Qi to agree to attend and help. Meanwhile, Gamora, Hawkeye, and Black Widow discovered a mysterious message on the shattered Vormir, while Star-Lord and Rocket headed back to Xandar to take advantage of the coming crisis.

• Nova Prime paid Lu Qi ten billion for Ronan and announced a public execution, and Lu Qi agreed to attend with his subordinates after Saal requested his help.
• Thanos learned that Gamora and Nebula were missing, blamed Nebula for their disappearance, and ordered Ebony Maw to warn his agents.
• Gamora, Hawkeye, and Black Widow reached Vormir and found its surface cracked, Demon Mountain gone, and the Soul Stone missing.
• Black Widow translated Chinese characters carved into Vormir’s cracks, and Hawkeye and Black Widow decided to find the person who left the message.
• Rocket persuaded Star-Lord to return to Xandar after hearing about Ronan’s execution, hoping to find work and use Lu Qi’s free rescue offer.

Gamora, Hawkeye, and Black Widow traveled to Knowhere and learned that Lu Qi, Earth’s ruler, had defeated The Collector and captured Ronan for the Nova Empire. They reached Xandar ahead of Ronan’s public execution, while Rocket and his companions failed to find work there.

• Hawkeye and Black Widow accompanied Gamora to The Collector’s casino, where he showed them Nova Prime’s announcement that Ronan would be publicly executed on Xandar.
• The Collector revealed that Lu Qi had captured Ronan and that the Nova Empire had invited him to attend the execution as protection against the Kree Empire.
• Gamora said she had escaped Thanos and accepted The Collector’s offer to buy Ronan’s head, while Hawkeye and Black Widow agreed to travel with her to Xandar.
• Gamora used The Collector’s credentials to help the group pass the Nova Empire’s heavy security around Xandar, where the execution was scheduled for the next day.
• Rocket and his companions went to city hall seeking work, but a Nova Empire official refused to hire them because the Nova Corps had taken responsibility for security.

Ronan’s execution on Xandar turned into a coordinated attack by Kree agents and civilian spacecraft, but the Nova Empire contained the chaos and completed the execution. Lu Qi then realized the attack had distracted the Nova Empire while Supreme Intelligence robbed his home.

• Star-Lord and Rocket discussed the danger of explosives at the ceremony, while Sal explained the Nova Empire’s surveillance and security preparations to Lu Qi.
• Gamora arranged with The Collector to sell Ronan’s head for two hundred million, planning to keep half the money for herself and Nebula.
• Ronan denounced the Nova Empire and threatened Lu Qi before the executioner beheaded him during an attack involving crashing civilian spacecraft and armed Kree spies.
• Lu Qi sent Shadow Ninjas to rescue Hawkeye and Black Widow as Nova Guards and Nova Corps ships suppressed the attackers.
• Lu Qi questioned why the Kree attack had been so limited, then received a message from The Ancient One and realized Supreme Intelligence had robbed his home.

Lu Qi returned to Earth during a Kree assault and helped turn back the fleet with The Ancient One, Galactus, and Megatron. After learning the Kree had attacked because he had mastered their Full-Spectrum Projection Technology, Lu Qi declared war on the Kree Empire.

• Lu Qi returned to Earth, where The Ancient One and Galactus were fighting off the Kree fleet and shielding the planet.
• The Ancient One explained that she had altered the surrounding space to prevent the Kree from escaping, and Megatron brought in Starship Giants to disable the warships.
• Lu Qi learned from the Supreme Intelligence that the Kree had attacked because they feared he would spread their Full-Spectrum Projection Technology.
• The Supreme Intelligence threatened to destroy the Solar System, but Lu Qi refused to make peace and declared war on the Kree Empire in Earth's name.

Lu Qi planned to undermine the Kree Empire by sharing its Full-Spectrum Projection Technology with its enemies and altered space around the Solar System to disrupt Kree weapons. After learning he would help restore their families once the Kree threat was handled, Hawkeye and Black Widow chose to stay with him.

• The Supreme Intelligence ordered a massive Kree fleet sent to destroy Earth and Lu Qi, while the Kree higher-ups settled on ten stellar-class warships and three hundred thousand ships.
• Lu Qi told The Ancient One he would spread Kree technology among the Empire’s enemies, and she agreed to help protect Earth with Galactus.
• Lu Qi used Dark Energy from the Shadow World to alter space across the Solar System, disrupting the Kree Omni-Wave Projector, then returned to Xandar with its blueprints.
• Lu Qi told Hawkeye and Black Widow he would help retrieve their lost loved ones after dealing with the Kree Empire, but both feared losing their only chance to save their families.
• Hawkeye showed Lu Qi a photograph of his family and asked to stay; Lu Qi agreed, and Black Widow chose to stay with him as well.

Lu Qi gave the Nova Empire the Kree’s Omni-Wave Projector blueprints and arranged for it to sell the technology to the Kree’s enemies, igniting plans for a broad war. As rival empires prepared to attack, the Supreme Intelligence ordered the Kree leadership to flee and sent warships to destroy Earth.

• Lu Qi showed Nova Prime the Kree storage device, and she discovered it contained the Omni-Wave Projector blueprints.
• Lu Qi offered to sell the technology for fifty billion and asked Nova Prime to distribute it to forces hostile to the Kree.
• Nova Prime agreed, copied the blueprints, and arranged sales with nearly ten empires and other former Kree allies.
• The Supreme Intelligence learned that the Kree technology had spread and blamed the leadership for refusing to destroy Lu Qi and Earth earlier.
• The Supreme Intelligence ordered the Kree’s technical personnel to flee in new warships while other ships delayed the enemy and attacked Earth.

Lu Qi learned that the Kree Empire had sent its fleet toward Earth and prepared to stop it without endangering the Solar System. Galactus used the Infinity Stones to empower an avatar that would intercept the Kree fleet, and Lu Qi and Galacta went to watch.

• Nova Prime reported that allied empires had agreed to attack the Kree Empire and connect to the planned Stargate, earning Lu Qi over a hundred billion credits.
• Nova Prime's assistant warned that the Kree fleet had abandoned its defensive positions and was heading for Lu Qi's planet.
• Lu Qi returned to Earth and told Galactus that he could not protect the entire Solar System alone if the Kree attacked.
• Galactus warned Lu Qi that using all six Infinity Stones could upset the universe's balance, then used them to empower a black-mist avatar.
• Lu Qi took Galacta into space to watch the avatar intercept the Kree fleet, and Galacta said it could devour the fleet's energy.

The Supreme Intelligence led the Kree fleet to attack the Solar System, but Galactus shielded it and devoured most of the warships. Acting Captain Layton escaped the battle only to have his ship seized by Megatron, who planned to interrogate its crew for intelligence.

• The Supreme Intelligence had a fearful officer executed and ordered the fleet to continue toward Earth, while Acting Captain Layton grew uneasy about its surveillance and the empire’s situation.
• Galacta told her father it was time to act, and the black mist consumed Lu Qi’s dark energy before expanding to protect the Solar System.
• The Kree fleet fired on the black mist, but it stopped every attack and began swallowing warships; the Supreme Intelligence identified it as Galactus and authorized a retreat.
• Only about thirty percent of the Kree ships escaped, and Layton learned that other empires were preparing a joint offensive against the Kree Empire.
• Megatron seized Layton’s ship with the Starship Giants and took out the AllSpark to force the crew to reveal what they knew.

Lu Qi learned that Kree leaders were fleeing to Planet TPU7 and set off to investigate, while Megatron prepared to turn captured warships into Starship Giants. On Xandar, Gamora traced the theft of Ronan’s head to powerful mercenaries and realized she needed help.

• After Galactus defeated the Kree fleet, Lu Qi learned from captured Kree that the empire’s leaders had fled with its high-tech talent and used the Mind Stone to discover Planet TPU7 as their likely destination.
• Lu Qi sent Megatron to join Nova Prime’s joint assault under Earth’s name, then traveled to Planet TPU7 himself.
• Hawkeye and Black Widow left Galacta a communicator and departed to find somewhere else to stay until Lu Qi decided whether to travel to a parallel world.
• On Xandar, Gamora learned that mercenaries had likely stolen Ronan’s head for a thirty-million payment and found traces of them on the black market.
• Gamora discovered that the mercenaries were too powerful for her to handle alone and decided she needed help.

Lu Qi tracked down the Kree Empire’s evacuation bases and captured the Supreme Intelligence’s mainframe before it could be relocated. He left the disabled mainframe in the Solar System for Megatron and the others to handle.

• Lu Qi destroyed the hidden base on TPU7, seized its departing warships, and captured the Kree aboard alive.
• A high-ranking Kree revealed the Supreme Intelligence’s location, and Lu Qi released the Kree’s family before taking him there.
• Lu Qi destroyed the warships guarding the Supreme Intelligence’s transfer and sent the Kree leader through a portal to Nova Prime.
• The Supreme Intelligence confronted Lu Qi and refused to reveal the locations of more than a thousand evacuating Kree bases.
• Lu Qi drained the enormous warship’s energy, shutting down the Supreme Intelligence, then pushed the ship through a portal into the Solar System.

Lu Qi obtained the Supreme Intelligence’s evacuation plans and prepared to let the fleeing Kree ships gather valuable data before taking it, while ordering the Supreme Intelligence kept alive to witness the Empire’s destruction. On Xandar, Gamora hired Rocket’s group after Shadow Ninjas demonstrated his combat skill, despite the team falling short of her required headcount.

• Megatron’s Starship Giants searched the Supreme Intelligence’s database, uncovering backdoors that could locate the Kree evacuation ships.
• Lu Qi planned to let the ships gather scientific data before launching a surprise attack, and rejected the Supreme Intelligence’s claim that Kree talents would never join him.
• Lu Qi ordered Megatron to keep the Supreme Intelligence operational and broadcast the coming battle to her, then returned to Earth and learned Hawkeye and Black Widow had left a communicator.
• Lu Qi relaxed with Galacta by playing a game, while on Xandar Rocket’s group met Gamora about her commission to find Thanos.
• Rocket had Shadow Ninjas demonstrate his speed and skill, convincing Gamora to hire the group at the offered price.

Lu Qi joined the allied fleet preparing to destroy the weakened Kree Empire while watching Earth’s lunar programs develop. On Xandar, Gamora’s newly recruited team defeated the mercenaries who stole Ronan’s head and set out to pursue the Sovereign People’s warship.

• Lu Qi received Nova Prime’s report that the empires had assembled a fleet with Omni-Wave Projectors and joined the alliance with Megatron’s forces.
• Lu Qi considered the lunar programs announced by China and Wakanda while playing a game with Galacta.
• Gamora led Star-Lord, Rocket, Groot, Drax, and the Shadow Ninja into an abandoned factory, where their cover was blown and they fought through the mercenaries.
• The Shadow Ninja evaded the KFC4V50 Multi-Barrel Energy Cannon, subdued its operator, and helped Rocket’s team capture the weapon and its remote.
• Gamora learned that the Sovereign People had Ronan’s head aboard their warship, paid Rocket’s team for a new contract, and prepared to pursue them.