Chapter Summaries

Lu Qi helped Star-Lord and Yondu confront Yondu’s guilt, and Star-Lord learned that Yondu had saved him out of love and had come to consider him family. As Yondu departed, Ego approached, and Star-Lord agreed to meet his biological father before Lu Qi dealt with him.

• Lu Qi identified himself to Yondu, who thanked him for destroying the Kree Empire and confessed his guilt over the children he had delivered to Ego.
• Lu Qi argued that Yondu had saved Star-Lord, and Star-Lord asked whether Yondu had rescued him only to atone for his sins.
• Yondu recalled protecting Star-Lord, sharing the Ravagers as his home, and eventually treating him as family; Star-Lord thanked him and called him Father.
• Yondu urged Star-Lord to cherish his family, and Star-Lord affirmed that Gamora, Rocket, Groot, and the Shadow Ninjas were family to him.
• Silver Surfer spotted Ego approaching, and Lu Qi offered to handle him while arranging a reliable fleet commander for Star-Lord’s team.
• Star-Lord agreed to meet Ego before he died so he could ask why Ego had abandoned his mother.

Ego approached Star-Lord, who confronted him about murdering his half-siblings and abandoning his mother. Ego offered a sympathetic account of his past and used Star-Lord’s lingering hopes for a father to invite him to his planet.

• Ego recognized Star-Lord as a son whose Celestial Power had awakened and flew over to meet him.
• Star-Lord asked Lu Qi to let him speak with Ego, and Lu Qi agreed while considering how to deal with Ego and questioning his claims about Star-Lord’s power.
• Star-Lord confronted Ego about killing his half-siblings, and Ego claimed he had killed them to spare himself the pain of watching them age and die.
• Star-Lord challenged Ego over leaving his mother, and Ego claimed he had returned to Earth three times but fled when the Kree threatened his planet.
• Ego told Star-Lord he had searched for him after escaping the Kree and promised he would have cared for him regardless of his inheritance.
• Ego invited Star-Lord to visit a room prepared for him on the planet, as Star-Lord’s hostility began to give way to hope.

Lu Qi stopped Ego from taking Star-Lord’s energy, then destroyed Ego’s planetary body and summoned Galactus to enforce the rules of balance. Galactus erased Ego and sent Silver Surfer to remove his seeds from over a thousand planets, while Lu Qi looked forward to a reward from Eternity.

• Lu Qi interrupted Ego’s attempt to influence Star-Lord and rescued him from Ego’s grasp by burning Ego’s body.
• Lu Qi transformed into a giant demonic form and battered Ego’s planetary body until most of it shattered.
• Galactus arrived, explained that Ego’s plan to assimilate planets violated the rules of balance, and destroyed Ego’s consciousness.
• Galactus identified Ego’s brain as that of a juvenile Celestial and extracted coordinates to more than a thousand seeded planets.
• Galactus sent Silver Surfer to remove Ego’s seeds and left to meet Eternity, while Lu Qi returned to Star-Lord and his companions through a portal.

Lu Qi rescued Mantis after Ego’s defeat and helped Yondu seek a return to the Ravager Alliance. When Mantis revealed Rocket’s short remaining lifespan, Lu Qi created a contract that bound the Guardians’ lives and lifespans together, and the group signed it before considering whether to accept Mantis as a companion.

• Lu Qi offered to explain Yondu’s role in Ego’s crimes so Yondu could rejoin the Ravager Alliance, then freed Mantis from Ego’s powerless egg-shaped ship.
• Star-Lord awkwardly discussed his inherited powers and endless lifespan with Gamora, then learned from Mantis that Rocket feared he would die soon.
• Lu Qi stopped Rocket from threatening Mantis and urged him to tell his companions the truth about his condition.
• Lu Qi created a contract to divide the signers’ lifespans and bind their lives together, and Star-Lord and the others signed it while leaving out the reviving Shadow Ninjas.
• Lu Qi explained that Mantis could join the group and use her abilities to help them, and Gamora agreed after hearing she could read people’s thoughts during deals.

Lu Qi checked on Hela as her treatment progressed, took her out for a day in the city, and learned she had begun to recognize her own role in the conflict with Odin. He then advanced the Shadow World’s development by inscribing six higher-order rules from the Infinity Stones, while Galactus and Eternity discussed the risks and agreed Lu Qi would eventually need balancing rules.

• Lu Qi reviewed the Trading Station’s transactions, then learned Hela’s treatment was progressing but that images of Odin could still upset her.
• Hela asked Lu Qi to take her outside, and he agreed after the doctor approved; she said she regretted rebelling against Odin without hearing him out.
• Lu Qi spent the day shopping with Hela, thanked her for trusting him, and asked Thor and the others to visit her when they could.
• Lu Qi used the AllSpark to draw rule fragments from the six Infinity Stones and inscribe them into the Shadow World, then replenished the stones with Dark Energy.
• Eternity told Galactus that Lu Qi had begun inscribing higher-order rules, and Galactus said he would help Lu Qi obtain balancing rules while Eternity insisted he must pass their tests.

Lu Qi returned with Galacta, while the secretary of defense was arrested after trying to expose the president’s cooperation with suspected Muspelheim survivors. Lu Qi then brought Megatron and his forces to the Transformers World, where nearly two hundred unidentified spacecraft approached China.

• Lu Qi met Galacta after helping Shuri design Wakanda’s armor, and Megatron arrived seeking his help.
• The secretary of defense suspected the president’s Trading Station partners were Muspelheim survivors plotting revenge on Asgard, but the president arrested him to protect their cooperation.
• Megatron assembled his troops, and Lu Qi transported them through the Shadow World to the Transformers World so they could begin reviving Cybertron.
• In China, officials discussed the country’s Dark Energy weapons and the possibility of another Decepticon attack.
• An alarm announced that nearly two hundred unidentified spacecraft were approaching Chinese airspace.

Megatron sent a vast fleet through a portal near Earth to test Optimus Prime, while China and the Autobots prepared to repel the invasion. The Autobots advanced with new Dark Energy equipment, and the chapter ended as their attacks made the Decepticon starships’ armor tremble.

• A fleet emerged from a black doorway in Earth's orbit, and China’s leader and Optimus Prime began planning a counterattack.
• Megatron explained to Lu Qi that he wanted to test Optimus Prime and compare their rival ideals, then ordered his fleet to confront the Autobots.
• Optimus Prime led the Autobots into space wearing new equipment that generated black barriers, which surprised Lu Qi and Megatron.
• Dark Energy blasts from Earth damaged dozens of starships, and Lu Qi controlled the energy while Megatron ordered the damaged ships to withdraw.
• The Autobots used their Dark Energy weapons against the remaining fleet, and the starships’ armor began to tremble.

The Autobots fought Megatron’s Starship Giants and tried to destroy the portal, but Lu Qi arrived and stopped the Destruction Bomb from detonating. Megatron explained that he had tested the Autobots’ progress and challenged Optimus Prime to prove whose ideals could restore Cybertron faster.

• The Starship Giants pressed the Autobots, while Arcee Squad attacked their shields and Star Rock disrupted their assault before Bumblebee drew him away.
• Optimus Prime led the Autobots toward the portal as Earth’s forces provided covering fire, then charged through the Starship Giants with his Dark-Energy Swords.
• Optimus Prime tried to send the Destruction Bomb through the portal, but Megatron emerged and caught it as its countdown reached zero.
• Lu Qi arrived, revealed that he had stopped the bomb by controlling its Dark Energy, and halted the fighting.
• Megatron said the battle had been a test of whether the Autobots could revive the Cybertronian Race and proposed competing with Optimus Prime’s civilization.
• Optimus Prime accepted Megatron’s challenge to let their actions prove whose ideals would restore Cybertron faster.

Lu Qi learned that Supergiant was about to meet Thanos and told Odin, who hurried to join him. As Odin prepared to confront Thanos, he decided to blame him for Hela’s past actions so he could welcome her back into the family.

• Lu Qi told Galacta that the Xia Dynasty had turned Dark Crystal energy into weapons and planned to bring them to the Trading Station.
• Surtur secretly gathered Flame Demons beneath Earth, shrank into a crystal embedded in his crown, and planned to trick humans into delivering it to Asgard.
• Supergiant arrived at Thanos’s planned hiding place, while Lu Qi sensed the approaching opportunity and opened a portal connecting Transformers World to the Trading Station.
• The Xia Dynasty leader visited the Trading Station with Optimus Prime, while invited world leaders refused to attend after misunderstanding his invitations.
• Lu Qi told Odin that Supergiant had found Thanos, and Odin rushed to confront him while deciding to hold him responsible for Hela’s past and bring her back into the family.

Supergiant returned to Thanos to report Gamora’s betrayal, but Thanos realized her mind had been influenced, and Lu Qi and Odin confronted them aboard the Chitauri warship. Thanos escaped before they arrived, while Lu Qi offered to help Odin find him; elsewhere, Thanos reached a frost-covered planet, and an envoy brought Zha Hamiao a helmet found in magma.

• The Chitauri commander detained Supergiant and showed her Thanos’s message, after which she reported Gamora’s betrayal to Thanos.
• Thanos recognized that Supergiant’s mind had been affected, but Odin and Lu Qi arrived before she could leave and Lu Qi killed her with a psychic blast.
• Thanos argued with Lu Qi about his plan to kill half the universe’s population, then revealed that he had already escaped the warship.
• Lu Qi searched the ship and told Odin that Supergiant had led Thanos’s intelligence network, then offered to take Odin to the Nova Empire’s Supreme for help tracking him.
• Thanos arrived at a frost-covered planet, while United States envoy Jell brought Zha Hamiao a massive helmet discovered in underground magma.

Zha Hamiao placed a mysterious Flame Crown in Asgard’s vault, where it awakened Surtur as Flame Demons attacked the Trading Station and invaded Asgard. Loki’s palace Defense System blocked Surtur’s first strike, but Surtur raised his sword to attack again.

• Zha Hamiao brought the Flame Crown to Loki, who sent it to the new vault after recoiling from its heat.
• Thanos persuaded the new Frost Giant King to let him travel through Jotunheim by promising a vast fleet and explaining that Lu Qi and The Ancient One would not interfere.
• Flame Demons attacked the Trading Station, and fighters from several factions defended it before the creatures broke through and poured into Asgard’s portal.
• As the Flame Demons invaded Asgard, Loki and Thor saw Surtur emerge from the vault, restored by the Eternal Flame.
• Loki raised the palace Defense System with Gungnir and blocked Surtur’s first sword strike, while Surtur prepared another blow.

Surtur’s attack on Asgard continued despite Thor and Loki bringing him down temporarily, and he used the Flame Demons to turn the battle against the city. Loki revealed his Frost Giant power to save Asgard’s overheating civilians and was recognized by them as their king.

• Heimdall struggled to protect the Bifrost as Flame Demons merged into Flame Giants and broke through the Asgardian warriors’ formation.
• Thor fought Surtur while Loki activated Tony’s Defense System, whose energy beam pierced Surtur’s head and brought him down.
• The Flame Giants detonated in the teleportation hall, killing the Asgardian warriors there, while Heimdall escaped and Flame Demons advanced on Asgard.
• Surtur recovered and used the Flame Demons’ fragments to create a firestorm around Asgard, whose heat left civilians near death.
• Loki used the Casket of Ancient Winters to cool the council hall, then revealed his Frost Giant form and spread ice across Asgard to save its people.
• Loki collapsed from exhausting his bloodline power, and the Asgardians bowed to him as their king.

The Ancient One fought Surtur in the Mirror Dimension but could not stop him from breaking back into Asgard. Hela joined the battle to defend her realm, and she, Sylvie, and The Ancient One prepared to face Surtur together.

• Surtur struck Asgard's shield while Thor tried to take Loki through the Bifrost, but Surtur severed the bridge; Heimdall escaped to Earth and warned Stephen that Asgard was in danger.
• The Ancient One took Sylvie to Asgard and attacked Surtur, then drew him into the Mirror Dimension.
• The Ancient One used spatial magic to break apart the ground beneath Surtur, but Surtur escaped by splitting the Mirror Dimension with the Twilight Sword.
• Sylvie summoned Hela, who refused to let Surtur destroy Asgard and attacked him with divine power.
• The Ancient One rescued Hela and Sylvie from Surtur's attack, and Hela agreed to fight alongside her.

Hela used the Death Force to battle Surtur and protect Asgard, with help from The Ancient One, Fenris, and the Undead Legion. When Surtur began to self-destruct, Hela unleashed a Death Storm to contain the resulting firestorm, and Lu Qi erased the remaining flames as Odin watched.

• Hela drew on the Death Force, extinguished Surtur’s flaming attack, and joined The Ancient One in fighting him.
• Surtur shattered The Ancient One’s magic circle, summoned Flame Demons, and threw the Twilight Sword at Hela.
• Hela summoned her undead warriors, while Fenris reunited with her and helped lead them against the Flame Demons.
• Surtur prepared to self-destruct, so Hela unleashed a Death Storm that contained his firestorm and left a massive crater.
• Lu Qi and Odin appeared above Asgard, and Lu Qi erased the remaining firestorm with Dark Power.
• Hela withdrew the Death Storm, then noticed Odin behind Lu Qi.

Hela reunited with Odin and her family while Lu Qi recovered Surtur’s Flame Crown and discussed how to deal with it. After returning to the Trading Station, Lu Qi proposed stationing guards there and asked the United States envoy to stay behind.

• The Ancient One calmed Hela with a spell, allowing her to embrace Odin and tell him she had missed him.
• Lu Qi and the Ancient One intercepted a Flame Demon carrying Surtur’s Flame Crown, and the Ancient One explained that Surtur’s soul survived inside it.
• Odin introduced Hela to Thor and Loki, and Frigga arrived with Sylvie to embrace her daughter.
• Hela proposed using Surtur’s soul to replenish her Death Force, and Lu Qi gave her the crown before returning to Earth.
• Lu Qi summoned Shadow Ninjas to clean the Trading Station and proposed stationing guards there, which the envoys accepted.
• Lu Qi ended the meeting and asked the United States envoy to remain behind.

Lu Qi questioned the United States envoy and confronted the former Secretary of Defense, who gave him a list, while Thanos captured Nick Fury’s Skrull double. The real Fury prepared to use himself as bait to draw out the attacker, but ended the chapter seeking help from the police, who laughed at his account.

• Lu Qi questioned the United States envoy about the suspicious equipment, then asked Tony about the United States Secretary of Defense.
• Lu Qi found the former Secretary of Defense, who handed him a list as their reckoning began.
• Thanos attacked and abducted Nick Fury’s Skrull double, prompting S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate.
• Fury told Captain America, Natasha, Barton, and Bucky that he would act as bait, while Coulson decided not to involve Lu Qi yet.
• Fury went to the police to report the attack, but the police chief and deputy chief laughed at his description and sketch.

Fury used a public scandal as bait to draw out the attacker targeting him, while Thanos tortured a Skrull for information about Hawkeye and Black Widow from another timeline. The trap at Fury’s safe house came under attack by armed enemies, and Fury called on an unidentified ally to help.

• Natasha explained that Fury had used the FIB to spread news of his police visit, hoping to lure the hidden attacker into the open.
• Thanos interrogated a Skrull about Hawkeye and Black Widow from another timeline, then tortured her until she revealed an address connected to Fury.
• Fury watched online mockery spread and prepared his remote safe house as bait, where the other-timeline Hawkeye and Black Widow were staying.
• Thanos read a sensational news alert and discovered that the address given by the Skrull was close to the location mentioned in the report.
• A squad in black armor attacked Fury’s safe house, and Fury contacted an unidentified ally to help repel them.

Nick Fury’s plan to lure the mysterious attacker failed, and Thanos watched the battle before following the trail of the Vampires. As Fury and the others left the safe house, their Quinjet crashed after its wings were cleanly severed, leaving Fury to suspect the attacker was responsible.

• Blade and his warriors defeated the attackers surrounding the safe house, but the mysterious target did not appear.
• Thanos recognized Fury’s operation as a trap and headed toward where the Vampires had appeared.
• Fury ended the operation, ordered Hawkeye and Black Widow moved to another safe house, and left with the others aboard a Quinjet.
• Something struck the Quinjet, sending it crashing to the ground while leaving its passengers mostly unharmed.
• Fury discovered the aircraft’s wings had been cleanly cut off and wondered whether the mysterious attacker had done it.

Steve and the others were ambushed by Thanos, who captured Fury and attacked them while seeking their wristbands. After Steve activated his medal to summon backup, the fight escalated, and Thanos broke free of Barton's restraint as Hawkeye froze in shock.

• A cloaked attacker knocked Fury unconscious, ambushed Steve, and cut Steve's shield with a double-bladed sword.
• The attacker hurled a wing into the cabin, injuring Natasha, while Steve and Hawkeye protected Barton from another strike.
• Natasha failed to contact headquarters, but Steve's medal connected him to JARVIS, who sent the Ultron Legion and alerted Scarlet Witch.
• Thanos, hiding with the unconscious Fury, decided to seize the wristbands and attacked Steve's team by throwing a tree at them.
• Steve blocked Thanos's sword while Hawkeye and Barton blinded and trapped him with arrows, but Thanos shattered the hardened substance and charged Barton.
• Barton called for Hawkeye's help and saw him frozen in place after apparently hearing something unbelievable.

Thanos seized Hawkeye and Black Widow’s time-travel bracelets, but Ultron’s Mechanical Legion and the Defenders arrived to confront him. After surviving the bombardment and reflected laser attack, Thanos fought Tony, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Johnny, and Carter, with the battle still underway.

• Barton and Captain America tried to stop Thanos, but Thanos killed Hawkeye as he attempted to destroy his bracelet and took both Hawkeye’s and Black Widow’s bracelets.
• Ultron’s Mechanical Legion bombarded Thanos with weapons, but he survived and reflected the robots’ laser beams.
• Black Widow warned Ultron that Thanos was still alive, and robots sent the severely injured Hawkeye through a portal to the Defenders’ hospital.
• The Defenders arrived, and Tony attacked Thanos while Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch tried to strike him without success.
• Johnny wrapped his Hellfire chain around Thanos’s neck, and Carter attacked with her scythe before Thanos countered and Johnny pulled him off balance.