Chapter Summaries

Jane declared war on the Six Giants at the Star Sea Alliance Conference, while Cheng Yu learned that the Mechanicus’s identity and Legion name were essential to Big Sis’s advancement to Holy Spirit. News of Jane’s self-detonation then reached Cheng Yu aboard the Iron Throne.

• Jane declared war on the civilizations of the Star Sea in the name of the RTX Destroyer Legion, angering the Six Giants.
• Bennett recognized Cheng Yu’s stance behind the Mechanicus and worried that he might soon have to face Cheng Yu in war.
• System explained to Cheng Yu that Big Sis needed a flawless heart to advance to Holy Spirit and that the Legion had to be identified as the RTX Destroyer Legion.
• System told Cheng Yu that Big Sis’s advancement could create the rule of machinery, and Cheng Yu joined System in praising the venerable Big Shot.
• Cheng Yu received news of Jane’s self-detonation.

The Legion began its first-phase invasion plan, deploying specialized forces to counter Balchik’s meme weapons. As Balchik’s networks went dark, Fabian struggled to identify the culprit, and Dile suspected the man who controlled the Mechanicus.

• Cheng Yude ordered the Legion to begin its first-phase plan, activating its defenses, spy network, and Mecha preparations.
• The Legion’s Wisdom units identified Balchik’s Meme Formula Repository as a key target and deployed a large proportion of Decoder Mecha to suppress meme contamination.
• Regulator 0-9 completed its warm-up, and the Legion’s Mecha vanished in a flash.
• Fabian learned that Warship City and the rest of Balchik had lost their network connections, and he worried that the warlords might break away from the Commander-in-Chief’s rule.
• Dile told Fabian that Old You, the man who controlled the Mechanicus, might be responsible for the blackout.

The Mechanicus’s actions put the Star Sea Alliance on alert, while its forces launched a surprise attack on Jay’s fleet in Balchik’s rear area. Jay watched his ships being destroyed and realized how badly his forces had been outmatched.

• Dile warned Fabian that the Mechanicus was capable of a major threat, so Fabian ordered every soldier in his Security Company and every star sector to enter the highest state of alert.
• At the Alliance conference, the ambassadors learned Thousand Mechanisms Star had released intense high-energy fluctuations, and Jenny, Sid, Matthew, and Andrea argued over how to respond.
• Bennett ended the meeting and left, prompting the other Limit-Breakers to depart as well.
• Jay dismissed reports of communications trouble until a warning revealed unidentified warships outside his fleet, then ordered his Starships to prepare for battle.
• Jay discovered that communications were down and watched mechanical forces destroy his fleet with overwhelming ease, prompting him to make a decision.

Jay used Balchik’s Thousand Forest-Class Meme Weapon against the Legion, but the Legion quickly analyzed and nullified its effects. Realizing Balchik was under a widespread attack with communications down, Jay ordered a retreat and prepared to hold off the enemy so a soldier could warn Warship City.

• Jay unlocked his Meme Weapon and used it to make the Legion’s Mechas rapidly decay.
• Decoder 0-1 analyzed the Meme Contamination, and Decoder 0-7 restored the affected Mechas.
• Jay realized the Legion had countered the weapon with alarming ease and feared Balchik’s regions were isolated and under attack.
• Jay ordered the communications soldier to notify every ship, retreat to Warship City, and report the attack to the Commander-in-Chief.
• Jay told the soldier to begin the operation when he sortied, then prepared to buy time for the retreat.

The Legion launched a coordinated offensive that devastated Balchik’s forces and captured Jay’s star sector to support its military expansion. As Cheng Yu watched the campaign, he reflected on his approaching confrontation with Bennett McAdam and promised to visit Xia once he reached Epic.

• Jay joined Balchik’s front lines, where a robot severed his arm and disabled his abilities before killing him and dragging away other defenders.
• The Legion’s forces overwhelmed Balchik’s fleet and Mecha, while its Infiltrator network cut communications and its offensive targeted recruitment grounds, factories, and warehouses.
• The Legion seized Jay’s star sector in Balchik’s rear territory to exploit its resources and build top-tier combat forces, with Annihilator 0-9 set to lead its next era of warfare.
• Cheng Yu watched the campaign and considered his approaching encounter with Bennett McAdam, resolving to give his old friend a worthy final battle.
• Cheng Yu rested in the Iron Throne’s command room and murmured that he would visit Xia and let him see Greenie again once he reached Epic.

Bennett learned that the Mechanicus had devastated Balchik’s territory and sent Dile and Fabian to prepare special operations and defenses. He absorbed the Meme Formula Repository and attacked the Legion, while Cheng Yu focused on completing Annihilator 0-9 behind a Spatial Maze that could temporarily keep Bennett out.

• Fabian told Bennett that two Balchik star sectors had fallen, including B0019, and that the Legion had destroyed subordinate civilizations and damaged vital industries.
• Bennett ordered Dile to gather elite fighters on Kashi Star and form a special operations force, then sent Fabian to block the Mechanicus at a key passage to Warship City.
• Bennett informed the other titans of Balchik’s losses, absorbed the Meme Formula Repository, and crushed the Legion’s machines on a battlefield into a sphere before making it vanish.
• Cheng Yu learned that Bennett had found the universe where Annihilator 0-9 was being built, but Conductor reported that the Legion’s Spatial Maze could keep Bennett out for a time.
• Cheng Yu watched the Legion construct the Great Collapse Induction Generator and prepared for the decisive battle that would follow Annihilator 0-9’s completion.

The Legion continued draining Balchik’s resources and overwhelming its forces, while Bennett struggled to contain its attacks. The other Limit-Breaking beings discovered Balchik’s devastation, and Henry wondered whether it was the Starsea Heavenly Punishment.

• Cheng Yu considered the Legion’s growing strength and decided he did not want to attack Kashi Star unless the Legion’s interests required it.
• A Commander Class Titan destroyed a planet, and Legion units collected its fragments while combat squads cleared out Balchik-aligned fleets.
• The Legion used numerous squads and overwhelming firepower to exhaust Balchik’s forces, while Bennett rushed between battles and failed to breach Legion headquarters.
• The Legion’s Infiltrators intercepted Bennett’s reports to the other members of the Five Giants.
• The other Limit-Breaking beings scanned Balchik and discovered the loss of subordinate civilizations, ruined arsenal sectors, and Fabian trapped in a star sector.
• Henry considered the Legion’s declaration at the Star Sea Alliance Conference and wondered whether it was the Starsea Heavenly Punishment.

As the Legion’s war pushed Balchik toward collapse, Duke refused to leave the demonic web, while other powers were distracted by internal unrest and ominous religious prophecy. Cheng Yu revealed that the Legion had engineered much of the chaos through its Infiltrator Doppelgänger Plan, then wondered whether events involving Vax Corporation and the Kabonebog Church were also connected.

• Shatla’s expeditionary force entered Balchik’s territory and advanced through Fabian’s Star Sector after Performer withdrew.
• Duke decided not to personally aid Balchik because he feared leaving the demonic web would expose it to danger.
• Henry reported that Mr. Gu had ordered Vax Corporation to maintain the status quo, and Andrea returned to play a game.
• Sid received a revelation and declared that the age of Starsea Heavenly Punishment was approaching, prompting the Kabonebog Church’s elites to vow their loyalty.
• Jenny faced growing dissent in the Pan Chabuko Alliance, while a rebellion in Playa distracted Matthew Sawyer from the war against the Mechanicus.
• Cheng Yu said the Legion had spent five years preparing the Infiltrator Doppelgänger Plan and wondered whether the Vax Corporation and Kabonebog Church developments were coincidences.

Cheng Yu reflected on the Star Sea’s major powers as the Legion steadily conquered Balchik and trapped its remaining forces around Warship City. The Legion prepared to break the stalemate with the newly completed Annihilator 0-9, which was entering testing.

• Cheng Yu considered why the Vax Corporation and the Kabonebog Church had not intervened in the war despite their overwhelming power.
• The Legion crippled Balchik’s logistics and Meme Weapon arsenal, expanded its forces with Balchik’s resources, and built a Regulator 0-9 suppression matrix to limit Bennett.
• The Legion captured most of Balchik’s territory and concealed its rear regions, leaving Balchik’s remaining elite forces trapped in their Star Sector at Warship City.
• Bennett’s domain prevented the Legion from directly assaulting the Star Sector, creating a standoff between him and the Legion.
• The Conductor informed Cheng Yu that Annihilator 0-9 had been completed and was entering testing before deployment.

After losing three generations of recruits, Dile struggled with the coming final battle as Bennett ordered him and his companions into exile. Cheng Yu let their spacecraft pass the Legion’s blockade, then ordered the calibrated Annihilator 0-9 to advance on Balchik headquarters.

• At the Heroes' Memorial, Dile mourned the comrades killed under his command and wondered whether he could fight Old You in the final battle.
• Bennett told Dile that the Legion had captured the B0019 Star Sector only to find it had vanished, suggesting the Mechanicus had created a limit-breaking weapon.
• Bennett ordered Dile exiled to Kashi Star and knocked him unconscious when he tried to refuse.
• Ning Qing and Tang Lan helped carry Dile aboard a spacecraft, and Bennett said goodbye as they left Warship City.
• Cheng Yu allowed the spacecraft to pass through the Legion's blockade, then ordered the Annihilator 0-9 to advance on Balchik headquarters.

Cheng Yu inspected the Legion’s new Legendary combat unit, Annihilator 0-9, and agreed to bring it to the front lines despite the Wisdom units’ objections. The Legion’s forces assembled outside the star sector containing Balchik’s headquarters, ready for the coming battle.

• Artist explained that Annihilator 0-9 could ignore enemy domains and force its target into close combat, and Cheng Yu tested its nearly indestructible body.
• Cheng Yu rejected Performer and Conductor’s requests to return to the Legion’s main base and agreed to take Annihilator 0-9 with him.
• The Legion gathered its combat, support, infiltration, and meme-weapon units near the passage to Balchik’s star sector.
• Guardian 0-9 repelled attacks on the Legion’s network and counterattacked, costing Vax Corporation several geniuses and core servers.
• The Iron Throne and its elite escort arrived, and the Legion’s army cleared a path for them.

Cheng Yu led the Legion to Balchik and met its ruler, Bennett McAdam, for a private farewell. After Bennett left, Cheng Yu reflected on immortality and decided to enjoy life for another thousand years before worrying about its meaning.

• Cheng Yu ordered the Legion through a passage opened by two Regulators 0-9, and the army appeared before Balchik's forces and four Warship Cities.
• Cheng Yu and Bennett McAdam met alone on a peaceful planet, drank together, and talked about Bennett's impending death and the defeat of Balchik.
• Bennett joked that killing Cheng Yu could turn the battle around, then left without attempting it.
• Cheng Yu wondered whether Bennett had noticed Annihilator 0-9, collected the empty bottles, and reflected on the loneliness of immortality.
• Cheng Yu realized he needed to make peace with immortality but decided to enjoy himself for another thousand years before considering it further.

The Legion launched a coordinated assault that overwhelmed Balchik’s forces, while Bennett tried to make one final stand. Annihilator 0-9 broke through Bennett’s domain and forced him into close combat.

• Cheng Yu ordered the Legion to begin its attack, and Balchik’s infiltrated soldiers and pilots turned on their comrades as the Legion opened fire.
• The Legion’s Purgers, Enablers, Regulators, Decoders, Assault Units, and Annihilators simultaneously crippled Balchik’s fleet and overwhelmed its defenses.
• Bennett realized Balchik had been defeated and expanded his domain to attack the Legion’s mecha.
• Annihilator 0-9 breached Bennett’s domain, exploited his moment of panic, and attacked him at close range.
• Bennett compressed his domain around himself to fight Annihilator 0-9 hand to hand.

Cheng Yu watched the Legion defeat Bennett as Balchik’s last warship fell, then said farewell to his dying friend. Bennett’s light left his body, and the battle for Balchik was over.

• Cheng Yu ordered Performer to incapacitate Bennett, and the Regulator 0-9 units formed a Force Control Matrix that made Bennett vulnerable to Annihilator 0-9’s blows.
• Performer reported that Bennett’s rule body was destroyed and that he was extremely unlikely to recover.
• Cheng Yu caught the weakened Bennett and told him that Balchik had lost as its final Warship City vessel burned away.
• Bennett refused to surrender and watched the warship disappear, calling Balchik beautiful before dying.
• Cheng Yu took the ball of light that left Bennett’s body, closed his eyes, and said farewell to his friend.

Cheng Yu laid Bennett McAdam to rest on his favorite planet, then returned to Miskatonic University and received a book about Bennett from Yog. The book revealed that Bennett had fulfilled his dream in other Timelines, leaving Cheng Yu comforted as the system came back online.

• Cheng Yu placed a fragment of the destroyed ship and Bennett's cloak at Bennett's grave, drank to his memory, and left him to rest.
• Cheng Yu returned to Kashi Star and met Miss Puppet outside Yog's office, where she welcomed him back.
• Miss Puppet comforted Cheng Yu by stroking his head, while Yog explained that Grete had things to do.
• Yog told Cheng Yu that Nyarlathotep had offered him a reward but that Yog had destroyed the Chaos-tainted object and would provide a replacement.
• Yog gave Cheng Yu a book titled "The biography of Bennett McAdam," and Cheng Yu learned that Bennett had fulfilled his dream in other Timelines.
• Cheng Yu thanked Yog and asked Miss Puppet to stop petting him, just as the system came online.

Tobias confronted Yog over the Abyss and their deal, but Yog denied involvement and explained that Tobias was helping him weaken Origin. After Tobias left, Nyarlathotep arrived and settled in at Yog’s office, asking for food.

• Yog invited Tobias to sit, and Tobias accused him of breaking their deal by helping the Abyss rise.
• Yog admitted there was a connection to the Abyss but insisted he had not been involved, while Nyarlathotep appeared and alarmed Tobias.
• Tobias left after warning Yog to remember their deal, and Yog identified him as Origin’s spokesman and a powerful figure in the new era.
• Yog told Nyarlathotep that his true form was eroding Origin and that Tobias was helping him limit Origin’s control over the new era.
• Nyarlathotep said he had come to settle the fish he had caught, sprawled on Yog’s sofa, and called for Little Tian to bring food.

Nyarlathotep introduced his Apostle, Luo Xiaotian, to Yog and discussed his plans for the New Era and Yog’s eventual divine status completion. After Nyarlathotep assigned him a new task, Luo Xiaotian left the Principal’s Office to lure in a Holy Spirit Demon.

• Nyarlathotep introduced Luo Xiaotian as his Apostle, and Luo Xiaotian respectfully greeted Yog.
• Luo Xiaotian reported that the recruitment project was running, while Nyarlathotep complained that he could not anchor the beings he had tried to bring over.
• Nyarlathotep described his plan for His Majesty to take over the New Era and fill the Chaos Court with Outer Gods, but Yog said it was not yet time.
• Yog told Nyarlathotep that he would stop interfering after completing his divine status, and left Nyarlathotep to handle Shub.
• Nyarlathotep gave Luo Xiaotian a quest to wait outside the Small Heavens and slap an arriving Holy Spirit Demon, and Luo Xiaotian left to carry it out.

Cheng Yu reviewed the Legion’s growth and intelligence, then chose the Pan Chabuko Alliance as its next target while keeping a cautious stance toward the Vax Corporation and Shatla. He approved the invasion plan and sent the Legion’s forces into battle, prompting Star Sea leaders to recognize the arrival of the era of Starsea Heavenly Punishment.

• Cheng Yu checked his system status, exchanged an achievement for currency, and considered buying Mad Song but decided to rely on the Legion for his mission.
• Cheng Yu learned that the Legion had consolidated Balchik, strengthened its networks, and uncovered Vax Corporation records linking Deep Affection and the Lost Kingdom.
• Cheng Yu and the Legion’s Wisdom Units settled on defensive policies toward the Vax Corporation and Shatla while choosing the Pan Chabuko Alliance as their next target.
• Conductor and the other Wisdom Units prepared an invasion plan, and Cheng Yu approved it and dispatched Bodyguard One to the Pan Chabuko battlefield.
• The Legion assembled its invasion force within seconds, and Star Sea leaders realized that Balchik had fallen and the RTX Destroyer Legion was advancing on Pan Chabuko.

Cheng Yu suspected that Mr. Gu and the Vax Corporation were tied to Big Shot’s Authority Fragment, but Miss Puppet’s imminent ascension to Holy Spirit took his attention. He learned that Big Shot’s gift had revealed a path for her to become Mythic and agreed to keep expanding the Legion so it could nourish her.

• Cheng Yu wondered why the Vax Corporation had not reacted to Balchik’s destruction and suspected that Mr. Gu was interfering with it and might be connected to Big Shot’s Authority Fragment.
• Miss Puppet told Cheng Yu that her ascension was about to begin and explained that she had glimpsed a path beyond Epic while fighting the Ancestor of Wizards.
• Miss Puppet revealed that Big Shot had given her the Mechanical Gospel Compendium, whose divine names described the future Mythic status she would attain.
• The system explained the difference between Legendary, Epic, Holy Spirit, and Mythic, then described the Unspeakable as the source of existence.
• Cheng Yu congratulated Miss Puppet and promised to keep leading and expanding the Legion so it could nourish her in return.

Wilbur Jimmy uncovered signs that the Pan Chabuko Alliance’s rebellions had been engineered by the RTX Destroyer Legion, but communications collapsed and Alliance Leader Jenny was gravely wounded as the Legion advanced. Cheng Yu learned that Bodyguard One needed repairs and left the Pan Chabuko campaign to Performer while the Star Sea Alliance united to attack the Legion.

• Wilbur Jimmy investigated the rebellious civilizations and found that their leaders and powerful elites had changed, though examinations revealed no cause.
• Alliance Leader Jenny destroyed rebels across a Star Sector, and Wilbur concluded that the RTX Destroyer Legion might have provoked the rebellion.
• Wilbur returned to headquarters and learned that alliance communications had failed and Jenny had been gravely wounded.
• Performer reported that Bodyguard One had been damaged fighting the Pan Chabuko Alliance’s Legendary, and Cheng Yu ordered Performer to conquer the alliance.
• Duke Dalton convened a Star Sea Alliance Conference, where members agreed to reinforce Pan Chabuko and launch an allied attack on the RTX Destroyer Legion.
• Cheng Yu was caught off guard by the Vax Corporation’s and Kabonebog Church’s unexpected moves.