Chapter Summaries

Almus chose Muspelheim as a homeland for the Dark Elves and ordered his forces to march there. Meanwhile, Fire Giants began reshaping the area around New York, and General Ross sought a way to stop them.

• Almus created a new Dark Elf, then stopped making ordinary Dark Elves because he lacked the templates and time to build a large population that way.
• Almus decided the Dark Elves needed a territory, ruled out Asgard and Blue Star along with several other realms, and chose Muspelheim because Surtur was sealed away and no Asgardian army was stationed there.
• Almus ordered all his forces to assemble and march on Muspelheim.
• Nick Fury accessed S.H.I.E.L.D.'s authorization database while Coulson supervised him and retained higher clearance.
• Fire Giants appeared outside New York City and used environmental modification equipment to reshape the area and raise its temperature.
• General Ross heard that the city's temperature had stabilized around thirty degrees Celsius and asked what Tony Stark could do to contact the Sorcerer Supreme and stop the Fire Giants.

As Fire Giants besieged New York, General Ross chose to undergo Orochimaru’s experimental serum treatment. Ross collapsed during the transformation, but his heart began racing and his body turned red, leaving his fate uncertain.

• Tony and Rhodey fought the Fire Giants from Stark Tower while Krillin and Tien Shinhan left New York to battle them elsewhere.
• General Ross watched footage of Tony’s weapons harming the Fire Giants and considered using Orochimaru’s serum to gain power.
• Ross called Betty, apologized for failing her as a father, and urged her to choose a life she would not regret.
• Orochimaru told Ross the serum’s success rate had risen to eighty-five percent, then injected it into him with a fang.
• Ross collapsed after several minutes of pain, but his heartbeat surged and his body turned red.

An alternate-world Doctor Strange prepared to obtain Blue Star’s leyline core to restore his lost world. Meanwhile, Red Hulk and the United States military defeated the Fire Giants on New York City’s outskirts, temporarily resolving the city’s temperature crisis.

• Doctor Strange resisted the creature inside him and planned to use Blue Star’s essence to bring his world back, hoping Christine and the others would return.
• Thaddeus Ross transformed into Red Hulk and fought a Fire Giant leader on the outskirts of New York City.
• The military sent squads forward to support Red Hulk while monitoring the battle.
• As the Fire Giant leader knocked Red Hulk down, a white snake bit and poisoned the giant.
• Red Hulk struck the poisoned leader, and the military joined him in overrunning the Fire Giants’ base.
• The outskirts of New York City were reclaimed, temporarily easing the temperature crisis.

As the European alliance retreated before the united forces of the Nine Realms, the Light Elf king Karls devastated the fleet at Doren Harbor and prepared to drown the continent. Doctor Strange stopped the tsunami, intending to earn goodwill from the Blue Star Consciousness while pursuing its essence.

• The European alliance struggled to defend its territory as the invading races coordinated their attacks and pushed human forces back.
• Karls, king of the Light Elves, summoned towering waves that wrecked the fleet at Doren Harbor and killed many soldiers.
• Karls raised a massive tsunami to destroy the continent after the human forces opened fire on him.
• Doctor Strange appeared and froze the tsunami, prompting Nick Fury to hold off on calling in Captain Marvel and activating the Vulcan System.
• Doctor Strange used the Ancient One's Pupil, which contained the Ancient One's pupil and was connected to the power of time.

A strange bell caused the stars around Blue Star to return to their positions, while the Avengers struggled to defend Stonehenge from alien forces. Ah Xing identified an enormous object above Stonehenge as the Darkness and Silence Bell and ordered an evacuation as the land around it transformed.

• The stars began returning to their positions as Doctor Strange sensed a powerful force behind the bell tolling.
• Nick Fury, Tony, Steve, and the Avengers fought to hold the Zibo Plains and investigate Stonehenge while waiting for reinforcements.
• Doctor Strange weakened his efforts as the Avengers lost ground, then Ah Xing recognized that the bell's return was connected to a dangerous anomaly.
• A rust-covered object appeared above Stonehenge, and Ah Xing identified it as the Darkness and Silence Bell, a token of the Darkness and Silence One.
• Ah Xing ordered ordinary people and Superhumans to flee and cover their ears as the bell emitted a strange frequency.
• The mountains around Stonehenge rose into the sky, the Zibo Plains vanished, and subdued sounds emerged from the darkness.

Zhu Xie Kun’s avatar emerged above the great bell, and people who saw him began dying as darkness spread across Blue Star. As Tony Stark’s consciousness faltered, he confronted his reliance on technology, returned with a new Bankai, and sent his machines against the godlike being.

• Zhu Xie Kun’s avatar appeared above the bell, and worshippers began vanishing after seeing him from nearby.
• Ah Xing told Nick Fury that the people died simply from seeing the Darkness and Silence One, while Nick Fury asked how they could fight him.
• The Darkness and Silence One spread pitch-black mist that transformed the land into permanent darkness.
• Tony Stark’s consciousness weakened, and a red-haired man urged him to remember his first acts of forging.
• Tony Stark returned to his body and activated Bankai-End of All Things, Mechanical Awakening.
• Tony Stark sent waves of machinery and scorching light toward the Darkness and Silence One.

Tony Stark's bombardment devastated the Zibo Plains but failed to destroy the Darkness and Silence One, which emerged again as the Red-Rusted Bell rang. Ah Xing revealed that the Foundation had sent a 05 Council Member to stop the bell and return the entity to its slumber.

• Tony Stark bombarded the Zibo Plains with successive waves of powerful explosives, while Stonehenge protected some survivors.
• Tony Stark realized the explosions had been weaker than expected and worried that the Darkness and Silence One had survived.
• The Darkness and Silence One reappeared when an enormous bell toll shook the land, leaving the survivors in despair.
• Tien Shinhan suggested that Stonehenge's power might come from the Darkness and Silence One, and Nick Fury asked Ah Xing for a way to stop it.
• Ah Xing explained that the bell summoned the entity and said a 05 Council Member was coming to stop it, as personnel began evacuating.

Orochi, an Avatar of the Blue Star Consciousness and Foundation Parliament member, arrived to confront the Darkness and Silence One. He unleashed his Sunshine finishing move, but the chapter ended before anyone learned the outcome.

• Orochi emerged from a spatial rift, and Doctor Strange sensed the Blue Star Consciousness within him.
• Ah Xing told Nick Fury that Orochi and the Orochi clan guarded Blue Star and could influence nature by causing or worsening natural disasters.
• The Darkness and Silence One attacked Orochi, whose white barrier withstood several strikes.
• Orochi fired white energy pulses at the monster, then unleashed his Sunshine finishing move.
• A blinding flash obscured the battle, leaving the survivors and command center uncertain about the result.

Orochi and the Darkness and Silence One fought across the Zibo Plains while Sorcerer Supreme Magneto and other powerful figures prepared to intervene. Magneto reversed time around the Darkness and Silence One, and with the bells fading, the entity fell silent.

• Orochi dodged the Darkness and Silence One's spikes and unleashed a barrage of spiritual energy pillars.
• The Darkness and Silence One grew serious, spreading an ominous aura across Blue Star as Orochi answered with his own warmth.
• Skyfather Level leaders took Doctor Strange away and planned to stop the bells and seal the Darkness and Silence One.
• Tony worried that stronger Superhumans were absent and wondered whether humanity could survive the battle.
• Orochi unleashed his full strength and pinned the Darkness and Silence One in place as Sorcerer Supreme Magneto appeared beside it.
• Sorcerer Supreme Magneto reversed time across the Zibo Plains, the bells faded, and the Darkness and Silence One fell silent.

Almus led the Dark Elves toward the Fire Giant Homeland, hoping to claim a territory before Asgard recovered. Odin ambushed them in a hidden passage, killed the Dark Elves and Kurse, and took the Aether from Almus.

• Almus grew uneasy when the Man in Black and Yhwach failed to appear, but pressed on with his plan to secure a home for the Dark Elves.
• Almus brought his forces through a hidden passage near the Fire Giant Homeland, which also connected to a dangerous route out of the Nine Realms.
• Odin appeared at the far end of the passage, shocking Almus, who had believed him dead.
• Odin killed the ordinary Dark Elves, prompting Almus to order the Kurse to attack him.
• Odin immobilized Almus, took the Aether and transformed it into Dimension Power, then made the Kurse vanish.

After Orochi defeated the Darkness and Silence One, he declared that his clan would intervene to restore Blue Star’s balance, while Magneto, the Sorcerer Supreme, tried to negotiate with him. Meanwhile, humanity fought desperately to hold the Winter Defense Line against the invading forces of the Nine Realms, whose expected reinforcements had still not arrived.

• Nick Fury warned that Orochi, not humanity, had won and feared he might have to activate irreversible plans.
• Orochi said the Orochi Clan would intervene because aliens had invaded and Blue Star’s population had grown too large.
• Magneto, the Sorcerer Supreme, raised the Divine Weapon associated with time and enclosed himself and Orochi in a dark green barrier to talk.
• On the European Continent, Bear Country and neighboring nations’ troops battled Fire Giants, Light Elves, and other invaders along the Winter Defense Line.
• The Nine Realms’ forces were surprised by humanity’s fierce resistance, and their reinforcements had still not arrived.

Sorcerer Supreme Magneto helped wipe out the remaining alien invaders on Blue Star, bringing the war there to an end. Rune Thor and Sylvie led Asgardian forces into Dark Elf territory, but found that the Dark Elves had already vanished, possibly fleeing to another star region.

• A giant sword destroyed the Light Elf who had attacked, and Sorcerer Supreme Magneto gathered the surviving humans and the dead into the sky with the steel around them.
• Sorcerer Supreme Magneto used the Eye of Agamotto and a contracting steel jungle to attack and contain the alien invaders, while powerhouses elsewhere on Blue Star dealt with the remaining forces.
• Rune Thor returned to the Dark World with Asgardian warriors and declared war on the Dark Elves for attacking Asgard.
• Sylvie led the Asgardian army through Dark Elf territory for three hours but found no living Dark Elves.
• Sylvie examined traces showing the Dark Elves had withdrawn and concluded they might have fled to another star region during the Nine-Star Alignment.

Sylvie learned that the Sorcerer Supreme had devastated the home forces of the realms that invaded Blue Star, leaving Asgard, Blue Star, and Vanaheim as the major powers. She planned a campaign to bring the three together to divide the Nine Realms, while Blue Star struggled to rebuild its depopulated European Continent.

• Sylvie ordered the Asgardian army to retreat after it failed to find the supposed Dark Elf force, and Future Thor told her other realms had planned to invade Blue Star during the Nine-Star Alignment.
• Sylvie warned Future Thor that Asgard and Vanaheim had deep-rooted enmity because Odin had delayed the birth of Vanaheim’s God King heir.
• Future Thor reported that Blue Star had defeated the invaders and the Sorcerer Supreme had killed leaders and fighters in their poorly defended homelands, including three of the Light Elf kings and Surval.
• Sylvie ordered Future Thor to campaign against Muspelheim and Alfheim, invite Vanaheim and Blue Star to join, and raise the question of dividing the Nine Realms.
• Blue Star began rebuilding after repeated disasters, but fear drove residents away from the devastated European Continent and left many countries unable to function.

After the war devastated Europe, the living argued over the Alien Race corpses while the afterlife struggled to manage the enormous number of dead. Tony Stark visited Jiang Xiang to ask about his intentions and the spoils, and Jiang Xiang revealed that he would soon discuss dividing the Nine Realms’ territory.

• Tony Stark watched factions argue over the Alien Race corpses while spirits carried away the dead, and he reflected on the Superhumans’ power.
• Jiang Xiang expanded the afterlife’s realms and arranged experiments using the surplus souls of vile criminals and killers.
• Tony Stark visited Jiang Xiang at Kamar-Taj and questioned why he protected Blue Star without seeking to rule it.
• Jiang Xiang said those who killed the Alien Race could handle the spoils and told Tony Stark that the Nine Realms’ territory would soon need to be divided.

Mephisto summoned Voss, Pilando, and Shendu to discuss Jiang Xiang’s growing influence over Hell. He proposed expanding Hell into the six damaged realms, claiming Jiang Xiang’s actions had left them vulnerable.

• Jiang Xiang sent Tony back through a portal and watched Mephisto attempt to reach Blue Star.
• Mephisto entered a dilapidated cabin and met Voss, Pilando, and Shendu around a table.
• Mephisto named Voss and Pilando by their true names, then subdued them with his aura when Wrath demanded an explanation.
• Mephisto told the demons that Jiang Xiang had taken fragments of Hell and established a separate Hell Dimension for Blue Star.
• Mephisto proposed taking authority in the six realms damaged by the recent war, and said the Sorcerer Supreme’s actions had caused their condition.

Jiang Xiang prepared to establish the Heavenly Court and reclaimed the power seeds he had sent out, while Mephisto secretly planned to exploit the Seven Deadly Sins. The demons attacked the Light Elves and discovered too late that Mephisto had led them into a trap.

• Mephisto persuaded Pride, Wrath, and Shendu to help him seek Hell fragments, intending to exploit them and seize territory.
• Jiang Xiang shut off the Mirror Dimension Spell, revealed his growing authority, and decided to begin building the Heavenly Court.
• Jiang Xiang assigned the God-Slaying Whip, Holy Grail, Demon Pillar, and Feathered Serpent God's treasure to different regions, then reclaimed power seeds from Captain America and Yan Shuangying.
• Jiang Xiang attempted a breakthrough as the Shadow Dimension expanded and stabilized with support from subordinate dimensions.
• The Seven Deadly Sins chose to attack the weakened Light Elves, while Mephisto followed behind them, hoping to benefit from their defeat.
• When the demons reached the Elf Tower, dozens of Elf Kings' heroic spirits emerged from the Elf Tree, revealing Mephisto's trap.

The Seven Deadly Sins Demons discovered that their Dimensional Energy was being drained by several factions, then Shendu and the Eight Demon Brothers trapped and defeated them. On Blue Star, U.S. agencies argued over whether to relax the Superhuman Registration Act and improve recruitment offers.

• The Greed Demon fled the fight and began absorbing his brothers’ Dimensional Energy while Mephisto, the Elf Tree, Jiang Xiang, Odin, and others also drained the demons’ dimensions.
• The six battling demons realized their Dimensional Energy was falling and withdrew from the Elf Kings after finding that their dimensions had lost at least a third of their energy.
• The Wrath Demon suggested finding the Greed Demon, but Shendu, the Eight Demon Brothers, and Mephisto appeared before the six demons.
• Shendu trapped the exhausted demons in the Counter-Bagua Formation, and the Eight Great Demons defeated them almost instantly.
• Mephisto watched Shendu and the Eight Demon Brothers, then disappeared.
• In New York City, U.S. agencies argued over relaxing the Superhuman Registration Act, improving Superhuman compensation, and recruiting more Superhumans.

At a conference, Tony Stark argued that Superhumans needed better compensation and that alien technology showed they would shape the future, but the meeting ended without agreement. Months later, Tony learned Krillin had been leaving to join a Foundation trial over powerful sealed objects on several islands.

• Tony Stark said Superhumans were underpaid and warned that ordinary technology could not keep pace with their growing importance.
• Tony displayed Fire Giant and Light Elf equipment, arguing that its limitations and reliance on Superhumans showed their value to the future.
• The Registration Act Office disputed Tony’s warnings, and the conference adjourned without resolving the issue.
• After months of exhausting meetings, Tony asked Krillin why he had been going out so often.
• Krillin explained that his teacher had assigned him to compete with other factions for sealed objects on several islands.

Coulson investigated a deadly surge of Superhuman activity near the coast and learned that two sealed Tailed Beasts had appeared. Tony Stark and the others remained near the ocean as Tien Shinhan identified them as Matatabi and Kurama.

• Coulson noticed that S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had been killed or wounded during reconnaissance missions on islands near the coast.
• Hill told Coulson that Superhumans from the Akatsuki, the Foundation, and foreign Supernatural Forces were investigating the ocean and sealed objects.
• Coulson contacted Tony Stark, who revealed that he was already near the coast and watching Superhumans appear.
• Krillin told Tony that the Superhumans on the outskirts were only drawn by the excitement and could not obtain the sealed objects.
• Tien Shinhan identified the two sealed objects as the Tailed Beasts Matatabi and Kurama.

Krillin and Tien Shinhan explained to Tony Stark that Tailed Beasts came from the sealed essence of the God Tree and could help a host approach godlike power. Strange continued to suffer painful wounds on his extra arms, and Christine brought him a Foundation document that caught his attention.

• Krillin and Tien Shinhan told Tony Stark the God Tree's fruit had once granted godlike power and that its essence had been divided into nine Tailed Beasts.
• Krillin explained that becoming a Jinchūriki could help fighters approach the barrier separating them from the gods, though the Tailed Beast's power might be hard to control.
• Strange endured another agonizing bout as wounds repeatedly opened and healed on his four additional arms.
• Strange recalled that surgery, severed nerves, and other attempts to stop the pain had failed, while his nerves had regenerated and his savings had dwindled.
• Christine visited Strange, asked about his health, and handed him a document bearing the Foundation emblem.