Chapter Summaries

Kaecilius gathered the seven Dragon Balls and summoned the Wish-Granting Dragon, but his wish for eternal life turned him into iron. The dragon granted a second wish for ten tons of gold, and the nation's representative used the final wish to request technical documentation for humanity's most advanced equipment.

• Kaecilius stole Dragon Balls from Bear Country and bought the sixth from Nick Fury after his earlier theft in the Eastern Country went badly.
• Kaecilius negotiated with the Giant Spirit God and the nation's representatives to gather the seven Dragon Balls and make their wishes together.
• A huge dragon-like shape descended from space and vanished near Blue Star, then the Wish-Granting Dragon appeared before Kaecilius and the others.
• Kaecilius wished for eternal life, but the dragon transformed him into an iron block with his soul trapped inside.
• One of Kaecilius's lackeys wished for ten tons of gold, and the dragon delivered gold stamped with the Federal Reserve mark.
• The nation's representative made the final wish for technical documentation of the most advanced human-owned equipment on Blue Star.

Nick Fury investigated Hydra's deep infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. until Natasha and Barton reported that Pain and Akatsuki were gaining support in Cherry Blossom Country and preparing to establish a country. Pain directed Akatsuki's response to supernatural incidents while a local politician weighed how to benefit from the turmoil, unaware that someone was watching him.

• Nick Fury learned that more than two hundred S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel in New York belonged to Hydra and began a covert screening operation with Pierce's backing.
• Natasha and Barton told Nick Fury that Pain and seven others had founded Akatsuki in Cherry Blossom Country and were attracting members while planning to establish a country.
• Natasha described Akatsuki's members and abilities, and Nick Fury considered the threat they might pose.
• A short local man told Pain that fifteen thousand people had joined Akatsuki and hundreds of thousands more would accept its leadership.
• Pain asked about recent supernatural incidents, and the man reported two local cases and incidents involving United States troops.
• After leaving Pain, the man resented the United States' influence and considered how to profit from the coming crisis, unaware that someone had targeted him.

Nick Fury tried to recruit Tony Stark into the Avengers Initiative, but Tony challenged S.H.I.E.L.D.’s record and refused. Fury left without securing Tony’s support, while Tony claimed he was planning a rival alliance called the Illuminati.

• Victor reported that Target One had left Target Two’s house while Pain and Konan watched him and Jiang Xiang considered Nick Fury’s activities.
• Nick Fury visited Tony Stark and argued that S.H.I.E.L.D. could help handle supernatural incidents through the Avengers Initiative.
• Tony used JARVIS’s records to show that S.H.I.E.L.D. had done little public follow-up or victim compensation after supernatural incidents.
• Nick Fury recalled that Norman Osborn and the Vought Group had rejected his proposal, leaving Tony as his only likely corporate ally.
• Tony told Nick Fury he was planning an alliance called the Illuminati and refused to join the Avengers Initiative.
• Nick Fury left, concluding that Tony’s refusal made military cooperation with S.H.I.E.L.D. unlikely.

Nick Fury decided to recruit Skrulls and ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. to sabotage Pain’s effort to establish a nation in the Cherry Blossom Country. Meanwhile, Pain listened as two Akatsuki officials tried to flatter him and expand their influence, but he remained unmoved.

• Rumors about the Cherry Blossom Country’s superhumans drew mercenaries and powerful outsiders, while those who went there disappeared without a trace.
• Nick Fury considered contacting Carol Danvers, then decided instead to recruit Skrulls and ordered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the Cherry Blossom Country to disrupt the Akatsuki’s nation-building efforts.
• Konan left Nanchuan City with a Six Paths Clone, leaving Pain and Konan operating separately and unsettling the other Akatsuki members.
• Two short Akatsuki officials reported to Pain and tried to win more authority by flattering him and expanding the organization.
• Pain listened to the officials’ plans but showed little concern as they brought more people into the Akatsuki.

The United States failed to agree on sanctions against the superhuman nation forming in Cherry Blossom Country, while Hydra replaced Yamamoto with an impostor to infiltrate the Akatsuki. After the real Yamamoto was shot dead during an American show of force, Pain suspected the killing was deliberate.

• Tony dismissed the proposed sanctions, and the meeting ended without agreement.
• Hydra operatives captured Yamamoto, performed surgery to copy his appearance, and sent an impostor to infiltrate the Akatsuki.
• The impostor reported to Pain as the Akatsuki continued expanding its territory and building a nation.
• After leaving Pain’s residence, the impostor was shot dead by an American agent in what officials called an accident.
• Pain examined the agent’s circumstances and questioned whether the shooting had been arranged.

After Yamamoto's death, Akatsuki lost members and faced a bombing and raids by United States forces, while Pain continued cultivating faith through the Rinnegan. Pain planned to use his faith-based godhead as a disguise, leaving Akatsuki's conflict with the United States unresolved.

• Konan took over Akatsuki's management as members and Hydra's supporters began leaving, but Pain told her not to worry about the departing opportunists.
• A man whose parents and girlfriend had died in incidents connected to United States troops bombed a military base gate, then shot himself as pitch-black energy erupted from his body.
• United States soldiers raided several Akatsuki courtyards and arrested their members, while local police watched without intervening.
• Pain sensed that Akatsuki's followers' faith was nurturing a godhead and decided to use its power as a false layer of strength in battle.

Pain responded to the United States military’s attack on Akatsuki territory as Nick Fury investigated vampire cases and learned that Pain was flying toward New York. The military sent its fleet and aircraft to intercept him, leaving Fury hoping the confrontation would end quickly.

• Pain noticed that the United States military had breached Akatsuki’s territory and triggered an alarm as aircraft circled overhead.
• Pain appeared in the sky over Akatsuki territory while explosions burst around the military aircraft.
• Nick Fury reviewed files about vampire attacks and the difficulty of eliminating the vampires’ entrenched wealth.
• Coulson told Nick Fury that the military in Cherry Blossom Country had begun fighting Akatsuki and lost half its planes.
• Coulson reported that Pain was flying over the ocean toward New York, and Nick Fury learned that the military fleet and aircraft had launched to intercept him.

Coulson sought Ah Xing’s help as Pain approached New York, but Ah Xing refused to intervene and prepared to evacuate the orphanage. He told Coulson that Pain was a recently emerged powerhouse, leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. without the support it had hoped to secure.

• Nick Fury watched Pain destroy aerial units and ordered Coulson to find Ah Xing before Pain reached New York.
• Coulson arrived at Ah Xing’s orphanage, where Ivan Vanko’s machinery trained its gun barrels on him until Ah Xing let him inside.
• After Coulson shared what S.H.I.E.L.D. knew about Pain, Ah Xing ordered Ivan and Xiao Zhan to prepare the children and supplies for evacuation.
• Ah Xing told Coulson that Pain was a new powerhouse whose rise followed the appearance of a vast source of spatial energy in outer space.
• Coulson asked Ah Xing to help prevent casualties, but Ah Xing refused, saying Pain was too strong for him to handle.

Nick Fury left Old Man's Antique Shop after learning that the supernatural groups would not help S.H.I.E.L.D. deal with Pain, then prepared to test the Ninja Mask and other mysterious objects. Meanwhile, the military sought Peggy Carter's contacts among supernatural forces, while General Ross received word that Pain was nearing the border.

• Jiang Xiang told Nick Fury that their group had no connection to Pain and considered S.H.I.E.L.D. and the military responsible for the conflict.
• Nick Fury decided to select an agent to wear the Ninja Mask and went to Room 084 to choose mysterious objects for testing.
• Military representatives asked Peggy Carter for contact information for supernatural groups, but she claimed she no longer had it.
• Peggy Carter asked Sharon Carter about the conflict and learned that Akatsuki had attacked the military and Pain planned to enter the country.
• General Ross learned that Peggy Carter would not help and was told that Pain's unidentified flying object would reach the border in an hour.

Pain crossed the United States toward New York, overwhelming repeated military attacks without showing signs of fatigue. As the military’s Supernatural Team confronted him, Pain showed interest in Kailin’s offer to negotiate.

• Pain crossed the U.S. border and destroyed aircraft, ships, and tanks sent to stop him.
• General Ross learned that Pain’s attacks showed no significant decline, while Tony Stark asked Krillin whether Pain’s stamina was unlimited.
• The military continued sending waves of aircraft against Pain as he advanced toward New York.
• The military rejected a proposal to strike the Akatsuki’s base and decided Pain had to be killed or dealt with through negotiations.
• Kailin, captain of the military’s Supernatural Team, asked Pain to stop fighting and negotiate, and Pain asked whom she represented.

Pain formed a growing, moonlike sphere over New York and declared that overwhelming power would end war. After he repelled the missiles sent to destroy him, he began Planetary Devastation, leaving the city facing an escalating catastrophe.

• Pain created a black sphere that drew up earth, rocks, and buildings as New York officials ordered residents to evacuate.
• A protest organizer urged demonstrators to ignore the evacuation warnings while police prepared to withdraw without explaining the danger.
• General Ross ordered missiles of every yield launched at Pain, while Nick Fury considered using an old-fashioned pager but did not press it.
• Pain repelled the incoming missiles with Almighty Push and declared that the world would feel pain.
• Pain intensified the sphere’s gravitational pull by activating Planetary Devastation.

Pain’s first Planetary Devastation devastated New York’s outskirts, and he began forming a second attack. Krillin and Tien Shinhan arrived to stop him, but Pain summoned the Six Paths and drove them back with the Asura Path’s weapons.

• Nick Fury received orders to placate Pain or stop him, and he sent Coulson to seek Tony Stark’s help.
• Pain’s Planetary Devastation crashed beside New York, destroying part of the outskirts and killing many protesters.
• Pain began creating a second Planetary Devastation and declared that people had to understand pain to achieve peace.
• Krillin flew in and fired a Kamehameha at Pain, while Tien Shinhan arrived to help stop him.
• Pain used Almighty Push and summoned the Six Paths, whose Asura Path attacked Krillin and Tien Shinhan with missiles and lasers.

Jiang Xiang intervened when Pain’s battle against Krillin and Tien Shinhan threatened to devastate the area, and arranged a Joint Conference to negotiate with Akatsuki. Pain agreed to attend, and Jiang Xiang used the Eye of Agamotto to rewind the damage, though the dead could not be restored.

• Pain summoned giant beasts, blocked Krillin and Tien Shinhan’s attacks, and sealed Tien Shinhan inside a Steel Cup.
• Krillin fought Pain alone until he fell from the sky, and Pain began preparing Planetary Devastation again.
• Jiang Xiang emerged from a portal and halted the battle, then proposed a Joint Conference on January fifteenth next year.
• General Ross agreed to send people to Akatsuki Headquarters to negotiate compensation, and Pain agreed to attend the conference.
• Jiang Xiang used the Eye of Agamotto to rewind time across the devastated ground, but could not restore those who had died.

Zheng Xian learned that Jiang Xiang, the next Sorcerer Supreme, had invited the Giant Spirit God to a joint meeting on January 1, 2006. He brought the invitation and the agency’s findings about supernatural factions to a meeting with Wang Li and other officials as they prepared their response.

• Zheng Xian interviewed the Giant Spirit God about his origins and asked whether he knew the Sorcerer Supreme.
• The Giant Spirit God revealed that a young man had delivered an invitation from Jiang Xiang to a supernatural joint meeting, and he gave the letter to Zheng Xian.
• Zheng Xian showed the invitation to Wang Li and other officials, who noted that the meeting might be only a week away.
• Zhang Sheng identified Jiang Xiang as a former Hong Kong citizen and reported that Old Man had introduced him to the Magic World.
• Zheng Xian briefed the officials on the Langya, Underworld, and Heavenly Court factions and presented Jiang Xiang’s invitation to the Giant Spirit God.

Krillin explained to Tony, Pepper, and Coulson why supernatural factions had stayed hidden and described several ancient organizations and pantheons. Coulson left with new information—and greater concern that the gods and their followers might return.

• Krillin reassured Tony and Pepper that he had recovered from his injuries at Kame House Island.
• Coulson visited Tony and offered S.H.I.E.L.D.'s intelligence about supernatural factions around the world, including its own team and a possible training camp in Bear Country.
• Krillin questioned why S.H.I.E.L.D. listed the Foundation as American, and Coulson clarified that it had appeared in the United States.
• Krillin said weakening dimensional energy and the current Sorcerer Supreme had kept major supernatural factions hidden and protected Blue Star from gods.
• Krillin named ancient groups including the Foundation, the Ancient Deep-Sea Navy, the Heavenly Court, and the Underworld, and identified the Grim Reaper's Messenger and the Quetzalcoatl Priest as divine messengers.

Jiang Xiang and the Ancient One discussed the dangers of dealing with other dimensions and the return of the Kamar-Taj sorcerers. Jiang Xiang suspected Anthony Brown of being a dimensional spy, while Anthony tried to reach the Ancient One and Wong dismissed him as foolish.

• The Ancient One told Jiang Xiang she had ended Kamar-Taj’s dealings with the Vishanti Dimension and warned him that dimensions could hide dangerous motives behind apparently harmless agreements.
• Jiang Xiang asked the Ancient One about Anthony Brown, a New York Sanctum sorcerer gathering supporters to seek the Sorcerer Supreme position, and suggested he might be a dimensional spy.
• Anthony became anxious that the Ancient One might name Jiang Xiang as her successor and went to Wong seeking help to reach her.
• Wong listened to Anthony’s complaints, then privately judged him foolish and decided Anthony was not worth associating with.

The Ancient One recalled how she had contained Mephisto and other dimensional threats, while Mephisto tempted the resentful Anthony with power from Hell. Anthony attacked the Ancient One, but she repeatedly reversed time, leaving Mephisto wondering what she intended.

• The Ancient One remembered her pact with Mephisto, which let him claim souls from natural deaths in exchange for protecting Blue Star’s realm of the dead.
• Mephisto emerged from Anthony’s bracelet and offered him power, exploiting his resentment toward Jiang Xiang.
• Mephisto connected Anthony to the Hell Dimension, and Anthony gained magic energy before deciding to kill the Ancient One.
• Anthony entered the Ancient One’s room and charged at her with a knife, but she repeatedly reversed time and reset his actions.
• Mephisto watched the attack loop and wondered what the Ancient One was trying to do.

Mephisto possessed Anthony and used Hell’s power to counter the Ancient One’s time loops, believing he could exhaust her. Jiang Xiang watched from hiding and secretly sent demons into Mephisto’s domain as the Ancient One’s temporal power began to fail.

• Mephisto possessed Anthony, whose consciousness vanished, and the Ancient One said the repeated loops had been enough for something.
• Mephisto summoned Hell Dimension energy and found that it could conflict with the Ancient One’s temporal power.
• Jiang Xiang watched through the Eye of Agamotto while searching for Mephisto’s doubles and Hell-tainted monsters on Blue Star.
• Mephisto opened small passages to the Hell Dimension, and Jiang Xiang secretly sent the Fire Demon and Moon Demon into it.
• After several more loops, Mephisto sensed the Ancient One’s power faltering and taunted her, convinced she was doomed.

The Ancient One tricked Mephisto into taking a massive influx of foreign dimensional energy, then staged her own death to leave the future to Jiang Xiang. After her corpse was found, Mordo accused Anthony of serving the Hell Dimension, and Jiang Xiang arrived to learn what had happened.

• The Ancient One turned Mephisto’s Hell Dimension energy against him and used it to send energy from several dimensions into his realm.
• Mephisto expelled the foreign energies and retreated, while the Ancient One sent him and his remaining forces back to the Hell Dimension.
• The Ancient One created a hellish monster and staged a battle that made her appear to die from Hell Dimension corruption.
• Wong confirmed that the Ancient One’s soul was gone, and Mordo showed that Anthony’s corpse carried the Hell Dimension’s aura.
• The Kamar-Taj sorcerers restrained the New York Sanctum sorcerers, and Jiang Xiang arrived asking whether something had happened to the Ancient One.

Jiang Xiang used the Eye of Agamotto to present a fabricated account of the Ancient One’s death, allowing him to take over as Sorcerer Supreme. The Ancient One departed to explore the dimensions after entrusting him with protecting the planet, and warned him that Thanos’s destiny and cosmic consciousness mattered more than Thanos himself.

• Jiang Xiang questioned the mages about the Ancient One’s death and used the Eye of Agamotto to show them an illusion in which Anthony and Hell Lord Jialie killed her.
• Jiang Xiang left Kamar-Taj, then battled the unexplained Hell Dimension energy until it vanished several hours later.
• The mages accepted Jiang Xiang as the Ancient One’s chosen successor, and he took over as Sorcerer Supreme.
• The Ancient One told Jiang Xiang where to find the dimensional power she had collected and advised him to be wary of Odin.
• The Ancient One warned Jiang Xiang that Thanos’s importance lay in destiny and cosmic consciousness, leaving him to question whether Thanos was destined to collect the Six Infinity Stones.