Chapter Summaries

Su Ming and Monark subdued the monster ship and decided to search it for clues about Steve and Agent Carter, whom they concluded were no longer aboard. They began exploring its strange interior while Su Ming asked Monark about his anti-Deadpool magic.

• Su Ming pried the red energy core loose, causing the monsters to melt, then gave the core to Wong to take to Kamar-Taj for study.
• Su Ming arranged for Wong to offer the ship’s remains to Zheng Xian and the S.P.E.A.R. Agency in exchange for supplies and help restoring Wong’s sense of smell.
• Su Ming disguised the ship with the Cloak of Levitation transformed into a giant Stars and Stripes, then led Monark below deck to look for clues left by Steve and Agent Carter.
• Su Ming and Monark found a maze of imitation warship passages, and Su Ming suggested they might need to split up if similar monster ships were active elsewhere.
• Monark concluded that Steve and Agent Carter were not aboard because the ship had manifested none of the things they feared, and Su Ming asked him to explain his anti-Deadpool magic.

Su Ming and Monark searched the living ship’s stomach and discovered a Nazi Sorcerer unit’s magical collar button that could teleport its two halves to each other. The clue suggested the ship and its hidden teleportation technology might have been used by the Nazis, but Monark warned that divination could not trace a dead owner.

• Su Ming and Monark searched the ship’s empty stomach for the mechanism used to capture people, while discussing the ship’s hunting abilities.
• Monark found a small gold Pentagram badge, and he explained that it was half of a magical collar clasp used by Germany’s Nazi Sorcerer unit.
• Monark demonstrated that the clasp’s two halves could teleport their holders to each other, even while avoiding obstacles and concealing themselves from magical detection.
• Su Ming and Monark considered how Nazi Sorcerers might have combined the badges with the ship’s invisibility to launch surprise attacks.
• Monark said the badge’s former owner was likely dead and that divination could not trace a lost object belonging to someone dead.

Su Ming visited Mephisto in Hell to find a demon connected to World War II and an Earth-born hybrid, but Mephisto demanded payment before helping. The chapter ended with Su Ming ready to negotiate terms.

• Mephisto dismissed a servant who announced Su Ming’s arrival, then greeted Su Ming and Monark.
• Su Ming considered how demons returned to Hell and explained the differences between descent, possession, and hatching.
• Su Ming asked Mephisto to help track down a criminal, saying the demon had hatched on Earth and was linked to Mephisto’s World War II dealings.
• Mephisto acknowledged arranging a plan to increase soul production but asked what Su Ming would offer to locate the demon’s soul.
• Su Ming said he had come to negotiate and flicked cigarette ash into Mephisto’s wineglass.

Young Baron Zemo sought refuge and troops from Madame Hydra, who warned him against rashly pursuing Red Skull. She took him to an underground laboratory and revealed that Captain America was imprisoned underwater.

• Young Baron Zemo told Madame Hydra that SSR had driven Hydra into retreat and asked for more men.
• Madame Hydra said Hydra planned to counterattack by infiltrating SSR territory and seeking help from old allies.
• Madame Hydra agreed to lend Zemo some troops after a few days and warned him to stay calm about finding Red Skull.
• Madame Hydra led Zemo and the Super Axis Team underground to a laboratory surrounding a lake.
• A scientist activated a device that showed Captain America imprisoned in an underwater bubble.

Madame Hydra showed Zemo Captain America’s underwater prison and toured him through her secret weapons research facility, including the Doomsday Weapon project. She rejected Zemo’s attempt to avoid killing Captain America, then ordered him to meet Doctor Faustus.

• Madame Hydra told Zemo that Captain America and his woman were trapped three thousand meters underwater, where pressing a red button would remove their protective bubble.
• Zemo refused to kill Captain America, hoping to preserve the chance for him and Red Skull to destroy each other, but Madame Hydra saw through his motives.
• Madame Hydra told Zemo she would not interfere in his personal feud and led him on a tour of her underground research base.
• Zemo saw an array of secret weapons and learned that Madame Hydra had weapons more powerful than atomic bombs, including the developing Doomsday Weapon project.
• Madame Hydra ordered Zemo to meet Doctor Faustus, Hydra’s Spy Master, and left him standing silently beneath the lights.

Madame Hydra traded with Romulus for blood to improve her serum and prepared the item he wanted, while Doctor Faustus assigned Baron Zemo a mission to unleash chaos in the United States. In Hell, Su Ming traded Blackheart’s rebellion plans for Mephisto’s intelligence, but the demon soul he received could not provide answers, so Su Ming decided to take it to an expert in Soul Magic.

• Madame Hydra signed documents under the name Root of Hatred and discussed her plans with Romulus, who gave her a tube of crimson blood in exchange for an item she had prepared.
• Doctor Faustus greeted Baron Zemo and ordered him to reach a location in the United States before midnight, where he would command about three hundred thousand National Guard troops and cause as much chaos as possible.
• Su Ming told Mephisto that Blackheart was plotting a rebellion in exchange for Mephisto’s intelligence about Steve’s location.
• Mephisto gave Su Ming a half-soul, but Monark found that its human memories had dissipated and his magic could not extract useful information.
• Su Ming decided to take the demon soul to someone skilled in Soul Magic and asked Monark to open a portal to a location in Africa.

Su Ming and Monark entered the Leopard God’s domain to ask for help with an incomplete soul from Mephisto. The Leopard God arrived after Monark summoned it, and Su Ming explained that he wanted to find out where Mephisto had sent a boy called Captain America.

• Su Ming and Monark drank Heart-Shaped Herb in Wakanda and entered the spirit world as soul projections.
• Su Ming led Monark to a baobab tree and warned him not to speak to the nearby lions.
• Monark performed a summoning dance, and the Leopard God dropped from the tree after Su Ming joined in with singing and dancing.
• Su Ming told the Leopard God that Mephisto had given him an incomplete soul and asked for help locating a boy called Captain America.
• Monark released the Demon Soul from a small scarecrow, filling the area with black smoke.

Su Ming and Monark learned from the Leopard God that Captain America and Peggy were trapped in a bubble on the seafloor of the Mariana Trench. There, Steve spoke with young Zemo, who questioned him about Red Skull, and the chapter ended with Steve boldly challenging Zemo despite their helpless situation.

• The Leopard God searched the demon’s memories and gave Su Ming the coordinates of Steve and Peggy’s prison in the Mariana Trench.
• Steve and Peggy struggled with hunger, cold, and the unbreakable bubble surrounding them on the dark seafloor.
• A purple-hooded man contacted Steve, who guessed several old enemies before recognizing him as Zemo.
• Zemo asked Steve where Red Skull had gone, but Steve said he did not know.
• Steve urged Zemo to face him and surrender while Peggy admired his confidence.

Zemo offered Captain America a deal, sharing information about Madame Hydra’s planned attack on the United States in exchange for updates about Red Skull. After ending the call, he left Captain America and Peggy trapped underwater, while planning to take control of Madame Hydra’s branch if she died.

• Zemo resisted killing Captain America and Peggy, deciding that Captain America was essential to his plan.
• Zemo told Captain America that Madame Hydra, also known as the Root of Hatred, planned to strike the United States and that he could provide more information.
• Zemo asked Captain America to contact him with anything he learned about Red Skull, and Captain America agreed after Peggy nodded.
• Zemo described a likely plan involving Mind Control and chaos across the Americas, then cut off the communication.
• Zemo wished Captain America luck and left him and Peggy alone at the bottom of the sea.

Steve and Peggy were rescued from the Mariana Trench by Monark and Deathstroke, then tried to hire Deathstroke to help stop Hydra’s coming attack on America. Deathstroke demanded valuable scientific materials as payment, and Peggy tried to negotiate while Steve questioned their authority to act for the SSR.

• Deathstroke and Monark rescued Steve and Peggy from the Mariana Trench and brought them to the Sahara Desert.
• Steve told Deathstroke that Madame Hydra, using the alias Root of Hatred, planned to retaliate against the SSR and America.
• Deathstroke refused to help unless they paid him, first asking for Heavy Water, which Peggy said she could not provide.
• Deathstroke then demanded Dr. Stark’s research on a new element, but Peggy denied that such research existed.
• Deathstroke threatened to seek work elsewhere, so Peggy agreed to ask her superiors to consider another offer while Steve pointed out that they were civilians.

Su Ming negotiated with SSR for Hank Pym’s finished research and learned that Madame Hydra’s Root of Hatred might command a vast force. After Peggy agreed to the terms and arranged for Steve to receive his shield and uniform, Doctor Faustus revealed himself as SSR’s director and prepared to begin Zemo’s plan from within the agency.

• Su Ming demanded Hank Pym’s completed research in exchange for helping SSR, and Peggy agreed to report the deal to the new director.
• Peggy contacted the director and advised an internal purge because Deathstroke knew SSR’s secrets; the director also told her that Steve’s replacement had been left permanently wheelchair-bound.
• Peggy arranged for Steve’s shield and uniform to be returned, agreeing to meet an agent at the old place using password set seventy-seven.
• Doctor Faustus contacted an unknown number from SSR’s Caspian Camp and prepared to execute the plan.
• Doctor Faustus’s history revealed that he had secretly become SSR director through a deal with Whitehall and had pushed Nick Fury, Peggy, and Captain America away from headquarters.

Su Ming and Monark waited on the White House lawn while Steve and Peggy went inside, discussing Madame Hydra’s likely attack and preparing for possible dangers. Monark cast protective magic as Su Ming settled in to wait, though the form and source of Hydra’s forces remained unknown.

• Steve and Peggy entered the government building while Su Ming and Monark stayed outside on the lawn.
• Su Ming relaxed with liquor and cigarettes as Strangle dealt with nearby patrolling bodyguards, while Monark worried about the president’s safety.
• Su Ming explained that Madame Hydra sought to spread hatred and ruled out nuclear weapons, then discussed the many possible sources of Hydra’s army.
• Monark questioned Su Ming about time machines, Parallel Worlds, and the Skrull Empire, then threw a rabbit at him when Su Ming refused to explain further.
• Su Ming warned Monark to prepare protection against a timed bomb, and Monark cast a shielding spell on himself using rabbits as part of his magic.

Su Ming and Monark prepared to roast rabbits when an enemy bombardment struck the White House grounds. Su Ming and Monark protected Steve and Peggy, and Su Ming concluded that the attack would inspire the United States to fight back as the enemy prepared to withdraw.

• Su Ming prepared the rabbits for a barbecue while Monark regretted that they had been killed.
• Incendiary bombs struck the magnolia tree, and Steve and Peggy rushed outside as the attack began.
• Su Ming identified the incoming shells as mortar fire and cut them apart while Monark shielded the group with magic.
• Steve charged out to check the situation, while Su Ming and Monark survived behind the magical barrier.
• Su Ming inspected a mangled corpse and said the attack would spur the United States toward victory.

After Hydra bombed the area, Su Ming deduced that an SSR mole had anticipated Steve’s rescue and prepared a plan to turn civilian deaths into hatred. He left Steve to act within Hydra’s predictions, returned to New York, and ordered defenses activated as the city fell under attack.

• Su Ming suspected Hydra’s invasion and bombing were meant to kill civilians and redirect survivors’ hatred, while Monark reinforced the protective barrier.
• Su Ming concluded that an SSR mole had prepared Steve’s uniform and shield in advance, and suspected the organization’s new director.
• Su Ming and Monark left Peggy and Steve behind, reasoning that Steve would head to SSR headquarters at Caspian Camp, and teleported to Wilson Enterprises on Long Island.
• Su Ming saw New York under attack and told Adjutant to monitor American radio communications, activate Spider Web Safehouses, and secure headquarters and Loyalty Academy.
• Adjutant sealed the office with Vibranium armor, and Su Ming explained that he had stockpiled defenses for future threats.

Su Ming learned that armed forces were attacking cities across the United States and decided to investigate their origins in New York. There, Master Man’s rampage was interrupted when someone caught the car he had thrown.

• Adjutant reported that attacks had spread across major U.S. cities while Britain, France, and neighboring countries remained peaceful.
• Su Ming said he and Monark would head to the front lines and chose to target the force attacking New York.
• Master Man ordered his troops to burn buildings and threw a car at fleeing pedestrians.
• Someone caught the car one-handed, making Master Man realize that Faustus had left out important information.

Su Ming pursued Master Man to the waterfront, captured him, and used Strangle to extract information about Hydra’s leaders and plans. After reuniting with Monark, Su Ming discovered that the soldiers Monark had killed were Americans, not Hydra troops.

• Su Ming pursued the fleeing Master Man while taunting him, hoping to lead him to his allies, but Master Man ran to the shore and jumped into the sea.
• Strangle pulled Master Man from the water, restrained him, and read his memories, revealing links to Madame Hydra, Faustus, and Zemo.
• Su Ming took Master Man’s mechanical legs and asked Cloak to track Monark’s magical trace back to the battlefield.
• Su Ming found Monark grieving over the rabbits he had strangled after fighting the army.
• Su Ming examined the dead soldiers’ faces and identification tags, then told Monark that the people he had killed were all Americans.

Deathstroke explained that Faustus had used Mushroom Spores to control National Guard soldiers, leaving Monark troubled by the consequences of killing them. Su Ming knocked Monark unconscious, ordered Kaecilius to dispose of the bodies and erase the evidence, and left the street with Monark as Kaecilius covered the scene in magma.

• Su Ming identified Mushroom Spores in the soldiers’ Gas Masks and explained that Faustus had likely controlled them.
• Monark worried that killing the soldiers would turn the public against superheroes and resisted Su Ming’s suggestions to destroy the bodies or frame the dead as traitors.
• Su Ming struck Monark unconscious with the Golden Frying Pan to stop him from publicly admitting responsibility and revealing magic.
• Su Ming summoned Kaecilius, ordered him to remove the bodies without eating them, and carried Monark away.
• Kaecilius sent the corpses through a portal into the Endless Void and covered the street with Hellfire and magma to erase the evidence.

Su Ming returned Monark to Loyalty Academy, secured the school, and learned that Lorraine might know about the Leech Serum she had been given. He set Wong and Charles to guard the academy, then traveled to Asgard to recruit allies for a plan to stop Hydra’s controlled troops and eliminate Super Axis’s leaders.

• Su Ming ordered Hamill to watch the unconscious Monark and asked Charles whether anything unusual had happened at Loyalty Academy.
• Su Ming learned Lorraine had secretly received Leech Serum and told Hamill to prepare Spider Web and arrange outside work for her as SSR faced possible upheaval.
• Hamill left Monark in Wong’s care, and Su Ming ordered Wong and Charles to keep watch over the academy while he went to deal with Super Axis.
• Su Ming explained that Hydra’s controlled forces were growing across the United States and planned to target their commanders before the conflict caused more casualties.
• Su Ming summoned Heimdall and traveled by Bifrost to Asgard, where he told Heimdall not to summon Odin and waited in the observatory.

Magneto tracked a former Concentration Camp researcher to a Budapest cinema, hoping the man could lead him to Klaus Schmidt. He revealed his identity to the ticket seller, who had once taught him languages, and waited to see whether the man recognized him.

• Magneto continued hunting the perpetrators who had tormented Mutants and followed a lead to Budapest.
• He learned that a former researcher from his Concentration Camp experiments was hiding in the city and hoped the man knew Klaus Schmidt’s whereabouts.
• Magneto entered a cinema and bought a ticket from a gaunt Hungarian seller.
• The seller pretended not to understand German, but Magneto reminded him that he had taught him seven languages, including Russian.
• Magneto identified himself as Max Eisenhardt and said the seller could call him Magneto.

Magneto killed a former Hydra researcher who had helped Schmidt torture him, then encountered Deathstroke, who claimed to know Schmidt’s true name and whereabouts. Magneto threatened Su Ming with a storm of metal, setting the stage for a clash over the information.

• Magneto confronted Eisenhardt, a former researcher who recognized him as the child tortured at the Concentration Camp, and learned that he knew nothing about Schmidt’s whereabouts.
• Magneto crushed Eisenhardt despite his wife’s pleas, then gave her money and left the cinema to continue searching for Schmidt.
• Deathstroke approached Magneto in the alley wearing living bio-armor that Magneto could not control.
• Su Ming revealed that Klaus Schmidt was an alias and offered to trade information about Schmidt’s location for terms.
• Magneto lifted himself and a mass of metal objects into the air, demanding that Su Ming tell him what he knew.