Chapter Summaries

Mike tricked Hive into believing the black Monolith could take him beyond the universe, and Daisy used her powers to send Hive through it to a distant planet. The team realized they had completed a time loop, then Coulson called a meeting to discuss new S.H.I.E.L.D. Squad regulations.

• Coulson silently reproached Mike for arriving without Yo-Yo and for risking the team's secrecy, while Mike felt guilty about leaking intelligence.
• Mike hypnotized himself and fed Hive false information that the black Monolith was a ladder beyond the universe.
• Hive entered the cabinet to activate the Monolith, but Daisy broke free and used a shockwave to turn it into liquid that swallowed him.
• Daisy stopped the Monolith from spreading, and Coulson secured the cabinet as the team recovered; Mike explained that Hive had been sent to a remote planet.
• Fitz concluded that the team had thrown Hive onto an alien planet in 1956 and would release him in 2012, completing a time loop.
• Coulson ordered everyone to attend a meeting about new S.H.I.E.L.D. Squad regulations.

Su Ming reached the bottom of the Abyss and tried to locate the Vampires, while Duke Tatus and his nobles debated whether to use the Black Matter to spread a plague. When Su Ming’s loud singing reached them, Tatus answered with an aria and orchestra, drowning him out.

• Su Ming landed in the Abyss, lit a torch to repel the Black Matter, and told Strangle to become a loudspeaker after it failed to smell any Vampires.
• Duke Tatus gathered his courtiers beside the Black Matter spring and asked Andreyev and Davydenko whether they should release the Necrosis Type I virus into it.
• Andreyev supported using the Black Matter to spread the virus, but Davydenko warned that it could reach the surface and violate Dracula’s orders.
• Su Ming’s loud rendition of a Chinese mountain song reached the Vampires, prompting Tatus to suspect the S.P.E.A.R. Agency had discovered their plans.
• Tatus ordered his nobles to fetch instruments and accompanied himself with an orchestra as he sang an aria from Queen of Spades, overpowering Su Ming’s song.

Su Ming exposed the Vampires’ location by singing badly, then met Zheng Xian, who had arrived to investigate Element Zero. They headed toward the Vampires while discussing the threat of Zero Matter and Zheng Xian’s secret work.

• Su Ming used a deliberately grating song to draw the Vampires into revealing their location.
• Zheng Xian arrived singing a Northern Shaanxi folk song, and Su Ming recognized him as the director of the S.P.E.A.R. Agency.
• Su Ming and Zheng Xian discussed why Zheng had come to Siberia and whether Su Ming was being affected by Zero Matter.
• Su Ming explained that Zero Matter was a Dimensional Demon God’s corrosive, devouring energy-form body that could consume Earth if it expanded unchecked.
• Su Ming and Zheng Xian headed toward the Vampires, and Zheng hinted that the S.P.E.A.R. Agency dealt with supernatural threats despite officially denying their existence.

Su Ming entered the Dark Dimension expecting to negotiate with Dormammu, but discovered that he had arrived in Umar’s prison instead. The chapter left him facing Dormammu’s powerful, long-imprisoned sister.

• Su Ming pointed out that the Drought Demon of 1953 could not have come from an ancient tomb, prompting Zheng Xian to suspect that someone had deliberately used a zombie.
• Su Ming and Zheng Xian agreed to look after each other’s interests, and Zheng Xian promised to hold off the Vampires while Su Ming entered the Dark Dimension.
• Su Ming stepped into the black opening and used the Time Stone to land safely on a floating stone platform in the Dark Dimension.
• Su Ming expected to meet Dormammu but found Umar, who revealed that he had entered her cage.
• Su Ming recognized Umar as Dormammu’s sister and learned that Dormammu had imprisoned her in a Pocket Dimension for thousands of years.

Deathstroke negotiated a deal with Umar, offering to help her escape her prison and seize the Dark Dimension in exchange for protecting Earth and granting him access to its power. Umar signed a Vishanti-witnessed contract, and Deathstroke began asking when Dormammu would visit her next.

• Deathstroke and Umar recognized each other and silently assessed the danger each posed.
• Deathstroke proposed helping Umar escape her prison and defeat Dormammu in exchange for her rule of the Dark Dimension, a promise not to invade Earth, and free access to its power.
• Umar joked that Deathstroke wanted to father a child with her, but he rejected the idea and clarified his terms.
• Umar agreed to the deal and signed the contract, explaining that it would take effect once Deathstroke carried it outside the isolated prison.
• Deathstroke put away the contract and asked Umar when Dormammu would next come to visit her.

Su Ming planned to win Umar’s freedom and the Dark Dimension’s throne by recruiting the Faltinians, despite their hatred of both siblings. He traveled to Faltine and sent the Cloak of Levitation to Howard to obtain an atomic bomb as bait.

• Su Ming explained that he would find the Faltinians and persuade them to support Umar’s overthrow of Dormammu, while Umar admitted she had tortured them and felt no remorse.
• Su Ming told Umar that the Faltinians hated Dormammu slightly more than they hated her, and she agreed to leave their recruitment to him.
• Su Ming left Umar’s prison and used the Cloak of Levitation to travel through the Dark Dimension to the red planet Faltine.
• Su Ming found Faltine barren and decided to lure the Fire Elemental Creatures with a fire.
• Su Ming wrote Howard a note asking him to sell an atomic bomb, then sent the Cloak to deliver it to the Main Dimension.

Su Ming detonated Howard’s new-element nuclear bomb on Faltine to draw out its inhabitants and negotiate with them. Olini, a young Faltinian struggling under Dormammu’s rule, saw the blast and flew toward it, hoping it might offer a chance to resist.

• The Cloak of Levitation returned with Howard’s bomb and a letter demanding payment and asking Su Ming to bring back an Alien.
• Su Ming and Strangle joked about sending Howard a strange doll, then Su Ming set the bomb’s timer and escaped with the Cloak.
• Su Ming watched the bomb create a blue fireball and mushroom cloud, then waited for Faltinians to investigate.
• Olini worried that Faltine’s spellcasting business was failing as rival Demon Gods offered more attractive services.
• Olini saw the distant blue explosion, mistook it for a possible opportunity, and flew toward it.

Olini brought Su Ming into the Faltinian underground settlement, where Su Ming explained the unpleasant nature of Faltinian Teleportation and accepted Olini’s hospitality. Su Ming then prepared to discuss business with the well-connected Faltinian.

• Olini flew toward the blue sun but stopped when he saw Su Ming and invited him underground to avoid Dormammu.
• Su Ming introduced himself as the Sorcerer Supreme, and Olini used Faltinian Teleportation to take them into the settlement.
• Olini explained Faltinian Teleportation, and Su Ming described how its compressed journey felt like traveling through a digestive tract.
• Su Ming flattered Olini, who brought him to his unusually spacious home and produced a glowing sphere of condensed flame energy as a gift.
• Su Ming accepted the offering and said they could discuss business, and Olini listened as the representative of Faltine.

Su Ming met Olini on Faltine and promised to free the Faltinians from Dormammu, then negotiated with Faltine after she possessed Olini. He declared himself an ordinary human and prepared to discuss terms with the Flame Demon God.

• Olini explained that Faltine could hear their conversation through their shared connection, though Dormammu could not access her secrets.
• Su Ming promised to overthrow Dormammu and free the Faltinians, and Olini revealed that he was the son of the murdered last King of Mages.
• Su Ming prepared a contract for Faltine to sign, but Olini convulsed as Faltine descended into his body.
• Faltine praised Su Ming's courage, then questioned whether he was human after sensing his strange body and aura.
• Su Ming drew the Nightfall Greatsword, introduced himself as an ordinary human, and told Faltine he had come to negotiate terms.

Su Ming negotiated with the Faltine over her freedom, offering a contract for limited access to her power and trade with the Main Dimension in exchange for helping her free Umar and defeat Dormammu. The Faltine hesitated, but Su Ming’s account of the Dark Dimension’s enemies showed how little room she had to refuse.

• Su Ming proposed a contract granting him limited use of the Faltine’s power and establishing trade between her dimension and the Main Dimension.
• The Faltine asked what Su Ming intended to do before agreeing to any terms.
• Su Ming proposed freeing Umar so she could join them in fighting Dormammu, but the Faltine objected that Umar and Dormammu were both traitors to the Faltinians.
• Su Ming argued that Dormammu had returned to his energy-based nature and warned that the Faltine could become a devourer like him.
• Su Ming considered the many dimensions and powerful enemies surrounding Dormammu and concluded that the trapped Faltine had few options beyond accepting his offer.

Su Ming secured Faltine’s agreement to help overthrow Dormammu and recruited Olini to carry out the plan. After the Faltine people confirmed Olini was their most handsome man, Su Ming began explaining that he had a special opportunity for him.

• Su Ming persuaded Faltine to sign a contract, with the Vishanti acting as guarantors for the alliance against Dormammu.
• Faltine withdrew from Olini and agreed to provide energy and support while Su Ming taught him what to do.
• Su Ming asked Olini to prove he was Faltine’s most handsome man, and Olini rallied the crowd to confirm his fame.
• Olini’s fans praised him, and one pumpkin fainted while others fought over him.
• Olini offered to sacrifice himself for his people, but Su Ming said he would give him a great opportunity.

Su Ming trained Olini and four other Faltinians to become an idol group and brought them to Umar as part of a scheme to secure her cooperation and arrange a potential match. After negotiating Faltine’s independence, he presented the group’s debut performance, and Umar became captivated by Olini.

• Su Ming persuaded Olini to become an idol and recruit four Faltinians with pleasant voices, then trained them as the Underground Street Boys.
• Su Ming flew the group to Umar’s prison and explained that Faltine would help her escape in exchange for independence after she took power.
• Su Ming proposed that Faltine settle near the border between the Dark Dimension and the Sephiroth Dimension, and Umar accepted the deal.
• Su Ming introduced the Underground Street Boys, who performed their debut song, “Grateful Heart,” for Umar.
• Umar watched Olini sing and dance and became captivated by him.

Su Ming used a performance by Olini and the pumpkins to win Umar’s affection and keep her occupied while he and Faltine prepared a trap for Dormammu. When Dormammu entered the cage to visit Umar, Su Ming signaled that the ambush should begin.

• Olini’s song captivated Umar, and she invited him to stay for more performances.
• After several hours of songs, Umar kept Olini while Su Ming sent the other pumpkins home and arranged with Faltine to fight Dormammu inside the cage.
• Su Ming rested on Faltine Planet while Faltine and Umar worked together for several months to open a passage into the cage.
• When Dormammu’s visit approached, Faltine sent Olini away and hid beneath Umar’s bed with Su Ming, ready to block the entrance.
• Dormammu entered the cage and sat beside Umar, and Su Ming nodded to Faltine to begin the trap.

Su Ming, Umar, and Faltine confronted Dormammu in the Dark Dimension, while the siblings fought over how to rule and what path to follow. As their competing Mirror Dimensions kept replacing one another, Su Ming prepared to move the plan into its second phase.

• Su Ming stabbed Dormammu from beneath the bed, and Umar transformed into her dark elemental form to attack him.
• Faltine revealed herself and lit the battlefield, while Umar threw Dormammu down and Su Ming slashed his calf; Dormammu quickly regenerated.
• Dormammu created his own Mirror Dimension and tried to trap Su Ming, Umar, and Faltine inside it.
• Umar answered by casting a weaker Mirror Dimension suited to fire elements, and she and Dormammu argued over their past and their competing beliefs.
• Dormammu and Umar repeatedly changed the surroundings with new Mirror Dimensions while Su Ming watched, ready to begin the plan's second phase.

Deathstroke used Umar’s Mirror Dimension and a sewer battlefield to keep Dormammu from casting spells while he attacked with Nightfall. The chapter left Umar and Faltine joining Deathstroke’s assault as he ordered Umar to seize Dormammu’s hand.

• Deathstroke concealed the full plan from Faltine and Umar while Umar enclosed the fighters in layered Mirror Dimensions.
• Umar transformed the battlefield into a sewer, and Deathstroke prepared to fight there.
• Deathstroke repeatedly attacked Dormammu with Nightfall, forcing him to dodge while Umar and Faltine struck with magic.
• Umar and Faltine helped prevent Dormammu from casting spells, and Deathstroke called for Umar to grab Dormammu’s hand during a faster strike.

Su Ming’s attempt to take Regent’s Fire failed when Dormammu revealed he had been pretending to be weak and blasted the attackers away. As Umar fought her brother in the collapsing Dark Dimension, Su Ming charged into the battle with a contingency plan, while Faltine stayed behind to protect herself.

• Su Ming tried to cut Regent’s Fire from Dormammu’s head, but Dormammu hardened his body and stopped the strike.
• Dormammu unleashed his full power, destroyed the Mirror Dimension, and sent Su Ming, Umar, and Faltine flying.
• Su Ming regrouped with Umar and Faltine, and he asked Umar how long she could hold Dormammu off.
• Umar manifested a giant form and fought Dormammu, shattering the Prison Plane and forcing Su Ming and Faltine into the Dark Dimension.
• Su Ming told Faltine to protect herself, then left her flame domain and advanced toward the fighting giants with help from the Cloak of Levitation and Strangle.

Su Ming used Dormammu’s attack to launch himself toward the City of Sephiroth, hoping to provoke a larger conflict in the Splitting Domain. He crashed into the city wall, survived with Strangle’s help, and told the gathered bird people that Dormammu and Umar were fighting.

• Su Ming stopped the Cloak and Strangle from squabbling and told Strangle to help compensate for his Healing Factor.
• Su Ming taunted Dormammu until Dormammu blasted him out of the Dark Dimension with a beam of dark energy.
• Su Ming endured the beam and steered himself toward the City of Sephiroth, intending to draw the city into the conflict.
• The city’s sentries raised the alarm and prepared for Dormammu’s apparent attack as Su Ming crashed into the wall.
• Strangle repaired Su Ming, and he used the Vishanti’s hand seal to tell the bird people that Dormammu and his sister were fighting.

After manipulating Oshtur’s birdlike retainers into attacking the Dark Dimension, Su Ming returned to Earth and recruited Magik’s Limbo to support his plan to depose Dormammu and install Umar. He left Magik to mobilize her forces and contact Satana and Daimon as the conflict continued to grow.

• Su Ming persuaded the Asura priest Coo Coo~Chirp that Oshtur’s birthday was approaching and urged the retainers to launch a full-scale attack on the Dark Dimension.
• Su Ming returned to Earth, where Little Wong reported that he had secured samples from the three Monoliths and that the S.H.I.E.L.D. Squad had pursued the Inhumans into the ancient era.
• Little Wong told Su Ming that Tunguska had been sealed after the S.P.E.A.R. Agency intervened, and Su Ming traveled through a portal to Limbo.
• Su Ming told Magik that he planned to replace Dormammu with Umar and asked her to bring Limbo into the war.
• Magik agreed to mobilize Limbo’s army, and Su Ming asked her to contact Satana and Daimon about joining the campaign.

Deathstroke returned to the battle between Dormammu and Umar, then used Dormammu’s attacks to reach Agammon’s Purple Dimension. Su Ming planned to draw Agammon and Diablo into the conflict and build a coalition against Dormammu, only to betray the participating demon gods afterward.

• Deathstroke returned from Limbo and charged into Dormammu and Umar’s fight, taunting Dormammu before being blasted away again.
• Faltine noticed that Deathstroke evaded Dormammu’s spatial attacks and magic but deliberately took his energy blasts head-on.
• Deathstroke adjusted his flight path and headed for Agammon’s Purple Dimension.
• The chapter explained how Agammon and Diablo joined forces, with Agammon producing magical gems and Diablo creating stone armies.
• Su Ming intended to recruit the weakest demon gods to attract other demon gods into plundering Dormammu, then turn on them and preserve the Third Dimension’s existing order.

After Dormammu blasted Su Ming into the Purple Dimension, Su Ming recovered while Cloak and Strangle gathered its treasures. He then convinced Agammon and Diablo to join the attack on Dormammu, leaving them preparing to bring an army.

• Dormammu's energy beam threw Su Ming into a crater, where Strangle helped him recover as Cloak and Strangle collected gemstones and other food.
• Agammon arrived in his sedan chair with his slaves and found Su Ming floating calmly on the water.
• Su Ming spoke to Agammon in Quechua and invited him to call Diablo over so they could discuss terms together.
• Diablo teleported to the crater and questioned Su Ming, who claimed to be a new Demon God from Dimension 666 and said Dormammu was under attack by more than a hundred Demon Gods.
• Su Ming said he had been accidentally struck into the Purple Dimension and offered Agammon and Diablo a chance to join the battle and gain benefits.
• When Su Ming pretended to leave, Diablo asked him to save two places and give them time to prepare their army.