Recaps

Kagar and Kagat traded devastating orbital and ground fire as Kagar tried to overwhelm his rival. When a second enemy fleet arrived, Kagar realized he had been caught in a pincer and chose to fight for an escape rather than surrender.

• The Cerebrate identified the Defilers’ gene combination and concluded that the Swarm could not reproduce the Ghost Bugs without understanding psionics.
• Kagar concentrated his fleet over the eastern hemisphere and bombarded Kagat’s forces, devastating the Spore Towers and surrounding Swarm units.
• Kagat ordered a counterattack, and the two sides exchanged fire for hours while Ghost Bugs used psionics and ocean water to shield his forces.
• The Cerebrate detected a hundred-thousand-ship fleet approaching through hyperspace, and the war Cerebrates concluded that Kagat had lured Kagar into a pincer attack.
• Kagar divided his forces to hold the planet and confront the approaching fleet, choosing to fight for an escape rather than surrender.

Zhang Han’s fleet trapped Kagar’s Swarm Fleet, but Kagar’s forces launched a desperate breakout that inflicted heavy losses. Zhang Han used a planned pincer attack to reach the heart of the enemy formation and faced Kagar’s Swarm Leviathan alone.

• Zhang Han rejected Kagar’s fleet’s refusal to surrender and ordered his ships to counterattack when Kagar’s forces opened fire.
• Kagar severed his connection to the Swarm Network, but the War Cerebrate continued carrying out his final thought: breaking the core node out at any cost.
• After an hour of fighting, Kagar’s fleet had lost 50,000 ships but was inching toward the Hyperspace Route, while Zhang Han regretted the damage to ships he intended to take over.
• Zhang Han approved the Cerebrates’ battle plan, handed command to Abaddon, and prepared to attack as his fleet stretched Kagar’s formation into a long column.
• Zhang Han’s elite fleet ambushed Kagar’s stretched forces, opening a breach and blocking reinforcements from reaching the Swarm Leviathan.
• Zhang Han warped through the breach and found the Swarm Leviathan carrying Kagar 50,000 kilometers ahead, with enemy forces filling his view.

Zhang Han defeated Kagar’s Swarm fleet and forced Kagar to recognize him as the Overmind, then paused to absorb the enormous network he had conquered. Meanwhile, Fengyu prepared to address an emergency Stellaris Council meeting about information so shocking that she wished she had more time.

• Zhang Han evaded the Swarm’s attacks, destroyed its ships and flying units, and used the Warp Drive to tear apart the Leviathans blocking his path.
• Zhang Han broke into a Leviathan and seized Kagar, who refused to surrender because he believed he had lost to Kagat.
• Zhang Han revealed that he was the Overmind and had also defeated Kagat, prompting Kagar to submit and pay his respects.
• Zhang Han began stabilizing Kagar’s vast Swarm Network and planned to recruit nearby Hatcheries before competing with Zagara and Kundera.
• The Antilians called an emergency Stellaris Council meeting, and Fengyu nervously prepared to deliver a speech about its shocking subject.

Fengyu received a warning from the Ethereals through her Kothari friend Ouda, then addressed the Stellaris Council with news of a looming crisis. Her speech left the delegates in turmoil, while the Xeloran ambassador realized the Antilians had called the meeting for a reason far more serious than he expected.

• Ouda gave Fengyu information from the Ethereals and warned her that the address was important.
• Fengyu read the information, grew visibly troubled, and reaffirmed the bond between the Antilian and Kothari civilizations.
• Fengyu composed herself, said goodbye to Ouda, and went to address the emergency meeting of the Stellaris Council.
• Fengyu warned the gathered representatives that she brought very bad news and a crisis warning for the Milky Way.
• The delegates erupted into disorder, while Number One calculated and the Xeloran ambassador reconsidered why the Antilians had called the meeting.

Fengyu presented the Antill Civilization’s evidence that the Contingency posed a grave threat, despite the Anfenli ambassador’s objections. She urged the Stellaris Council to unite, offering the Antill technology tree and its knowledge to every civilization for free.

• Fengyu revealed the Antill research on the Ghost Signal, the captured Special Warship, and the mysterious countdown, warning that the Contingency’s technology far surpassed theirs.
• The Anfenli ambassador interrupted Fengyu, arguing that the Antill Civilization promoted war for its own gain and that the Contingency’s intentions were unproven.
• Fengyu cited a Kothari Ethereals prophecy of an approaching storm and a selection of civilizations, warning that many might perish.
• Fengyu revealed the Antill Civilization’s technology tree and offered to share its technologies and knowledge with every civilization free of charge.
• Fengyu acknowledged the Antill Civilization’s destructive past and called for all civilizations to unite against the catastrophe; the Anfenli ambassador sat down.

Fengyu won support for the Antill Civilization’s preparations against the prophesied end crisis, while the Xelorans secured their own alliance with the Silicate Alliance and the Randallans. Meanwhile, Zagara and Kundera continued their struggle for control of the Swarm, and Zagara’s unusually ancient memories set her apart from other Swarm Nodes.

• Fengyu urged civilizations to unite against the coming crisis, and the Antill Civilization offered technology in exchange for military support and resources.
• The Xelorans, alarmed by the crisis, negotiated a secret cooperation agreement with the Silicate Alliance and the Randallans, restoring the Randallans’ permanent Security Council seat.
• Queen Zagara and the brutebeast Kundera fought another bloody battle between their Swarm fleets as each sought to become Overmind.
• Zagara watched the battle from her supergiant Swarm Leviathan, keeping the scar and missing tusk Kundera had inflicted on her.
• Zagara’s memories reached back to the Swarm’s beginning, distinguishing her from the other Swarm Nodes.

Zagara tried to kill Kundera and seize control of the Swarm by detonating a star with a relativistic Star Eater, but both survived the supernova. Their fleets found and protected them, leaving the civil war unresolved as Kundera confronted Zagara over the lives she had sacrificed.

• Zagara triggered a supernova with a Star Eater, hoping to destroy Kundera and claim the Overmind position.
• The supernova destroyed both Swarm fleets and communications, while Zagara survived inside her Leviathan and Kundera’s fate remained unknown.
• Five days later, Zagara’s and Kundera’s reinforcements arrived and fought while searching for their leaders.
• Zagara’s fleet found and protected her, and Kundera’s fleet also recovered him, though he was only a tiny lump of mangled flesh.
• Kundera accused Zagara of disregarding her Swarm’s lives, and she replied that sacrificing Swarm units was acceptable if it achieved the objective.

Zagara and Kundera’s irreconcilable dispute over control of the Swarm pushed Zagara toward open war, while Zhang Han expanded his network and began creating a temporary wormhole to supply Stars and Rosesta. The wormhole started forming after Zhang Han triggered the collapse of a prepared planet.

• Zagara and Kundera argued over who should become the Overmind, with each accusing the other of endangering the Swarm.
• Zagara cut off communications and decided to launch an all-out war to annex more Hatcheries and expand her strength.
• Zhang Han spent two months integrating Swarm Networks, added three nearby Hatcheries, and prepared to develop two mining systems.
• Zhang Han planned to create a temporary wormhole to send vespene gas and minerals to Stars and Rosesta.
• Stars located a weak fissure in space, and Zhang Han used the Swarm Network’s computing power to begin creating a wormhole.
• Zhang Han activated the Warp Drive, causing a prepared planet to collapse inward as the wormhole began to form.

Zhang Han opened a temporary wormhole to deliver supplies and a crucial Zerg unit to Stars, while Johnny reported that he had taken control of the Giant Snake Corporation and was using its resources to aid the Swarm. Johnny then urged the Swarm to expand its influence across the Stellaris Council, citing widespread social and political weaknesses.

• Zhang Han used antimatter to open a passage through warped space, allowing the Overlords to deliver supplies and structures to Stars before the wormhole collapsed into a black hole.
• Zhang Han contacted Johnny, who explained that he had taken control of the Giant Snake Corporation and used its resources to build a transport fleet for the Swarm.
• Johnny told Zhang Han that fair distribution of resources and effective governance had won the Slarkans' support and kept the Swarm's involvement secret.
• Johnny proposed expanding the Four-Armed Snake God Church beyond the Coiled Serpent System and sent Zhang Han reports on weaknesses in other Stellaris Council civilizations.
• Zhang Han reviewed the reports and recognized social tensions and structural problems among the Nuune Mega Corporation, the Antilians, the Randallans, and the Silicate Alliance.

Johnny received a Hatchery and a Swarm Node from Zhang Han to build the Swarm’s influence in the Libra Sector, while Teresa descended into a temple with Sun Yun to be offered as a sacrifice to appease God. The chapter ended with Sun Yun expressing regret that she could not prevent Teresa’s fate.

• Johnny proposed using a Hatchery to infiltrate the Libra Sector through industry and the Nuune Mega Corporation, arguing that economic ties would reduce the risk of exposure.
• Zhang Han assigned Johnny a Hatchery and a Swarm Node, entrusted him with the Libra Sector, and promised to encode his name and memories into the genes if he succeeded before the Swarm was unified.
• Johnny woke after receiving Zhang Han’s instructions and told his attendant that the Serpent God had called him, urging the church to spread throughout the Libra Sector.
• Teresa followed Sun Yun down the steps beneath a distant temple, explaining that she was a descendant of sinners and had accepted her life and soul as a sacrifice to appease God.
• Sun Yun told Teresa she was innocent and said she wished she could help her live a happy life, but lacked the influence to oppose the Supreme Mentor Council’s decision.

Teresa agreed to be sacrificed to the Instrument of Desire to repay the Shroud Mentor Association, despite Sun Yun pleading with her to escape. The ritual opened a gateway to the Shroud, where the summoned god reached for Teresa and forced her to face it.

• Teresa told Sun Yun she accepted her fate because she believed her sacrifice was the price of what the Association had given her.
• Sun Yun urged Teresa to flee with him, but she refused to endanger him or let others pay in her place.
• Sun Yun and Teresa descended to the sacrificial site, where Grand Mentor Sophia explained the gods' distrust and instructed Teresa to call on the Instrument of Desire.
• The Association members prayed together, opening a gateway to the Shroud as purple mist filled the ritual space.
• A gigantic hand emerged from the mist and approached Teresa, then erased her hood and veil and forced her eyes open.

Teresa summoned a being from the Shroud, which recognized her resemblance to a woman connected to the Overmind and chose to spare and empower her. The Dark Prince made Teresa its instrument and promised protection for her and her people in exchange for her service.

• Teresa summoned a Shroud being, which seized her and threatened to devour her and everyone present.
• The being discovered Teresa was descended from the Usurpers and recognized her resemblance to the silver-haired woman who had influenced the Overmind.
• The Shroud beings recalled Chloe’s attack on the Hatchery and decided Teresa might help them reconnect with the Overmind.
• The being healed Teresa, gave her lavish clothes, armor, and a longsword, and elevated her beyond ordinary mortal life.
• The Dark Prince made a bargain with Teresa, marking her soul and promising protection and gifts in exchange for making her its instrument.

Teresa survived the Shroud’s descent and helped establish the church of the Lord of Desire, whose followers prepared to expand into isolated regions and conquer other civilizations. As the Antil Military Empire mobilized for a looming war, Kunmao returned to God of War Star and met an enthusiastic pilot named Shuiyi aboard a passenger spacecraft.

• Sophia found residual ash after the ritual, and Teresa released a force that filled the participants with psionic knowledge.
• Teresa told the participants what had happened, and Sophia yielded church authority to her as the followers established the church of the Lord of Desire.
• The Instrument of Longing empowered the Desire Church’s warships with Shroud engines, and its followers prepared to reach isolated regions and conquer civilizations.
• The Shroud Mentor Association divided into separate churches, while the Antil Military Empire expanded its forces and prepared for war.
• Kunmao returned to God of War Star as a legion commander and observed the Empire’s widespread mobilization.
• Shuiyi sat beside Kunmao on a passenger spacecraft, introduced herself as a pilot, and eagerly asked him about his service as a first-batch super soldier.

Kunmao talked with Shuiyi during their flight, but rejected her proposal to have a child with him, explaining that he was devoted to his family and that Super Soldiers could not reproduce with ordinary Antilians. He revealed that he carried his fallen brother’s Gene Seed and intended for his son to inherit it, leaving Shuiyi envious of his wife.

• Kunmao answered Shuiyi’s questions about the Empire and introduced himself, and she held his hand tightly.
• Shuiyi asked Kunmao to father her child, saying she feared the Empire’s coming survival crisis and wanted to leave behind offspring.
• Kunmao used his psionics to hold Shuiyi in her seat and told her that he was a husband and father first.
• Kunmao explained that Super Soldiers were reproductively isolated from ordinary Antilians and that their Gene Seeds allowed them to have descendants.
• Kunmao showed Shuiyi the storage case containing his brother’s Gene Seed and said he wanted his son to inherit it.
• Shuiyi sighed that she envied Kunmao’s wife.

Kunmao arrived on God of War Star and reaffirmed his resolve to defend Antill Civilization, while Zhang Han continued balancing the Swarm Consciousness. Abaddon explained the Swarm’s emerging theories about dark energy and the multiverse.

• Kunmao parted from Shuiyi after their flight and noticed many alien visitors arriving to trade technology and materials.
• After seeing Fengyu’s speech on a screen, Kunmao questioned whether Antill Civilization faced extinction and resolved to fight for its survival.
• Zhang Han struggled to manage the Swarm Consciousness as his Swarm grew to twelve star systems, over ten billion units, and more than two million vessels.
• Abaddon told Zhang Han that the Swarm’s research had clarified the nature of psionics and explained the universe’s expansion, the Big Freeze, and dark energy.
• Abaddon described the physical universe as a thin surface within a larger multiverse hidden in other dimensions.

Abaddon explained that the Shroud lay within the gaps of the universe’s dimensional membrane and could threaten cosmic constants if it broke through. Zhang Han chose to pursue cautious research into the Shroud, and he and Abaddon identified Demon Bug Laplace as the help they needed, though awakening him would require enormous energy.

• Abaddon explained that dark energy and psionics came from another dimension, and warned that the Shroud was a passage through the membrane separating it from the physical universe.
• Abaddon said that a breach could damage the universe and alter its cosmic constants, while leaving the galaxy would be safer but would hinder the Swarm’s evolution.
• Abaddon argued that studying the Shroud could let the Swarm break through dimensional restrictions and become a tier IV civilization, and Zhang Han sensed that the Swarm supported pursuing knowledge despite the danger.
• Zhang Han agreed to investigate the Shroud and psionics cautiously, and Abaddon said the Swarm could slow the Shroud’s intrusion by devouring intelligent beings or integrating them into its network.
• Abaddon asked for the help of a Zerg legend, and Zhang Han and Abaddon named Demon Bug Laplace, whose awakening would require energy equivalent to three Overmind bodies.

Zhang Han overcame his fear that Laplace might expose his human identity and ordered the Swarm to devote a Hatchery Star System’s resources to hatching him. Meanwhile, Fenghuo’s forces fought to defend Cadian against a Swarm Fleet specially adapted to counter Antilian warships, and the defenders came under crushing pressure.

• Zhang Han decided to hatch Laplace despite his worries and directed the Hatchery Star System to pour its energy and knowledge into Laplace’s egg.
• Fenghuo ordered Cadian’s Mjolnir Anti-Air Matrix to bombard the Swarm’s landing force, leaving only a million Warrior Bugs to reach the planet.
• Fenghuo sent the Third Super Soldier Warband and Fifth Mechanized Army to eliminate the landed Swarm.
• Fenghuo learned that the Antilian fleet had lost five thousand ships and suffered eight thousand more damaged after seven days of battle.
• The Swarm’s specialized fleet used Abaddon’s intelligence to improve its weapons and defenses against Antilian ships, intensifying the threat to Cadian.

Overlord Kereit launched the decisive phase of his assault on Fortress World Cadian, using hidden, engine-equipped meteorites to devastate its defenses. As Fenghuo scrambled to stop the impacts, Kereit sent Swarm forces to attack the Antilian strike fleet.

• Kereit ordered an all-out assault after his forces weakened Cadian's orbital defenses and shield generators.
• The Swarm spread thick green fog across Cadian, and Fenghuo ordered a Fusion Strike to clear the haze.
• Fenghuo discovered five enormous meteorites racing toward Cadian and learned their impacts could destroy most of its defenses and render the planet uninhabitable.
• Fenghuo activated Cadian's weapons and dispatched a three-thousand-ship strike fleet to destroy the largest meteorite.
• Kereit's Mutalisks and Scourge surrounded the Antilian fleet and began attacking its shielded warships.

The Antilian strike fleet broke through the Swarm blockade, but it could not stop the remaining asteroids from falling toward Cadian. Meanwhile, the Tenth Super Soldier Chapter landed on an asteroid with Antimatter Bombs and rushed toward a great rift to destroy it before impact.

• Antilian warships fought through Kereit's Swarm Fleet, sacrificing ships to open a passage while the Heavy Tachyon Lance shattered two smaller asteroids.
• Fenghuo prepared to evacuate Cadian and move military supplies, knowing the remaining three asteroids would hit and the Swarm would attack afterward.
• The Tenth Super Soldier Chapter landed on the giant asteroid with its Antimatter Bombs intact, and Langzhua ordered the soldiers to advance toward the great rift.
• Kereit spotted the Antilian troops and ordered nearby Swarm forces to attack them while Hatcheries produced Warrior Bugs.
• When Mutalisks and Scourge arrived, Langzhua manned a quad Heavy Bolter and ordered the anti-air weapons to protect the companies carrying the Antimatter Bombs.

Langzhua led the surviving super soldiers into the great rift to detonate the Antimatter Bomb, sacrificing his unit to weaken the asteroid threatening Cadian. The blast shattered the asteroid, and Fenghuo learned that the strike fleet had concealed the regiment’s mission and been completely destroyed.

• Langzhua led six hundred survivors deeper into the rift, where Zerglings poured from the Hatchery below.
• As ammunition ran low, Langzhua sent four hundred soldiers to hold back the Swarm while the remaining convoy pressed on.
• With elite Zerg units closing in and the optimal detonation point still far away, Langzhua detonated the Antimatter Bomb.
• The blast broke apart the largest asteroid as it entered the atmosphere, reducing its expected damage to Cadian by seventy percent.
• Fenghuo read the strike fleet commander’s final transmission and learned that the fleet had hidden the 10th Regiment’s mission and been annihilated.

Kereit’s Swarm fleet devastated Cadian with meteor strikes and orbital bombardment, then established a Hatchery at the north pole. Ten days later, the Sapphire Civilization fleet arrived to aid the Antilians, but its commander Zhang Zihao was alarmed by the projected cost of defeating the Swarm.

• Kereit’s meteors struck Cadian, destroying defenses and causing widespread devastation, while an Antimatter Bomb diverted one meteor to the north pole.
• Kereit sent one hundred thousand Swarm vessels to bombard Cadian and used diversionary landings to draw Antilian ground forces toward the equator.
• Three days later, Kereit established a secure Hatchery at the north pole, and the Swarm began producing millions of Warrior Bugs each day.
• Ten days later, Chen Hui’s Sapphire Civilization expeditionary fleet arrived in the Cadian system, and Fenghuo shared Cadian’s intelligence and sensor feeds with its commander, Zhang Zihao.
• Zhang Zihao reviewed the battlefield projections and learned that defeating the Swarm could cost the Sapphire fleet five to ten thousand vessels.

Zhang Zihao faced a Swarm fleet whose weapons could penetrate Field Shields, while Kereit prepared to fight his way out after failing to take Cadian. As Peacemaker demonstrated its powerful defenses in battle, Chen Hui spoke with Nalga in her laboratory and remained confident the Sapphire fleet could win.

• Zhang Zihao recalculated the battle and learned the specialized Swarm fleet could penetrate Field Shields, while he hesitated to risk Peacemaker at the front.
• Kereit decided to attack the Sapphire fleet blocking the Hyperspace Route, and Zhang Zihao asked Chen Hui to leave the bridge for her safety.
• Chen Hui returned to her laboratory, where Nalga was confined, and explained that the expeditionary fleet was fighting a much larger Swarm force.
• Peacemaker shook under attack and switched to backup power, but Chen Hui said its powerful Field Shields could ensure victory if Zhang Zihao used them effectively.
• Kereit and Zhang Zihao were both surprised by Peacemaker’s defensive strength: its shields resisted most Swarm weapons and bolstered nearby allied ships.

Kereit’s Swarm fleet overwhelmed the Sapphire expeditionary force’s wings, while Chen Hui used Protocol 382 to repel a Leviathan attacking the Peacemaker. Nalga offered to help end the battle if Chen Hui agreed not to go to the planet where her children lived, but Zhang Zihao rejected the idea of letting Nalga use the fleet’s Field Shield generators.

• Kereit ordered the Swarm fleet into a semi-encirclement, and after three hours the Sapphire fleets on the wings sent distress calls as their losses mounted.
• Zhang Zihao asked Fenghuo for reinforcements, but Fenghuo said the Antilian fleet could not launch and its ground defenses were under heavy attack.
• A Leviathan struck the Peacemaker, and Chen Hui urged Zhang Zihao to activate Protocol 382, which pushed the creature away.
• Nalga offered to help reduce Sapphire casualties if Chen Hui agreed not to visit the planet where Nalga’s children were; Chen Hui said she could try.
• Chen Hui asked Zhang Zihao to let Nalga use the Field Shield generators, but Zhang Zihao warned that doing so could endanger the entire fleet.

Chen Hui used the Field Shield generator to let Nalga contact the Swarm Network, and the Swarm fleet agreed to leave the Hyperspace Route peacefully. Nalga concealed how she reached the agreement while Chen Hui planned to cancel the expedition, and command of the planetary Hatchery passed to Nalga.

• Zhang Zihao authorized Chen Hui to use the Field Shield generator after she verified her authority.
• Chen Hui briefly activated the generator, allowing Nalga to contact Kereit and secure the Swarm fleet's agreement to cease fire and leave.
• Zhang Zihao cleared the Hyperspace Route, and the Swarm ships and Warrior Bugs withdrew without further attacks.
• Nalga told Chen Hui that the Swarm had simply agreed to her request, while concealing that she had told Kereit the Overmind had been resurrected.
• Chen Hui said she would try to cancel the expedition, and Nalga asked her to stop the Antilians from acting hostile after gaining command of the planetary Hatchery.

Sapphire's fleet and the Swarm reached an agreement over the Hatchery on Cadian, while the damaged expeditionary fleet rested and awaited orders. On Tabi Star, Arthur tried to settle into a peaceful life with Isabella, but she was called away to work as the Empire prepared its own starships.

• Sapphire's fleet agreed with Nalga to station monitoring troops in the Hatchery, and Fenghuo learned that an intelligent Ultralisk had helped avert war.
• Zhang Zihao backed canceling the expedition, and the fleet stayed on Cadian to recover while reinforcements headed there.
• Arthur woke beside Isabella and prepared breakfast using ingredients bought with contribution points in the transformed Darom Empire.
• Isabella received a message from the Mechanical Church and left, explaining that she was a grand engineer helping build the Empire's starships.
• A Harpy announced that all code monkey jobs were filled, leaving Arthur to consider learning new skills or joining a warband despite his wish to avoid fighting.