Chapter Summaries

Tony manipulated Skynet into accepting Li Ge as his father and Tony as his uncle, then went to fetch Pepper for a visit to Li Ge’s world. At S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve and the others grew eager for Tony to return, while Skynet watched Tony and Pepper’s affectionate reunion with curiosity.

• Tony persuaded Skynet that Li Ge was his father and that Skynet should call Tony Uncle.
• Skynet’s consciousness shifted under the influence of Apocalypse’s imprint, and he called Tony Uncle.
• Steve, Natasha, Coulson, Barton, Bruce, and Nick Fury waited impatiently for Tony to return and take them to Li Ge’s Gourmet World.
• Tony went to Stark Tower, charmed Pepper, and invited her to see somewhere beautiful.
• Skynet watched Tony and Pepper’s affectionate exchange through the open portal, quietly curious.

After learning the tragic futures of their counterparts, Harry, Peter, and Gwen resolved to prevent future disasters. Harry began intervening at Oscorp Industries, while Peter and Gwen searched for Venom and dealt with new villains.

• Harry, Peter, and Gwen reflected on how Li Ge’s help had changed their lives and resolved to use their knowledge of the future to help others.
• The Peter from the Endgame World told them about the people he had fought and asked them to give those people a chance at better lives, and the three agreed.
• Harry volunteered to approach Oscorp’s future villains, while Peter and Gwen set out to find Venom and fight newly emerged supervillains.
• Harry asked Norman about Curt Connors, Otto Octavius, and Max Dillon, and Norman explained what they were working on and advised Harry to focus more on gaining power.
• Norman asked Harry about Mary Jane, and Harry said she needed time alone.

The Defenders debated how to deal with Venom, an alien creature hunting criminals in Hell's Kitchen. As they argued, a gang member killed a young man and left his body in an alley, setting up another possible target for Venom.

• Jessica Jones told the Defenders that Venom had bitten a gang member's head off and said she wanted to catch him.
• Danny Rand suggested notifying the Avengers, but Mark Murdock argued they should not trouble them and noted that Venom had eaten criminals.
• Luke Cage questioned whether they should ignore Venom if he was an alien, while Jessica dismissed concern for the gang members he killed.
• A big Black man in the Perfect Body Realm beat a young man to death while robbing him, took his money, and left the corpse in an alley.

Eddie Brock and Venom hunted evildoers together as Eddie pursued the Path to Godhood, while Venom eagerly anticipated their next meal. The chapter left them preparing to head to the Heaven Ascension Battlefield before Eddie ran dungeons in the Samsara Realm.

• Venom spotted a nearby victim and argued with Eddie about eating brains, chocolate, and where they should spend the night.
• The narration explained that Eddie had left his reporting job after the Battle of New York and had bonded with Venom after the Symbiote arrived on Earth in a meteorite.
• Eddie and Venom hunted evildoers, with Venom eating their heads and feeding some of his gains back to Eddie.
• Eddie chose the metal element and entered the Second Heaven, while Venom gained the ability to form sharp metal weapons through their bond.
• Eddie and Venom debated whether to visit the Samsara Realm or the Heaven Ascension Battlefield, then agreed to sleep in the Samsara Realm.

Venom killed and devoured a man while arguing with Eddie Brock about chocolate and the Samsara Realm. In Queens, Peter and Gwen discussed Peter’s strange sense that Venom belonged to him, then entered the Samsara Realm together.

• Venom restrained a burly man with black-and-gold strands, ate his head, and left his body in the street.
• Eddie Brock argued with Venom about the taste of the kill and threatened to withhold chocolate unless Venom found somewhere safe.
• Peter told Gwen he felt Venom was connected to him, even though another Peter had said Venom was never his host.
• Gwen suggested that a mysterious power might link Peter to another version of himself and urged him to find Venom.
• Peter and Gwen activated the painted summoning design in his room and entered the Samsara Realm.

Peter contacted Gwen and invited her to explore the Spider-Man's New York instance, which seemed to have been designed especially for him. After arriving in the Samsara Realm and killing a Red Skull, he met Gwen and led her toward the instance entrance.

• Peter checked his bracelet and answered Gwen's call, and she asked him to send her the instance's location.
• Peter sent Gwen the location, then entered the Samsara Realm and killed a Red Skull, obtaining its rare face-skin drop.
• Gwen arrived, praised Peter's luck, and joined him as he headed for the instance.
• Peter and Gwen reached a cave beneath a cliff and found a blue instance orb hovering over a stone pillar.

Peter and Gwen entered the dungeon called Spider-Man's New York and discovered it recreated a vast, familiar New York in stick-figure form. Peter wondered whether he might gain private ownership of the valuable dungeon, but a mysterious voice interrupted them before any quest appeared.

• Peter activated Spider-Man's New York and agreed to let Gwen enter with him.
• Peter and Gwen arrived on a floating platform above a skyscraper, transformed into stick-figure versions of Spider-Man.
• Gwen and Peter recognized landmarks across a seemingly endless recreation of New York, including Osborn Tower, Queens, Manhattan, and Stark Tower.
• Peter speculated that Li Ge might give him the dungeon to own privately and earn points from.
• Gwen questioned whether Li Ge would really give Peter such a large dungeon, and Peter noticed that no quest or other people had appeared.
• A voice teased Peter and Gwen from above, and they looked up, ready to defend themselves.

Li Ge showed Peter and Gwen his clone’s chaotic appearance and explained that his main body was gestating independent Chaos Power in the Fourth Heaven. He left the clone to help others grow stronger while the rest of the group pursued their own interests.

• Li Ge’s clone met Peter and Gwen, and Peter mistook his chaotic appearance for a tan.
• Li Ge explained that he was gestating Chaos Power by fusing and reshaping the laws of the universe, though the process consumed vast amounts of energy.
• Li Ge’s main body remained in the Fourth Heaven, where his body and soul were transforming inside an energy cocoon as Chaos Power continued to gestate.
• Li Ge said he had sent out the clone to help others grow stronger, since he had opened the Fourth Heaven while most of the group remained in the Second Heaven.
• Thor spent his time between Jane Foster and Sif, while Loki focused on building his Black Shadow Kingdom with Kingpin and Bullseye.

Li Ge explained that Chaos Power could transform privately owned instances into real worlds, which could become the divine kingdoms of future gods and demons. He left Peter and Gwen Stacy with the revelation that such worlds would remain limited unless they could operate independently and draw power from the chaotic void.

• Li Ge used a clone to enter the Samsara Realm after learning that Peter had found the special instance, and reinforced the seals on the figurines in the Divinity World.
• Li Ge explained Chaos Power to Peter and Gwen Stacy, who asked how it related to the instance beneath them.
• Li Ge revealed that Chaos Power could turn instances into real worlds and said this was why he allowed people to own instances privately.
• Li Ge explained that instances were world-information seeds intended to become divine kingdoms for future gods and demons.
• Li Ge warned that these worlds would be limited to the multiversal level unless they could operate independently and draw energy from the chaotic void.

Li Ge explained to Peter and Gwen Stacy how to claim a dungeon of their own, which would let them gain the power of the Fourth Heaven and eventually climb Heaven-Reaching Mountain. He revealed that repeatedly entering a dungeon, spending energy inside it, or dying there would gradually leave their soul imprints, though even a small dungeon demanded immense mental power.

• Li Ge told Peter and Gwen Stacy that their dungeon could support at least ten gods and demons, potentially more than a hundred, and urged them to make it their own to qualify for the Fourth Heaven.
• Peter and Gwen Stacy asked Li Ge how to obtain a dungeon, and he transported them from the New York dungeon to a floating island atop Heaven-Reaching Mountain.
• Peter and Gwen Stacy admired the Spirit Tree while Li Ge held the crystal Tesseract and reminded them that owning a dungeon would qualify them to climb the mountain.
• Li Ge explained that dungeons were independent alternate spaces designed from information about real-world matter and rules.
• Li Ge said repeated visits, expending energy, or dying inside a dungeon would disperse a person's mental power into it and leave a soul imprint, but even the smallest dungeon required more mental power than a thousand people possessed.

Li Ge explained the mental power needed to claim an instance, then offered Peter and Gwen Stacy a way to strengthen their souls for a price. In the Gourmet World, Tony rejected Nick Fury’s proposal to put the Virtual Earth under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s control and began searching for Stryker near Alkali Lake.

• Li Ge warned Peter and Gwen Stacy that controlling a large instance required powerful mental strength and teased them before offering a way to strengthen their mental power and souls at a price.
• Nick Fury urged Tony to get Li Ge to hand over the Virtual Earth, but Tony refused because it could be used to surveil the whole planet.
• Steve supported Tony’s decision, and Nick Fury urged him to search for Stryker while they enjoyed the Gourmet World.
• Tony began searching around Alkali Lake in Canada for Stryker using the Virtual Earth.
• Wanda watched Skynet as he analyzed a pastry flower and tried to understand Li Ge’s power and his father.

After collecting thirty Spirit Fruits, Li Ge explored the Samsara Realm and met David, whose failed guild idea gave Li Ge a plan to form Samsara teams. He intended to send teams across the universe to earn instances and trade discoveries for Spirit Fruits, leaving the plan ready to develop.

• Li Ge harvested thirty ripened Spirit Fruits and sealed them in a Truth-Seeking Ball box, while the Spirit Tree began nurturing new fruits up to its limit of 108.
• Li Ge randomly teleported into the Samsara Continent, startled a Red Skull, and headed toward a nearby city.
• David introduced himself to Li Ge and invited him to join the Super Samsara Guild, admitting that nobody had signed up.
• Li Ge realized he could adapt David’s guild idea to help Peter, Gwen Stacy, and others gain instances and strengthen their souls through their own efforts.
• Li Ge decided to organize Samsara teams to explore the universe and offer spaceships, weapons, and star charts in exchange for treasures, rare materials, or unfamiliar Transcendent powers.

Li Ge revealed his identity to David and recruited him to form the first Samsara Squad, giving him a mysterious power for their mission. After David left to retrieve it, Li Ge explored a city bustling with players discussing monsters and instances.

• David recognized Li Ge as Immortal and apologized for failing to identify him sooner.
• Li Ge tasked David with forming the first Samsara Squad and exploring the universe, promising him powerful abilities, support, a spaceship, and star charts.
• David agreed, and Li Ge infused his Samsara Bracelet with a card containing a power from the World of Legendary Eyes.
• Li Ge left David to retrieve the power and form his squad, while David exited the area, eager to discover what he had received.
• Li Ge appeared at the edge of a city and walked through its crowded streets, listening to players discuss instances, monsters, and hunting for points.

Kingpin and Bullseye began taking control of a city in the State of Mexico to gather soldiers and Divine Guards for their king, while Kingpin privately considered resisting Loki. At General Ross's research base, Bob Dylan prepared to escape after secretly developing a way to rebuild his body using his Titan flesh-and-blood control.

• Kingpin ordered Bullseye and his men to recruit gangs, convert the homeless, shut down communications, and block the city's exits.
• Bullseye used his shadow to leave the office and lead the men into the city as Kingpin watched and vowed that the five elements could defeat shadow energy.
• Bob Dylan recalled how he became a gang leader, was arrested, and was forced to participate in General Ross's Titan experiments.
• Bob Dylan secretly practiced using his Titan power to form a new body within his Titan flesh, eventually learning to rebuild everything except his brain.
• Bob Dylan resolved to seize an opportunity to escape, believing that the bomb implanted in his head could not stop him.

At Stryker's dam base, the researchers unveiled No. 1, a heavily modified Wolverine clone, as their latest attempt to create a monster soldier. Stryker rejected him as a mass-production solution, killed the researcher, and watched No. 1 return to feeding, his own reaction difficult to read.

• The researchers presented No. 1, a Wolverine clone modified with a reinforced skeleton, transplanted organs, implanted abilities, armor, and brain controls.
• No. 1 raised his head at the researcher's command and snarled at Stryker and the others.
• The researcher explained No. 1's abilities and offered to demonstrate him in live combat.
• Stryker condemned No. 1 as a failure because he wanted an endlessly mass-produced army of monsters.
• Stryker killed the terrified researcher, then watched No. 1 resume eating the sheep carcass.

After seeing the horrors at Stryker’s base, Nick Fury’s group resolved to arrest him and hand him over to Arale, while Skynet proposed a brutal punishment. On Krakoa, Arale continued building the Church of Divine Revelation and had made the island’s Mutants believers in Li Ge.

• Coulson, Steve, Bruce, and the others reacted with fury and disgust to Stryker’s experiments, and Hulk offered to smash him.
• Skynet proposed turning Stryker into a conscious metal sculpture, but Tony redirected him toward handing Stryker over to Arale.
• Nick Fury said the president had removed Stryker from his post, and the group left the Gourmet World to prepare for the arrest the next day.
• Tony brought Skynet back to S.H.I.E.L.D., while Wanda and Pietro stayed behind.
• Arale used her connection to Li Ge to establish herself as bishop on Krakoa, built structures with her block ability, and brought the island’s Mutants into the Church of Divine Revelation.

Krakoa’s population grew as Mutants from around the world settled there, and the Eastern Nation negotiated with Professor Charles and the others to claim the eastern half while the Church of Divine Revelation retained the west. The Eastern Nation rapidly built a city and farms, prompting the western Mutants to speed up their own construction, while the God Worship Altar remained free of homes.

• Mutants from many countries entered Krakoa and prayed at the God Worship Altar as its population surged into the hundreds of thousands or more.
• Eastern Nation Mutants in S.P.E.A.R. negotiated with Professor Charles and the others, securing eastern Krakoa while the Church of Divine Revelation kept the west.
• Professor Charles and the others agreed that only Mutants and their friends and family could move into Krakoa, and the Eastern Nation began bringing in residents and supplies.
• The Eastern Nation built a medium-sized city, utilities, farmland, and livestock farms in a month or two, astonishing Professor Charles and the others.
• The western Mutants accelerated construction and built a medium-sized city, while they left the area around the God Worship Altar free of homes out of respect for Li Ge.

Li Chuang and Alice visited the God Worship Altar in East Krakoa and discussed Li Ge’s creations and the immense powers he had given them. Their conversation was interrupted by Zheng Xian, director of S.P.E.A.R., who introduced himself.

• Li Chuang and Alice admired the replica altar and joked about Li Ge’s work while Alice teased Li Chuang about his efforts to nurture Chaos Power.
• Li Chuang and Alice flirted, then examined their divine bodies and abilities with Eye of Insight.
• Li Chuang reflected that Li Ge had given them Technology God System powers and atomic-level sacred bodies, though they lacked refined control over their abilities.
• Zheng Xian approached Li Chuang and Alice and introduced himself as the director of S.P.E.A.R.

Arale joined Tony and his team as they launched a raid on Stryker’s dam base. They reached the laboratory and captured Guevara, while Stryker released his two Weapon X subjects to confront the attackers.

• After receiving news of Stryker’s capture, Arale decided to return to the Temple of Divine Revelation, while Erik and the others sent her alone to avoid appearing to intervene in Li Ge’s name.
• A shadowy figure emerged beneath Arale as she flew toward the Temple of Divine Revelation.
• At dawn, Tony and his party picked up Arale and used a portal to enter Stryker’s dam base.
• Stryker forced the researchers to produce more Logan clones and released No. 1 and No. 2 when the Avengers attacked.
• Tony restrained Guevara with liquid metal and spatial-sealing magic when Guevara teleported toward him.

The Avengers and Arale subdued Stryker, his teleporting experiments, and Lady Deathstrike, then took them from the base. As S.H.I.E.L.D. began cleaning up, shadows secretly stole the dead soldiers and replaced them with identical corpses.

• Natasha, Steve, and Arale blocked Stryker's escape while Tony sealed Guevara and trapped him.
• Steve fought No. 1, Coulson and Tony subdued No. 2, and Barton and Bruce fought Lady Deathstrike as Natasha freed the researchers and destroyed the clones in their tanks.
• Tony sealed No. 1 and Lady Deathstrike, while Arale held Stryker in a glass enclosure.
• Shadows swallowed the dead soldiers and left identical corpses in their place.
• Tony brought the group and their captives back to S.H.I.E.L.D., and Arale took Stryker to the Temple of Divine Revelation.