Chapter Summaries

Chen Mo negotiated a temp-worker contract with Death, securing control over his body and soul in exchange for carrying out tasks enforcing the laws of death. Death immediately sent him through a collapsing dimension to collect a debt from Yao, Earth's current Sorcerer Supreme.

• Chen Mo refused permanent employment but negotiated temp work, including payment in target corpses and the right to refuse tasks.
• Chen Mo secured Death's agreement that his body, consciousness, and soul would remain his, and that he could choose his working hours.
• Death gave Chen Mo a contract that granted him access to the laws of death, marking him as her sole temp worker.
• Death opened a fissure beneath Chen Mo and sent him into the collapsing dimension before he could ask about returning to Earth.
• Chen Mo read the contract and discovered that his first debtor was Yao, Earth's current Sorcerer Supreme.

Chen Mo returned from defeating Cul with a contract from Death that tasked him with collecting the Ancient One’s life. After the Ancient One confirmed the contract was genuine, Chen Mo realized that the debt’s target was the sorcerer sitting across from him.

• Chen Mo accepted Death’s part-time debt-collection work and created a weakened avatar to return safely to Earth.
• At the New York Sanctum, Chen Mo told the Ancient One and Odin about Cul’s defeat and described his agreement with Death.
• Odin promised gifts and access to Asgard’s magical texts to compensate Chen Mo for the danger he had faced.
• Chen Mo thanked the Ancient One for helping contain Cul and offered to assist him in future battles.
• The Ancient One examined Death’s contract, recognized the name Yao written on it as his own, and asked Chen Mo if Death had sent him to collect his life.

Chen Mo learned that the Ancient One had borrowed power from numerous dimensional beings for centuries without repaying them. The Ancient One planned to leave his body to Chen Mo after death, but Chen Mo realized the same body had apparently been promised to multiple creditors.

• Chen Mo proposed delaying his mission to collect the Ancient One’s debt until the Ancient One died, but the Ancient One said his time was already nearly up.
• Chen Mo asked how much lifespan and power the Ancient One owed, and the Ancient One admitted he had borrowed from the Vishanti, Eternity, Agamotto, and Dormammu without repaying them.
• The Ancient One explained that the borrowed power had helped him protect Earth and said he could not repay his creditors before his death.
• The Ancient One said his body would go to Chen Mo after he died, while his other creditors could deal with the remaining estate themselves.
• Chen Mo realized that Death and the other creditors also wanted the Ancient One’s body and asked how many times the Ancient One had sold it.

Chen Mo tried to secure his claim on The Ancient One’s body by implanting Blacklight Virus cells to repair and prolong her life. When he touched her soul, he discovered more than a hundred creditor marks, and a tentacled eyeball demon god appeared in the Sanctum and fixed its gaze on him.

• Chen Mo confronted The Ancient One about her unpaid debts and argued that he needed to protect his claim before other creditors arrived.
• Chen Mo proposed implanting Blacklight Virus cells in The Ancient One’s body, and she agreed to let him proceed.
• Chen Mo’s Blacklight cells began repairing The Ancient One’s deteriorated body while adapting to the many energies within it.
• Chen Mo reached The Ancient One’s soul and discovered it was covered in more than a hundred creditor marks.
• A green mass forced its way into the Sanctum from the void, revealed a huge tentacled eyeball, and stared at Chen Mo.

Chen Mo and the Ancient One drove Shuma-Gorath’s avatar from the Sanctum by triggering the Ancient One’s creditor contracts. Chen Mo proposed using her as bait to hunt the creditors, and their plan appeared to begin when a mutilated corpse crashed through the still-open rift.

• Shuma-Gorath’s avatar entered the Sanctum and attacked the Ancient One, but her contracts unleashed powers from hundreds of creditors against it.
• Shuma-Gorath overpowered many of the creditors’ attacks until the Ancient One invoked three especially formidable powers, forcing it to retreat.
• Chen Mo burned and collected a piece of Shuma-Gorath’s tentacle, then helped the Ancient One destroy the dimensional energy left behind.
• Chen Mo proposed that the Ancient One lure creditors so he could ambush and consume them, and she warned that they might all descend at once.
• A scarlet-robed corpse crashed through the rift, and Chen Mo told the Ancient One that business had come to them.

Chen Mo and the Ancient One discovered a dying Strange from another world, whose note warned that his reality was collapsing and whose wounds suggested a powerful attacker with abilities like Chen Mo’s. As the Ancient One tried to close the rift, a caped figure in a familiar blue suit tore through and landed in the Sanctum.

• A mutilated corpse fell through a rift into the New York Sanctum, and the Ancient One identified him as a Strange from another world.
• The Ancient One read a note asking for help and learned that Strange’s world was in chaos, while Chen Mo heard how many timeline disruptions she had repaired because of him.
• Chen Mo examined Strange’s wounds and found signs of immense strength, Heat Vision, and bites, then declined to enter the dangerous world through the rift.
• The Ancient One began closing the rift, but a burly figure tore through it and crashed into the Sanctum.
• Chen Mo recognized the newcomer’s blue suit, chest emblem, and red cape, then accused him of copying the design.

Chen Mo fought Ultraman in the Sanctum after Ultraman attacked the Ancient One and Strange’s corpse. Once Ultraman revealed his name, Chen Mo recognized him as a sign that Marvel and DC had crossed over and warned that the multiverse was in danger.

• Ultraman attacked the Sanctum with Heat Vision, and the Ancient One’s weakened magic shield broke under the assault.
• Chen Mo struck Ultraman through the ceiling, then blocked his return punch and knocked him face-first into the floor.
• Ultraman escaped Chen Mo’s hold and accused him of not belonging to this world.
• The Ancient One questioned Ultraman about killing another world’s Sorcerer Supreme, and Ultraman denied gnawing on Strange’s corpse.
• Ultraman identified himself as Ultraman, and Chen Mo warned the Ancient One that a Marvel and DC crossover threatened the multiverse.

Chen Mo fought Ultraman in the New York Sanctum and overwhelmed him after testing his strength. After Chen Mo knocked Ultraman unconscious, the Ancient One asked him to wait before eating him.

• Ultraman attacked Chen Mo, and their clash shook New York and damaged the Sanctum.
• The Ancient One contained their fight inside the Mirror Dimension to protect the real world.
• Ultraman tried to escape, but Chen Mo caught him and unleashed more of his power.
• Chen Mo pummeled Ultraman into a crater until he lost consciousness.
• The Ancient One examined Ultraman and asked Chen Mo not to eat him yet, and Chen Mo agreed as long as it did not interfere with his meal.

The Ancient One examined Ultraman’s enchanted cape while Chen Mo waited to devour him, but their investigation revealed that visitors from Ultraman’s world had arrived elsewhere. The chapter ended as several costumed intruders appeared inside S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.

• The Ancient One discovered that a magical circle on Ultraman’s cape stabilized space and let him travel between worlds.
• Chen Mo waited for the Ancient One to finish studying the cape and planned to consume Ultraman and use his genes to create a clone.
• The Ancient One sensed an unfamiliar aura enter the world through the rift, but the visitors arrived somewhere else.
• Chen Mo decided he would track down the unregistered visitors and claimed he was protecting public safety.
• An alarm sounded at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, where Nick Fury and Hill saw four costumed intruders appear inside the underground experimental area.

The Crime Syndicate overran S.H.I.E.L.D.’s seventh basement level while Nite Owl searched for information about the world and Ultraman. Nick Fury activated an emergency signal to summon Tony Stark as Superwoman and the others reached the vibranium gate protecting the command area.

• Superwoman and Power Ring repelled S.H.I.E.L.D.’s agents while Nite Owl worried that Ultraman had not returned from the crossing.
• Speedster Johnny disarmed the agents in the corridor, and Nite Owl hacked the terminal and discovered Tony Stark’s close partnership with S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Nick Fury assessed the unavailable heroes and rejected a large-scale bombing because personnel remained inside the headquarters.
• Superwoman tore through the security doors as the Crime Syndicate advanced toward the surveillance room.
• Nick Fury pressed the emergency signal button to notify Tony Stark, and Speedster Johnny charged into the vibranium gate.

Tony, Thor, and Loki received a maximum-level distress signal from S.H.I.E.L.D. and watched footage of an attack on its headquarters. The footage showed Nite Owl bypassing a Vibranium door and entering the surveillance room.

• Thor spoke affectionately with Erin on the phone while Loki grew jealous and broke his fork, leaving Tony to charge him for the damage.
• Loki questioned Tony about Stark Industries’ armor and defenses, but Tony warned that JARVIS would report their conversation to Chen Mo.
• Tony’s watch received a maximum-level distress signal from the Triskelion, and JARVIS confirmed that S.H.I.E.L.D.’s systems were under attack.
• Tony, Thor, and Loki examined footage showing Speedster Johnny failing to break through a Vibranium door before Nite Owl disabled its locks and forced it from the wall.
• Nite Owl walked into S.H.I.E.L.D.’s surveillance room.

Nite Owl’s team raided S.H.I.E.L.D.’s command room, where he uncovered a high-risk file on Chen Mo and ordered a retreat after learning Ultraman had vanished. As Nite Owl, Superwoman, and Power Ring left, Tony arrived in his Iron Man Armor to confront the remaining Speedster Johnny.

• Nite Owl’s team broke into the command room, and Speedster Johnny and Power Ring quickly disabled S.H.I.E.L.D.’s armored agents.
• Fury and Hill escaped through an emergency chute after activating a database wipe and reactor overload, but Nite Owl stopped the self-destruct and recovered the files.
• Nite Owl found S.H.I.E.L.D.’s heavily encrypted file on Chen Mo, which identified him as a possibly cosmic-level threat, and decided the team should withdraw while they investigated Ultraman’s disappearance.
• Nite Owl ordered Speedster Johnny to stay behind and test the pursuers, then left with Superwoman and Power Ring.
• Tony crashed through the underground base’s ceiling in his Iron Man Armor and confronted Speedster Johnny.

Tony fought Speedster Johnny in the ruined control room, but Tony’s durable armor and specialized weapons countered Johnny’s speed while Johnny repeatedly evaded Tony’s attacks. The fight left the control room in rubble, with neither combatant able to defeat the other.

• Speedster Johnny charged Tony and struck his armor, but the blow left the chestplate intact and numbed Johnny’s arm.
• Tony activated a full-coverage ultrasonic cannon, forcing Johnny to dodge through the waves and escape with a tear in his suit.
• Tony found that JARVIS could not track Johnny’s speed, while Johnny realized the armor was unusually tough and designed to counter fast targets.
• Johnny circled the control room as Tony fired palm cannons and missiles, but the attacks hit only afterimages or drove Johnny back.
• Johnny launched another attack as Tony fired a palm cannon, and the two continued fighting until the control room was reduced to rubble without either gaining the upper hand.

Tony used a hidden shockwave device to stop Speedster Johnny and nearly defeated him, but Johnny escaped through a multiverse passage. The Ancient One caught him as he traveled between worlds.

• Tony studied Speedster Johnny’s attack patterns and planted an improvised shockwave device beneath sector three.
• Tony lured Johnny into the device’s range, where the shockwaves halted his charge and left him vulnerable to Tony’s weapons.
• Tony blasted Johnny with pulse cannons and missiles, badly injuring him, but Johnny escaped with a teleportation device.
• Tony asked JARVIS to record Johnny’s spatial fluctuations and discussed putting superglue on his shoes next time.
• The Ancient One reached into the multiverse passage, seized the injured Johnny, and dragged him out.

Chen Mo and the Ancient One defeated Ultraman and captured Speedster Johnny, then examined his suit and teleportation device to trace the interdimensional passages. As the Ancient One began extracting Johnny’s coordinates, Johnny panicked and offered to lead them to Nite Owl, Superwoman, and Power Ring.

• The Ancient One pulled Speedster Johnny through a portal into the New York Sanctum while Chen Mo stood over the unconscious Ultraman.
• Chen Mo consumed Ultraman with the Blacklight Virus, leaving only scraps of his suit.
• The Ancient One examined Johnny’s interdimensional suit and disabled his teleportation device, discovering that it connected multiple universes.
• The Ancient One formed incomplete coordinates from the device, and Chen Mo said he wanted to trace the passages to whoever created them.
• As the Ancient One began extracting coordinates from Johnny, Chen Mo said he wanted to eat his brain, and Johnny offered to take them to Nite Owl, Superwoman, and Power Ring.

Chen Mo used Speedster Johnny’s memories to find the Crime Syndicate’s teleportation base and crossed a dangerous passage between worlds to reach it. Nite Owl ordered the base’s strongest defenses to attack Chen Mo, but the chapter ended with him standing unharmed in the blast’s center.

• The Ancient One opened a stable passage after combining the coordinates from Speedster Johnny and Ultraman, and Chen Mo stepped through it.
• Chen Mo crossed the spaces between worlds, glimpsed enormous cosmic beings, and arrived at the Crime Syndicate’s underground teleportation base.
• Nite Owl recognized Chen Mo from S.H.I.E.L.D.’s records and activated the highest-level elimination protocol.
• Superwoman, Power Ring, and the base’s weapons unleashed a massive attack that devastated the teleportation platform.
• Chen Mo emerged from the explosion without a wound or even a crease in his clothes.

Chen Mo faced the Crime Syndicate members at their base after surviving their bombardment. Nite Owl had already escaped, leaving behind a recorded battle plan, and the remaining villains regrouped to attack Chen Mo.

• Chen Mo emerged unharmed from the bombardment, while Superwoman, Power Ring, Death Stormfront, and Atomica gathered around him.
• Power Ring contacted Nite Owl, who gave the team a coordinated plan to restrain Chen Mo and a backup plan to send the area between worlds.
• Chen Mo noticed that Nite Owl's voice was coming from a recording, and Death Stormfront confirmed that Nite Owl had fled through a backup passage.
• The team followed the recording's plan, with Power Ring sealing the area, Death Stormfront altering the surrounding metal, Atomica disappearing into the ruins, and Superwoman preparing to fight Chen Mo.
• Chen Mo beckoned the group forward and challenged them to see how long Nite Owl's recording would keep them alive.

Chen Mo defeated the Crime Syndicate members who attacked him, killing Atomica, Power Ring, Death Stormfront, and Superwoman. After sorting through their memories, he realized someone had deliberately arranged the Syndicate’s interdimensional discoveries, leaving him to suspect a larger scheme behind the invasion.

• Superwoman, Power Ring, Death Stormfront, and Atomica coordinated an attack that trapped Chen Mo in green barriers and nuclear energy.
• Atomica entered Chen Mo through a wound, but his cells killed her before she could reach his heart or brain.
• Chen Mo broke free, seized Power Ring, killed him, and absorbed him along with his ring.
• Superwoman and Death Stormfront fled, but Chen Mo’s energy attack killed Death Stormfront and left Superwoman badly injured; Chen Mo killed her after she offered to serve him.
• Chen Mo searched the four attackers’ memories and discovered that someone had arranged their access to interdimensional technology and coordinates, prompting him to suspect that the invasion was part of a larger plan.

Nite Owl reviewed the destruction of his base and used a clone double to negotiate with Chen Mo while hiding in a lunar shelter. Chen Mo found the real Nite Owl just as he was about to contact the mysterious person behind the invasion.

• Nite Owl concluded that Chen Mo had absorbed the memories and abilities of the fallen Crime Syndicate members and abandoned plans for a direct confrontation.
• Nite Owl activated a clone with convincing memories and sent it to a second base to negotiate with Chen Mo.
• Clone Nite Owl offered to surrender the Crime Syndicate’s equipment and passage in exchange for his life, and gave Chen Mo coordinates to the invasion’s hidden mastermind.
• Chen Mo accepted the offer, while the real Nite Owl decided to delay contacting the mysterious being through a bone-covered communicator.
• Chen Mo appeared behind the real Nite Owl and revealed that he had found his lunar shelter and the communicator.

Chen Mo confronted Nite Owl in his hidden lunar base and explained that he had kept him alive because he found him interesting. Nite Owl’s secret memory backup was still uploading when Chen Mo revealed his reason, leaving the backup’s fate unresolved.

• Chen Mo revealed he had discovered Nite Owl’s real base and left a clone to distract Nite Owl’s double.
• Nite Owl offered to contact the communicator’s owner in exchange for his freedom and proposed claiming he had found a way to counter Chen Mo’s devouring ability.
• Chen Mo urged Nite Owl to reveal any further contingencies, and Nite Owl secretly activated a memory backup for an off-world clone.
• Nite Owl asked why Chen Mo had spared him, and Chen Mo said the others had been boring but Nite Owl was Batman.