Chapter Summaries

A mysterious Kamen Rider intervened just as Bucky was about to kill Tony Stark, fighting off Shocker Combatants and helping Tony and Steve escape. Bucky recovered the briefcase and left after the smoke cleared, while the three survivors fled without Tony’s armor.

• As Bucky’s bone blade fell toward Tony, a black motorcycle crashed into him, and its rider landed between Bucky and Tony.
• The rider identified himself as Kamen Rider and knocked away three Shocker Combatants, then blocked Bucky’s attack.
• When Bucky’s strength began to overwhelm him, Kamen Rider tripped him and fought off another Combatant while urging Tony and Steve to escape.
• Steve hauled Tony up, and Kamen Rider used smoke grenades to cover their retreat, carrying the powerless Tony out of the battlefield.
• After the smoke cleared, Bucky picked up the black briefcase and left, considering the mission complete.

A masked Kamen Rider rescued Steve Rogers and Tony Stark from Barnes and brought them to an abandoned repair shop, where he revealed his ties to the Anti-Shocker Alliance. Steve insisted Barnes could still be saved, while Tony argued for killing him, leaving the trio divided over what to do next.

• The masked rider dumped Tony and Steve in an abandoned repair shop and explained that he opposed Shocker.
• The rider revealed that Shocker had experimented on him and other captives, and introduced the Anti-Shocker Alliance.
• Steve argued that Bucky was still alive inside Barnes, but the rider said Shocker's brainwashing had turned him into a mission-driven killing machine.
• Tony offered Stark Industries' firepower in exchange for Shocker intelligence and proposed killing Barnes.
• Steve and Tony argued over whether Barnes should be saved or avenged.

Yehya Badr rejected Tony Stark and Steve Rogers as allies, then recalled how Shocker’s experiments and Khonshu’s intervention turned him into Hunter’s Moon. He prepared to continue his revenge against Shocker by marking a target on his map.

• Badr drove Tony Stark and Steve Rogers out of the safe house after they argued over Bucky Barnes and their plans.
• Badr called his contact and explained that Stark and Rogers were liabilities who could endanger the Anti-Shocker Alliance.
• Badr remembered being captured by Shocker, experimented on by Doctor Shinigami, and discarded in a pit of corpses.
• Khonshu offered Badr power in exchange for his service, and Badr accepted, becoming Hunter’s Moon and killing two Shocker soldiers as he escaped.
• Badr put on his Kamen Rider helmet and drew a red cross on a map as he renewed his pursuit of revenge against Shocker.

Yasuo and Hector fought their way through a Magia checkpoint on the road to Los Angeles, where they planned to confront Count Nefaria. With their truck wrecked and the mercenaries dead, they continued toward the city on foot.

• Hector drove the battered pickup straight through the checkpoint as mercenaries opened fire, using his amulet to shield himself and smash into their SUV.
• Hector transformed under the amulet’s power and slaughtered the mercenaries while Yasuo cut down the rest with his longsword.
• Yasuo questioned the surviving leader, told him to warn Count Nefaria that they had come to settle an old score, and then killed him.
• Hector regained control of himself, and Yasuo pointed out Los Angeles as their destination.
• With their truck totaled, Yasuo and Hector set off on foot toward Los Angeles.

Yasuo and Hector entered Count Nefaria’s Eden club in Los Angeles, where Yasuo cut down a guard and Hector subdued another. Count Nefaria’s men surrounded them with energy weapons, and Yasuo welcomed the fight.

• Yasuo and Hector approached the Eden club, and Hector explained that it belonged to Count Nefaria and had heavy security.
• Yasuo ignored Hector’s warning and said they would draw their swords, kill people, and find somewhere to drink.
• The guards at the entrance refused Yasuo and Hector entry, and Yasuo severed one guard’s arm when he tried to shove him.
• Hector slammed the second guard into the concrete, and Yasuo ordered him to control his killing instinct.
• Yasuo kicked open the club doors and entered with Hector, while a man in a white suit ordered his soldiers to attack them.
• Dozens of armed soldiers surrounded Yasuo and Hector with laser sights, and Yasuo said the party was just getting started.

Yasuo and Hector fought their way through Count Nefaria’s security team and learned that the Count would attend a Blood Feast aboard a cruise ship off Santa Monica that night. After Nefaria killed his own manager with a poisonous explosive, Yasuo and Hector prepared to flee the building as a countdown began beneath them.

• Yasuo blocked the security team’s gunfire with a Wind Wall, then Hector transformed and tore through the guards.
• Yasuo cornered the manager, who revealed that Count Nefaria would appear at the Blood Feast on a cruise ship off Santa Monica that night.
• Count Nefaria appeared on a screen and triggered a poison-filled explosion that killed the manager.
• Yasuo and Hector decided to head to the beach, but Yasuo heard a countdown and warned Hector that the building was about to explode.

Yasuo and Hector escaped Eden’s explosion and headed to the Black Pearl, where Count Nefaria revealed an army of mutated monsters. The monsters charged, leaving Yasuo and Hector on the verge of battle.

• Yasuo grabbed Hector and leapt through a window just before Eden exploded, then they escaped in a Ferrari.
• Yasuo drove Hector to Santa Monica Pier, where they found the Black Pearl waiting in darkness and smelled fresh blood.
• Two mutated guards ambushed Yasuo and Hector, who defeated them and continued aboard the ship.
• Count Nefaria welcomed Yasuo and Hector as the feast’s main course and unleashed dozens of failed experiments.
• The monsters charged as Yasuo drew his sword slightly and prepared to fight.

Yasuo and Hector fought Count Nefaria’s monsters aboard the ship until Nefaria released red smoke that revived and strengthened them. Yasuo destroyed the headless giant and challenged Nefaria, who rose in his bio-armor to fight.

• Yasuo charged into the monsters and cut them down with his sword while Hector smashed through them with his strength.
• Count Nefaria watched the fight and ordered the ship to release red smoke across the deck.
• The smoke burned Hector’s lungs and caused dead monsters to regenerate into tougher, more violent forms.
• Yasuo used a Wind Wall and Last Breath to slice the headless giant into pieces, then taunted Count Nefaria.
• Count Nefaria smashed his glass, removed his cloak to reveal black bio-armor, and prepared to fight Yasuo and Hector.

Yasuo defeated the Earl’s armored body, only to discover that a demon named Avarish had been controlling it from within. Avarish absorbed the nearby monsters’ remains and grew larger as the cruise ship lurched from a crash below.

• The Earl attacked Yasuo with his biological armor and mechanical laser arms, but Yasuo dodged and cut through the armor.
• The Earl unleashed a purple energy blast, but Yasuo blocked it with Wind Wall and pinned him to the mast with his sword.
• Yasuo noticed the Earl’s black, cold blood, and the Earl convulsed before his chest burst open to reveal Avarish.
• Avarish identified himself as the King of Greed, pulled Yasuo’s sword from his chest, and took flight.
• Avarish absorbed red vapor from the fallen monsters and swelled in size as the cruise ship shook and listed to starboard.

Yasuo defeated Avarish and left him for Hector, but Hector was revealed to be possessed by Fahima, the demon who had manipulated Yasuo into clearing her rival’s territory. Wounded and facing Fahima aboard a sinking ship, Yasuo vanished into the wind and launched a sword strike.

• Yasuo sliced apart Avarish’s swollen body, reducing the demon to a badly wounded creature on the deck.
• Yasuo called Hector out of the shadows and left Avarish to him, but Avarish recognized the presence inside Hector as another demon.
• Hector stabbed Yasuo with a claw of green energy, and Avarish identified the attacker as Fahima.
• Fahima revealed that she had devoured Hector’s sister’s soul, awakened inside his body, and used Yasuo to defeat Avarish so she could claim his authority over greed.
• Fahima stomped on Avarish and threatened Yasuo, who declared that he hated being used as a weapon.
• As the ship began to sink, Yasuo disappeared into the wind and unleashed Gale Last Breath above Fahima.

Yasuo learned that Fahima had manipulated him into killing her enemies, then destroyed Fahima and Avarish and recovered the White Tiger Amulet. He asked Tali Zola to find Hector Ayala’s surviving family, and learned that Angela del Toro had recently claimed the Ayala family properties and was investigating their destruction.

• Fahima admitted she had exploited Yasuo’s softhearted nature to make him kill the people she wanted dead.
• Yasuo killed Fahima and Avarish, destroyed their escaping demonic souls, and recovered the White Tiger Amulet from Hector’s remains.
• Yasuo escaped the capsizing ship and called Tali Zola to ask whether Hector Ayala had any surviving relatives.
• Tali told Yasuo that Angela del Toro had claimed the Ayala family properties three days earlier and was investigating the family’s destruction.

At Vought Future Academy’s secret underground laboratory, Adrien forced Dr. Erik Selvig and the staff to begin an experiment that channeled the Tesseract’s energy into a genetically engineered test subject. The experiment caused a catastrophic surge, and the subject emerged enveloped in golden energy as a battle suit began to form.

• Adrien visited the Pandora laboratory, where Dr. Erik Selvig warned that the Tesseract resisted extraction and the energy converter was dangerously unstable.
• Adrien dismissed Selvig’s concerns and activated the machine, sending energy from the Tesseract through the Kree converter and into the test subject.
• The test subject’s body repeatedly broke down and regenerated as the energy overwhelmed the laboratory and alarms warned of imminent failure.
• Adrien ordered the staff to hold the experiment for ten more seconds, and a violent shock wave shattered equipment and hurled Selvig and the assistants across the laboratory.
• After the blast, the test subject was gone from the nutrient fluid, and a golden energy layer surrounded her as a battle suit began to form.

Adrien and Selvig witnessed the successful creation of a powerful being from the Kree engine, the space cube’s energy, and Skrull genes. Lynn named her Kara Zor-El, or Supergirl, and ordered her trained as a weapon to keep Homelander in check.

• Selvig emerged from the rubble and found that the laboratory’s energy readings had dropped to zero as the woman absorbed the blast.
• Adrien tested the woman’s power, and she cut through a three-meter lead blast wall with Heat Vision.
• Adrien told Lynn that the experiment had succeeded, and Lynn named the new being Kara Zor-El, codename Supergirl.
• Lynn ordered Adrien to fabricate a tragic origin story, reinforce Kara’s mental controls, and begin combat training at the Deep Well.
• Adrien took Kara away and threatened Selvig into destroying the experiment’s data.
• Lynn ended the call and looked over New York from Vought Tower while holding Goose.

Lynn sent Tifa Lockhart to become Kara Zor-El’s anchor, while Adrien Veidt showcased Kara’s devastating power and strict programming. Tifa reached Kara through warmth and trust, and Kara ended the chapter sharing cocoa with her as her new big sister.

• Lynn told Tifa to bond with Kara and shape her loyalty to Vought, making Tifa her anchor.
• Adrien showed Tifa how Kara destroyed three combat mechs with overwhelming strength and precision.
• Tifa entered the training ground despite Adrien’s warning and confronted Kara, who threatened to eliminate her under her logic lock.
• Tifa calmed Kara through gentle contact, challenged her rigid programming, and taught her to call Tifa “big sister.”
• Adrien and Dr. Selvig watched Kara’s mental readings stabilize as Tifa gave her a sense of belonging.
• Kara sat with Tifa, drank hot cocoa, and began learning that trust and comfort could matter beyond logic.

Tifa took Kara Zor-El shopping to teach her how to handle ordinary clothes and everyday social encounters without relying on force. They saw a Vought International advertisement for Homelander, and Tifa told Kara that the BOSS wanted to meet her that night.

• Tifa led Kara Zor-El through Manhattan and taught her to control her strength and blend into society.
• Kara tore a dress while trying it on, then carefully put on a light blue dress with Tifa's guidance.
• When a man in a leather jacket bumped into her, Kara prepared to retaliate, but Tifa told her to ignore him.
• At Times Square, Kara watched a Vought International advertisement for Homelander and called him fake.
• Tifa told Kara that Homelander was her colleague and that the BOSS wanted to see her that night.

Hannibal Lecter counseled Shocker and offered him a path into Vought before Senator Stern stormed in demanding compensation. After Stern threatened Vought and grabbed at him, Hannibal killed him and prepared a meal from the senator’s body.

• Hannibal told Herman Schultz that Vought could offer him guidance and gave him a recommendation for its off-the-books program.
• Senator Stern confronted Hannibal, demanded a check, and threatened to block Vought’s bill and bring in the FBI and IRS.
• Hannibal killed Stern with a letter opener after the senator reached for his collar.
• Hannibal processed Stern’s body in a hidden kitchen and cooked the senator’s tenderloin with butter, sage, and Madeira.
• Hannibal returned to his desk and ate the meal, satisfied that Stern’s presence had been removed.

Hannibal cleaned up after killing Senator Stern, disposing of the body and erasing traces while impersonating Stern in a message. Selene Kyle offered cleaners and warned him to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. from discovering what happened.

• Hannibal used Senator Stern’s severed thumb to unlock his phone and sent a crude message pretending Stern had gone to meet an old flame.
• Hannibal dismembered Stern, discarded the fat and bones, and carefully sanitized his workroom.
• Selene Kyle called Hannibal after her surveillance team noticed Stern had disappeared from his office.
• Hannibal claimed Stern had left by the private elevator and refused Selene’s offer to send cleaners.
• Selene warned Hannibal not to let S.H.I.E.L.D. catch the scent.

Hannibal Lecter hosted Officer Misty Knight for a meal made from Senator Stern while she investigated Stern’s disappearance. Misty left suspicious of Hannibal but without proof, and Hannibal watched her drive away after she had eaten the evidence.

• Hannibal savored a steak made from Senator Stern when Misty Knight arrived to investigate Stern’s disappearance and his missing driver.
• Hannibal claimed Stern had left through a private passage after a counseling session and invited Misty inside to eat.
• Misty tasted the steak, enjoyed it, and gradually relaxed as Hannibal described it as a rare kind of “long pig.”
• Misty questioned Hannibal about Stern, then requested surveillance footage and access to the passage despite his mention of an unmonitored maintenance shaft.
• Misty noted that the house smelled of cleaning products that could cover blood, but Hannibal blamed the smell on Stern’s cologne.
• Misty left to continue investigating, and Hannibal watched her drive away after she had finished the meal.

Hannibal Lecter fed Misty Knight a stew while arguing that the law and justice could justify turning dangerous people into something useful. Misty left still suspicious of him, while Hannibal revealed Senator Stern’s head and planned to serve his brain the next day.

• Misty arrived at Hannibal’s home soaked from the rain and insisted that Stern’s death had ended there.
• Hannibal served Misty red-wine stew and challenged her belief that Stern’s right to live mattered regardless of his character.
• Hannibal compared the meat’s transformation into sustenance to removing harmful people and bringing superhumans under Vought International’s control.
• Misty ate the stew, warned Hannibal she would watch him, and rushed out into the rain after he threatened that disappearance could be mercy.
• Hannibal watched Misty leave and revealed Stern’s head on a tray as he prepared for his next meal.

After the justice system freed Rattlesnake, Misty Knight visited Hannibal Lecter and ate calf's brain while wrestling with his ideas about punishment. Hannibal gave her illegal evidence against Rattlesnake, and Misty left with the choice of acting outside the law.

• Misty Knight watched Rattlesnake walk free because of missing evidence and due-process rules, despite his suspected murder of her informant and the informant's daughter.
• Misty went to Hannibal Lecter's home while investigating Senator Stern's disappearance, and Hannibal served her fried calf's brain.
• Hannibal challenged Misty to consider whether she wanted to punish people the legal system protected, and she ate the dish.
• Misty said that if Stern had become the meal, he had finally done something useful, and Hannibal gave her an envelope of illegal evidence about Rattlesnake.
• Misty took the envelope and left without asking Hannibal about Stern, while Hannibal returned to his freezer and contemplated cooking a heart.