Sometime ago, when Doctor Strange attempted to sell his soul for absolute power, he failed. He was unable to pay for absolute power, as he lacked the full measure of a soul.

In the present, the battle is raging. Iron Man asks Strange how Reed and Beast are doing, and Strange responds that they are knocked out but fine, just before he himself is attacked by the Norn. On Rider's orders, the Norn uses his power to locate the Illuminati's bomb, and Doctor Spectrum is sent to retrieve it, with Black Bolt in hot pursuit.

Meanwhile, Namor impales the Jovian. Believing that he has won, Namor is surprised when the Jovian begins to transform and incapacitates him. Rider and Black Panther meanwhile, are locked in a deadly duel. The two are evenly matched, but both are knocked down by the sheer force unleashed in a battle between the Hulk and Sun God.

Losing control of himself, the Hulk brutally beats down Sun God, but just as he is about to deliver the final punch, Sun God effortlessly catches his blow and unleashes his solar powers, knocking the Hulk down and forcing him to revert to Bruce Banner. Sun God remarks that the Hulk may be the strongest there is on his world, but not on Sun God's.

Tony Stark looks on in despair as the Hulk is defeated, before being instantly disarmed by Boundless, who strips him of his armour. As the Great Society takes the upper hand in the battle, the Norn prepares to unleash the power of the Black Priests, asking Doctor Strange if he knows of them. However, Strange begins to speak words of power of his own.

In the past, after returning from his failed attempt at securing power, Strange tells Wong that he is damned, and that there is no redemption for him. Wong disagrees however, saying that he believes that there is still a good man in him. As Wong walks away, Strange says to himself that the sliver of the man he used to be must be enough, as he begins to commit a dark spell to memory.

In the present, Strange finishes his spell, and denounces the Norn as a mere charlatan. He deduces that the Norn doesn't even have the gift of magic, and instead relies on artefacts for his power. Strange strips him of all of them, and takes the helmet of the Black Priests from him. He asks him if he wishes to see true power, and what the art really costs, as he begins to chant an incantation.

Stephen's spell summons a terrible eldritch abomination that takes hold of the Great Society, as Strange states that he has given all he had left to destroy their world.

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