WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for X of Swords: Destruction #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, VC's Clayton Cowles, and Tom Muller on sale now.
With the fate of two nations and their inhabitants' very lives at stake, the final outcome of Marvel's X of Swords event has been one of the most hotly anticipated events of the year. However, the host of the tournament, Opal Luna Saturnyne, has been manipulating things along the way, ensuring that no matter which side of the conflict is victorious, she would be the ultimate winner.
Leading up to the Tournament of Swords starting line, Saturnyne manipulated the various players and provided no small amount of subjective decision making and rules enforcement. She wasn't able to get her hooks into everyone, but she proved her cunning in the most subtle of ways as she maneuvered the various pieces around the board. Her challenges were often clearly more about evening the score than letting the tournament progress naturally, and Saturnyne made sure to nudge those who needed it in the right direction.
Even with the battle raging along outside of the Starlight Citadel, Saturnyne maintained her composure while quite literally piecing back together the puzzle that would solve her impending problems. No matter how much blood was shed on the battlefield, her ultimate goals would be accomplished with an astounding accuracy rate. The final contest between Apocalypse and his beloved Genesis, then under the influence of Annihilation, quickly went from a two-participant duel to an all-out war, with Saturnyne overlooking it all. Saturnyne's own advisors, concerned about the encroaching fight below, even wonder if Saturnyne shouldn't intervene, but her calm and diligence pays off more than any direct interference could.
With the shattered remains of Betsy Braddock put together again, Saturnyne suffers one of her rare disappointments in discovering that Betsy, wherever she is, would continue to wield the Starlight Sword. Answering her call and coming down from the sky in a glorious display of blinding light, the Captain Britain Corps joined the fight, swiftly turning the tide of the battle. When a broken and bruised Cable joins Saturnyne from her place overlooking the battlefield and asks her to send him in so that he may at least die alongside his family. Saturnyne, collected as ever, asks Cable which card he was dealt, to which he replies The Fool. After a little prodding, Cable realizes how aptly his card described him, and calls out to his parents and Magik, asking them to pick him up immediately. The four teleport to the S.W.O.R.D. Station, with Cable's sword acting as a key and unleash an army of cybernetic alien soldiers to fight for Krakoa.
. When Apocalypse has finally wrested control over Annihilation and its army, he calls out to Saturnyne. And when she says that she sees him clearly, he clearly shows her his surrender. With this, Saturnyne is happy to intervene personally, riding Jubilee's dragon/son Shogo across the plains and annihilating the remaining unnecessary combatants before approaching Apocalypse and accepting his surrender, even reforming Annihilation and negotiating the best possible outcome for both sides.
In the end, Saturnyne got everything she wanted, almost. The Captain Britain Corps is back and once again at her beck and call. Otherworld was saved, and any wear and tear it suffered can be mended with time and magic. Avalon now controls the only direct gateway to and from Earth, not to mention the means to harvest the resources of the Blightspoke, which allows Saturnyne to exert her influence over the Crooked Market and those who control it. The only thing Saturnyne didn't get was the love of Brian Braddock. Although with everything readers have seen from her, it's almost a sure thing that Saturnyne's meddling isn't done with yet.