Chapter Summaries

Ari defeated and captured Steel Pincer, and Ron took control of the Orks’ Psyker Network after Steel Pincer submitted to him. Ron discovered that the Orks viewed him as a terrifying figure called “Brother Ron, who loves to eat disobedient Orks,” and decided to investigate how his human believers saw him.

• Ari beat Steel Pincer into submission and dragged him through the Ork camp, causing the leaderless tribe to abandon its weapons.
• Datong asked Ron for a larger ship for the newly approved Sons of Humanity, and Ron offered them a Cruiser on credit.
• Ari brought Steel Pincer to the Command Hall, where Ron’s Ork-like appearance and apparent appetite for Ork meat frightened the boss into submitting.
• Ron entered the Orks’ Psyker Network, took control of the boss’s position, and gained access to the tribe’s collective power.
• Ron saw the Orks’ image of him as “Brother Ron, who loves to eat disobedient Orks,” and realized that the Little Sun had acquired a trace of Ork belief.
• Ron wondered what image he had in the eyes of his human believers and decided to find out.

Ron explored the faith gathered within Little Sun, discovered a chaotic Colossus shaped like himself, and turned to securing the Webway with the Orks he had brought under his control. After transferring a demoralized million-strong Ork tribe and its spores to the Dreamer, he arrived at Luna as a research seminar on Ork recovery began.

• Ron inspected the statues in Little Sun’s Land of Faith, including a savage Colossus that seemed to suppress the chaotic powers gathered in its dark region.
• Ron confirmed his control of the Ork Psyker Network, renamed Urus Steel-Claw Bone-Eater Steel-Tooth, and ordered mechanical teeth made for him.
• Ron found Steel-Tooth and the Ork tribe severely demoralized, had the Tech-priests fit Steel-Tooth’s new teeth, and gathered the Orks from their camp.
• Ron transported roughly a million Orks and collected Ork remnants aboard the Dreamer, which departed Kanda Planet for Luna.
• On Luna, Archmagos Biologis Moss opened an Ork Xenos Recovery Research Seminar with biological researchers, Chaos experts, psychologists, and Schola Progenium staff.

Ron oversaw the Orks’ recovery on Luna, where experiments restored their fighting spirit and training rapidly built them into a powerful legion. As the Orks prepared to assault the Webway, reports from Bael and Ron’s other agents revealed that the Chaos Gods and other Chaos forces were mobilizing for war.

• Ron inspected the Ork recovery plans, Cawl’s Blackstone Throne research, the Psyker production projects, and the Schola Progenium, where he awarded Honor Badges to Voladi, Milia, and Sahim.
• A month later, Ron and Moss watched an experiment succeed when a drugged Ork defeated a Chaos Monster, restoring the Ork’s fighting spirit and Waaagh Field.
• The researchers injected the Orks with stimulants and released Chaos Monsters into their mothership, where Steel-Tooth led the Orks to victory and roughly eight hundred thousand survived.
• Ron arranged military training and equipment for the Orks, while Steel-Tooth and the other leaders grew stronger and the Orks developed increasingly advanced weapons and vehicles.
• Ron established a combat leaderboard and arena to keep the Orks fighting and growing stronger as he prepared them for an assault on the Webway.
• Bael and Ron’s other agents reported that the Chaos forces were mobilizing for war, and Ron suspected that a major upheaval was beginning across the Warp.

Ron learned that Ka'bandha was joining Abaddon's attack on Macragge, putting Guilliman's revival at risk. He accelerated the Webway campaign, prepared the Ork Legion for war, and readied a powerful weapon and disguise in case he had to intervene himself.

• Ron received Daemon Bael's report that Ka'bandha planned to attack Macragge and decided to warn the Ultramarines by using the Webway.
• Ron ordered the Webway Clearance Plan to begin early, and the Storm Army Group and nearly a thousand Adeptus Astartes assembled to support the Ork Legion.
• Bone-Eater Steel-Tooth announced that the independently operating Ork Legion would purge Daemons and enemies in the Webway, while Ron planned to use it to protect the Imperium and expand its reach.
• Ron inspected his stock of Holy Ash Bombs and found that an enhanced version would be ready in half a month, then ordered Cawl to make him a towering Daemon-style suit of Power Armor to conceal his identity.
• At Blackstone Gate, the Ork Mothership Steel-Tooth arrived with fleets gathering nearby as the war began.

Ron’s forces drove the Daemons away from the Blackstone Gate and pushed deeper into the Webway, while Ork Meks successfully repaired a Webway Rift. Ron then began organizing construction and exploration efforts, ordering the Webway Maintenance Department to find the route to Macragge before Guilliman’s resurrection battle.

• Ron sent his fleet and armies through the Blackstone Gate to attack the Daemons, and Bone-Eater Steel-Tooth led the Orks in a reckless assault that helped drive the enemy back.
• Over the next two weeks, Ron’s forces repelled the Chaos forces around the gate and pushed the front deeper into the Webway.
• Ron and Cawl failed to repair a Webway Rift, but two Ork Meks rebuilt the device and sealed the crack.
• Ron planned to train more Ork Meks to repair rifts as the Departmento Munitorum and engineering crews prepared to develop the Webway.
• Ron ordered the Webway Maintenance Department to locate the transit entrance to Macragge so he could reach it in time for Guilliman’s resurrection battle.

Ron escaped the Blackstone Throne after Cawl’s replacement system stabilized the Blackstone Gate and Xiao Ling took over its operation. Six months later, as Ron’s territory expanded across the Goli Sector, surveyors finally found a Webway route to Macragge.

• Ron ordered the Research Institutes to prioritize the Blackstone Throne improvement plan and had Cawl and the Ork Meks locked in the Mechanical Dark Room until they completed it.
• Ron told the God-Emperor that the Webway was under his control and promised to help him escape the Golden Throne if the opportunity arose.
• Ron broke free from the Blackstone Throne, causing the Webway barrier to weaken as Warp shadows attacked and the Orks struggled to hold them back.
• Cawl activated a Clone Body system to replace Ron’s psychic function, and Ron restarted the failing Throne with two punches before Xiao Ling took over Webway operations.
• Ron emerged from the Throne and, six months later, received a message confirming that surveyors had found a route to Macragge.

Ron prepared to join the coming battle on Macragge under a disguise, assembling a force of blessed Heavy Genestealers and Orks while waiting in the Webway. As fighting began, Belisarius Cawl realized his warship had reached Macragge, where he carried the Armor of Fate needed to revive Guilliman.

• Ron learned that the expedition team had found a wide Webway gateway to the Macragge System and reviewed the factions involved in the coming battle.
• Ron decided to avoid complicated plans, prepare the Holy Ash Bomb, and disguise himself rather than reveal the Savior's identity.
• Ron selected Heavy Genestealers and Orks for his force, outfitted his armor with theatrical effects, and waited near the Webway passage with nearly a thousand warriors.
• Ron sent warning intelligence to Macragge and waited as warships gathered, then sensed that the fighting had begun.
• Belisarius Cawl reflected on his forgotten agreement with the Emperor's Thirteenth Son and confirmed that he had brought the Armor of Fate and Yvraine to revive Guilliman.
• Belisarius Cawl's warship shook under artillery fire, and he learned that it had arrived at Macragge.

Belisarius Cawl, Greyfax, Saint Celestine, and Yvraine fought off Chaos boarders and reached Macragge, where Chaos forces were invading the planet and Ka'bandha was advancing on the Fortress of Hera. As they prepared for the coming battle, Ron emerged from the Webway and led Heavy Genestealers and Orks toward the portal to confront Ka'bandha.

• Greyfax, Saint Celestine, and Yvraine fought Chaos Iron Warriors while Belisarius Cawl used the Quantum Annihilator to destroy most of the Chaos Terminators attacking the Bridge.
• Saint Celestine healed Greyfax, Yvraine, and the contaminated Servitors, while Greyfax ordered that the dead Servitors be incinerated.
• Belisarius Cawl forced the Cruiser through the Chaos encirclement and reached Macragge, where the Ultramar Defence Fleet and assault craft fought the Chaos invasion.
• Ka'bandha crushed an Ultramarine and led his daemon army toward the Fortress of Hera, where Guilliman's shrine stood.
• Belisarius Cawl and the others entered the atmosphere in a concealed landing craft as Chaos forces broke through toward the Fortress of Hera.
• Ron loaded an oversized Holy Ash Bomb and led the Heavy Genestealers and Orks toward the Webway Portal to face Ka'bandha.

As Chaos forces attacked Fortress of Hera, the Ultramarines and their allies fought to protect the Temple of Correction while the Archmagos prepared to awaken the Primarch. The defenders nearly fell to Ka'bandha, but a second surge of light appeared in the teleportation array as Saint Celestine prayed for salvation.

• Tigurius and Calgar prepared to defend Fortress of Hera after the Savior's warning about the coming Chaos invasion proved true.
• The Archmagos arrived with Yvraine, the Armor of Fate, and the Emperor's sword, and Calgar sent them with Tigurius to awaken the Primarch.
• Chaos launched a full-scale assault, breaching the fortress and driving toward the Temple of Correction as the Archmagos began preparing the Primarch's armor.
• Calgar, Saint Celestine, Greyfax, and the Ultramarines fought Ka'bandha and his daemons, while the arriving Grey Knights briefly reinforced the collapsing defenses.
• Ka'bandha wounded Saint Celestine and seized her, and she prayed for salvation as the teleportation array flared and a massive figure began to emerge.

Ron arrived on the battlefield at Macragge with Heavy Genestealers and Orks, whose hymns and battle cries declared them allies of the Imperium as they attacked the Chaos forces. He confronted Ka'bandha near The Temple and prepared to fire his Holy Ash Bomb at an onrushing Greater Daemon, ending by asking Saint Celestine if she wanted to see the Holy Sun.

• Ron teleported to the battlefield with his Xenos army, and Ka'bandha recognized him as the Demon Eater and panicked.
• Ron led his forces toward The Temple, where his Small Hymn Projectors broadcast Imperial hymns and the Heavy Genestealers and Orks charged the Chaos lines.
• The Heavy Genestealers tore through Chaos Terminators, while Orks rescued Greyfax and healed her; Greyfax continued fighting the Daemons despite her shock at being saved by Xenos.
• Ron reached Saint Celestine and stood between her and three Greater Daemons, including Ka'bandha.
• A Great Horned Khorne Greater Daemon attacked Ron, who aimed his launcher at it and asked Saint Celestine if she wanted to see the Holy Sun.

Ron unleashed an enhanced Holy Ash Bomb that devastated the Chaos forces and comforted Saint Celestine’s soul, but Ka'bandha survived and turned toward The Temple as Guilliman’s awakening became irreversible.

• Ron fired the enhanced Holy Ash Bomb, which formed a golden Holy Sun and destroyed the Great Horned Khorne Greater Daemon while devastating the Chaos forces.
• The Holy Sun’s gentle power transformed the silver-haired girl’s prison in the Warp into a warm bedroom, bringing comfort to her and healing Saint Celestine.
• Calgar and the Imperium warriors resumed their attack, while Greyfax’s atheism collapsed and she accepted The Emperor’s divinity.
• Ka'bandha revealed that he had survived the blast by using another Greater Daemon as cover and hiding underground.
• Ka'bandha feinted toward Ron, then flew toward The Temple as Yvraine severed the Throne’s Stasis Field cables and Guilliman’s awakening became irreversible.

Ron fired a Holy Ash Bomb as Saint Celestine banished Ka'bandha, then caught the exhausted saint before Guilliman’s revival bell made him flee. Roboute Guilliman awakened in The Temple, saw Ron leave, and turned to face newly arrived Chaos Space Marines.

• Ron ordered the Heavy Genestealers and Orks to prepare to retreat as he expected Roboute Guilliman to awaken.
• Saint Celestine fought Ka'bandha while Ron aimed a Holy Ash Bomb at him; she drove her Sword of Burning Heart into Ka'bandha and banished him to the Warp.
• Ron fired the Holy Ash Bomb as a golden firework, caught the falling Saint Celestine, and then dropped her and fled when the revival bell rang.
• Roboute Guilliman awakened in The Temple with the Sword of the Emperor and watched Ron leave through the teleportation corridor.
• Chaos Space Marines emerged from crashing Dreadclaws, saw the awakened Guilliman, and faced him with the Sword of the Emperor in hand.

Guilliman slaughtered the Chaos forces inside the Temple of Correction, while his return and the Demon Eater’s growing power alarmed the Chaos Gods and their servants. As Chaos launched wider attacks and rival Daemons clashed in the Warp, Bael returned victorious from a staged battle with Baru and feared for Ka'bandha, who stood before the furious Blood God.

• Guilliman killed the Chaos Sorcerer and cut down the attacking Chaos Space Marines as Calgar and Saint Celestine joined the fight.
• Fulgrim, Kairos Fateweaver, Nurgle’s servants, Isha, Abaddon, Mortarion, and Magnus reacted to Guilliman’s return and the threat posed by the Demon Eater.
• Khorne ordered his followers to claim Guilliman’s or the Demon Eater’s head, while Magnus summoned the Thousand Sons to confront Guilliman.
• Bael led a Bloodthirster Legion against Tzeentch Daemons, recognized Baru as a fellow Daemon Genestealer, and helped him stage the battle for their factions’ advancement.
• Bael returned to the Brass Fortress and worried that Ka'bandha would be punished as the blackened Chief Greater Daemon faced the Blood God’s wrath.

Ka'bandha endured two rounds of Khorne's blood whips and emerged with a fearsome reputation, while Khorne planned to use him against the Demon Eater. On Macragge, Guilliman concealed his grief over the Imperium's state and resolved to gather allies and wage vengeance; meanwhile, Ron worried about the threats he had provoked and prepared to inspect the loot taken from the battle.

• Ka'bandha endured eighty-eight blood whips from Khorne, then asked for another eighty-eight and swore to kill the Demon Eater.
• Khorne granted Ka'bandha the second punishment, and the wounded daemon left the Brass Hall with the other daemons' respect.
• Guilliman mourned the Imperium's corruption in private, then resolved to lead a campaign of vengeance and ordered Calgar to search for the Demon Eater.
• Guilliman learned that the Demon Eater's forces had taken weapons from the Hall of Swords and decided he would personally bring him back.
• Ron feared retaliation from Khorne and Abaddon, recognized the need to strengthen the Goli Sector, and went to collect the Heavy Genestealers' and Orks' spoils.

Ron inventoried the spoils collected by the Orks and Heavy Genestealers, discovering Guilliman’s weapons, a living Heldrake egg, and an almost intact Ultramarines Venerable Dreadnought. The Dreadnought’s pilot awakened, mistook Ron and the Genestealers for enemies, and opened fire.

• Ron rejected an Ork Warboss’s souvenir trinkets, then found Guilliman’s masterwork weapons in an Ork Boy’s sack and kept them for safekeeping.
• Ron examined the Heavy Genestealers’ haul, and one of them coughed up a living Heldrake egg that he gave to Mao’s Daemon Research Institute.
• Two Heavy Genestealers brought Ron an almost intact Ultramarines Venerable Dreadnought, whose pilot suddenly awakened.
• The Dreadnought’s pilot accused the Genestealers of kidnapping him, aimed his Twin-linked Heavy Bolter at them and Ron, and fired despite Ron’s attempt to explain.

Ron rescued the Venerable Dreadnought pilot Leonard Colin after an Ork Warboss disabled his machine, then used Little Sun’s life energy to stabilize him. Ron entered Colin’s nightmare to offer him guidance, and a radiant sun appeared at the end of the veteran’s blood-soaked road.

• Ron’s personal force-field shield stopped the Heavy Bolts, and he ordered the Heavy Genestealers to capture the Dreadnought alive.
• An Ork Warboss struck the damaged Dreadnought with a hammer, paralyzing it, and Ron rushed the veteran to Ers Holy Land for treatment.
• Moss and the medical team extracted Colin from his iron coffin and used Little Sun’s life energy to strengthen his breathing and heartbeat.
• Ron learned that Colin had fought for ten thousand years and decided to enter his dreams to ease his suffering and offer him another path.
• Ron found Colin fighting endless enemies in a nightmare, where the veteran pleaded with the Emperor for guidance.
• Ron appeared through Little Sun’s power, and a sacred sun began rising at the end of Colin’s road.

Ron healed Colin, a ten-thousand-year-old Dreadnought veteran, and guided him to recognize the Holy Land as the place shown in his vision. Colin became chief instructor at the Gene Warrior Academy, while Ron approved a sweeping development plan for the Goli Sector and headed to the Holy High Tower.

• Ron used the Little Sun to give Colin a Holy Vision and ease his spiritual torment, while medical staff began preparing a new mechanical body for him.
• Colin awoke in the Holy Land Sanatorium, learned about the territory from a retired warrior, and discovered that he had been given a new body.
• Ron offered to send Colin back to Macragge, but Colin chose to stay after recognizing the Holy Land and Schola Progenium from his vision.
• Ron brought Colin to the Gene Warrior Academy, where Colin demonstrated his combat skills and accepted a position as chief instructor.
• Ron appointed Colin to train the territory's warriors and arranged for his experience to be recorded as teaching materials.
• Ron approved the Sector Grand Development Plan to unify and develop the Goli Sector, then left for the Holy High Tower.

Ron watched the successful test of the Holy Sun Satellite, a sustained Holy Light defense system intended to protect the territory’s planets from Daemons. Afterward, he learned that the Psyker Automated Production Line had been established on the Luna Forge World.

• Ron visited the Holy High Tower, where the Magos showed him the Tsar super-sized Holy Ash Missile and prepared a new defensive weapon test.
• Ron activated the experimental Holy Sun Satellite, whose focused light slowly dissipated a bound Greater Daemon and proved the technology worked.
• Ron inspected the finished Holy Sun Satellites and planned to deploy them across the territory as part of a planetary and sector-wide defense network.
• Ron returned to Spire Mansion and received word that the Psyker Automated Production Line had been established on the Luna Forge World.

Ron inspected Luna’s Psyker-automated production line and saw how it could turn Luna into a major Forge World. A report from Sahim and the others then revealed that the Tyranids had left a star system partly uneaten and were moving along an unusual trajectory.

• Ron arrived on Luna and admired the mechanical Hive City’s Savior Statue, which drew power from the Little Sun to supply the forge factories.
• Cawl showed Ron his oversized mechanical body, then took him to inspect Luna’s forge factory and its Psyker-automated production line.
• Ron saw the factory rapidly producing equipment, including modified Bolters and a new Sentinel Mech, and considered how automation could strengthen the Storm Army Group.
• Ron returned to his office and read Sahim and the others’ report, which said the Tyranids had not completely consumed a star system and were following an abnormal route.

Ron learned that Sahim had discovered a system rich in mineral planets and that the territory's purges and agricultural recovery were progressing. He tested the Astronomican's ability to find lost pilgrim ships and found a battered vessel adrift among the stars.

• Ron learned that the Tyranid fleet had turned away from Earth Planet and that Sahim's team had found more than a dozen intact, mineral-rich planets.
• Ron received reports that Devere's Great Purge had reclaimed a Chaos-corrupted Agri World, which the Agricultural Research Institute was transforming to increase food production.
• Ron went to the Adeptus Astra Telepathica and learned from Lilith that the Astronomican was operating smoothly.
• Ron activated the Astronomican to search for lost pilgrim ships, intending to guide them to Ers Holy Land and spread its reputation.
• Ron extended his consciousness across the stars and found a battered pilgrim ship that had been lost for a long time.