Chapter Summaries

Ron stopped The Emperor’s Golden Throne from losing control by confronting its runaway Psyker Power with the Sun of Hope. The Emperor warned Ron that the Dark King’s emergence was inevitable, while the Chaos Gods began preparing a plan to weaken Terra and draw Ron away.

• Ron had the Custodians remove the unconscious Dorn from the Throne Room, then linked his consciousness to his Clone Body to resist The Emperor’s runaway Psyker Power.
• Ron empowered his phantom with Diablo’s Dark Side Fel Energy and fought The Emperor’s projection until the Throne Room’s tremors and the Golden Throne’s loss of control subsided.
• The Chaos Gods sensed the clash, concluded The Emperor was nearing his transformation into the Dark King, and agreed to target Terra while luring Ron away.
• The Lord of Change projected Terra and began weaving threads to alter its fate, while the gods planned for the Fallen Primarchs to seal The Emperor with the Light of Shadow.
• Ron removed his battered Blackstone armor and spoke with The Emperor, who said he could no longer be killed and that the Dark King’s emergence was inevitable.

Ron calmed the Emperor after he feared he had become a god, then persuaded him to record an apology for Dorn. The Emperor returned to sleep, while Ron prepared for the possibility that the Dark King would descend and later delivered the recording to Dorn.

• The Emperor admitted he might be a god, but Ron insisted he remained human and convinced him to reject that belief.
• Ron changed the subject to Dorn’s injuries and trauma, then urged the Emperor to apologize to his son.
• The Emperor recorded a heartfelt apology and confession for Dorn before falling back into sleep.
• Ron ordered the Throne Guard to help the Adeptus Mechanicus inspect the Golden Throne, while privately considering the Wandering Plan as humanity’s last resort.
• At Sanctuary Sanitarium, Dorn watched the recording, cried with relief, and thanked Ron for saving him and his father.
• Ron comforted Dorn and asked why he still had not called him big brother.

Ron welcomed Rogal Dorn as a brother, arranged for him to take charge of the Imperium’s defenses, and used Dorn’s failure to beat his rigged strength record to reinforce his authority. He then gifted Dorn powerful new wargear and charged him with defending Holy Terra.

• Ron encouraged Dorn to call him big brother and promised him an important defensive command once he had recovered.
• Dorn trained the Imperial Fists in Hell Sauna Park and challenged Ron’s strength record, but he passed out before surpassing it.
• Ron arrived after Dorn woke, and Dorn accepted his strength and greeted him as his elder brother.
• Ron took Dorn to the Savior’s Armory and gave him a tailored suit of Primarch armor, the entire armory, and a Truth Alloy shield modeled after the Emperor’s.
• Dorn vowed to become Terra’s strongest wall and defend Holy Terra.

Ron took control of the Imperial Palace after the Golden Throne developed severe cracks and ordered its repair completed within a year. While reviewing emergency plans in case the repair failed, he discovered a proposal to eject the Imperial Palace and the Golden Throne into the Warp.

• Ron learned that the Golden Throne had cracked badly and took command of Imperial Palace affairs to oversee repairs.
• An Archmagos told Ron the Throne might last no more than a year and that the final repair was at least a year away, so Ron ordered the schedule accelerated.
• Ron arranged secret preparations and moved into the Imperial Palace while the Imperium brought in machinery and engineering crews.
• Ron rejected several backup plans for containing the Throne’s collapse during an emergency-response meeting.
• Ron found a proposal to eject the Imperial Palace and the Golden Throne into the Warp and demanded to know who had suggested it.

Ron approved Cawl Sali’s radical plan to eject the Golden Throne into the Warp as a last resort, while Cawl reported that the primary repair plan had a ninety percent chance of launching within a year. In the Warp, the Chaos Gods sensed a growing threat from The Savior and prepared their assault on Terra, trusting Tzeentch’s prediction that the Grey Knights would be recalled before discovering their forces.

• Ron learned that Cawl Sali had proposed ejecting the Golden Throne into the Chaos Realm and decided to keep the plan as a last resort, after consulting The Emperor.
• Cawl told Ron that the repair plan was progressing smoothly and had a ninety percent chance of launching within a year; Ron entered the Fortune-Turning Chamber to pray against the ominous number.
• Nurgle awoke from a nightmare of a new threat to the Plague Garden, and the Chaos Gods gathered to discuss the danger they sensed from The Savior.
• Khorne questioned Tzeentch about his promise to draw The Savior away from Terra, and Tzeentch insisted the plan would proceed after ninety-nine Terran rotation cycles.
• Nurgle reported that a Grey Knights force was near New Dragon Forest Planet, but Tzeentch said they would be recalled from the region and cause turmoil within the Imperium.

The Duke of Torture expected his Warp fortress to withstand a Grey Knights raid, but Kovan’s force advanced through his daemon armies using new weapons supplied by the Savior. Kovan reached Purgatory Bastion and prepared an unfamiliar device at its walls.

• The Lord of Change declared that events were proceeding according to plan, and the Chaos gods departed for their domains as war began.
• The Duke of Torture recalled how Kaldor Draigo had once nearly killed him, then saw a Grey Knights force led by Kovan approaching Purgatory Bastion without Draigo.
• Kovan led the 7th Brotherhood into battle to test the Savior’s Warp armament, which protected them from corruption and enabled coordinated operations.
• The Grey Knights used Hell howitzers, heavy weapons, and psychic attacks to rout the daemons and advance to Purgatory Bastion.
• Kovan faced the Duke of Torture’s taunts, then placed a mechanical box on the ground before the fortress.

Grand Master Kovan and the Grey Knights’ 7th Brotherhood assembled a Warp device to request cross-dimensional fire support while defending against Purgatory Bastion’s bombardment. A colossal Hell Missile arrived from beyond The Veil and destroyed the fortress, leaving the fleeing Duke of Torture and nearby Chaos forces caught in the blast.

• Grand Master Kovan ordered the Grey Knights to assemble a Warp device as the Duke of Torture commanded the fortress’s Chaos Engines to bombard them.
• The Grey Knights’ Chief Librarian raised a Psyker Dome that blocked the bio-shells while the warriors destroyed those that reached their position.
• Kovan activated the device, verified his identity, and requested cross-dimensional long-range fire support from the Savior.
• A projection of the Savior appeared above Purgatory Bastion as a kilometer-long Hell Missile pierced The Veil and emerged over the fortress.
• The Duke of Torture and the Chaos Daemons tried to flee, but the missile struck Purgatory Bastion and destroyed it in a massive explosion.
• Kovan and the Grey Knights saluted the Savior as Chaos forces arriving nearby fell silent.

Kovan and the Grey Knights destroyed Purgatory Bastion with the Hell Weapon, captured the Duke of Torture, and drove off the surrounding Chaos Daemons. The chapter ends with Kaldor Draigo ordering every Grey Knight back to Titan to carry out the Emperor’s prophecy and open the Edict of the End.

• The Hell Weapon devastated Purgatory Bastion, killing or grievously injuring the daemons within and frightening the Chaos forces gathered nearby.
• The wounded Duke of Torture fell into the Grey Knights’ hands, and Kovan pinned and impaled him beneath the Savior’s banner for a public trial.
• The surrounding Chaos Daemons fled when the Grey Knights and the Savior’s projection faced them, leaving the Khorne Chaos Lord to retreat alone.
• Kovan ordered the recovery of the Warp machinery, then learned that a strange, machinery-filled Daemon World had been detected nearby.
• The Seers reported that Kaldor Draigo had returned to Titan after a hundred years and ordered all Grey Knights to return there or be branded traitors.
• Kovan learned that Draigo intended to open the Edict of the End, sealed for ten thousand years, because the Emperor’s prophecy had been fulfilled.

Kaldor Draigo returned to Titan and recalled the Grey Knights to carry out the Emperor’s secret Edict of the End, while Ron grew wary of their secrecy and troop mobilization. The Grey Knights’ purpose remained unknown, and Ron feared their actions might threaten his control of the Imperium.

• Kovan ordered the 7th Brotherhood to leave the ruined Chaos Realm and return to Titan after receiving orders about the Edict of the End.
• New Dragon Forest Planet vanished into The Veil between the Warp and reality after its Warp energy surged.
• Ron reassured the Custodian Elders that the Warp machines being installed in the Imperial Palace were meant to protect it and ease the Golden Throne’s condition.
• Tako told Ron that Kaldor Draigo had returned to Titan, recalled the Grey Knights, sealed their communications, and refused Departmento Munitorum supervision.
• Ron considered the Grey Knights’ mobilization a possible threat and wondered whether Draigo intended to confront him at Lion’s Gate Spaceport.

Ron learned from Kovan that Kaldor Draigo had returned to Titan to initiate the Edict of the End, and decided to go there and supervise the Grey Knights. On Titan, Kovan displayed the 7th Brotherhood’s record and joined the assembled Grey Knights as Kaldor Draigo prepared to reveal the edict.

• Ron contacted Kovan, learned that Kaldor Draigo had returned to initiate the Edict of the End, and decided to travel to Titan with additional ships carrying equipment.
• Kaldor Draigo’s forces arrived at Titan, where Kovan spoke with Ron and praised the weapons and recruits provided to the 7th Brotherhood.
• Kovan defended his alliance with Ron against a fellow Grand Master and presented the 7th Brotherhood’s many Honor Banners, challenging the other Grey Knights to compare their daemon-hunting records.
• Kovan and the Grey Knights saluted the Arch of the Daemon-Bane, then assembled in the Sanctum of Purity to await the Edict of the End.
• Kaldor Draigo stood on the sacred platform as Kovan looked up at him and felt the weight of his powerful presence.

Kaldor Draigo opened the Edict of the End and discovered that the Grey Knights were ordered to force the Emperor back to the Throne if he ever left it. As the Emperor appeared to be emerging from the Golden Throne and communications with Holy Terra failed, Draigo ordered the Grey Knights to carry out the edict immediately.

• Kaldor Draigo praised Kovan and the 7th Brotherhood for their strength and record against daemons.
• The Grey Knights sensed violent Warp disturbances coming from the Golden Throne, and Draigo announced that the prophecy had been fulfilled and the Edict of the End would be opened.
• The Purifiers opened Malcador's tomb, retrieved the wooden box containing the Edict of the End, and delivered it to Draigo.
• Draigo revealed that the edict ordered the Grey Knights to return the Emperor to the Throne if he left it, and the Grey Knights vowed to obey despite their shock.
• The Grey Knights sensed the Emperor beginning to emerge from the Throne, failed to contact the Adeptus Custodes, and heard Draigo order them to carry out the edict immediately.

The Grey Knights prepared to carry out the Edict of the End by entering the Throne Room and banishing the Emperor’s soul-fragment, but The Savior’s new Warp defenses disrupted their secret passage. Pedron and eight Paladins were diverted into the Inner Sanctum Hub, where they confronted McRina and presented the Edict.

• Kaldor Draigo rallied the hesitant Grey Knights, and the Seers warned that the Imperium had only three Terran days before darkness fell.
• The Grey Knights rejected Kovan’s proposal to seek The Savior’s help and planned to enter the Throne Room using Malcador’s remains and a secret teleportation passage.
• Draigo activated the Sigillite’s teleportation array, and eight hundred Grey Knights prepared to assault the Throne Room and perform the banishment ritual.
• Kovan recognized that The Savior’s new Warp interference devices had altered the route and warned the Grey Knights to stop, but Pedron and eight Paladins teleported away.
• Pedron and the Paladins arrived in the Inner Sanctum Hub, where McRina’s Custodes patrol confronted them, and Pedron presented the Edict of the End.

Grand Master Pedron invoked the Emperor’s Edict of the End to demand that the Adeptus Custodes let the Grey Knights reach the Throne Room, but McRina refused without the Savior’s permission. Convinced the Grey Knights had to act on their own, Pedron attacked, only to find the Custodes backed by Sisters of Silence and machinery that suppressed Psyker Power.

• Pedron projected the Emperor’s Edict of the End, and McRina and the Adeptus Custodes bowed in respect before it.
• Pedron demanded that the Custodes lift the blockade so the Grey Knights could use Malcador’s bones to protect the Golden Throne, but McRina said the Savior had sealed the Imperial Palace and required them to disarm and wait.
• Pedron combined the Edict with a prophecy showing the Grey Knights saving the Throne, and McRina sent the vision to the Savior for judgment rather than granting entry.
• After the Custodes stayed silent when Pedron questioned whether the Emperor or the Savior held authority, Pedron decided to carry out the prophecy without permission and launched an attack on McRina.
• The Nexus machinery suppressed Pedron’s Psyker Power as high-ranking Sisters of Silence appeared, and McRina advanced with his axe through the ruins.

Pedron and the Paladins tried to break through the Imperial Palace, but the Sisters of Silence suppressed their psychic powers and the Custodes overwhelmed them with reinforcements. On Titan, Kaldor Draigo considered a final assault, while Kovan warned the Grey Knights to reckon with the Custodes and God-Machine Titans they might face.

• McRina offered Pedron and the Paladins a chance to surrender, but Pedron refused and formed a battle line.
• The Sisters of Silence blocked the Grey Knights’ psychic powers, and McRina’s Custodes attacked; Ares Gunships brought more Custodes, who beat Pedron and the Paladins into submission.
• Kaldor Draigo and the Grey Knights watched the psychic images and concluded that the Savior had rejected the Emperor’s will, strengthening their resolve to carry out the Edict of the End.
• The Grey Knights discussed the Sisters of Silence and learned that Pedron had left behind a faint Teleport Homer, giving Kaldor Draigo hope for another breakout.
• Kovan urged the Grey Knights to reconsider their raid and asked how many Custodes and God-Machine Titans a single Grey Knight could handle.

Kovan revealed that the Imperial Palace was defended by overwhelming forces, prompting the Grey Knights to abandon their attack plan and seek reconciliation with The Savior. After The Savior allowed them to carry out the Edict of the End, Kaldor Draigo and the Grey Knights entered the Throne Room and found The Savior seated on the Golden Throne instead of the Emperor's skeleton.

• Kovan warned Kaldor Draigo and the other Grand Masters that the Imperial Palace held around twenty thousand Adeptus Custodes, three thousand Sisters of Silence, hundreds of Titans, two Primarchs, and numerous Chapter Masters.
• The Savior's fleet arrived over Titan, and the Grey Knights realized they were trapped between the fleet and the Imperial Palace's defenses.
• Kaldor Draigo agreed to let Kovan negotiate with The Savior, and Kovan traveled to the Imperial Palace with several Paladins.
• The Savior permitted the Grey Knights to enter the Throne Room and carry out the Edict of the End.
• Kaldor Draigo and the Grey Knights entered the throne chamber and discovered The Savior on the Golden Throne, while the Emperor's skeleton was gone.

Ron temporarily sat on the Golden Throne while he and The Emperor defeated the Emperor’s dark avatar, then explained the situation to the Grey Knights and took control of the Edict of the End. After the Grey Knights helped stabilize the throne and The Emperor returned to it, Ron snapped several ribs from his skeleton, leaving Kaldor Draigo alarmed.

• Kaldor Draigo found Ron on the Golden Throne and feared that The Emperor had vanished or become the Dark King.
• Ron recalled that he had temporarily taken the throne so The Emperor could help defeat his escaped dark avatar and repair the damaged machinery.
• Ron revealed The Emperor repairing the throne and took authority over the Edict of the End, which Kaldor Draigo accepted after The Emperor signaled his approval.
• The Grey Knights burned Malcador’s remaining bones to create a Psychic Barrier while The Emperor repaired the throne; Ron then stepped down and The Emperor resumed his place upon it.
• Ron snapped several ribs from The Emperor’s skeleton, shocking Kaldor Draigo and the other Grey Knights.

Ron brought the Grey Knights under his authority, gave them part of the Emperor’s remains for their rituals, and ordered them to Titan. After learning the Golden Throne could last only three more months, he prepared to enter the Warp to retrieve the Eternal Soul and entrusted Terra’s defense to Rogal Dorn.

• Ron intimidated Kaldor Draigo, then gave him the Emperor’s rib as a sacred relic for the Grey Knights’ rituals.
• Kaldor Draigo accepted Ron’s authority and the relic, and Ron ordered the Grey Knights to go to Titan and follow his direction.
• Titan’s administration came under the New Imperium, and Kovan publicly supported Ron at a banquet as the Grey Knights adjusted to losing their independence.
• Ron learned that the Golden Throne repair experiment had failed and that the Throne could last only three more months.
• Cawl reported that the Adeptus Mechanicus had found traces of the Eternal Soul in the Warp, and Ron decided to retrieve the ship himself.
• Ron asked Rogal Dorn to guard the Solar System and Holy Terra while he entered the Warp, and Dorn vowed to hold the line against any threat.

Ron left Terra for the Warp to retrieve the Eternal Soul needed to repair the Golden Throne, while the Chaos Gods secretly prepared an invasion of the Solar System. Guilliman remained stranded on a brutal Warp world, unaware that Chaos was opening a passage near him.

• Rogal Dorn assured Ron that Terra's defenses were secure, and Ron entrusted the Solar System to him while secretly ordering more forces to stand ready.
• Ron concealed his departure and entered the Warp through a portal created by the Sun of Hope to seek the Dark Age of Technology's Eternal Soul.
• The Chaos Gods learned Ron had left Terra and combined their power to open a hidden passage toward the Solar System while Tzeentch manipulated Terra's defenses through the Threads of Fate.
• On a hostile Death World, Guilliman survived by hunting Chaos lifeforms, gathering water, and growing plants as he searched for a way back to the Imperium.
• Guilliman remembered his brothers and the Battle of Vostonia, vowed to return, and remained unaware that Chaos was opening a passage through the Warp nearby.

Guilliman reunited with Ron after years stranded on a Warp-torn Death World, and the brothers captured the Dark Age of Technology ship Eternal Soul by letting Xiao Ling defeat its Machine Spirit. They discovered the Chaos Gods were preparing a massive passage to the Solar System for an enhanced Siege of Terra, and Guilliman and Ron set out to return and protect the Emperor.

• Guilliman tended his crops and activated a sorcery communication array, which Ron corrupted to teleport onto the Death World while pursuing the Eternal Soul.
• Guilliman and Ron reunited, learned the black ship had landed elsewhere on the planet, and traveled together to capture it.
• Ron and Guilliman subdued the Eternal Soul’s defenses and reached its Machine Spirit, which refused to serve humanity because its crew had been persecuted and killed.
• Ron sent Xiao Ling into a data war, and she defeated the ancient Machine Spirit and took control of the Eternal Soul.
• Xiao Ling revealed footage of Chaos energy striking the Veil, and Ron determined that the Chaos Gods were building a huge passage toward the Solar System.
• Guilliman and Ron recognized that Terra faced an enhanced Siege of Terra and resolved to return to protect the Emperor.

Ron realized Chaos had launched an all-out attack on Holy Terra and rallied Imperial forces to defend it, while he and Guilliman raced back through the Warp. Lion, Jaghatai Khan, and Angron assembled fleets to reinforce the Solar System, but Ron and Guilliman then encountered several Vengeful Spirits in the Warp.

• Ron recognized that Chaos had maneuvered him away from Holy Terra, then used the Sun of Hope to summon Imperial and allied forces to reinforce the Throne World.
• Ron and Guilliman set out aboard the Eternal Soul, determined to return to the Solar System and lead the defense.
• Lion and Jaghatai Khan learned that Horus had returned and that Chaos was attacking the Solar System, then prepared to avenge Sanguinius and protect the Emperor.
• Angron joined Lion and Jaghatai Khan as their Dark Angels and White Scars fleets gathered to travel toward Holy Terra through the Webway.
• The Eternal Soul struggled through Warp turbulence, and Xiao Ling estimated that it would reach the Solar System within nine days.
• Ron sensed a looming threat and saw several Vengeful Spirits approaching the Eternal Soul.