Chapter Summaries

Arthur and Romulus watched the Fallen Angels fracture into rival factions, then launched an attack to capture them. The Deathwing overwhelmed Kai’s squad, and Kai was killed as the Terminators closed in.

• A Fallen Angel ambushed Kai during his declaration, and Lohoc stopped Kai from killing the attacker after Efka disarmed him.
• Kai left the brawl with Lohoc and Efka as the Fallen Angels’ factions continued to splinter and fight.
• Arthur assigned Romulus to command the squad while he went after Kai’s group and another high-level unit.
• Arthur’s attackers struck from the rain, incapacitating several Fallen Angels, while Kai’s squad lost contact with the others.
• Deathwing Terminators seized one of Kai’s men, then a towering attacker crushed Kai beneath a shield and killed him as more Terminators approached.

Arthur Pendragon gathered the Fallen Angels in a conference hall to discuss the conflict that had divided them. He explained how the Lion’s attack on Caliban had driven Terran-born Marines into Luther’s Rebellion, leaving Zabriel relieved but still wondering who Arthur really was.

• A captured Fallen Angel angrily shouted that Lion El'Jonson was the traitor, while Ramesses and Arthur watched over the prisoners.
• Gareth and the others awoke in the conference hall, recognized Arthur, and realized he had restored Lohoc’s mutated face.
• Arthur introduced himself and said the meeting would address the conflict among the Fallen Angels.
• Zabriel asked Arthur about Caliban, and Arthur explained that the Lion had attacked the planet after receiving false reports and being struck by Luther’s orbital cannon.
• Zabriel’s battle-brothers eased their hostility, while Zabriel wondered whether Arthur had truly never fought in the Great Crusade.

Arthur forced the Fallen Angels to recount and compare their histories, revealing that most had been loyal or confused rather than traitors and that Luther’s faction and the unauthorized bombardment of Caliban were chiefly responsible for the rebellion. He released their restraints and let them settle their anger in a controlled brawl, leaving the Dark Angels fighting among themselves.

• Arthur told the Fallen Angels to give their accounts while Ramesses used his investigation to expose their hidden identities and histories.
• Gareth and Kai began recounting their service, and Ramesses revealed that Kai had once served under Lord Cypher.
• As the Fallen Angels compared accounts, they learned that most had obeyed orders or misunderstood events, while only Luther’s core leadership and people like Astelan had truly rebelled.
• Gareth accused Lion El'Jonson of betraying them, while Lohoc defended the Lion and argued that he had never ordered Caliban's destruction.
• Arthur released the armor restraints and permitted the Fallen Angels to fight as long as no one died; they chose opponents and erupted into a brawl.

Arthur gathered the Fallen Angels in the Round Table Council Chamber, answered their questions, and offered them a place in the Wings of Dawn. Zabriel and nearly five hundred Fallen Angels swore to follow him as members of the First Legion.

• After the Fallen Angels stopped fighting, Deathwing Knights repaired their armor, and Ramesses led them through the Silent Vow to the council chamber.
• The Fallen Angels saw the fleet's growing war machine and spoke with Yulia, who explained how the people of Piaerde preserved their history and honored their service.
• Arthur welcomed the Fallen Angels to their prepared seats, and Lohoc deciphered a hidden passage criticizing Lion El'Jonson's record during the Horus Heresy.
• Arthur promised a chance to every Fallen Angel not corrupted by Chaos, revealed that he had transformed them into Primaris Space Marines, and assigned them Apothecary and intelligence duties within the Wings of Dawn.
• When Zabriel asked what Arthur could offer, Arthur promised provisions, remembrance, and the chance to reclaim their lost glory; Zabriel and nearly five hundred Fallen Angels swore loyalty to him.

Drakus and Sepatus sensed the Ravenwing watching the fleet’s veterans, while Efka and his fellow Fallen Angels discussed their intelligence work and the secrets surrounding Arthur’s forces. The Fallen Angels recognized Arthur’s authority and agreed to avoid undermining unity as the expedition continued.

• Drakus sensed that someone was watching him and exchanged a wary glance with Sepatus, who also tightened his grip on his weapon.
• Efka identified Drakus and reviewed the gathering of ancient veterans aboard the Eternal Crusade.
• A Fallen Angel explained that Arthur had assigned the Ravenwing fleet intelligence and security duties while urging them to rely on their comrades.
• The Fallen Angels discussed the Alpharius they had uncovered and spared after confirming he had not fallen to Chaos.
• A member of the Order of the Pentagram described their theories about the veterans’ resurrection and the secrets surrounding Arthur’s meetings.
• Efka warned his companions not to undermine unity, and the Order of the Pentagram mentor agreed to follow Arthur’s rules.

Romulus and his allies assessed the Iron Warriors' fortified stronghold on Opt and planned a careful ground assault, while Cawl worked to decrypt the General Cannon. The chapter ended with the commanders continuing their preparations, confident that the Dark Angels' foothold and rescued civilians had limited the enemy's ritual.

• The fleet reached Opt's low orbit and reported that the Iron Warriors held the central fortress, protected by internal Void Shields, while most of the planet's population survived.
• Romulus ordered minimal orbital bombardment and contact with the surface defenders, then asked Dantioch for tactical advice on assaulting the fortress.
• Dantioch shared his knowledge of the fortress's design, and Drakus and Ledodus proposed demolishing load-bearing sections and advancing along a direct route.
• Cawl said he was physically decrypting the General Cannon's safeguards, while Romulus shared Idris's past battle record to help the commanders plan its use.
• Romulus reminded the group that the Dark Angels had rescued many civilians and taken much of the fortress's main city, giving them time to prepare their operation.

Romulus and Cawl agreed to share strategic data and technical support as the Wings of Dawn prepared to decrypt a Grand General Cannon. Arthur brought the Fallen Angels’ Steelwing to unlock the weapon, and they readied it to fire on an Iron Warriors fortress.

• Romulus added Dark Angels access to tactical data and assigned Ravenwing personnel to help with strategic planning, while Cawl agreed to observe the decryption and share data.
• Arthur ordered Lohoc to assemble a Steelwing technical team and told them the Grand General Cannon had been recovered by the Lion from Forge World Tiamat ten thousand years earlier.
• Arthur explained how the Dark Angels had changed since the Heresy, prompting the Steelwing to consider whether their group could claim the Legion’s rightful succession.
• Lohoc and the Steelwing decrypted the cannon, installed new encryption, and assigned the weapon to the Dark Angels; Ramesses confirmed it had little Chaos contamination.
• Arthur ordered the cannon to warm up and connect to Combat Command, then prepared to use it against the Iron Warriors fortress.

Warsmith Idris waited for the Imperial assault while his forces surrounded the Harlequins, expecting to complete a ritual in thirteen hours. The Imperium’s Grand General Cannon then tore open the fortress, and the advancing war machines made Idris realize his past had returned.

• Idris learned that the Daemonhosts and Daemon Engines were still unusable, then ordered his troops to keep attacking the isolated Harlequins.
• Idris and his Adjutant expected the Imperium to gather its forces before attacking, while Idris anticipated the ritual would soon win him the Lord of Iron’s favor.
• A violent gale swept through the fortress, and the Grand General Cannon blasted a vast passage through its defenses.
• Thirteen Deathstrike Missiles flew through the breach, and their explosions collapsed the fortress structure around Idris’s command center.
• Idris watched Imperial war machines advance through the breach and recognized them as a sign that his past had come knocking.

Aglaia documented the Expeditionary Fleet’s use of the Tiamat Grand General Cannon while accepting that its factions were quietly expanding their forces and bending rules. After the bombardment crippled the fortress, Idris struggled to respond to the Sons of Dorn’s advance and discovered that they had already seized the lower checkpoints.

• Aglaia recorded Arthur’s claims that the cannon was excavated locally, badly damaged, and destined to be melted down after its final firing.
• Aglaia left to monitor the front lines and reflected on the gifts and military support she had accepted from the Expeditionary Fleet and other factions.
• Romulus ordered the bombardment to cease after Arthur fired the Tiamat Grand General Cannon twenty-six times, and Arthur ordered the Deathwing to capture the Titan intact.
• Idris tried to reorganize the Iron Warriors’ defenses as the Sons of Dorn exploited the cannon’s destruction and used Idris’s own tactics to break through the outer lines.
• Idris ordered his forces to abandon the outer areas and retreat into the lower passages, then learned that the Sons of Dorn already controlled every lower checkpoint.

Arthur and the Dark Angels disabled the Chaos Warlord Titans, then advanced on an Aeldari Soul Circuit sought by the Iron Warriors and Harlequins. A Fallen Angels recovery force launched a surprise assault in the fortress tunnels and pushed toward the artifact while Dark Angels units prepared to eliminate witnesses.

• Arthur infiltrated a Chaos Warlord Titan and killed its pilot by severing its Warp power, leaving the machine inert.
• Arthur ordered the Dark Angels to blockade the fortress and clean up the battle traces, then marked the Titan mission complete and redirected the force to recover the Aeldari artifact.
• Ramesses explained that the artifact was the Soul Circuit, a red Wraithbone construct containing Aeldari souls and linked to the seal protecting Vilith-zhar, the Sword of Souls.
• A twenty-six-member force led by Gareth and Kai attacked an Iron Warriors position in the underground passages with melta and vortex weapons.
• Gareth blocked a Terminator's power fist while Kai decapitated it, and the assault force continued toward the target as the cleanup team erased the signs of battle.

Arthur and the Dark Angels stormed the fortress, overwhelming the Iron Warriors and attacking the Harlequin Troupe to seize the clues to the Crone Sword. Monoceros escaped with three Harlequins through a Webway gate, but Arthur killed him, leaving the Dark Angels in control of the devastated battlefield.

• Monoceros and the Harlequin Troupe slaughtered Iron Warriors while trying to reclaim their kin's wisdom and the clues to the Crone Sword.
• The Iron Lord retreated behind a defensive barrier as Arthur, Ramesses, and the Dark Angels breached the fortress and unleashed devastating fire.
• Arthur fought Monoceros, dodged his blessed Shuriken, broke his mask, and stripped away his reality-bending belt.
• Monoceros opened a Webway gate and ordered the remaining Harlequins to retreat, while he stayed behind to hold off the Dark Angels.
• Arthur ran Monoceros through and beheaded him after the remaining three Harlequins escaped; Kai and Gareth then reported that they had failed to eliminate them.

Ramesses and the Dark Angels seized the Soul Circuit during the Iron Warriors’ ritual, briefly drawing Perturabo’s attention. As Perturabo watched Idris’s defeat by Dantioch’s forces, Idris charged Pedro Kantor and was killed, leaving Perturabo to laugh in the Warp.

• The Dreadwings killed the Iron Warriors around the ritual platform, while Ramesses used their ritual to claim the Soul Circuit and close the Warp rift.
• Arthur killed the Pain Prophet, and the Dark Angels cleared the battlefield before withdrawing with the Soul Circuit.
• Perturabo sensed the ritual and watched through his sons’ memories as Idris’s forces were crushed by Dantioch’s army.
• Idris, convinced Dantioch was responsible, led his remaining followers into a desperate charge toward him.
• Pedro Kantor stopped Idris’s power hammer with his red fist, then beat Idris and killed him with a final punch.
• Dantioch ordered Pedro to finish securing the fortress, while Perturabo watched the furnace shatter and laughed.

Perturabo traced his connection to Dantioch and forcibly appeared in Realspace, where he discovered that his finest son’s soul inhabited a Son of Dorn’s body. He left stunned by the revelation, comparing himself to Mortarion entering Nurgle’s Garden.

• Perturabo reviewed Idris’s memories of the Iron Warriors’ defeat and decided he would bring Dantioch back to his side.
• Perturabo used his connection to the Iron Blood to trace Dantioch and cast his gaze into Realspace.
• Dantioch sensed a Warp presence as the Iron Warriors’ corpses transformed into a metallic giant and time froze around the battlefield.
• Arthur evacuated the trapped Astartes and confronted Perturabo, while Ramesses joined him.
• Perturabo confirmed that the armored body was a genuine Son of Dorn and that Dantioch’s soul was inside it.

Perturabo tried to reclaim Dantioch, but Dantioch rejected him and reaffirmed his loyalty to humanity and the Imperium. As the war ended, the Transmigrators planned to direct religious faith safely toward themselves, until Romulus received an emergency report that the Imperial Navy had been wiped out and Macragge was in critical danger.

• Perturabo asked Dantioch to return to his command, but Dantioch refused and said they were enemies because Perturabo had abandoned humanity.
• Arthur’s intervention forced Perturabo out of his temporary body, and Perturabo returned to the Iron Blood without being able to sense Dantioch.
• The Sons of Dorn recovered the dead and executed surviving traitors while the Angel Scion aided the wounded and promoted the Angel faith.
• Romulus asked Ramesses whether faith could be directed safely toward the Transmigrators, and Ramesses said he could convert it into spiritual energy.
• Romulus opened an emergency astropathic message reporting that the Imperial Navy had been wiped out and Macragge’s defense line was in critical danger.

Karna attended a relief event at the Cathedral of the Holy Word, enduring the false legends preached about him while observing the miners’ suffering and the gathering’s organization. The Transmigrators collected data to prepare for future governance, determined to build the New Imperium of Man without rushing into conflict with the Imperium.

• Karna watched believers gather at the cathedral as a Planetary Defense Force soldier repeated a fabricated story about Sanguinius and Karna.
• Karna reflected on the falsehoods spread by missionaries and privately resented having to serve as a public figure at the relief event.
• Karna observed the miners’ injuries and dust-damaged eyes, recognizing that temporary aid would not fix the underlying problems.
• Karna reviewed population and relief data recorded by the Invincible Iron Guards for Romulus and considered the Imperium’s governance failures.
• Karna recalled the Transmigrators’ need to study planets and plan carefully before governing Sectors, then continued presenting his Radiance to the crowd.

Arthur and Karna oversaw the departure of Opt’s chosen warriors, then returned to the Eternal Crusade, where they discussed how the fleet’s forces saw them as Primarchs. The commanders gathered to assess the Tyranid advance toward the Imperium’s heartland, but Karna noticed their reactions to the crisis seemed strangely relieved.

• Arthur arrived at Opt’s Ecclesiarchy complex and joined Karna, who had prepared a list of people to depart with the fleet.
• Arthur used a ceremonial projection and the Teleportation Beacon to summon the Angel Scions, Invincible Iron Guard, Sisters, and priests, inspiring the congregation and raising Karna’s psychic energy.
• Karna asked Arthur to take over his role as an idol, but Arthur refused, saying he was not qualified to be Sanguinius’s blood relative.
• Sepatus reported that unwelcome guests had boarded the warship, and Karna told him to continue his work capturing the intruders.
• Karna and Arthur reached the bridge, where Karna learned the fleet’s warriors believed the four newcomers were Primarchs and felt disheartened that Rogal Dorn had not returned.
• Karna joined the commanders to discuss the collapsed Tyranid defensive line on Macragge and noticed Marshal Ledodus looked relieved while reading the dire battle report.

After learning that the Ultramar Defense Line had collapsed, Romulus ordered the Expeditionary Fleet to rush to Macragge while the group investigated what had happened. The disaster convinced the Transmigrators that they had to reform the Imperium’s governance, and Aglaia learned that the war threatened the Garden World she had made a refuge for young Psykers.

• Ledodus offered to use Black Templars contacts to investigate Ultramar, while Aglaia said the Inquisition would gather evidence through its own channels.
• Arthur explained that Aglaia’s estate covered much of Estelia’s coastline, and Romulus ordered the Navigators to plot a route and depart for Ultramar.
• Romulus, Karna, and the others agreed that the Imperium’s internal problems had to be addressed after the Battle of Ultramar, including gaining control over how Wings of Dawn’s taxes were spent.
• Aglaia reflected on her past and her efforts to provide young Psykers with a safe upbringing on Ultramar as she watched the war’s destruction from Magnificence.
• The Expeditionary Fleet left Opt and headed toward Tigrus Forge World for resupply before crossing the storm-hidden region north of the Five Hundred Worlds to reach Ultramar.

Servius Scaevola, an ancient Dreadnought of the Obsidian Blades, awoke to greet the Expeditionary Fleet and confront the decay of the Imperium. When he recognized Drakus, he attacked him, demanding to know why he was still alive and whom he served; the chapter ended with the two old comrades crossing swords while their forces stood ready.

• Servius Scaevola reflected on ten thousand years of service and the Obsidian Blades’ deteriorating home sector, while Sextus worried that the Elder was preparing to die.
• Arthur and Archmagos Cawl inspected failing radiation-shielding equipment, and Arthur sent Romulus to investigate the local Tech-priests’ neglect.
• Servius recognized Drakus among the Expeditionary Fleet and charged him, demanding to know how he had survived and whom he served.
• Drakus blocked Servius’s attacks and offered to explain, but Servius insisted they let their swords speak.
• The Obsidian Blades and Expeditionary Fleet raised weapons against each other until Ledodus confirmed Servius came from ten thousand years earlier and ordered his forces to stand down.

Drakus explained his Warp-born revival to Servius, who joined the returning warriors after accepting Drakus’s invitation. Meanwhile, Romulus’s council reviewed the devastating Tyranid war and Arthur rallied the commanders with his promise that hope remained; the chapter ended with the Dark Angels planning to rebuild their intelligence network and monitor the expedition.

• Drakus told Servius that the four lords had prepared bodies for him and that he had returned as a kind of Warp lifeform, then invited Servius to join them.
• Ledodus and Romulus reviewed the Tyranid attacks, the collapse of the Navy’s defenses, and the loss of more than a hundred habitable worlds after fleets left to pursue other campaigns.
• Arthur promised the commanders they would never abandon the struggle, and Ledodus, Aglaia, and Romulus reaffirmed their resolve to continue the war.
• Drakus offered Servius a place among his comrades, and Servius accepted after clasping hands with the Invincible Iron Guard.
• Efka, Kai, and Zabriel decided to rebuild the Ravenwing’s intelligence network and arrange for Alpharius to summon his Great Company to monitor the expedition.

The Wings of Dawn received a new fleet at Tigrus Forge World, while Romulus asked Cawl to investigate safer faster-than-light travel and focused on acquiring the T'au's Slipstream Module technology. Arthur brought Romulus the Inquisition's mission records, leaving him shaken after he mistook Arthur for the Emperor.

• The Wings of Dawn and the other fleet factions received warships at Tigrus, and the Dawn's bridge and Machine Spirit were installed in an Emperor-class Battleship.
• Ramesses explored the forge, communicated with its Machine Spirits, and learned that Cawl had provided the Wings of Dawn with industrial ships.
• Romulus agreed to let Cawl's exploratory fleets operate and asked him to develop an antimatter-field engine based on the T'au's travel technology.
• Romulus considered the T'au's Slipstream Module and resolved that its ability to create a stable wormhole made it worth seizing.
• Arthur entered Romulus's office, briefly appeared to him as the Emperor, then delivered the Inquisition's mission records.