Chapter Summaries

Nimrod coordinated reinforcements against the Rangdan and appointed Flamini commander of the Sixth Legion after its victory over the Basmemanik. He taught Flamini the Euclidean Sigil, received Basmemanik metal skin as an offering, and bestowed a Calamity Priest potion on him.

• Arsena Dunn reported the legions’ progress against the Rangdan, the loss of four Titan Legions, and the Emperor’s deployment of the Order of the Omen; Nimrod ordered the allied task forces to assemble at Caluhm Gate.
• Howard told Nimrod that Flamini had defeated the Basmemanik in the Lament System but that Pascual had died and the Sixth Legion lacked a commander.
• Nimrod appointed Flamini lord of the Sixth Legion and instructed him to pray to the Black Emperor, offering two sets of Basmemanik metal skin.
• Howard explained the Euclidean Sigil to Flamini and taught him the Black Emperor’s prayer ritual.
• Flamini performed the ritual and offered Nimrod the Basmemanik metal skin; Nimrod sent him the Euclidean Sigil and ordered Space Ape to prepare and bestow a Calamity Priest potion on him.

The Slaugth vessel unleashed a devastating energy shock wave across Abyss Port, disabling the Blade’s defenses and letting Rangdan xenos breach the ship. Thierry Vieira fought through the attackers and killed a Brain-Eater, then learned the Slaugth ship was fleeing under Rangdan cover.

• The 1st, 6th, 7th, and 8th Legions joined the battle at Abyss Port, and the Shadows of Order identified a black vessel as belonging to the Slaugth.
• The Slaugth ship released a vast energy blast that overloaded the Blade’s Void Shield, disabled its weapons, and sent Rangdan vessels crashing into it.
• Thierry Vieira drew his twin swords and charged into the breach as steel-needle-winged xenos swarmed onto the Blade.
• Thierry donned the War Mask, cut through hundreds of xenos, and killed a Brain-Eater with a thrust through its brain.
• A Deduction Cadet reported that the Slaugth ship was fleeing while Rangdan ships attacked to cover its escape, and Thierry ordered the force to stop it.

Thierry Vieira fought to intercept a fleeing Slaugth vessel, coordinating the Blade’s fire and leading an assault aboard the enemy ship. After his Honor Guard cut through the first wave of xenos, a powerful, evil presence approached through a spiral passage.

• Thierry ordered the Blade to fire on the Slaugth vessel, but its Aether Cannon and Macro-cannons failed to stop the ship.
• Thierry chose Interception Route One, ordered the crew to restore weapons and channel the enemy’s escape, and requested aid from the Arbites Lord and Reaper Lord.
• Thierry and his Honor Guard launched in Gauntlet Assault Boats as the Blade and its fleet covered the Slaugth vessel’s escape routes.
• A giant melta breached the Slaugth vessel, and Thierry led the Honor Guard through the opening to attack the xenos aboard.
• Thierry and the Honor Guard swiftly cleared the deck, then Thierry sensed a powerful, evil will approaching through a spiral passage.

Thierry and the Shadows of Order fought Overseer Slaugth aboard the Obsidian Disc Ship, while Howard Fender used his power to imprison the weakened Inspector. Slaugth was left frozen inside a mass of amber-like material.

• Thierry and the Shadows of Order killed five Brain-Eaters and confronted Overseer Slaugth in the ship's passage.
• Thierry attacked Slaugth with his Power Sword, while the Shadows of Order held back the xenos summoned to protect him.
• Thierry threw an Armor-Piercing Grenade into Slaugth, but Slaugth's worms shielded him from the explosion.
• Howard Fender declared that extension and elongation were forbidden, then used a transparent liquid to encase Slaugth and imprison him.
• Howard told Thierry that he could imprison Slaugth so easily only because Thierry had first drained the Inspector's strength.

Nimrod organized the campaign against the Rangdan and learned that Luther had brought a Dark Angels fleet to Aquila Port in defiance of Lion El'Jonson's orders. He decided Luther was a valuable target for corruption, though his motives for leaving Caliban remained unclear.

• Nimrod assigned Rian Ramillies to study the captured Slaugth vessel and ordered the four lords to drive xenos from the Colonid Sector.
• Nimrod sent eight Chapters toward the Carium Gate and deployed the 12th Chapter with him to investigate a threat at Aquila Port.
• The Shadow of the Throne reached Aquila Port, where Diana Pauline detected a Dark Angels fleet in the system.
• Luther greeted Nimrod over a communication link, and Nimrod realized he had disobeyed Lion El'Jonson by leaving Caliban with a fleet.
• Nimrod considered Luther's history, influence, and potential to corrupt others, then judged him the most valuable target for corruption.

Nimrod ordered joint operations against the xenos, and Diana went to the surface to fight. After Diana defeated a Brain-Eater and protected Pat, she spotted a gray figure nearby.

• Nimrod ordered Luther to conduct joint operations to purge the xenos, then allowed Diana to join the surface fighting.
• Pat fled through the hive city as xenos attacked, crossed into Docking Bay 36, and collapsed from exhaustion.
• Pat woke as orange birdlike xenos attacked, then saw Diana arrive with black-armored troops and aircraft.
• Diana calmed Pat and fought the Brain-Eater, using combat hypnosis and her Archaeotech Pistol to stagger and kill it.
• Diana reflected on her new strength, then noticed a gray figure flash past her left eye.

Diana Pauline tracked Slaugth Inquisitor at Aquila Port while Luther and Zahariel led a Dark Angels attack. Zahariel’s psychic power was countered, but Nimrod arrived and trapped Slaugth Inquisitor in amber, leaving Luther puzzled by Zahariel’s warning about psychic suppression.

• Diana Pauline used camouflage and psychological concealment to follow Slaugth Inquisitor and called for support.
• Luther and Zahariel arrived in a Stormbird, but Zahariel collapsed after Slaugth Inquisitor countered his psychic probing.
• Luther and Zahariel attacked Slaugth Inquisitor with their swords, but the xenos’s scattered worms grabbed them and began dissolving their armor.
• Diana Pauline warned the Dark Angels that Slaugth Inquisitor could only be killed from within, then used Dragon Scale to withstand his necrotic ray.
• Zahariel saw that Slaugth Inquisitor’s inner worms were vulnerable and prepared to make an opening for Luther.
• Nimrod teleported in, distorted Slaugth Inquisitor’s body into a sphere, and encased it in amber while Zahariel reminded Luther that he had said psychic power would be suppressed.

Nimrod welcomed Luther, Zahariel, and their Dark Angels aboard the Shadow of the Throne, intending to draw Luther and his followers into his influence. Eleven days later, 3,300 Dark Angels sailed with Nimrod’s fleet, while Luther hoped their service would win the Lion’s forgiveness.

• Luther and Zahariel thanked Nimrod for defeating the Slaugth, while Nimrod recognized their frustration and saw a chance to recruit them.
• Luther explained that he had pursued the xenos and answered Aquila Port’s plea for aid, and Nimrod offered him and the Dark Angels a place aboard the Shadow of the Throne.
• Nimrod ordered Arsena Dunn to settle the Dark Angels aboard and named dozens of individuals for special attention.
• Luther told Zahariel their venture had succeeded, and Zahariel speculated that the powerful abilities of Nimrod’s captain came from Nimrod himself.
• Eleven standard days later, 3,300 of Luther’s Dark Angels boarded the Shadow of the Throne as the two fleets set sail.

Nimrod trained the Dark Angels in the War Mask and completed his potion digestion after Luther and Alastor became devoted to him. He gave them potions suited to their ambitions and combat styles, accepted their oaths of fealty, and returned to the Kingdom of Disorder.

• Nimrod taught Luther, Zahariel, Balthasar, and Alastor the War Mask, then watched them duel after thirty-three ship days of practice.
• Luther defeated Astokar in a duel, and Nimrod's spirituality surged as he realized he had become a Baron of Corruption; he concluded that both Luther and Alastor had been corroded by him.
• Nimrod praised Zahariel and Balthasar for advancing with the War Mask, then returned to his office and entered the Kingdom of Disorder, where he found its Seventh Layer Space had opened.
• Nimrod chose Lawyer and Praying Seeker potions for Luther and Alastor, then gave them the potions and conveyed the knowledge they needed through Telepathy.
• Luther swore to become Nimrod's loyal knight, Alastor pledged to carry out his will, and Nimrod accepted their fealty before returning to the Kingdom of Disorder.

Nimrod advanced Thierry Vieira to Dawn Knight and explored the binding power of the newly opened Seventh Layer Space. He realized the space might imprison powerful beings and let him draw on their abilities, then summoned Arsena Dunn and Thomas to help test the idea.

• Nimrod summoned Thierry Vieira, gave him the Dawn Knight potion, and watched him grow to three meters tall.
• Nimrod told Thierry to have Malevolus make him new armor and pass his original Hunt-Master Suit to someone worthy.
• Nimrod entered the Seventh Layer Space and discovered that its rule-bound ropes could bind creatures.
• Nimrod released Cody, a captured Slaugth, into the space and tested how its electric serpents and invisible rules restrained him.
• Nimrod considered using the space to imprison C'tan Shards and draw on their power through links to other layers.
• Nimrod decided to test his idea on Cody and summoned Arsena Dunn and Thomas.

Nimrod tasked Arsena Dunn and Thomas with developing ritual magic and promised Thomas a solution to the Librarians’ losses. Meanwhile, Luther urged his followers to break with the Lion and pledge themselves to him and Caliban, while Nimrod began testing Zahariel’s psychic power and offered to teach him to activate Terror Vision.

• Nimrod sent Arsena Dunn and Thomas instructions to design ritual magic and talismans that would invoke his power, then promised Thomas help with the losses among the Librarians.
• Luther asked Zahariel whether the Lion would accept them again, and Zahariel concluded that the Lion had lost trust in him and would punish them for disobeying the exile order.
• Luther argued that the Lion had abandoned Caliban and declared that he had brought the planet new life, prompting the surrounding Dark Angels to swear loyalty to Luther.
• Zahariel watched Luther stand before Nimrod on the training deck, and Nimrod called on him and Balthasar to demonstrate their psychic abilities.
• Nimrod pressed the Sword of Vaul to Zahariel’s throat and challenged him to awaken his power; Zahariel activated Terror Vision and attacked Nimrod by phasing between the warp and reality.
• Nimrod blocked Zahariel’s attacks and told him he could teach him how to activate Terror Vision.

Nimrod trained Zahariel in Terror Vision, then made him a Sleepless and accepted his fealty, setting the future Cypher on a new path. Meanwhile, Arsena and Thomas successfully created Worm Charms using a bound Slaugth, and Nimrod considered how to use the Slaugth and C’tan Shard to make more charms.

• Zahariel mastered Terror Vision during a sparring session with Nimrod, who recognized him as the future fourth Cypher.
• Nimrod gave Zahariel the Sleepless potion, and Zahariel pledged himself as Nimrod’s knight.
• Arsena told Nimrod that he and Thomas had developed ritual magic, and Nimrod approved their attempt to create Worm Charms.
• Arsena and Thomas performed the ritual with Nimrod projecting a bound Slaugth’s will through the illusory door, successfully producing thirty-three Worm Charms.
• Arsena and Thomas found that a Worm Charm blocked psychic power and expected it to weaken Rangdan Xenos when activated.
• Nimrod confirmed the Slaugth showed no obvious weakening and considered using them and the C’tan Shard to make other charms before retrieving the charged Dice of Prophecy.

Nimrod sent Thomas to Mankora to recruit Psykers and investigate the psychic technique Gryphon's Roar, then received Hathor and assigned him control of Alexandria IV and the Cult of Destruction. He taught Hathor the Euclidean Sigil and ordered him to use psychological suggestion to secure the loyalty of his followers, especially Ignis.

• Nimrod gave Thomas information about Mankora and ordered him to lead Librarians there to recruit Psykers and uncover the world's secrets, including Gryphon's Roar.
• Hathor boarded the Shadow of the Throne with his Guardian Spirit, Peouk, and met Thomas, who examined the Warp entity.
• Nimrod banished Peouk from the real world and warned Hathor to master the Euclidean Sigil to protect himself from Guardian Spirits.
• Hathor reported on the Dawn Star rescue operation and gave Nimrod a Data Crystal containing the Thousand Sons' secrets about the Kingdom of the Dragon.
• Hathor told Nimrod that Magnus had placed Alexandria IV and the Cult of Destruction under his authority, and Nimrod instructed him to take control of both.
• Nimrod taught Hathor the Euclidean Sigil and ordered him to use psychological suggestion to make his Pavoni, Second Fellowship, and Cult of Destruction loyal to him, prioritizing Ignis.

Thierry Vieira attended Ventrilian’s coming-of-age ritual, rescued candidates from the magma lake, and retrieved a strange lotus root while crossing the waves of fire unharmed. Joe Vattara won Thierry’s former armor and, after a week of transformation, joined the Shadow of Order as a new recruit.

• Justin Vattara welcomed Thierry Vieira to Ventrilian, where Thierry offered his former armor as a prize for the coming-of-age ritual.
• Omari McCarthy and Chris Anderson fought monsters in the magma lake, but the Brawler and Apothecary rescued Chris after a crocodile wounded him.
• Thierry entered the lake, saved a Shadow of Order candidate from fire snakes, and pulled a nearly thousand-meter lotus root from the magma.
• Thierry retreated across the waves of magma and fire unharmed while carrying the lotus roots, astonishing the people of Ventrilian.
• Joe Vattara won Thierry’s black armor, underwent adaptive evolution for nearly a week, and became a recruit in the Eighth Company.

Nimrod assigned Urian Bendreg to relieve Bastion Fortress and received Amrodi Skarsen Skarsenson and Othere Wodmek, whose mission made him suspect Russ was plotting against him. He prepared by advancing Sanchez to Conspirator and Stevens to hunter, and sent Sanchez to watch for the Space Wolves' schemes.

• Thierry Vieira reported on Ventrilian's coming-of-age ceremony and gave Nimrod a Fire Lotus Root, prompting Nimrod to order candidates to gather more.
• Arsena Dunn reported the arrival of the Dark Angels and Space Wolves, and Nimrod summoned Urian Bendreg while ordering him kept away from Luther.
• Nimrod assigned Bendreg and the Dark Angels to relieve besieged Bastion Fortress, where xenos forces had surrounded the world for three years.
• Amrodi Skarsen Skarsenson and Othere Wodmek met Nimrod; after suspecting their mission involved spying, he ordered Librarian Okafor to accompany Wodmek and the Space Wolves' Fifth Company to travel with the 7th Legion.
• Nimrod used a Fire Lotus Root and a giant ice worm to make the Conspirator potion, advanced Sanchez, and warned him to beware of the Space Wolves' plots.
• Nimrod planted the remaining Fire Lotus Root in the Kingdom of Disorder, prepared a hunter potion, and advanced Stevens.

Flamini discovered the Slaugth hidden in the Biscay Asteroid Belt and led a Lightning Fighter assault on their ship. He defeated the Slaugth Inquisitor with Glass Grenades and a mental storm, then ordered a transport ship and a Stasis Crystal Coffin.

• Flamini foresaw the Slaugth ships concealed in the Biscay Asteroid Belt and ordered his fleet to prepare an assault.
• Flamini and the Appraiser opened the forbidden vault, where Flamini took six Glass Grenades.
• The Sixth Legion launched its fighter strike, and the Tempest-type Lightning Fighters destroyed the drones guarding the Slaugth vessel.
• Flamini's fighters breached the vessel, and he crashed into its interior, killing many xenos and using Glass Grenades against the Brain-Eaters and Overlords.
• Flamini found that the Glass Grenades had only wounded Slaugth Inquisitor, so he threw the remaining grenades and triggered a mental storm that knocked the Inquisitor unconscious.
• Flamini ordered a transport ship and a Stasis Crystal Coffin.

Nimrod attended the War Council, where he welcomed Jaghatai and wagered Russ’s psychic cloak on a duel between their warriors. After reporting on the Rangdan war and gaining support for his counteroffensive, Nimrod agreed to approach Jaghatai about joining Sanguinius and Magnus’s alliance.

• Arsena Dunn told Nimrod that Akurduana and Glenn Worsoto would arrive at Carium Gate, while the Word Bearers fleet was delayed by two months.
• At the War Council, Horus introduced Jaghatai to Nimrod, and Jaghatai rejected Russ’s invitation to hunt together.
• Russ wagered that Skarsen would defeat Sanchez, offering his cloak if he lost, and Nimrod accepted the wager on Sanchez’s behalf.
• Nimrod reported Perturabo’s defensive line and his planned counteroffensive against the Rangdan, and the Emperor promised support from the Eighth and Twelfth Legions.
• After the council, Sanguinius asked Nimrod and Magnus who should speak with Jaghatai, and Nimrod volunteered to meet him through the Carium Gate.

Thomas tested three kinds of supernatural vision and defended his Body of Light from the griffins’ attacks before using his psychic power to stop Mankora’s battle. Ten days after the Chief Librarians conquered the world, Thomas ordered a fortress built on its highest peak and asked Ethan if he was ready to fly as two golden griffins landed.

• Thomas used Aetheric Sojourn, Warp Vision, and the Eye of Secrecy to observe the battlefield and compare their abilities.
• A griffin’s roar damaged Thomas’s Body of Light, but he defended himself with Magnus’s Mindset and then Thelema’s Mindset before driving the griffins away.
• Thomas and the Chief Librarians flew over the battlefield, where Thomas used the Osiris Mind-Control Staff to knock down a king and his knights and stop the fighting.
• Through the Chief Librarians’ Telepathy, the kings and knights learned about the Shadow of Order and Lord Monarch, and the hundred Chief Librarians conquered Mankora ten days later.
• Thomas ordered a fortress built on Mankora’s highest peak and asked Ethan if he was ready to fly as two golden griffins descended.

Nimrod gave Wilshire the Notary potion, then summoned Akurduana and Worsotto as he prepared to launch a counteroffensive against the xenos. Akurduana joined Nimrod’s side, Worsotto took responsibility for logistics, and Nimrod issued deployment orders for the campaign.

• Nimrod had the Space Ape prepare the Notary potion from a golden gryphon, and Wilshire drank it and gained the Sequence 6 ability.
• Nimrod summoned Akurduana, who was struck by Nimrod’s appearance and accepted the invitation to attend at his side.
• Worsotto thanked Nimrod for rescuing him at Osiris and brought the First and 22nd Chapters to join the campaign.
• Nimrod appointed Worsotto to plan logistics and ordered the full counteroffensive, assigning Chapters and fleets to attack across several sectors.

Nimrod ordered Tai Chi plazas established as a low-cost defense against Chaos and tasked Arsena Dunn with studying the Kingdom of the Dragon’s Daemon Puppet knowledge. Meanwhile, Lucius sought a chance to practice with Akurduana, and the chapter ended with the fleet translating into realspace and Akurduana taking Lucius to the bridge.

• Nimrod ordered Arsena Dunn to establish plazas across the Legion’s territories and encourage the people to practice Tai Chi.
• Nimrod outlined the Legion’s defenses against Chaos and ordered Arsena Dunn to have the Lord of the Forge and Chief Librarian study the Daemon Puppets without summoning Warp creatures.
• Lucius visited Akurduana to request sword practice, but found him painting Nimrod and left disappointed.
• Lucius trained alone for a standard sailing week, then returned to Akurduana’s quarters.
• Solomon Demeter informed Akurduana that the fleet had translated into realspace, and Akurduana invited Lucius to accompany him to the bridge.