Chapter Summaries

Mourinho Bandak led the Alicia Airborne assault on Gate No. 42, where they broke through the defenses and established a landing zone. Planetary Governor Gonzalo learned that the Shadow of Order had sent Auxilia instead of deploying its First Chapter, then secretly asked to be evacuated before being told to fight in Merseyside.

• Mourinho Bandak ordered the Alicia Airborne to attack Gate No. 42 under Morning Star Protocol 15.
• The Alicia troops drew the defenders' fire while stealth Warriors breached a bunker and Mourinho destroyed fortifications with missiles and an Archaeotech Pistol.
• The Alicia Airborne established a landing zone as they began dismantling the defenders' positions.
• Gonzalo learned that the Shadow of Order had assigned the assault to the Alicia Airborne and that Howard and the Arbitrator were attacking the orbital defense platforms.
• Gonzalo ordered his commander to hold out for twenty-five hours until the Sons of Horus arrived, then secretly asked an unidentified lord to evacuate him.
• The lord told Gonzalo that his battlefield was in Merseyside.

Dickson and the Inquisitor pursued the Sons of Horus through a hidden passage and discovered they had abducted Governor Gonzalo to use his prestige to incite rebellion. Dickson’s powers disabled the traitors’ Bolters and Power Swords as the Shadow of Order forces attacked, while Gonzalo tried to shoot himself.

• The Inquisitor found a concealed passage in the governor’s residence and descended into it, fighting the Sons of Horus guarding the route.
• The Inquisitor tortured a captive Son of Horus until he revealed that the traitors planned to use Gonzalo’s prestige to incite a rebellion, then killed him.
• Dickson and twenty-three guards reached an ambush, where Dickson forbade Bolter attacks and the Sons of Horus’ weapons failed.
• Dickson forbade Power Swords, and the Shadow of Order fighters killed the disarmed traitors as the adjutant charged Dickson and was torn apart by his punch.
• Gonzalo tried to shoot himself as Dickson approached, but a fierce wind knocked him down before he could pull the trigger.

Nimrod consolidated his new territories and welcomed Togon Khan, Menes Kalliston, and Sulekh Kontep into his forces as they pledged to fight for him. Magnus approved of his sons’ choice but refused to meet them, fearing his fading soul would make them suffer another loss.

• Howard Fender reported that the Chapter had captured much of the Akum-Sothos Cluster, and Nimrod ordered him to secure it and incorporate it into the Legion.
• Arsena Dunn reported that Diamond Star’s Foundries and the Gordian League were under control, and Nimrod prepared to advance to the eastern frontier against Curze and Alpharius.
• Togon Khan, Menes Kalliston, and Sulekh Kontep met Nimrod and pledged their forces to him, joining his War Council.
• Nimrod told Magnus that his sons had pledged loyalty, and Magnus said he trusted Nimrod to lead them.
• Magnus refused to meet Menes and Sulekh because his shattered soul was fading and he did not want them to suffer another loss.

Ahriman, Hathor, and Uthizzar tried to cure Sobek’s Flesh Mutation by linking their minds and reshaping his genes, but Sobek burned to dust despite Ahriman foreseeing his recovery. Magnus appeared and sent Ahriman and Hathor to the ruins of Tizca, where he had lost contact with a part of himself.

• Ahriman, Hathor, Uthizzar, and Pan Su prepared Sobek’s crystal coffin and dissipated its Stasis Field to begin the cure.
• Ahriman searched millions of possible futures while Hathor restrained Sobek and used biochemical power to alter his genetic code.
• Sobek’s mutation overwhelmed the ritual, and he burned apart into dust as Ahriman watched in grief.
• Magnus appeared in the Obsidian Tower and confronted Ahriman over Sobek’s death and his past actions.
• Magnus ordered Ahriman and Hathor to go to the ruins of Tizca, saying he could no longer sense a part of himself there.

Amon and the Thousand Sons entered ruined Tizca to find Magnus’s soul fragments, battling the Space Wolf ghosts and the Daemon Wolf King. Hathor became the Scarlet King and traced six fragments to distant locations as the Emperor realized he could no longer contain the psychic shockwave beneath the Imperial Palace.

• Amon led Ahriman, Uthizzar, Phosis T'kar, and Hathor through a phantom gateway into Tizca’s graveyard, where they sought Magnus’s fragments.
• Ahriman restored the city’s former appearance with his Mindset power, and the group fought the Space Wolf phantoms advancing through the ruins.
• Hathor stood on the Obsidian Altar and became the Scarlet King, then clashed with the Daemon Wolf King as the Pyramid of Photep collapsed.
• Amon and Ahriman used their precognitive sight to guide Hathor through Magnus’s death and follow his shattered soul.
• Hathor located six escaped fragments at the Shadow of the Throne, a site of judgment, an exiled Monarch’s library, an inhuman prison, a Soul-Eater Deity’s mountain, and humanity’s center.
• The Emperor opened his eyes on Terra as a psychic tsunami erupted from beneath the Imperial Palace.

A psychic catastrophe caused by Magnus killed or shattered millions of minds on Terra and created an opportunity for prisoners to act. Nimrod sent Kion to recruit seven inmates from the Adeptus Custodes prison, including Tagore and Severian.

• Mo Zhi-Ming and the Astropaths suffered a devastating psychic attack that killed hundreds in the choir and spread madness across Terra.
• Asava sensed the catastrophe and began carrying out his escape plan from the Adeptus Custodes prison at Mount Rakaposhi.
• Fel Zharost learned that his former Legion had betrayed the Imperium and agreed to serve Lord Nimrod after Kion offered him the chance.
• Kion reported the Terra catastrophe to Nimrod, who recognized that the War of the Webway was about to begin.
• Nimrod ordered Kion to recruit Asava, Severian, Tagore, Asuba, Suba, Argentus Kaelon, and Gise from the prison.

Asava escaped his cell by taking over Utam Luna Hesh Udar’s body and using his authorization to disable Kamba-Mawu’s defenses. He led the freed prisoners toward the only exit, where Gise stopped before the Shadow of Order.

• Udar inspected the prisoners, but Nataji shot Sumant Giri Falguni Tilsa and the soldiers attacked Udar.
• Asava escaped after a puppet opened his cell, while Tagore broke free and killed Udar by tearing out his spine.
• Asava kept Udar’s head alive with psychic power, gained his memories and identity, and shut down the cavern guns.
• Asava led Tagore, Asuba, Suba, Gise, Argentus Kaelon, Severian, and Kai Zulan toward the passage bridge.
• Gise smashed through a gate and stopped when he saw the Shadow of Order.

Kion persuaded seven fugitive Astartes to serve Lord Nimrod, who had sent him to recruit them and help Asava reach Kai Zulan’s secrets. Nimrod reflected on the lives he had saved and turned his attention to Babu Dhakal and Guta, planning to help the Thunder Warriors while undermining them.

• Kion and Fel confronted the seven fugitives, and Kion fought off their attacks while explaining that he had come to invite them to serve Nimrod.
• Gise, Argentus, Severian, and Asava each agreed to follow Nimrod after hearing his name, learning their Primarchs’ fates, or receiving Kion’s offer of help.
• Kion summoned an Aquila Shuttle to take the seven fugitives to safety, then reported to Nimrod at the altar.
• Nimrod recalled that Tagore, Asuba, Suba, Asava, Gise, and Argentus would otherwise have died, while Severian would have survived and been recruited by Malcador’s agent.
• Nimrod remembered that Babu Dhakal and Guta sought a Gene-seed to repair the Thunder Warriors’ genetic defects, and decided to help Babu while sabotaging him.

Rogal Dorn learned of Ferrus Manus’s death and the danger surrounding the missing Kai Zulan, then planned defenses against Horus’s advance. He assigned Evander Garrius to lead an expedition to seize Cthonia and turn it into an arsenal for Terra.

• Malcador told Dorn that his agents had lost the fugitives’ trail, while Nagase Yasushi continued tracking them.
• Mo Zhi-Ming reported that Ferrus Manus had been killed by Fulgrim, Vulkan and Corvas Corax were missing, and many Astropaths had died.
• Dorn learned that Kai Zulan held a dangerous secret and ordered Malcador to find him before the enemy did.
• Dorn planned defenses at Paramar, Beta-Garmon, and Lorrain Alpha, and decided to capture nearby Cthonia for its strategic value.
• Dorn assigned Evander Garrius to lead forces including Imperial battalions, Space Wolves, and Custodes to Cthonia.
• Garrius ordered the Huscarls of the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Companies to assemble for the campaign.

Lucius's forces destroyed the Sons of Horus fleet in the Cthonia system and seized key sites across the planet while Cohn ordered the defenders to sabotage infrastructure and retreat into underground caverns. After Vespasian reported the success of the planetary drops, Lucius ordered Nathaniel to breach the Gate of the Wolf-Herder.

• The Blade of the Monarch destroyed Sergio's Fist of Cthonia in the first victory of the Abyss-class warship Kaelbor-Hal had forged for the Warmaster.
• At the Hive City Spire, Cohn ordered troops to defend the Gate of the Wolf-Herder and Atlas Spaceport, ruin critical infrastructure, and wage a long war underground.
• Vespasian and his forces landed at Atlas Terminal, killed the Word Bearers there, and secured the transit hub.
• Lucius's Companies stopped the Sons of Horus and Word Bearers from sabotaging critical assets across Cthonia's Hive Cities.
• Vespasian reported the victories to Lucius, who ordered Nathaniel to breach the Gate of the Wolf-Herder.

The author addressed plagiarism accusations, explained the planned direction of Nimrod’s story, and asked readers whether they would support a future Chaos-focused novel. The chapter ended with a request for readers to vote on which setting they would prefer.

• The author said he had sent a plagiarism comparison chart to the editor and denied copying other Warhammer authors.
• The author explained why he chose Vostonia for Nimrod’s arrival and said the setting connected to the Black Emperor pathway and the thrill of changing fate.
• The author said Nimrod would board the Vengeful Spirit to save Ollanius Persson and explained why he considered Ollanius crucial to humanity’s survival.
• The author said Primarch corpses could be used after Nimrod advanced to Sequence 4, and outlined plans to continue the story toward the forty-second millennium.
• The author said Nimrod would advance to Sequence 3 during The Beast Arises and described the Black Emperor pathway’s abilities and original advancement rituals.
• The author asked readers whether they would support a future novel about Chaos and invited them to choose between 30K Chaos, 40K Chaos, Warhammer Fantasy and Age of Sigmar, or no Chaos story.

Nathaniel Garro and the Dusk Raiders attacked the main gate of Gate of the Wolf-Herder, using Contemptor Dreadnoughts to break through its defenses. Captain Boros Cohn withdrew underground and entered the Underhive, where an unseen speaker told him they had been waiting for him.

• Nathaniel Garro led the Dusk Raiders against the traitors at Gate of the Wolf-Herder and ordered the Contemptor Dreadnoughts to attack the main gate.
• The seven Contemptor Dreadnoughts exchanged fire with the city's defenses and melted through the steel gates, destroying the entrance.
• Captain Boros Cohn learned that his sabotage squads had been defeated or gone missing and ordered his forces to withdraw underground.
• Cohn took an orbital train to the Underhive and walked into its dark, filthy tunnels.
• An unseen voice told Cohn, "I've been waiting for you a long time."

Lucius killed Boros Cohn and helped secure Cthonia’s infrastructure for the loyalists. Nimrod ordered him to recruit a Rapid Expeditionary Force and publicly promise to defend the planet, while an Astropathic Message left Cthonia and Maloghurst hurried into the Wolf God Hall aboard the Vengeful Spirit.

• Lucius ambushed and killed Boros Cohn, then used a storm of dawn light to destroy ten Sons of Horus guards.
• Three days later, Lucius reported to Nimrod that Cthonia was occupied and expected to return to full capacity in ten days.
• Nimrod renamed the Gate of the Wolf-Herder Traitor’s Gate and ordered Lucius to recruit Cthonians for a Rapid Expeditionary Force.
• Nimrod told Lucius to offer him a longtime weapon and publicly declare that he would guard Cthonia.
• Lucius broadcast an oath to protect Cthonia and its people, and an Astropathic Message departed the planet.
• Maloghurst hurried into the Wolf God Hall aboard the Vengeful Spirit at the Forge World Pandex.

Horus rejected Abaddon’s demand for immediate revenge against Nimrod and directed the traitors toward Colonid, the next step on the Crimson Path. Regulus brought news that Pandex had submitted and unveiled Venomous Ships for the coming void war, while Abominable Intelligence devastated Pandex’s data networks.

• Maloghurst reported that Nimrod had seized the Akum-Sothos Cluster and that Lucius had occupied Cthonia in Nimrod’s name, enraging Abaddon and Aximand.
• Horus declared that his goal was to defeat the Emperor and become Master of Mankind, promising Abaddon revenge at Colonid, Nimrod’s largest territory.
• Regulus announced that Pandex had submitted and requested help against its hereditary enemy, Mezoa, which was protected by five Void Bastions.
• Regulus revealed that the Death Guard had helped develop Venomous Ships armed with toxins, pathogens, and viral weapons, and Horus ordered their immediate deployment and mass production by Pandex.
• Twelve hours later, Abominable Intelligence ravaged Pandex’s data networks, destroying vast numbers of data wheels, memory crystals, and records.

Zadkiel’s Scions of the Quill met the Death Guard fleet near the Rock of Ghana, and the Furious Abyss devastated the enemy ships with torpedoes and its plasma Lance. As the Death Guard fleet burned, Zadkiel questioned the Black Emperor’s warning that an enemy could board his ship.

• Zadkiel led the Scions of the Quill in declaring that only the Black Emperor was true, then prepared to confront an incoming enemy fleet.
• Navigator Essimia detected a fleet translating into realspace, and Zadkiel identified the Death Guard’s Lady of Death as its capital ship.
• Zadkiel ordered the Furious Abyss to fire torpedoes, inflicting catastrophic damage on the Lady of Death and killing many of its crew.
• Mathias ordered the Death Guard ships to abandon their defenses and charge the Furious Abyss at full power.
• Zadkiel deployed the escort fleet and fired the Furious Abyss’s plasma Lance, breaking apart the Lady of Death and burning through the enemy fleet.
• Zadkiel wondered whether any enemy could board the Furious Abyss before being destroyed.

Horus Lupercal learned that warships built for him had fallen into enemy hands and led the Vengeful Spirit to confront the Furious Abyss at the Rock of Ghana. The battle turned into a punishing assault against the Abyss-class ship, and Horus committed more forces as the fighting continued.

• Horus learned that Zadkiel had taken an Abyss-class warship and that rebels under Lucius and Nathaniel Garro had seized two others, then rejected a supernatural offer of power.
• Horus ordered a course for the Rock of Ghana and assigned Abaddon to fight Zadkiel on the surface.
• Horus saw the Furious Abyss destroy four escort ships with one salvo and ordered the Vengeful Spirit to draw its fire.
• Horus launched fourteen destroyers against the Furious Abyss, but its powerful fighter wing attacked them and inflicted heavy damage on the Moon Blade and the Vengeful Spirit.
• Horus ordered ten frigates to charge the Furious Abyss.

Torgaddon led a Sons of Horus boarding action against the Furious Abyss, crippling its main cooling system before Zadkiel killed him and drove the survivors back. With his battleship damaged and its defenses weakened, Zadkiel prepared to withdraw while Jules refused to abandon the Rock of Ghana.

• Zadkiel ordered his escort fleet to intercept the approaching Frigates as Horus used the Vengeful Spirit to open a path toward the Furious Abyss.
• Torgaddon led the boarding force into the Furious Abyss and fought Belanos, while the Sons of Horus pushed toward the main cooling pipes.
• Zadkiel crushed the Sons of Horus captain's head, but the boarding party blew open a hatch and set the main cooling pipes ablaze.
• Zadkiel ordered the Lance attacks stopped and fought Torgaddon, who was cut down by the Word Bearer.
• Zadkiel told Jules that the Furious Abyss's cooling system was crippled and its defenses weakened, then offered to evacuate him and his company.
• Jules refused to leave the Rock of Ghana and asked Zadkiel to evacuate the technical workers; Zadkiel agreed and reported that the Vengeful Spirit was also badly damaged.

After the Vengeful Spirit’s victory in the void, Horus ordered the campaign to continue while Abaddon searched the mines of Rock of Ghana for the Shadow of Order. Abaddon encountered the enemy and fought through their ambush, but Jules turned to face him.

• Horus learned that the Vengeful Spirit’s scan was being disrupted and that a fortress had been found in the mining region.
• Horus agreed to withdraw the Vengeful Spirit for repairs and ordered forces to advance on Mill World and Gatherman.
• Abaddon followed faint rune signals through Mine J-L07 and told the Cthonian conscripts to prove themselves by bringing back the heads of Shadow of Order.
• Abaddon charged into an ambush and recognized that the Shadow of Order could anticipate attacks and evade the Sons of Horus’ fire.
• Abaddon smashed through crystal pillars, struck a Shadow of Order with his Power Sword, and hurled him into another enemy.
• Jules turned his pitch-black eyes toward Abaddon.

Captain Jules used his accumulated luck and calamity to wound Abaddon and collapse the mine, then escaped with Traveler as Abaddon charged after him. Fateweaver judged that Abaddon still had a greater destiny, but Abaddon and Kaelbor vanished into a fissure, prompting Horus to send a hundred companies to find Abaddon and kill the Shadow of Order.

• Jules used his power to bring down rocks and bombard Abaddon, badly wounding him.
• Aketon shielded Abaddon from Jules’s barrage and died, while Traveler rescued Jules and the other Shadows of Order from the collapsing mine.
• Grief-stricken and enraged, Abaddon broke free of Kaelbor and lunged after Jules, who escaped through Traveler’s illusory gate.
• Fateweaver declared that Abaddon still had a greater fate and altered the Threads of Fate around him.
• Kaelbor tackled Abaddon as the mine collapsed, and both disappeared into a dark fissure.
• Horus ordered a hundred companies to the Rock of Ghana to kill every Shadow of Order and find Abaddon.

Maxim Kalanja foresaw the doom of the Storm Lords as Legio Tempestus attacked Shadow of Order on Mill World. Shadow of Order’s fighters devastated the Titan force, while a company captain sent a report through the Legion’s unaffected messenger network.

• Maxim Kalanja read the gears’ binary patterns as a prophecy that the Storm Lords would soon meet their doom and condemned Cavaliero’s opposition to the Warmaster.
• Nero Curtis ordered the Titans of the Furious Hunt Formation to attack Shadow of Order’s defenders at Artificial Food Complex No. 25.
• Shadow of Order’s red barrage brought down the War Hound Socrian and forced Curtis to retreat as Swordtail Interceptors struck the Titans.
• Curtis reported an attack by Shadow of Order’s main air force and learned that nine other Titan units were also requesting support.
• The captain of the 36th Company wrote that Shadow of Order’s fighters had destroyed fourteen invading Titans, then sent the report by messenger to his lord.