Chapter Summaries

The Tyrant destroyed the Succubus Maid but was quickly killed by Emperor’s Children warriors, while Elite veterans helped the Sons of Humanity turn the battle and force the enemy to retreat. Lucius killed the Company Champion and then noticed Saul Tarvitz and the 2nd Company’s Company Guards approaching.

• The Tyrant entered berserk mode, charged an Emperor’s Children warrior, and was destroyed by concentrated fire from the warriors.
• More than a thousand Elite veterans joined the fighting, using coordinated squad attacks and heavy losses to help the Sons of Humanity defeat the Emperor’s Children on the main thoroughfare.
• Lucius toyed with the wounded Company Champion before killing him with the Lash of Torment and taking his head.
• Lucius dismissed the fallen Company Champion as small fry, then sensed Saul Tarvitz preparing to join the battle with the 2nd Company’s Company Guards.

Saul Tarvitz directed the 2nd Company’s defense of New Argo, prioritizing civilian evacuation and avoiding a direct fight with the Greater Daemon. A Titan Combat Mech devastated Lucius’s forces, forcing Lucius to retreat toward the city’s Warp breach.

• Tarvitz ordered the 2nd Company to contain the Fallen Beings, clear safe evacuation routes, and avoid confronting the Greater Daemon while they awaited their Primarch.
• Lucius led his Chaos veterans against Tarvitz and the Company Guards, who inflicted heavy losses on the Emperor’s Children.
• Six Knight Mechs descended across New Argo, and a dark purple Titan Combat Mech landed beside the main thoroughfare.
• The Titan Combat Mech’s plasma strike destroyed dozens of Chaos Space Marines, mutated creatures, and Demons, leaving Lucius and his veterans shocked.
• Lucius hesitated as his veterans urged him to retreat, while Tarvitz ordered the Titan Combat Mech to continue firing.
• Lucius abandoned his pursuit of Tarvitz and fled toward the city center’s breach between the Physical Universe and the Warp.

Saul Tarvitz ordered his forces to reinforce the 2nd Assault Platoon and protect civilians trapped in New Argo’s central plaza as a Greater Daemon advanced. Elsewhere, a wounded Sons of Humanity sergeant hid with a group of children while three fallen Emperor’s Children searched for them.

• The Titan Combat Mech shattered the Emperor’s Children’s defensive line, and Lucius’s forces fled.
• Tarvitz learned that Rilano’s 2nd Assault Platoon could not withdraw because more than a hundred thousand civilians still needed evacuation.
• Tarvitz sent the Titan Combat Mech and Company Guards to the central plaza to support the evacuation until the main force arrived.
• The 2nd Assault Platoon and supporting troops held defensive lines against the Chaos forces while civilians fled to safety.
• Three fallen Emperor’s Children searched a ruined mall parking structure and threatened the Sons of Humanity sergeant hiding there with children.

A wounded Sons of Humanity sergeant sacrificed his squad and two brothers to rescue trapped children from the Emperor’s Children, then hid with them in a mall storage room as Chaos forces closed in. As he prepared to make a final stand, a faint golden light appeared in his eyes.

• The sergeant abandoned the retreat plan and ordered his remaining forces to draw the enemy away so he and two Sons of Humanity could reach the trapped children.
• The diversionary charge was slaughtered, but the sergeant and his two brothers broke through and reached the mall’s west entrance with the children.
• Warp corruption cut off their communications and escape, so the three Sons of Humanity led the children deeper into the mall while fighting their pursuers.
• The two brothers overloaded their Cold Fusion Reactors in a final assault, giving the wounded sergeant time to lead the children to a storage room in the parking garage.
• Three Emperor’s Children tracked them to the storage room, where the sergeant prepared to defend the children as a faint golden light appeared in his eyes.

The sergeant left the children sealed in the storage room and confronted three Emperor's Children outside. As he fought, he gained extraordinary strength and a golden gaze, killing one enemy and terrifying the other two.

• The sergeant opened the storage-room shutter, then closed it behind him to leave the children protected inside.
• Three Emperor's Children mocked the sergeant, who defied them and condemned their betrayal and corruption.
• When an Emperor's Child attacked, the sergeant found his wounds healing and his body moving with incredible speed.
• The sergeant cut the attacker in half, crushed his head, and absorbed a pinkish-purple glow from the corpse.
• The sergeant charged the remaining two Emperor's Children and overwhelmed them with relentless attacks.
• One enemy's eyes burned after he saw the sergeant's golden gaze, and the other cried that it was the False Emperor's gaze.

After slaughtering the Emperor’s Children threatening the children, the sergeant left them behind to draw Chaos forces away and buy time for their survival. At New Argo’s central plaza, the 2nd Assault Platoon struggled to hold its defenses as a Greater Daemon focused its attention on Rilano.

• The exhausted sergeant killed the last Emperor’s Children, then returned to the storage room and revealed to the children that he had survived.
• The sergeant ordered the children back inside, shut the rolling shutter, and went alone into the ruined mall to lure Chaos forces away until the Empire’s Legion arrived.
• At New Argo’s central plaza, the 2nd Assault Platoon and its allies fought the Emperor’s Children while transport craft evacuated civilians.
• Psychic attacks drove many SWAT officers mad, while Auxilia, ODST troops, and Elites resisted or counterattacked amid the battle.
• The Emperor’s Children advanced with a Greater Daemon resembling their Primarch, which blocked the defenders’ concentrated fire with a Psychic Barrier.
• The Greater Daemon fixed its gaze on Rilano, who stood at the front of the 2nd Assault Platoon in Unyielding-pattern Terminator Armor.

Rilano taunted Daemon Fulgrim to hold his attention while civilians evacuated, then led a Terminator squad into battle against him. Fulgrim’s Psychic blast and charge shattered the central square, leaving two giants standing amid the smoke.

• Rilano realized Fulgrim’s arrival had stalled the enemy and chose to bait him to buy time for the evacuation and reinforcements.
• Rilano insulted Fulgrim, then ordered the Terminators to advance while the other combat units held their positions and protected the civilians.
• Fulgrim gathered Psychic Power and attacked Rilano and the Terminators, whose Energy Screens shielded them from the blast.
• Fulgrim charged Rilano with two curved blades as the chapter recounted the ancient Rilano’s last stand against Fulgrim on Isstvan III.
• Fulgrim’s strike blasted open the central square, and two giants appeared through the smoke.

Fulgrim of the Main Universe arrived in New Argo and confronted Daemon Fulgrim, whose jealousy of Fulgrim’s warm childhood and family fueled their renewed battle. As the fighting shook the city, some Emperor’s Children veterans turned against Chaos while others fled into the Warp, where Alpha infiltrators slipped in under disguise.

• Fulgrim blocked Daemon Fulgrim’s attack and rebuked it for killing Rilano and tormenting New Argo’s innocent inhabitants.
• Daemon Fulgrim recalled Fulgrim’s loving family life, grew jealous, and accused him of clinging to false ideals and serving the False Emperor.
• Fulgrim rejected Daemon Fulgrim’s accusations and charged at it, beginning a clash that shook the battlefield and drove Chaos Creatures toward the Warp.
• Fulgrim’s presence stirred some Emperor’s Children veterans to fight the Demons and Heresy followers, while other Emperor’s Children fled into the Warp.
• Alpha operatives disguised themselves as Emperor’s Children, killed isolated targets, and infiltrated the Warp.

Fulgrim killed Daemon Fulgrim, ending the Warp passage and turning the battle for New Argo in the Sons of Humanity’s favor. As the city was reclaimed and surviving Emperor’s Children surrendered, Fulgrim faced the uncertain fate of those seeking redemption, while Daemon Fulgrim’s consciousness heard a voice welcome him to Hell.

• The Emperor’s Children veterans turned on their corrupted former brothers as Tarvitz rallied the 2nd Assault Platoon to counterattack.
• Sons of Humanity reinforcements descended on New Argo, and the Phoenix Guard joined Tarvitz’s assault.
• Fulgrim stabbed Daemon Fulgrim, tore into his body, and killed him with the Flame Scimitar’s golden fire.
• With Daemon Fulgrim dead, the Warp passage vanished, corrupted forces fled or fell, and the Sons of Humanity reclaimed the city.
• Fulgrim approached the kneeling Emperor’s Children veterans but remained unsure whether they truly wanted to return to humanity.
• Daemon Fulgrim’s consciousness sank into darkness, where a familiar, strange voice told him, “Child, welcome to Hell.”

In Hell, Sui Yang confronted the restored Daemon Fulgrim after reclaiming his essence from Slaanesh and bringing it to the special realm. He condemned Fulgrim for abandoning his ideals and causing vast human casualties, while the Empire counted the devastation of New Argo and prepared for further conflict with Chaos.

• Daemon Fulgrim awoke in Hell with a human body and purple robe, then recognized Sui Yang as the Emperor from Fulgrim's memories.
• Sui Yang explained that he had wrested Fulgrim's essence from Slaanesh and brought it to Hell rather than absorbing it or transferring it to his biological son.
• Sui Yang had ordered Alpharius and Omegon to send Alpha Legion elites into the Warp to seek entry into the Warhammer 40,000 universe and prepare future deployments.
• The Empire assessed New Argo's invasion losses at up to 20 trillion cR, with at least nine million dead and most of the Sons of Humanity's 2nd Company lost.
• Sui Yang told Fulgrim that he had abandoned his ideals and caused the deaths of countless humans, then grew immense and forced Fulgrim to look up at him in fear.

Sui Yang placed the restored Fulgrim in charge of Hell’s second layer, Lust, making him torment the souls of criminals as penance for his own crimes. Fulgrim accepted the role and received the records and authority needed to begin his endless work.

• Fulgrim faced the devastation and deaths caused by his betrayal and struggled with guilt over his past.
• Sui Yang brought Fulgrim to Hell’s second layer, Lust, and declared that he would serve as its agent rather than simply endure punishment.
• Sui Yang explained that Fulgrim would torment the souls of people who had committed grave crimes in life.
• Fulgrim reluctantly accepted the position after Sui Yang ordered him to work endlessly, without rest or vacation.
• Sui Yang transferred temporary authority over Lust and the criminals’ life records to Fulgrim, easing his own burden of managing the layer.

After reviewing the New Argo invasion and the Empire’s growing Chaos threats, Sui Yang prioritized producing Battle Knights and Sisters of Battle and planned to personally oversee their conversion in Universe 13. He postponed aiding the repentant Emperor’s Children in the Halo universe until afterward, and Fulgrim’s incoming call interrupted his planning.

• Sui Yang reviewed reports showing that Chaos had coordinated attacks across the Empire to distract its forces while Slaanesh and Daemon Fulgrim prepared the New Argo warp-gate ritual.
• Sui Yang ordered Alexia’s team to prioritize mass-producing Battle Knights and Sisters of Battle from his Cloned Flesh, while he planned to handle their conversion himself.
• Sui Yang summoned Magnus to the Meditation Hall so Magnus could take his place on the Golden Throne while he traveled to Universe 13.
• Sui Yang considered the returning Emperor’s Children in the Halo universe, but delayed helping them until after the Trench Crusade mission because their condition and the consequences of their invasion required caution.
• Fulgrim sent Sui Yang a real-time communication request.

Fulgrim asked Sui Yang to let more than three thousand repentant Emperor’s Children return to the Empire, arguing they could be purified and made useful despite the devastation they had caused. Sui Yang agreed to judge their redemption and punishment himself, then prepared to travel to New Argo, where the city’s recovery was underway and the former traitors awaited his arrival.

• Fulgrim told Sui Yang that more than three thousand Emperor’s Children wished to return and explained that their bodies and souls were being destroyed after losing Chaos’s protection.
• Fulgrim argued that the Emperor’s Children should receive a chance at rebirth under strict oversight, accepting that the decision could make him a target for public anger and doubts about his loyalty.
• Fulgrim requested that Magnus and the Thousand Wounds Sons treat the returning Astartes, but Sui Yang said he would personally go to Universe 08, Halo, and grant them redemption and punishment.
• Sui Yang warned Fulgrim that rebirth did not mean forgiveness and that he would have to face the people’s anger while protecting the trust and cohesion of the Empire.
• New Argo’s residents received temporary housing, supplies, rescue efforts, and reconstruction support as the devastated city began recovering from the invasion.
• Fulgrim, his Phoenix Guard, and a hundred Custodes guarded the gathered Emperor’s Children in New Argo as they awaited Sui Yang’s arrival.

Sui Yang arrived at New Argo to judge the more than three thousand Emperor's Children who had abandoned Chaos, while Fulgrim and the guards waited under mounting tension. Sui Yang unleashed his Psychic Power, and when the light faded, half the Emperor's Children had vanished while the rest were restored and marked with the character for "Sin."

• The kneeling Emperor's Children endured physical torment as the Phoenix Guard and Custodes guarded them, while the Custodes suspected Fulgrim for pleading on their behalf.
• Fulgrim sensed the Custodes' distrust but accepted it, believing their vigilance would help prove his loyalty to Sui Yang.
• Three Thunderhawk Gunships arrived, and the Emperor's Children reacted with fear, repentance, and acceptance as Sui Yang approached.
• Sui Yang stopped Fulgrim from kneeling, then turned his attention to the kneeling Emperor's Children.
• Sui Yang released a wave of Psychic Power across New Argo's core district, leaving half the Emperor's Children gone and the survivors restored with the character for "Sin" branded on their faces.

Sui Yang restored the surviving Emperor's Children, branded them with the mark of sin, and placed them under Fulgrim's command in the Sons of Humanity while warning them to remain loyal to the Empire. He left Fulgrim to manage the Legion's internal tensions, while revealing that the missing half had been sent to Hell Domain as a reserve force.

• Sui Yang healed half of the Emperor's Children and branded each survivor with the character for sin, while Fulgrim wondered what had happened to the missing half.
• Sui Yang incorporated the survivors into the Sons of Humanity and made Fulgrim responsible for handling their relationships with the Legion and its resentful members.
• Sui Yang crushed the Emperor's Children with Psychic Power and warned them that any renewed allegiance to Chaos, defiance of the Empire, or harm to civilians would bring total destruction.
• Fulgrim recognized that he would have to balance the survivors' integration against the hatred of the 2nd Company and the Offspring of Bountiful Star.
• Sui Yang departed for the Space Gate to Universe 13, leaving Fulgrim to handle the aftermath of the invasion.
• Sui Yang revealed that he had sent the other half of the Emperor's Children, including ancient veterans, to Hell Domain to serve as a reserve force that he could deploy to threatened colonies.

Sui Yang oversaw the reversal of the Knights and Sisters in Universe 13 and discussed the Imperium’s treatment of Chaos with Lion. He placed Universe 13 under Lion’s temporary command while the Imperium focused on reconstruction, military development, and integrating other universes before opening the next Space Gate.

• Sui Yang purified and converted roughly forty thousand Knights and Sisters, then sent them for medical examinations and further research.
• Lion questioned Fulgrim’s decision to accept Chaos Space Marines, and Sui Yang defended judging the choice by the Imperium’s long-term goals rather than punishment alone.
• Alexia urged Lion to be more tolerant, and Lion called her “Mother” for the first time.
• Sui Yang ordered Alexia’s team to solve the mass-production challenge and report on the converted soldiers’ condition.
• Sui Yang told Lion to prepare the Dark Angels for threats in Warhammer 40,000 and said the next Space Gate would wait until New Argo’s reconstruction and Universe 14’s integration were complete.
• Sui Yang temporarily placed Universe 13 under Lion’s command, and Lion pledged to fulfill the responsibility.

Leon S. Kennedy’s vacation ended when the Investigation Department ordered him to lead an intervention beyond the Space Gate. After learning Ada Wang had arranged the call as compensation for their night together, he prepared for work and collected breakfast at his home in New Accra City.

• Leon answered a call from the Investigation Department and learned that a city inhabited by humans and Xenomorphs had been discovered beyond the Space Gate.
• A clerk told Leon that Director Wang had ordered him to command the intervention because the department lacked experienced field commanders.
• Leon realized Ada Wang had likely returned to the office after spending the previous night with him and had interrupted his vacation for her own reasons.
• Leon ordered food, showered, and changed into his agent-grade work clothes.
• Leon watched the morning bustle of New Accra City from his balcony and accepted a delivery from a robot modified from an Aerial Hunter-Killer.

Leon prepared his weapons and equipment, then rode an automated hovercraft from home toward the Imperial Palace while listening to the news. He reached the Relic Base and took manual control to approach a force preparing to enter the quiet seventeenth Space Gate.

• Leon entered his armory, loaded his Pulse Pistol magazines with different rounds, and equipped a Shock Dagger and protective clothing.
• Leon departed for work in his hovercraft and let its smart system pilot him through New Accra City.
• Leon listened to a broadcast about resource disputes in Universe 14 before falling asleep during the journey.
• Leon woke near the Imperial Palace and saw warships, cargo vessels, and other traffic passing through the Space Gates at the Relic Base.
• Leon saw Astartes, Auxilia, and department elites assembling before the seventeenth Space Gate, then took manual control of his hovercraft and drove toward them.

As the Empire prepared to explore Universe 17, Ada Wang briefed Leon on reconnaissance showing a desert world with a human-alien city and an advanced battleship. Reports that the universe also contained psychic energy and a dimension resembling the Warp left the nature of its threats uncertain.

• More than forty thousand personnel assembled at the seventeenth Space Gate as the Thousand Wounds Sons 1st Company prepared to lead the initial unification effort in Universe 17.
• The chapter recounted five years of Imperial growth and the Blood Angels' expansion and combat experience during the Unification Wars in Universe 14.
• Leon traveled by orbital train to the assembly area while Ada Wang sent him reconnaissance data through his holographic glasses.
• Leon examined reports and footage showing a habitable desert environment, a city shared by humans and aliens, and a heavily armed interstellar battleship.
• Ada Wang told Leon that the Thousand Wounds Sons' Librarian had sensed psychic energy and signs of a Warp-like dimension, and Leon asked what the Intelligence Department had concluded.

Leon led more than six hundred Investigation Department and Special Operations Group personnel through the Space Gate into Universe 17 to investigate the Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, and unusual Force-related phenomena. The team arrived over a desert world identified as Jedha and headed toward a temporary outpost before traveling to a city about a thousand kilometers away.

• Ada briefed Leon on intelligence identifying the Galactic Empire, its ruler Sheev Palpatine, and the strategic Kyber Crystals found on Jedha.
• Leon met Mike, Maggie Shaw, David Martinez, Lucy, Rebecca, and other personnel at Landing Pad 07, then took command of the mission.
• Leon ordered the team to infiltrate and survey Universe 17 while the Engineering Department built a Space Gate Frontline Base.
• The Investigation Department personnel boarded Black Falcon Assault Craft and passed through the Space Gate in organized groups.
• Leon saw the Engineering Department constructing the Frontline Base in the desert and learned that the Emperor's Psychic Power and the Space Gate's shielding concealed it from outsiders.
• The pilots took Leon's craft toward a temporary outpost at the edge of the shielding range, from which the team would travel to a nearby city.