Chapter Summaries

Grey fought Khorne's Chosen to give Alvin a chance, then sacrificed himself with a Meltagun grenade that badly burned the enemy. The blast revealed that Khorne's Chosen was Chris, with Emerich's head embedded in her abdomen, leaving Alvin shocked by the truth.

• Grey attacked Khorne's Chosen but was overpowered and suffered severe internal injuries.
• Grey severed Khorne's Chosen's left arm, but the enemy threw him to the ground and declared victory.
• Grey said he had never expected to survive and threw his Power sword before detonating a Meltagun grenade.
• The explosion melted through Khorne's Chosen's armor and killed Grey.
• Alvin recognized Chris beneath the armor and saw that Emerich's head had been embedded in her abdomen.

Alvin confronted Chris after Chaos Sorcery fused Emerich’s head into her abdomen, and learned that her jealousy and Khorne’s blessings had turned her into a terrifying killer. With psychic power barely affecting her, Alvin realized he would have to face her at close quarters and seek a chance to decapitate her.

• Alvin recognized that Chris’s eighth birthday and the circumstances of her discovery were tied to Khorne’s sacred number, and struggled to understand why he had missed the clue.
• Emerich begged Alvin to help him escape, while Chris raged that her brother belonged only to her and blamed his dead lover for taking him away.
• Chris attacked Alvin with her Daemon axe, chipped his Adamantium Power sword, and nearly forced him to his knees despite his Bio-armor.
• Alvin unleashed Psychic Impact and hurled Chris into a crowd of Cultists, but she remained unharmed and killed several bystanders.
• Alvin concluded that psychic powers would not defeat Chris and decided his only chance was to fight her in close quarters and cut off her head.

Alvin fought Chris after Grey weakened her, using his Power sword, damaged Mark V, and improvised technology to nearly kill her. Chris broke free at the brink of death, received all eight of Khorne's blessings, and towered over Alvin, who faced her fury.

• Alvin ignored Diz's question about whether they could win and charged Chris, briefly pushing beyond his human limits.
• Alvin used the damaged Mark V to bombard Chris, but she cleaved it apart with her axe.
• Alvin trapped Chris with an S.H.I.E.L.D. dispersal Energy Bar and Gravity Uranium, pinning her beneath crushing gravity.
• Alvin swung his Power sword at Chris's neck as Third Company cheered, but Chris blocked the strike with her axe and broke free.
• Chris swelled into a monstrous form after receiving all eight of Khorne's blessings and threatened Alvin over her bond with her brother.

Alvin fought Chris, using his psychic power to propel himself despite the severe injuries it caused him. He wounded her and seized her Daemon axe, but Chris remained ready to continue the battle.

• Alvin chose to stay and fight Chris rather than abandon Third Company and flee.
• Alvin used psychic power to launch himself at Chris, wounding her shoulder while injuring himself in the process.
• Alvin temporarily overpowered Chris with a desperate strike, breaking the bones in his left arm.
• Alvin cut open Chris's chest and tried to attack Emerich, but Chris grabbed his Power sword and punched him away.
• Chris reached for her Daemon axe and found it missing; Alvin revealed that he had taken it.

Alvin defeated Chris after Emerich briefly took control of their fused body and gave him a Power sword. Emerich and Chris died, leaving Alvin with a warning about the man in black and a plea for the Emperor to protect him.

• Alvin revealed that he had sent Chris's Daemon axe to the Xenomorph Universe, enraging her.
• Emerich broke free of Chris's control long enough to tear away her Khorne-blessed armor and offer Alvin his Power sword.
• Alvin took the sword and beheaded Chris, ending the battle.
• Emerich asked whether the Emperor would forgive him and Chris, and Alvin assured him that He would.
• Emerich warned Alvin that an old man in black had corrupted Chris and fused the siblings together, then died.
• Alvin closed Emerich's eyes and wished that the Emperor would protect him and Chris.

Alvin defeated the Blood God’s champion, but Third Company was soon trapped by a horde of Daemons as his strength and ammunition ran low. Tucker arrived in time to rescue him, leaving the company’s escape still uncertain.

• Alvin killed the Chosen of the Gods, and the Cultists hailed him as their Champion while allowing Third Company to leave.
• Alvin led the forty-seven surviving men deeper into the Middle Hive, where they were overwhelmed by Daemons and forced into a building.
• As Third Company’s defenses collapsed and Alvin neared a berserk rage, Tucker burst in and fought back the Daemons with his Chainsword and Bolter.
• Tucker told Alvin that an inexplicable impulse had led him to search for him, and he was amazed to find Alvin alive.

Garken Hadley delayed his agreement with Rosales and offered the ancient ruins’ location in exchange for killing the person who defeated Khorne’s Chosen. He revealed his ambition to use Losel’s chaos as part of a vast scheme to become a Daemon Prince.

• Rosales confronted Garken Hadley in the desecrated Ecclesiarchy temple and demanded that he honor their agreement.
• Garken explained that Khorne’s Chosen had lost and asked Rosales to wait before the cult took the entire Hive City.
• Garken offered to reveal the ancient ruins in exchange for Rosales killing the unknown victor who had defeated Khorne’s Chosen.
• Rosales accepted the task but warned Garken not to delay again, while privately distrusting his oath to Tzeentch.
• After Rosales left, Garken revealed that he intended to plunge Losel and the wider Imperium into greater chaos so he could ascend as a Daemon Prince.

Horn Valshius drove the Sword of Redemption through a dangerous Warp Storm to reach Losel Hive and find the Valshius Dynasty’s heir. After emerging safely, he prepared to send Drop Pods to the planet, where imperial forces were also heading.

• Horn ordered the ship to continue through the Warp and commanded the boarding party to kill everyone in the lower decks after Chaos signs were detected.
• The Machine Spirit warned Horn that he was the last living bearer of the Valshius bloodline and relayed the High Lords’ advice that he avoid the front lines.
• Horn rejected the High Lords’ concern, resolved to save the Valshius Dynasty, and prayed to the Emperor to help him find its heir.
• The Warp Storm subsided, and the Sword of Redemption emerged near Losel Hive as messages arrived from Imperial forces bound for the planet.
• Horn ordered the Drop Pods prepared and set out to find Alvin Valshius.

After a Chaos ambush left Albert Amos’s strike cruiser badly damaged, he led it through a suddenly opened route out of the Warp. The ship emerged in the Veiled Sector near rebellious Losel Hive World, and Albert wondered whether the All-Father had guided them there.

• Albert Amos learned that twenty-seven battle-brothers had died in the ambush and reluctantly ordered the cruiser to seek repairs rather than pursue the surviving Chaos Astartes.
• The pilot found a stable route through the Warp Storm, and Albert ordered the damaged cruiser to take it toward the nearest Mandeville Point.
• The cruiser emerged from the Warp, and the pilot reported that they had arrived in the Veiled Sector instead of the Far Eastern Sector.
• The pilot identified rebellious Losel Hive World in the Nachmund Gauntlet as the nearest supply point, and Albert wondered if the All-Father had guided them there.

Tuck took command of Third Company and led its surviving soldiers through the Daemon tide while carrying the gravely wounded Alvin. Their hopes of rescue were crushed when a captured Planetary Defense Cannon destroyed the approaching gunship, leaving the cannon as the obstacle to Imperial reinforcements.

• Tuck took command after Alvin approved his orders, then bound the unconscious Alvin to his back and organized Third Company into assault, support, and rearguard groups.
• Tuck led the more than forty surviving soldiers through the Daemons toward the human stronghold, while warning that the defenders had at most three days without reinforcements.
• A gunship appeared in the sky, and Tuck identified it as reinforcements, but the Planetary Defense Cannon destroyed it with a blast.
• Tuck blamed the Upper-hive nobles for letting Chaos seize the cannon, and Diz offered to help destroy it.
• Tuck explained that the Planetary Defense Cannon could prevent Imperial forces from landing unless they used an ultra-long-distance teleportation to attack it.

Garken prepared a trap for the incoming Imperial forces, while Aruman explained to Alvin why his survival mattered and revealed that Alvin was the last living descendant of the Valshius bloodline. The chapter ended with Alvin learning that Valshius would incinerate the planet if he died there.

• Garken refused to stop Tucker’s squad from approaching the orbital defense cannons and ordered Rosales to unleash a Daemon Engine.
• Aruman gave Alvin a necklace that suppressed his Psychic Power and showed him the Warp rift tearing open the physical universe.
• Aruman told Alvin that the rift could make Psykers lose control, become possessed, or cause another Stormfront.
• Aruman revealed that Alvin was the last living descendant of the Valshius bloodline, confirmed by a physical examination.
• Aruman explained that Valshius would burn the entire planet if Alvin died there.

Alvin learned that the Valshius forces planned to evacuate him while Tuck led a squad to disable the orbital defenses, and he discovered that Inquisitor Winnie’s death could lead to an Extermination Order. As he explored the crowded settlement with Aruman, he saw Psykers restrained with Automated Confession Devices to prevent Warp-related loss of control.

• Aruman told Alvin that Tuck was leading an elite squad to destroy the planet’s orbital defense cannons and that the Valshius cruiser Sword of Redemption had arrived, while Imperial reinforcements had not.
• Aruman explained that the Valshius might evacuate Alvin rather than defend Losel, and Alvin worried about the planet’s fate.
• Alvin gave Aruman the Rose Knot, and Aruman concluded that Inquisitor Winnie was dead and Losel could receive an Extermination Order because her teacher was Charles Gransol.
• Aruman agreed that they had to conceal Winnie’s death for now, then accompanied Alvin as he went out to look around.
• Alvin saw Psykers wearing Automated Confession Devices, and Aruman explained that the helmets suppressed Warp influence and helped prevent them from losing control.

Horn contacted Raimon Pollian of the Watcher Chapter and offered a lavish reward for rescuing Alvin Valshius from Losel. Raimon sent Thunderhawk Gunships toward the planet, while Tuck’s squad destroyed the orbital defenses and spotted the incoming Astartes.

• Horn weighed sending Drop Pods against opening a dangerous psychic portal to reach Losel’s surface.
• Raimon asked Horn for details about the rescue mission, and Horn promised the Watcher Chapter a major reward if they saved Alvin.
• After reviewing Losel’s intelligence, Raimon ordered squads three, four, and five to make a forced orbital insertion, prioritizing Alvin’s rescue over killing heretics.
• The Watcher Chapter’s Thunderhawk Gunships launched toward Losel as Tuck’s Third Company squad destroyed the orbital defense cannons.
• Tuck saw the Thunderhawk Gunship streak across the sky and shouted that the Emperor’s Angels had arrived.

Company Commander Raimon sent Astartes to Losel Hive to locate and rescue Alvin, and the Thunderhawk changed its landing site after the orbital defense cannons were destroyed. The Astartes landed in the Upper-hive, cut through the demons, and reached the mortal defenders.

• Raimon dispatched three tactical squads and ordered a Tech-Aide to gather detailed information about Losel and its cults.
• Alvin recognized the approaching Thunderhawk, and Aruman told him the Astartes were probably coming for him.
• After learning that the planetary orbital defense cannons had been destroyed, Raimon redirected the Thunderhawk to land near them and ordered his forces to link up with the resistance.
• The Thunderhawk's Heavy Bolters cleared a path through flying demons before it landed in the Upper-hive.
• Lyon led the Astartes from the gunship, and the squads formed a spearhead to advance through the demonic tide.
• Tuck and the other mortal defenders saw the Astartes reach their position near the orbital defense cannons.

Lyon’s Astartes joined Tuck’s defenders and learned that Alvin Valshius was their target, while Tuck discovered they had not come to save Losel. Meanwhile, Garken welcomed the Astartes’ arrival as part of a larger scheme.

• Lyon’s Astartes secured the orbital facility and met Tuck, who shared intelligence about Losel’s desperate situation.
• Lyon showed Tuck a hologram of Alvin Valshius, and Tuck identified him as their Company Commander.
• Tuck asked whether the Astartes had come to save the defenders, but Lyon’s silence made clear that their mission was only to find Alvin and withdraw.
• Garken told Rosales that roughly thirty Astartes had landed near the Upper-hive, then reassured him that everything was under control.
• Garken welcomed the Astartes’ arrival as an opportunity to make his performance more exciting.

Lyon and the Astartes found Alvin and prepared to evacuate him from Losel, but Tucker and Aruman refused to leave. As Lyon tried to take Alvin to the Thunderhawk, a Hell Dragon destroyed the gunship and unleashed a new assault on the defenders.

• Lyon led the Astartes through the daemonic horde and found Alvin alive at the gathering point.
• Raimon ordered the Thunderhawk Gunship to retrieve Alvin and the Astartes to return to the strike cruiser.
• Tucker and Aruman told Alvin to leave without them, but Alvin refused to abandon them.
• Lyon carried Alvin toward the landing site as the Thunderhawk prepared to descend.
• A Hell Dragon appeared in the clouds and destroyed the Thunderhawk with its flames.
• Lyon ordered his squad to hold the line as daemons and Khorne's cultists surged toward the camp.

Garken sabotaged the Automated Confession Devices, causing forty-seven Psykers to explode and opening a massive Warp Rift that swept Alvin into the Warp. There, Alvin faced the attention of several Chaos powers and was challenged to an honorable duel by Skarage.

• The Psykers in the Department of Justice cells lost control and exploded, killing the inspector as the Warp consumed them.
• Garken revealed that he had altered the Automated Confession Devices to trigger the Psykers’ deaths, then mocked the Emperor and praised the Lord of Change.
• Garken’s Psychic Power tore open a rift hundreds of meters wide, threatening to connect with another rift and battering the minds of everyone nearby.
• Alvin was dragged into the Warp, where the gaze of the being in the crystal maze and the master of the Brass Throne tormented him.
• Skarage, servant of the Blood God, challenged Alvin to an honorable duel, and Alvin resolved to stop calling his enemies cowards.

Alvin fought Skara in Khorne’s Stair Fortress but was overwhelmed by the Bloodthirster and the Warp’s backlash. Winnie Winslet appeared, defeated Skara with golden flames, and escaped with Alvin, leaving Khorne’s domain ablaze and Khorne furious at the Imperium.

• Skara attacked Alvin with his iron whip and axe, but Alvin used Psychic Impact to deflect the axe and survive another blow.
• The Warp struck back against Alvin, leaving him helpless as Skara raised his axe to kill him.
• Winnie Winslet appeared beside Alvin, identified herself as an angel wielding the Emperor’s power, and wounded Skara with her golden-flaming sword.
• Winnie unleashed golden flames across the Stair Fortress, destroying Khorne’s daemons and enraging Khorne.
• Winnie grabbed Alvin and vanished as Khorne hurled his giant axe, then Khorne turned his wrath toward the Imperium.

Lyon and the remaining defenders fought to hold their stronghold after a conspiracy triggered a Warp Rift and unleashed Tzeentch daemons. Raimon ordered a teleportation assault, and a Terminator arrived to turn the battle against the daemons.

• Lyon’s three tactical squads and Tucker’s guardsmen held the line as Tzeentch daemons poured through a Warp Rift caused by erupting psykers.
• Aruman blamed tampered Automated Confession Devices, while Raimon realized the uprising involved a conspiracy targeting the Astartes and ordered Lyon to deploy Teleportation Beacons.
• The Chapter Serf ordered the Terminators to teleport in after the beacons were deployed.
• A Terminator arrived in a storm of lightning, destroyed a Chaos Knight with his Power Fist, and blasted a Tzeentch Flamer with his Storm Bolter.
• Lyon and Tucker rallied their forces as the Terminator smashed through the daemon lines.

Winnie Winslet rescued Alvin from Khorne's Stairway Fortress in the Warp, revealed she had become a Living Saint, and warned him to beware the mastermind behind Losel's troubles. Alvin returned to a city overwhelmed by daemons as Tuck told him the Warp Rift had opened and the battle was about to intensify.

• Winnie proved her identity to Alvin by using the golden flames of her Knight Sword and revealed she was a Living Saint.
• Alvin asked Winnie to return with him and help defeat the Hell Dragon, but she refused and said Losel's problems were his responsibility.
• Winnie warned Alvin to stay alive and be careful of the mastermind, withholding that she had rescued him to prevent his corruption and ascension as a Daemon Prince.
• Winnie sent Alvin back to the physical universe with a psychic slap, where he saw the Watchers Chapter fighting daemons amid an enormous Warp Rift.
• Tuck told Alvin the Warp Rift had opened and that he could stay to fight alongside them as daemon forces flooded the Mid-hive.