Chapter Summaries

The Imperium fleet led by Lion overwhelmed the Necron defenses around Yog-Sothoth’s unfinished pyramid, but its shield stopped every attack. Lion ordered a strike team to teleport inside and seize the fortress.

• Yog-Sothoth combined its power with Necron industry to build a vast pyramid that consumed a star and formed a powerful shield.
• The Lion Lion led an Imperial fleet through a breach in the Necron defenses, destroying ships and structures with attacks informed by secrets the Necrons had surrendered.
• Imperial vessels used temporal devices to reconstruct themselves after destruction, while Lion watched the battle from the Invincible Truth.
• The Necron pyramid’s invisible shield redirected the Imperium’s attacks, prompting Lion to ask his sage how it worked.
• After the sage estimated that scanning and reverse-engineering the shield would take days, Lion ordered a team sent inside through higher-dimensional teleportation.

Lion led an assault into the Necron pyramid, killed its Overlord, and brought the structure under Imperium control. On Macragge’s Honour, Calgar considered how to strike the enemy’s rear while searching for Abaddon.

• Lion and his honor guard teleported through the pyramid’s shield and fought their way toward its central systems, aiming to disable it without destroying it.
• Lion’s forces cut through waves of Necron defenders as other squads fought to seize the pyramid’s control centers and Energy Cores.
• The Necron Overlord refused to surrender, reflected on the cycle of defeat, and allowed Lion to cut off its head.
• The Tech-Priests sent the captured pyramid’s analyzed data and intelligence to Guilliman.
• A commander proposed dividing Calgar’s forces to attack enemy logistics, but Calgar focused on locating Abaddon.

Calgar’s war council planned to trap Abaddon’s forces by establishing Anti-Warp fields, and Queller won the Lamenters the mission to conquer the corrupted world of Vann within fifteen days. Abaddon secretly watched the Imperials’ movements and hoped Calgar’s attack would create an opportunity for Honsou and Vashtorr to strike.

• An Intelligence Officer briefed Calgar and the gathered commanders on Abaddon’s location and the difficulty of preventing his escape.
• A Tech-Priest proposed linking Anti-Warp arrays across corrupted planets to seal the enemy inside Cadia, and Queller volunteered the Lamenters.
• Calgar assigned the Lamenters the conquest of Vann, giving them fifteen days before other forces would be sent to assist.
• Abaddon used bound Oracles to view Calgar’s fleet moving along a secret route and anticipated that Honsou and Vashtorr would exploit the coming battle.
• Abaddon reflected that he would avoid confronting Guilliman until the Imperium’s eventual decline gave him a better chance to reclaim his honor.

Abaddon learned through visions that the Imperium was winning across every front, but his attempt to observe Guilliman caused the Oracle ritual to collapse. After ordering his sorcerers to find Guilliman indirectly, Abaddon watched them restart the ritual with new Oracles.

• Abaddon saw visions of the Imperium defeating Chaos, the Necrons, and the Orks, with Guilliman's victory over Yog-Sothoth's avatar poised to decide the war.
• Abaddon asked to see what Guilliman was doing, and the flames erupted as the visions shattered and the Oracles burned.
• A dark sorcerer told Abaddon that a powerful force had blocked their observation of Guilliman, and Abaddon ordered the sorcerers to find his location.
• Abaddon killed a dark sorcerer who called Guilliman a possible new god and commanded the others not to speak that way again.
• The sorcerers replaced the dead Oracles and restarted the ritual, while Abaddon decided to track an ordinary person accompanying Guilliman instead.

Abaddon abandoned his attempts to observe Guilliman after the Oracles repeatedly burned to ash, then the story shifted to Constantine and Zatanna relaxing aboard the Sovereign Supreme. Constantine entertained Imperial citizens with an account of Titus confronting Zeus, leaving the crowd eager to hear how the battle ended.

• Abaddon killed a dark sorcerer after another attempt to observe Guilliman failed, then ordered his followers to stop and monitor the Cancerous Legion instead.
• The chapter described the Sovereign Supreme as a vast mobile throne world whose Webway connection let merchants supply its immense population.
• Constantine and Zatanna visited a bar aboard the Sovereign Supreme, where they used its projection tables and observed Imperial citizens relaxing and talking.
• Constantine told the gathered patrons about Titus's battle against the gods of Olympus, recounting Zeus's threats and the opening of their fight.
• Constantine paused to drink water after describing Zeus's attack, while the listeners urged him to continue.

Constantine and Zatanna traveled from the Sovereign Supreme through the Webway toward Terra, where Kitan explained the sacrifices behind the Atonement Astronomican. Meanwhile, Guilliman assessed the growing threats around Cadia and sought to buy time for an Ork Warlord to defeat Bonebreaker and take control of the Orks.

• Constantine enthralled a bar crowd with an embellished account of Titus defeating Zeus, then left with Zatanna when their Terra clearance was approved.
• Constantine and Zatanna rode through the Webway, witnessed its terrifying reality-distorting mist, and arrived in a vast city before boarding a ship for Terra.
• Kitan told Constantine that traitors were imprisoned and burned to fuel the Atonement Astronomican, and Constantine vowed to visit them on Terra.
• Guilliman learned that the Cancerous Legion had supplied the Necrons with new weapons and ordered Lion to analyze the technology.
• Guilliman's commanders debated the Cadia campaign, and he asked them to delay the enemy reinforcements so an evolving Ork Warlord could defeat Bonebreaker and take control of the Orks.
• Guilliman calmed a dispute between Erkas and Andrei, then asked his commanders how they could buy the Ork Warlord at least three days.

Guilliman considered how to exploit the Imperium’s Ork-breeding and Micro-universe technology, then left the generals to refine a plan for deploying Orks onto Kill Star. He arrived at the Waaagh! device as Ufthak’s evolution finished, revealing the transformed Ork Warlord.

• A scar-faced general proposed intercepting the enemy directly, but a Tech-Priest argued for using Orks and Micro-universes to avoid wasting Imperial soldiers.
• The Tech-Priest explained how shifting a Micro-universe’s exit could secretly deploy Orks on Kill Star, while warning that the experimental technology had limits and could be detected by the Cancerous Legion.
• Erkas questioned using an unstable technology in a war, but the Tech-Priest cited a ninety-eight percent success rate and described its potential to hide deployments from enemies and Warp gods.
• After learning that the Ork Warlord’s evolution was complete, Guilliman ordered the generals to refine their proposal and left with the Void Dragon.
• Guilliman reached the Waaagh! device, where Cegorach, Aeldari Farseers, Sicarius, Valano, and Chapter Masters awaited him.
• The energy pool revealed Ufthak, now larger and more powerful, though he still had no reproductive organs.

Ufthak evolved into a gigantic Ork warlord, was forced by Guilliman to abandon his demands, and received armor before taking command of Orks gathered in Micro-universes. As Ufthak prepared to overthrow Bonebreaker and become Ork Emperor, Mar-Vell and Horus assembled a resurrection-powered squad to assassinate Guilliman on behalf of Yog-Sothoth.

• Ufthak and his Ork Boyz emerged from the energy pool transformed, and Ufthak demanded more weapons and ships from Guilliman.
• Guilliman forced Ufthak and the Boyz to kneel, warned Ufthak that he would replace him if he defied the Imperium again, and Ufthak renewed his pledge of loyalty.
• Tech-priests equipped Ufthak and his Ork leaders with armor and weapons, then Guilliman sent them into Micro-universes, where Ufthak subdued the Ork tribes and took command.
• Guilliman's forces supplied Ufthak with salvaged war materiel and prepared a plan for him to enter Kill Star's system and replace Bonebreaker as Ork Emperor.
• On corrupted Planet Cadia, Mar-Vell and his subordinates planned an assassination squad under Horus, whom Yog-Sothoth had appointed to lead an attack on Guilliman.

Mar-Vell prepared the Cancerverse Heroes to assassinate Guilliman as the Imperium drove its enemies toward Cadia, while Ufthak defeated Bonebreaker and claimed the title of Ork Emperor. Guilliman, Lion, and Dorn prepared to reclaim Cadia and continue a new Great Crusade across the Multiverse.

• Mar-Vell told Odin, Thanos, Phoenix, Bruce Banner, and Captain Universe that the Cancerous Legion would lose unless they wounded or killed Guilliman with their cursed weapons.
• Ufthak arrived at Kill Star and publicly challenged Bonebreaker for the Ork Emperor’s throne.
• Ufthak fought Bonebreaker in a ruined city, endured a crushing blow, and killed him by severing his head with his cleaver.
• The Orks accepted Ufthak as their new Emperor after he raised Bonebreaker’s head and roared.
• The Imperium’s enemies retreated to the Kalia battlefield and built defenses near the Cadia System as Guilliman’s forces gathered for a decisive battle.
• Guilliman, Lion, and Dorn discussed reclaiming Cadia and launching a new Great Crusade to rescue their suffering brothers across the Multiverse.

Guilliman assembled the Imperium’s forces and rallied humanity before leading an assault on Cadia, where Yog-Sothoth’s defenses trapped the world in Shadow Space. Guilliman was separated from his allies and confronted Horus, Yog-Sothoth’s avatar, at the Cancerous Legion’s headquarters, where their battle began.

• Valano, the Primarchs, and Imperial forces prepared for war as Chapters and successor Chapters gathered for the campaign to reclaim Cadia.
• Guilliman held a fleet-wide oath-taking ceremony, denounced the Chaos Gods, and inspired humanity to cry, “Slay the false Gods! Burn the Daemons!”
• The Imperial fleet attacked Cadia, but Necron defenses and Yog-Sothoth’s Shadow Space blocked the advance; Ufthak’s Orks turned on the Necrons and helped break their lines.
• Guilliman opened a path into Shadow Space and led Lion, Dorn, and other heroes in a teleport assault, but Yog-Sothoth’s interference scattered the forces across corrupted Cadia.
• Guilliman was transported to the Cancerous Legion’s headquarters, where Horus, possessed by Yog-Sothoth’s avatar, confronted him; Guilliman attacked with the Emperor’s Sword and began a battle with Horus’s warhammer.

The Imperium’s forces fought their way across Cadia toward the central fortress as Guilliman battled Horus and his Cancerverse allies. Abaddon betrayed Horus and seized control, but Lord Cypher then wounded Abaddon and helped free Guilliman’s warriors, leaving the fortress battle unresolved.

• Dante, Mephiston, and Astorath led the Blood Angels through the enemy ranks, and Dante killed Cancerous Thor.
• Imperial forces, including Anya’s Titans, the White Scars, and Ufthak’s Orks, advanced toward the central fortress while Lion and Dorn gathered the scattered troops.
• Guilliman defeated Cancerverse Odin, Thanos, Phoenix, and Dr. Banner, then grievously wounded Horus with the Emperor’s Sword.
• After a shadow stabbed Guilliman and Horus wounded him, Abaddon struck Horus from behind with the Guardian Spear and claimed victory.
• Abaddon refused Guilliman’s surrender and prepared to kill him, but a disguised attacker stabbed Abaddon and identified himself as Lord Cypher.
• Lord Cypher shot at the enemies surrounding the Primaris Warriors, creating an opening for them to reach Guilliman.

Guilliman survived Abaddon's attack with Lord Cypher's help and recognized that his victories had made him dangerously arrogant. As Dorn and the Imperium's forces breached the fortress, the Cancerous Legion's defeat became inevitable.

• The three Primaris Warriors broke free of their opponents and formed a shielded defensive ring around the wounded Guilliman.
• Guilliman examined his bloodied hand, admitted that he had grown arrogant, and warned himself that his pride could doom the Imperium.
• Abaddon ordered his forces to kill Lord Cypher after Cypher's intervention ruined his chance to kill Guilliman.
• Lord Cypher fought through the mechanical puppets and Chaos traitors as Huron and Honsou moved to attack him.
• Dorn pierced Mar-Vell and hurled him through the fortress, while the Imperium's army stormed inside and the Cancerous Legion's resistance collapsed.

Dorn defeated Mar-Vell, and Guilliman purified Cadia before sending his brothers on new missions and returning to Terra. Meanwhile, Archmagos Kren’s expedition reached Andromeda, where the Leagues of Votann feared the Imperium, while visitors to Terra heard a tortured prisoner denounce Guilliman as a liar.

• Dorn killed Mar-Vell, while Abaddon and Lord Cypher withdrew and the Imperial warriors secured Guilliman inside the fortress.
• Guilliman ordered the warriors to keep his injuries secret, then used the Emperor’s Sword to burn away Cadia’s corruption and restore the planet to the real universe.
• Guilliman assigned Lion to reclaim the Eye of Terror and Dorn to build outpost bases in other universes before returning to the Sovereign Supreme.
• Archmagos Kren’s fleet arrived in Andromeda, encountered the human-led Leagues of Votann, and invited them to join the Imperium’s influence as their envoys concealed their fear.
• On Terra, Constantine, Zatanna, and the Cross-Universe Study Group toured the Astronomican and heard a tortured giant accuse Guilliman of stealing the Lectitio Divinitatus and urge them to overthrow him.

Constantine’s study group toured the Astronomican Prison and saw the crimes of the Chaos traitors, while the God-Emperor began a secret plan to recover and resurrect fallen heroes. Elsewhere, Lion killed the Silent King, and Imperial forces received new orders as Khaine and Andy departed on separate campaigns, leaving their child Arthas on Natal.

• Constantine’s group saw Lorgar and Erebus imprisoned and toured the Wall of Sin, where the guide showed them records of the traitors’ atrocities.
• The God-Emperor returned to the Sovereign Supreme and tasked the Adeptus Custodes and Sisters of Silence with secretly gathering the souls of fallen heroes for their eventual resurrection.
• The Silent King refused to release the Nightbringer shard and chose to face Lion, who beheaded him and ordered his body placed inside a Necron warship as a tomb.
• After the Battle of Cadia, Khaine and Andy left on separate campaigns, while their child Arthas remained on Natal with a future mission awaiting him.

Minka returned to Cadia with its surviving veterans as the Imperium began rebuilding the world and prepared an expedition into the Eye of Terror. Meanwhile, Sage Kren pursued the Leagues of Votann while preparing for war, and the Leagues’ rulers debated whether the Imperium’s forces were servants of the Dark King.

• Minka watched reconstruction begin on Cadia, remembered her parents and fallen comrades, and welcomed the surviving veterans home.
• Minka learned that the Cadians would join the Imperium’s advance into the Eye of Terror to avenge their losses.
• Sage Kren urged the Leagues of Votann to coexist with and join the Imperium while secretly requesting instructions from Terra and preparing his forces for war.
• The chapter recounted how the Leagues of Votann escaped the Iron Men Rebellion and the threat of the Dark King by fleeing the Milky Way with humanity’s core Database.
• At an emergency meeting on Sorian, a robed man demanded that the Leagues mobilize against the Imperium, claiming its people were servants of the Dark King rather than their kin.

The Leagues of Votann council passed a war bill against their Milky Way kin, while farmers like Wesker learned of the coming conflict and considered enlistment. In Universe 01, Dorn inspected the Imperium’s production of rule-type items intended to help conquer other universes.

• Colin Gungin and other war advocates argued for attacking the Milky Way kin, while Senator Padin called for peace talks, but the council voted to approve the war bill.
• Senator Padin warned colleagues that the vote would exploit internal divisions and that the council might regret its decision.
• On Velo, Wesker saw an Alliance warship and later learned at a tavern that the war bill had passed and the ship had come to recruit soldiers.
• Wesker considered enlisting after hearing about the high recruitment bonuses and the chance to escape his debt-bound life.
• In Universe 01, Dorn inspected a factory producing rule-type items and examined a Bunny Baron doll designed to draw enemies’ hatred.
• A supervisor told Dorn that the Bunny Series was popular with other universes’ natives and had been designed to keep them exchanging for items that would aid the Imperium’s conquests.

Dorn inspected the Imperium’s Bunny Doll factory and learned how mass-produced rule-type items helped control native populations and secure logistics in Universe 01. After traveling toward the front lines with Yvraine, he confronted the universe’s horrifying corruption and wondered how long its war had lasted.

• Dorn watched Bunny Dolls being manufactured and considered how the Imperium used points and items to recruit natives as spies and saboteurs.
• Dorn recognized that Guilliman had sent him to secure production in Universe 01, where the Imperium anchored colonies against the Warp by building statues of the God-Emperor.
• Dorn left the factory and ordered his group to travel to the front lines to see the enemy.
• Dorn and Yvraine crossed the corrupted void aboard a warship protected by a reinforced Geller Field and Guilliman’s will.
• Yvraine warned Dorn not to stare at the void, and Dorn said he was confused about how long the war had lasted.

Dorn led Imperial forces to reclaim the corrupted Beta PE72 System, turning the battle around and establishing an Anti-Warp Field. Meanwhile, Abaddon and Vashtorr remained trapped as the Grey Knights, Black Templars, and Calgar closed in on them.

• Dorn reached the Beta PE72 System, reviewed the failed campaign, and planned to build defenses and use captured Chaos creatures as laborers.
• O'Neill and the Imperial forces struggled against Bigmouth Monsters that resisted their weapons, confined space, and overwhelmed a Knight and O'Neill.
• Dorn arrived on the battlefield and destroyed the Bigmouth Monsters, allowing the Adeptus Mechanicus to complete The Beacon, Guilliman's statue, and the Anti-Warp Device.
• The restored laws of nature drove the Chaos creatures back into the Warp, and Dorn ordered Imperial forces to capture intelligent creatures and contact Corax about assembling a Daemon labor force.
• Abaddon, Vashtorr, and their allies fought to escape while the Grey Knights and Black Templars pursued them and Calgar blocked the route to the Eye of Terror.

Calgar led an Imperial assault into the Arks of Omen and defeated Abaddon, though a cursed weapon left him gravely wounded. On the war-torn front, Su Xiao secretly switched allegiance to the Imperium and continued killing Players, ending with a new target in sight.

• Calgar trapped Abaddon's fleet inside the Pariah Nexus and ordered his forces to board the Arks of Omen and capture the traitors.
• Calgar's strike force fought through the Arks, then Calgar battled Abaddon and beat him unconscious, but the Trident's power left Calgar unable to stand.
• Black Templars and Grey Knights joined the assault, and Imperial forces captured Huron, Honsou, Vashtorr, Abaddon, and the wounded Calgar for transport to Terra.
• Su Xiao judged the Reincarnation Game's position to be failing, changed his appearance, and joined the Imperium while concealing his identity.
• Su Xiao continued fighting for the Imperium with its logistical support, killed another Player, and selected a beautiful female Player as his next target.

Su Xiao killed Kafu Nao and helped the Imperium defeat the last Reincarnation Game Players before gaining the Dark Zeus Bloodline. Meanwhile, the Leagues of Votann betrayed an Imperium peace delegation, and Dulin watched the Imperium warships reverse their destruction and begin a counterattack.

• Su Xiao used his ancient sword and items to kill Kafu Nao, then continued fighting until the Imperium Players defeated the final Reincarnation Game Player.
• Su Xiao returned to Rest Area 6130, recovered, and exchanged his battle earnings for Zeus's bloodline, which combined with his curse to become the Dark Zeus Bloodline.
• Sage Kren met the Leagues of Votann to discuss peace, but their ambassador shot him and League soldiers attacked the delegation.
• The Third Captain of the Explorer Chapter led surviving diplomats to safety as fighting erupted around the Imperium's Celestial-class Warship.
• Dulin's League fleet initially destroyed Imperium ships, but Chronos-Reset Devices restored them, and the Imperium vessels gathered to counterattack.