Chapter Summaries

Bruce Wayne used Barbatos’s power to build the Dark Justice League and infiltrated Gotham City in Parallel Universe No. 03512 to retrieve another fragment. After he slaughtered gang members and arranged their remains as a bat symbol, that world’s Batman suppressed news of the murders and began investigating.

• Bruce Wayne had broken Barbatos’s seals across parallel universes, gathered allies and powerful artifacts, and formed the Dark Knights and a Dark Justice League to oppose the Imperium.
• Bruce Wayne entered Gotham City in Parallel Universe No. 03512 under another identity, intending to take Barbatos’s sealed fragment and recruit potential allies.
• Several gang members followed Bruce Wayne into a dark alley to rob him, but he killed them and arranged their dismembered bodies into a bat symbol.
• The massacre drew the attention of Batman from Universe No. 03512, who ordered his butler to suppress news coverage and censor discussion of the crime.
• Bruce Wayne of Universe No. 03512 decided to investigate the killings himself rather than wait for the police.

Bruce Wayne massacred the Chester family, broke the seal containing Barbatos’s fragment, and left Batman of Parallel Universe 03512 dying after a brutal fight. As the Justice League of that universe set out to avenge Batman, the Constantine Squad arrived in Gotham to begin its mission for the Imperium.

• Bruce Wayne slaughtered the Chester family and opened the underground seal, drawing closer to his goal of gaining power to crush the Imperium.
• Bruce Wayne attacked Batman of Universe 03512, broke his hands, and left him mortally injured before heading toward Arkham Asylum.
• Superman found Batman dying, but Batman identified his attacker as Bruce Wayne before he died in Superman’s arms.
• Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, and Superman reviewed surveillance footage and pursued Bruce Wayne to avenge Batman.
• The Constantine Squad arrived in Gotham, and Constantine rallied the group to fulfill its duties for the Imperium.

Little Girl Constantine and Giant Constantine seized Penguin’s wealth and ordered him to spread a false story about Batman, but Penguin learned that a monster had already killed most of the Justice League. Elsewhere, Bruce Wayne tortured Joker and captives to force Superman to kill, then threatened a little girl when Superman refused.

• Little Girl Constantine beat Penguin and his men, forced Penguin to obey her, and took his money and valuables.
• Little Girl Constantine ordered Penguin to spread the claim that Bruce Wayne was secretly Batman and deliberately caused suffering.
• Penguin learned from a lackey that Batman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg were dead, while Aquaman had been impaled on Wayne Tower.
• Bruce Wayne tortured Harley and other captives while demanding that Superman kill Joker, but Superman refused.
• Bruce Wayne brought a frightened family before Superman and threatened to torture their little girl.

Superman was forced by Bruce Wayne to kill Joker, then watched Bruce murder Harley and a family before fleeing, leaving Superman psychologically shattered. Garviel Loken awoke with amnesia in a Warp-like wasteland, recovered fragments of his past while fighting Daemons, and fled to survive and reclaim his memories.

• Bruce Wayne forced Superman to kill Joker by threatening a family, then killed Harley and the mother despite Superman complying.
• The father sacrificed himself to protect his daughter as Bruce Wayne attacked, then Bruce escaped when Constantine and his team arrived.
• Superman carried the surviving girl, Jennifer, to the hospital, while Constantine ordered the team to hunt Bruce Wayne and accelerate its infiltration of Parallel Universe No. 03512.
• Garviel Loken awoke alone in a desolate wasteland beneath a horrifying sky and followed whispers that urged him to return.
• Garviel Loken recovered his name, a sword, armor, and fragments of memories about the Luna Wolves and Horus as he fought Daemons among ruined statues marked with Chaos symbols.
• Garviel Loken realized the Daemons would keep coming, then fled toward the wasteland to survive and recover his memories.

Garviel Loken endured a spiritual trial, rejecting Chaos and fighting through its visions until he reached a radiant city and qualified for resurrection. Guilliman approved the procedure, and the Tech-Priests began the next stage of restoring him to life.

• Gavier Loken escaped a demon-filled wilderness and rejected the peaceful paradise that tried to tempt him away from his duty.
• Garviel Loken fought waves of Daemons across a ruined world, refusing to submit even as memories of Horus and the Great Crusade tormented him.
• Garviel Loken reached a radiant city whose light destroyed the pursuing Daemons and soothed his wounds.
• A system notification confirmed that Garviel Loken met the requirements for resurrection after his memories and soul had been restored.
• A Tech-Priest reported the result, and Guilliman authorized Garviel Loken's resurrection procedure.

Garviel Loken awakened on Terra in the Sacred Era, learned that Guilliman had become Emperor, and saw how far humanity had advanced since the Siege of Terra. At the Atonement Astronomican, the imprisoned Lorgar begged Loken to tell the public that Guilliman was a liar.

• Garviel Loken awoke in a newly created combat body and saw Torgaddon being brought into the hospital, though he could not call out to him.
• Garviel Loken recovered enough to meet the Remembrancer Trist, who explained that Guilliman had become Emperor and that the Imperium had flourished for more than a thousand years.
• Garviel Loken toured prosperous Terra and wept as he remembered the people who had died defending it during the Siege.
• Trist took Garviel Loken to the Atonement Astronomican, where the imprisoned Lorgar begged him to expose Guilliman's account of the Lectitio Divinitatus and the burning of the Perfect City as lies.

Garviel Loken confronted Lorgar, Erebus, and Fulgrim in the Atonement Astronomican, rejecting their claims and mocking the traitors imprisoned there. Trist then told Loken that Abaddon was next, setting up their reunion.

• Loken denied Lorgar’s demand to reveal the truth about the Lectitio Divinitatus, and the crowd cheered him as Lorgar raged in his cell.
• Loken told Lorgar that his supposed truth had led humanity toward darkness, then left as the Soul Siphon forced Lorgar to collapse.
• Loken threatened Erebus with an honor challenge and rejected his warning that Guilliman’s path would bring disaster.
• Loken insulted Fulgrim, while Trist increased the Soul Siphon’s output and recorded the exchange for propaganda.
• Trist told Loken that Abaddon, Horus’s former captain and the leader of thirteen Black Crusades, was the next prisoner to visit.

Garviel Loken visited the Atonement Astronomican and confronted Abaddon and the other imprisoned traitors, accusing them of causing Horus’s fall and threatening revenge. After Trist explained that the Emperor might summon the dead for a greater war, Loken returned to the hospital and reunited with Torgaddon and other old friends.

• Trist led Garviel Loken through the Atonement Astronomican to Abaddon’s cell.
• Loken accused Abaddon of betraying the Imperium and helping send Horus to the Temple of Davin, while Abaddon blamed the Emperor and Erebus.
• Loken threatened to take revenge on Abaddon and continued through the prison, confronting the other traitorous Primarchs and notable rebels.
• After visiting the prisoners, Loken told Trist that the returned heroes might finally rest, but Trist said the Emperor could summon them again for a greater war.
• Loken’s doubts about the Emperor’s plans vanished when he reached the hospital and reunited with Torgaddon and his other old friends.

Loken and Torgaddon reunited in recovery and discussed the Horus Heresy, the Imperium’s transformation, and Guilliman’s rise as the new Master of Mankind. Meanwhile, Cegorach explained to Eldrad that the Empire’s faith and ambitions had made Guilliman a god, whether he admitted it or not.

• Torgaddon reunited with Loken at the hospital, and the two joked about old times before moving to a balcony to talk.
• Loken recounted the Heresy’s aftermath, including the Dropsite Massacre, the battles that followed, and the Imperium’s long struggle to rebuild.
• Loken and Torgaddon discussed their strange new bodies, Guilliman’s transformation, and their plans to duel Erebus and Abaddon once they recovered.
• At Sovereign Supreme, Cegorach observed the technological resurrection of Imperial heroes as Eldrad questioned the nature of the process.
• Cegorach argued that Guilliman was no different from the Chaos Gods in ambition and that the Empire’s citizens’ faith had made him a god; Eldrad agreed that Guilliman simply refused to admit it.

Guilliman explained his theory that gods emerged to stabilize young universes, then became obstacles as civilizations advanced. He proposed that understanding the nature of gods could allow the Imperium to recreate Ynnead, leaving Eldrad and Cegorach to consider a path toward reviving the Aeldari death god.

• Eldrad asked when Guilliman would rescue Isha, and Guilliman said the Imperium would act once its forces against Warp creatures were ready.
• Guilliman warned that rescuing Isha from Nurgle was too dangerous and proposed resurrecting the Aeldari death god first.
• Eldrad explained that the Ynnari lacked the final Cronesword, which Shalaxi had placed in Slaanesh's palace, leaving them unable to awaken Ynnead.
• Guilliman told Cegorach and Eldrad that gods helped early universes survive by stabilizing reality, but later resisted civilizations that could advance without them.
• Eldrad asked how Guilliman's account could help resurrect Ynnead, and Guilliman said understanding how gods were created would make it possible to recreate one.

Guilliman revealed that Cegorach and Eldrad needed to retrieve Aeldari gods from another universe to complete the final piece required to awaken Ynnead, and they agreed to lead an expedition with Imperial support. Meanwhile, Arthas left Natal to join the Imperium’s forces, vowing to fulfill his duty until death.

• Guilliman explained that Aeldari from another universe held the final essence needed to awaken Ynnead, and that Cegorach could absorb their weak gods.
• Guilliman said the Aeldari must retrieve the final piece themselves to prevent Ynnead from becoming hostile toward humanity, and Cegorach and Eldrad agreed to go with an Imperial legion.
• Guilliman left Cegorach and Eldrad to organize an Aeldari exploration team while he turned to the Imperium’s expanding crusade and the threat of the Four Gods awakening.
• Arthas enlisted in the Natal System, mourning his father, the legendary commander Khaine, who had died in battle in Universe 02.
• Arthas boarded a warship bound for the Imperium’s campaigns, looked back at Natal, and vowed to fulfill his mission and duty until death.

After learning that the Land of Light had fallen and a vast darkness threatened the universe, Daigo struggled to choose between GUTS and the Imperium. A grieving child and his grandmother pushed him toward protecting humanity at any cost, and Daigo told Megumi Iruma he would join her, though she warned him of the Imperium’s ruthless methods.

• Daigo returned to Earth after Ultraman Titas revealed the Land of Light’s fall and the coming tide of darkness, and he wondered whether to betray GUTS or ignore the threat.
• A child named A-Yun told Daigo that monsters had killed his parents and grandfather, deepening Daigo’s resolve to protect innocent people.
• Daigo secretly visited Megumi Iruma and asked why she had joined the Imperium; she realized Ultraman Titas had told him about the danger.
• Megumi Iruma explained that she had chosen the Imperium despite her ties to GUTS because humanity needed a way to survive the coming darkness.
• Daigo said he would join Megumi Iruma, and she warned him that the Imperium demanded ruthless action and would tolerate no weakness or mercy.

Daigo agreed to join the Imperium, and Masaki Keigo announced that Ultraman Tiga’s host had enlisted in the Defense Force, shocking Daigo’s former GUTS teammates. Rena and the others were left believing Daigo had betrayed them as the Imperium’s influence over humanity continued to grow.

• Daigo resolved to help the Imperium protect people, and Megumi Iruma ordered Camearra to find him a place to stay.
• Rena encouraged the former GUTS members to hope that Daigo would return with help from the Land of Light.
• A news report exposed Alien Muzan’s persecution of Lucia’s people, and Masaki Keigo used the incident to argue for military expansion and support for the Empire.
• Masaki Keigo announced that Daigo had joined the Defense Force as Ultraman Tiga’s human host.
• Rena, Munakata, Shinjoh, and Yazumi were stunned by the announcement, and Rena asked why Daigo had betrayed them.

Daigo and the other Ultramen defeated an Alien Muzan attack, but their victory deepened Daigo’s estrangement from Rena and GUTS as retaliation loomed. The chapter then shifted to Zahariel’s account of the Fallen and ended with Little Fulgrim calling him to the bridge.

• Daigo and Minato Katsumi transformed to defend their transport aircraft and destroyed the attacking Alien Muzan saucer.
• Two Alien Muzan monsters appeared, but the Ultramen and other human hosts fought together and killed them, prompting Daigo to expect a larger war.
• Daigo returned to a cheering crowd, where Rena confronted him and Camearra pretended to be his lover before guards removed Rena and the GUTS members.
• In the Imperium Exploration Ark’s biological laboratory, humans tortured and preserved captured Alien Muzan while Lucia watched.
• Zahariel recalled his service in the First Legion, the destruction of Caliban, his years as one of the Fallen, and Lord Cypher directing him to Little Fulgrim.
• Little Fulgrim summoned Zahariel to the bridge.

Little Fulgrim led his redeemed warband through the Eye of Terror, destroyed Eidolon’s fleet, and invaded his fortress world. After killing Queen Sylelle and clearing the fortress, Little Fulgrim confronted Eidolon, who mistook him for his Gene-Father.

• Little Fulgrim chose a corrupted factory world occupied by the Flawless Host, the Extinction Beasts, and the Fissured Ones as his next target.
• Little Fulgrim and Zahariel led the fleet into battle, outmaneuvered the Chaos ships, and destroyed their void defenses.
• Little Fulgrim’s forces landed on the world, fought through the Daemons, and killed Queen Sylelle at the fortress entrance.
• Little Fulgrim’s warriors cleared the fortress and reached a hall where Eidolon and his Emperor’s Children awaited them.
• Eidolon accused Little Fulgrim of slaughtering him like a father, and Little Fulgrim replied that he could send Eidolon to meet his father.

Little Fulgrim defeated Eidolon and his traitors, while the Lion’s forces invaded Garim and destroyed its defenses. Valerian prepared to leave Cathay with the Emperor fragment, determined to find the remaining fragments and restore his master.

• Little Fulgrim, Zahariel, and Casal defeated Eidolon’s forces, and Little Fulgrim ordered the captured traitor handed over to the Imperium rather than killed.
• Lucas Caron prepared Garim’s defenses as the Lion’s fleet arrived, and Imperial forces overwhelmed the planet with Titans and orbital fire.
• Yanok confronted the invasion but was destroyed by a strike from Captain Ossel’s battleship, while Lucas Caron survived the attack.
• The Lion surveyed the victory over Garim and planned to install the Imperium’s Anti-Warp Device to further shrink the Eye of Terror.
• Valerian told Miao Ying he had completed his main task in Cathay and was leaving with the Emperor fragment to search for the rest and summon his master back.

Valerian reflected on Cathay's prosperity and the burdens borne by the Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress, while Felix, Gotrek, and Udi flew toward a Skaven ritual site. They learned that Thanquol's Grey Seers planned to free Nagash and use his help to summon an avatar of the Great Horned Rat, and the squad prepared to confront the necromancer.

• Valerian judged Cathay prosperous despite the threats surrounding it and the heavy responsibilities of its rulers, the Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress.
• Felix and Gotrek discussed their recent campaigns against Skaven and Chaos cultists aboard an Imperial warship.
• Udi warned Felix and Gotrek that the Night of Mystery was weakening the Veil between reality and illusion.
• Udi revealed that Thanquol's Grey Seers had allied with Nagash to summon an avatar of the Great Horned Rat through a massive sacrifice.
• Udi ordered Felix and Gotrek to arm themselves as a black pyramid glowing green appeared on the horizon.

Thanquol began a blood-sacrifice ritual to summon the Great Horned Rat while an Imperial squad infiltrated Nagashizzar to capture him. The Great Horned Rat’s incarnation appeared, but Nagash betrayed Thanquol and attacked it to seize its divine power.

• Thanquol prepared eight blood-pool altars around the Black Pyramid and planned to use the Great Horned Rat’s arrival to betray Nagash afterward.
• Udi, Gotrek, Terisa, and Harris sneaked into Nagashizzar, killed defenders, and fought Arkhan and the undead forces.
• Harris unleashed the Purification spell, and the squad fought its way toward Thanquol as Gotrek and Terisa competed to capture him first.
• The Great Horned Rat’s furry hand pulled Thanquol away from Terisa, and the squad pursued him toward the Black Pyramid.
• The Great Horned Rat entered its physical incarnation, but Nagash pierced it, revealed his deception, and began absorbing its power.

Nagash betrayed Thanquol, seized the Great Horned Rat’s Divine Fragment, and began raising an undead army to conquer the living. After Udi and his companions escaped to Middenheim and reported his return, Cegorach and Eldrad set out for Ulthuan to summon and kill the Elven gods.

• Nagash revealed that he had soul-bound Thanquol’s assassins, tore apart the Great Horned Rat’s incarnation, and absorbed its divine power and Divine Fragment.
• Nagash overwhelmed Udi, Gotrek, and Felix, but Harris’s prayer weakened him long enough for Terisa to stab him and the five to escape aboard a Grav-flyer; Thanquol also vanished.
• Nagash awakened his undead legions, enslaved the Tomb Kings, and sent Mannfred to conquer the world in his name.
• Udi and his companions returned to Middenheim, witnessed a colossal Imperial battleship emerge from a rift, and reported Nagash’s return to a Tech-priest.
• Cegorach and Eldrad discussed the refined Ether and their mission to claim the Aeldari gods’ Divine Fragments and gather this world’s Aeldari.
• Cegorach led Aeldari Warriors and seers toward Ulthuan to summon and slay the Elven gods.

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter describes the origins and history of the Elves (High Elves, Dark Elves, and Wood Elves), their wars, and the creation of the Great Vortex.
• The powerful Aeldari gods, led by Cegorach, travel to Ulthuan to awaken Ynnead, the Aeldari God of Death, to combat Slaanesh.
• Humanity's rapid development and ambition to rule the world cause concern among the High Elves, leading to a meeting to discuss their response.
• Human airships trespass into Ulthuan, and the High Elves are shocked to find that the visitors are Aeldari from another universe, who claim to be their kin.

Character Developments

• Cegorach (The Laughing God): He feels sorry for what is about to happen but is determined to awaken Ynnead for the good of the Aeldari.
• Phoenix King Finubar: He struggles to decide whether to submit to humanity or go to war, prioritizing the protection of his people.
• Tyrion: He is eager for war and bloodshed, feeling a void within him that can only be filled by combat.
• Teclis: He is disdainful of those who advocate submitting to humanity and is shocked to encounter the Aeldari from another universe.

Significant Themes

• The struggle between preserving one's identity and submitting to a more powerful force (humanity vs. High Elves).
• The consequences of ancient actions (the Old Ones' creations and the Chaos invasion).
• The importance of heritage and bloodlines (the Aeldari's shared origins with the High Elves).

Character Interactions

• Finubar, Tyrion, and Teclis: The twins argue with the Phoenix King and other High Elves about how to respond to humanity's demands.
• High Elves and Aeldari: The High Elves are astonished to meet their kin from another universe, leading to a tense but intriguing encounter.