Chapter Summaries

Qin Xa helped the World Eaters and their allies survive Rangdan dimension-crossing assassins by discovering how to detect them. As the force advanced into the shadows and fought the Rangdan elites, Qin Xa reflected on the World Eaters’ devotion to Angron.

• Kiel ordered the Gun Knights, armored forces, and Space Marines into the shadows, where they fought waves of Rangdan slave soldiers.
• An invisible Xenos assassin killed an advancing Space Marine, but Kharn detected and killed another one.
• Qin Xa used his Prophecy ability to expose six assassins, crushed five, and let one escape so he could study its corpse and discover that gravity readings changed before the creatures appeared.
• Qin Xa warned the force to watch their Tactical Visors for sinking gravity curves, allowing the Space Marines to kill more assassins until they stopped appearing.
• Rangdan elite warriors joined the fight, and Kiel sent Kharn’s Terminator-armored 1st Company to engage them.
• Kharn led the charge against the elites and shouted “For Angron,” prompting Qin Xa to reflect on the World Eaters’ efforts to grow closer to their primarch.

The First Chapter crushed the Rangdan defenders on Rangdan Three as Qin Xa challenged and killed their last Overlord. Lion revealed that the planet would be destroyed with an ancient psychic bomb and promised the World Eaters one after the war, leaving Qin Xa thrilled by the prospect.

• Kharn and the Firepower Knights wiped out the Rangdan elites, and the First Chapter advanced through the fortifications while the armored forces destroyed defenses and the Marines killed slave troops.
• Qin Xa fought the last Rangdan Overlord in a duel, disabled it, and forced it to cut off its own head before ordering the Marines to resume their advance.
• Qin Xa used his sleeve gun's ricocheting shot to kill another Overlord as the First Chapter pushed toward the mining facilities.
• Lion told Qin Xa that the transport carried an ancient psychic bomb capable of erasing most of Rangdan Three from reality and the Immaterium, and ordered him to protect it and place it at the planet's center.
• Qin Xa asked Lion how many psychic bombs the First Legion possessed, and Lion promised the World Eaters one after the war if they obeyed his orders.

Qin Xa received the Cyclonic Torpedo from the Dark Angels and ordered Kiel to deploy it beneath Rangdan III while he went to help Luther. As the Knights moved the warhead to the shaft, Kharn reported a Xenos infiltration, and Kiel discovered that the weapon bore the White Scars emblem.

• Qin Xa and Kiel reached the mining facility, where Qin Xa concluded that Rangdan III was dead and had been held in reality by a Psychic Spell.
• Kiel established defenses around the shaft, and a strange, wingless transport arrived carrying the Cyclonic Torpedo and a detector designed to identify people controlled by Slaugth Xenos.
• A Dreadwing Terminator told Qin Xa that Luther's forces were under heavy attack, the fortress was collapsing, and the routes underground were blocked; Qin Xa promised to complete the mission and protect the Dreadwing from excessive losses.
• Qin Xa ordered Kiel to deploy the Cyclonic Torpedo and vanished to support Luther, while the Knights began moving the container toward the abyss.
• Kharn arrived and reported that a squad of Xenos had infiltrated from behind; after the container was opened, Kiel saw that the warhead bore the White Scars emblem.

Luther and the Terror Wings retreated from the collapsing fortress as the Legions withdrew and Qin Xa deployed the Cyclonic Torpedoes. When Luther was cornered by Rangdan warriors, Qin Xa arrived in his Divine Lord Titan, rescued him, and drove back the Xenos.

• Luther ordered the Terror Wings to retreat from the collapsing underground fortress while he stayed behind to hold off the Rangdan elites.
• A message reported that the 6th Legion and the other Legions were withdrawing, and Qin Xa confirmed that the Cyclonic Torpedoes had been deployed.
• Qin Xa opened psychic portals to evacuate the Legions, and Luther ordered Constantine and the remaining Space Marines to withdraw through them.
• A Rangdan elite warrior caught Luther near the portal, but Qin Xa emerged in his Divine Lord Titan and immobilized the Xenos with a psychic shockwave.
• Qin Xa's Titan trampled the Rangdan warrior and swept through the Xenos lines with its spear, allowing Luther to return aboard the Unbending Truth.

Qin Xa discovered that the psychic bomb meant to destroy Rangdan Three had been replaced by a White Scars Cyclone Torpedo, so he sought Salum’s help to destroy the planet. After Rangdan Three vanished, he located the hidden bomb inside a distant void facility and prepared to confront whoever had taken it.

• Qin Xa found a Cyclone Torpedo in the container where the psychic bomb should have been and reviewed the combat recordings, which showed Kiel had seen the torpedo before Qin Xa left.
• Qin Xa asked Angron to have Kiel gather everyone who had come near the container, while Lion angrily demanded an explanation and promised to send another bomb.
• Qin Xa entered his Immaterium sanctuary and pressured Salum into giving him an anti-sorcery weapon capable of destroying Rangdan Three.
• Qin Xa activated Salum’s weapon near the planet’s core, causing Rangdan Three to disappear completely.
• Qin Xa moved the Cyclone Torpedo to the White Knight, found the psychic bomb’s hidden shielding field inside a distant void facility, and reached toward the facility with his spear.

Qin Xa killed a Rangdan overlord inside the void installation and led a freed human guide toward the black container, while enslaved Xenos armed themselves and fought their former masters. He reached a hangar and continued toward the container, leaving the guide an emblem and instructions to hide and seek help from the Imperium.

• The Rangdan overlord watched the destruction of Rangdan III and ordered his slaves to be fed before they were killed.
• Qin Xa appeared, shattered the overlord's kneecap, killed him, and asked the slaves about a black container marked with spread wings and a longsword.
• An enslaved human recognized that he had transported the container and led Qin Xa through the installation as other slaves followed and armed themselves.
• Qin Xa told the human that the Imperial fleet was attacking and that the Imperium intended to exterminate the races that enslaved them.
• Brown reported that the Cyclone Torpedo had been stolen and used to replace the psychic bomb meant for Rangdan III; Qin Xa then destroyed a Rangdan patrol that opened fire.
• The guide led Qin Xa through shortcuts to a hangar, where Qin Xa gave him a World Eaters emblem and told him to hide while he went ahead toward the container.

Qin Xa recovered the psychic shielding field and tried to drag the psychic bomb out, but he became trapped in a technological maze and discovered that Trazyn the Infinite had engineered the Rangdan’s theft. Trazyn offered to return the bomb in exchange for something collectible, leaving Qin Xa unwilling to pay but unable to take it by force.

• Qin Xa killed the Xenos guarding the container and found the psychic shielding field inside.
• Qin Xa dragged the container through chambers that led nowhere and found that his communications were cut off.
• Trazyn appeared, revealed that he had helped the Rangdan steal the bomb, and explained that the trap was meant to let them use it against the Primarchs.
• Trazyn teleported the container behind himself and offered to return it if Qin Xa traded him something worthwhile.
• Qin Xa refused to give Trazyn a collectible, but recognized that Trazyn’s technology left him with little power to claim the bomb.

Qin Xa rejected Trazyn’s offer to become a collectible and traded him the page imprisoning Tzeentch’s Greater Daemon for the psychic bomb. After Qin Xa returned to his fleet, Trazyn withdrew to his pocket dimension and began investigating how to counter Qin Xa’s psychic talent.

• Trazyn offered Qin Xa immortality as a collectible, along with gifts and technological aid, but Qin Xa refused.
• Qin Xa traded Trazyn the page containing Tzeentch’s Greater Daemon, and Trazyn teleported the psychic bomb container aboard the White Knight.
• Qin Xa and Trazyn argued over humanity’s history, the Necrons’ bargain with the C’tan, and the dangers of rulers like the Emperor.
• Qin Xa warned Trazyn to stop meddling in humanity’s affairs, then vanished into the snowstorm with the bomb returned to his fleet.
• Trazyn retreated to his pocket dimension and studied the Rangdan Bio-Weapons’ observations of Qin Xa, seeking a way to block his psychic talent.

Luther recounted the destruction of Rangdan III, and Lion suspected Qin Xa had taken the missing Cyclonic Torpedo. Qin Xa returned the weapon and demanded that Lion retract his suspicion, then left with Luther after Lion did so.

• Luther told Lion and the gathered First Legion officers how Qin Xa had appeared on Rangdan III and helped destroy the world, while Lion lamented the missing Cyclonic Torpedo.
• Lion explained why he suspected Qin Xa had taken the torpedo, citing his knowledge of the 12th Legion’s relics and The Emperor’s instructions.
• Qin Xa arrived with the recovered Cyclonic Torpedo and described how a Xenos had transported it from a void installation near Rangdan II.
• Qin Xa confronted Lion for suspecting him of theft and demanded that Lion retract his accusation, prompting a Dark Angels Sergeant to threaten him.
• Lion lowered his hand from his sword and formally took back his suspicion; Qin Xa then left with Luther, while Lion ordered that Qin Xa receive the psychic bomb as promised.

Qin Xa secured the Cyclone Torpedo and explained to Luther why confronting the Lion had been necessary to prevent a lasting feud between their Legions. Before leaving the Unbending Truth, Qin Xa warned Luther that the Imperium might devastate Caliban and offered to help him find another path if its rule forced him into a cruel choice.

• Luther led Qin Xa to the Dark Angels' vault, where he arranged for the Terminators to return one psychic bomb and bring out another for Qin Xa.
• Qin Xa explained that accepting the Lion's insult would have let resentment spread between the First Legion and the 12th Legion, and he and Luther agreed to use each other as a channel for resolving future disputes.
• Luther showed Qin Xa images of Caliban and spoke proudly of its mountains, forests, and rivers.
• Qin Xa warned Luther that Imperial rule might have turned Caliban into a world of razed forests, polluted rivers, and hive cities, leaving Luther shaken.
• Qin Xa offered to help Luther find another path if Caliban's transformation left him with no way out, then left the Unbending Truth with the Cyclone Torpedo and said they would meet again on Rangdan II.

After Qin Xa cleared up Lion’s suspicion, Angron and the World Eaters resumed their campaign against Rangdan II, where Qin Xa prepared the Legions’ Librarians for a psychic confrontation. The Emperor’s consciousness then reached the Rangdan system, ending the need for the ritual Qin Xa had planned.

• Qin Xa showed Angron a recording of Lion withdrawing his suspicion, and Angron called off his plan to confront the First Legion.
• Angron praised Lion’s skill as a military leader while the Imperium captured or destroyed Rangdan II’s orbital installations.
• Qin Xa traveled to the White Knight and linked the Librarians from the Legions together to organize a psychic ritual against the Rangdan Xenos.
• Qin Xa sensed The Emperor’s consciousness arrive in the Rangdan system and told the Librarians they no longer needed to prepare the ritual.

The Emperor destroyed the psychic Xenos gathered on Rangdan II, then ordered the Primarchs to annihilate the planet and contain Rangdan I until he arrived. Qin Xa used the Emperor’s psychic strike to teach the White Knights Librarians, and Rangdan II was destroyed by a Cyclonic Torpedo.

• The Emperor found the psychic Xenos’ collective consciousness in the Immaterium and crushed their souls with a Psychic Torrent, erasing their influence on Rangdan II.
• Angron told Qin Xa that the Emperor had ordered Rangdan II destroyed with Cyclonic Torpedoes and Rangdan I surrounded until his arrival.
• Qin Xa arranged for the White Knight to fire the White Scars’ vanished torpedo at Rangdan II, and Angron ordered the ship’s Captain to carry out the strike.
• Qin Xa taught the new Librarians to analyze the Emperor’s attack and explained how the Xenos’ psychic nature and the strength of the Emperor’s power left them vulnerable.
• The White Knight’s Cyclonic Torpedo destroyed Rangdan II, and Qin Xa told the Librarians to wait for the Emperor’s arrival.

The Emperor met with the primarchs aboard his flagship to discuss the Rangdan war and decided that Rangdan One’s blackstone defenses made deploying the Void Dragon necessary. He ordered Lion to turn the captured void defenses against the Rangdan and establish a defensive line around the planet, leaving the legions’ offensive operations terminated.

• Qin Xa and Angron joined the primarchs aboard the Emperor’s flagship, where Constantin Valdor stopped them before the Command Deck.
• The Emperor asked Lion to report on the war, then privately questioned Qin Xa about the Rangdan Xenos’ theft of the psychic bomb and Trazyn’s involvement.
• Qin Xa identified Trazyn’s likely interest in the Void Dragon shard, and the Emperor confirmed that he intended to deploy the shard against Rangdan One.
• Qin Xa discovered that Rangdan One had blackstone deposits and extensive defenses, while the Emperor said he would retrieve the Void Dragon with Qin Xa and imprison it on Mars afterward.
• The Emperor praised Qin Xa’s ability to process information, then ordered Lion to convert the Rangdan void defenses and establish a defensive line around Rangdan One.
• Lion accepted the order, despite having expected the Emperor to lead the primarchs into battle.

The Emperor discussed trading with a Xenos collector for tesseract labyrinth technology before sending Qin Xa to prepare aboard the Unbending Truth. There, Qin Xa saw Rangdan human slaves being screened and spared for resettlement, then received a vortex grenade for his upcoming mission to Rangdan One.

• The Emperor told Qin Xa he would trade for technology if it could provide what humanity needed, then ordered him to prepare aboard the Unbending Truth before the Emperor deployed the Void Dragon.
• Qin Xa found Dark Angels screening former Rangdan slaves and learned that those free of mental control would be educated and resettled on worlds emptied during the Second Rangdan War.
• A man Qin Xa had once guided through a Rangdan facility recognized him and silently thanked him before joining the group being escorted away.
• Dark Angels explained that they called Qin Xa Starbreaker because he had shattered Rangdan Three, and Qin Xa joked with them about being a low-key showman.
• Qin Xa accepted a vortex grenade from a Dark Angel and said he would use it as a magical tool on Rangdan One.

The Emperor unleashed the Void Dragon shard on Rangdan One, where it annihilated the planet’s transformed defenses and returned the world to primordial wilderness. He and Qin Xa then rode to confront the shard, with the Emperor trying to recreate the circumstances of his ancient victory, and ended by calling out to it.

• The Void Dragon shard emerged from its sealed structure, drove the Rangdan warriors mad, and destroyed the planet’s fortresses and machinery as Rangdan One reverted to wilderness.
• The Emperor and Qin Xa arrived on horseback and rode across the changed planet toward the Void Dragon.
• The Emperor explained that he planned to make the amnesiac shard remember its defeat by reenacting their first encounter, while he and Qin Xa bantered in character as a knight and squire.
• The Emperor and Qin Xa reached a cliff overlooking the Void Dragon, which remained trapped in a recurring memory and ignored their arrival.
• The Emperor called out, “Look at me!” and insulted the Void Dragon to provoke its memory of defeat.

The Emperor and Qin Xa fought the Void Dragon shard by exploiting its fractured memories and its vulnerability to psychic power. After the Void Dragon began recalling its past through Qin Xa’s technological armor, Qin Xa teleported away, leaving the Emperor alone against it.

• The Emperor warned Qin Xa to use psychic power carefully and explained that the Void Dragon’s shattered mind could be manipulated.
• The Emperor drew the Void Dragon into a knightly challenge, and he and Qin Xa charged it on horseback.
• The Emperor and Qin Xa struck the Void Dragon with psychic attacks, damaging its living-metal shell while the Emperor explained its weaknesses.
• The Void Dragon remembered an old image of a dragon and transformed its shell into a winged dragon, then attacked the Emperor with flames.
• Qin Xa knocked the Void Dragon from the sky with a psychic blast, but it began recalling its past after noticing his technological armor.
• Qin Xa teleported away, leaving the Emperor alone before the Void Dragon.

Qin Xa and The Emperor fought the Void Dragon and tried to trap it in the prototype Labyrinth of Eternal Night, but the Dragon regained its memories and entered the artifact willingly after revealing it had once cooperated with The Emperor. The Emperor refused to explain their past deal, leaving Qin Xa confronting him as he prepared to leave.

• The Void Dragon remembered teleportation technology, but The Emperor interrupted its attempt to record the knowledge, and Qin Xa returned disguised as a wizard to distract it.
• Qin Xa and The Emperor fought the Void Dragon while trying to draw it into the prototype Labyrinth of Eternal Night, but it regained its original form and memories.
• The Void Dragon recognized The Emperor, revealed it knew of their past cooperation, and asked whether they would resume their deal.
• The Emperor took the Labyrinth from Qin Xa, and the Void Dragon entered it willingly before Qin Xa could understand what had happened.
• The Emperor refused to explain the deal and opened a portal, but Qin Xa pulled him away and demanded an explanation, prompting The Emperor to stop and look back.

Qin Xa and the Emperor discussed the Emperor’s past bargains with the Void Dragon and the dangers of treating possible futures as certainties. The Emperor revealed his disillusionment with a supposed benevolent human god in the Immaterium, then invited Qin Xa to continue discussing Magnus another time.

• Qin Xa told the Emperor about his deal with Salum, and the Emperor explained how he had once promised to help the Void Dragon become whole in exchange for cooperation before imprisoning it on Mars.
• The Emperor admitted he had long used the Void Dragon’s influence to sustain the Mechanicus’s faith, and he outlined two possible reasons the Void Dragon had recently proposed cooperation again.
• The Emperor said he would address the Thousand Sons at a council about restricting psychic power and asked Qin Xa and Avida to testify.
• The Emperor warned Qin Xa not to treat visions of the future as inevitable, explaining that countless possible destinies existed and that Qin Xa appeared in others’ prophecies as they imagined him.
• The Emperor revealed that his own reckless exploration of the Immaterium had once led him to believe in a benevolent god for humanity, but he later discovered that no such god existed.
• The Emperor said he hoped Qin Xa would cooperate with him, acknowledged Qin Xa’s mix of kindness and ruthlessness, and opened a portal after promising to discuss Magnus again.

Qin Xa met Malcador aboard the Emperor’s battleship, where they discussed the Imperium’s intentions toward Nuceria and Malcador urged him to return to Terra. Qin Xa refused, choosing to remain with Angron and his family on Nuceria.

• Malcador presented Qin Xa with the painting Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains and explained how the Master of the Administratum verified ancient treasures.
• Qin Xa questioned the Imperium’s plans to suppress Nuceria, and Malcador revealed that ideological conflict was only an excuse and warned him to watch Kelbo Hal.
• Malcador said the Emperor had sent him to persuade Qin Xa to return to Terra and help shape humanity’s future.
• Qin Xa refused, saying Angron was his family and Nuceria and the Resolute Determination were his home, then left.

Qin Xa received the First Legion’s gifts and exchanged meaningful keepsakes with Luther before returning to Angron’s fleet. As the fleet set course for Nuceria, Angron and Qin Xa recognized that the Mechanicus’ infiltration and Malcador’s plans would bring pressure from the Imperium, so Qin Xa arranged to gather intelligence through Theseus.

• Lion had Luther present Qin Xa with the First Legion’s gifts and convey Lion’s apology for his suspicions.
• The White Knight’s Captain and his wife met with Lion and Qin Xa, and Luther explained the couple’s history in the Caliban knightly order.
• Luther gave Qin Xa a treasured knightly medal, and Qin Xa gave Luther a personal defense device tied to the beginning of the Nuceria Uprising War.
• Angron said farewell to Corax, Leman Russ, and the Khan, then returned to the Resolute Determination as the 12th Legion fleet set course for Nuceria.
• Qin Xa told Angron that Kharn was unconscious but alive and reported that Malcador had ignored his attempt to steer the Imperium away from targeting Nuceria.
• After reviewing reports of Mechanicus infiltrators, Qin Xa proposed obtaining intelligence through unofficial channels and named Theseus to handle it.