Chapter Summaries

Fulgrim resolved to face the ghosts of Isstvan III, while the Vengeance prepared to reach the Prodals System and its soldiers received new war mechs. He Shenyan rejected Angron’s plan to establish a World Eaters recruitment world, but promised to consider another way to recruit.

• Fulgrim told He Shenyan he would go to Isstvan III and accept whatever judgment awaited him there.
• The Magic Array Hub introduced the Cadian soldiers to the close-combat Valiant Blade mechs and described Thundercloud as Second Company’s ranged-support mech.
• He Shenyan considered the civilians enslaved by Khorne’s followers and weighed the dangers of establishing a base near the Great Rift.
• Angron proposed occupying a planet as a base and recruitment world, offering to defend it himself.
• He Shenyan warned Angron that a new Legion would face political resistance and rejected the plan, but said he would seek another way to recruit.

The First Company and Iron Snakes prepared to attack the traitors on Prodals One, with Astra Militarum pilots testing the Valiant Blade and Thundercloud mechs as the vanguard. The Valiant Blades devastated the enemy, and the chapter ended as He Shenyan watched their assault succeed; an author’s note postponed an update until tomorrow.

• The First Company captain briefed his soldiers on the orbital drop assault and rallied them in Sergeant Priad’s name.
• He Shenyan and Angron reviewed the invasion plan, the traitor forces across seven planets, and the Iron Snakes’ limited manpower.
• Lictor assigned Slay and the Iron Snakes their teleportation assault roles, while Givadoron joined them wearing Priad’s power armor.
• The Astra Militarum’s Valiant Blade mechs attacked with coordinated strikes and Crimson Light teleportation, while Thunderclouds destroyed enemy artillery and tanks.
• The mechs cut down the traitors, and He Shenyan observed that the Valiant Blades were performing as designed.

Cadian pilots in Valiant Blade and Thundercloud devastated the traitor forces, while He Shenyan explained the mechs’ safeguards and sent Lictor into battle. Lictor confronted Kharn, who recognized Givadoron, and their duel left Angron watching his fallen former follower while refusing to offer him anything but death.

• The second company commander and the other Thundercloud pilots unleashed magic cannon fire as the Valiant Blade crew counterattacked the traitors.
• He Shenyan told Angron that the mechs could be corrupted, described Thundercloud’s self-destruct safeguards, and ordered Lictor to join the battle.
• Kharn prepared to face the approaching warriors, then tore off his blessed breastplate when Lictor and Givadoron arrived.
• Givadoron challenged Kharn over their past and the deaths of their former brothers, and the two began a fierce duel.
• Angron watched Kharn fight Givadoron and told He Shenyan that he could offer Kharn only death.

Givadoron defeated Kharn in their duel, and Kharn died after explaining why he had held back the Daemon Engines. Givadoron found a child inside Kharn’s throne as Lictor ended the mission, while Angron set out to learn why Kharn had taken the child.

• Lictor kept Captain Slay’s forces from interfering as Givadoron and Kharn fought beneath the Skull Throne.
• Givadoron cut Kharn in half at the waist, and Kharn remembered their training in the Pit before asking Givadoron to kill him quickly.
• Kharn said he had held back the Daemon Engines because he had seen someone return to human form and wanted a chance to do the same; Givadoron told him that person had returned and held his hand as he died.
• Givadoron found a child rising from Kharn’s inverted throne, picked him up, and received Lictor’s order to clear the battlefield and prepare to return.
• The captain and his soldiers emerged from the Valiant Blade after their mission, and Angron left the main control room to find out why Kharn had taken a child.

He Shenyan captured the Prodals System and intercepted two Astartes on a suspicious Inquisition mission, while Angron investigated a boy Kharn had secretly turned into a Living Letter. The chapter ended as Angron touched the boy, Iclo, and felt a sudden jolt of electricity.

• He Shenyan learned that Kharn had secretly implanted a memory in the psionically gifted boy, making him a Living Letter that only Angron could open.
• He Shenyan ordered the planets destroyed except Prodals II, where he planned to disable the Chaos forces, then went to meet an approaching Voyage Barge.
• Arianto and Targaryen encountered He Shenyan aboard the barge, and he questioned them about their Inquisition mission and the removal of their Butcher's Nails.
• He Shenyan suspected a conspiracy, transported Arianto and Targaryen off the barge, and caused its captain to order a return journey.
• Angron had the boy examined twice, found no abnormalities, and approached him gently; when he touched Iclo's shoulder, a jolt of electricity passed through him.

Angron confronted Kharn’s memories of the atrocity he had committed aboard the Conqueror, then resolved to act on the dead War Hounds’ demand to kill him. Meanwhile, Arianto and Targaryen met Givadoron aboard the Vengeance, and their reunion was interrupted when Angron arrived.

• Kharn revealed that Angron’s former self had ordered him to kill three hundred people, and admitted that he had obeyed and slaughtered them.
• Kharn showed Angron a vision of the War Hounds demanding that he kill the monster, and Angron decided what he would do.
• He Shenyan brought Arianto and Targaryen aboard the Vengeance, where they recognized Givadoron, a former brother they had believed lost.
• Targaryen charged Givadoron, but the Vengeance’s defenses froze him before he could attack.
• Arianto, enraged by Givadoron’s claims about Angron, threatened to tear out Angron’s throat, and Angron entered the room.

Angron revealed to Arianto and Targaryen that he came from another world and had never betrayed them, while He Shenyan offered to treat the lingering damage from their removed Butcher’s Nails. The chapter ended with He Shenyan discovering a tiny Warp rift in Arianto’s brain and saying that without his help the brothers would have been condemned as heretics.

• Arianto accused Angron of betraying the loyalists at Isstvan III, while Givadoron recounted the massacre and Angron explained that he was a different Angron from another world.
• After the Magic Array Hub released Targaryen from its defensive measures, Targaryen asked Angron what had become of the World Eaters in his world, and Angron said he was proud of them.
• He Shenyan arrived and explained that the brothers’ symptoms came from brain damage and lingering dark witchcraft, which he said he could cure.
• He Shenyan anesthetized Arianto and Targaryen with Psionic power and began examining Arianto’s brain instead of using the surgical tools he had prepared.
• He Shenyan found a tiny Warp rift inside Arianto’s brain and warned Angron that anyone else might have declared the brothers heretics and executed them.

He Shenyan removed the marks of Khorne from Arianto’s and Targaryen’s brains and suspected traitors in the Inquisition had sent them on a final mission. While he and Angron weighed the urgency of returning to the Empire against unfinished STC research, Arianto met Givadoron in the forging chamber and embraced him after hearing how he had survived their comrades’ deaths.

• He Shenyan found Khorne’s symbol in Arianto’s brain, burned it away, and restored his mind while warning Angron that the Inquisition might contain traitors.
• He Shenyan treated Targaryen and found the same symbol in his brain, then asked Angron what a traitor would do before his return to Terra.
• Arianto followed the Magic Array Hub’s directions to the forging chamber, where he found his armor and Givadoron waiting.
• Givadoron recalled how twenty-seven World Eaters died fighting the enemy and how he destroyed the cannon’s chip before being knocked unconscious.
• Arianto embraced Givadoron and reassured him that he knew Givadoron had not betrayed their brothers.

Frank rescued four young Psionics from a mutant gang’s drug experiments, then discovered that the mission paperwork bearing Guilliman’s authority was forged. Guilliman suspected a conspiracy within the Inquisition, while the rescued girls’ encounter with Lady Jentia Kohler revealed that they could still use their powers near her.

• Frank killed a mutant gang boss and rescued four girls who said they had been injected with a drug that made them drowsy.
• Frank identified the girls as Psionics, ordered Bonavia to secure the lower-level exit, and sent the children and a drug sample to Guilliman’s ship for examination.
• Frank and Bonavia were attacked as they prepared to leave, prompting Frank to return to the ship and seek Guilliman.
• Guilliman denied issuing Frank’s mission and concluded that someone had forged his handwriting and mark, possibly indicating a problem within the Inquisition.
• Guilliman realized the Sisters of Silence commander, Lady Jentia Kohler, might have approached the girls, and hurried with Frank to the infirmary.
• Frank warned Jentia to stay away from the girls, and she communicated that they could still use Psionic powers in her presence.

He Shenyan discovered that the Inquisition’s sedative was a memory-cleansing agent and ordered the Iron Snakes to leave for Terra. On Macragge’s Honour, Frank exposed the four girls as part of a trap, triggering a demonic incursion that left Guilliman and his allies fighting for the flagship.

• He Shenyan identified the sedative as a dark-witchcraft mixture containing Psionic power that could erase memories, then ordered Insel to take Ragnatinos and the research data to Terra.
• Jentia Kohler confirmed that the four girls had used Psionic power, and Guilliman suspected someone had cleaned up the scene where Frank found them.
• Frank realized the syringe investigation and rescue had been anticipated, then shot the four girls when their bodies began to reveal the trap.
• A scarlet claw emerged from the girls’ blood, Slaanesh demons invaded the medicae ward, and Frank, Guilliman, Jentia, and the Apothecaries fought back.
• Steve Rogers and Cato Sicarius led Ultramarines to the ward, where Steve formed a defensive line and transformed his shield into a blazing greatsword.

Steve and Batman fought through Slaaneshi demons to rescue Roboute Guilliman and the others trapped in the medicae room, while Terra descended into riots. Inside, Frank defeated a Bloodthirster, and Batman and Steve found him standing beside its corpse.

• Steve and the Ultramarines, joined by Vario Tigurius and his Librarians, cleared the corridor of Slaaneshi demons and tried to open the warped medicae room door.
• Batman pulled Roboute Guilliman through the door, and Guilliman left to direct Terra’s response after Batman warned him that riots had broken out.
• Guilliman told Batman and Steve that Frank was still inside with at least one Bloodthirster and urged them to hurry.
• Frank killed the attacking Slaaneshi demons, then pinned the Bloodthirster and battered its head into pulp with his Chainsword and a giant psionic fist.
• Batman and Steve entered the medicae room and found Frank alive beside the Bloodthirster’s corpse, with the Silent Queen and wounded Apothecaries behind him.

Guilliman mobilized Terra’s defenses while He Shenyan and the Primarchs learned that a crisis had begun there. Unable to reach Terra in time, He Shenyan prepared to send his soul ahead and possess someone on the battlefield.

• Guilliman ordered Maximus Thane to activate the Phalanx’s orbital defenses, reject the Inquisition’s orders, and deploy forces to Terra, while promising two thousand Ultramarines.
• He Shenyan teleported Angron and the wounded Fulgrim to him and told them that something had happened on Terra, which they were at least a week away from reaching.
• He Shenyan explained that Guilliman, Dorn’s sons, and three new Primarchs were on Terra, and assured Fulgrim and Angron that the newcomers were loyal.
• He Shenyan began separating his soul, leaving a mindless half aboard the Vengeance while sending the half with his memories through the Astral Beacon to possess someone on Terra.

He Shenyan possessed Trajann Valoris with the Emperor’s approval and used his body to unleash a golden rain over Terra, burning daemons and inspiring the survivors to fight back. The counterattack began as the golden figure remained above the besieged world.

• The Emperor told Trajann Valoris that He Shenyan had arrived and needed a vessel, and Trajann agreed to serve.
• He Shenyan entered Trajann’s body, shattered his armor in the process, and restored it before teleporting them above Terra.
• He Shenyan warned Trajann that his body might suffer lasting wounds, and Trajann accepted the risk.
• He Shenyan began raining golden drops across Terra, burning daemons and drawing the attention of refugees and defenders.
• A child cheered at the golden rain, and a soldier rallied the people with a cry for Holy Terra as the counterattack began.

Guilliman struggled to defend Terra without sacrificing its civilians, until He Shenyan’s golden radiance swept across the planet and renewed his resolve. As the Emperor reflected on humanity’s emotions, He Shenyan continued the fight through Trajann’s body, facing an escalating Chaos invasion.

• Guilliman hesitated to use heavy weapons against the daemons because they would kill countless civilians, until Sicarius reported that a miracle had occurred.
• Guilliman saw golden radiance across Terra and ordered Sicarius to summon the Chapter, vowing to uphold their oath as humanity’s guardians.
• The Emperor spoke with Valdor about his past mistakes and how human emotions had created a new future for the Imperium.
• He Shenyan, using Trajann’s body, saw the daemons, Chaos warbands, and Daemon Engines gathering and urged Trajann to continue the battle.
• He Shenyan told Trajann to focus on making their enemies suffer, then prepared to paint Terra’s soil with their blood.

A scarred giant in Hive City fought off a group of Bloodletters and realized that a full daemon invasion was underway. At the palace outer wall, Litosys and the Lucifer Black Guard held their position as Lysander led the Imperial Fists First Company toward them.

• The giant left his shed after alarms rang and found daemons slaughtering civilians in the lower-level trading plaza.
• The giant killed the Bloodletters with an iron rod and his bare hands, then recognized that daemons were invading the entire Hive City.
• Litosys fought alongside the Lucifer Black Guard on the palace outer wall and helped drive a powerful daemon from the western wall with a grenade and Bolter fire.
• Lysander announced that the Imperial Fists First Company was advancing from Lion Gate Starport toward the palace.
• Lysander refused to slow the advance for Terminator armor, ordered his company to move at top speed, and prioritized reaching the outer wall.

Cato Sicarius and the Second Company fought a Lord of Change at Lion Gate Starport, where a mysterious golden power empowered Sicarius to destroy the daemon. As Guilliman struggled to manage the worsening battle and his own regrets, He Shenyan appeared in his study alongside Trajann.

• Sicarius arrived at Lion Gate Starport with the Second Company and recognized that the Palatine Sentinels waiting for him were daemons in disguise.
• A Lord of Change emerged from the captain’s body, and Sicarius deployed his squads to fight it while protecting the Imperial Fists’ advance.
• A voice from the sky pinned the Lord of Change with golden feathers, empowered Sicarius, and ordered him to kill the daemon.
• After the battle, Sicarius accepted the voice’s command to fight on, while Guilliman directed forces and kept the weakened Sisters of Silence off the battlefield.
• Frank demanded to join the fighting and asked Guilliman to keep the wounded Bonavia alive; Steve helped calm him and heard Guilliman lament his past decisions.
• He Shenyan and Trajann appeared in Guilliman’s study, where He Shenyan greeted Steve and Frank and asked where Batman was.

He Shenyan warned Guilliman that two familiar Primarchs would reach Terra in a week and said Trajann’s body was near death. As the fighting spread across Terra, Batman uncovered a dangerous conspiracy inside the Inquisition, while He Shenyan sent Trajann toward the Golden Throne and blessed Terra’s defenders.

• He Shenyan told Guilliman that two loyal Primarchs would arrive in a week and warned him to unite everyone as the demonic assault grew.
• Guilliman briefed Frank on Tzeentchian infiltration near the Lion Gate Spaceport and directed him toward a decapitation campaign against the portals in the Hive Cities.
• Batman reported that he was at the Inquisition headquarters, where he had killed traitors and found an orange-yellow drug that could harm the Sisters of Silence and amplify psionic power.
• Batman crushed the drug, burned the bodies, and continued searching the Inquisition headquarters for information about its corruption.
• He Shenyan left Trajann’s body, declared that Trajann’s duty was not finished, and carried him toward the Golden Throne to be reborn.
• He Shenyan blessed the people fighting across Terra, restoring their courage as Lysander killed a Bloodthirster and civilians and soldiers rose to fight.

Lysander diverted part of his force to aid a Taranis Knight while racing toward the palace wall, and Iberia Taranis survived a Greater Daemon attack with help from Imperial Fists. In the lower Hive City, Seburus rescued a wounded Terra Guard soldier and brought him to a small group of survivors, leaving them to seek a way to keep the civilians alive.

• Lysander sent a Devastator squad to support a Taranis Paladin under attack while ordering the rest of his force to reach the palace wall within fifteen minutes.
• Iberia Taranis fought a Greater Daemon of Khorne until Boria killed it with a Rotary Melta, and she helped escort civilians from the ruins.
• A wounded Terra Guard soldier overloaded his lasgun and joined Seburus in killing Bloodletters that had cornered them.
• Seburus revealed that he was no longer an Astartes and led the soldier to a plaza sheltering survivors, asking him to contact his superiors.

Angron and Fulgrim monitored He Shenyan’s body aboard the Vengeance while his soul traveled through the Warp after blessing Terra’s survivors. He Shenyan’s return journey became a one-sided slaughter of daemons, and the Warp now bore a trace of his soul that would let its entities harass him.

• Angron and Fulgrim argued while waiting for news from Terra, then approved Father Ragnatinos’s request to research STCs aboard the Vengeance.
• Lictor reported strange changes to He Shenyan’s body, and the Magic Array Hub warned that his soul activity was elevated and could prevent his soul from returning safely.
• Lictor’s arm transformed into a golden, crystal-like form after he approached He Shenyan, so Angron ordered further monitoring and examinations and took over guarding the body.
• He Shenyan realized that using Psionic energy to bless Terra’s survivors had left a projection of his soul in the Warp, exposing him to its entities.
• He Shenyan traveled back along the Astral Beacon, killing the Bloodthirsters and other daemons that dared to attack him.

Nolfor’s exhausted defenders received reinforcements at the Bridge of Martyrs as the demons paused their assault. Meanwhile, Lysander learned from Cato Sicarius that the Sisters of Silence were unavailable and the Inquisition could not be trusted.

• Nolfor redeployed his troops during a lull in the fighting and ordered them to contact the palace for support.
• Litosys arrived with two hundred wounded Lucifer Black Guard and told Nolfor that another hundred and fifty were on the way.
• Nolfor warned Litosys to conserve ammunition and prepare for the demons’ return as night fell.
• An Apothecary reported to Lysander that the Imperial Fists had lost seventeen brothers and recovered fifteen sets of Gene Seed.
• Cato Sicarius told Lysander that the Ultramarines had secured the palace area and would garrison Lion Gate Starport, but demon portals remained widespread.
• Sicarius revealed that the Sisters of Silence could not join the battle and warned Lysander that the Inquisition could not currently be trusted.