Chapter Summaries

Litosys and the remaining Lucifer Black Guard soldiers fought a desperate battle against Khorne daemons at the Bridge of Martyrs until Dinas Chayne and the honored dead returned in golden light. The wounded were evacuated while Chayne led the resurrected Black Guards into the attack.

• Litosys killed a Bloodletter but was left unable to hold his Power Sword as another daemon threatened him.
• A golden warrior killed the Bloodletter, returned Litosys's sword, and charged into the daemons.
• Litosys received a communications broadcast from Dinas Chayne and reported his identity and location at the Bridge of Martyrs.
• Dinas Chayne and a formation of golden Lucifer Black Guards appeared, while medical Sisters carried Litosys and the other wounded to safety.
• Chayne drew his saber, ordered the Lucifer Black Guard to attack, and led them against the daemons.

Steve fought through Nurgle’s daemons, but Nurgle captured him and tried to force him to accept a horrific rebirth. As Steve faltered, the Emperor and countless figures called him by name, and a surge of light erupted from within him.

• Steve purged plague from his lungs and slaughtered Nurgle’s daemons with his Flame Sword and Psionic energy, planting bombs in their corpses and Nurglings.
• Steve detonated the Psionic bombs, clearing the battlefield, but sensed Nurgle’s gaze and heard Its voice.
• Nurgle confronted Steve with pain and visions, explaining that It wanted him to experience the galaxy’s truth and be reborn rather than killed.
• Steve found the Emperor and visions of many people in his heart, and their voices called him to stand.
• The Emperor told Steve to stand up, and endless light burst from within him.

Klan Samps uncovered a daemon-run laboratory beneath Inquisition headquarters and confronted the Tzeentch daemon responsible for the experiments. Meanwhile, Marius and Seburus helped the Ultramarines and Sisters of Battle escape the Hive City, then saw the returning heroic spirits’ golden light and heard Sicarius explain what had happened to him.

• Klan Samps hunted an inquisitor through the Antarctic Inquisition headquarters to gather evidence about the drug and test subjects, but a daemon possessed the inquisitor and spoke to him.
• Klan Samps noticed the headquarters had eight levels despite its repeated pattern of nine rooms and corridors, broke through the floor, and discovered a laboratory filled with ritual equipment, corpses, and iron coffins.
• Klan Samps confronted the Tzeentch daemon in the laboratory, which admitted its scheme had failed and claimed it would return in a hundred years; Klan Samps smiled in uncontrollable rage.
• Marius and Seburus held the Hive City generator breach against Slaaneshi daemons while the 6th Company evacuated the wounded and later collapsed the Hive City.
• Marius returned to the Imperial Palace and saw a golden curtain across the sky as the heroic spirits returned.
• Cato Sicarius told Marius that the heroic spirits of the past had returned and that this explained his recovery and the combat dagger he carried.

Guilliman led the Ultramarines toward Lion Gate Starport and fought a Plague Giant that could teleport through the Creep. Frank arrived and destroyed the Daemon Engine and froze the Creep, while Tigurius sensed that Frank had done things Guilliman would not approve of.

• Guilliman landed at Heroic Plaza, ordered the Eighth and Ninth Companies to regroup with Marius, and set out to retake Lion Gate Starport.
• A Plague Giant appeared and used the Creep to block the Ultramarines’ fire before teleporting and killing three battle-brothers with its Plague Cannon.
• Guilliman realized the Creep was using Psionic sorcery and ordered the support troops to burn it while the others held off the Plague Giant.
• Guilliman charged the Plague Giant and wounded it, but dodged its counterattack with help from a plasma shot.
• Frank leapt onto the Plague Giant, cut it open with his Chainsword, smashed it apart with a Psionic fist, and froze the surrounding Creep.
• Guilliman embraced Frank, and Tigurius sensed Frank’s thought that it was fortunate the communications channel had failed.

The 4016th Terra Guard Regiment fought a losing battle to retake Lion Gate Starport until the Deep Destruction arrived and annihilated the nearby daemons. Guilliman welcomed the reinforcements, while Frank left to kill more daemons before the battle ended.

• Commander Fernand and Captain Wiseman Boer fell during the regiment’s advance, and Aristotle assumed command.
• Aristotle saw the Deep Destruction arrive above the battlefield and bind the daemon army in red beams.
• The Deep Destruction’s magic cannon fired, purifying the daemons and Daemon Engines near the palace.
• Guilliman and Frank saw the Imperial Mechanical Dragon arrive, and Guilliman welcomed the reinforcements.
• Frank left to fight more daemons, telling Guilliman he had been a broken man for a long time.

As Terra’s defenses buckled under Nurgle’s invasion, He Shenyan assigned Fulgrim to rescue Steve and Angron to reinforce the Imperial Palace. The Silent Queen also defied the Regent’s orders and led her Sisters of Silence to the surface.

• Insel and Ezekiel rallied their Chapters aboard the Vengeance before battle.
• Angron and Fulgrim argued over their weapons until He Shenyan sent Fulgrim to help Steve escape Nurgle’s grip.
• He Shenyan told Angron that Terra’s defenders were badly depleted and ordered him to join Givadoron in supporting the Adeptus Custodes.
• The Silent Queen overruled her adjutant and took a transport with her Sisters of Silence to the Imperial Palace.
• Macragge’s Honour officers allowed the Sisters to leave, acknowledging the danger and the need for their support.

He Shenyan set out to close the Warp portal in the Hive City while Galahad and Litosys held the Bridge of Martyrs. He Shenyan entered the city after turning the slain Khorne daemons into a mocking display, leaving Galahad to return to his duties.

• Galahad praised Litosys and told him to call him by name as they waited with the wounded soldiers at the bridge.
• When daemons roared from the Hive City, Galahad ordered the defenders to prepare, but the expected attack did not arrive.
• Galahad advanced to the bridgehead and found a Bloodthirster corpse torn in half, with one half floating eerily in the air.
• He Shenyan appeared, dropped the floating corpse, and shaped the daemon corpses into a skull and a raised middle finger.
• He Shenyan flew into the Hive City and told Galahad the portal there would soon be closed, while Galahad laughed at his mocking creation.

He Shenyan uncovered a Hive City-wide ritual that had sacrificed thousands of children and destroyed the portal sustaining Khorne’s daemons. Meanwhile, two mysterious warriors arrived at the Imperial Palace, and Maximus Thane hinted to Tor Garadon that the towering black-armored newcomer was someone extraordinary.

• He Shenyan found 13,721 children’s skeletons beneath the portal and discovered that the entire Hive City had been turned into a sacrificial array.
• He Shenyan freed the victims, destroyed the portal, sent his trapped Daemon Orb into it as a bomb, and vanished to hunt for other portals across Terra.
• Maximus Thane and Tor Garadon argued over whether to bring civilians into the Imperial Palace while daemons still threatened Terra.
• A towering black-armored warrior and an iron-gray Astartes appeared before the Imperial Fists and said they had come under the Living Saint’s command to enter the Imperial Palace.
• Maximus Thane let the two warriors pass and told Tor Garadon to consider the black-armored warrior’s height and presence.

Angron and Givadoron fought through plague-ridden civilians and soldiers inside the Imperial Palace, then reached Ku'gath's position. Angron destroyed Ku'gath's plague brew and began overpowering the Nurgle daemon, leaving the battle still underway.

• Angron told Givadoron that his hostility toward the Imperial Fists came from remembering them as traitors in his world.
• Angron and Givadoron killed plague-infected civilians and Astra Militarum corpses as they advanced through the Imperial Palace toward the Throne Room.
• Ku'gath brewed a deadly plague while its daemonic host fought golden-armored defenders, and it worried after sensing that Rotigus had died.
• Angron hurled Lightning Axe into Ku'gath's cauldron, spilling and evaporating the plague, then attacked Ku'gath.
• Ku'gath severed its tongue and lost its left hand as Angron mocked it, kicked it down, and prepared to continue the fight.

Angron taunted Ku'gath into abandoning their fight and chased him away from the Throne Room, while Givadoron attacked Nurgle's daemons with specialized Bolter rounds. He Shenyan intercepted Ku'gath near a portal and explained that human suffering sustained it, leaving the Great Unclean One at his mercy.

• Angron mocked Ku'gath as he fought and corrected his swordsmanship until Ku'gath dropped his weapon and fled.
• Givadoron took advantage of the daemonic army's lost commander, firing Cryo-rounds and Incendiary-rounds into its ranks.
• Angron pursued Ku'gath, intending to lure him away from the Throne Room before killing him and releasing his plagues.
• Ku'gath ran toward a nearby portal, fearing the humans could kill him as they had killed Rotigus.
• He Shenyan appeared and restrained Ku'gath in midair, then explained that portals were sustained by human suffering.

Fulgrim reached the power plant and used its lingering psychic energy to contact Steve Rogers, who had cleansed Nurgle’s garden and defied the plague god. Fulgrim pulled Steve out of the Warp, and the two prepared to return to the Vengeance for a checkup.

• Fulgrim burned the civilians’ bodies and reached the power plant, where he sensed familiar psychic traces and called out to Steve Rogers.
• Steve recovered from Nurgle’s plague, rose in the garden, and killed the daemons that confronted him.
• Steve’s death knell and purifying light destroyed Nurgle’s corruption, and he announced that humanity’s souls belonged only to themselves.
• Steve unleashed a sun in Nurgle’s garden and denounced the plague god, who then hurled him out into the Warp.
• Fulgrim heard Steve’s reply and dragged him from the Warp; Steve recognized Fulgrim and asked whether reinforcements had arrived.
• Fulgrim offered to take Steve to the Vengeance for a checkup, and Steve agreed.

Marius allowed the Chiromancer to examine Sicarius, who appeared physically healthy despite surviving exposure to Nurgle daemons, and the doctor concluded he had witnessed an Emperor-made miracle. At the Imperial Palace, Valerian and the Custodes continued defending the Throne Room while Valerian set off to find the mysterious supporter aiding them.

• The Chiromancer told Marius that Sicarius was physically healthy but might still need a mental examination after his exposure to Nurgle daemons.
• Marius granted the Chiromancer another half hour to examine Sicarius before they had to return to their mission.
• After examining Sicarius, the Chiromancer ordered a Servitor to record that he had faced a miracle created by The Emperor.
• Across Terra, people and machines experienced miracles, while no miracles occurred in the Imperial Palace and the Custodes kept fighting Nurgle's forces.
• Valerian discussed their dwindling ammunition and the mysterious champion aiding the Custodes, then left to find that supporter.

Trajann Valoris awoke in the Throne Room with greatly increased power, and The Emperor explained that he had survived a spiritual trial and could test his new abilities against the Nurgle daemons outside. As the Adeptus Custodes counterattacked, Trajann joined the fighting while Givadoron prepared to engage a voice approaching from behind him.

• Trajann Valoris awoke with his memories restored and discovered that he had become far stronger.
• The Emperor told Trajann that he had reforged his soul and suggested he test himself against the Nurgle daemons.
• Trajann learned that Mogris was acting as Captain-General and that Valerian had gone searching for the mysterious Champion, Givadoron.
• Trajann charged into the daemons and cut them down, while Mogris ordered the Adeptus Custodes to counterattack.
• Givadoron changed his weapon's barrel and magazine, then grabbed his dagger when someone complained that they had been searching for him.

He Shenyan purified Ku'gath before leaving Angron to help defend Terra, while Galahad confronted two approaching figures at the Bridge of Martyrs. Fulgrim recognized that Galahad had come for him, though Steve did not know why.

• He Shenyan removed Ku'gath's diseased organs and plagues, explaining to Angron that Nurgle would eventually reclaim and revive the daemon.
• He Shenyan left Angron and suggested he support the Adeptus Custodes in the throne room.
• Galahad warned Litosys to stay alert and explained that he was confined to the Bridge of Martyrs as punishment for abandoning his post.
• Galahad ordered Litosys and the Terra Guard soldiers to retreat after two men approached from the Hive City.
• Steve and Fulgrim arrived at the bridge, and Fulgrim recognized Galahad as the Heroic Spirit who had been summoned and suspected he had come for him.

He Shenyan redirected Nurgle’s plague assault on Terra, then entered Nurgle’s garden and detonated compressed magic power, transforming the domain. Nurgle accepted defeat and declared that He Shenyan should be proud of what he had done.

• Fulgrim sent Steve Rogers to the Vengeance for examination and questioned Galahad about his Power Sword and Saul Tarvitz.
• Nurgle’s fury caused plague clouds to spread across Terra, and He Shenyan protected the Heroic Spirits by diverting the acid rain through a portal.
• He Shenyan compressed magic power into a gemstone, extracted a shard of Nurgle’s will, and used it to open a path into Nurgle’s garden.
• He Shenyan stepped into the garden and detonated the gemstone, reducing its rotten foundations to blankness and devastating Nurgle’s domain.
• Nurgle acknowledged He Shenyan’s victory, said he would remember the day, and told him to be proud.

Insel’s Iron Snakes prepared to meet Guilliman and warriors of their Mother Chapter while following a new route toward the Imperial Palace. Elsewhere, Cran uncovered evidence of a Tzeentch daemon’s influence on an Inquisition branch and left the laboratory secured for investigation.

• Insel learned that the Bridge of Mercy had been destroyed and ordered his forces to find another route to the Imperial Palace.
• The Chaplain asked to join First Squad, but Insel refused because the squad’s roster was full.
• Phyias told Insel that Guilliman and warriors of the Mother Chapter were approaching, so the Iron Snakes formed ranks to meet them.
• A scout unit arrived on combat bikes, and its leader examined the Iron Snakes’ Chapter badge before removing his helmet and smiling.
• Cran concluded that a Tzeentch daemon had manipulated an Inquisition branch into conducting experiments and realized that the age of the Inquisition’s headquarters could reveal when it had fallen into corruption.
• Cran left a force to guard the laboratory and preserve its contents as evidence.

He Shenyan rampaged through the Warp to recover his strength, then returned to deal with the remaining daemons and corruption on Terra. Meanwhile, Valerian recruited Givadoron for a sniper position in the Throne Room, and Angron led Imperial Fists through the ruined Palace as the decisive battle approached.

• Tigurius foresaw something momentous, collapsed in convulsions, and required sedatives before he could explain his vision to Guilliman.
• He Shenyan devoured daemons and the life of planets in the Warp until he had recovered about seventy percent of his strength, then opened a portal back to Terra.
• Valerian introduced himself to Givadoron and led him toward a hidden mezzanine in the Throne Room so he could snipe the daemons below with enchanted bolt rounds.
• Valerian said Marshal Trajann had returned to the fight, and Givadoron agreed to follow him to the elevated firing position.
• Angron marched with the Imperial Fists through the Palace ruins while Maximus learned that Lysander and First Company were delayed fighting Khorne daemons.

Givadoron and Valerian fought through the Departmento Munitorum, using its fire suppression system and Cryo-Bolter rounds to freeze the Nurgle Creeps as they advanced toward a hidden passage. Meanwhile, Guilliman learned that Insel’s Vengeance had real-time battlefield scans and continued toward the Imperial Palace, four hundred meters away.

• Valerian led Givadoron toward the Departmento Munitorum and explained that Nurgle’s demons had infiltrated it.
• Valerian activated the department’s fire suppression system, and Givadoron used a Cryo-Bolter round to freeze the water-filled Creeps.
• Givadoron and Valerian crossed the frozen corridor, then killed a sleeping demon in the hall and climbed toward the third floor as a Plague Walker attacked.
• Guilliman spoke with Insel and learned that the Vengeance provided precise, real-time battlefield information through its scanning systems.
• Insel told Guilliman they were four hundred meters from the Imperial Palace, and Guilliman said the technology should be rolled out across the Empire.

Givadoron and Valerian fought their way through Nurgle daemons, and Valerian sacrificed himself to open a hidden passage for Givadoron. Trajann and the Custodians continued battling the growing daemon horde until reinforcements arrived and the gate to the Throne Room opened.

• Givadoron and Valerian encountered a Tzeentch daemon, and Valerian charged it while Givadoron loaded an enchanted magazine and shot it.
• Valerian awoke from the freezing attack, removed his helmet, and walked in golden flames to the end of the corridor before exploding and revealing a hidden passage.
• Givadoron entered the passage, saying his mission was not yet complete.
• Trajann fought through the Nurgle daemons as a Greater Daemon's plague broth transformed Nurglings into Plaguebearers and replenished their numbers.
• Mogris and his Custodian comrades battled the daemons while exchanging insults, until Mogris announced that reinforcements had arrived.
• The gate to the Throne Room was pushed open.

Angron and the Imperial Fists attacked the Nurgle daemons in the Throne Room, while He Shenyan returned to the Vengeance and checked on Steve. The chapter ended with Steve asking when he could return to the battlefield.

• Angron charged into the Nurgle daemons, and the Imperial Fists surrounded them with Bolter fire.
• Angron destroyed a Greater Daemon’s vines and killed the Great Unclean One as Nurgle watched its forces fall.
• Maximus ordered the Imperial Fists to target five Greater Daemons, then prepared four companies to charge.
• He Shenyan returned to the Vengeance, replenished its energy, and went to the medical bay to see Steve.
• Steve told He Shenyan that his skin kept shedding after his return from the Garden, then asked when he could rejoin the battle.