Chapter Summaries

Angron fought a powerful alien at the checkpoint, disarmed it, and forced it to retreat after severing its tail. He suspected the Erdtree was tied to his journey and left to find a way to approach it.

• Angron disarmed the alien, then challenged it to fight him without weapons.
• The alien attacked Angron with a relentless barrage and revealed a concealed Warhammer, but its planned strike missed.
• Angron caught the alien’s tail and severed part of it with his blood qi.
• The alien called back its staff, vanished in golden Light Spots, and swore in Morgott’s name that Angron would die.
• Angron recovered his Lightning Axe, condemned the Erdtree as akin to an Evil God, and left to seek a way to reach it.

Morgott reflected on the Erdtree’s failing blessing and his injury after Angron wounded him through a phantom. In Limgrave, Angron killed the Tree Sentinel and confronted Kale, promising not to harm him; the author’s note said the Ashen One would be the one to improve this world.

• Morgott mourned the loss of the Erdtree’s grace and sat down while recovering from the injury Angron had inflicted on his true body.
• Kale sheltered in a ruined church with his donkey, then went outside to relight his campfire after the tremors stopped.
• Angron defeated the Tree Sentinel, crushing its horse and killing the knight with his axe.
• Kale watched in terror as Angron approached and ordered him to stand up.
• Angron identified himself as a servant of the holy Imperium of Man and told Kale he would not harm him.

Angron learned from Kale that the Tree Knights were empowered by the Erdtree’s so-called blessing, which he identified as a curse, and defended Kale from a golden being. After destroying its temporary form, Angron realized the conflict was tied to a Lunar Princess and that he still needed to find a Divinity host; he then corrected Kale’s prayer to invoke The Emperor.

• Angron questioned Kale about the Tree Knights and learned that they were empowered by the Erdtree’s blessing.
• A golden humanoid attacked, and Angron protected Kale, declaring him under the Empire’s protection.
• Angron fought the golden being, learned it considered the world a farm, and denounced its claim to possess humanity.
• The golden being asked whether Angron was allied with the Lunar Princess and threatened that they would both die.
• Angron destroyed the being with the Lightning Axe, then worried about finding a Divinity host and told Kale to pray for The Emperor’s protection.

Ranni sensed an outsider from the stars and ordered Iji to investigate a bald thief who had recently visited their stronghold. As Ranni worried about the outsider and her mother’s shattered mind, Iji concealed how few people remained to carry out her orders.

• Ranni sensed a strange presence from the north and searched the stars, concluding that an outsider had descended upon The Lands Between.
• Ranni asked Iji about Blaidd, Limgrave, and the bald thief who had tried to sell him throwing knives.
• Ranni told Iji to send scouts to Limgrave and investigate the thief without attracting the Academy’s attention.
• Ranni wondered whether the outsider’s arrival was good or bad and lamented that she had drawn her few allies into her rebellion.
• Iji told Ranni that her mother remained unable to recover her senses, then left without revealing how scarce Caria’s scouts and knights had become.

Angron questioned Kale about the Carian royal family and the missing Lunar Princess as they reached Liurnia. After Angron killed a giant crayfish, he noticed a giant with lunar power emerge from the woods.

• Angron assured Kale that the Empire would protect wandering people and give them a place to live.
• Kale told Angron that the Lunar Princess had not been seen for twenty or thirty years and described the Carian royal family and its troubled leaders.
• Angron decided he needed to find the Lunar Princess to continue searching for the vessel of Divinity.
• Angron caught and killed a giant crayfish that burst from the ground, then called out to someone watching from the woods.
• A tall, helmeted giant emerged and asked Angron who he was, while Angron's Glyph Array detected lunar power in the giant.

Angron confronted Iji while seeking the Lunar Princess, but Adula attacked and was swiftly punished. Ranni revealed the dangers of a vessel for Divinity, prompting Angron to question whether the Treefolk had misled him.

• Kale listened as Angron questioned Iji and demanded that the giant blacksmith take him to the Lunar Princess.
• Adula rescued Iji from Angron with a blast of dragonfire, but Angron struck the dragon with lightning, wounded it, and knocked it to the ground.
• Ranni appeared beneath the Dark Moon and challenged Angron, who explained that Adula had attacked him first and identified her as the Lunar Princess.
• Angron offered to help Ranni destroy the Erdtree in exchange for a vessel capable of housing Divinity.
• Ranni warned Angron that a vessel for Divinity had strict conditions and that he was asking for an Empyrean's body.
• Angron said he needed the vessel to save someone, then called the Treefolk after realizing it might have deceived him.

The Treant Mage explained that it could alter a Divinity Vessel but could not create one, then recognized Ranni as the vessel Angron had obtained through a bargain. Elsewhere, Ezekiel prepared for battle while reflecting on how he had rebuilt the Crimson Blades’ Third Company and rejected a life as an instructor.

• The Treant Mage explained that it could change a Divinity Vessel’s attributes and capacity, but could not create one because vessels manifested a rule.
• Angron indicated the silent doll, and the Treant Mage revealed that it had paused Ranni’s time before restoring it.
• The Treant Mage identified Ranni as a soul-body with the potential to become a god and confirmed that she had reached a transaction with Angron.
• Ezekiel asked when support would arrive and ordered it to hurry while preparing his Bolter on the battlefield.
• Ezekiel recalled learning his Chapter’s Primarch was Sanguinius, rebuilding the Third Company after the Siege of Terra, and refusing the Chapter Master’s request to stay as an instructor.

Ezekiel led Astartes through a rebel-held city to destroy two Stormsword tanks, but a rebel transport plane crashed and prompted him to redirect forces to investigate. He held position while waiting to learn what was happening at the crash site.

• A Third Company warrior told Ezekiel that the Astra Militarum had withdrawn after heavy losses and that the rebels had two Stormsword tanks.
• Ezekiel gathered twenty Astartes and assigned the rest of his forces to hold the city while he led squads to destroy the tanks.
• Ezekiel led Second Tactical Squad through the city and spotted a concealed booby trap near the bell tower where the Stormswords were believed to be.
• A rebel transport aircraft crashed elsewhere in the city, and Ezekiel ordered a Destroyer Squad, an assault squad, and three tactical squads to ambush those investigating it.
• Ezekiel put the tank mission on hold and kept his squad watching from their position.

Klan Samps confronted Soren Codlow’s impossible survival and the Greater Daemon Nergus, who escaped into Nurgle’s Garden after Klan sent a psionic bomb through the Warp gate. Klan then met Captain Ezekiel and asked him to report what he knew.

• Klan found Soren Codlow trapped beneath the transport wreckage, and a Greater Daemon named Nergus emerged from Codlow’s body.
• Nergus mocked the Imperium and summoned Nurgle’s power as Klan transformed the surrounding area into ice.
• Klan let Nergus escape into the Warp, then hurled a psionic bomb through the closing gate.
• Klan stayed to meet the approaching Crimson Blades and went to their temporary command post.
• Captain Ezekiel met Klan, who explained how Sanguinius’s return had affected Imperial politics and his Chapter’s access to equipment.
• Klan gave Ezekiel a silver Double-headed Eagle badge and asked him to report what he knew.

Cran told Captain Ezekiel that the mortal rebels had no ties to the Chaos warband and warned that their reinforcements had been cut off. Elsewhere, Kordos fought through a bloodied corridor, killed a Slaanesh-tainted traitor, and watched his brother Dols die.

• Cran questioned Ezekiel about the rebels and explained that the planetary uprising stemmed from deeper conditions, though traitors still had to die.
• Cran revealed that he had crashed the transport and found a Chaos warband's vessel in orbit, but the rebels had never contacted the Chaos Traitors.
• Cran warned Ezekiel that their reinforcements had been cut off, and Ezekiel's eyes bled as he resisted the freezing force of The Void.
• Kordos recovered from a fight and charged into the darkness with a combat knife after his Chainsword broke.
• Kordos killed a Slaanesh-tainted traitor with help from the injured Dols, then promised to kill more enemies before Dols died.

He Shenyan told the Emperor about his growing nihilism and self-destructive thoughts, while the Emperor urged him to keep fighting. Aboard the Sword of the Emperor Chapter’s ship, Kordos found three fellow Astartes and took command as they headed for the main control room.

• He Shenyan explained that he felt humanity fading within him and admitted he was tired and drawn toward escape.
• The Emperor recalled his own despair in the ancient 2K era and urged He Shenyan not to let his thoughts defeat him.
• He Shenyan thanked the Emperor, though he could not promise what he would do.
• Kordos killed a Slaanesh traitor and continued through the bloodied ship, fearing his brothers had been slaughtered.
• Kordos met One-Eye and two Tenth Company recruits, learned they had come from the hangar’s ritual formation, and agreed to lead them toward the main control room.

Kordos was mortally wounded fighting Slaanesh-worshiping traitors, but a mysterious voice revived him and ordered him to reclaim his ship. Meanwhile, Cran organized the Crimson Blades to launch an attack and support the besieged Sword of the Emperor Chapter.

• Kordos killed the traitor who stabbed him, then used his last strength to help the recruits and One-Eye defeat their attackers.
• As Kordos was dying, a calm voice told him it was not yet time and ordered him to stand and take back his ship.
• Golden flames revived Kordos and restored his corrupted combat knife, and he told One-Eye they would reclaim the ship.
• Cran told Ezekiel and the Crimson Blades that a supporting Chapter had been attacked and that they needed two aircraft capable of reaching orbit.
• Cran ordered the Crimson Blades to attack the rebels, while he handled the two Stormblade Tanks and Ezekiel's forces targeted the aircraft.

Astropath Isaac pretended to obey the traitors’ order to use the suffering victims in a summoning ritual, while secretly resisting them. He unleashed his psionic power to stop the sacrifice, and a violent explosion followed.

• Isaac was led into the desecrated hangar aboard the Sword of the Emperor, where traitors had tortured and suspended innocent victims.
• A traitor ordered Isaac to commune with the victims’ souls and activate a summoning ritual.
• Isaac feigned obedience while praying to the Emperor and discovered that the traitors planned to kill other prisoners as sacrifices.
• Isaac unleashed his psionic power and cried out to the Emperor, stopping the victims’ screams before a violent explosion sounded.

He Shenyan asked the Treefolk to remove the Divinity that was changing him, though he continued answering prayers for help. Meanwhile, Kordos and One-Eye fought traitors aboard a damaged bridge until crimson-armored reinforcements arrived.

• He Shenyan admitted he had kept responding to prayers and asked the Treefolk to remove his Divinity.
• Kordos and One-Eye encountered traitors in a corridor and traded fire and insults with them.
• A traitor challenged Kordos, but an explosion tore open the bridge and sucked the traitor into the vacuum.
• Kordos used his Magnetic Boots to stay in place and rescued a recruit while One-Eye lay unconscious nearby.
• A shadowy warrior and other crimson-armored fighters entered through the breach, and Kordos recognized them as reinforcements.

Kordos met Captain Ezekiel Zanglin of the Crimson Blades after Spider-Man dealt with the traitors and the damaged ship. Spider-Man revealed major changes in the Imperium and invited Kordos to join his new organization as they prepared to return to Terra.

• Ezekiel introduced himself to Kordos, who apologized that the Crimson Blades had ended up supporting his squad.
• Spider-Man told Ezekiel to send Techmarines to repair the sabotaged engine and to aid wounded Astartes and civilians.
• Spider-Man asked Kordos about his lack of contact with the Inquisition and Terra, then identified what happened to him as a miracle.
• Spider-Man told Kordos that Roboute Guilliman had awakened, the Emperor had revived and killed Tzeentch after Terra's second defensive war, and the Inquisition had been replaced by a new organization under his leadership.
• Spider-Man invited Kordos to join his organization and said they would return to Terra, leaving Kordos stunned until One-Eye woke up.

He Shenyan endured the painful ritual to remove his Divinity while Guilliman grew uneasy over a Mechanicus request to visit Terra Space Station. During a meal with Jaghatai Khan, Little Horus briefly remembered his past life and lamented the tragedy he had caused before returning to himself.

• He Shenyan endured the Treefolk's ritual as golden radiance flowed from him into the empty puppet.
• Guilliman studied a request for twenty Mechanicus Priests to visit Terra Space Station and postponed his decision despite sensing something was wrong.
• Guilliman and Jaghatai Khan discussed supplying weapons and Power Armor to the Space Marines, while Little Horus arrived excited about the Dreadnought Elders.
• Little Horus slipped into a sorrowful recollection of his past as Horus, grieving the war and suffering caused by his mistake.
• Jaghatai Khan and Guilliman gently told Little Horus that he had been dreaming when he returned to himself.

Angron recovered from the effects of crossing dimensions while Sanguinius and Fulgrim checked on him. On a remote agri-world, Odor found a crashed Thunderhawk Gunship and helped the wounded Space Marine Lernus, who said an enemy aircraft had attacked and a planetary war might follow.

• Angron entered the Medical Pod, and Sanguinius worried that his soul and body were no longer fully compatible after his journey between worlds.
• Sanguinius and Fulgrim walked through the ship, where Sanguinius joked about his popularity and Fulgrim remarked that he resembled the paintings made of him.
• Odor comforted his son, Little Tree, about a clay sculpture of his dead mother before they spotted an aircraft crash nearby.
• Odor went to the wreckage, found the injured Lernus inside, and helped him switch on the cabin lights.
• Lernus used his Bolter and a knife to free himself from his damaged Power Armor, then asked Odor to take him to the village.
• Lernus told Odor that an enemy aircraft had shot down his Thunderhawk, his battle-brothers were dead, and he needed help contacting his Chapter before war engulfed the planet.

Lernus Molenia conscripted the village headman, Voskin Charles, to help him reach the planet’s governor or military leadership so he could contact the Salamanders Chapter. Meanwhile, He Shenyan and The Emperor planned to transform the remaining Divinity through the Astral Beacon, preserving protection for humanity while preventing a god from forming.

• Odor led Lernus Molenia to his village, where Lernus noticed the headman’s lavish stone house among the poor homes.
• Lernus questioned Voskin Charles, identified himself as an adjutant of the Salamanders Chapter’s Second Company, and conscripted Voskin to arrange a meeting with the governor or military leader.
• Voskin accepted and prepared to lead Lernus, while his son insisted on accompanying them.
• He Shenyan returned from purging the Divinity and told The Emperor that the still-living Divinity remained in his Pocket Dimension.
• He Shenyan proposed casting the Divinity into the Astral Beacon so humanity’s collective subconscious could reshape it into a vessel without its own will.
• The Emperor approved the plan and urged them to begin, while He Shenyan stopped to make tea.

Watkins Charles and his son traveled with Lernus toward the city as Night Devils appeared out of season, while the Salamanders lost contact with Lernus and sent Dak'ir to find him. Dak'ir discovered that a powerful beast was mechanically and biologically modified, and Fabius Bile was shown conducting experiments aboard the unidentified ship.

• Watkins Charles and his son accompanied Lernus overnight, and Lernus killed a Night Devil that attacked them.
• Tu'Shan learned that Lernus and the Thunderhawk Gunship were missing, confirmed through Pyriel that Lernus was alive, and sent Dak'ir to support him by Psionic teleportation.
• Dak'ir arrived in a misty forest, fought and killed a massive beast, and found steel plating and mechanical structures embedded in its body.
• Fabius Bile considered how to modify the creatures in his culture vats and pressured a strange being to help prepare its body sooner.

He Shenyan punished Fabius Bile for the countless lives he had used in his experiments, then appeared to the Salamanders as a Living Saint and urged them to return to Holy Terra. Tu'Shan accepted the command and ordered his forces to rescue two brothers on the planet below before beginning the journey home.

• He Shenyan confronted Fabius Bile, restored his sanity, and told him that the wronged souls had come for him.
• Pyriel showed Tu'Shan the vision of a golden radiance destroying the ship where He Shenyan had confronted Bile.
• He Shenyan appeared in Tu'Shan's chamber with golden wings and hymns, while privately complaining about the staged effects.
• He Shenyan told the Sons of Vulkan to return to Holy Terra, and Tu'Shan believed they had been called to meet the Emperor.
• He Shenyan vanished, leaving a radiant feather, and Tu'Shan ordered the Salamanders to rescue their two brothers and set out for home.