Chapter Summaries

Belisarius Cawl became obsessed with the RX-0 after seeing it in the simulation pod, and He Shenyan gave him the knowledge to reproduce it. Meanwhile, Guilliman worried over the political fallout of He Shenyan’s plans, while Steve reunited with Helbrecht and went to meet Lelith.

• Cawl covered manuscripts with drawings of the RX-0 and told He Shenyan that he had seen its incarnation of beauty in the simulation pod.
• He Shenyan revealed that the RX-0 was a weapon from another world and gave Cawl its technical information, asking him to reproduce it for the Imperium.
• He Shenyan told Guilliman that Cawl had accepted the project, and Guilliman complained that the Sector Network plan had stirred up disputes among the Mechanicus.
• Steve reunited with High Marshal Helbrecht and asked Sicarius where Lelith was; Sicarius said she was hiding in his room because she feared Steve.
• Helbrecht ordered Angard to retrieve Lelith, but Steve stopped him and chose to go meet her himself.

Steve questioned Lelith about Face-Ripper Gragga and asked her to share Ynnead’s guidance with the Glyph Array. Meanwhile, aboard the Faith Messenger, Tariksis defended a vital armory from an Orc assault and awaited reinforcements.

• Steve entered Lelith’s room alone despite Helbrecht’s objection and found her terrified of his uncontrolled Psionic power.
• Steve asked Lelith for Gragga’s location, and she explained that the Glyph Array could interpret the feeling Ynnead had given her.
• Lelith said she had intended to share that feeling before Steve’s arrival disrupted her plan.
• Tariksis reported that his squad had been wiped out and held the corridor guarding one of the Faith Messenger’s armories.
• Tariksis killed a heavy-armored Orc at close range with a combat shotgun and received word that Armed Squad A-7 was coming to support him.

After Captain Dalikar died during the Orc boarding of the Faith Messenger, Vensatoria took command and organized a push toward command. Captain Lierfu coordinated the defense from headquarters while Sister Stacy volunteered to help restore communications, as the battle continued aboard the ship and Sigma Ustali remained engulfed in war.

• Vensatoria tried to save Captain Dalikar, who named him captain of the Faith Messenger before dying from his wounds.
• Vensatoria learned that soldiers were holding the hangar on command's orders and set out to assemble a squad to reach command.
• Captain Lierfu discovered that Second Lieutenant Alakson's force had failed to reach the second engine and ordered him back to support the fourth hangar.
• Sister Stacy told Lierfu that the medical Sisters and soldiers had retaken passages near the church, then received orders to repair a nearby communications relay.
• Sister Stacy volunteered to join the mission, explaining that she wanted to fight the Orcs herself, and the lieutenant agreed.

Steve redirected the ships to aid a Retribution-class Battleship under attack and sent Frank to assist in its defense. Aboard the Faith Messenger, Sister Stacy and a sergeant rallied the defenders into a counterattack, while Stacy stayed behind to remember the dead.

• Steve ordered the ships to assist the Retribution-class Battleship and sent Frank there by teleportation.
• Frank armed himself heavily for the boarding action and asked Bonavia to wish him misfortune so he would encounter more enemies.
• Sister Stacy comforted a mortally wounded soldier, gave him Eternal Sleep, and then killed four Orcs with her Bolt Revolver.
• The sergeant used a Concussion Grenade to disorient the Orcs, then led his squad in a counterattack.
• Sister Stacy remained behind to memorize the faces and names of the dead.

Frank slaughtered an Orc settlement aboard the Faith Messenger while Steve’s fleet began destroying the Orc ships threatening Sigma Ustali. Steve prepared to descend to the forge world’s surface and join the battle.

• Frank used a flashbang, darkness, and gunfire to kill every Orc in a small settlement aboard the Faith Messenger.
• The Glyph Array estimated that roughly twenty thousand Orcs were aboard the ship and distributed across its stern and sides.
• Steve briefed High Marshal Helbrecht on defending Sigma Ustali and arranged for their ships to destroy the Orc vessels before they could reinforce the boarding party.
• Steve’s ship fired two volleys, blasting an Orc vessel into dust.
• Steve ordered a surface scan and support fire, then told Sicarius to prepare an orbital drop with Pedro as he drew a golden-flamed sword.

Fabricator General Borolis’s forces and the Crimson Fists devastated the Orcs on Sigma Ustali with orbital beams, ambushes, and advanced weapons. The Crimson Fists unleashed new Composite Magic Ammunition as the trapped Orcs faced annihilation.

• Borolis led the Skitarii forward, while orbital beams destroyed Orc war machines and killed scores of Orcs.
• Ismara-1-Gamma fought alongside the Mechanicus and argued with another Tech-Priest about self-modification.
• Pedro ordered the Crimson Fists to wait until the Orcs approached before firing, then used the Glyph Array to teleport them into the fleeing Orcs’ path.
• The Crimson Fists activated Repulsor Fields and attacked the Orcs with bolters, plasma, and melta weapons.
• The reconnaissance company used Composite Magic Ammunition, whose bullets exploded into freezing magic that trapped nearby Orcs in ice.

Frank slaughtered Orc patrols aboard the Faith Messenger while the Crimson Fists and Adeptus Mechanicus fought to reclaim Forge World 73 on Sigma Ustali. Steve arranged for He Shenyan to teleport the planet’s Orcs into Khorne’s realm, then prepared the assembled forces to hunt Face-Ripper Gragga and investigate the Octarius Sector.

• Frank killed an approaching Orc patrol with his combat knife and asked the Glyph Array to send Bonavia to bring him weapons.
• Sergeant Eskar led the Crimson Fists First Company in destroying an Orc bunker, then received orders to join Ismara-1-Gamma and reclaim Forge World 73.
• Ismara-1-Gamma and Eskar coordinated their forces’ advance toward the forge, where an intact Fusion Core threatened the western front if it exploded.
• Steve asked He Shenyan to teleport the Orcs across Sigma Ustali into Khorne’s Chaos Wastes, ending the battle within a Terran hour.
• Steve told Helbrecht that the forces would wait to ambush Face-Ripper Gragga and use the opportunity to learn about the Octarius Sector.

Roboute Guilliman welcomed Angron, Fulgrim, Sanguinius, and Leman Russ back to Terra while worrying over the political and personal consequences of their return. Fulgrim accepted Guilliman’s decision to keep his Legion’s return secret and apologized for the harm done in his name, leaving the brothers to face their painful past with unexpected calm.

• Guilliman postponed his meetings and prepared for four Primarchs to return, worrying most about Sanguinius learning of the Lamenters and Russ’s effect on Imperial politics.
• During their journey to Terra, Fulgrim repeatedly beat Angron at chess while Sanguinius and Russ admired Terra Space Station.
• Guilliman met the returning Primarchs aboard Macragge's Honour; Russ asked for a bed, and Angron departed without asking about rebuilding the World Eaters.
• Guilliman told Fulgrim that his return and Legion could not yet be announced, and Fulgrim agreed to wait.
• Fulgrim explained that the Emperor's Children had to atone for their past before reclaiming their name, then insisted on apologizing to Guilliman for what had been done in his name.

Guilliman told Sanguinius the history of the Lamenters, and Sanguinius met Phobos Lileo and mourned with the Chapter. He Shenyan refused Angron’s request to recruit from a world beyond the Empire, and Angron agreed to choose an Imperial world instead.

• Guilliman revealed the Lamenters’ history and Inquisition records to Sanguinius, who fell silent after learning the truth.
• Sanguinius found Phobos Lileo aboard the Vengeance, revealed that he had returned, and sang an ancient Baal lullaby to the Lamenters.
• He Shenyan stopped monitoring the Lamenters’ station and helped Angron search for a suitable recruitment world.
• He Shenyan described a promising world from another universe, but explained that its people might not survive the Empire’s harsh environment.
• Angron accepted that he could not recruit from that world and agreed to choose from He Shenyan’s list of Imperial worlds.

Guilliman planned a birthday banquet for the young Horus, whose soul The Emperor had reclaimed, but Sanguinius confronted Guilliman for hiding Horus from him and predicting his reaction instead of asking him directly. The chapter ended with Sanguinius warning Guilliman that he was becoming more like The Emperor.

• Sanguinius confronted He Shenyan about the Lamenters’ treatment, and He Shenyan said they had already received what they deserved.
• Guilliman called Jaghatai Khan and proposed gathering the brothers on August 12 to mark Horus’s birthday; Khan agreed and warned him to consider Sanguinius’s reaction.
• Guilliman arrived aboard the Vengeance with Leman Russ and Fulgrim, and Russ blurted out that Guilliman planned a birthday banquet for Horus.
• Khan explained that Little Horus was a young, growing version of Horus whose shattered soul The Emperor had reclaimed from the Warp.
• Sanguinius told Guilliman he was angry that Guilliman had concealed Horus’s existence and planned around his reaction without asking what he thought.
• Sanguinius asked Guilliman not to become more like The Emperor.

Sanguinius confronted Guilliman over his secretive decisions and accused him of betraying his trust. He Shenyan explained that Guilliman had repeated The Emperor’s habit of making choices for others without asking, then left the brothers to settle the matter themselves.

• Guilliman denied Sanguinius's accusation, but Sanguinius said Guilliman had followed The Emperor's example and forgiven him for future mistakes.
• He Shenyan asked Guilliman what he saw and described how people form impressions of him while he refuses to explain himself.
• He Shenyan told Guilliman that Sanguinius was angry because Guilliman had betrayed his trust by making decisions without consulting him.
• He Shenyan compared Guilliman's actions to The Emperor's treatment of Angron and Lorgar, and reminded Guilliman that The Emperor had told him to ask his brothers before deciding for them.
• He Shenyan left to go fishing, and Russ said he wanted to go with him.

He Shenyan took Angron, Leman Russ, Fulgrim, and Jaghatai Khan fishing in the space between worlds, where he explained that they were trying to catch a gift for Little Horus. He revealed a view of a pale, disheveled man fighting in another world, and Angron objected that he should have been told about it sooner.

• Leman Russ led the others away from Sanguinius and Guilliman, and the Khan bet Russ that Robert would arrive the next day with a black eye.
• He Shenyan brought Angron, Russ, Fulgrim, and Jaghatai Khan to a strange fishing spot hidden beneath the Vengeance’s lowest deck.
• He Shenyan explained that they were fishing in the space between worlds and caught information drifting through the Endless Star Sea.
• He Shenyan said he had brought them there to fish up a gift for Little Horus, and Jaghatai Khan cast his line.
• He Shenyan showed the group a scene from another world, where a pale, disheveled man was fighting, and Angron told him to give warning next time.

Konrad Curze led soldiers through a ruined city after killing its demons, while the scientists reported that a mobile energy source on Mars was as powerful as a nuclear bomb. As Russ and the others watched Curze’s unfamiliar behavior, an old man in the Warp comforted Magnus and wished happiness for the people he saw fishing.

• Konrad Curze killed the last demon, checked for hidden threats, and demanded a casualty report from a soldier.
• Curze threatened to kill the soldier for approaching the battlefield and berated him for struggling to carry his sword.
• The soldier told Curze that the scientists described the mobile energy source on Mars as a walking nuclear warhead.
• Russ laughed at Curze’s behavior, while Jaghatai Khan, Fulgrim, and Angron reflected on how different he seemed.
• An old man in the Warp stroked the starlight he had gathered, comforted Magnus, and wished happiness for the people he saw fishing.

Guilliman brought Horus’s brothers to reunite with him, but the sight of them triggered Horus’s shattered soul and a suicide attempt that He Shenyan stopped. As Horus began to recover, He Shenyan left the gathering and crossed into New Irithyll, where Gwyndolin welcomed him.

• Horus asked Yvraine where Guilliman had gone, and she left Guilliman’s office in a hurry when Horus questioned her about their relationship.
• Guilliman led Russ, Jaghatai Khan, Fulgrim, Sanguinius, Angron, and He Shenyan to Horus’s room to meet him one at a time.
• Horus greeted Guilliman warmly, but seeing his other brothers caused his shattered soul to believe they were illusions created by Chaos.
• Horus tried to punch himself in the temple, and He Shenyan commanded him to stop before Guilliman carried him to bed.
• He Shenyan told Angron that Horus would wake with some aid to his fractured mind, then left the ship and crossed to New Irithyll.
• Gwyndolin greeted He Shenyan in a tower and demanded compensation for his long wait.

He Shenyan visited New Irithyll, learned that the Twin Princes were exploring Freljord, and abruptly returned to his Mage Tower after remembering Feng. He found Feng alive but enormous from absorbing mana, with several Aspects still undigested in her stomach, and planned to deal with matters at home.

• Gwyndolin wrapped He Shenyan in her tail, and the two spent the morning together before he appeared in New Irithyll that afternoon.
• High Priestess Emma told He Shenyan that Lordran's people were thriving and that the Twin Princes had traveled to explore Freljord.
• He Shenyan remembered Feng and abruptly teleported from New Irithyll to his Mage Tower in Ionia.
• He Shenyan found the Mage Tower unusually tidy and discovered Feng asleep in his room, grown enormous after absorbing excessive energy.
• He Shenyan sensed that Feng had several Aspects still undigested in her stomach, left her to sleep, and went to deal with other matters.

Swain watched Noxus transform as he struggled with age and waited for its campaign against Piltover to conclude. On the battlefield, Darius and Cyprius learned that Kronos faced a new threat, and they rushed toward the rising smoke.

• Swain questioned the guards about the delayed morning paper, then set out from his cottage in the Immortal Bastion.
• Swain reflected on Noxus’s victory over Piltover and the changes made to the Immortal Bastion.
• Darius disabled a war mech and captured its Zaunite pilot without killing him, explaining that Sion wanted to preserve human lives.
• Cyprius sensed danger near Kronos’s battle, and Darius joined him as the ground trembled and smoke rose in the distance.
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Luxanna and Garen struggled to protect civilians and children after a magical blast devastated Piltover, while Garen discovered suspicious soldiers arriving in the ruins. Instructor Kronos appeared and killed the soldiers, then recognized Garen.

• Luxanna shielded a wounded civilian and a Silent Wolf Legion soldier from the blast, then treated the woman while arguing with her about Noxus.
• Garen protected children from the explosion’s aftermath and persuaded them to follow him to a safer place.
• Garen spotted suspicious, heavily covered soldiers approaching and hid the children before preparing an ambush.
• A dark figure descended and killed the soldiers; Garen recognized the figure as Instructor Kronos, who said he remembered him.

Kronos and Garen rescued children from Piltover’s abandoned orphanage and uncovered evidence that the city’s families had prepared to join the Council. As Sion prepared to protect Zaun’s civilians from further attacks, Grady urged him to send Katarina into action.

• Kronos told Garen that General Sion would resolve the situation, then ordered him to gather the children and search for survivors who could testify to the crimes.
• Sion recalled killing Jarvan I, then ordered his forces to warn Zaun and evacuate civilians or shelter those unable to protect themselves.
• Grady told Sion that Piltover’s Council and families had likely planned the indiscriminate attack and might commit further atrocities to protect their wealth.
• Grady recommended that Lady Katarina take action.

Imprisoned councilor Jayce Talis learned that Piltover’s Council had fired the Refraction Prism inside the city, while Garviel Loken and Darius survived its crimson blast. The chapter left Loken questioning the weapon’s origin as the conflict with Noxus continued.

• Jayce Talis, locked in a dark cell, broke his mirror and condemned the Council for authorizing the Refraction Prism’s use in Piltover.
• A guard told Jayce that a tremor half an hour earlier had been the Refraction Prism’s aftershock.
• Jayce recalled opposing the Council’s refusal to negotiate with Noxus and feared the weapon would kill many Piltover citizens.
• Garviel Loken and Darius recovered after a crimson beam destroyed the area around them, with Loken’s Composite Shield protecting them.
• Loken questioned where the weapon came from, and Darius suggested it might be a variant of Hextech.

He Shenyan massacred the Aspects on Mount Targon while searching for Myisha, the Aspect of Twilight, and vowed to pursue her after they failed to reveal her location. In Noxus, Katarina met with General Sion and received a mission.

• He Shenyan questioned the Aspects about Myisha, the Aspect of Twilight, after killing several of them.
• The Aspects said they did not know where Myisha was, and He Shenyan's shadow swallowed them as he decided to hunt her down.
• Katarina crossed the Silent Wolves' military camp and entered General Sion's tent.
• Sion called Katarina their only remaining Blade Master and told her to step forward to receive her mission.