Chapter Summaries

Logan Grimnar and the Space Wolves fought alongside Leman Russ as a golden light erased the daemons aboard Vengeance, and Russ confirmed that the Emperor had appeared. Back aboard the ship, the Mage reunited with Rogal Dorn, prepared the fleet for battle, and challenged Tzeentch, who warned that the war would demand countless lives.

• Logan Grimnar watched Leman Russ lead the Space Wolves in a savage assault on Khorne’s daemons, while Bjorn, Bran Redmaw, and Ingvar the Kraken-Bane traded jokes over the vox.
• A golden radiance swept through the corridor, burned away the daemons, and vanished after Russ saluted a passing human-shaped figure.
• Russ told Bjorn that the figure had been the Emperor and said they would soon be able to fight their way back out.
• The Mage returned to Rogal Dorn aboard Vengeance, activated the ship’s defenses, put Hub in command, and invited Dorn to fight alongside the Imperial Fists.
• Tzeentch spoke through Erebus’s living sculpture and warned the Mage that his plan would cost countless lives, while the Mage declared that he sought redemption and intended to kill the Chaos Gods.

After a temporary victory in the Suli System, Roboute Guilliman and the Primarchs discussed their next move while the Mage focused on treating the badly wounded Astral Beacon. Rogal Dorn took charge of planning their week-long preparations before they continued toward the front line.

• Konrad Curze provoked Corvus Corax until Rogal Dorn warned him to behave, and Curze agreed to respect Dorn's wishes.
• Roboute Guilliman arrived from the Medical Pod and announced that the Vengeance would remain in the Suli System for two days before heading to rendezvous with Lady Cassandra's fleet.
• The Mage explained that he was remotely drawing in the badly wounded Astral Beacon and had to construct a suitable Medical Pod for him.
• Rogal Dorn apologized to Curze and Corax, then took over the meeting and used Central Hub data to outline the journey and the need for strict, efficient measures against Nurgle's forces.
• Dorn ordered the Primarchs to integrate and train with their Legions during the coming week, then interrupted Leman Russ's feast to remind him that they were still at war.

Roboute Guilliman struggled with the aftereffects of overusing magic, and He Shenyan explained the dangers of power without proper control. He then visited the Astral Beacon, where he questioned the Emperor about taking Drach'nyen's strike and vowed to seek a way to deal with the sword.

• Guilliman asked He Shenyan how to ease the lingering pain from overusing magic, and He Shenyan told him to endure it and remember the cost of power.
• He Shenyan explained that Guilliman’s strong talent let him use magic by instinct, but warned him to respect ancient rules and avoid paying a greater price.
• He Shenyan left the Vengeance and crossed the Warp to the Astral Beacon, where the Emperor asked whether the others were physically well.
• The Emperor explained that Drach'nyen would have harmed anything that tried to protect him, so he had relied on his own body to keep the sword from reaching the Webway entrance.
• He Shenyan said he would seek a way to deal with Drach'nyen, comparing his resolve to Trajann Valoris’s choice to act despite lacking better solutions.

Mephisto visited Sanguinius and Sister Ankesha, who questioned the Primarch about a Captain who had saved worlds but concealed his identity. The conversation left Mephisto respecting the Captain and wondering what Sanguinius knew about him.

• Mephisto walked through the peaceful Blood Angels garrison and told a young warrior not to show weakness.
• Mephisto went to Sanguinius's quarters and joined the Primarch and Sister Ankesha.
• Ankesha asked why the Captain had refused glory, and Sanguinius said some people chose to reject it and would not explain the Captain's motives.
• Sanguinius asked Mephisto what he thought of the Captain, and Mephisto concluded he had suffered trauma or was mentally unsound but still deserved great respect.
• Mephisto said the Blood Angels could not help the Captain, but Sanguinius told him he was wrong and hinted that the Captain did not need their help.
• Mephisto left Sanguinius's room looking more like his former self, and the Sanguinary Guard noticed he seemed in a good mood.

Konrad Curze found Roboute Guilliman and Corax playing a Legion-war simulation and joined their conversation. When Curze asked to play, Corax proposed a kingdom-management simulation instead, and Guilliman agreed to join despite his magic lessons.

• Konrad Curze left his room to find amusement and secretly watched Guilliman and Corax battle in a simulation.
• Guilliman and Corax discussed their tactics after the simulation ended, and Guilliman explained that he had to attend magic lessons.
• Guilliman noticed Curze hiding in the ceiling and invited him to join them.
• Curze asked whether he could take part in their war game despite having no Legion, and Corax said he could after rebuilding his Legion.
• Corax proposed a kingdom-management simulation, and Curze and Guilliman agreed to play.

Konrad Curze built New Nostramo into a prosperous and educated kingdom in the simulation, while Corvus Corax’s realm suffered from misrule and plague. After Corax ended the game in despair, Curze confronted him and urged him not to abandon the people; Guilliman later reflected that Curze had truly changed.

• Konrad Curze overcame floods and famine by investing in agriculture, making New Nostramo the wealthiest of the three countries.
• Curze defeated barbarian invaders and transformed New Nostramo through reforms to its laws, education, infrastructure, and culture.
• A plague spread from Corvus Corax’s realm into New Nostramo, and Curze quarantined the north and tried to reassure the people, but many died.
• Roboute Guilliman offered to send troops to contain the plague, but Corax ended the simulation and called himself an unworthy king.
• Curze punched Corax, rebuked him for giving up on the sick, and called him to stand beside him as they continued the game together.
• Curze died from overwork in the simulation, followed shortly by Guilliman, and Guilliman later reflected that Curze had changed.

Fulgrim received the resources and permission to begin rebuilding his Legion, while the Primarchs discussed a kingdom-management simulation and its potential for training rulers. Their conversation turned to second chances and responsibility before He Shenyan called up Lady Cassandra’s frontline battle report.

• He Shenyan told Fulgrim to begin selecting children and preparing to rebuild his Legion, leaving the full effort until after the war.
• Vulkan congratulated Fulgrim, then asked Corvus Corax why he looked dispirited after losing repeatedly to Konrad Curze in their Kingdom simulation.
• Roboute Guilliman explained that the simulation could test administrative strategies, and Jaghatai Khan praised the idea while joking that Guilliman was born to toil.
• Rogal Dorn defended Guilliman’s work and told Konrad Curze that he hoped he would cherish his second chance as Dorn’s brother.
• He Shenyan ended the discussion and asked the Central Hub to display Lady Cassandra’s frontline battle report.

Lady Cassandra Vanlescus reported that she had secured Babromis II and III while the traitor-held Forge World Babromis I remained silent, and the Primarchs assessed the risks and her fleet’s possible corruption. Corvus Corax and Konrad Curze agreed to investigate and purify Cassandra’s forces when they rendezvoused, while He Shenyan warned that the danger ahead was unclear.

• Lady Cassandra Vanlescus reported heavy losses while reclaiming Babromis II and III, described the Black Tower defenses, and said Forge World Babromis I had not responded.
• Dorn condemned Cassandra’s decision to establish bases in a dangerous system, but Guilliman defended her and stressed Babromis I’s importance to the Imperium’s weapons production.
• He Shenyan explained that the Black Towers purified Chaos corruption and could combine their fields into a powerful psionic shield.
• Leman Russ suspected that the Vostroyan Firstborn Regiments might have been corrupted during their Warp crossing, despite the Glyph Array showing no corruption on Colonel Loska Petromia.
• Corvus Corax ordered an investigation and purification of Cassandra’s fleet at the rendezvous, assigning the Raven Guard and requiring Konrad Curze to accompany him.
• He Shenyan studied the Star Map and said the fleet would need good luck until they arrived.

Cassandra Vanlescus emerged from sensory lockdown to find Colonel Dieter Karma dead and signs of contamination aboard Saint's Command. As she tried to reach the bridge and warn the Living Saint, she encountered a grotesque scene and began to doubt what she could trust.

• Cassandra found Colonel Dieter Karma's corpse surrounded by a bloody array and was nearly drawn into his unnatural eyes before the Aquila injected Sanity.
• Cassandra explored the blood-streaked corridors, found no living crew, and discovered that her memory and communications were compromised.
• Cassandra entered a conference room and saw Dalton Fitzeler and Major General Hilternos devouring each other while speaking as if nothing were wrong.
• Cassandra denounced Dalton as a traitor and shot both men, but the Glyph Array failed to respond when she ordered it to scan their bodies.
• Cassandra decided to reach the bridge and warn the Living Saint not to dock with Saint's Command, unaware that her perceptions might be distorted.

Sergeant Heisenberg and Colonel Valk fought against Lady Cassandra’s forces aboard the Saint's Command and realized they needed to warn the expeditionary fleet. On Babromis II, Colonel Tobias Gilbert concluded a rebellion might be underway and ordered the troops to prepare for possible orbital bombardment.

• Heisenberg crawled through heavy fire to join Colonel Valk, and the Vostroyans killed an advancing many-legged figure.
• Heisenberg, Valk, and the Commissar discussed how to warn the Living Saint, then Valk decided to contact Colonel Horatio of the 618th Regiment.
• On Babromis II, Tobias Gilbert told his Cadians to wait because they could not contact the fleet.
• Major Felix Sionaldo reported that the 619th Firstborn Regiment had also failed to reach the Saint's Command.
• Tobias warned Sionaldo that a rebellion might have broken out aboard the ship and ordered him to dig trenches and air-raid shelters.
• Tobias ended the call and ordered the Cadians to prepare as the Saint's Command loomed above the blizzard.

Cassandra Vanlescus recovered her sanity long enough to recognize the Chaos corruption she had suffered and destroy the Saint's Command's records, then died as the Glyph Array self-destructed. After the Astral Beacon's light drove Tzeentch away, He Shenyan warned Roboute Guilliman that Cassandra and her ship might be lost and ordered the Vengeance to prepare to scan them.

• Cassandra Vanlescus killed a Navigator she believed was a traitor and tried to send a message using the Saint's Command's Logis Engine.
• The Astral Beacon pierced Cassandra's corruption, and she remembered killing Colonel Dieter Karma in a ritual while under Chaos's influence.
• Cassandra destroyed the Logis Engine and ordered the Glyph Array to erase its records and self-destruct, then prayed as she awaited her death.
• Tzeentch fled the Astral Beacon's radiance, while He Shenyan noticed the Beacon had been pulled at and grew concerned about Cassandra's ship.
• He Shenyan ordered the Vengeance to scan the Saint's Command upon reaching the Babromis System, and Roboute Guilliman vowed to avenge its crew if they were lost.

The Mage asked Alyona Anastasia to lead the Frost Wolf on a voluntary reconnaissance mission to assess the endangered Saint's Command, and she accepted. As the ship set out, Logan Grimnar and Krom Dragongaze discussed protecting Alyona amid political tensions, while Leman Russ promised to handle his brother's affairs.

• The Mage praised Alyona's rapid-response skill and asked her to investigate the Saint's Command before docking, emphasizing that the mission was voluntary and that her safe return mattered most.
• Alyona accepted the reconnaissance mission, with the Space Wolves set to cooperate with her and the Frost Wolf.
• Finn reunited with Old Vitte in the Frost Wolf's hangar, revealed that he had become a Grey Hunter, and then returned to the bridge when Krom Dragongaze called him.
• Krom Dragongaze and Logan Grimnar discussed the political risks surrounding Alyona and the Departmento Munitorum, while the Frost Wolf prepared to meet the Saint's Command.
• Logan Grimnar asked Leman Russ what they should do, and Russ said the wolves need only fight while he handled his brother's affairs.

Heisenberg and a small group of Cadians and Vostroyans fought through the Saint's Command toward the bridge while Chaos corruption turned its crew against them. Logan Grimnar and the Space Wolves arrived, relieved the suicide squad, and began clearing the ship as Heisenberg prepared to explain the rebellion.

• Heisenberg and the Cadian lieutenant discussed their dwindling forces and the exposed final four kilometers to the bridge, then Heisenberg began proposing a desperate plan.
• A metal sphere breached the Saint's Command's hull, and Logan Grimnar and the Space Wolves charged into the corridor.
• The Space Wolves advanced behind their shields and attacked the traitors while Grimnar asked Heisenberg who commanded the surviving squad.
• Heisenberg identified himself and explained that an unexplained rebellion had made the crew believe the loyalists were traitors.
• Grimnar said Alyona Anastasia would receive Heisenberg and investigate the rebellion, then assured the volunteers they would survive and had earned their rest.

Guilliman and Dorn learned that Tzeentch had silently rewritten the memories of most of the Saint's Command's crew, while Russ reported Cassandra Vanlescus's death. Meanwhile, He Shenyan took Sanguinius, Jaghatai, and Vulkan through the Endless Star Sea toward a similar world to confront their pursuer and fulfill a promise, leaving Vulkan bracing for what awaited him.

• Guilliman and Dorn reviewed the scan results and concluded that Tzeentch had corrupted the Saint's Command's crew by rewriting their memories without using a sacrifice or magic array.
• Russ told Guilliman that Cassandra Vanlescus had died when her armor self-destructed, though the Walking Titan had captured the last trace of her soul.
• Russ said Corax and Curze were investigating the Saint's Command, and he explained that Fulgrim was recruiting while Vulkan, Sanguinius, and Jaghatai stayed with He Shenyan.
• He Shenyan brought Sanguinius, Jaghatai, and Vulkan through the Endless Star Sea and revealed that he planned to retaliate against the being that had tracked and attacked them.
• He Shenyan explained that he had promised the Emperor of another world he would return to help, and Jaghatai realized the mission might involve their counterparts.
• Jaghatai warned Vulkan to prepare himself, leaving Vulkan frozen with unease.

The Mage brought Vulkan, Jaghatai, and Sanguinius to meet the dying Emperor, who recognized them and spoke with them about their shared fatherhood and his suffering. The Mage insisted on fulfilling his promise to save the Emperor and humanity, then invited Sanguinius to help him wipe out their enemies.

• The Mage introduced Vulkan, Jaghatai, and Sanguinius to the Emperor, who greeted them despite his ruined body and inability to see.
• Vulkan, Jaghatai, and Sanguinius struggled with their emotions as the Emperor called them his children and explained that he was like, but not the same as, their father.
• The Emperor reassured Sanguinius that his own father loved him and his brothers, though he had hidden that love.
• The Mage asked whether It had noticed their arrival, and the Emperor said it probably had not, while warning the Mage against reckless action.
• The Mage revealed that the Emperor was dying and insisted that saving him was part of his promise, despite the Emperor's objections.
• The Mage showed Sanguinius the words “Wipe out shame” and asked if he wanted to join him.

Sanguinius, Vulkan, and Jaghatai Khan confronted the fallen Sanguinius on Baal, where Slaanesh had tormented him with illusions for ten thousand years. After the demon acknowledged Sanguinius as real and touched his wings, Sanguinius killed him, and Baal was destroyed as the dead appeared to witness his final departure.

• Sanguinius, Vulkan, and Jaghatai Khan planned to kill the fallen Sanguinius within fifteen minutes of He Shenyan severing Slaanesh's influence.
• The fallen Sanguinius relived Horus’s murder and death, then spoke with Azkaellon, who remained loyal despite his pleas to leave.
• The fallen Sanguinius found Azkaellon beheaded and attacked, but stopped when he saw the real Sanguinius, Vulkan, and Jaghatai Khan arrive.
• The fallen Sanguinius touched Sanguinius’s burning wings and, after asking if he was real, said he had nothing left to say.
• Sanguinius killed the fallen Sanguinius, and He Shenyan used the Astral Beacon to help the group escape as Baal was destroyed.
• The souls of Baal’s dead appeared in the golden light as the fallen Sanguinius walked toward his father’s throne with Horus.

He Shenyan reflected on his limits after weakening Tzeentch’s influence, then confessed his guilt and failures to Roboute Guilliman. Guilliman urged him to see things from a mortal’s perspective, and He Shenyan recognized that he had neglected the simple desires that kept him connected to his humanity.

• He Shenyan told the Emperor that his chain-reaction bombs would disrupt Tzeentch’s attempts to manipulate mortals, and promised to return when the Emperor’s long-awaited day arrived.
• He Shenyan returned to the Vengeance weakened and admitted to Roboute Guilliman that he lacked the strength to pursue another demon Primarch.
• He Shenyan told Guilliman that he felt powerless to save Priad, Givadoron, and Trajann, and blamed himself for the deaths and the people he continued to send into battle.
• Guilliman told He Shenyan that he should stop carrying everything alone and try seeing events from an ordinary person’s perspective.
• He Shenyan remembered cooking for his own pleasure long ago and realized the Emperor had once reminded him to hold on to his humanity.

Konrad Curze and Corvus Corax found the mutilated Pirstan governor, whose will to live was sustained by vengeance, while the Primarchs debated how to advance the Vengeance Crusade amid the Great Rift’s renewed activity. Fulgrim proposed driving the Vengeance at full speed straight to Segmentum Obscurus, and Jaghatai agreed with him.

• Konrad Curze and Corvus Corax examined the mutilated Pirstan governor and concluded that vengeance was the one thought still sustaining him.
• Curze transported the governor away for help, while Corax shared his anger at the Chaos Traitors.
• Leman Russ, Dorn, Guilliman, and the other Primarchs discussed the massacre on Pirstan and the danger of sending fleets ahead while the Great Rift was active.
• Fulgrim argued against both advance scouting and waiting, proposing that the Vengeance push its Mana Furnace to the limit and rush directly to Segmentum Obscurus.
• Jaghatai agreed with Fulgrim’s plan to press forward without hiding their arrival.

He Shenyan and Roboute Guilliman questioned Governor Kappel Reginald, who called himself Ghoul and revealed the atrocities committed on Pirstan by Honsou and his followers. He Shenyan offered Ghoul a chance to take revenge by undergoing modification, leaving Guilliman alarmed but unable to dismiss his teacher’s promise of another plan.

• He Shenyan summoned Kappel Reginald and explained that the governor had chosen the name Ghoul after recovering his memories.
• Ghoul told Guilliman he had survived for a year by eating corpses and described how Chaos forces tortured him and brutalized Pirstan’s people.
• Ghoul identified Alfonso Tangris, Goyle Bedlaid, and their master Honsou as responsible for the attack, and said they had spared him because they expected He Shenyan to arrive.
• He Shenyan praised Ghoul for naming the people behind the crimes and offered him a chance to take revenge himself.
• Guilliman objected that modification surgery would likely kill the elderly Ghoul, but He Shenyan said he had other plans as a Trans-dimensional Mage.

He Shenyan prepared to give Honsou a second chance after destroying a Chaos warband, while Honsou realized the Mage was hunting him and fled toward Medrengard. There, Perturabo gathered an army to defend Honsou, telling him to fight as himself.

• He Shenyan and Sanguinius discussed The Old Man and the Sea, and He Shenyan left to grant someone a hard-won second chance.
• Honsou reprimanded Alfonso Tangris and Goyle Bedlaid for marking a living sector governor, then ordered them to flee to Medrengard because He Shenyan was coming to kill them.
• Honsou recalled Perturabo teaching him to fight in his own way rather than imitate other Warsmiths.
• Perturabo sensed that He Shenyan had begun hunting Honsou and called him his son.
• Perturabo rose and prepared Medrengard's army to fight for Honsou rather than for conquest.