Chapter Summaries

Taloc's fleet detected the unidentified Zerg main force and fought its overwhelming numbers in low orbit. Rear Admiral Horn Rector and the Yandu-class crew stayed behind for a final attack that destroyed a thousand biological warships, while the battle for Taloc continued.

• Rear Admiral Horn Rector ordered the Hub Station shut down and its staff evacuated after the fleet's radar detected an approaching gravitational anomaly.
• The Zerg main fleet arrived with at least a million biological warships, and Taloc's ships opened fire with conventional weapons and Matrix Beams.
• As the Zerg counterattacked, Horn Rector ordered the surviving ships to support the ground forces and told the Yandu-class crew to evacuate, but its crew chose to remain with him.
• The Yandu-class and its fourteen Matrix nodes charged the Zerg fleet, firing antimatter missiles before the ship's shields and Matrix barrier began to fail.
• Horn Rector ordered the Yandu-class engines pushed to maximum output, and the crew overloaded them as the Matrix nodes unleashed a beam that destroyed a thousand Zerg warships.

Tanya, Celestine, and the defenders of Taloc faced the Great Devourer’s planetary invasion as the Swarm consumed the world and attacked the metropolitan shields. After District 29 fell and the evacuation plan shifted toward District 06, the defenders prepared to engage as the shield began to shatter.

• The Swarm descended on Taloc, devouring living things and transforming the rainforest while its living warships siphoned up the ruined ground.
• Tanya and Celestine watched the invasion, and Tanya called the enemy the Great Devourer as they worried whether the Chairman could reach them through the Psionic Power blockade.
• The UNSC’s missile salvo destroyed the Swarm’s first assault, but the enemy answered with orbital bombardment and massed attacks against the metropolitan area.
• Command ordered the defenders and civilians to withdraw toward District 01, and Tanya’s group watched the Swarm overrun District 29 after its shield went down.
• The Swarm concentrated its attacks on Districts 02 through 06, so Tanya, Celestine, and their unit were sent to District 06 to aid evacuation and fight.
• As the streets filled with evacuees, the bombardment continued until the sound of the energy shields shattering rang out.

The Swarm trapped Tanya, Celestine, the 3rd Battalion, and their allies during a rescue at the Public Security Bureau in District 06, forcing them to fight their way out while evacuating civilians. As Celestine stayed behind to cover the retreat and overloaded her armor’s reactor, she seemed to hear a comforting voice.

• The Swarm dropped creatures into District 06, and Sheriffs and soldiers struggled to evacuate civilians as Tanya’s group advanced toward a distress call at the Public Security Bureau.
• Tanya suspected the Swarm had deliberately lured the rescuers into a trap, and Celestine agreed that the Zerg might be studying human behavior.
• A Chief Warrior led a massive counterattack that surrounded the rescuers, cut off their retreat, and forced them to escort civilians through the Swarm’s fire.
• Krieg soldiers and other wounded fighters sacrificed themselves by overloading their Power Armor reactors, helping the survivors carve out a path.
• A focused barrage shattered Celestine’s shield and left her severely wounded, so she stayed behind to cover Tanya and the others as they retreated.
• Celestine was overwhelmed by the bugs and overloaded her reactor, then seemed to hear someone tell her she had suffered enough.

Celestine met Sui Bian after her apparent death, returned to Taloc with wings and new power, and destroyed the Chief Warrior while joining the evacuation. The chapter ended with Zack Redfield and twelve Auxilia soldiers entering the Intelligence Department’s bioweapon cold storage.

• Celestine met Sui Bian in an independent space, and he told her to help Tanya Adams and save Taloc.
• The Elite Captain charged the Chief Warrior to buy time for Tanya and the others, but his attack failed and he was knocked down.
• Celestine appeared in golden light, destroyed the Chief Warrior, and told Tanya that Sui Bian had saved her and granted her new life.
• Celestine flew ahead to help rescue trapped allies and civilians, while the others resumed the evacuation.
• Zack Redfield and twelve Auxilia soldiers took an elevator to the bioweapon cold storage and entered after his biometric authorization.

Zax awakened Soldier Boy and sent him into the Zerg invasion to draw the swarm away from evacuating civilians. Soldier Boy attacked in Metropolitan District 08, while Zax planned to use and monitor him under the cover of her fabricated memories.

• Zax retrieved Soldier Boy from cryogenic storage, and technicians implanted false memories before waking him.
• Zax told Soldier Boy that a century had passed and that Chris Redfield was her grandfather, then equipped him with a combat uniform and a Vibranium shield.
• Zax explained that the Zerg had breached the metropolitan districts and asked Soldier Boy to draw their attention while civilians evacuated.
• Zax told an Auxilia to report Soldier Boy's information to the Thirteenth Legion and considered how the Intelligence Department could control or use him.
• Soldier Boy saw the Zerg swarm and the defenders evacuating civilians, then leaped into the swarm in Metropolitan District 08.
• Soldier Boy used his shield, fists, and chest pulse attack against the Zerg, drawing more of them toward himself.

Sui Bian organized reinforcements to help the Thirteenth Legion fight the Taloc Zerg and ordered Leon and Lara Croft to investigate ruins in Universe 03. As Sui Meng’s fleet neared Taloc, his erased past as the doomed Primarch of the 11th Legion was revealed.

• Sui Bian appointed Roger Warmaster and ordered Roger and Sanguinius to send troops, The Great Device 012, 013, and 014, and Ark 002 to aid the Thirteenth Legion on Taloc.
• Sui Bian directed Lara Croft and Leon to investigate ruins across Universe 03 in hopes of uncovering the Necrons.
• Aboard the Lord of Glory-class flagship, Sui Meng recalled how the 11th Legion resisted Chaos but took their own lives after being irreversibly corrupted, leading Emperor of Universe 03 to erase their existence.
• Sui Meng led the Vanguard Legion toward Taloc, where the 24th Battalion had landed troops and begun guerrilla warfare against the Zerg fleet.
• Sui Meng’s fleet reached the end of the Warp Rift after he learned it was fifteen minutes from Taloc.

Sui Meng and the Vanguard fleet arrived at Taloc to break through the Zerg blockade and rescue the besieged world. After teleporting aboard the colossal Nautilus and fighting through its defenders, Sui Meng encountered a creature that appeared to be the Zerg fleet’s Brain Bug.

• Sui Meng ordered the fleet to punch through the Swarm and join the 24th Battalion as Taloc’s surface appeared almost entirely consumed by bugs.
• The Vanguard fleet used Matrix Nodes to breach the living warships, then deployed Astartes, Auxilia, and armored units to Taloc’s metropolitan area.
• Sui Meng teleported with the Army Breakers into the Nautilus, where they used friend-or-foe acid grenades to destroy egg sacs and carve through the ship.
• Sui Meng fought his way through Chief bugs while the Army Breakers split into teams and wreaked havoc throughout the Nautilus.
• Sui Meng ordered the Army Breakers to return to the flagship, then delayed his own escape when he sensed an unusual Chief bug approaching.
• A crimson-spiked creature arrived with its guards, and Sui Meng identified it as a likely Brain Bug before charging at it with the Blood Dragon Blade.

Sui Meng killed the Swarm Lord, took samples, and destroyed the Nautilus, throwing the Taloc Swarm fleet into disarray. In Metropolitan District 10, Vanguard Astartes rescued trapped civilians and seized a selfish man who had tried to use them as bait to escape.

• Sui Meng fought through the Swarm Lord’s guards, killed it, and collected samples of its flesh and brain tissue.
• Sui Meng left a tiny Scarlet Star inside the Nautilus and teleported away, causing the flagship and surrounding living warships to be destroyed in a massive blast.
• With the Swarm leader gone, the Taloc Swarm fleet lost its coordination, allowing the Vanguard Legion to gain the upper hand while instinct-driven bugs surged toward Taloc’s surface.
• In Metropolitan District 10, a man in a dress shirt opened a storage room door, dragged two women outside, and fled, hoping the bugs would attack the civilians instead of him.
• A Vanguard sergeant cut down warrior bugs blocking the man’s escape route, then grabbed him by the throat and carried him back to the storage room, where Vanguard Astartes had rescued the trapped civilians.

The Forlorn Hope rescued civilians on Taloc and executed a man who had used them as bait. After three days of devastating losses, Roger, Sanguinius, and Sui Meng planned a joint expedition to locate and eliminate the Tylo Zerg while investigating their Hive Mind.

• A Forlorn Hope sergeant tried the shirted man for using civilians as bait, found him guilty, and killed him after the survivors raised no objections.
• More than thirty Forlorn Hope escorted the civilians through the infested streets to a guarded temporary base, then left to search for others.
• The fleets of Honor Fist and the Blood Angels arrived and burned away the biological swamps, while the three Primarchs gathered on Taloc.
• Roger briefed the Battalion Commanders on Magnus's scans and proposed sending the Expeditionary Force into regions containing large Tylo Zerg populations.
• Sui Meng warned that the Tylo Zerg were constantly evolving and proposed that the three Great Devices eliminate all life in target systems; Roger and Sanguinius agreed.
• Roger ordered the Expeditionary Force to begin its campaign against the Tylo Zerg.

After the Taloc crisis was considered resolved, Sui Bian ordered Leon S. Kennedy to lead a task force into Universe 03 to search for the Taloc Zerg’s source. The chapter ended with six hunters preparing to attack a giant bear on an unfamiliar world.

• Great Devices 012, 013, and 014 annihilated the Taloc Zerg in a distant galaxy, while their Cross-Phase Pulse Waves drew nearby swarms away from the Milky Way.
• Magnus found that nearly 10% of Universe 03’s galaxies had fallen into darkness, and Roger, Sanguinius, and Sui Meng continued searching for the Zerg’s source.
• Sui Bian ordered Leon to hand the Intelligence Department to Ada and travel to Universe 03 to search for unknown ruins.
• Leon selected six Astartes veterans and thirty Auxilia for his task force, with Ada encouraging him before his departure.
• Six hunters watched a sleeping giant bear from the forest and prepared to flank it with green-glowing stone arrowheads.

Sui Bian toured New Krypton with Red Queen and White Queen, observed its dangerous wildlife and feudal society, and reached a city-state where the guards attacked them. After Red Queen and White Queen killed the soldiers, Sui Bian decided the city was ready for reform.

• Six New Kryptonian hunters used Kryptonite arrows and daggers to kill and butcher a giant bear.
• Sui Bian, Red Queen, and White Queen watched from above, and Sui Bian tamed an attacking eagle before sending it away.
• Sui Bian explained how New Krypton’s humanoid inhabitants had evolved into a feudal civilization shaped by his interventions.
• At the city gate, five soldiers tried to surround Sui Bian and his secretaries and force them to surrender.
• Sui Bian authorized Red Queen and White Queen to use force, and they killed the soldiers with disintegration weapons.
• Sui Bian watched the hunters enter the city and decided it was time for change and reform.

After the city-state’s lord gathered its residents in the plaza, Sui Bian appeared and declared himself their creator and the Master of Mankind. He burned thousands of Kryptonians he judged sinful, transformed Alenicia Ackley Altais and the attendants into his chosen servants, then returned to the Hollow Earth.

• The lord went to the temple seeking forgiveness, and a priestess speaking for Sui Bian ordered him to gather the city’s residents and surrender power to Alenicia Ackley Altais.
• At the Central Plaza, Alenicia proclaimed that Sui Bian had chosen the city-state, and a golden radiance and wings appeared around her.
• Sui Bian, Red Queen, and White Queen arrived on the platform, where Sui Bian declared himself the Master of Mankind and lifted thousands of Kryptonians into the air.
• Sui Bian burned the lord and thousands of other Kryptonians to ashes, while the surviving residents reacted with fear and gratitude.
• Sui Bian transformed Alenicia and the attendants, giving them silver-white hair, black robes, golden wings, and glowing bodies, then teleported back to the Hollow Earth with Red Queen and White Queen.

Sui Bian decided that growing resistance among alien populations called for harsher rule and considered how to assert his authority across the multiverse. After the Queens proposed replacing the UEG with an empire, he declared that he intended to overthrow it and establish the Imperium of Man.

• Sui Bian reflected on his plan to humanize New Krypton and on using Kryptonian genetic sequences to enhance future Astartes.
• Sui Bian sensed the attitudes of humanity and alien populations across the multiverse, then ordered Lion, Fulgrim, Horus, and the others to exterminate resistant or ambiguous Xeno races in higher-designation universes.
• Sui Bian told the Queens he wanted to take personal action and demonstrate why he was called the Master of Mankind.
• The White Queen argued that the UEG's parliamentary system concealed Sui Bian's supreme power and proposed establishing the Imperium of Man.
• Sui Bian revealed that Lion had repeatedly urged the Queens to raise the idea, then declared he would overthrow the UEG and establish a true Imperium of Man.

Sui Bian decided to establish the Imperium of Man and sought Robert’s support before summoning the Primarchs and senior officials to Macragge. As the public speculated about the sudden gathering, Russ arrived and learned the purpose of the meeting.

• Sui Bian opened a Portal to Robert’s office on Macragge and asked whether he supported establishing the Imperium of Man; Robert approved and prepared for a gathering and banquet.
• Claude Kennedy browsed a heated forum post questioning Sui Bian’s authority, then saw official news that the Primarchs and senior officials were gathering on Macragge.
• Claude discussed the gathering with his friend, who speculated that a major event or cleanup was coming, and arranged to meet him.
• Russ arrived at Macragge, embraced Robert, and was stunned when Robert said Sui Bian had called them there to establish an empire.

Sui Bian told the gathered leaders that he would lead an extermination campaign in the Zero-Five Universe and replace the United Council with the Imperium of Man. The chapter ended with his public announcement prompting speculation about a shift in the balance between the UEG and UNSC.

• Russ welcomed the arriving Primarchs and persuaded Mortarion to join the Space Wolves on an expedition in exchange for Cataphractii Terminators.
• Artemis arrived at the gathering in an unusually angry mood, while Primarchs, officials, and other guests made their way to the banquet on Macragge.
• Sui Bian announced that he would lead the Praetorian Guard to the Zero-Five Universe, carry out Exterminatus, and establish the Imperium of Man in place of the United Council.
• Russ and the other Primarchs and Astartes led the hall in cheering for the Imperium, and the gathered guests joined them.
• On Arcadia, Claude and his friend watched Sui Bian's public announcement, then heard Major General Zhang suggest that the operation could alter the balance between the UEG and UNSC.

Sui Bian exterminated rebellious civilizations across the Zero-Five Universe, then returned to Earth and proclaimed the establishment of the Imperium of Man. The chapter ended with humanity celebrating the change while Claude and Tina went out to eat, and Leon and Ada discussed their future roles with the Emperor.

• Sui Bian destroyed a rebellious planet and its entire star system, while the Red Queen recorded the event and the White Queen broadcast the footage.
• Sui Bian, Lion, and Horus spent nearly a month purging the Zero-Five Universe and nearby systems of hostile Xenos before returning to the Main Universe.
• Sui Bian announced the founding of the Imperium of Man at a ceremony in the Himalayas, and the Primarchs and Adeptus Custodes acclaimed the new Imperium.
• Claude celebrated the proclamation at home with Tina, then took her out to eat while wondering what positions their parents, Leon and Ada, would receive.
• Leon and Ada discussed possible ministerial posts with Sui Bian and the prospect of continuing their tomb-raiding work in Universe 03.

At the Imperium of Man’s founding banquet, Sui Bian discussed Leon’s future role in Imperial Intelligence and admitted to Artemis that he was tired of carrying humanity’s burdens. The next day, Leon’s ship Griffin traveled to Universe 03 and reached the remote planet Srilan to resume the search for unknown civilizations.

• Sui Bian told Leon that he was expected to become Minister of the Imperial Intelligence Department, while continuing to lead the search for potentially existing Necron tombs.
• Sui Bian asked Ada about Tina and Claude, then instructed her to prepare a successor for Arcadia’s Intelligence Department so she could return to Earth.
• Sui Bian confided to Artemis that he still had human worries and wanted to enjoy the present, despite his growing wish to retire and ascend to a higher dimension.
• The Griffin left Earth and crossed the Star Gate network through Dianka into Universe 03.
• Leon’s team reached the remote, harsh planet Srilan, where they began their search for neglected ruins and unknown tombs.

Leon and Lin Hong led a covert team into Glory City on Srilan to investigate the town and its factions. After bribing a checkpoint officer with grenades and gold, Leon gathered intelligence from a taxi driver and bought three modified Warthogs to take the team toward Roland District.

• Leon advised Lin Hong to rely on human experience and intuition as well as technology before their air wing landed in a concealed desert fissure near Glory City.
• Leon led Lin Hong and the Auxilia across the desert to Glory City's checkpoint, where he posed as an arms dealer and gave the officer a grenade case containing gold bars in exchange for entry and a recommendation to Roland District.
• Leon took taxis with the team and learned from an Elite driver about Glory City's rulers, factions, Roland District, and strange reports of red light and terrifying cries in the desert.
• Leon negotiated the price of three modified civilian Warthogs down to nearly cost, and the team set off toward Roland District.

Leon’s group traded plasma grenades for cash in Glory City’s black market, then found a Sangheili guide named Rum at the Bulletin Office. Rum offered to lead them into the Crimson Sand Sea and pointed them toward an expedition leaving in three hours, so Leon ordered the group to buy supplies.

• Leon learned that expedition teams had been searching the Srilan desert for the source of eerie cries and a blood-red glow, but had returned empty-handed or died along the way.
• Leon and Lin Hong drove into the Roland District and walked through its black market without trouble, then sold sixteen cases of plasma grenades for 1.6 million Srilan credits.
• Leon’s group entered the Bulletin Office to seek useful information and find an expedition they could join.
• Rum, a veteran Sangheili Elite, offered to guide Leon’s group into the Crimson Sand Sea for ten thousand a day.
• Leon paid Rum, who told them the Horatel Gang’s expedition would leave in three hours, and ordered Lin Hong and the others to buy supplies.

Leon and his companions joined a large expedition into the Crimson Sand Sea, where he learned that their guide Rum was a former UNSC major general who had lost his troops during the Warp Storm. Rum described terrifying ghoulish roars and nightmares from a previous expedition, prompting Leon to report his concerns as the convoy reached an undiscovered mountain.

• Leon reviewed reports of the blood-red lights that had drawn hundreds of expeditions into the desert without revealing their source.
• Leon paid Rum to learn his history, and Rum recounted how he had fought for the Covenant before becoming a UNSC major general and losing his unit during the Warp Storm.
• Rum described an expedition in which the whole team heard ghoulish roars and experienced hellish nightmares before voting to retreat.
• Leon considered whether the phenomenon came from an unknown civilization or a threat beyond the Warp, then warned the Griffin to remain ready and summon reinforcements if needed.
• Lin Hong and another Auxilia apologized to Rum, and the expedition convoy arrived at a barren mountain Rum had never seen on previous trips.