The Gamma Empire was quiet.
But now, like the Imperium of Man, it had fallen into a massive storm.
Yet on the surface, the Gamma Empire remained quiet.
As though nothing had happened.
Just like the Imperium of Man, Cadia's defense zone was also quiet. There was no sign of Chaos, no great numbers of xenos, and no ominous portents.
It was quiet, as though nothing had happened.
Yet beneath it all, a terrifying storm beyond imagination was brewing within the Imperium.
Part of Abaddon's army had retreated into the Warp.
Just as they had after the previous twelve Black Crusades, they had withdrawn into the Warp and waited for a thousand years before launching another great crusade. The Imperium had once again gained nearly a thousand years to catch its breath.
And colossal weapons the size of planets, piloting Blackstone Pylons, were moving toward Cadia.
Cadia was the Imperium's most powerful defensive world.
Every inch of its land seemed branded with a sacred "mark," as though the will of The Emperor endured eternally upon the planet.
And that planet was also the greatest Blackstone Pylon in the universe.
These dark creations had stood upon Cadia for countless ages. The Imperium did not understand them, yet it was their existence that had suppressed the Eye of Terror for endless years, firmly confining Chaos's territory to the heart of the Eye of Terror.
And now, the Black Legion of the Chaos Warmaster Abaddon was advancing toward that world like a shadow.
Their objective was clear. Their orders were precise.
They wanted to utterly destroy Cadia, to completely destroy the terrifying creation that prevented Chaos from escaping.
They wanted the Blackstone Pylons suppressing the Eye of Terror to vanish from the universe, allowing Chaos to tear open another wound in the heart