Chapter Summaries

The True Dragon Lords and the Imperium of Man fought across the Far Eastern Cliff, as the Guardians struggled against the Primarchs, Sisters of Silence, and Custodes. Ainz held back the Titan Legions’ attack while the battlefield’s air began to reek of decay.

• Angron shielded the wounded Leman Russ from the Soul-Slaying Breath until the Sisters of Silence arrived and disrupted the Wild Magic.
• The Guardians attacked with conventional magic, which the Sisters of Silence could not block, while the Adeptus Custodes stopped the spells with their shields.
• Ainz contacted Pandora’s Actor about creating stronger Soul-Fused Abominations and used a temporary respec enhancement to prepare for the Imperium’s offensive.
• The Titan Legions struggled to hit the flying True Dragon Lords, so Valdor ordered the Adeptus Custodes to release the Sky-Banning Device and force the dragons closer to the ground.
• Ainz stopped the Dragon Emperor from wiping out the Titan Legions and ordered Aura to move behind the Imperium’s forces.
• As Thor and Bjorn dragged Leman Russ back, Leman noticed a foul, rotten stench spreading through the battlefield.

Leman Russ realized he had seen a vision of the future just before Aura trapped the Imperium forces inside the Depiction of Nature and Society. As Ainz and the Dragon Emperor attacked the Titan Legion outside, Aura tried a bug that would use Leman Russ as the template for her summoned reinforcements, but the World-Class Item began to crack as heavy footsteps approached.

• Leman Russ asked whether this world had a Warp, then saw a vision of the future that Thor and the other Primarchs could not see.
• Bjorn fired at a hidden attacker, and Aura emerged from underground after killing several Space Wolves.
• Aura activated the Depiction of Nature and Society and pulled Leman Russ, Angron, Valdor, and the Imperium forces into its false world.
• Ainz and the Dragon Emperor protected the painting while the True Dragon Lords attacked the Titan Legion with Wild Magic.
• Aura used Ainz's bug exploit to set Leman Russ as the template for her reinforcements and activated the battlefield mode.
• The false world began to crack, and heavy footsteps sounded from within the frozen storm.

Aura’s Depiction of Nature and Society produced a monstrous imitation of Leman Russ whose frozen skeletal wolves overwhelmed the Imperium’s forces. As Thor and the others struggled to protect Leman Russ, Valdor brought forward the Dionysian Spear, a weapon that called to the Primarch.

• Aura cheered when the Depiction of Nature and Society created reinforcements, then recoiled at its monstrous imitation of Leman Russ.
• The false Leman Russ emerged from the storm with an army of skeletal frost wolves, and their supernatural cold blunted the Imperium’s bolter fire.
• Khârn led the World Eaters into the attackers, but the frost wolves broke through the Imperium’s lines and advanced on Leman Russ.
• Thor and Bjorn fought to protect Leman Russ as the frost wolves wounded Thor and the defenders began to falter.
• Angron asked Leman Russ whether the Frost Giant was his Warp essence unleashed, and Leman Russ recognized it as a dangerous imitation.
• Valdor brought a heavy Adamantium coffin forward, and Leman Russ recognized the Dionysian Spear inside.

Leman Russ took up the Dionysian Spear, used its power to turn the battle against Aura’s forces, and emerged from the Depiction of Nature and Society to attack the Guardians. He killed several Guardians and then turned his attention to the True Dragon Lords.

• Leman Russ retrieved the Dionysian Spear and endured visions of killing his brothers, himself, and The Emperor as its power healed his body.
• Leman Russ praised Thor and Bjorn, then charged into the skeletal frost wolves and killed thousands with the spear.
• Leman Russ piled up the skeletal frost wolves’ corpses and hurled the spear into the frost giant, setting it ablaze and defeating Aura’s giant.
• Leman Russ emerged from the Depiction of Nature and Society and killed Albedo, Cocytus, Sebas, and Demiurge with the Dionysian Spear.
• Leman Russ spotted a dragon among the True Dragon Lords and threw the spear at it.

Leman Russ used the Dionysian Spear to slaughter dozens of True Dragon Lords, but its visions overwhelmed him and Horus stabbed him in the chest. The Rotted Coffin Dragon Lord seized the chance to attack Russ and claim the spear.

• Leman Russ killed a True Dragon Lord with the Dionysian Spear and continued fighting while the Imperium's troops rallied and advanced.
• Leman Russ killed more than seventy True Dragon Lords, but the spear's visions left him barely able to endure the pain.
• Horus approached Leman Russ, declared that he would keep the Emperor to himself, and stabbed Russ in the chest.
• The Rotted Coffin Dragon Lord emerged from hiding after his father urged him to kill Russ and take the spear.
• The Rotted Coffin Dragon Lord struck Leman Russ with venomous souls, tearing his armor and sending him to the ground while he still held the spear.

Leman Russ broke free of the Rotted Coffin Dragon Lord’s assault and battled the Dragon Emperor, driven by visions of Horus’s betrayal. As Angron and the others emerged, Russ shattered the Dragon Emperor’s God-Annihilating Spear and continued toward him.

• The Rotted Coffin Dragon Lord battered Leman Russ, but Russ blocked his killing blow and tore open the Dragon Lord’s body while repeatedly crying out about Horus.
• The Dragon Emperor prepared a Wild Magic strike that caught the Rotted Coffin Dragon Lord in its range, so the wounded dragon sacrificed his soul to unleash Soul-Slaying Breath against Russ.
• Leman Russ survived the Soul-Slaying Breath, and the Dragon Emperor ordered the dragons to retreat after realizing Ainz and the Great Tomb’s forces had fled.
• Leman Russ charged the Dragon Emperor, who used tens of millions of souls to create the God-Annihilating Spear and clash with Russ’s Dionysian Spear.
• Angron and the others emerged from the Depiction of Nature and Society, while the Space Wolves cursed Horus and Valdor explained that the Dionysian Spear might have shown Russ a vision of the future.
• Leman Russ shattered the Dragon Emperor’s God-Annihilating Spear and roared that he was coming to kill Horus.

Leman Russ drove off the Dragon Emperor but fell unconscious, and Angron led the battered Imperium forces through a prolonged battle against monsters pouring from a rift. After a Warlord Titan’s detonation only partially blocked the rift, Angron ordered a retreat to the portal to report to the Emperor, while Ainz had descended into complete madness.

• The Dragon Emperor survived Leman Russ’s attack by devouring souls, then fled as Leman Russ fell from the sky and warned that it would shatter.
• Angron took command, restrained the frenzied Space Wolves, and withdrew the Imperium forces from the Far Eastern Cliff to reorganize.
• Three days later, a rift opened above the Far Eastern Cliff and transformed corpses into monsters that attacked the Imperium army.
• Angron and the World Eaters fought alongside the Adeptus Custodes for six days before an Archmagos proposed detonating the Warlord Titan beneath the rift.
• The Warlord Titan’s explosion temporarily blocked the rift but failed to seal it, so Angron ordered the army to retreat to the portal and seek the Emperor.
• Ainz had fallen into complete madness within the Great Tomb.

After reviving the Guardians killed by Leman Russ, Ainz discovered that most had lost their emotions and seemed to have become lifeless NPCs, possibly because the Dionysian Spear had taken their souls. Ainz broke down under the weight of the war, but Albedo suddenly began moving again and offered to help.

• Ainz revived Shalltear, Demiurge, Albedo, Aura, Cocytus, and Sebas by spending a vast quantity of the Great Tomb's gold coins.
• Mare found that Aura and the other revived Guardians, except Shalltear, showed no emotions and responded to Ainz like NPCs.
• Ainz suspected that the Dionysian Spear had sealed the souls of the Guardians it killed.
• Ainz lashed out at Shalltear and Mare, then apologized and admitted he did not know how to recover the lost souls.
• Albedo began moving again and told Ainz that she could help.

Ainz discovered that the being controlling Albedo was the sentient System, which revealed that it needed his help to repel the Imperium of Man’s invading world framework. The System began explaining its subsystems and its role in governing magic and true randomness.

• Albedo revealed that she knew Ainz’s real name, Suzuki Satoru, and Ainz ordered Shalltear and Mare to prepare Nazarick’s final measure and leave him alone with her.
• Albedo identified herself as the System and explained that she had come to preserve her world framework, not to help Ainz personally.
• The System told Ainz that the Imperium of Man came from Warhammer 40,000 and that one of the colliding world frameworks would eventually suppress and erase the other.
• The System asked Ainz to help repel the invasion and introduced the Combat, Personality, and Environment subsystems.
• Albedo explained that she managed magic and was especially skilled at true randomness.

The Random System urged Ainz to eliminate the Dragon Emperor and the True Dragon Lords so it could erase Wild Magic and strengthen its control over the world. It revealed that victory might let Ainz reach his friends in other game worlds, and Ainz left determined to capture the Dragon Emperor alive.

• The Random System told Ainz that the Dragon Emperor and the True Dragon Lords threatened him and that their souls could be used to erase Wild Magic.
• The Random System showed Ainz the wounded Dragon Emperor hiding in his palace and explained that destroying Wild Magic could give it greater authority to aid Ainz.
• Ainz prepared to take Shalltear, Mare, and the Great Tomb's remaining forces to eliminate their former allies.
• Ainz asked whether his friends were well, and the Random System explained that other game worlds were connected through a network.
• The Random System promised Ainz could meet his friends if they won, and Ainz left to capture the Dragon Emperor alive.
• After Ainz vanished, the Random System gloated that it planned to burn this world and trap its enemies in hell.

Ainz betrayed the weakened Dragon Emperor and captured the surviving True Dragon Lords to give their souls to the Random System. After the Random System failed to open a path to another world, he demanded that Ainz kill Mare and Shalltear to generate stronger emotions, leaving Ainz horrified and refusing.

• Ainz pretended to offer the Dragon Emperor a cure, then attacked and killed many dragons in the celestial palace.
• The Platinum Dragon Lord tried to stop Ainz and use Wild Magic, but Ainz evaded his attacks and Mare and Shalltear captured him.
• Ainz seized the Dragon Emperor and the other survivors, animated the dead dragons, and brought their souls and possessions to the Random System.
• The Random System used ninety million souls to open a brief rift showing a chaotic ocean, but the attempt failed as another world's influence grew stronger.
• The Random System demanded that Ainz kill Mare and Shalltear in an extreme manner, and Ainz refused to harm the NPCs his friends had left behind.

The Random System pushed Ainz to sacrifice his loyal servants, using their deaths to strip away his remaining humanity and prepare him for war against the Imperium of Man. Ainz unleashed the Great Tomb and attacked the Imperium, while Angron and Leman Russ prepared a last defense near the portal.

• The Random System persuaded Ainz that Mare and Shalltear had to die for victory, and Ainz tortured them to death.
• At the Random System’s urging, Ainz killed the Pleiades Battle Maids and the homunculus servants, losing the last trace of his humanity.
• The Random System declared Ainz ready, and Ainz raised the Great Tomb from underground and sent it toward the Far Eastern Cliff.
• Ainz shattered the sky and unleashed Gorgons against the Imperium of Man, whose Primarchs temporarily closed the breach.
• The Random System brought wounded soldiers to Ainz, who tortured them, while Angron and Leman Russ prepared the final line of defense near the portal.

Magnus followed the Emperor’s map through the Webway, saw visions of a disastrous alternate fate, and tore a breach into reality. Meanwhile, Horus, Lion El'Jonson, and Sanguinius continued competing for Warmaster on Planet B-O1 alpha three, with Horus suspecting Sanguinius had come to keep the rivalry in check.

• Magnus followed the Emperor’s map through an unusually artificial stretch of the Webway while worrying about the Emperor’s battle against the daemons.
• Magnus touched the Webway barrier and saw visions of fallen Horus, a breach in Terra’s defenses, and a dark future caused by his own past arrogance.
• Magnus resolved to act cautiously, tore open the barrier, and slipped through a breach that would draw daemons into the Webway.
• On Planet B-O1 alpha three, Horus, Lion El'Jonson, and Sanguinius sat after exterminating a xenos civilization while their legions calculated campaign merits for the Warmaster contest.
• Horus resented Lion El'Jonson as a rival and reasoned that Sanguinius had joined the contest to prevent their rivalry from worsening.

Horus and Lion El'Jonson clashed over their Warmaster rankings and a disputed battle, while Sanguinius tried to keep the rivalry from turning violent. As Horus and Lion El'Jonson struck at each other, Magnus suddenly appeared.

• Horus and Lion El'Jonson argued over which Legion should lead an assault, and Lion El'Jonson beat Horus after Horus insulted his fallen sons.
• Sanguinius restrained Lion El'Jonson, and Horus resolved to support Sanguinius for Warmaster if the contest reached a deadlock.
• A tech-sage announced that Lion El'Jonson had 51 points, Horus had 50, and Sanguinius had 7.
• Horus accused Lion El'Jonson of taking credit for a Luna Wolves battle, and Lion El'Jonson explained that Abaddon had requested aid after falling into a xenos trap.
• Horus and Lion El'Jonson traded insults and punched at the same time, but Magnus suddenly appeared between them.

Magnus arrived with an urgent warning that daemons were besieging The Emperor, prompting Horus and Lion to mobilize their Legions and activate the Tuchulcha Engine. Sanguinius suffered a vision of Horus betraying the Imperium, then left Horus bewildered by insisting he was not Konrad Curze.

• Horus and Lion accidentally knocked Magnus unconscious when he appeared between them, and Sanguinius revived him with a massive dose of cardiac stimulant.
• Magnus told Horus, Lion, and Sanguinius that The Emperor was under siege by daemons and that Perturabo's Legion was close to defeat.
• Sanguinius sensed Chaos on Magnus and experienced a vision of a ruined Imperium and Horus grinning amid its destruction.
• Magnus explained that daemons were the Warp brought to life and relayed The Emperor's order to activate the Tuchulcha Engine.
• Lion ordered the Dark Angels Legion to mobilize, and Horus set aside his rank to join the effort.
• Sanguinius called to Horus, then told him, "I am not Konrad Curze..."

Horus, Magnus, and Sanguinius joined Lion El'Jonson as he prepared the Tuchulcha Engine to travel through the Warp and gather the Primarchs. After the fleet collected resources to restore the Engine, the Primarchs had to choose its next destination.

• Horus wondered why Sanguinius was watching him and Magnus, while Magnus mourned the Thousand Sons and Horus misunderstood what had happened to them.
• Lion El'Jonson showed the Primarchs the Tuchulcha Engine and gave it a star chart marking the Primarchs' locations.
• Lion El'Jonson presented the Engine with the Ouroboros and Plague Heart, which let it carve temporary tunnels through space instead of making Warp jumps.
• Lion El'Jonson led the fleet to gather Blackstone from a tomb world and Wraithbone from an Aeldari Craftworld, where Fulgrim led the assault.
• After more than ten days of collecting resources, the Primarchs considered where to send the Tuchulcha Engine next.

The Primarchs agreed to take the Tuchulcha Engine to Terra before joining The Emperor, while Konrad Curze urged Lorgar to use the Book of Holy Words to prepare the Imperium for the Warp’s enemies. The chapter left Lorgar stunned by Curze’s proposal that they needed a god to protect them, even if The Emperor did not want to become one.

• Magnus proposed that the Primarchs take Vulkan and the fleet to Terra to protect the Seven Hammers Amulet before supporting The Emperor.
• Lion El'Jonson and the Primarchs discussed missing brothers and Konrad Curze’s prophecies, then followed Sanguinius’s counsel and voted to proceed to Terra.
• The Primarchs killed Erebus, Typhus, and other suspected traitors to prevent Chaos from corrupting the Legions.
• The Tuchulcha Engine opened a Webway route to Terra as Konrad Curze awoke and called for preparations against the Warp’s enemies.
• Lorgar brooded over killing Kor Phaeron and realizing that his teachings had twisted his faith in The Emperor.
• Konrad Curze asked Lorgar to spread the Book of Holy Words, arguing that the Imperium needed a god to protect it.

The Primarchs gathered at Terra and used the God-Emperor’s power, summoned by their soldiers’ prayers, to fight the Warp Demons. As Malcador’s spell failed and the battle continued, the Emperor prepared to enact the next step of his plan and chose Sanguinius as a possible new master of the Golden Throne.

• Curze persuaded the Primarchs that prayers could empower their weapons against Warp Demons, and Horus ordered the army to memorize the Book of Holy Words and cry, “Long live the God-Emperor.”
• The Primarchs reached Terra, where Dorn agreed to defend the planet with Vulkan and activate the Seven Hammers Amulet at humanity’s darkest hour.
• The Emperor absorbed the warriors’ prayers and passed their power to them as the Primarchs led tens of thousands of ships through the Webway to reinforce Perturabo’s defenses.
• The Legions combined their forces to hold and counterattack the Demons, while Jaghatai and Alpharius also appeared on the battlefield.
• Malcador’s spell failed, and the Emperor caught him as he fell from the Golden Throne.
• The Emperor prepared to enter another world to prove something and considered Sanguinius as the throne’s next master.

The Emperor appointed Sanguinius as the Imperium's heir and crossed the portal to confront Ainz personally. As the Primarchs fought to hold the line, Ainz refused the Random System's warning to flee, and The Emperor arrived in the Throne Room while Tzeentch intensified the assault around the portal's star system.

• The Emperor told Sanguinius about the Warp, humanity's possible defeat, and his contingency plan, then gave him a golden halo and named him the Imperium's future ruler.
• The Emperor placed Magnus beside Malcador on the Golden Throne and entered the portal; Sanguinius put on the halo, making the vanished cold sun reappear in the Warp.
• Lorgar charged too deeply into the daemon horde, forcing Roboute Guilliman to rescue him before Lion El'Jonson arrived with the Dark Angels to free them.
• The Emperor appeared at the portal fortress, learned that Leman Russ had become violently paranoid and that Angron was caring for him, then departed to find Ainz in the flying tomb.
• Ainz dismissed the Random System's warning and ordered his forces to keep attacking, but The Emperor's voice reached the Throne Room as Tzeentch ordered the gods to intensify their assault around the portal's star system.

The Emperor destroyed Ainz and Tzeentch’s avatar in the Great Tomb of Nazarick, ending the Chaos corruption threatening the world. He then left Angron and Leman Russ to support the Imperium while he went to find something.

• The Emperor revealed his power and destroyed the Chaos Gorgons and Incubi that Ainz sent against him.
• The Emperor found Ainz in the Throne Room, learned that he was Suzuki Satoru, and killed him with golden fire after condemning his disregard for humanity.
• The Emperor confronted Tzeentch on Nazarick’s eighth floor and destroyed its enslaved defenders and World-Class Items along with its avatar.
• The Emperor left the collapsing tomb and told Angron and Leman Russ to return with the legion and help their brothers hold the line while he searched for something.