Chapter Summaries

Arjinto and the Brass Dragons fought Orks beside the Defense Force’s Apocalypse Tanks while marveling at the battle robots’ Gauss Rifles. The fighting left Arjinto furious when a Defense Force soldier mocked the Imperium’s weapons and Servitors.

• Arjinto admired the battle robots’ Gauss Rifles, and one robot identified its weapon as a Gauss Rifle.
• Arjinto ordered the Brass Dragons to attack the Orks, and the Space Marines fired their Bolters from behind the Apocalypse Tanks’ Void Shields.
• Servitors supplied the Space Marines with ammunition as they continued firing from the protected position.
• A Defense Force soldier mocked the Servitors as ugly monstrosities and called their technology backward.
• Arjinto confronted the soldier, defending the Imperium’s weapons and angrily rejecting the insult.

Arjinto tested a Defense Force Ripper Rifle and was astonished that it fired hundreds of rounds without reloading, while the Imperium coalition and Defense Force slaughtered the Orks emerging from the death bombardment zone. As the first wave fell, Orks that had circled around the bombardment zone arrived and charged their positions.

• A Defense Force soldier challenged Arjinto’s claim that the Ripper Rifle was inferior and tossed him one to test.
• Arjinto fired the Ripper Rifle at the Orks and watched it keep shooting long after an ordinary magazine should have been empty.
• The soldier claimed the rifle’s magazine held one hundred thousand rounds, leaving Arjinto stunned.
• Richard’s House Storm Knights and Astra Militarum Chimera carriers joined the battle, and the coalition forces wiped out the Orks from the death bombardment zone.
• Orks that had circled around the bombardment zone arrived and launched a charge against the Imperium coalition and Defense Force positions.

The Imperial Combined Fleet and Star Navy Fleet battled three Ork space hulks in the Jesta Galaxy when a fleet of mutated Chaos warships emerged. Mendeleev and Kanas agreed to destroy the Orks first, then join forces against the Chaos fleet, which had also sent ships toward Jesta Planet.

• The Imperial Combined Fleet and Star Navy Fleet destroyed two Ork space hulks and used fighters and long-range fire to keep the three survivors from boarding them.
• One-Eye ordered his pilot to drive their ship at maximum speed toward the Imperial and Star Navy fleets.
• More than a dozen mutated Chaos warships emerged from the Mandeville Point and fired strange shells at the Orks and the two human fleets.
• Mendeleev and Kanas identified the newcomers as humans corrupted by Chaos, and Mendeleev saw some of their ships launch a boarding attack against the Orks.
• Mendeleev and Kanas agreed to eliminate the Orks and then join forces with the False Emperor's lackeys to destroy the Chaos fleet.

Bloodhand Kam led the Bloodhand Warband in an assault on the Orks’ space hulks, seeking to kill their boss and seize supplies from Jesta Planet. He confronted the Ork boss One-Eye in a brutal duel, and their clash remained unresolved.

• Bloodhand Kam ordered his fleet to board the Ork warships while the remaining ships attacked Jesta Planet for weapons and equipment.
• Kam led several hundred Bloodhand Warband Space Marines into the space hulks, fighting their way toward the bridge where One-Eye was located.
• One-Eye charged Kam’s forces with more than ten thousand Orks, protected by an energy barrier and killing over a dozen Chaos Space Marines with its Power Axe.
• Kam attacked One-Eye, and the two bosses traded powerful axe blows before rushing at each other again.

Kam killed the Ork boss and held up his head, causing the Orks to lose heart and flee. The Chaos Space Marines had been fighting the Orks across the battlefield, including one who battled a heavily armored Ork guard.

• Kam and the Ork boss fought to a standstill as Orks and Chaos Space Marines battled around them.
• A Chaos Space Marine killed an Ork, then dodged an Ork guard's attack and fired his Bolt Pistol at him.
• The Ork guard's energy shield blocked the shots, and he charged the Chaos Space Marine with his Chainaxe.
• The Chaos Space Marine traded blows with the Ork guard and cut a massive gash through his armor, but dodged the guard's counterattack before he could finish him.
• Kam held up the Ork boss's head, and the Orks recognized it and fled.

Kam led the Chaos Space Marines through the Orks’ space hulk toward its bridge, believing that killing the Ork boss in a duel would earn him the God of War’s blessing. As the Orks’ remaining hulks faltered under attack, more than a hundred Chaos warships arrived in the Jesta Galaxy, and Ophisk considered which fleet to attack.

• Kam’s Chaos Space Marines killed the Greenskin boss and bodyguard, then rallied around Kam as he resolved to find and defeat the Ork boss aboard the space hulk.
• Kam led his warriors toward the bridge, where they fought through fierce Ork resistance and suffered heavy casualties without slowing down.
• The Imperial Combined Fleet, the Star Navy, and three Chaos cruisers drove the Orks’ three remaining space hulks close to collapse.
• More than a hundred mutated Chaos warships emerged at the Jesta Galaxy’s Mandeville Point, having reached the battlefield with Kairos Fateweaver’s secret help.
• A Night Lords mutant reported the four fleets in the system to Ophisk, and another Chaos Space Marine asked whether they should attack the Orks or the Imperial Navy.

Ophisk sent his forces to attack the Ork warships while Namino led another group to seize weapons on Jesta Planet. As the battle spread, Mendeleev suspected someone had gathered the Chaos warbands in the Jesta Galaxy for a hidden purpose.

• Ophisk ordered his forces to attack the Ork warships and sent Namino to raid Jesta Planet for weapons and equipment.
• Several Chaos warbands launched assaults on the Ork space hulks, sending assault craft and fighters into the fighting.
• More than half of the Chaos warbands' warships joined the battle against the Orks as the void filled with gunfire and lance beams.
• Mendeleev grew alarmed when three more Chaos warbands arrived and noted that they were also sending forces toward Jesta Planet.
• Kanas reassured Mendeleev that the Star Space Marines could defeat the Chaos forces, while Mendeleev remained focused on identifying the mastermind behind their arrival.

Mendeleev persuaded Kanas not to attack the Chaos Space Marines while they were fighting the Orks, arguing that they should conserve their strength and let their enemies weaken each other. Meanwhile, the battle inside the space hulk raged on, with the Orks resisting the four Chaos warbands.

• Kanas suggested that the Star Space Marines board the Chaos warships and destroy them, but Mendeleev refused, warning that it would expose their strength before the later fight for supremacy.
• Mendeleev advised waiting for reinforcements and letting the False Emperor’s forces and the Dark Gods’ forces fight each other; Kanas reluctantly agreed.
• The Orks and Chaos Space Marines fought brutally throughout the space hulk as the Chaos forces charged toward the bridge.
• The World Eaters, Iron Warriors, Night Lords, and Ultramarine traitors made up the attacking Chaos force, but the Night Lords’ terror tactics failed to frighten the fearless Orks.

Four Chaos warbands advanced toward One-Eye’s bridge, where the Ork boss let his bodyguards fight first. A Night Lord stalked the Orks in the dark corridors, ambushing them and following them as they charged toward the gunfire.

• One-Eye saw Chaos Space Marines approaching the bridge from four directions and agreed to let his bodyguard bosses fight them first.
• A Chaos Night Lord killed an Ork with a curved blade and vanished into the darkness.
• The enraged Orks fired into the shadows and charged through the corridor, but failed to find the Night Lord.
• The Night Lord followed the Orks and continued ambushing them as they moved toward the gunfire.

The Night Lords stalked the Orks through the space hulk, but Big Iron Hammer caught one by surprise and crushed him. The Orks celebrated their belief in hiding quietly and planned to hang the Night Lord’s head on Big Iron Hammer’s boss rack.

• The Night Lords ambushed Orks throughout the space hulk, taunting them as they searched in anger.
• A Night Lord charged at a group of Orks, but Big Iron Hammer suddenly appeared and smashed him with his hammer.
• Big Iron Hammer struck the Night Lord again and stomped on his chest, leaving him unable to move.
• The Orks praised their belief that hiding quietly would keep the Night Lords from finding them.
• Big Iron Hammer said he would hang the Night Lord’s head on his boss rack.

Kam challenged One-Eye on the bridge and slaughtered the Greenskin guards with his Power Axe while a mysterious blessing shielded him from their gunfire. One-Eye charged through the battlefield to confront Kam directly.

• Kam led the Bloodhand Warband onto the bridge, threw an Ork head before One-Eye, and challenged the Greenskin boss to a duel.
• One-Eye prepared to attack Kam as the Greenskin guards charged the Bloodhand Warband and opened fire.
• Kam's mysterious protection deflected the Orks' bullets and shells, and he cut down a charging guard with a sweeping air blade.
• Kam rampaged through the Greenskin guards, killing more than a dozen in less than a minute.
• One-Eye roared, grabbed his iron axe, and charged toward Kam.

Kam fought One-Eye but was overwhelmed by the Greenskin Ork’s superior strength and mechanical claw. After One-Eye kicked Kam into a steel wall, Bloodhand’s warband rushed toward them.

• One-Eye charged Kam with his iron axe, overpowered his block, and sent him crashing onto the deck.
• One-Eye brought his axe down at Kam, but Kam dodged and counterattacked by swinging at One-Eye’s thigh.
• One-Eye caught Kam’s axe in his mechanical claw and kicked him in the chest, crushing his power armor and injuring him.
• Bloodhand’s warband saw Kam fall and rushed toward Kam and One-Eye.

Kam continued fighting One-Eye until Azrael and his Iron Warriors arrived and interrupted their duel. The old rivals traded insults, and Kam challenged Azrael to face One-Eye himself.

• One-Eye cut down the Chaos Space Marines attacking him while Kam struggled to his feet and charged him again with a chainaxe.
• Kam and One-Eye clashed weapons in a deadlock as Kam received further blessings from the God of War.
• A rocket streaked toward the fighters but exploded before reaching them, and more than a hundred Iron Warriors advanced across the bridge.
• Kam recognized Azrael’s warband, and the two commanders exchanged insults over their past conflict and the stalled fight against One-Eye.
• Kam told Azrael that he was no match for the Greenskin boss either.

Kam withdrew from his fight with One-Eye and hoped Anzhiriel would challenge the Greenskin boss, but Anzhiriel led the Iron Warriors into battle instead. One-Eye slaughtered the Iron Warriors, killed Anzhiriel, and left Kam shaken by the boss's true strength.

• Kam retreated from One-Eye and planned to lure Anzhiriel into fighting the Greenskin boss.
• Anzhiriel ordered the Iron Warriors to attack One-Eye with rockets and Bolter fire, but One-Eye's force field blocked their barrage.
• Anzhiriel changed the Iron Warriors' formation and sent Terminators to meet One-Eye, who broke through their ranks and killed warriors with his axe.
• Anzhiriel charged One-Eye with his Power Sword, but One-Eye caught the blade and cleaved Anzhiriel in two.
• The Iron Warriors rushed to avenge Anzhiriel, but One-Eye continued cutting them down as Kam realized the God of War's blessing might have saved him from the same fate.

Chaos Space Marines attacked One-Eye on the bridge, but Ork guards and reinforcements rushed in and turned the clash into a brutal battle. The chapter left the fighting raging as Ork war machines bombarded the Chaos Space Marines.

• Two Chaos warbands of Night Lords and Ultramarines charged onto the bridge and concentrated their fire on One-Eye, pushing his force-field shield toward overload.
• Ork guards abandoned their fight with the Bloodhand Warband and rushed to protect One-Eye.
• An Ork guard’s flamethrower ignited a Chaos Space Marine’s Meltabombs, killing him and triggering an explosion that engulfed Orks and Chaos Space Marines in flames.
• Orks and Chaos Space Marines clashed at close quarters, with heavy casualties on both sides.
• Ork reinforcements led by Warbosses arrived with Gorkanauts, Deff Dreads, and Killa Kans, which began firing rockets into the Chaos Space Marines.

One-Eye’s Orks deployed Killa Kans, Deff Dreads, and Gorkanauts, turning the battle against the Chaos Space Marines into a rout. As the Orks pressed their assault, One-Eye urged them to wipe out every enemy.

• Killa Kans charged into the Chaos Space Marines, crushing and cutting down several before one was destroyed by a Meltabomb.
• Deff Dreads and Gorkanauts joined the fight, blasting and shooting the Chaos Space Marines and reversing the battle’s momentum.
• A Chaos Space Marine ran at a Gorkanaut with a Meltabomb, but its Ork pilot stomped him to death.
• One-Eye shouted for the Orks to wipe out every Chaos Space Marine, and the Orks answered with a WAAAAAAGH.

Kam ordered the Bloodhand Warband to retreat after the Chaos Space Marines’ attack faltered, and the other warbands followed as the Orks pursued. One-Eye abandoned the chase when he learned the Orks had only two space hulks left, then sent both crashing toward Jesta Planet.

• Kam recognized the unfavorable battle and ordered the Bloodhand Warband to withdraw, covering its retreat.
• Marn and the Iron Warriors and Ultramarines warbands saw the Bloodhand Warband flee and ordered their own survivors to retreat.
• One-Eye roared for the Orks to chase the fleeing Chaos Space Marines, but the Mekboy reported that the humie fleet had destroyed another space hulk.
• One-Eye ordered the two remaining space hulks to head for Jesta Planet instead of fighting the humie fleet.
• The space hulks plunged through Jesta Planet’s atmosphere under heavy artillery fire and crashed onto its surface.

The Star Navy Fleet and Imperial Combined Fleet destroyed the Ork forces on Jesta Planet and turned their combined assault on the Chaos warbands. As the Apocalypse Tanks shattered the Chaos cultists’ positions, a Chaos officer shot a fleeing mutant and ordered the survivors to stand and fight for Khorne.

• The Star Navy Fleet and Imperial Combined Fleet joined forces to attack the Chaos fleets, which retreated after losing their commanders.
• The Orks on Jesta Planet were wiped out by the Defense Force, Astra Militarum, and Chaos forces, after which the Astra Militarum and Defense Force joined against the Chaos warbands.
• Neketz ordered a hundred thousand Apocalypse Tanks to attack the Chaos cultists, whose positions were devastated by the tanks’ firepower.
• Terrified Chaos cultists began fleeing as the Apocalypse Tanks advanced on their positions.
• A Chaos warband officer shot the first fleeing mutant and ordered the remaining cultists to stop retreating and fight for Khorne.

The combined Defense Force and Astra Militarum forces routed the Bloodhand Warband’s Chaos cultists and advanced toward the Orks’ space hulk landing site. The chapter ended as their artillery opened a massive bombardment on the Ork position.

• A warband leader shot a terrified cultist, but a siege shell exploded nearby and sent the leader fleeing in panic.
• Apocalypse Tanks and accompanying soldiers overran the Bloodhand Warband’s position, killing fleeing cultists and stopping a suicide attack.
• An Astra Militarum soldier shot a cultist carrying Meltabombs, and a Defense Force soldier lent him a Light Ripper Rifle.
• The forces wiped out more than a million Chaos cultists and mutants, and Neketz ordered them to advance toward the Orks’ new landing site.
• Defense Force artillery fired Earthshaker Cannons, Volcano Cannons, and long-range missiles at the Orks’ space hulk landing site.

Gray and Tulas brought the Second Fleet and surrendered Space Marines to reinforce Mendeleev in the Jesta Galaxy, where the forces prepared for renewed war against the Imperium. On Jesta, Kam escaped the crashed space hulk with the surviving Bloodhand Warband, uncertain whether its landing forces had been destroyed and pursued by Orks.

• Gray told Mendeleev that the Second Fleet had defeated the invading Imperium forces in its assigned systems before coming to support him.
• Mendeleev explained the situation in the Jesta Galaxy and asked Gray to send Space Marines to Jesta Planet and possibly kill the powerful Greenskin boss.
• Kam recovered from the space hulk's crash and learned that his forces had lost contact with both the fleet and the landing forces, which might have been wiped out.
• Kam ordered the surviving Bloodhand Warband to retreat from the space hulk and head for the landing forces' last coordinates.
• The Orks poured from the space hulk and pursued Kam and the fleeing Chaos Space Marines.