Chapter Summaries

Obi-Wan fought through Kairos Fateweaver’s forces to weaken the chains binding Guilliman, who briefly began to rise. The arrival of organized Tzeentchian daemons overwhelmed them again, leaving Obi-Wan wounded and preparing one last attack as Guilliman was forced back to his knee.

• Obi-Wan cut through Red Corsairs and daemons, opening a path toward Guilliman and weakening the ritual chains.
• Kairos ordered its forces to capture Obi-Wan alive, and more enemies converged on him until he began to tire and suffer wounds.
• As the chains weakened, Guilliman surged upward against them, and Celestine broke the fiery chains restraining her.
• Kairos opened a larger Warp rift, sending organized Tzeentchian daemon forces to reinforce the attack on Guilliman, Obi-Wan, Celestine, Evelyn, and Spartan Squad.
• The new assault forced Guilliman back to one knee and left Obi-Wan battered and surrounded, but he gathered his remaining Force for one final strike.

Hua Wei spent five million Emotion Points to summon five Valkyries and sent them to rescue Obi-Wan and Guilliman on the Macragge’s Honour. They arrived in upgraded Conceptual Armaments and opened fire on Kairos Fateweaver and the demons suppressing Guilliman.

• Hua Wei watched Obi-Wan and Guilliman struggle against Kairos Fateweaver, Tzeentch demons, and Red Corsairs, while Celestine, Evelyn, and the Spartan Squad remained occupied.
• Hua Wei discovered that Six-Star summoning required completing the mission to contact the Emperor on Terra, so he used five million Emotion Points to summon five Five-Star units.
• The system summoned Prince of Wales, Glory, Prinz Eugen, Nimi, and Joan of Arc, then upgraded their ship rigging to Five-Star Conceptual Armaments and deployed them to the battlefield.
• A radiant gate opened above the Macragge’s Honour, and the five Valkyries arrived, briefly suppressing the Warp energy around the bridge.
• Prince of Wales ordered her three cannons to fire, unleashing a barrage at the Greater Tzeentch Demons and Kairos Fateweaver.

The Hilling Empire’s five Valkyries turned the battle against Kairos and the Chaos forces, allowing Guilliman to recover and wound the Lord of Change. Kairos escaped into the Warp, and Guilliman thanked the Hilling Empire as the Imperium counterattacked.

• Prince of Wales struck Kairos with three cannon beams while Glory shielded allies and bombarded the Chaos forces.
• Prinz Eugen defended Obi-Wan, Nimi cleared enemies, and Joan of Arc purified Guilliman of Kairos’s curse.
• With his strength restored, Guilliman charged Kairos as Prince of Wales and Glory prevented its escape, and he severed its left arm with the Emperor’s Sword.
• Kairos tore open a Warp rift and fled, leaving its burning severed arm behind.
• Guilliman ordered the Imperium soldiers to attack the remaining enemies, then thanked the Hilling Empire for the Valkyries’ aid.

After the Hilling Valkyries and Imperium forces defeated Kairos Fateweaver’s ambush, Glory healed the mortally wounded Captain Carter. Guilliman and Obi-Wan learned how Carter’s distress beacon had brought the five Valkyries to their aid, while another threat approached unnoticed.

• Guilliman and the Hilling Valkyries helped the Imperium forces rout the daemons and Red Corsairs after Kairos Fateweaver fled.
• Guilliman thanked Obi-Wan and the five Valkyries for saving the fleet and its survivors.
• Glory purified Carter’s Chaos-corrupted wound and healed him, stabilizing his condition without surgery or mechanical modifications.
• Prince of Wales, Glory, Prinz Eugen, Nimi, and Joan of Arc explained how Supreme Wisdom had assembled and dispatched them in response to Carter’s beacon.
• Guilliman praised Carter for saving everyone, while an unknown threat quietly drew near.

Skarbrand and a Khorne host attacked the battered expedition fleet as it fled toward the Astronomican, and Guilliman ordered damaged ships to sacrifice themselves so the main formation could escape. Skarbrand breached Macragge's Honour, where Glory and the Valkyrie Task Force stabilized the battle while Guilliman and Prince of Wales fought the Greater Daemon; the fleet escaped, but the flagship remained under attack.

• Skarbrand emerged from the Warp with a Khorne fleet and daemon host, forcing Guilliman to order the expedition fleet to flee toward the Astronomican.
• Damaged Imperial ships stayed behind to delay the Khorne forces, while Skarbrand smashed through Macragge's Honour's hull and attacked Guilliman.
• Guilliman charged Skarbrand as Khorne Berserkers and daemons flooded the corridors around the bridge.
• Glory ordered Obi-Wan to escort the wounded to safety and directed the Valkyrie Task Force to defend the bridge and contain the invaders.
• Prince of Wales and Guilliman engaged Skarbrand while Prinz Eugen raised the Wall of Sighs, Joan of Arc strengthened the defenders, and Nimi and Glory suppressed the daemon assault.
• The main fleet escaped into a stable Warp route under the Astronomican's light, while Macragge's Honour and the Valkyries continued resisting Skarbrand.

Macragge's Honour was trapped in the Scarlet Maelstrom as exhausted defenders faced Skarbrand's Khorne daemons and Kairos Fateweaver's Tzeentch forces. Guilliman urged the Valkyries to escape, but they refused, while Obi-Wan sensed the bridge was in grave danger and prepared to act.

• The Valkyries weakened as they fought off Khorne's assault, and daemons broke through Nimi's defenses onto the bridge.
• Kairos Fateweaver emerged through a Warp rift and brought Tzeentch daemons that began sealing and encircling the bridge.
• Guilliman apologized to the Valkyries and urged them to leave with Obi-Wan and the Spartans, but Prince of Wales, Glory, Prinz Eugen, Nimi, and Joan of Arc refused.
• Kairos began weaving psychic runes as Skarbrand prepared to attack Guilliman again.
• Obi-Wan sensed the Greater Daemons and psychic blockade, then gripped his lightsaber and turned toward the bridge.

Hua Wei spent Emotion Points to project a seemingly supreme Hilling Emperor onto Guilliman’s besieged flagship, where the apparition erased Skarbrand and terrified the demons. The projection vanished after five seconds, leaving the surviving forces awestruck and Kairos paralyzed by fear.

• Hua Wei panicked over Guilliman’s desperate battle and bought a single-use Emperor’s New Clothes projection device for one million Emotion Points.
• Hua Wei configured the projection to resemble himself as the supreme Emperor of the Hilling Empire and deployed it onto the flagship bridge.
• The projection’s appearance and aura stunned Kairos Fateweaver, while Skarbrand attacked it without hesitation.
• The projection erased Skarbrand with a glance, and the remaining demons froze in terror.
• Obi-Wan Kenobi, Prince of Wales, Glory, Prinz Eugen, Nimi, and Joan of Arc saluted the projection, while Guilliman returned its presence with an Aquila Salute.
• The Hilling Emperor’s projection disappeared after five seconds, leaving a patch of pure Void and the survivors in awe.

After the Hilling Emperor’s gaze drove Kairos and the daemons into chaos, Guilliman worked to restart the Macragge’s Honour and accepted Cypher’s help in escaping the Maelstrom. The engines came back online, and the battered flagship set course for Terra as Kairos fled.

• The Hilling Emperor’s gaze vanished, leaving Kairos terrified and the daemons attacking one another.
• Guilliman learned from Cawl that the ship’s engines were restarting, while Glory reported that the Hilling Emperor had made the Arbitration Mechanism unnecessary by taking an interest in the region.
• Cypher and a Harlequin Troupe arrived, and Cypher offered a hidden route out of the Maelstrom in exchange for Guilliman taking him to the Golden Throne.
• Guilliman accepted Cypher’s assistance without promising to fulfill his demand, and the Fallen Angels and Harlequins joined the fight against the daemons.
• Kairos tore open a Warp rift and fled as Cawl restarted the secondary propulsion array.
• Guilliman ordered maximum thrust, and the Macragge’s Honour turned toward the Astronomican and sailed away from the Scarlet Maelstrom.

After regrouping in realspace, Guilliman’s fleet found supplies and reinforcements at the Anvil Forge World. He accepted Cypher’s offer to guide the fleet through a Webway route to Luna, but made the Fallen Angels and Harlequins scout ahead; the fleet then entered the Webway behind them.

• Guilliman rallied the surviving fleet and ordered it to the Anvil Forge World after learning it remained loyal and operational.
• Cypher offered a concealed Webway route to Luna in exchange for Guilliman taking him to meet the Emperor.
• Guilliman agreed to use the route on condition that the Harlequins provide its details and their forces lead the fleet through it.
• Cypher agreed to lead the vanguard, while supplies and reinforcements from the Anvil system restored the fleet’s strength.
• Cypher provided the Webway entrance coordinates near a gas giant, and Guilliman ordered the fleet to enter behind the vanguard.

Guilliman's fleet fought off a Thousand Sons ambush in the Webway and forced its way onward, reaching Luna and seeing Terra ahead. The fleet arrived in lunar orbit, where Imperial defenses began demanding identification.

• Rubric Marines attacked Cypher's Fallen Angel cruiser at a Webway junction, and Guilliman sent Sicarius and Ultramarines to reinforce it.
• Guilliman ordered the fleet to unleash a saturation bombardment that destroyed the Rubric Marines and damaged the Fallen Angel cruiser.
• Guilliman ordered the fleet to follow Cypher and the Harlequins through the cleared junction at maximum speed.
• The fleet followed the Harlequin ships through the Webway exit and emerged in low lunar orbit.
• Imperial defenses detected Guilliman's fleet and flooded its comm channels with demands for verification as Guilliman saw Terra ahead.

The Harlequins’ attempt to close the Webway Gate was interrupted, allowing Magnus’s Chaos fleet to pour into lunar orbit. Magnus rammed the Crimson King into the Macragge's Honour and boarded it, while Guilliman led a counterattack to keep him from reaching Terra.

• The Harlequins’ ritual to close the Webway Gate backfired, and a torrent of psychic energy forced it open.
• Magnus’s Crimson King and the Thousand Sons fleet emerged from the gate.
• The Crimson King rammed the damaged Macragge's Honour and fused its living hull to the Imperium flagship.
• Magnus boarded the Macragge's Honour as Guilliman realized he intended to reach Terra and the Imperial Palace.
• Guilliman ordered Sicarius to suppress the Webway exit, then charged Magnus with Greyfax, Celestine, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the surviving warriors.

Guilliman and his allies overwhelmed Magnus aboard Macragge's Honour, using the Sisters of Silence and coordinated attacks to suppress his powers. On the Harlequin Veilwalker's advice, they drove him toward the Webway Gate to banish him into the Warp.

• The Adeptus Custodes, Sisters of Silence, and Guilliman's unusual allies joined the fight against Magnus, countering his physical and psychic attacks.
• The Veilwalker told Guilliman that the Webway Gate could be used to exile Magnus and asked him to force the Daemon Primarch back through it.
• Guilliman ordered the attackers to change tactics and drive Magnus toward the gate.
• Prince of Wales sealed Magnus's retreat, Prinz Eugen shielded the Sisters of Silence, and Joan of Arc strengthened Guilliman and the Custodes.
• Guilliman and the allied force pushed Magnus off Macragge's Honour and toward the Webway Gate.

Guilliman and his allies severed the Crimson King from Macragge's Honour and forced Magnus through the Webway Gate, which the Harlequin Troupe then sealed. With the fleet battered but victorious, Guilliman looked toward Terra and declared that he had returned.

• The Crimson King consumed Macragge's Honour, so Guilliman ordered the Imperial fleet to bombard it despite the danger to the flagship.
• Magnus broke free of the assault, but Guilliman redirected the fleet against the connection between the two ships.
• Prince of Wales fired a devastating cannon blast that severed the Crimson King's remaining connections to Macragge's Honour.
• The Imperial fleet rammed and bombarded the Crimson King toward the Webway Gate while Magnus failed to stop it.
• The Veilwalker and the surviving Harlequin Troupe used a crystal fragment and a ritual to close the Webway Gate, trapping Magnus beyond it.
• Guilliman surveyed the surviving fleet, looked toward Terra, and said, "I have returned."

After Magnus’s defeat, Guilliman faced a tense standoff over Evelyn’s presence and arranged for her to stay with the Hilling Empire’s Valkyries. He then ordered Cypher and the Fallen Angels detained, leaving them in custody with Cypher’s mysterious sword sealed away.

• The Adeptus Custodes demanded that Evelyn disarm and submit to detention as a xenos, while the Imperial Fists reacted with suspicion.
• Guilliman defended Evelyn and guaranteed her allegiance, but Glory offered her a place with the Hilling Empire’s Valkyries instead of taking her to Terra.
• Evelyn accepted Glory’s invitation, and the Adeptus Custodes agreed to withdraw their spears while assigning guards to watch the group.
• Guilliman noticed Cypher’s concealed sword and ordered Cypher and the Fallen Angels arrested for questioning and joint detention by the Adeptus Custodes and Grey Knights.
• Cypher yielded to the surrounding force, and the Custodes and Grey Knights shackled the Fallen Angels and secured Cypher’s sword under psychic seals and physical restraints.

Guilliman and Obi-Wan entered the Golden Throne Hall and witnessed the Emperor’s unbearable suffering. The Emperor gave Guilliman supreme authority to reorganize the Imperium for total war, while signaling that cooperation with Obi-Wan’s Hilling Empire might be possible.

• The Custodes commander led Guilliman and Obi-Wan through a secret passage into the Throne Vestibule, where Marshal Trajan awaited them.
• Guilliman and Obi-Wan saw the Emperor bound to the Golden Throne, sustaining the Astronomican and containing the Webway wound beneath Terra.
• Obi-Wan recoiled from the Emperor’s immense agony, while Guilliman knelt and addressed his father.
• The Emperor warned them that the Warp storms and Webway wound were worsening, then declared the Imperium’s old order dead and made Guilliman its highest authority.
• The Emperor directed Guilliman to turn the Imperium into a war machine and tasked Trajan with witnessing and assisting him.
• The Emperor assessed Obi-Wan’s ordered power, suggested cooperation with the Hilling Empire, and the visitors left with the Imperium committed to total war.

After completing the mission to face the Emperor, Hua Wei opened an achievement gift pack and summoned Apocalypse King Liang Bing with her warship, Apocalypse One. He kept their deployment pending, planning to release them during Terra’s coming crisis to harvest Emotion Points.

• Hua Wei received 3,623,440 Emotion Points and unlocked Six-Star unit summons after completing the mission to face the Emperor.
• The system gave Hua Wei an achievement gift pack containing a random upgradeable Six-Star unit and its matching warship.
• Hua Wei opened the gift pack and obtained Apocalypse King Liang Bing and her exclusive warship, Apocalypse One, instead of the Hilling Apostles he had hoped for.
• Hua Wei saw that Liang Bing’s higher forms and abilities required enormous amounts of Emotion Points.
• Hua Wei left Liang Bing and Apocalypse One’s deployment pending, intending to send them to Terra when Guilliman, the High Lords, and Chaos forces brought the planet to its most desperate hour.

Obi-Wan sensed a Khorne invasion of Terra, and alarms confirmed that daemons had breached the Imperial Palace’s defenses. Guilliman rallied Terra’s defenders and reached Eternal Gate Square, where Anglas charged him as the battle for the palace reached its climax.

• Obi-Wan warned Guilliman that eight Greater Daemons and countless Khorne daemons were advancing on the Imperial Palace.
• Palace alarms confirmed the invasion, and Marshal Trajan ordered the Adeptus Custodes to defend the Throne Hall.
• Guilliman and Obi-Wan left the Throne Hall, and Guilliman called Terra’s defenders to assemble and resist the daemons.
• Khorne’s daemon host overwhelmed the hastily formed defenses and pushed toward the Imperial Palace.
• Guilliman and Obi-Wan reached Eternal Gate Square, where the Custodes fought an immense daemon horde.
• Anglas, one of the Eightfold Blood Pact, charged Guilliman with his battle-axe.

On Luna, Glory and the Hilling Valkyries discussed the Imperium’s acceptance of other species with Evelyn before sensing a massive daemonic assault on Terra. As Imperial forces rushed to reinforce the Palace, Glory chose to keep her group on standby until their intervention could have the greatest effect.

• Glory explained that the Imperium accepted diverse species as citizens if they obeyed its laws and contributed to survival, while Evelyn mourned the Eldar’s fall.
• Glory and Joan of Arc sensed intense chaotic energy and a spreading presence of slaughter and Destruction on Terra.
• The Adeptus Custodes received an urgent order, and the Lunar base declared level-one battle readiness to reinforce the Imperial Palace.
• Nimi asked to join the battle, but Glory refused, warning that Luna’s defenses could mistake them for enemies and that Evelyn’s presence could provoke suspicion.
• Glory ordered the group to remain at maximum readiness and wait until the Imperial defenses were near collapse before intervening.

As Khorne’s daemons pushed Guilliman’s defenders to the brink at Lion’s Gate, Liang Bing arrived in a seemingly invulnerable vessel before teleporting to Luna Base. She introduced herself to the Hilling Valkyries and revealed a special interest in daemons, leaving Evelyn wary of her intentions.

• Guilliman battled Kabanha while Obi-Wan protected the Sisters of Silence, as the Imperium’s forces began to falter.
• Apocalypse One appeared over Terra and absorbed the orbital defenses’ barrage without damage.
• Liang Bing dismissed Terra’s defenses and used spatial distortion to make Apocalypse One vanish.
• Liang Bing appeared at Luna Base, took Evelyn’s energy drink, and spat it out in disgust.
• The Hilling Valkyries saluted Liang Bing as the Apocalypse King and Holy Judgment Commander, while she insisted she was on vacation.
• Liang Bing mentioned her special interest in daemons, prompting Evelyn to suspect she might not be an ally.

Liang Bing agreed to intervene in the battle on Terra after learning that the Bloodthirsters were unusual demons with research value. Her forces froze the battlefield at Lion’s Gate, and she offered to take the Bloodthirsters with her as specimens.

• Glory told Liang Bing that the Bloodthirsters were unlike the Abyss demons in her database and could be valuable research subjects.
• Liang Bing decided to seize the Bloodthirsters and ordered her forces to depart, claiming they would also protect the Imperium’s defenders.
• The Bloodletters and Khorne Berserkers broke through the Adeptus Custodes’ line as Guilliman fought the remaining Bloodthirsters and Lion’s Gate came under attack.
• Apocalypse One arrived above Lion’s Gate and activated a Spacetime Stasis Field that froze most of the battlefield.
• Liang Bing addressed the Bloodthirsters through the warship’s amplifiers and offered them food and lodging if they joined her.