Chapter Summaries

Guilliman gathered the Blood Angels’ scattered successors to defend Baal as an enormous Tyranid Hive Fleet approached. After learning that Kryptman’s plan to pit the Tyranids against the Orks had produced the strengthened swarm, the defenders prepared for a desperate stand, with Liang Bing warning they might not survive until reinforcements arrived.

• Guilliman revoked the treason accusations against Blood Angels successors who had come to defend Baal and welcomed them into the fight.
• Guilliman, Dante, Obi-Wan, Liang Bing, and other leaders reviewed scout reports showing a vast Hive Fleet advancing on Baal, including possible Norn motherships.
• An Imperial Navy commander revealed that Kryptman had driven a Leviathan splinter fleet into Octarius, where it consumed the Orks and grew into the approaching threat.
• Guilliman ordered the fleet, planetary defenses, psykers, and Blood Angels forces to prepare Baal for a costly defense.
• Liang Bing departed to choose a battlefield and warned that the defenders would need to hold until the Apocalypse Legion arrived.
• Guilliman watched the Hive Fleet draw nearer and prepared to defend Baal with the assembled Space Marines and mortal soldiers.

As Baal Prime’s defenses collapsed under Leviathan, Guilliman ordered an evacuation and prepared Exterminatus while Dante stayed behind to die with his brothers. The Hilling Empire fleet then arrived and began ripping through the Tyranid swarm, bringing hope to the besieged defenders.

• Tyranid psychic attacks shattered the defenders’ lines, driving mortals and Space Marines into death or madness as Dante and Guilliman fought to hold Baal Prime.
• Kabanha and his Khorne daemons poured through a Warp rift and attacked the Tyranids, but the Hive Mind’s forces eventually overwhelmed them.
• Guilliman urged Dante to evacuate, but Dante chose to remain behind and sent the surviving Apothecaries away with the Blood Angels’ gene-seed.
• Guilliman ordered the surviving Imperial vessels to cover the evacuation and prepare Exterminatus as the defenders’ position collapsed.
• Liang Bing, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ella sensed the approaching Hilling Empire fleet, whose silver-gray ships tore through Leviathan’s hive fleet with devastating firepower.

The Hilling Empire fleet arrived at Baal and devastated Leviathan’s Tyranid swarm, saving the Imperium’s battered defenders. Luke Skywalker and Doom Slayer joined Guilliman’s forces, and Doom Slayer found the grievously wounded Dante alive beneath a mound of Tyranid corpses.

• The Hilling Empire fleet shielded Baal from Tyranid attacks, destroyed biological ships, and deployed machines and war colossi to break the ground assault.
• Luke Skywalker and Doom Slayer landed near Guilliman’s command post, where Luke greeted Obi-Wan, Ken, Ella, Liang Bing, and Guilliman and introduced Doom as a High Inquisitor.
• Doom Slayer sensed a demonic presence and pushed through the Tyranids toward the place where Dante’s warriors had made their last stand.
• Doom Slayer pulled the barely breathing Dante from beneath a mound of Tyranid corpses and dragged him back to Guilliman.
• Guilliman saw Dante’s ruined state, while faint golden motes briefly flickered on the bloodied ground.

The Hilling Empire fleet’s shields repelled the Tyranids, while Luke Skywalker and Doom killed two charging Hive Tyrants and forced the swarm to retreat from Baal. Guilliman learned that the diplomatic fleet could not destroy the entire Hive Fleet, which withdrew into the shadows as the defenders began clearing the battlefield.

• The Hive Mind abandoned its ineffective attacks on the Hilling Empire fleet and redirected its forces toward Guilliman, Luke, and the defenders on Baal.
• Luke Skywalker stopped a charging Hive Tyrant with the Force and crushed it, while Doom killed a second Tyrant with a Super Shotgun.
• The Hive Overlord ordered the Tyranid forces on Baal and in orbit to retreat after judging that continued attacks would fail.
• Luke told Guilliman that the diplomatic fleet would pursue and weaken the retreating Hive Fleet but could not eradicate it quickly.
• Guilliman thanked Luke for saving Baal, and Hilling war machines advanced to eliminate Tyranids left behind as exhausted defenders rested.

Dante awakened after Baal’s battle and learned that the planet had survived with help from the Hilling Empire. Luke confirmed that Dante had truly encountered Sanguinius’s soul, and Liang Bing proposed two ways to resurrect him, one of which would give him a female body.

• Dante awoke from his near-death state after dreaming of Sanguinius, while Chasing Wind and Liang Bing treated his ruined body and upgraded it to a Primaris Plus version.
• Guilliman told Dante that the Tyranid hive fleet had retreated and Baal had been preserved, though the Blood Angels had suffered terrible losses.
• Luke confirmed that Dante’s vision of Sanguinius was real and said Sanguinius’s soul fragments might persist in the Aether Sea.
• Liang Bing suggested building a body for Sanguinius or using the Mind Cube to restore him, but warned that the Mind Cube would recreate him in a female form.
• Dante and the others struggled with the possibility of resurrecting Sanguinius as a woman, while Dante wondered whether his unfinished mission was to help bring his gene-father back.

After the Spirit of Fire was lost defending Baal, Dante embraced the return of Sanguinius as a woman and backed Liang Bing’s plan to use the Mind Cube. Guilliman reluctantly agreed to support the Blood Angels as Hilling Star’s Hua Wei watched the consequences unfold.

• Captain Anderson reported that the Spirit of Fire and the Hope were destroyed, and that the survivors would transfer to the frigate Resolute.
• Doom confronted Liang Bing over her demon research, but Luke and Guilliman defended her work before Doom left with a warning.
• Dante said Sanguinius had guided him near death and urged Liang Bing to proceed with the Mind Cube.
• Dante vowed to convince the Blood Angels to welcome Sanguinius’s return, declaring that those who opposed it would be traitors to their gene-father.
• Guilliman reluctantly agreed to support them, while Hua Wei watched from Hilling Star and approved of the unexpected turn.

Luke and the Jedi found a fragment of Sanguinius’s soul, but the Emperor intervened and mistook the Hilling Empire’s origins after Luke named Earth and the Blue Planet. The Emperor entrusted Horus’s corrupted soul fragment to Luke and commanded Guilliman to treat the Hilling Empire as trusted kin, while Hua Wei resolved to help the Emperor if he could.

• Luke and the Jedi located a tiny, resilient fragment of Sanguinius’s soul in the Warp.
• The Emperor’s psychic presence appeared, questioned Luke about the Hilling Emperor, and wondered whether he came from ancient Terra.
• After Hua Wei sent him a message, Luke said “Earth” and “Blue Planet,” convincing the Emperor that the Hilling Empire shared a bond with humanity’s ancient home.
• The Emperor gave Luke a dark fragment of Horus’s soul and asked him to revive Horus so he could learn the truth.
• The Emperor ordered Guilliman to trust the Hilling Empire as brothers and pledged the Imperium’s aid; Guilliman obeyed.
• Hua Wei ended the transmission and decided to help the Emperor if the opportunity arose.

Hua Wei spent Emotion Points to provide Liang Bing with tools to resurrect Horus and Sanguinius, and Liang Bing rebuilt both as women in new bodies. Horus awakened, learned the truth of the Horus Heresy, and collapsed in despair, while Sanguinius remained on the verge of awakening.

• Hua Wei bought three Mind Cubes, a Lifeweave Fabricator, and Pandora's second form, then sent the resurrection materials to Liang Bing.
• Liang Bing used a Mind Cube and the Lifeweave Fabricator to create a female body for Horus and another for Sanguinius.
• Guilliman watched Horus's body form with barely restrained anger, while Dante recognized Sanguinius and felt the Black Rage quiet in her presence.
• Horus awakened powerless in a female body and received the Emperor's memories revealing her betrayal, the Chaos Gods' deception, and the Imperium's suffering.
• Horus broke down in shame and despair, and Guilliman's anger gave way to conflicted pity as Sanguinius's body continued to glow.
• Sanguinius's eyelashes trembled as everyone waited for her to awaken.

Sanguinius awakened after her resurrection and silently confronted Guilliman, Dante, and Horus with complex, unsettling emotions. Her return left the room in suffocating silence as Horus struggled under Sanguinius’s gaze.

• Liang Bing and Luke found Sanguinius’s body and soul fully restored, while Luke suspected she was choosing not to wake.
• Luke prepared to reach Sanguinius’s consciousness with the Force, but she opened her eyes and sat up before he could act.
• Sanguinius greeted Guilliman with a subtle nod that left him speechless and uneasy.
• Sanguinius looked at Dante with apparent anger, frightening him before her expression softened into weary calm.
• Sanguinius met Horus’s gaze, and Horus trembled, unable to speak or defend herself.
• Guilliman, Dante, Liang Bing, Luke, and Obi-Wan watched in silence as Sanguinius’s awakening brought tension rather than relief.

Sanguinius and Horus settled their ten-thousand-year grievance in a brutal fistfight, while their allies watched. Sanguinius left Horus alive and ordered her to repent before the Emperor’s Golden Throne, and Horus lay stunned by the realization that the Emperor had preserved her soul and granted her a second life.

• Pandora interrupted the tense silence, and Sanguinius summoned Horus to the dueling arena to settle their differences.
• Horus attacked Sanguinius barehanded, and the two fought while exchanging accusations about betrayal, jealousy, and their father.
• Sanguinius overwhelmed Horus and argued that the Emperor’s preservation of Horus’s soul showed whom he could not bear to lose.
• Horus collapsed, stunned by the Emperor’s mercy, while Sanguinius declared that she would live to atone and seek forgiveness at the Golden Throne.

Sanguinius assigned Dante to lead Baal and Imperium Nihilus while she and Horus traveled secretly to Terra with Luke to meet the Emperor and address their new identities. Guilliman prepared to resume the Indomitus Crusade as the Hilling cruiser departed Baal.

• Guilliman explained that he had authorized Sanguinius's resurrection in her current form, and Dante admitted that he had supported the plan after misinterpreting her guidance.
• Sanguinius refused Dante's offer to accept punishment and ordered him to rebuild Baal, restore the Blood Angels, and stabilize Imperium Nihilus.
• Sanguinius said she and Horus would return to Terra with Luke to meet the Emperor, while Dante remained responsible for Baal and Guilliman continued the crusade.
• Luke said Inquisitor Doom had gone off pursuing demons, and Sanguinius ordered Horus to begin her path of redemption.
• Guilliman and Dante watched as the crusade fleet prepared to depart and Luke took Sanguinius and Horus toward Terra aboard a Hilling cruiser.

Aboard the Serenity, Luke, Sanguinius, and Horus encountered the Silent King, who asked how Sanguinius had been revived and offered anything in exchange for a way to restore the Necrons to living beings. Luke refused to reveal the Empire’s secrets but agreed to meet Szarekh alone aboard the ship, leaving the crew preparing for his arrival.

• Luke told Sanguinius and Horus that Hilling Empire hyperspace technology was tightly controlled and suggested that Liang Bing might offer another path to spatial technology.
• The Serenity detected a Necron warship scanning it, and Luke blocked the scans before accepting the Silent King’s communication request.
• Szarekh recognized Sanguinius and asked how the Hilling Empire had anchored her shattered soul in a new body.
• Luke refused to reveal the method, and Szarekh explained that he sought a way to free the Necrons from their metal bodies and restore their souls.
• Luke agreed to a face-to-face meeting if Szarekh withdrew his fleet and came alone; after Szarekh agreed, Luke ordered a high-security isolation chamber prepared and instructed the captain to watch the approaching craft.

Silent King Szarekh met Luke Skywalker aboard the Serenity and learned that Sanguinius had truly been reborn, renewing his hope of restoring the Necrons to life. Luke explained that the rare Mind Cube and Liang Bing were essential, so Szarekh pledged the Necron Dynasties’ allegiance if the technology could help them, then began planning cautiously as the Serenity departed.

• Szarekh arrived aboard the Serenity and was escorted to a containment chamber where Luke, Sanguinius, and Horus awaited him.
• Szarekh examined Sanguinius and confirmed she was truly alive, then recounted how the C’tan had transformed the Necrontyr into Necrons and stolen their souls.
• Luke explained that resurrection required a soul fragment and a compatible Lifeweave body, and said Liang Bing was the only person who could use the Mind Cube.
• Szarekh resolved to seek Liang Bing’s help and promised to make the Necron Dynasties an affiliate of the Hilling Empire if the technology could restore his people.
• After Szarekh departed, Luke, Sanguinius, and Horus discussed the limits of reviving the Necrons, and the Serenity entered hyperspace.
• Szarekh analyzed the meeting from his throne and began devising a cautious plan to pursue redemption for the Necron Dynasties.

Doom Slayer crashed into Nurgle’s Garden and slaughtered the daemons who attacked him, proving immune to their weapons and corruption. After killing a Great Unclean One and eating its severed arm, he became a terror spreading through the Garden.

• A Warp storm swept Doom Slayer’s transport into Nurgle’s Garden, where it crashed in a fetid swamp.
• Nurgle’s daemons attacked Doom and destroyed his transport, but he killed them with his bare hands, Chainsword, and plasma weapons.
• Doom fought off waves of Nurglings, Poxwalkers, Plague Marines, Plague Fly Swarms, Beasts of Nurgle, and Plague Sorcerers.
• Doom tore apart a Great Unclean One, cut off its arm, and ate the daemon’s flesh raw.
• A terrified Poxwalker spread warnings through Nurgle’s Garden, and fear drove the daemons to hide from Doom.

Doom considered how to leave Nurgle’s silent, corpse-strewn planet when a squad of lost Space Marines arrived. After Doom demanded another transport, their leader reported his presence and received orders to bring him back.

• Doom found no living Daemons on Nurgle’s planet and weighed calling Luke against venturing back into the Warp storm.
• A squad of white-armored Space Marines landed and searched the battlefield for clues to escape the Warp.
• The Marines discovered Doom beside his wrecked transport and aimed their weapons at him.
• Doom demanded another transport, ignoring the leader’s questions about the slaughter and a route back to reality.
• The leader restrained his angry squad, recognized Doom’s likely strength, and reported the encounter.
• A reply came through the Marines’ communications equipment, ordering them to bring Doom back.

Doom returned with Batu’s squad to the battered White Scars cruiser Storm's Claw and directed Captain Sukh toward the Bloodgrind Corridor, where he expected to find daemons and a route onward. Sukh agreed to take the ship there, and the Storm's Claw entered the crimson storm as a new hunt began.

• Batu led Doom aboard the damaged Storm's Claw, where its exhausted crew watched the mysterious warrior warily.
• Batu reported Doom’s strength and the destruction he had wrought on Nurgle’s planet to Captain Sukh.
• Doom pointed toward the Bloodgrind Corridor and said, “Daemons!”
• Captain Sukh ordered the Storm's Claw to the Bloodgrind Corridor, with Batu’s squad assigned to guide and support Doom.
• Doom ignored Sukh’s attempts to question him and told him to prepare.
• The Storm's Claw plunged into the Bloodgrind Corridor.

Luke Skywalker, Sanguinius, and Horus arrived on Terra and were escorted to the Emperor’s audience. Horus, overwhelmed by guilt and fear, entered the throne hall under Trajan’s hostile watch as the Emperor’s gaze fell upon them.

• Luke, Sanguinius, and Horus landed outside the Imperial Palace and were met by the Adeptus Custodes, who recognized Luke but reacted to Horus with intense hostility.
• The Custodes escorted the three through the palace to its inner gate, where Trajan greeted Luke and struggled to contain his fury at Horus.
• Trajan led them into the hall of the Golden Throne, where Sanguinius entered steadily and Horus hesitated in fear.
• Trajan shoved Horus through the gate, and the doors closed behind her as the group approached the Golden Throne and the Emperor looked upon them.

Sanguinius, Horus, and Luke Skywalker met the Emperor on the Golden Throne and learned why he remained bound there: he was holding back daemons from the corrupted Webway beneath Terra. Horus was absolved of willful betrayal and vowed to rebuild the Luna Wolves, while Luke promised to report the truth to the Hilling Emperor.

• Sanguinius and Horus saw the Emperor's suffering on the Golden Throne, and Horus collapsed in grief and remorse.
• The Emperor told Sanguinius and Horus that Horus had been possessed and her soul had resisted, prompting Horus to vow vengeance on the traitors and rebuild the Luna Wolves.
• The Emperor asked Luke Skywalker to convey his gratitude to the Hilling Emperor, and Luke sensed the dangerous Webway breach beneath the throne.
• The Emperor explained that the corrupted Webway threatened Terra, and Luke realized destroying the passage would devastate the planet and unleash Chaos across the galaxy.
• Luke promised to report the truth and seek a solution before the Emperor's brief human presence faded.
• Trajan ended the audience, and Luke, Sanguinius, and Horus left the hall with Horus resolved to act against the traitors.

Hua Wei summoned Darth Vader and He Xi, then gave them roles in the Empire’s history and dispatched He Xi to Liang Bing. He Xi arrived beside Liang Bing and Guilliman, setting up a confrontation between the sisters.

• Hua Wei decided the Emperor’s divine state was too costly to treat and summoned two Six-Star units.
• Hua Wei assigned Darth Vader a fabricated history as a fallen Jedi whose rebellion had been defeated, and made Luke’s survival and loyalty part of that story.
• Hua Wei sent He Xi to look after Liang Bing and investigate the Imperium of Man.
• He Xi appeared beside Liang Bing, Guilliman, and the Primaris Space Marines, while Pandora greeted her warmly.
• Liang Bing demanded to know why He Xi had come, and He Xi said she had missed her and wanted to see why she was ignoring her sister’s orders.

Luke sensed Darth Vader’s return and told Sanguinius and Horus how his father fell to the Abyss, was exiled by the Hilling Emperor, and became the trial Luke was destined to face. Luke left the conversation resolved to confront Vader in his final trial.

• Luke felt a surge of pain and dark rage through the Force and recognized its source as Darth Vader.
• Luke told Sanguinius and Horus that his father, Anakin Skywalker, returned from an Abyss expedition corrupted and became Darth Vader.
• Luke recounted how Vader and the Tatooine Emperor slaughtered their opponents during a coup and how Vader used a ritual to bind Luke to him.
• Hilling Empire Inquisitors crushed the Tatooine corruption, but the Hilling Emperor intervened and banished Vader from the region.
• Luke explained that the Inquisitors took him to the Hilling Empire, where he slept for more than a hundred thousand years before beginning Jedi training.
• Luke declared that Vader had returned and that he was ready to face the final trial set before him.