Chapter Summaries

Karn and the World Eaters fought Skarbrand on the Blood Plain until Hades’s encroaching darkness stripped the daemon of the Blood God’s power. Hades appeared and struck at Skarbrand, which was Exiled before the darkness consumed it, while Hades killed the fleeing daemons he could still see.

• Karn rallied the World Eaters and charged Skarbrand, but the greater daemon battered him and slaughtered their forces.
• Karn returned to the fight with two surviving Centurions and the Soulless, attacking Skarbrand as it grew more enraged.
• Hades’s darkness spread across the Blood Plain, weakening Skarbrand and sending the Blood God’s servants fleeing.
• Hades leaped from the storm and swung his scythe at Skarbrand, while eight Bloodhounds seized the daemon and it was Exiled into the darkness.
• Hades landed, called the fleeing daemons cowards, and burst the heads of those still within his sight.

Hades and the army fought through the blizzard and Blood Mist to reach the Deep Black Crimson Pyramid, where they hoped to find Angron. As Hades and Margo entered the Bloody Corridor, strange lightning appeared underground and Khorne began to laugh.

• Hades marked targets for the fleet, then led the assembled forces forward with the wounded Karn refusing to retreat.
• After a forced march through the Blood Mist, the Errant Knights and the Master of the Silent Sisterhood broke the enemy’s charge while Karn struggled to keep pace.
• Karn reached the rear of the army and collapsed as Hades neared the Deep Black Crimson Pyramid.
• Hades scanned the pyramid, confirmed that Imperial equipment could not identify it, and entered its Bloody Corridor with Margo and the troops.
• An enraged roar sounded from within the corridor, and silver, red, and green lightning began glowing underground as Khorne laughed.

Rorke carried Angron through hundreds of battles in a demonic realm as Vorias’s protection faded and the Butcher’s Nails increasingly damaged the primarch. As Rorke lay dying, Angron tried to tear out the Nails, but a demonic axe tempted him to take it; the chapter ended with Rorke stopping him from grabbing a battleaxe.

• Vorias entrusted Rorke to save Angron or end his suffering, then died after using his remaining Psychic Power to ease the primarch’s pain.
• Rorke dragged Angron through hundreds of battles and escaped the rising magma, while Angron sustained him with his blood.
• Rorke realized that dying in the realm would not free Angron, and that the Nails were worsening as the primarch’s brain matter began to flow from his nose.
• When Rorke collapsed, Angron lamented the deaths of his teacher, sons, and comrades, then tried to rip the Nails from his head.
• A demonic axe offered Angron power and threatened Rorke with a crimson monster, but Rorke stopped Angron from taking a battleaxe.

Hades and the World Eaters found Angron overwhelmed by the Nails and grief after he fought to save Rorke. Hades saved Rorke and carried Angron toward an escape, but Necrons awakened as they fled Khorne’s domain.

• Hades blasted open the door and found Angron pinning the corrupted Rorke while grieving over his failure to protect his sons.
• Hades stopped Angron from abandoning the World Eaters, then used his power to weaken the daemon corruption and save Rorke.
• Hades examined Angron’s Nails and told him he might be able to treat them, but that they needed to return to the World Eaters’ ship.
• Angron agreed to let Hades suppress him, and Hades carried him as Mago took Rorke and the group retreated through Khorne’s domain.
• After the group escaped the building, the planet shook as Necrons awakened beneath it, revealing that Khorne had occupied a Necron Tomb.

Hades led the World Eaters through a retreat against the Novokh Dynasty, but a Necron overlord and a C'tan Shard appeared to block their escape. With the fleet cut off and Angron unconscious on his back, Hades ordered the warriors to prepare for a desperate defense.

• Hades identified the charging Necrons as the battle-hungry Novokh Dynasty and ordered the forces to retreat toward distant evacuation plains.
• The blizzard disrupted contact with the fleet, forced Stormbirds into emergency landings, and left some ships vulnerable to Necron Gauss Rays.
• Hades moved the Soulless away from the front and assigned Wraith Knights to support the World Eaters, while he carried the wounded Angron toward the rear.
• Angron questioned Hades's retreat and urged him to fight, but Hades focused on keeping them both alive and Angron fell unconscious again.
• Hades spotted a rusted Necron overlord and a rising structure holding a C'tan Shard, then ordered the World Eaters to form a defensive line.

Hades split the World Eaters into two forces, sending Angron toward evacuation while he led the Knights away to draw the Necrons and Nightbringer. After the Nightbringer destroyed three Knights with a spatial attack, Hades sent the infantry to rejoin Angron and charged north toward the enemy.

• Hades divided the army, assigning most troops to escort Angron toward the evacuation point while his smaller force drew enemy fire.
• Hades rejected Charon's proposal to prioritize his own safety and reassigned more Knights to his force.
• Hades signaled the breakout with Foe-Render as the Nightbringer entered the battlefield and targeted him.
• The Nightbringer struck from a distance, twisting three Knights into wreckage before Hades ordered the survivors to turn north.
• Hades sent the infantry after Angron's force and led the Knights toward the Nightbringer and the Necron Overlord.

Angron woke to learn that reinforcements had arrived and defied Hades’s evacuation order, rallying the World Eaters to return to the fight. Hades remained trapped before the Nightbringer until Titans from Sarem Forge World charged in, and the Emperor’s finger bone began to shine.

• Karn told Angron that the fleet was safe and reinforcements had arrived, but Angron demanded that the World Eaters go back for Hades.
• Karn repeated Hades’s order to evacuate Angron, but Angron rallied the warriors who wanted to fight alongside him.
• The Nightbringer manipulated Hades’s Knights into attacking and used His death gaze as the fleet’s lascannons struck the battlefield.
• Titans bearing the Sarem Forge World banner charged the Nightbringer while the Magi called upon the Void Dragon.
• Hades raised Foe-Render as golden light erupted and the Emperor’s finger bone shone brightly.

Hades and the Mechanicum forces used the Emperor’s power and the Void Dragon’s strength to fight Nightbringer, but Angron’s arrival put him in danger of losing himself to Khorne. Hades sent the Emperor’s finger bone into Angron’s mouth and was struck by Nightbringer, while the Emperor’s power abruptly ended in the distant office.

• Hades channeled the Emperor’s golden power through Foe-Render, striking and injuring Nightbringer, then drew on the Void Dragon’s power to empower the Titans’ attacks.
• Angron arrived by Stormbird and charged Nightbringer, forcing Hades to leap in and divert the C’tan’s attention; Khorne’s power briefly shielded Angron as he was blasted away.
• Hades saw Angron rising amid gathering blood and realized he could use Foe-Render to channel the Emperor’s power without the finger bone suppressing his Null Field.
• Hades tore the Emperor’s finger bone from his neck and shouted for Angron to open his mouth, then launched the bone into it as Nightbringer struck Hades again.
• Malcador found the Emperor in his office beside a split desk and severed pen, and the Emperor said, “There’s a dog.”

The Emperor realized that Hades had used the finger bone to free Angron from Khorne’s rage, while Hades fell and the dragon’s phantom rose in The Maelstrom. As Angron and the Imperium’s forces fought the Nightbringer, a Magos reached a Xenos control console, but died before activating it; another Magos took his place, and the Nightbringer screamed.

• The Emperor sensed Hades and Angron were near defeat, then discovered that Hades had put the finger bone into Angron, allowing the Emperor’s Psychic Power to drive out Khorne’s rage.
• Black mist and green lightning spread around fallen Hades, and the dragon’s phantom rose.
• Angron fought the Nightbringer while Imperium war machines and a Magos advanced through the deadly battlefield.
• The Magos reached a Xenos control console but died before he could activate it.
• A second Magos shoved the first Magos’s corpse aside and pressed the control console, making the Nightbringer scream.

Hades directed the Imperial forces and Magi in the battle against the Nightbringer, helping the Blackstone cage reclaim the shattered god and bringing the fighting to an end. Afterward, he was carried back to the fleet while Angron remained in a deep coma, and Hades surveyed the battlefield’s dead.

• Hades coordinated the scattered forces through radio signals, directing artillery and mechanical troops against the Necrons and the Nightbringer.
• The thirty-seventh Magos to touch the Blackstone construct activated it, and the cage began reclaiming the Nightbringer’s power.
• Angron struck the Nightbringer one last time before collapsing, and Hades raised his scythe as a vessel crashed into the enemy.
• The Nightbringer’s final struggle ended, the gods’ radiance faded, and rain fell across the battlefield as the survivors cheered.
• Hades asked the Custodian Guard and Sisters to help him off Angron, and they took both of them back to the fleet.
• From a Stormbird, Hades looked over the guarded cage and saw the Magos corpses and the many dead left across the battlefield.

Angron awoke in a medical room after the battle and discovered that the Butcher’s Nails had stopped, allowing him to experience calm and sleep for the first time. Hades helped him recover with food and explained that removing the Nails would be dangerous, while suggesting gradual treatment or help from a life sciences expert.

• Angron woke from memories of the Emperor and realized the Butcher’s Nails had stopped, then rested in a rare state of calm.
• Angron woke again and saw Hades asleep beside his bed; Hades confirmed that the battle was over and kept the rest of the World Eaters from visiting.
• Hades brought Angron dessert, and the two ate through three tables of food while chatting as Angron regained his strength.
• Angron asked about the Nails, and Hades explained that they could not be removed all at once but might be moved gradually or treated with Psychic Power.
• Hades offered to consult someone skilled in life sciences, but Angron refused when Hades began to suggest trying something himself.

Hades faced the Adeptus Mechanicus believers who regarded him as the Omnissiah and struggled with the burden of answering their faith. After offering the Magos of Sarem rewards, he heard their leader Haisen say they desired nothing else.

• Hades considered how the Emperor had used faith on Mars and recognized that the Sarem Magos had sacrificed themselves for the god they believed in.
• Hades left his chamber and appeared before the Magos, who knelt as he approached.
• Hades told the believers to stand and praised their courage, loyalty, and wisdom before offering them any reward within his power.
• Haisen realized the Magos had never imagined what they might want beyond seeing and fighting beside the Omnissiah.
• Haisen bowed to Hades and said the Magos desired nothing else.

Hades reassured the Sarem Forge World’s Magos, explained that he acted according to human rules, and considered ways to direct their ambitions. He remained stranded in The Maelstrom while searching for the missing Null Field suppressor inside Angron and awaiting the Emperor’s advice.

• Haisen told Hades that serving him was the Magos’ only wish, and Hades warned him not to use his true name unless necessary.
• Hades explained that gods acted according to rules and that he acted according to human rules, then let the overwhelmed Magos recover.
• Hades considered assigning the Magos goals such as exploring Necron technology, strengthening their Forge World, and developing Warp-independent travel.
• Hades reflected that he could not leave The Maelstrom because the Null Field suppressor’s phalanx bone was missing and likely inside Angron.
• Hades sent Charon and Blackfa to ask the Emperor for a solution and waited for the reply.

After the Butcher’s Nails stopped working, Angron discovered he could sense other people’s emotions and recalled his lost psychic ability. Hades explained the likely cause, then worried aloud about whether Angron had expelled anything since waking.

• Hades watched Karn help Rorke leave Angron’s room, then sat by Angron’s bedside with a dining cart.
• Angron accepted a Strawberry Cupcake and told Hades he had felt the World Eaters’ sorrow and joy overwhelming him.
• Angron realized he could sense others’ emotions again, remembering that he had once soothed the other gladiators’ wounds.
• Hades suggested Angron’s ability might be psychic talent returning after the Nails stopped functioning, and said his own power suppressed Psychic Power.
• Angron asked why the Emperor and Malcador would punish Hades, who then asked whether Angron felt like vomiting or expelling anything.

Hades named the ruined planet Fhaos and left the captured Nightbringer shard there to power Salem’s Magos. As he discovered new Void Dragon abilities, he also began sensing death, while a physical-side force slowly rose in the Warp.

• Hades confirmed the planet was free of Necrons and Chaos, then offered it to Grand Sage Haisen as a new Forge World.
• After a Magos asked for the land to be named, Hades called the planet Fhaos, and the crowd celebrated.
• Hades decided to keep Nightbringer imprisoned on Fhaos, where the shard could provide energy and remain concealed from other Necrons.
• Hades discovered that green lightning let him disrupt and control nearby machines, melt metal, and repair mechanical damage with liquid metal.
• Hades realized that after striking Nightbringer, he could sense beings that had not yet died, and the Warp whispered as a physical-side existence rose.

After conquering the last planet in the Maelstrom, Hades returned to Fhaos and watched an experimental mind made from sacrificed Magi awaken without a soul. It named itself Reborn, leaving Hades with the first of what he expected would become many such beings.

• Hades conquered the last planet in the star region and earned the fearful title Lord of the Maelstrom.
• Hades returned to Fhaos, where Magi celebrated his arrival and showed him the expanding industrial world.
• Hades put off visiting Angron and went to the research workshop to oversee an experiment in creating a simulated personality.
• Hades and Rebo awakened the Twenty-One Personality Chimera, which rapidly surpassed Rebo in their shared machine.
• After hours of communication and transformation, the chimera greeted Hades and chose the name Reborn.

Hades prepared safeguards for the Reborn System in case he became trapped in The Maelstrom, then Charon returned with the Emperor’s message. Hades received a finger bone from the Emperor and surveyed the lavish Cocytus, while Kirkland arranged a familiar blue carpet for his bedroom.

• Hades established strict limits and safeguards for the Reborn System, including vetted personalities, scheduled updates, and a way to disconnect it from weapons.
• Hades saw the Cocytus arrive and toured its extravagant interior with Angron, where the Magi had built a blood-red river and an ornate throne hall.
• Hades asked Charon for the Emperor’s plan, and Charon presented him with a psychic-locked wooden box.
• Hades opened the box and recognized the Emperor’s right middle-finger bone, then stopped Angron from imitating the gesture it represented.
• Hades found a Macragge-blue carpet in his bedroom and learned Kirkland had taken it from the items sealed away within the Death Guard.

Mortarion reflected on Hades’s disappearance and watched Horus become Warmaster before attending the military parade. At the celebration, Lorgar described a deathly figure she believed served as an extension of the Emperor’s will, prompting Mortarion to demand she explain what she knew about his missing commander.

• Mortarion watched the Emperor’s staged battlefield drama end and withdrew with the Death Guard, still wondering where Hades had gone.
• At the Warmaster’s parade, Fulgrim asked Mortarion what gift he had prepared for Horus, and Mortarion said he had prepared it when they first met.
• Lorgar arrived and told Khan that her faith had revealed gods beyond what she had first imagined, while Khan and Mortarion challenged her views on faith and humanity.
• Lorgar described sensing a deathly presence with a black spear adorned with hellhounds, which she believed was an extension of the Emperor’s will.
• Mortarion demanded that Lorgar tell him everything she knew and asked when his commander had become an extension of the Emperor’s will, while Fulgrim stepped between them.

At Horus’s Warmaster elevation gathering, Mortarion challenged the Emperor’s motives and then realized the Emperor might have known Hades from the beginning. The gathering ended with Mortarion asking Lorgar to explain the person she had seen and his “extension of consciousness.”

• Fulgrim prepared to celebrate Horus’s elevation, but Mortarion and Lorgar’s argument drew attention away from Horus.
• Sanguinius reminded Mortarion and Lorgar that the day belonged to Horus, and Mortarion sat back down beside Lorgar.
• Mortarion questioned the Emperor’s return and whether Horus’s appointment was truly a good thing, prompting Lorgar to defend the Emperor.
• Mortarion recalled that the Emperor had met Hades on Barbarus and had shared information with him before he joined the Death Guard.
• Mortarion lost his anger and asked Lorgar to tell him about the person she had seen and his “extension of consciousness.”

Mortarion realized that Lorgar’s description of a being who overwhelmed others with helplessness and panic matched Hades, the Death Guard’s commander. He concluded that Hades was powerful enough to make a Primarch feel oppressed, but insisted that Lorgar was wrong about Hades’s nature.

• Mortarion remembered Hades’s chaotic antics, then recognized him as the being Lorgar had described.
• Mortarion told Lorgar that the being was likely the Death Guard’s commander, now perhaps the Master of the Silent Sisterhood.
• Mortarion explained that the being’s power caused helplessness, disorientation, panic, and nausea, and argued that few beings could make a Primarch feel oppressed.
• Mortarion reconsidered how Hades had earned his trust and realized that Hades himself inspired trust beyond their shared history on Barbarus.
• Mortarion recalled Lorgar’s account of her descendants seeing Black Helms instead of White Helms and reflected on Hades’s place among the legions.
• Mortarion insisted that Hades was not the being Lorgar claimed he was, and accused her of distorting the truth.