Recaps

Lorgar overwhelmed Kasara with heavenly fire, split its body, and captured its hidden essence. He bound the false god to a Golden Cross and prepared to deliver the final strike.

• Lorgar's golden psychic fire burned across Kasara, and he cleaved its planet-sized body in two with his greatsword.
• Lorgar detected Kasara's essence hidden in a flesh fragment, seized it, and carried it through the Warp to an empty region.
• Lorgar hurled his greatsword at Kasara, splitting it into three blades that pinned the creature in place.
• A Golden Cross rose beneath Kasara, and flaming chains bound it as the surrounding Chaos energies retreated.
• Lorgar retrieved his greatsword, confronted the bound Kasara, and raised his blade to end it.

Lorgar cleaved Kasara in two with a golden slash that erased the False God and drew the attention of powerful Warp beings. He returned to the Materium with his sword badly cracked but slowly repairing itself, then headed back to the battlefield.

• Lorgar's golden slash destroyed Kasara and continued through the Warp, purifying its remains.
• Amg saw the slash streak across Commorragh and roared that Lorgar was growing stronger, driving the Orks to fight with renewed frenzy.
• Powerful Warp beings turned their attention to Lorgar, desiring his soul and strength but deciding to wait for a better moment.
• Lorgar returned through the closing Warp rift and found the bridge covered in ashes and blood, with the captain unconscious.
• Lorgar noticed that his cracked sword was slowly repairing itself and wondered what the Emperor had done to it before setting off toward the battlefield.

Johnny and the Colchis Auxiliary Army launched a major assault on the fortress world of Reincarnation Heaven. Johnny landed amid the fighting, destroyed much of an enemy fortress’s firepower, and helped the Imperial line begin advancing.

• The Master Chief rallied the Colchis Auxiliary Army soldiers aboard the Drop Pod before their landing.
• The Drop Pod descended through antiaircraft fire as Imperial forces bombarded the enemy defenses below.
• Johnny leapt from the Drop Pod and landed near an Imperialis Militia unit pinned down by a concrete fortress.
• Johnny opened fire with his Triple-Barrel Rotary Cannon, destroying enemy firing positions and silencing much of the fortress’s firepower.
• Johnny urged the troops forward, and the Imperialis Militia counterattacked as the Imperial battle line advanced.

Major General Leki visited the front despite his adjutant’s concerns and reviewed the 48th Regiment’s advance against the enemy. He ordered his forces to evacuate civilians being pushed into their lines and prepare to demolish the enemy’s underground fortresses.

• Leki rejected his adjutant’s warnings and insisted on going to Frontline Command.
• At the captured fortress, Leki heard that the 48th Colchis Auxiliary Army had broken the enemy’s first Defense Line with its armored forces.
• An artillery officer reported that the enemy’s remaining fortresses were linked through an extensive underground network that ordinary bombardment could not destroy.
• An intelligence officer warned that the enemy was driving enslaved civilians into the Imperial advance to slow the attack.
• Leki ordered reception detachments to evacuate the civilians and engineers to prepare heavy demolition equipment to destroy the underground fortresses.

After a battle, Johnny and the Colchis soldiers celebrated around a campfire, laughing over their kills. Johnny helped a young soldier choose a present for a medic by turning an officer’s head into proof of his first officer kill.

• Johnny finished off the last enemy with the Cissel armour’s autocannon and joined the Colchis soldiers around their campfire.
• A young soldier asked Johnny what to give the black-haired medic he fancied, and Johnny advised him to offer what he treasured most.
• The young soldier pointed out the officer he had killed with an Entrenching Tool as his most precious achievement.
• Johnny cut off the officer’s head and told the young soldier to have the Adeptus Mechanicus magi clean it so all thirteen soldiers could sign the skull as proof of the kill.
• The young soldier accepted the head and decided to give it to the medic.

Johnny learned that the young soldier was the son of a Cthonian Headhunters officer and heard why his mother had sent him to the Colchis Auxiliary Army. Meanwhile, Lorgar received news of the campaign’s progress and personally set out to deal with a planet that had surrendered.

• Johnny asked the young soldier where he was from and learned that his father served as an officer in the Cthonian Headhunters under Warmaster Horus.
• The young soldier explained that his mother had insisted he join the Colchis Auxiliary Army so one of her soldier husband and son would survive if the other fell.
• Johnny cheered the young soldier up by promising that the group would visit his father on leave, while an officer ordered everyone to sleep before their next move.
• Seras reported to Lorgar that the expeditionary Fleets had taken the enemy’s outer systems and that the Colchis Truth Department had arrived to handle those who surrendered.
• Lorgar ordered the tribunal to devise more creative ways to punish surrendered followers of false gods, then learned that an enemy planet had offered its surrender.
• Lorgar picked up his greatsword and left to handle the surrendering planet himself.

Lorgar accepted the planet’s surrender and ordered its rulers to turn over their slaves, who were transferred to rescue ships. He searched the planet for righteous souls and declared that he would spare it if ten could be found.

• The governor and nobles surrendered the planet to Lorgar, and Rockefeller asked what terms he would impose.
• Lorgar ordered the rulers to hand over every slave, and more than twenty billion people were moved to rescue ships for food, medical care, and shelter.
• Lorgar rose above the planet and demanded to speak with its supreme ruler, while a noble begged him to spare his life.
• Lorgar searched the planet with his psychic power for righteous souls among its people.
• Lorgar declared that he would not destroy the planet if its people could find ten righteous souls.

Lorgar Aurelian judged the planet irredeemably sinful and unleashed heavenly fire to destroy it. The rescued slaves watched the world burn and turned to Lorgar as their savior.

• A noble begged Lorgar to reduce his sentence, but Lorgar refused to show mercy for the planet’s widespread atrocities.
• Rockefeller sensed Lorgar’s anger and ordered the Word Bearers and Auxilia to withdraw from the area.
• Lorgar set the planet’s sky ablaze and declared that no one there was innocent.
• Golden flames rained down and consumed the city and its inhabitants after Lorgar found no righteous souls anywhere on the planet.
• The rescued slaves watched the planet burn in silence and regarded Lorgar Aurelian as their savior.

As Reincarnation Heaven’s forces collapsed, Samael summoned a colossal Bone Giant from the planet’s accumulated skeletons to challenge the Imperium. Angron and Hercules were sent to destroy it, and Angron leapt from a Thunderhawk toward the giant.

• Lorgar discarded Reincarnation Heaven’s surrender letters as the Imperium conquered its star systems.
• Samael recited ancient scripture and fused the bones beneath the Palace into a towering Bone Giant carrying the Palace on its back.
• Lorgar chose Angron to fight the giant and ordered Hercules to accompany him.
• Angron and Hercules flew toward the Bone Giant aboard a Thunderhawk Gunship.
• Angron jumped from the gunship and plunged toward the Bone Giant.

Angron broke the Bone Giant’s fist and charged up its arm, empowered by the slaves’ hope and his memories of oppression. Hercules reached Samael’s Palace and, strengthened by Lorgar, tore off the giant’s forearm, leaving the Bone Giant staggering.

• Angron felt the enslaved people’s hope, drew his Power Axes, and shattered the Bone Giant’s incoming fist.
• Angron charged up the giant’s arm, hacking through the bones that tried to stop him.
• Hercules landed on the Palace roof and killed more than a thousand Reincarnation Knight Order guards with his Greatsword.
• Samael brought the Bone Giant’s hand down on Hercules, but Hercules held it up beneath the impact.
• Lorgar empowered Hercules with psychic energy, and Hercules tore off the Bone Giant’s forearm, making it stagger.

Hercules and Angron destroyed the Bone Giant and killed Samael, bringing down the Palace and ending Reincarnation Heaven and the Theocracy Empire. The freed slaves emerged from the ruins as Angron and the Word Bearers stood over the wreckage.

• Hercules tore off the Bone Giant's forearm and tossed it to the ground, terrifying Samael.
• Angron battered the Bone Giant until it weakened, then leaped into the Palace to confront Samael.
• Angron killed Samael with a single axe blow before he could plead for mercy.
• The Bone Giant lost its cohesion and collapsed, taking the Palace down with it.
• The freed slaves emerged from the ruins and looked gratefully at Angron and the Word Bearers' warships.

Brutus reunited with Soren, a Raven Guard warrior who had served alongside him decades earlier, aboard the Vengeful Spirit. Soren gave Brutus a strange ring, then revealed that the gift was part of a sinister welcome into their ranks.

• Brutus encountered a Raven Guard warrior in the corridor and prepared to draw his Bolt Pistol.
• The warrior removed his helmet and identified himself as Soren, and Brutus joyfully recognized his old friend.
• Soren said the Primarch had sent him and other Raven Guard warriors to protect the Warmaster in gratitude for saving their father.
• Soren gave Brutus a mysterious black ring as a token of their friendship, and Brutus put it on before heading to the command centre.
• After Brutus left, Soren's warmth vanished, and he murmured, "Welcome to our ranks, Brutus."

Horus learned that Eugene had declared Davin independent and ordered his fleet to put down the rebellion. Lorgar discovered Horus was heading there and asked to join him aboard the Vengeful Spirit, leaving Horus delighted and Lorgar already regretting his offer.

• Brutus brought Horus a report that Eugene had declared Davin independent and rejected the Imperium's and Warmaster's authority.
• Horus took Eugene's declaration as a personal betrayal and ordered the fleet to make for Davin so he could end the rebellion himself.
• Lorgar read that Horus was heading to Davin and immediately contacted him.
• Lorgar asked Horus to reserve him a place aboard the Vengeful Spirit and said he would join him.
• Horus eagerly welcomed Lorgar's offer, while Lorgar regretted agreeing so quickly.

Sharrowkyn told Soren that the Warmaster would die beneath a vast Black Eye, but not on Davin, and said he would leave the Vengeful Spirit during the journey there. He ordered Soren to recruit allies within the Sons of Horus, especially among the Justaerin, while Brutus underwent transformation.

• Soren confirmed that the delivery had arrived, and Sharrowkyn said they would not kill the Warmaster on Davin.
• Sharrowkyn relayed Corax’s revelation that the Warmaster must die beneath a vast Black Eye, though he did not know what it meant.
• Soren reported that Brutus wore the ring and was progressing toward transformation into one of their allies.
• Sharrowkyn warned that he would leave the Vengeful Spirit because of its psychic energy and told Soren to recruit dissatisfied Sons of Horus, especially Justaerin members.
• Sharrowkyn dismissed Abaddon as powerless and left Soren to carry out the plan.

Horus welcomed Lorgar aboard the Vengeful Spirit and showed him a room recreated to match his private study. At the Davin briefing, Horus insisted on leading the mission himself, and Lorgar agreed to accompany him before an officer announced that Abaddon had awakened.

• Horus embraced Lorgar and showed him the room he had specially recreated to match Lorgar's study aboard the Law of Faith.
• Horus told Lorgar to attend the strategic briefing on Davin, and Lorgar went to the command chamber without changing clothes.
• Lorgar urged Horus not to descend to Davin and offered to lead the mission or use orbital bombardment against the Rebels' fortifications.
• Horus refused to stay behind, saying he had to answer for Governor Eugene's betrayal himself, and Lorgar asked to accompany him.
• Horus agreed to go to Davin with Lorgar, and a Space Marine officer reported that Abaddon had awakened.

Abaddon woke after more than a decade in a coma and learned from Loken how the Imperium and the Luna Wolves had changed while he was unconscious. After discovering that Brutus had taken his former positions, Abaddon insisted on seeing Horus.

• Abaddon woke in a recovery pod and asked why the Luna Wolves wore dark green armour and where Horus was.
• Loken told Abaddon that he had been unconscious for over a decade and helped him to a lounge after he nearly fell.
• Abaddon recalled losing his duel with Hercules, whose punch had knocked him unconscious.
• An Apothecary found no serious physical problems but said Abaddon needed rest to recover from temporary dizziness and weakness.
• Loken told Abaddon about the victory at Ullanor, Horus becoming Warmaster, the Emperor returning to Terra, and Brutus taking Abaddon's former commands and council seat.
• Abaddon stood and told Loken that he wanted to see Horus.

Abaddon woke from his long recovery and asked Horus to restore him to his former Legion roles, but Horus gave him command of the Justaerin Terminator Force while leaving Brutus in the positions of First Company captain and Four Kings Council member. Horus and Lorgar agreed to watch how Abaddon and Brutus performed in the operations ahead.

• Loken urged the weak Abaddon to rest until Horus arrived, and Horus came with Lorgar from the war council.
• Abaddon asked Horus to let him return to the Legion and reclaim command of the Justaerin Terminator Force and his former positions.
• Horus restored the Justaerin to Abaddon's command but kept Brutus as First Company captain and a member of the Four Kings Council.
• Abaddon accepted the Sons of Horus name and vowed to prove himself while remaining loyal to Horus.
• Lorgar asked Horus how he would balance Abaddon and Brutus, and Horus decided to leave Brutus's positions unchanged while judging both men by their future performance.

Horus’s fleet reached the Davin System, where Eugene refused to surrender, and Horus ordered a planetary assault. Lorgar chose to confront the Chaos-tainted moon alone, hoping to keep Horus from falling to corruption.

• Horus contacted Eugene, whose face was partly corrupted, and Eugene said he had no choice before cutting the connection.
• Horus ordered an assault on Davin, and Lorgar volunteered to lead the vanguard and scout for traps.
• Horus agreed to Lorgar’s offer but asked him to leave Eugene alive so he could execute him himself.
• Lorgar sensed Chaos taint on Davin’s Moon and struggled between letting events follow history and protecting Horus.
• Lorgar decided to go alone to the moon without telling his Legion or bringing any companions.

Lorgar descended alone onto Davin's Moon and used his power to burn away its corruption and destroy the twisted creatures that confronted him. He then aimed his empowered Greatsword at a Chaos-tainted temple and brought it down in an attack.

• Lorgar ordered the Thunderhawk pilot to remain in orbit, then leaped into the fog and landed in the mire below.
• Lorgar unleashed psychic power that dried the mire and drove back the fog, then walked across the moon as golden flames consumed the corrupted soil.
• Corrupted warriors from the Davin Tribe and the Governor's Forces approached Lorgar and burst into golden flames when they entered his invisible field.
• Lorgar spotted a warped black-stone temple with a revolving dark-green light, gathered golden power into his Greatsword, and swung it toward the building.

Lorgar destroyed the corrupted temple and Eugene, then Davin's Moon crashed into Davin and annihilated both worlds. He returned safely to the Vengeful Spirit and believed the threat to Horus had been removed, though he planned to keep watching over his brother.

• Lorgar burned down the corrupted building and killed Eugene, then left as the golden flames spread across Davin's Moon.
• Horus watched Davin's Moon leave orbit and crash into Davin, destroying both worlds in a vast explosion.
• Lorgar arrived on the Vengeful Spirit covered in ash, and Horus welcomed him back with relief.
• Lorgar secretly cleaned himself with psychic energy and admitted he had only pretended to be battered so Horus would believe he had fought hard.
• Lorgar considered Eugene's death and the destruction of Davin and its moon averted Horus's fall, and resolved to watch for future threats.

Abaddon returned to the Sons of Horus officers' office and confronted Apel, a Justaerin squad leader who challenged his authority and praised Brutus. Abaddon restored his claim to command by headbutting Apel and invited anyone who disputed him to meet him in the Gladiatorial Arena.

• Abaddon returned to his former lounge, now an officers' office, and reunited with Kaebo and Falkus Kibre.
• Abaddon called the dark green Sons of Horus decor hideous, provoking Apel to confront him.
• Apel insulted Abaddon and declared that he answered only to Brutus, who had appointed him commander of the 28th Squad.
• Abaddon headbutted Apel, denting his Terminator helmet and knocking him to the floor.
• Abaddon asserted that he was commander of the Justaerin Terminator Force and challenged anyone who disagreed to face him in the Gladiatorial Arena.

Abaddon admitted to Kaebo that he hated Brutus despite denying it was jealousy, and Kaebo warned him that someone could use the feud to frame him. Their conversation was interrupted by a challenge, while Lorgar and Hercules arrived at the fighting pits and spotted Abaddon facing the Justaerin.

• Abaddon grew furious over Brutus’s rise and demanded to know where he was, but Kaebo said Brutus was away on a mission.
• Abaddon told Kaebo that his hatred of Brutus was not about losing his position and that he felt Brutus could not be trusted near Horus.
• Kaebo warned Abaddon that the divided Justaerin and his resentment could make him an easy target for a frame-up.
• An unknown voice called Abaddon out from beyond the room.
• Lorgar and Hercules followed the sounds of shouting and fighting to the Legion fighting pits, where Lorgar saw Abaddon facing a group of Justaerin warriors.

Abaddon accepted Makro’s challenge under Cthonian tradition after Makro accused him of insulting Brutus and striking Apel. The two sides gathered in the Gladiatorial Arena, where Lorgar and Hercules watched as the fight was about to begin.

• Makro surrounded Abaddon with Justaerin Terminators and demanded justice for Brutus, invoking Cthonian tradition.
• Abaddon recalled that Cthonian tradition allowed disputes to be settled by duels, removed his uniform, and mocked Makro’s confidence.
• Makro accused Abaddon of becoming weak after spending over a decade in a recovery pod, and Abaddon replied that his own confidence was not arrogance.
• Abaddon stood bare-chested in the Gladiatorial Arena opposite Makro and three other Justaerin Terminators as Legion warriors gathered to watch.
• Hercules predicted that the armored warriors would win, while Lorgar watched with a knowing smile.

Abaddon faced Makro and more than a dozen Justaerin Terminators in a training duel before Henry, a young Word Bearers warrior, joined him. Henry swiftly knocked out the first Justaerin to attack him and challenged the rest.

• Makro brought more than a dozen Justaerin Terminators to fight Abaddon, insisting that victory mattered more than a fair duel.
• Lorgar watched from the stands while Hercules declined to join, fearing he might kill the opponents.
• Henry entered the arena and announced that he would help Abaddon, introducing himself as the son of a blacksmith.
• A Justaerin warrior charged Henry with a training sword, but Henry blocked the blow and struck him unconscious with his sword's pommel.
• Henry challenged the remaining Justaerin to attack.

Henry defeated a Justaerin Terminator with precise swordsmanship, then Abaddon overwhelmed three more in the Gladiatorial Arena. Abaddon finished his fight and discovered Henry had already knocked out more than a dozen Justaerin, leaving only Makro standing.

• Abaddon recognized Henry’s parry and pommel strike as masterful technique, and Henry claimed he had taught himself by fighting other children with sticks.
• Abaddon charged three Justaerin Terminators bare-handed, slammed one to the ground, and pinned him.
• Abaddon broke the other two Terminators’ training swords with precise strikes, then hurled one out of the arena.
• Abaddon caught the last Terminator’s broken sword and knocked him unconscious with a punch.
• Abaddon turned to find Henry standing among more than a dozen unconscious Justaerin, with only Makro still standing.