Recaps

Fulgrim used his swordsmanship and a poisoned dagger to weaken Angron during their duel, then believed the kneeling Angron was helpless. Angron revealed he had only pretended to succumb, punched Fulgrim in the face, and stood ready to continue fighting.

• Fulgrim cut Angron repeatedly with precise sword thrusts while Angron met his attacks with brute force.
• Fulgrim stabbed Angron in the chest with a poisoned dagger, and Angron briefly stiffened before pulling it out and throwing it aside.
• Angron dropped to one knee and let his axes fall, convincing Fulgrim that the poison had weakened him.
• Fulgrim approached to deliver a final blow, but Angron suddenly sprang up and struck him with a bloodied uppercut.
• Angron picked up his axes and faced Fulgrim, who wiped blood from his broken nose and mouth.

Angron overpowered Fulgrim and the Phoenix Guard in the corridor, but Fulgrim managed to slash Angron’s throat with his anesthetic-coated dagger before Angron killed him. Angron survived the fight only barely, standing over Fulgrim’s corpse as the battlefield continued around him.

• Angron shrugged off Fulgrim’s anesthetic and punched him into a bulkhead, leaving him badly injured.
• The Phoenix Guard charged Angron, who killed more than a dozen of them with his battle axes as the War Hounds fought with renewed ferocity.
• Angron broke Fulgrim’s arm, tore apart his armour, and battered his face while Fulgrim fought back with desperate punches.
• Fulgrim secretly grabbed his dagger and slashed Angron’s throat as Angron smashed his skull.
• Fulgrim laughed that he had won, but Angron crushed his skull with another punch and then nearly collapsed from his own wound.

Fulgrim fled after Angron defeated him, intending to seek new power from the Raven Guard in Ultramar. Angron ordered Skolzne to pursue and kill him, unaware that Ultramar had become a vast battlefield filled with converging threats.

• Fulgrim retreated from Angron, deciding to seek a way to gain power from the Raven Guard in Ultramar.
• The Emperor's Children withdrew as the War Hounds pursued them through the corridors.
• Angron ordered Skolzne to hunt down Fulgrim and kill him before he could return with greater power.
• Skolzne relayed the order, and the Devourer turned to pursue Fulgrim.
• Angron feared Fulgrim would target his homeworld and resolved to intercept him before he arrived.
• Ultramar was already engulfed in conflict as Ferrus Manus ravaged the region, Jaghatai planned an ambush, and an unknown force aided the traitors.

Horus reviewed the rebellion’s forces and plans aboard the Vengeful Spirit, unsettled by Lorgar’s unexpected power and independent path. He considered recalling Ferrus Manus to lead the assault on Terra while Brutus watched him in silence.

• Horus reflected on how Lorgar had banished Vulkan and Corax, wrecking the Salamanders and Raven Guard and disrupting his plans.
• Horus studied the star chart and judged that the rebel forces had gained ground faster than expected.
• Horus decided to recall Ferrus Manus and the Iron Hands Legion to help lead the assault on Terra.
• Horus assessed the other Primarchs, viewing Mortarion as neutral, Fulgrim as a source of diversion, and Corax as an unpredictable threat.
• Horus lamented that Lorgar had chosen a separate path instead of joining him, while Brutus sat nearby, unable to speak.

The Four Kings Council debated how to attack Terra, with Aximand proposing a swift offensive while warning that their plan depended on the Warp Storms keeping Loyalist forces isolated. The meeting ended without resolving how they could face Lorgar, whose power threatened to derail their plans.

• Brutus sat with Agares and Brays on one side of the Four Kings Council, while Aximand's distance from Chaos and Brutus left the council divided.
• Brutus asked Aximand for his view of their next strategic objective, the attack on Terra.
• Aximand proposed a lightning war to break through Terra's defenses before Loyalist Legions could escape the Warp Storms and respond.
• Agares, Brays, and Brutus were troubled by the plan's dependence on the Warp Storms and the possibility that Lorgar would reach Terra.
• The council failed to answer who could fight or defeat Lorgar.

Horus ordered Sharrowkyn to lead covert attacks in Segmentum Solar while the main assault on Terra continued. In a secret chamber, Anlosian foretold that Horus and Lorgar would fight together at their second meeting, giving Horus hope.

• Horus ordered Sharrowkyn to disrupt enemy supply routes and deployments in Segmentum Solar without pursuing strategic objectives.
• Sharrowkyn accepted his orders and vanished into the shadows.
• Horus told the Four Kings Council to maintain its assault and take Terra as quickly as possible.
• Horus met Anlosian in a hidden chamber aboard the Vengeful Spirit and asked about the futures he had seen.
• Anlosian foretold that Spartacus might lie in eternal slumber beneath the spear of someone he trusted.
• Anlosian said Horus and Lorgar would fight together at their second meeting, and Horus reacted with hope.

Ferrus Manus used the Pharos on Sotha to lure Loyalist fleets into ambushes by the Iron Hands Legion. After the Iron Hands destroyed an Ultramarines fleet, Ferrus returned to the factory as the beacon continued to draw ships toward their deaths.

• The Pharos lured exhausted Imperial fleets to Sotha, where the Iron Hands Legion ambushed and destroyed them.
• Ferrus Manus watched replicated Space Marines emerge from Sotha’s factory, powered by the tortured souls of the slaughtered.
• An Ultramarines fleet emerged from the warp, mistook the Pharos for a sign of safety, and found no response to its signals.
• The Iron Hands fleet rose from behind Sotha and encircled the Ultramarines fleet.
• The Iron Hands destroyed the Ultramarines fleet with a devastating salvo, leaving no survivors.
• Ferrus Manus left the platform while the Pharos continued to guide more fleets into the trap.

Ferrus Manus studied the Pharos and adapted its ancient technology for the Iron Hands before Horus summoned him to join the advance on Terra. Ferrus agreed to confront Lorgar if necessary, while Horus still hoped their next meeting might fulfill the prophecy and bring Lorgar back to his side.

• Ferrus Manus explored the Pharos, investigated the intelligent energy within its core, and had the Iron Hands integrate recovered technology into their weapons and defenses.
• Horus contacted Ferrus Manus and ordered him to leave the Ultramar campaign and help clear the way to Terra.
• Ferrus Manus questioned the redeployment and raised the threat posed by Lorgar.
• Horus's response made Ferrus Manus realize he was expected to fight Lorgar, and Ferrus agreed to take him on when the time came.
• After the call, Horus considered Ferrus Manus his backup weapon while hoping the prophecy would let him reconcile with Lorgar.

Ferrus Manus ordered Shadrak Meduson to defend Sotha and the Pharos after he departed for Terra, then revealed a hidden mechanical duplicate of himself. He left Meduson with the knowledge that the creation would command him in his absence.

• Ferrus Manus told Shadrak Meduson he would leave Sotha to join Horus's army and ordered him to hold the Pharos against returning Loyalist forces.
• Meduson accepted the orders without hesitation and promised to keep Sotha functioning as a trap.
• Ferrus Manus led Meduson to a hidden chamber beneath Sotha's factory district.
• Ferrus Manus awakened a coffin-like container that held a mechanical body resembling him in every detail.
• Ferrus Manus told Meduson that the mechanical duplicate would command him after Ferrus Manus left, and Meduson accepted.

At the besieged Fortress of Hera, Marius Gage struggled to hold Ultramar together as the Iron Hands overran its worlds and exhausted the defenders. Lady Euten arrived and declared that she would remain with her people until victory or death, believing Guilliman would return.

• Marius Gage assessed the shrinking Ultramarines forces and the losses suffered by both the legion and Ultramar's Imperialis Militia.
• The Iron Hands' invasion had consumed two-thirds of the Five Hundred Worlds, leaving Gage fewer than fifty thousand Space Marines to defend the remaining lines around the Fortress of Hera.
• Lady Euten entered the underground command center despite warnings that it was too dangerous for her to be there.
• Lady Euten declared that she would not abandon Ultramar and would stand firm until she heard of victory or death.
• Gage and the others let Lady Euten remain, and she said she believed Guilliman would return.

Charlie’s Ultramarines squad fled an overwhelming Iron Hands drone swarm through an underground passage, while Nur devised an electronic countermeasure and sought to reach Macragge with a captured drone. The Iron Hands commander Senges ordered the Beetle activated to stop them.

• Iron Hands warriors and swarms of missile-equipped drones pursued Charlie’s Ultramarines squad through the ruins of Constantine Satellite.
• Charlie lifted a fallen support pillar to uncover a passage, then sealed the entrance behind the squad as drones exploded against it.
• Charlie led the squad through the underground passage while Nur finished devising an electronic countermeasure.
• Nur proposed taking a captured drone and its tactical logs to Macragge to report his plan to Lord Gage, despite the distance of 0.2 light-years.
• Senges learned that the squad had captured a drone and entered the passage, then ordered the Beetle activated to stop them at any cost.

Charlie led Nur and the squad through an underground passage as mechanical crawlers swarmed after them. Unable to hack the Iron Hands’ network, Nur followed Charlie through a plasma-cut breach in the wall, but the crawlers poured in behind them.

• Charlie warned Nur that researching heretical technology was a capital offense, and Nur said he wanted to atone for his father’s sins.
• Charlie heard metal scraping nearby, halted the squad, and ordered everyone to fall back.
• The squad fired bolters and plasma at the mechanical crawlers as they retreated through the passage.
• Charlie asked Nur to hack the crawlers, but Nur could not breach their encrypted network in time.
• Charlie cut a hole through the wall with his plasma gun and led the squad through it as the crawlers swarmed after them.

Charlie led his squad through the passage while they escorted Nur toward the exit, but Torlan sacrificed himself to destroy the pursuing Mechanical Crawlers. The squad reached the exit only to find the Iron Hands waiting, leaving Charlie Squad trapped between the enemy ahead and the swarm behind.

• Charlie guided the squad toward the exit as they evaded the Mechanical Crawlers and protected Nur.
• A Gauss Capture Net ensnared Torlan, and he detonated a grenade to destroy himself and the pursuing Crawlers.
• The remaining Space Marines continued running through the blast and reached the passage exit.
• An Iron Hands sniper killed the lead Space Marine as he opened the door.
• Charlie Squad found the Iron Hands blocking the exit while enemies approached from behind, completing their encirclement.

Charlie and Nur fought to survive against the Iron Hands Legion’s encirclement, but their squad suffered losses and struggled to damage the traitors. Just as the Iron Hands closed in, the Ultramar Auxilia arrived with a devastating artillery barrage and charged the battlefield.

• Charlie mourned Vichis, then asked Nur if he was ready to die; Nur affirmed his loyalty and took cover.
• Charlie fired his Plasma Pistol at an Iron Hands warrior, whose Mechanical Crawler repaired the damage, and ordered the squad to aim for their heads.
• An Iron Hands sniper killed a Space Marine who had stepped out of cover, leaving Charlie’s squad trapped between the enemy and Mechanical Crawlers.
• Ultramar Auxilia artillery struck the battlefield, blasting gaps through the Iron Hands’ encirclement.
• The Ultramar Auxilia advanced from the ruins, shouting, “For Guilliman! For Ultramar!”

Charlie and his squad met Major Corvus Corax and the mortal defenders of Constantine Satellite, who were fighting the Iron Hands and helping the Space Marines reach an evacuation point. Corvus refused to leave his home, while Charlie continued toward Spaceport 48 as the satellite’s remaining people charged the daemon-fused Warlord Titan.

• The 215th Ultramar Auxilia, led by Major Corvus Corax, arrived and pinned down the pursuing Iron Hands with precise fire.
• Corvus told Charlie that the final evacuation window closed in half a Terran hour and that evacuation was being organized at Spaceport 48 in Sector A.
• Corvus refused to evacuate, declaring that he and his soldiers would stay to defend their home on Constantine Satellite.
• Charlie wished Corvus strength, then led his squad toward Spaceport 48 while Corvus and his soldiers marched back into battle.
• The last people of Constantine Satellite charged the daemon-fused Warlord Titan, fighting for Constantine and Ultramar.

The Iron Hands unleashed Daemon Titans against the Loyalist defenders on Constantine Satellite, then turned the Titans’ assault toward the Imperial Fleet in orbit. One winged Warlord Titan breached the fleet’s defenses, boarded a Lunar-class Cruiser, and destroyed its bridge.

• The Iron Hands’ three Warlord Titans destroyed the Loyalist ground positions, killing a million mortals and countless war machines.
• An Iron Hands company captain ordered the Titans to pursue the fleet in orbit instead of attacking people on the ground.
• The foremost Warlord Titan grew enormous daemonic wings and rose into the sky toward the Imperial Fleet.
• The Lunar-class Cruiser activated its Void Shields and fired its point-defense weapons, but the Titan’s Void Shields swallowed the attacks.
• The Daemon Titan landed on the Lunar-class Cruiser and destroyed its upper weapons and structures with its cannons.
• The Daemon Titan fired into the cruiser’s command center, engulfing the bridge and command core in an explosion.

Charlie’s squad reached war-threatened Macragge and told Valentus Dolor that Nur could use a virus to disrupt the enemy’s mechanical network. Valentus brought them to Commander Gage, who was struggling with the scale of Ultramar’s losses, and announced that he had good news.

• Charlie and his battered squad arrived on Macragge aboard a Rogue Trader’s freighter and reported that they had found a possible way to turn the war.
• Nur showed Valentus Dolor the captured drone and explained that he could infect ordinary enemy constructs with a self-propagating virus.
• Valentus agreed to take Charlie’s squad to the Fortress of Hera to meet Commander Gage.
• Gage surveyed the fallen worlds on the holographic map and felt helpless as he faced the destruction of more than two-thirds of Ultramar’s planets.
• Valentus entered Gage’s command hall and told him that he had brought good news.

Nur revealed that his custom Virus could cripple the Iron Hands Legion’s drone network, but it had to be planted in the enemy flagship’s Server core. Gage assigned Valentus and ten men to join Charlie Squad for the boarding mission as Ultramar launched a counterattack.

• Nur presented the dismantled drone and explained how his Virus could spread through the Iron Hands’ drone network.
• Nur told Gage that the Virus had to reach the enemy flagship’s Server core and requested men for a boarding party.
• After Nur lowered his request from one hundred to fifty men, Gage offered ten and ordered Valentus to lead them.
• Valentus told Nur and Charlie Squad to meet his Assault Squad in the hangar in half an hour.
• The boarding party assembled in Cataphractii Terminator armor as Gage rallied Ultramar’s warriors and announced a massive counterattack.

Nur and Valentus prepared to board the Iron Hands' Node Warship and implant a virus that could disrupt its mechanical control network, while Gage committed every available force to defend Macragge. The chapter ended with Macragge's fate resting on the boarding mission as the Iron Hands pressed their attack.

• Nur briefed Valentus and the Ultramarines' Victrix Guard on the Node Warship and explained how the virus could cripple the Iron Hands' mechanical network.
• Valentus agreed to use Gage's fleet assault as cover to board the Node Warship, implant the virus, and withdraw.
• The Iron Hands broke through Macragge's orbital defences and destroyed a massive defending star fortress.
• Gage ordered his forces to abandon every other front and defend Macragge to the death.
• Gage staked the war's remaining chance on Nur, Valentus, and the gunship heading toward the Node Warship.

Valentus led the Victrix Guard into the Iron Hands Legion’s Node Warship after their gunship breached its hull. As they fought through the Mechanical Guard, they encountered Talosis, commander of the 544th Company, who began executing orders to expel them.

• Gage committed his remaining capital ships to the doomed defense of Macragge while Valentus and Nur flew toward the Iron Hands Legion’s Node Warship.
• Valentus led the assault squad through a breach in the Node Warship and attacked the Mechanical Guard.
• The Victrix Guard fought through the corridor, and Valentus warned them not to let their anger over the desecrated Ultramar civilians cloud their judgment.
• A mechanical voice identified the intruders as Ultramarines, and stasis pods opened along the corridor.
• Talosis emerged from a pod, identified himself as commander of the 544th Company, and announced his order to expel the intruders.

Valentus and the Ultramarines fought their way through the Node Warship as Valentus stayed behind to face Talosis and protect the escort squad. Nur led the remaining warriors toward the ship’s core, where they reached a vast chamber fused from flesh and metal.

• Thirty Chaos-corrupted Iron Hands Legion warriors in Terminator Armour attacked the Victrix Guard, and Valentus charged into their ranks.
• Valentus killed the Iron Hands warriors with his Power Axe, then Talosis appeared and mechanical tendrils attacked the squad.
• Valentus challenged Talosis and held him off so Horns could lead the escort onward.
• Horns took command while Nur led the remaining warriors toward the Node Warship’s core.
• Nur kicked open a door and revealed a vast chamber of interwoven flesh and metal.

Nur found the data port in the Flesh Control Console and began decrypting its living programs while Charlie defended the doorway against converging Iron Hands and Mechanical Guard. Nearby, Valentus pressed his fight against Talosis, leaving the traitor badly weakened as the battle continued.

• Charlie and Nur entered the central control room, where Nur searched the flesh-covered consoles for the right data port.
• Nur tore a fleshy cable from an animated console, then connected his Tactical Terminal to a preserved port and began decrypting the system.
• Charlie led the squad to the doorway to defend Nur as Iron Hands Legion warriors and Mechanical Guard converged on the control room.
• Talosis learned that the central control room had been breached while he fought Valentus and mocked the loyalists.
• Valentus resisted Talosis's taunts, drove him back, and severed more than a dozen of his mechanical tentacles with his Power Axe.
• Valentus raised his axe for another strike as Talosis struggled to adjust to the loss of his tentacles.

Charlie and Nur defended the Node Warship’s Central Control Room as Talosis killed the badly wounded Valentus and taunted them with the Iron Hands’ apparent victory. Nur’s work on the Flesh Control Console finally reached a turning point, leaving the outcome uncertain.

• Charlie held off waves of Iron Hands warriors while Nur worked at the Flesh Control Console, and the rest of their squad fell.
• Valentus emerged from the darkness but collapsed from his wounds after his battle with Talosis.
• Talosis claimed that the Iron Hands had won and that no one could save Macragge or Ultramar.
• Charlie stood ready to fight, while Nur checked the data on the Tactical Terminal.
• The Flesh Control Console’s indicator changed from red to blue, sending a current into the Node Warship’s mechanical nervous system.

Nur confronted Talosis in the Node Warship's control room after planting a virus in its systems. Talosis tried to turn Nur's erased Legion and doubtful past against him, but Nur chose loyalty and faced the attack.

• Nur remembered how the Eleventh Legion had been erased and absorbed into the Ultramarines, leaving its survivors under suspicion.
• Talosis realized Nur had infiltrated the warship's systems and was losing control of the network.
• Talosis called Nur a traitor and urged him to join Chaos, while his mechanical tentacles encircled him.
• Nur rejected Talosis, declared his loyalty a choice, and aimed his Bolter at him.
• Talosis's tendrils lunged at Nur.

Nur died after successfully releasing a virus through the Iron Hands fleet’s communications network, disabling its mechanical forces and allowing three returning Primarchs to break through to Ultramar. Ferrus Manus activated a clone and set out to confront Guilliman, Sanguinius, and Lion El'Jonson, while Fulgrim continued to hold Angron off.

• Nur faced Talosis’s attack and died after asking the Emperor and his Primarch whether his sins had been atoned for.
• Talosis discovered that Nur’s virus had spread across the Node Warship and through the fleet’s communications network.
• The virus disabled the Iron Hands’ drones and mechanical constructs, which fell into Macragge’s atmosphere as the Ultramarines saw hope of survival.
• The fleets of Guilliman, Sanguinius, and Lion El'Jonson broke through the Iron Hands’ defenses, and the Ultramarines fleet attacked through the breach.
• Ferrus Manus activated Clone No. 1 and ordered Fulgrim to keep holding Angron off.
• Ferrus Manus boarded an assault barge to confront the three Primarchs, ordering the Iron Hands to crush them.