Recaps

Vulkan helped Sinleech activate the Phalanx with a Planetary Fortress Adaptive Core, then received plans to rebuild the Imperial Fists and promised to join the coming great war. News of Vulkan’s return reached Corvus, who went to find him, unaware that the meeting would bring him trouble.

• Sinleech explained that the adaptive core came from the Dark Age of Technology and installed it in the Phalanx, which began activating and repairing itself.
• Sinleech told Vulkan that the core used a distilled human soul rather than a Machine Spirit, and said the Phalanx could consume ships or Warp Daemons for repairs.
• Vulkan gave the Imperial Fists the Gene-seed and augmentation procedures, and Sinleech told them to gather repair materials without seeking Administratum approval.
• Sinleech gave Vulkan a genetic enhancement plan for the Super Sons of the Fire Dragon and required him to attend the coming great war with the other Primarchs.
• The Emperor spread news of Vulkan’s return, and Corvus set out to meet him, hoping for help.

Corvus warned Vulkan that Han Mingxuan had ordered him to exterminate the T'au Empire using weapons that triggered supernovae. Vulkan and Corvus returned to Punishment Star to confront Han Mingxuan, who agreed to discuss the plan before the coming war.

• Corvus told Vulkan that the Night Haunter had restored his sanity and that Han Mingxuan was Konrad's father.
• Corvus explained that Han Mingxuan had ordered him to destroy the T'au Empire with staffs containing suns on the verge of exploding.
• Corvus revealed that Han Mingxuan had roughly ten thousand such weapons and warned Vulkan that the Necrons would oppose the Imperium if it tried to stop him.
• Vulkan decided to meet Han Mingxuan and discuss the weapons' use, and Corvus agreed to accompany him.
• Vulkan and Corvus returned to Punishment Star, where Han Mingxuan agreed to discuss the plan before the great war began.

Han Mingxuan defended his extreme methods against Vulkan, arguing that humanity had to survive the hostile universe before it could consider the future. As the Tyranids’ main force neared, he ordered Vulkan to rebuild his legion and prepared to travel to Terra.

• Vulkan challenged Han Mingxuan over the Supernova weapons and warned that exterminating other species could endanger humanity’s future.
• Han Mingxuan argued that humanity faced enslavement and extinction if it did not use ruthless means to survive.
• Han Mingxuan told Vulkan to leave, rebuild his legion, and join the coming battle against the Tyranids.
• After Vulkan and Corvus left, the Night Haunter reported that Xiao Ning’s brain waves had shifted abnormally and that the Tyranid main force would arrive soon.
• The Night Haunter described the legions’ mobilization and estimated they had less than half a year before the Tyranids arrived.
• Han Mingxuan told the Night Haunter to prepare for the war and said he was going to Terra to make arrangements.

Han Mingxuan prepared to bring the God of War and the World Eaters into the 40K era as the Tyranid Hive Fleet approached, while Krete secretly planned to eliminate Xiao Ning. The chapter ended with Slaanesh and the God of War both seeking confinement in Nurgle’s Garden to prevent anything disrupting Han Mingxuan’s plan.

• Han Mingxuan reassured Xiao Ning that the plan would succeed, while she acknowledged that she was part of the Great Devourer.
• Krete concluded that Xiao Ning’s creation might kill Han Mingxuan and secretly planned to erase its cause by using Orikan’s time travel and killing the captured Zoanthrope.
• On Holy Terra, Han Mingxuan told Sinleech that the next stage of the plan was ready, then asked Malcador to send the God of War and the World Eaters to the 40K era.
• The God of War agreed to go, intending to close the passage temporarily and kill Khorne to gain enough authority to stabilize the connection between the two worlds.
• Slaanesh asked the God of War for his authority, then went to Nurgle’s Garden to be confined; she found the God of War there with the same intention.

Slaanesh asked to be confined after sensing that something was wrong with her, but Grandfather sent her to seek love as part of reclaiming her Positive Authority. The God of War devised a plan to redirect her future hatred through Mr. Han, while Angron prepared to depart for 40k and found Vulkan waiting to see him off.

• Slaanesh asked Grandfather to confine her, but he told her to seek love so she could complete her transformation as the Goddess of Love.
• Grandfather and the God of War worried that Slaanesh might become their enemy and agreed to redirect her hatred toward a target in another timeline through Mr. Han.
• The God of War planned to stabilize the passage between timelines and have Mr. Han form a relationship with someone there for Slaanesh to sense.
• At the World Eaters' encampment, Curze told Angron he had been growing stronger to help their father, and Angron prepared to leave for 40k.
• Angron reached the departure site and found Vulkan there to see him off.

Vulkan used Uncle’s pen to stabilize the passage carrying Angron’s forces to the 40K era, accepting a life-draining cost so they could reach the war safely. As the Tyranids advanced and the Imperium prepared for battle, Han Mingxuan and the Grey Knights stood ready in the Eye of Terror.

• Vulkan revealed that Uncle’s pen could shape worlds but drained the life of anyone else who used it, then spent his own strength stabilizing the passage for Angron’s fleet.
• Angron joined the God of War and prepared to travel through Xiulikas’s teleportation array to support Uncle.
• The Imperium assembled its Legions and Necron fleets as the Tyranid threat grew, while the Phalanx and an unknown ally headed for the front.
• Lion, Sanguinius, Konrad, and Corvus discussed the approaching Tyranid forces and confirmed that the Great Devourer had adapted its armies for the war.
• Han Mingxuan took command of thousands of Grey Knights and the Dawn Army Group’s special operations squad as Draigo prepared for battle in the Eye of Terror.

Han Mingxuan and the Imperium prepared for a massive war against the Warp as the Eye of Terror stirred and Chaos forces attacked. Meanwhile, Abaddon accepted the Chaos Gods’ support and prepared to strike, convinced he alone would rule the age ahead.

• Han Mingxuan told Draigo that the Imperium had committed its strength to the war and that victory depended on surviving the opening attacks.
• The Eye of Terror came alive, and Han Mingxuan vowed to hold the Warp forces back with Draigo, the Grey Knights, the Inquisition, and the Ordo Hereticus.
• The Chaos Gods urged Abaddon to attack the Imperium and offered power that would let him fight a Primarch.
• Abaddon consulted Moriana, who warned that one person had made the future impossible to see and spoke of two Blood Gods and two Angrons fighting.
• Abaddon dismissed Moriana’s vision, rallied his forces, and declared that the age of the Primarchs was over and that he was its only protagonist.

Xiao Ning entered the Tyranid hive to confront the Great Devourer, intending to let it consume her and use Han Mingxuan’s soul within her to turn the Tyranids against it. Their struggle disrupted the Hive Fleet’s command, giving the Imperium an opening for exterminatus strikes, while the Webway forces faced mounting pressure.

• Xiao Ning rejected Corvus’s offer to protect her and charged into the hive under the Raven Guard’s cover.
• Xiao Ning and the Great Devourer began fighting within a Norn Emissary at the hive’s highest-level network node, disrupting Tyranid coordination.
• The Raven Guard alerted the forces in the rear, and the other Legions advanced through the opening in the Tyranid fleet.
• Xiao Ning planned to let the Great Devourer consume her consciousness and Han Mingxuan’s soul so she could erode it and take control of the Tyranids.
• The disordered Tyranids allowed the Imperium’s forces to retreat and unleash two volleys of exterminatus strikes on the Hive Fleet.
• Calgar saw the strikes cripple the Tyranids’ main force, while the Imperium’s forces at the Webway faced greater pressure than expected.

The Webway battle worsened as four Daemon Primarchs attacked the defenders, and the delayed reinforcements from the 30K era faced the horrors of the fallen Primarchs. Nova struck Fulgrim with an Evernight Code and began to fight him alongside Ferrus Manus, whose hammer joined Nova’s attack.

• The God of War’s forces failed to arrive as planned, leaving the Adeptus Custodes, Sisters of Silence, Sisters of Battle, Celestine, and the Legion of the Damned under heavy pressure in the Webway.
• The 30K-era reinforcement squad reacted with horror to the Daemon Primarchs, while Mortarion recognized that the newcomers did not belong to this world.
• The four Daemon Primarchs decided to slaughter the squad and claim their souls.
• Fulgrim approached Nova, who struck him in the face with an Evernight Code and caused Dark Blue Flames to appear on him.
• Nova invoked Evernight and charged Fulgrim with his sword, while Ferrus Manus joined the attack with his hammer.

Dawn Squad used its relics to create a Daemon-free zone and lead the Imperial forces forward, while Nova fought Khârn and then faced Khorne after the Blood God descended into the Webway. As the battle raged, Sinleech opened a passage for the God of War, whose War God Weapon returned to his hand.

• Dawn Squad brought out its relics, which turned nearby Daemons to ash and let Trajann Valoris rally the troops around them.
• Nova repeatedly killed Khârn the Betrayer, who was revived by the Blood God's blessing, and rejected the Blood God's attempt to corrupt him.
• Khorne descended through Angron's body and challenged Nova, who attacked him without waiting for him to finish speaking.
• Slazov and the Imperial forces fought to hold off the Daemons and Daemon Primarchs as the Chaos Gods poured their power into the Webway.
• Sinleech contacted the God of War and opened a passage, and the War God Weapon returned to the God of War's hand.

Sinleech welcomed the God of War’s arrival as the Webway battle turned in humanity’s favor, while he kept the Emperor firmly seated on the Golden Throne. In the Webway, the God of War confronted Khorne, and Angron arrived with his warriors, leaving Trajann Valoris bewildered by their appearance.

• Sinleech ordered tea after the God of War descended, then warned the Emperor not to move and reinforced the seals on his throne.
• The Emperor asked whether he could stand once the crisis ended, so Sinleech beat him with the Staff until he promised to remain seated.
• The God of War appeared in the Webway and attacked Khorne, declaring himself Khorne’s past and future self.
• Nova, Trajann Valoris, and Ferrus Manus witnessed the God of War’s arrival and wondered at the positive version of the Blood God.
• Angron arrived with his warriors and prepared to join the fight, but Trajann Valoris asked him to introduce himself.

Angron’s Twelfth Legion joined the battle in the Webway, turning the tide against the Blood God’s forces. Khârn the Rite of War killed Khârn the Betrayer, and the human army surged forward as Chaos faltered.

• Trajann questioned Angron about the Twelfth Legion, but Nova urged him to focus on the battle.
• Angron led the Twelfth Legion into the enemy ranks while Khârn beat a drum that strengthened human morale and destroyed nearby Daemons.
• Traitor Space Marines confronted their former selves, and Khârn the Rite of War faced Khârn the Betrayer.
• Khârn the Rite of War overwhelmed the Betrayer with his axes and drum, while the God of War kept Khorne from intervening.
• Khârn the Rite of War severed the Betrayer’s head, and the Betrayer’s body burned to ash.
• The Adeptus Custodes joined the human forces in a counterattack as the Blood God’s forces began to desert.

After the Webway battle, Sinleech and Trajann Valoris went to seal the passage while Angron took command of Nova and his squad. Slazov told Trajann that all eighteen Primarchs in his world remained loyal, then claimed their Horus Heresy began with the Emperor and that the Emperor’s betrayal brought Father of Night to Trajann’s world.

• Sinleech agreed with Trajann Valoris to close the passage before Tzeentch could use it to awaken the Dark Side of Father of Night.
• Trajann Valoris’s forces struggled with the revelation that the Imperium Chancellor had been speaking amiably with a Warp god.
• Angron learned from Nova that the Evernight Legion had beaten Fulgrim using the Code, then temporarily placed Nova and his squad under his command.
• Trajann Valoris questioned Slazov about the Primarchs and learned that all eighteen of Slazov’s world’s Primarchs were loyal to the Imperium.
• Slazov told Trajann Valoris that the Horus Heresy in his world began with the Emperor, whose betrayal had brought Father of Night to Trajann’s world.

Trajann Valoris questioned Khârn and Angron about the other world’s history, but rejected Angron’s account of the Emperor betraying the Father of Night. As Angron prepared to return to the front, Celestine relayed that Sinleech wanted to see him, and Angron agreed to go.

• Trajann Valoris approached Khârn to ask about the other world, and Khârn objected when Trajann spoke of betrayal and the name Khârn as a bad omen.
• Angron intervened and told Trajann that Lion El'Jonson became Warmaster, the Primarchs shared that role, and the Emperor betrayed the Father of Night to steal his fate.
• Trajann called Angron’s account impossible and tried to stop him from leaving, prompting Angron to warn that he would make Trajann stay by force.
• Sister Celestine asked Angron to forgive Trajann and said the God-Emperor had issued an instruction, but Angron dismissed the Emperor’s words.
• Celestine told Angron that Sinleech wanted to see him, and Angron agreed to go with her.

Angron brought his World Eaters to the Tyranid battlefield, where they joined the loyalist forces and led a brutal assault. Meanwhile, Xiao Ning exploited the Great Devourer’s distraction to destroy its hunting ground and begin consuming the Hive Mind, claiming victory in their struggle.

• Angron rebuffed the Emperor’s attempt to appeal to him, and Sinleech sent Angron and the World Eaters to reinforce the front.
• The Night Haunter introduced Angron to the other Primarchs and ordered him to coordinate with the Eighth Legion against the Tyranids.
• Angron’s World Eaters bombarded the Tyranids with Micro-Exterminatus ordnance, then prepared to board and continue their assault.
• The human offensive disrupted the Great Devourer’s plan to consume Xiao Ning, giving Xiao Ning an opening to strike.
• Xiao Ning destroyed the high-level Tyranid units in the consciousness hunt and began devouring the Hive Mind, declaring that she had won.

Xiao Ning rebuilt her Tyranid forces while the Primarchs debated how to clear the battlefield, until the Phalanx arrived with a working annihilation system and a fleet of Gloriana-class Battleships. With the supernova plan no longer needed, Lion El'Jonson traded barbs with Angron and the Night Haunter, then provoked the Night Haunter into a challenge.

• Xiao Ning took control of the Tyranids and had them devour battlefield biomass and one another to build up her forces for the hunt.
• Lion El'Jonson warned that the Tyranids' self-devouring could produce a powerful monster, and Angron ordered the Imperium's forces to evacuate before he destroyed the battlefield with a supernova.
• Lion El'Jonson proposed using the Micro-Exterminatus, but Angron rejected it as too inefficient and prepared to proceed with his plan.
• The Phalanx contacted the Primarchs and arrived with a Gene-Locked Annihilation System, alongside a fleet of repaired Gloriana-class Battleships capable of clearing the Tyranids within three days.
• Lion El'Jonson gave the Phalanx orders to clear the battlefield and search for a lone human woman, then argued with Angron and the Night Haunter over the comms.
• After Lion El'Jonson called them traitors, the Night Haunter challenged him, and Lion accepted.

Angron and Night Haunter debated how to handle Xiao Ning, whom they considered a dangerous Tyranid tool, and ordered her brought aboard the Nightfall. A dispute with Lion over his treatment of Night Haunter and the Imperium Secundus escalated into a fight, leaving Lion beaten by Angron and Night Haunter.

• Angron questioned Night Haunter about Xiao Ning and concluded she was a dangerous tool that only their uncle could control.
• Angron advised Night Haunter to act normally around Xiao Ning and wait for their brothers to arrive before considering any other response.
• The Imperial Fists reported finding Xiao Ning, and Night Haunter ordered them to bring her aboard the Nightfall after Lion confirmed the order.
• Night Haunter confronted Lion over calling him a traitor and accused him of mistreating allies who had fought beside him.
• Lion raised a thick fog to attack Night Haunter, but Angron appeared behind him and struck him down before Night Haunter kicked him.

Angron and the Night Haunter recognized that the Great Devourer had adapted to Xiao Ning and warned that it was hunting for the Emperor. After Xiao Ning awoke, the Night Haunter understood that the Great Devourer had taken control and begun its plan to reach the Emperor.

• Angron and the Night Haunter beat Lion after he accused Angron of never experiencing betrayal, then warned him not to provoke their arriving brothers.
• Angron sensed that Xiao Ning showed no human emotion and ordered Sevatar and Nova to seal the joint defense zone of the Eighth and Twelfth Legions.
• Angron told the Night Haunter that the Great Devourer had adapted and that Xiao Ning's awakening would not change their plan to keep events moving as usual.
• Inside Xiao Ning's consciousness, the Great Devourer overpowered her and declared that it would use the genes of the soul it could not digest.
• Xiao Ning awoke and asked the Night Haunter to take her to see Daddy, while Angron warned him that the original creation had already been eaten by the Great Devourer.

The Night Haunter and Angron returned to Punishment Star, where they reunited with Han Mingxuan and learned the passage between worlds had been closed. The God of War proposed strengthening Abaddon by letting him gain some of Khorne’s power, and Han Mingxuan agreed to the plan.

• The Night Haunter brought Angron and his fleet to Punishment Star after turning away Vulkan’s attempt to make peace.
• Angron reunited with his uncle, apologized for failing him, and became emotional when the Night Haunter reassured him.
• The God of War told Han Mingxuan that he had temporarily closed the passage between the two worlds and had spoken with Sinleech.
• Han Mingxuan revealed that he had mistaken Abaddon and the Black Legion for space pirates and defeated them near the Eye of Terror.
• The God of War proposed leaving some of Khorne’s authority behind so Abaddon could grow to Demigod level, and Han Mingxuan accepted the plan.
• Abaddon felt a sudden chill and decided he needed to divine the future.

Moriana’s divination told Abaddon that Khorne would die and he would inherit the Blood God’s authority, prompting Abaddon to embrace his prophesied ascension. Tzeentch brought the revelation to Khorne and the other Chaos Gods, where the news provoked Khorne’s fury before Slaanesh warned that humanity had lost its war against the Tyranids.

• Moriana told Abaddon that her divination foretold Khorne’s death and Abaddon’s rise to godhood by inheriting his authority.
• Abaddon returned to his Palace, reflected on his past and his weapons, then celebrated the prophecy and imagined leading the Black Legion as a god.
• Tzeentch saw the same future, questioned how a Space Marine could inherit a god’s position, and went to speak with Khorne.
• Tzeentch, Nurgle, Slaanesh, and the other gods gathered at Khorne’s Brass Throne to discuss Khorne’s fated death and what would follow.
• Tzeentch told Khorne that Abaddon would inherit most of his authority, enraging Khorne, while Slaanesh warned that humanity had lost the war against the Tyranids.

Han Mingxuan revealed that the Great Devourer had won its contest with Xiao Ning and was evolving toward devouring the Warp, then used the threat of Slaanesh’s defeat to pressure the Chaos Gods. He gave Yvraine a sealed Crone Sword and went to Macragge, where he told Calgar that Roboute Guilliman was about to awaken.

• Slaanesh told the Warp Gods that the Great Devourer had gained the upper hand and could evolve to devour the Warp.
• Han Mingxuan released the sealed sliver of Slaanesh’s consciousness from Xiao Ning, whose body the Great Devourer now wore.
• Han Mingxuan met Yvraine and offered her a sealed Crone Sword, but she refused to take it until fate required her to pay its price.
• Han Mingxuan explained that he was pressuring Slaanesh to help the God of War focus on killing the Blood God.
• Han Mingxuan arrived on Macragge and told Calgar that Roboute Guilliman was about to awaken.

The God of War led the World Eaters into the Blood God's domain, where the two prepared to settle their conflict in an honorable duel. As the armies faced off, Sinleech stopped Tzeentch from interfering, while the Emperor and Han Mingxuan pursued Nurgle and Slaanesh respectively.

• The God of War explained that the Warp was waiting to claim the Blood God's power after his death, and that Abaddon was meant to inherit most of his authority.
• The Blood God heard the war horns, met the God of War at the Brass Throne, and agreed to decide their conflict through combat.
• The God of War entered the arena with the Angel of Red Sand as Rite of War beat the drums, while the Blood God envied his well-equipped army.
• Sinleech intercepted Tzeentch near the arena and refused to let him interfere in the duel or claim either god's power.
• Before the crusade, the God of War assigned Han Mingxuan to face Slaanesh and Huangpizi to face Nurgle; the Emperor then pursued Nurgle while Han Mingxuan headed for Slaanesh's palace.

Han Mingxuan prevented Slaanesh from interfering in the battle between the God of War and the Blood God, while Sinleech forced Tzeentch to remain subdued. The God of War and the Blood God began their confrontation, mirrored in the arena by Angron and the Angel of Red Sand, whose battle would decide one Primarch’s fate.

• Han Mingxuan confronted Slaanesh and warned her not to interfere in the struggle between the God of War and the Blood God.
• Sinleech took Tzeentch to the Well of Eternity and lowered half his body into it to prevent him from plotting.
• The Emperor’s flames burned outside Nurgle’s Garden, and Nurgle chose not to intervene in the coming battle.
• The God of War and the Blood God began fighting in the Brass Arena as Angron and the Angel of Red Sand clashed before the Space Marines.
• Angron sought to end the Daemon Primarch’s suffering by giving him a final death with a clear mind.

The God of War and the Blood God fought for supremacy while Abaddon struggled to keep the Vengeful Spirit on the battlefield. Khârn called on the Father of Night to empower Angron, who defeated his Daemon Primarch counterpart and pulled out his Nails, leaving the two to confront their shared pain.

• The God of War and the Blood God battled with their War God Weapons, while Abaddon arrived aboard the Vengeful Spirit and refused to leave the battlefield.
• Khârn recognized that Angron and the Daemon Primarch were evenly matched, so he beat the surrounding Chaos Space Marines and called on the Father of Night with his drum.
• The Warp answered Khârn, and the Father of Night's power strengthened Angron enough to overcome the Daemon Primarch.
• Angron defeated his counterpart but pulled out his Nails instead of killing him, then shared his own memories and positive emotions with him.
• The Daemon Primarch wept as Angron forgave himself for their past, while saying he could not forgive the other on behalf of the Imperium and humanity.

The Beast sacrificed himself, helping the God of War defeat Khorne and stabilize the Warp, which transformed the Blood Wastes into the Hall of Glory. With Khorne dead, the God of War set his next plan in motion by sending Khorne’s godhood and Negative Authority toward Abaddon, while Han Mingxuan told Slaanesh that his fate was death.

• The Beast chose to die by Angron’s axe, and the Chaos Space Marines followed their Gene-Father by sacrificing themselves.
• The God of War used the sacrifices’ power to sever Khorne’s head, killing the Blood God.
• As the Warp began to collapse, the God of War used his Positive Authority to stabilize it, and the Blood Wastes became the Hall of Glory.
• Sinleech left after Khorne’s death, while the God of War sent Khorne’s godhood and Negative Authority toward Abaddon.
• Han Mingxuan left Slaanesh’s palace and told Slaanesh that fate had decreed his death.