Chapter Summaries

Three years after leaving Terra, Han Mingxuan had helped revive the Necrons and build closer ties between Nostramo and the Necrontyr. Corax called from Lycaeus to report its transformation, and Han invited him to visit Nostramo before choosing a new name for the world.

• Han Mingxuan ignored appeals from Terra while Curze enforced the law brutally, and he spent three years reviving Necrons under the Silent King's restrictions.
• The Necrontyr and Nostramo deepened their cooperation, making Nostramo the Imperium's most technologically advanced planet and improving its Space Marine recruits.
• The Silent King arranged for his adopted daughter Urtana to become Han Mingxuan's maid, and she later served as his secretary.
• Han received a call from Lycaeus and spoke with Corax, who reported that Samir had transformed the world.
• Han suggested that Corax rename Lycaeus Deliverance, but Corax wanted to visit Nostramo before deciding.

Samir challenged Corax’s governance of Lycaeus, criticizing its laws and urging him to learn the realities of ruling. The discussion ended with Corax questioning whether power or conviction mattered more.

• Samir broke his silence at a major meeting and condemned Lycaeus’s laws as vague and ineffective.
• Samir rejected Corax’s proposal to copy the Evernight Code and compared Corax to the Grand Inquisitor, saying the Father of Night had high hopes for him.
• Samir told Corax to start learning the basics and advised him to use the Scouring to clear away what obstructed Lycaeus.
• Samir argued that ideals needed power and a firm grasp of reality to survive, leaving Corax unable to answer whether the throne or conviction mattered more.

After reading the Evernight Epic, Corax adopted the Father of Night’s harsh methods to unite and govern Lycaeus, then purged Kiavahr’s tech guilds. Once the planet had stabilized, Corax contacted Han Mingxuan and asked to visit Nostramo, where Han revealed he had been for several years.

• Samir gave Corax the secret Evernight Epic, and Corax read its account of the Scouring and Han Mingxuan’s role in rebuilding Nostramo.
• Corax abandoned his lenient approach and killed those who continued to resist, bringing Lycaeus under his control within three months.
• Corax used the Evernight Code to guide Lycaeus’s governance, while the Evernight Epic spread widely among its people.
• When Kiavahr’s tech-guild rulers arrived, Corax answered with a nuclear bombardment that destroyed the planet’s industrial system in three days.
• After a year of governing Lycaeus and purging Kiavahr, Corax resumed the unification conference and later completed the planet’s transformation.
• Corax called Han Mingxuan to request a visit to Nostramo, and Han revealed he had been there for several years and had kept it from him.

Corax arrived on Nostramo with Samir and encountered a lively, prosperous world unlike anything he had expected. After Futia escorted them through the city, Samir and Corax reached Han Mingxuan’s home, where they were welcomed inside.

• Corax and Samir arrived on Nostramo, where locals mistook Corax for the Grand Inquisitor because of their resemblance.
• Futia, Nostramo’s Logistics Minister and a former Imperial Fleet Lieutenant General, welcomed them and led them along Food Street while Samir reminisced about the planet.
• Corax saw the lively Light-Bathed Square and the Monument to the Savior, where Futia chided children for making a racket and met Puluoxi, known for his torn trousers.
• Futia escorted Corax and Samir to Han Mingxuan’s home, then departed after asking Corax to visit the Saviour Building.
• Samir formally reported that he had completed his mission, and Han Mingxuan welcomed him and Corax.

Han Mingxuan advised Corax on understanding the Emperor, taking command of his legion, and developing Lycaeus before Corax returned to the Imperium. He arranged for Corax to bring the Gulsartu siblings and promised support from Perturabo and Nostramo, leaving Corax feeling closer to his uncle.

• Han Mingxuan gave Corax Curze's governance reports and urged him to understand the Emperor's willingness to treat people, including himself, as tools.
• Han Mingxuan promised Corax and his brothers a refuge on Nostramo if they ever needed to retire.
• Han Mingxuan explained that Curze had overseen Corax's legion and told Corax to take charge of it when he returned to the Imperium.
• Han Mingxuan asked Corax to bring his students Nobira Gulsartu and Renato Gulsartu back to the Imperium and assign them to the Department of General Affairs and Military Department.
• Han Mingxuan promised to send Perturabo's development blueprint and Nostramo's Special Planetary Construction Force to help develop Lycaeus.
• Han Mingxuan advised Corax to get more sunlight, and the mundane suggestion made Corax feel closer to him.

After Corax returned to Terra, he went to meet the Emperor, following Han Mingxuan’s strange advice. Perturabo and several Primarchs rushed to the Throne Room to watch, arriving just as Corax kicked the Emperor.

• Han Mingxuan told Corax to kick anyone who tried to stop him, and Renato demonstrated by kicking Corax three times.
• Han Mingxuan sent Perturabo word to begin construction on Lycaeus with help from Nostramo’s planetary construction team, and approved Mortarion joining to grow wild chrysanthemums.
• Han Mingxuan told Perturabo to gather others and follow Corax to Terra for some entertainment.
• Corax returned to Terra, visited Roboute at the Administratum, and relayed Han Mingxuan’s plans for Nobilia and Renato.
• Perturabo gathered Roboute, Curze, Corax, Sanguinius, Lion El’Jonson, and Russ to follow Corax to the Throne Room, where they saw him kicking the Emperor.

Corax delivered Han Mingxuan’s message to the Emperor by kicking him three times, as Han had once been kicked. The Emperor declared the incident a secret between father and son, and the others left laughing while trying to keep it from Horus.

• Corax met the Emperor in the Throne Room and told Malcador that Han Mingxuan had sent a message.
• Corax kicked the Emperor once, then warned Valdor not to intervene because Han had threatened to make him dig out his ears.
• Corax delivered two more kicks, including a flying kick, as the Primarchs entered and witnessed the final blow.
• The Emperor said the kicks were a secret between father and son, while Curze teased the others and Russ tried to hide his laughter.
• The Emperor kicked Russ across the room when Russ burst out laughing, and Malcador led the others away.
• Guilliman warned everyone not to let Horus find out, and Sanguinius agreed to keep the incident secret.

After the Primarchs carried Russ to his chambers, Curze sent Corax with Perturabo to help build up Lycaeus. Corax witnessed the Iron Warriors’ extraordinary construction speed and discovered how Han Mingxuan had transformed them into builders.

• The Primarchs took Russ to his chambers, where they noticed how much Curze and Corax resembled each other.
• Curze suggested Corax work with concrete to get more sun, then assigned him to help Perturabo build up Lycaeus.
• Perturabo accepted Corax’s help and checked the letter Han Mingxuan had sent for him before they returned to Lycaeus.
• The IV Legion began construction, and Corax saw its members become animated and competitive as they worked at astonishing speed.
• Perturabo ordered the Iron Warriors to slow construction so Corax could rest, but even their reduced pace was remarkably fast.
• Perturabo told Corax that before meeting Han Mingxuan, the Iron Warriors had not even qualified as wrenches, but had since become his craftsmen.

Perturabo’s IV Legion continued building at incredible speed, leaving Rogal Dorn jealous of their purpose and success. Dorn decided to bring Defensio back from the Seventh Legion to the Eighth, and Defensio eagerly prepared to go home.

• Perturabo’s arguments convinced the Lord of Ravens that Dorn’s frontline forces were conquering worlds too slowly, and the IV Legion resumed construction after a brief pause.
• Rogal Dorn envied Perturabo and the Iron Warriors for finding their calling as builders under Uncle’s guidance.
• Dorn asked Defensio what path the Seventh Legion should take, and Defensio said its future seemed obvious to him.
• Dorn asked whether Defensio wanted to go home, and Defensio said he longed to return every moment.
• Defensio removed the Seventh Legion’s medals, put on his Eighth Legion honors, and hurried to the flagship’s landing pad to return to Uncle.

Defensio returned to Nostramo after three years away and reunited with Han Mingxuan, Trazyn, and Dorn. After eating his fill, he told Han Mingxuan that his improved Material Reinforcement ability could upgrade Nostramo’s defenses.

• Defensio returned to Nostramo with Dorn and rushed to Han Mingxuan’s home to greet his uncle.
• Han Mingxuan introduced Defensio and Dorn to Szarekh, who withdrew his killing intent and apologized.
• Defensio asked for food, and Trazyn gave him a bag of food from Food Street, which he devoured.
• Defensio told Han Mingxuan that three years of practice had greatly improved his abilities and that he could now upgrade Nostramo’s defenses.

Dorn admitted that Perturabo’s success had made him uneasy, and Han Mingxuan helped him see how the Imperial Fists could grow beyond their reputation for defense. Dorn left understanding that the Seventh Legion needed to strike as well as hold, then asked Han Mingxuan to teach him how to make red-braised beef brisket.

• Defensio went to Nostramo’s central control room to work on its defense system while Dorn stayed with Han Mingxuan.
• Dorn confessed that Perturabo’s achievements had made him uncomfortable, and Han Mingxuan explained that Perturabo’s past problems had stemmed from his role, ideals, and the Emperor’s treatment of him.
• Dorn described how the IV Legion had excelled in campaigns and begun building fortresses as well as taking them, outpacing the Imperial Fists.
• Han Mingxuan compared understanding architecture to understanding ingredients and told Dorn that the Imperial Fists needed to study how to dismantle structures, not just build and defend them.
• Han Mingxuan advised Dorn that the Seventh Legion had to attack as well as defend, and Dorn realized the Imperial Fists needed to act as the Imperium’s fist.
• Dorn thanked Han Mingxuan and asked him to teach him how to make red-braised beef brisket.

Han Mingxuan explained to Dorn that the Imperium’s anti-corruption campaign was awaiting Corax’s final stage, which he expected to finish within three months. After showing Dorn the grim history of Nostramo’s purges, he left him with a new understanding of his uncle’s ruthless nature.

• Dorn asked Han Mingxuan to teach him cooking and urged him to return to Terra, but Han Mingxuan said he would wait until the final stage of the anti-corruption campaign was complete.
• Han Mingxuan showed Dorn his original anti-corruption list and revealed that only one percent of the Imperium’s nobles would remain when the campaign ended, with Corax and his legion central to the final stage.
• Han Mingxuan said Slazov was still holding back despite having led many purges, and predicted the campaign would be finished within three months.
• Han Mingxuan took Dorn to his study and showed him the revised Evernight Epic, whose account of Nostramo’s brutal rise made Dorn reconsider the scale of Slazov’s actions.
• Dorn concluded that Han Mingxuan was a gentle and fair man at heart but also an iron-blooded hawk, then followed him back to check on the beef brisket.

Curze enlisted Corax and the XIX Legion to help the Eighth and Twentieth Legions finish the Imperium’s anti-corruption campaign, then went to the Emperor and Malcador to seek pardons for members of the Gusalto Family. He revealed that he was drafting a sweeping military reform plan and intended to lead it once his father returned.

• After Defensio announced that their uncle would return when the anti-corruption campaign ended, Curze recalled the Council of the Long Night and proposed bringing Corax and the XIX Legion into the effort.
• Curze persuaded Roboute to arrange for the XIX Legion to serve temporarily under the Department of Justice after Roboute took eight days of leave.
• Corax joined the campaign, and Curze ordered the Eighth, XIX, and Twentieth Legions to form enforcement teams of Evernight Judges, Astartes, and Dreadnoughts for the final Scouring.
• Curze directed Slazov to carry out the operation according to the Nine Laws of the Night Bat, then went to see the Emperor and Malcador.
• Curze asked the Emperor to pardon members of the Gusalto Family, claiming the pardons were needed for military reform.
• Curze told the Emperor and Malcador that he was drafting the Imperium of Man Military Reform and would lead it, while his father would handle the rest.

The Emperor backed Han Mingxuan’s military reforms as the XIX Legion’s anti-corruption campaign drove Terra’s nobles to seek help from the Gusalto family. At the Gusalto house, old Gusalto learned that Nobilia and Renato were set to take posts in the Department of General Affairs and the Military Department.

• Malcador and the Emperor discussed Han Mingxuan leading military reforms, which the Emperor hoped would balance Astartes and mortal interests and advance the Webway Project.
• The Raven Guard and Alpha gathered evidence against noble families, and the Department of Justice arrested and executed those who violated the Nine Laws of the Night Bat.
• Terrified by the XIX Legion’s investigations, nobles abandoned their armour and flocked to the Gusalto house, hoping the Father of Night would help them.
• Old Gusalto praised Nobilia and Renato, but Renato credited their education under the Father of Night rather than the Emperor.
• Renato told old Gusalto that he would join the Military Department and Nobilia the Department of General Affairs after the Chancellor’s office completed their appointments.

Nobilia and Renato brought the Longevity Tablets carved by Old Han to the Emperor and delivered his irreverent warning. The Emperor decided he could use technology to extend Old Han’s life, while Malcador gave the siblings an amnesty decree for the Gusalto Family.

• Old Gusalto hurried Nobilia and Renato to the Throne Room after learning Old Han had given them Longevity Tablets.
• Nobilia explained that each tablet was part of a pair, with the other tablets kept in the City of Truth and by the Evernight Legion.
• Renato relayed Old Han’s message to Malcador and warned the Emperor not to act rashly before the node was reached, or Old Han would blow up the Throne Room.
• Old Gusalto fainted, and the Emperor decided he could use Dark Age of Technology technology to keep Old Han alive for thousands of years.
• Malcador gave the siblings an Amnesty Decree for the Gusalto Family and told them to keep their Longevity Tablets with them.
• Nobilia and Renato carried their father home through a crowd of alarmed nobles.

Old Gusalto sent Renato and Nobilia to lead Terra’s disgraced nobles to Nostramo and seek the Father of Night’s mercy. The nobles were detained under Nostramo’s laws, while the siblings reached Han Mingxuan and prepared to explain their visit.

• Old Gusalto showed Renato and Nobilia the Amnesty List, announced that he would turn himself in, and urged them to help guide the family’s future.
• Old Gusalto introduced his children as Han Mingxuan’s mortal students and persuaded the nobles to let the siblings lead them to their teacher.
• Renato and Nobilia organized the nobles’ information and set out with a group of up to 130 people for Nostramo.
• After two and a half months, the group reached Nostramo, where the Enforcement Squad arrested the nobles for unlawful religious assembly.
• Renato and Nobilia went to Han Mingxuan’s home, and Renato awkwardly explained that they had not caused the trouble.

Han Mingxuan heard the arrested Terran nobles’ pleas and, at the Will of Earth’s urging, pardoned them and their families. After arranging their return to Terra, he spoke with Angrak about how the Will of Earth had secretly influenced events across the planets.

• Han Mingxuan told his former students that he would speak with the nobles after they were released, then asked Magos Angrak to accompany him to Terra.
• After thirteen days in custody, the nobles legally gathered outside Han Mingxuan’s home and begged him to return to Terra and save their families.
• Han Mingxuan refused to judge the 130 nobles, but they asked to remain on Nostramo; the Will of Earth urged him to let them stay.
• Han Mingxuan pardoned the nobles and their families in the name of his mother, whom he told them to praise as a goddess.
• Han Mingxuan ordered Urtana to keep the pardon secret and discussed with Angrak how the Will of Earth had influenced Lorgar, Mortarion, and New Nostramo.

After the Will of Earth completed Han Mingxuan’s Compass and promised to protect him for a hundred years, Han returned to Terra with Urtana and the Silent King. He concluded the anti-corruption campaign, reunited with Curze, and welcomed the Primarchs as they gathered at his residence.

• The Will of Earth restored the Compass and told Han Mingxuan it would guide him after his hundred years of protection ended.
• Herbert returned to Nostramo and warned Sage Angrak that he might need to confront the Adeptus Mechanicus if Han moved against them.
• Han returned to Terra with Urtana and the Silent King, then ordered Urtana to sentence lawbreaking nobles under the Evernight Code and conclude the anti-corruption campaign.
• Curze visited Han at home, and the two reunited after three years apart.
• Perturabo and Russ arrived to see Han, and Russ joked about being kicked by the Emperor.

Han Mingxuan returned to the Emperor’s secret chamber and angrily confronted him after learning that Erda had come to see him. Erda thanked Han Mingxuan and offered information about the Human Mystery Cult, but he revealed that he already had a complete list of its members on Nostramo.

• Endymion arrived at Han Mingxuan’s home, and Han Mingxuan reassured him that he was not to blame for wearing a black robe.
• Endymion led Han Mingxuan to the Emperor’s Webway chamber, where Han Mingxuan repeatedly kicked the Emperor in anger.
• The Emperor told Han Mingxuan that Erda had asked to see him, and admitted that Tzeentch had manipulated her.
• Erda appeared and thanked Han Mingxuan for teaching her children, but he rejected her thanks and told her to leave.
• Erda offered information about the Human Mystery Cult on Nostramo, and Han Mingxuan showed her a list of all its members that they had given him themselves.

Han Mingxuan confronted Erda over abandoning her sons and revealed how her choices had helped set them on paths toward ruin. After Tzeentch showed Sanguinius visions of a disastrous future, Han Mingxuan dispelled them, and Curze and Han Mingxuan urged Sanguinius to believe humanity could defy fate.

• Han Mingxuan accused Erda of abandoning her sons and called her a self-righteous fool for claiming she loved the Emperor.
• Han Mingxuan summoned the Primarchs, including Curze, and told them their parents had failed them and that Erda's actions had exposed several brothers to corruption.
• Sanguinius saw visions of his brothers' grim fates, including Angron as a creature of slaughter, Mortarion corrupted, Magnus submitting to a daemon, and Horus dead.
• Han Mingxuan placed a golden character on Sanguinius's forehead and ended the visions, then warned Erda not to approach his student again.
• Sanguinius asked whether the visions were true, and Han Mingxuan said they could come to pass if events followed their predetermined course.
• Curze comforted Sanguinius by teaching him that humanity could conquer heaven, and Han Mingxuan agreed.