Chapter Summaries

Inquisitor Wilchatu prepared to use Exterminatus against a Tyranid fleet and a lured Ork force near Old Nostramo, while worrying about the Father of Night’s possible connection to the Night Lords. He then learned that the Ordo Hereticus had raised suspicions about Imperial Chancellor Sinleech, leaving him to examine evidence of strange Warp fluctuations around Holy Terra.

• Wilchatu reviewed the plan to lure Orks into battle with the Tyranids before using Exterminatus to destroy both forces.
• Wilchatu recalled Nostramo’s destruction and wondered whether the Father of Night was connected to the Eighth Legion and its former name, the Sons of Night.
• Wilchatu’s attendant reported a large population migration in Segmentum Obscurus that Sinleech had personally directed and approved.
• Wilchatu learned that the Ordo Hereticus had submitted an investigation linking Sinleech to intermittent Warp fluctuations around Holy Terra.
• Wilchatu’s attendant reported that the fluctuations peaked during Sinleech’s first administrative overhaul and decreased whenever the Father of Night appeared in the Imperium.

Inquisitor Wilchatu investigated reports of Warp fluctuations on Holy Terra as Sinleech warned Han Mingxuan that an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor was heading to Punishment Star. A Tyranid Hive Fleet was also approaching, and the chapter left Han preparing to face both threats.

• Wilchatu took the reports of nine-point Warp fluctuations on Holy Terra seriously and ordered his forces to investigate a mass migration.
• Sinleech told Han Mingxuan that he had leaked information about the migration to prepare for the Eighth Legion’s return, but Sanguinius and Huangpizi had blocked most investigations into Han.
• Han learned that an Ordo Xenos Inquisitor would investigate him on Punishment Star because the Ordo Hereticus could not act.
• Sinleech reported that a Tyranid Hive Fleet was heading toward Punishment Star and that the Inquisition planned to draw it and an Ork force to Old Nostramo.
• Han accepted that the Hive Fleet was coming for him and said the Inquisitor could come as well.

Han Mingxuan organized defenses on Punishment Star against the approaching Hive Fleet and Orks, bringing in the Ninth Legion and assigning reconnaissance and reinforcements. The arrival of Inquisitor Wilchatu ended in terror when he spotted the Night Lords’ battleship Nightfall in orbit.

• Han Mingxuan told Sinleech to contain Chaos’s minor forces while he dealt with the other threats.
• Han Mingxuan asked Sanguinius to bring the Ninth Legion to Punishment Star, warned him about the Orks, and offered supplies for Dante to collect.
• Han Mingxuan ordered Urtana to prepare a thousand Staffs, tasked Kamon with receiving an Imperial Inquisitor, and sent Slazov to inspect nearby planets for signs of 30k-era social behavior.
• Han Mingxuan’s forces began their preparations while the Night Lords followed the Night Haunter’s instruction not to ask questions.
• Inquisitor Wilchatu approached Punishment Star intending to claim it, then became horrified when he saw the Nightfall alongside the Father of the Evernight in orbit.

Inquisitor Wilchatu mobilized Imperial forces after the Night Lords and their flagship appeared near Punishment Star, then entered the planet undercover to investigate. Convinced that Chaos and Genestealer corruption were working together, he feared Punishment Star could become the next Eye of Terror.

• Wilchatu ordered the Ordo Xenos, Ordo Hereticus, and other Imperial forces to mobilize, while sending a trusted squad disguised as refugees to Punishment Star.
• Wilchatu and his squad discovered that Punishment Star had become an orderly paradise and heard that the Father of Night had arranged it as a gift for the Night Haunter with the Necrons.
• Weiss learned that Inquisition agents had infiltrated the planet and was told to let them investigate unless they caused trouble.
• Kamon prepared the Thunder Warriors to defend the planet and learned that Ordo Xenos and Ordo Hereticus forces were approaching.
• Wilchatu concluded that Punishment Star showed signs of both Genestealer activity and Chaos corruption, and feared it could become the next Eye of Terror.

The Inquisition’s forces arrived at Punishment Star, where Kamon’s Shadowbat Guard captured them before they could attack. Three months later, the Night Haunter revealed to Wilchatu that he had been monitoring him and brought him to meet Han Mingxuan, who invited the Inquisitor to ask his question.

• The Inquisitors suspected the Imperial Chancellor had arranged a Warp sacrifice and prepared to die destroying a Daemon nest.
• Kamon and the Shadowbat Guard disarmed and bound the Inquisitors, then moved out to confront the Deathwatch without killing them.
• After three months on Punishment Star, Wilchatu tried to contact his reinforcements, but Kamon told him they were fast asleep.
• The Night Haunter appeared to Wilchatu, explained that Fear Inducement had let him watch the Inquisitor from the start, and ordered him to prepare for a meeting.
• The Night Haunter led Wilchatu and his people to Han Mingxuan, who asked why the Inquisitor had nothing to say after meeting him.

Han Mingxuan tried to secure the Inquisition’s cooperation, then brought its forces to Terra to address the High Lords directly. The Emperor’s voice ordered them to follow Han Mingxuan’s plans and granted redemption to Curze and his Scions.

• Wilchatu questioned Han Mingxuan, who declared that the Imperium and its Emperor did not matter and proposed cooperating with the Inquisition; Urtana punished Wilchatu when he resisted.
• Han Mingxuan gave Sanguinius a Blackstone ring containing a supernova and explained that it could be used against the Orks and Tyranids.
• Wilchatu’s attempt to identify Han Mingxuan using the ashes of a Living Saint failed, and Urtana silenced him as the Inquisitors were taken away.
• Han Mingxuan gathered the Inquisition’s available forces and traveled through the Warp to Terra, where he demanded the High Lords’ cooperation.
• The Emperor spoke through a Sister of Battle, commanding the High Lords to follow Han Mingxuan’s arrangements and granting Curze and his Scions redemption and forgiveness.

After the God-Emperor’s intervention made the High Lords accept Han Mingxuan’s authority, Han prepared the Imperium for a vast war against Chaos and the Tyranids. He sent Corvus Corax and his Scions into T’au territory with a thousand unstable supernovae, ordering them to cripple key worlds if the T’au interfered.

• The God-Emperor possessed the Sisters of Battle Superior, and the High Lords submitted to Han Mingxuan’s instructions to mobilize for the battle site chosen by the Inquisition.
• Han told Sinleech to aid the Imperium’s Warp travel, release two Daemon Princes into the Administratum, and expand Chaos’s influence while preparing for a war involving numerous factions.
• Han asked the Emperor to awaken the Lion, then traveled to Deliverance to meet Corvus Corax.
• Han gave Corvus a Dimensional Space containing a thousand supernovae and ordered him and his Scions to place them along key T’au routes and detonate them if the T’au made an unusual move.
• Corvus challenged Han’s willingness to cause mass casualties, but Han invoked the Evernight Code and insisted that every cruel means should be used against the Imperium’s enemies.

Han Mingxuan prepared allies and weapons for the coming war, then sent Sanguinius to awaken Lion El'Jonson on The Rock. Sanguinius presented the Emperor's secret order to Azrael, and Lion appeared as the Dark Angels stood on the brink of battle.

• Han Mingxuan arranged for Necrons to destroy the T'au Empire if Corvus failed, and ordered veteran warriors to use the Teeth of Gork and Mork against the Orks.
• Han Mingxuan sent Sanguinius to wake Lion El'Jonson on The Rock and deliver a secret order from Sinleech.
• Krete showed Han Mingxuan a stockpile of fifty thousand Supernova Staffs and Space-Collapse Bombs, while Han Mingxuan assigned the Silent King to hunt Aeldari and find Yvraine.
• Sanguinius and Dante presented the secret order to Azrael, who refused to let the Blood Angels descend to The Rock's lowest level.
• A figure carrying Lion's greatsword appeared as the Dark Angels and Sanguinius reached the brink of battle.

Sanguinius and the Dark Angels ventured into the Rock’s deepest secrets, guided by Dante and a group of Watchers in the Dark. They found the Lion by a river, where Sanguinius was struck by how old and frail his brother had become.

• Lord Cypher revealed himself to Sanguinius, who recognized him as Corswain and allowed him to observe the Ninth Legion.
• Azrael asked Sanguinius what they were seeking in the Rock’s lower levels, but Sanguinius said they had only been ordered to go there and would have to trust fate.
• A thick white mist covered the group, and Dante directed them to follow the sound of running water, saying they would soon see the Lion.
• The group followed a boat carrying hooded dwarfs, the Watchers in the Dark, to a landing beside a river.
• They found Lion El'Jonson sitting by the river with a shield and greatsword, and he told Sanguinius he had woken earlier than expected.
• Sanguinius greeted his brother, then saw his aged appearance and said, “Big Brother, you've grown old.”

Lion El'Jonson reunited with Sanguinius and met his Dark Angels, then learned how the Imperium had changed during his absence. Azrael revealed his suspicion that the Imperium Chancellor might be a Chaos God, and Lion considered the Emperor's dealings with such powers.

• Lion El'Jonson recognized Sanguinius as his long-dead brother and said he needed to meet the Father of Evernight.
• Sanguinius left Lion alone with the Dark Angels and told Dante that the Imperium had improved, though several returned Primarchs and powerful officials could bring complications.
• Lion pardoned his Scions' past transgressions and asked them to explain the Imperium's recent history.
• Azrael told Lion that Dante had changed after awakening, a Living Saint had become Imperium Chancellor, and a brief, terrifying Warp storm preceded the Chancellor's appointment.
• Azrael revealed his belief that the Chancellor might be a Chaos God, and Lion suspected the Emperor had made another necessary bargain with Chaos.

After reuniting with Sanguinius, Lion El'Jonson questioned him about Chancellor Sinleech and then confronted the Emperor on Terra about the radically changed Imperium. The Emperor revealed that Sinleech was the Lord of Change, named several brothers who knew the secret, and sent Lion to Old Nostramo to find Curze.

• Lion El'Jonson reunited with Sanguinius outside The Rock and asked what he knew about Sinleech, but Sanguinius told him to ask the Emperor.
• Lion El'Jonson and Sanguinius reached Terra in less than three days using Necron Phase shifting technology, where Sinleech recognized Lion and vanished after admitting he was a god.
• Lion El'Jonson asked the Emperor whether the Imperium was still the one he had fought for, and the Emperor said humanity would see the light and confirmed Sinleech was the Lord of Change.
• The Emperor told Lion El'Jonson that Sanguinius, the Father of Night, Magnus, and Mortarion knew Sinleech's identity, then urged Lion to visit the Administratum and announced he would return to the Imperium.
• The Emperor ordered Lion El'Jonson to take his legion to Old Nostramo and find Curze, whom Lion had thought dead.
• Lion El'Jonson accused Sanguinius of concealing crucial information, and Sanguinius told him he needed to see the changed Imperium for himself.

Lion El'Jonson confronted Sinleech over Magnus and Mortarion, then went to challenge them in the Administratum. Sinleech’s scheme left Lion implicated when the Daemon Princes’ bodies dissolved, and the Chancellor accused him of destroying his elite staff.

• Lion El'Jonson stormed the Administratum demanding Magnus and Mortarion, but Sinleech denied they were there and knocked Lion to the floor.
• Sanguinius escorted Lion away and warned him that the Imperium depended on Magnus and Mortarion to keep its administration running.
• Sanguinius told Lion where to find the two and advised him to seek out the outstanding civil servant and tax official instead of calling them Daemon Princes.
• Sanguinius revealed that fragments of fate had shown him Sinleech’s plan to bring Lion into the Administratum, and Lion went to confront Magnus and Mortarion during their break.
• Lion refused to kill Magnus and Mortarion, but their bodies suddenly rotted and dissolved into blood as Sinleech accused Lion of destroying his elite personnel.

Sinleech maneuvered to recruit Lion El'Jonson into the Administratum after the war, while Lion left Terra to inspect the Night Lords and the Father of Night on Punishment Star. There, he reunited with Konrad Curze, and their taunting encounter ended with Curze declaring Lion no match for him.

• Sinleech offered to manage the Administratum until the war ended and expected Lion El'Jonson to take over afterward.
• Lion El'Jonson left Terra for Punishment Star to investigate the Father of Night's situation.
• A Necron Phaeron met Lion El'Jonson and escorted him toward the Father of Night, where Konrad Curze was waiting.
• Konrad Curze mocked Lion El'Jonson's age, and the two fought; Curze caught Lion's opening punch, struck him back, and declared him no match.

The Night Haunter beat Lion El'Jonson after Lion provoked him and disrespected the Father of Night. Lion then met Han Mingxuan, where he found the Night Haunter behaving respectfully.

• The Night Haunter stunned Lion with a Psychic Power Blast, punched him into a pillar, and ordered Sevatar to douse him with ice water.
• The Night Haunter held a Lightning Claw to Lion's neck and warned him against disrespecting the Father of Night; Lion admitted he wanted to meet him.
• Nova gave Lion a towel while the Night Lords returned to their training, and Lion noticed Nova's just demeanor and lack of Astartes gene-seed.
• Kamon escorted Lion to Han Mingxuan and explained that Nova belonged to the Evernight Legion and that the Night Haunter was not fit to command it.
• Lion met Han Mingxuan and thanked him for helping discipline the Night Haunter.

Han Mingxuan assigned Lion El'Jonson and the First Legion the Ork front, ordering them to destroy Ork-held planets with The Rock and supernova weapons. Lion accepted the plan for the promised resources and priority access to Gloriana-class Battleship production, then went to collect Punishment Star's support.

• Han Mingxuan gave Lion a combat plan that called for the First Legion to use The Rock in a costly attack, while Punishment Star provided fire support.
• Han Mingxuan explained that Punishment Star could supply supernova weapons and assigned the First Legion to take control of the Ork battlefield.
• Han Mingxuan ordered Lion to destroy planets fully occupied by Orks, citing their mineral resources and offering the First Legion priority in allocations for Gloriana-class Battleships.
• Lion decided to accept the assignment and asked to see what fire support Punishment Star could provide.
• Han Mingxuan told Lion to follow Urtana to collect the support and said a group of young people would join the First Legion.

Lion led a squad of young First Legion Dark Angels to The Rock as reinforcements for the Ork front, where Azrael tried to place them in the outer circle and uncover their secrets. Statham revealed that the squad knew the Dark Angels’ hidden communications and warned Azrael not to let secrecy interfere with the coming battle, then struck him to prove their strength.

• Nova agreed to arrange for the First Legion squad to join Lion, while the Father of Night kept Nova out of the operation because of the danger posed by the Emperor.
• Lion met a squad of more than twenty young First Legion Dark Angels, who said they were Nostramo-descended and claimed each could fight five Alajos-level opponents.
• Lion brought the squad to The Rock and told Azrael they were reinforcements assigned to break the battlefield deadlock.
• Azrael assigned the newcomers to the outer circle, and Statham challenged the placement, saying they were capable of serving in the Inner Circle.
• Statham revealed that the squad knew the Dark Angels’ communication methods and warned Azrael that they were there both to support and monitor the First Legion.
• Statham appeared before Azrael and punched him, then said the Dark Angels would need Dark Age of Technology weapons to take them into battle.

Statham and the Dark Angels arrived at the front to support Yarrick after a Warp Storm brought Ork reinforcements far earlier than expected. Statham decided his squad would handle the approaching Orks, while Azrael and Lion El'Jonson were left marveling at his willingness to consider devastating weapons.

• Statham challenged Azrael and ordered the present-day First Legion to follow his squad's battle plan, but Lion El'Jonson emerged from hiding and ordered everyone to move out.
• The Rock headed for the front line, where Yarrick learned that nine Ork fleets had been cast out of the Warp and would reach the battlefield within nine standard hours.
• Statham contacted Yarrick, learned the Orks had not yet engaged Imperial forces, and ordered the Dark Angels to deal with the reinforcements.
• Statham's squad traced the sudden Ork arrival to the Lord of Change and rejected a Supernova because it would destroy the front line, then considered using an Exterminatus.
• Azrael and Lion El'Jonson watched Statham contemplate devastating weapons and reflected that they were getting old.

Statham and his squad attacked the Ork fleets with Micro-Exterminatus weapons, then boarded the enemy ships and fought alongside Lion El'Jonson. As the Lion charged with them, he seemed to regain the vigor of his youth, while Statham urged him to join in the Orks' WAAAGH.

• Statham led his squad toward the Ork fleet despite Lion El'Jonson's warning, and Lion recognized the young warriors' focused, predatory resolve.
• Statham's squad deployed three volleys of Micro-Exterminatus weapons, destroying nearly half of the nine Ork fleets before preparing to board.
• Lion El'Jonson brought the Dark Angels' main force to join Statham, who was already fighting through the Ork ships with his squad.
• Lion El'Jonson charged beside Statham, killed Orks, and seemed to grow younger as his hair turned lustrous and golden.
• Statham boasted that he was stronger than Alajos, and Lion El'Jonson laughed and joined the slaughter.
• Statham shouted WAAAGH at Lion El'Jonson, who wondered whether joining in was right.

Statham used Ork customs and his strength to become the boss of the Orks aboard his ship, while the Dark Angels planned to make the nine fleets their allies. As rival bosses arrived, Statham’s team told Lion El'Jonson that they would handle the fights and leave him to finish the alliance.

• Statham charged into the Orks shouting for a one-on-one fight, then defeated every boss aboard his ship while Lion El'Jonson cleared space for him.
• The Orks recognized Statham as green and strong enough to be their boss and began chanting “Green Can Boss.”
• Statham’s squad explained that they had studied Ork behavior and that the other eight fleets would have to submit to him.
• A rival Ork boss arrived seeking a fight, and Statham struck him before he could attack.
• Statham’s squad revealed their plan to turn the nine fleets into allies and asked Lion El'Jonson to leave the fighting to them before helping finalize the alliance.

Statham established himself as the boss of an Ork ship and declared Lion El'Jonson the Green Can Big Boss, challenging the Ork leaders to test him. Lion defeated every challenger, grew younger and stronger, and left the Orks ready to accept him as their leader.

• Statham beat Big Tooth in a fight, forcing him to recognize Statham as the ship’s boss.
• Statham told the gathered Ork bosses that Lion El'Jonson was the stronger boss he had chosen for them.
• Lion reluctantly called himself the Green Can Big Boss and accepted an Ork’s challenge to fight.
• Lion defeated the challenger with one punch, stunning both the Orks and himself with his strength.
• As Lion defeated the other bosses, the Orks speculated that he was connected to Gork and Mork, while his hair turned gold and his appearance grew younger.
• Lion roared a challenge to the remaining bosses after defeating every one who had faced him.