The Tree.
It was a tree that reached the very heavens, stretching out thousands of branches, standing hazy and blurred against the firmament.
Though he could not see it clearly, Horus felt a calling. His genetic sequence trembled—not the sequences sculpted by the Emperor, but something from a deeper place. It resided within the fundamental components of his genes, the root structure of his hereditary material, the very logic of the four nucleotide pairings. It was a mark left by the True Creators as they sowed the seeds of life across the galaxy, long before the Emperor's time.
All seeds of life sprouted from that Tree. Isha was born of it, yet possessed but a fraction of its power. That Tree was the true Mother of All, the primordial womb of life, and Horus's genes remembered it.
Horus took an involuntary step forward. The transcendent eyes granted by the Emperor allowed him to capture more detail of the Tree of Life. Its branches seemed both metallic and wooden, shimmering with a quality reminiscent of Aeldari wraithbone. The branches were as intricate as the tree of evolution itself, and from each hung something resembling a flower, yet also a womb...
No, it wasn't that they looked like flowers or wombs; it was that life itself was instinctively mimicking the place of its primal gestation to nurture its own offspring.
"How beautiful..." Horus murmured.
The sound of axes cutting the air rang out. Several chainaxes roared as they swung. Figures clad in Tartaros-pattern Terminator plate, engraved with sea-serpent patterns, suddenly erupted from the snow, surrounding Horus in the blink of an eye.
"Sons of Russ?!" Horus was startled. The wind and snow here seemed to possess a specialized power; these Terminators had buried themselves in the drifts like a wolf pack waiting for the hunt, managing to evade Horus's senses until the final moment.
They were the Varagyr Wolf Guard, Russ's personal kin-guard. In a split second, Horus identified these pups; they were the Wolf Guard Russ had taken with him when he vanished. Horus sensed his brother's aura and snapped his head around.
The Wolf Guard surged from the blizzard, chainaxes whirling, while a hail of bolter shells erupted from deeper within the storm, merging with the gale to strike at Horus, Lorgar, and the Angel. Then, a figure larger than a Terminator and more agile than a Fenrisian Wolf lunged from the whiteout.
Icy hair whipped in the wind as the Great Wolf of Winter transformed into human form in mid-air. He came wielding a power sword brighter than the silver moon and a chainaxe more biting than a winter gale. In those eyes, which concentrated the ice and snow of an entire world, there was only the hunter's rage.
His target was the Angel of Extermination.
"RUSS!!!"
Horus let out a roar. Drach'nyen sensed his heart and unleashed a bone-chilling shriek. The azure daemon-blade swept through the air, leaving deep, bloody gashes across the chests of Russ's Wolf Guard. Horus stepped forward, his form turning into a bolt of lightning as he intercepted Russ.
Frost blade and axe collided with Drach'nyen. Russ reacted correctly in an instant, moving with a speed that forced even Horus to admire him.
"Murder," Russ spat, his saliva freezing into ice in mid-air. His eyes reflected the twisted form of Drach'nyen.
Horus swung his blade violently. The power of the azure light was indeed terrifying, repelling Russ in a single stroke and allowing Horus to stand before the Angel of Extermination.
"Move," Russ's voice was as cold as winter, as fierce as a predator's.
"No."
Horus refused. His voice grew cold. "Can you not see who he is? He is..." He hesitated, his voice dropping slightly. "He is the Emperor."
"Ha?"
Russ let out a mocking laugh. He looked at Horus as if he were looking at a madman. "You call that abomination the All-Father?"
"I thought you had fallen so low as to consort with xenos filth, but I didn't realize you had gone completely mad."
"Leman Russ," the Angel of Extermination said, looking down at him and opening his mouth.
BOOM!!!
Bolter rounds shrieked from the twin-linked bolter The Scorner, but before they could touch the Angel, Horus intercepted them with Drach'nyen.
"Shut up, abomination," Russ cursed. He retreated a few steps, lowering his body into a hunting crouch, his eyes locked on Horus.
Horus gripped Drach'nyen tight. The light erupting from the daemon-blade nearly tore the blizzard apart. The sharp edge moved faster than the snow; Horus swung Drach'nyen straight for Russ's face. But a mocking smile crossed Russ's lips. The snow around Russ suddenly took shape as a giant wolf manifested at Horus's side, its bloody maw expanding until it seemed to touch both heaven and earth.
Fenrir...
This was the same giant wolf Horus had seen in the Storm of Oblivion—the wolf named Fenrir from ancient legend.
But how could this thing be here?
"You gained power from that abomination, but I have unearthed new power from within myself."
Russ lunged forward, leaping over the giant wolf. Frost enveloped him. Two different shadows seemed to overlap upon his frost blade and axe simultaneously. Jolting lightning surged from the axe as it seemingly transformed into a warhammer—a figure with red hair, a red beard, and iron gauntlets seemed to swing the hammer alongside Russ.
Fire, born like lightning hitting a dry branch, erupted from the frost sword—a figure with a cunning face and stitched lips seemed to swing the flaming sword alongside him.
Blood flowed from the Angel of Extermination's palm, the scalding liquid coalescing into a burning blade. "Just a few forgotten divinities that are no longer worshipped."
The blade of burning blood clashed with Russ's axe and sword. Veins bulged on Russ's arms, his face contorted in a terrifying snarl.
"If it weren't for the lingering, distorted beliefs on Fenris, they wouldn't even have this much power."
The Angel of Extermination swung his blade violently. The two figures behind Russ shattered instantly, and Russ was forcibly repelled.
At the same time, Horus swung Drach'nyen. The giant wolf let out a piteous howl; the wolf that once could swallow the sun and moon bled scalding blood and collapsed under the daemon-blade.
Horus's face was covered in blood as he turned to Russ.
"Russ, among the Primarchs, only you and Guilliman represent things so grand and full of potential."
The Angel of Extermination looked down at Russ, his voice almost airy. "Do you remember? In the legends of Fenris, Morkai, the master of the halls of death, has two heads."
"Death is a destined fate, and after death, there is another death called Oblivion. One head of the wolf is the first death; the other is the second death."
"Russ, you are Morkai. You are Death and Oblivion themselves. Why do you only choose to embrace one?"
Russ spat out a mouthful of blood. It was clear the Angel's last strike had wounded him. "After death, we return to the All-Father's hall to drink mead and laugh, while our legends are sung by men, never to be forgotten."
"Nothing is never forgotten," the Angel of Extermination shook his head.
"Then let us forget the matter of death as well," Russ grinned, his fangs stained with blood.
The Angel of Extermination shook his head slightly, as if feeling a touch of helplessness. He signaled Horus with his gaze.
Drach'nyen unleashed a bloodthirsty shriek. Frost axe and blade clashed with Drach'nyen for a second time. Horus had to admit that in a life-or-death struggle, Russ was perhaps the most skilled among their brothers—even more so than Angron. But Russ was human after all; before the Blade of Murder, even the Lord of Wolves could not hold out.
The frost axe shattered. The frost blade was parried away, clattering to the ground.
A jagged bloody gash was torn across Russ's chest. He stumbled backward.
The Angel of Extermination, already prepared, seized Russ by the head.
Horus took a small step back. He sensed a transformation occurring within Russ...
Scalding steam erupted from Russ's body. Blood seeped from his skin, as if the cold and blood left in him by the winter planet were being purged. The steam billowed, blurring his form. Only when the blood and steam receded and the dim light of the sky resculpted his shape did Horus see Russ's eyes.
The savagery on him had melted away like snow. The wolf pelts were gone. The runes etched into his skin had vanished. His wild, unkempt blonde hair had been trimmed into a neat, short cut. His barbarian-style armor had transformed into a suit of minimalist grey power armor, devoid of decoration save for a gilded IV on the chest.
The Angel of Extermination slowly released his hand, revealing Russ's face. It was a clean-shaven, tidy face with a near-perfect smile. This Russ looked at Horus and grinned—a brilliant smile, devoid of a wolf's fangs.
"Russ?" Horus's heart hammered. He didn't understand what change had come over him.
"I have another, simpler code-name and a more complex name." That Russ's eyes flickered—still the eyes of a frozen deep sea, but Horus saw something else. He saw the trace of Terra.
"It seems you understand. I am the counterpart to the Leman Russ of the tribes. I am the other head of the giant wolf Morkai—the version of Russ that he should have become, but was not destined to be."
That Russ maintained his perfect smile. "I am the Russ who never experienced winter, who never landed on Fenris to fight beasts and drink blood with barbarians. I am the Russ who grew up on Terra."
"If you like, you can continue to call me Russ... or IV works just as well."
Horus understood, but he found this Russ strangely familiar. He looked back through his memories and realized with a shock that the shadow of this Russ had always existed within the original one.
"Because of Erda's folly, all of us—except Alpharius—lost the possibility of growing up on Terra."
Russ spoke with a smile. "But Russ is different. He has an inherent duality. The forgotten things have always existed within him. Naturally, I existed within him as well."
"Morkai is a two-headed wolf. One head is Leman Russ of the tribes, hoping to return to Valhalla after death. One head is IV of Terra, and he has only Oblivion."
Horus was instantly certain: he did not like this Russ. He liked him even less than the original one.
Blood flowed onto the ground. The Wolf Guard had had their necks snapped by the Angel and were tossed onto the snow, staining it red.
But this Russ appeared completely indifferent, as if these warriors from Fenris had nothing to do with him.
The Angel of Extermination didn't dwell on this. He looked up at the Tree of Life. He vibrated the wings behind him, preparing to fly toward it, but...
A toy shortsword made of plastic fell from the sky, stabbing into the ground before the Angel. It was the "Famous Sword: Denkomaru."
The sound of a propeller spinning rang out. The Angel of Extermination turned and saw a figure flying in mid-air using a Bamboo-Copter.
"Is it really necessary to use a Bamboo-Copter? Can you not fly on your own?" the Angel of Extermination asked with a slight smile, fluttering his wings.
"I'm Doraemon," Alexander replied with a faint smile. "If I don't use a Bamboo-Copter, am I supposed to grow meter-thick pectoral muscles to fly with wings?"
The Angel of Extermination observed Alexander. He noticed that although Alexander tried his best to hide it, his expression was filled with pain, weakness, and struggle—as if he were in the throes of a deep illness. Has his interior truly failed? Can the pain and weakness no longer be masked?
The Angel didn't dare confirm it rashly; Alexander had plenty of gadgets that could give him extraordinary acting abilities. The Angel's will extended slightly, quietly seeping just beneath Alexander's skin...
He really was weak. Like someone suffering from a severe disease.
This gave the Angel of Extermination a small sense of relief.
From the blizzard behind Alexander, the figures of four Great Daemons manifested: Sanguinius, Guilliman, Lion El'Jonson, and Alexander.
Behind the Angel of Extermination, Horus, Lorgar, Russ, and the Angel stood in opposition.
Watching this, the Angel of Extermination couldn't help but smile. "How wonderful. A duel of destiny."
"Sanguinius and Horus. The Angel and the Warmaster. Light and Shadow."
"Guilliman and Lorgar. The Sovereign and the Priest. Logic and Faith."
"Lion El'Jonson and Leman Russ. The Lion and the Wolf. Caliban and Fenris."
"The Angel and the Nobita. The Anti-Warp weapon and the Great Daemons. Hatred and the Savior."
The Angel of Extermination let out a soft breath. "And you and me."
"The Destroyer who no longer believes in Doraemon."
"And the Doraemon who still believes in hope."
"This is the final battle, isn't it?"
Facing the Angel's question, Alexander did not say much. He simply took a book out of his four-dimensional pocket and slowly opened it.