In Khorne's Brass Palace.
"Hahahaha..."
A hearty laugh echoed throughout the entire Brass Palace. The molten lava within the Brass Citadel burned hotter. The smile on Khorne, long seated upon his Brass Throne, made the endless slaughter rage with even greater fervor. Although he could not see the man, he could piece together what was happening through the eyes of the Bloodthirster he had thrown into the fray.
First, the man had faced the Bloodthirster without using a weapon. After taking a blow from its axe, he had simply tossed the weapon aside. What followed was a duel where both combatants abandoned all defense, trading blow for brutal blow.
That someone actually dared to fight one of Khorne's chosen in this manner, with such fearless abandon, pleased Khorne greatly. He was very happy. Though the Greater Daemon was getting beaten rather badly, Khorne had already decided to grant it even greater rewards upon its return.
But...
"Hahaha... huh?"
"Stay away from me!!!"
With that wretched scream, a wave of disgust, pure and overwhelming, washed over Khorne. He immediately withdrew his gaze. But the moment he did, he realized his mistake. Without that anchor point, he could no longer see his target at all. It seemed all his previous efforts had been completely wasted...
Croak.
Khorne felt a twinge of awkwardness. Then, his gaze shifted to the distant purple light, and his mood soured even further.
---o---
"I used so much effort to personally make this hand-pounded beef ball. How could I let you run away like that? I can finally recover some energy. Hiss, that hurts..."
Looking at the Bloodthirster before him, Zhou Ye couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath. He was durable, but durability was one thing, and pain was another. The minor scrapes he'd sustained would heal in an instant, but every punch he had landed on the Bloodthirster had been a critical hit on himself as well.
What surprised him now, however, was how this creature was shrieking like a Grot whose toes had been stepped on. He shot it a look of utter disdain. True courage, it seemed, was still a human trait.
Looking at this Khornate Greater Daemon, Zhou Ye slowly walked over, grabbed it, and tossed it into his converter. Amidst the melodious screams, he clapped his hands together.
Finally, he could get some damn energy back. Old K really was generous.
"You're next, Fulgrim."
Zhou Ye slowly raised his head. With the collapse of the Battle Moon's core, the structural integrity of the entire Space Hulk had weakened considerably. The remaining Greenskins were no longer a cohesive threat. The next order of business was to face Fulgrim.
"All units, with me! We will expel the Fallen Primarch... Fulgrim!"
"!!!"
Hearing this, Giovanni of the Black Templars, the few Dark Angels, and the Super Raven Guard all froze for a moment.
Then...
"What a glorious moment this is! The Emperor is supreme! May we all find glory in death!"
The Astartes who were hearing this for the first time were stunned. The Black Templars, in particular, had already dropped to one knee, murmuring prayers. If they could banish Fulgrim, they would gladly die.
Courage is the anthem of humanity.
The fact that the decaying Imperium had survived for ten thousand years was a testament to the countless sacrifices and the mountains of bones laid down by the loyal. It was they who dragged this rotting empire forward through this purgatorial galaxy.
Now that the Battle Moon had effectively disintegrated, the chaotic Waaagh! field that had interfered with the entire Space Hulk was gone. A golden ripple began to spread out from Zhou Ye's position.
---o---
Rewinding time slightly. A short while ago.
After Zhou Ye had one-shotted the Ork boss, and with the retreat of the Greenskin tide...
"All units, prepare yourselves! The real war is about to begin."
Before, the tide of Orks had blocked the way, preventing the daemonic legions of Slaanesh from advancing. Now, with the Greenskins collapsing, a pink tide broke through the green one and surged toward the Imperial positions.
Simultaneously, the massive main cannons of the Emperor Titan and the Warlord Titan fired, blasting into the sea of Slaaneshi daemons. In an instant, the colossal artillery barrage melted a huge swathe of the pink-and-purple tide, clearing a corner of the demonic host.
However...
In the very next moment, the several massive Titans suddenly began to tremble violently.
"Scrap-code attack?"
A few of the operators were stunned, but that didn't seem right. The Tech-Priests Zhou Ye had fabricated knew that their systems were protected by an anti-erosion code. A simple scrap-code attack shouldn't be able to paralyze them.
"Warp sorcery. Is this the work of Vashtorr?" Apothecary Beta, another of Zhou Ye's creations, couldn't help but exclaim, uttering a name that left even Chris looking slightly baffled.
Vashtorr, a Chaos God of the Warp. He was currently on the path to becoming an entity on the same level as Tzeentch, Khorne, Slaanesh, and Nurgle. In some respects, he possessed a portion of the powers of the Omnissiah that the grease monkeys worshipped. However, because he had kept a low profile before the opening of the Great Rift, the Imperium knew little about him.
But more bewildered than the exclaiming Apothecary Beta and the temporarily paralyzed Titans was someone on the other side.
"Why are these Titans only paralyzed and not corrupted?"
Lucius stared blankly at the incapacitated war machines. Although they hadn't brought a Titan Legion this time, they had prepared a special Warp artifact designed to be used against all mechanical constructs, a gift from the now-infamous Chaos God, Vashtorr. This dark God of All-Machines had been part of the deal when Slaanesh gave them their mission.
Their original plan was to use this artifact to seize and corrupt some Imperial Titans, thereby building up their own Titan forces. But why, after using it, had it only managed to paralyze that colossal Emperor Titan? Hadn't that bastard guaranteed its effectiveness? This didn't seem right at all.
Refund my f*ing money!
This was Lucius's only thought. To have paid such a high price only to receive this piece of junk.
"I'll have to settle the score with Vashtorr when I get back. What is this garbage..." Lucius was already cursing up a storm in his mind. He couldn't believe Vashtorr had played him. The entity actually had a decent reputation; when dealing with other daemons, he generally acted like a no-nonsense businessman.
When Lucius had first seen the Imperium's massive Emperor Titan, he had practically drooled. Even though the Titan would likely not be under his command and would have to be handed over to Slaanesh, capturing such a machine would have been worth it. After forcibly taking control of the Titan and letting it wreak havoc within the Imperial lines, they could have advanced unopposed. If he could just capture the person Slaanesh was so interested in and present them along with this giant Emperor Titan, he would have achieved a great victory.
But who knew it would fail? This enraged him.
"It seems this Titan is very ancient, its Machine Spirit exceptionally strong."
Fulgrim, on the other hand, was relatively calm. An Emperor Titan wouldn't have been a problem for him, but unlike Mortarion back then, this wasn't his true body. If he used a large amount of psychic power, this vessel would collapse prematurely. For now, all he had to do was charge in. Once the battle was over, the Titan would be his anyway. The only shame was that this operation had been too hasty; they hadn't had time to muster enough heavy assets.
And so, at Fulgrim's command, hundreds of Hell Knight Daemon Engines led the tide of Slaaneshi legions charging toward the Imperial position. Although Slaanesh's forces were prone to getting distracted mid-battle, under Fulgrim's watch, they dared not slack off. As for the Titan, it was probably just too old, its Machine Spirit having grown incredibly powerful over time, which was why it resisted corruption.
Of course, they didn't know that this Emperor Titan was, in fact, only a few years old.
---o---
"All units, prepare!"
Aslot had moved to a command position. With a defensive line jointly constructed by the Imperial Fists and Iron Warriors, they could still fight even without the fire support of the Titans. Besides, they didn't need to be anxious. They just had to hold out until that Lord returned.
At Aslot's command, a chaotic storm of boltgun fire, gravity cannon blasts, gauss weaponry, and a few other profane things shot out.
Seeing this, Chris's eyelid twitched. Just now, while they were setting up the fortifications, the Star of Trailblaze had pulled out a whole host of strange equipment. It all looked vaguely familiar to Chris, but he said nothing. At least for now, it wasn't a major problem.
The only thing that worried him was the Fallen Primarch, Fulgrim.
"Can we find him?" Aslot immediately asked. He was still holding the battle standard Zhou Ye had forged. Nominally, it was the Chapter's sacred relic, but in reality, it was a modified version of the Abyss White Bloom.
They were now protected by a dual layer: the barrier of faith projected by the priestess, interwoven with the withering field from the Abyss White Bloom. Of course, Aslot wasn't Zhou Ye, so he couldn't bring out its full effect, but it was enough. He had essentially constructed a massive mountain of muscle with himself at its center.
Aslot paid no mind to the miscellaneous daemons; his eyes had only one target: Fulgrim.
He didn't have to search for long, because just then...
"Ah, what do I see? The Emperor's Children. My dear sons, is it not time to return to your father's embrace?"
A sinister voice echoed out. A giant, serpentine shadow descended upon a corner of the defensive line, right where the newly-forged Emperor's Children were stationed. A colossal figure forced its way in, staring with excitement at the black-and-gold cans before it.
The Emperor's Children. This was truly a surprise. He never thought that after ten thousand years, he would see his sons again. So pure, so sacred. He desperately wanted to corrupt them, to make them return to his fold.
"Fulgrim!"
The appearance of this massive body sent the entire defensive line into an uproar. Metaurus had already grabbed his power axe and was about to charge. He wasn't the only one; everyone had the same reaction. But their instinctive movements caused a disruption in the dense network of firepower.
A slight gap in the barrage opened, and the Slaaneshi army seized the opportunity. A tide of daemons surged toward the front of the line.
"Draw swords!"
With a roar from Mario, the Lamenters all drew their brand-new power swords. The Flesh Tearers next to them were nearly blinded by the sight.
"That Lord is so wealthy..." Even Gabriel Seth, who was preparing to die fighting Fulgrim, couldn't help but pause. That was just too rich.
Clack-clack!
The Emperor's Children, however, didn't waste a single word on him. They chambered rounds in their boltguns and unleashed a torrential downpour of shells.
Dak-dak-dak...
Clang-clang-clang...
But it was obvious such an attack was meaningless to Fulgrim. At first, he batted a few shells away, but then he simply let them impact his body. The sensation of pain only brought him more pleasure. These newborn sons were so fascinating. He longed to corrupt them, but...
"Why don't you react? I am your father."
Fulgrim was a little puzzled as he watched them open fire on him without a second thought. Normally, when an Astartes saw their gene-sire, if they didn't kneel, they were considered a hardened veteran. Look at Angron, who was barely human and killed indiscriminately; his sons, in their desire to please him, had almost all taken the Butcher's Nails.
There were many Astartes who could stand against their Primarch and raise a blade to them, but that was not something that raw recruits like these should be capable of.
Unless... their gene-seed carried a very ancient legacy, and... that faith barrier enveloping the area, the power of his father, which made him feel a kind of physiological discomfort.
At that thought, Fulgrim turned his head. He had been too excited before to notice. Only now did he see someone projecting a barrier of faith. The Emperor's power disgusted him, but it also made him feel a little unnerved.
He quickly found his target: a girl who looked to be seventeen or eighteen.
But...
Clack, clack, clack...
A series of rapid footsteps sounded, and several attacks that made Fulgrim's skin crawl shot toward him. He dodged continuously as a small black hole grazed past his body. It exploded behind him, completely devouring several Slaaneshi daemons.
"Those are Apothecary 010 Omega's Kastelan Robots! And there are seven of them?"
Chris instantly recognized them. These seven robots were a contingency Zhou Ye had deployed before he left. As for whether these things were as strong as the legendary Men of Iron, Zhou Ye had no idea. The Iron Rebellion was even more of a mess than the War of the Beast, a conflict relegated mostly to historical background. It was best not to dwell on the specifics.
It wasn't just the seven robots; nearly every weapon was now pouring fire onto Fulgrim. They were properly equipped with weapons capable of wounding a Primarch. While they certainly couldn't defeat him, they should be able to hold him off for a while.
But Fulgrim ignored them all. His eel-like body slithered nimbly through the storm of attacks, slipping through a nearly non-existent gap in the web of fire. He charged directly toward the priestess, his weapon thrusting down hard.
It must be her. She's the reason Lucius's artifact failed.
And for some reason, whenever Fulgrim looked at her, he felt a creeping unease. It made him extremely uncomfortable. So, for once, he decided to be bold and eliminate this little priestess who was making him feel so strange.
"Damn it!"
No one could react in time. Chris let out a cry of alarm. He wanted to rush forward and stop him, but as a mortal, he was far too slow. As for psychic powers? Please. Look at Magnus; even he couldn't do anything to the psychic blank, Guilliman. What hope was there against the daemon-ascended Fulgrim?
Aiswei'er instinctively squeezed her eyes shut in terror. At the same time, a power began to surge within her. She felt a burning sensation from her very soul, as if some force was about to ignite her.
But...
In the next instant, that power vanished.
Clang...
A crisp sound of impact rang out. Fulgrim seemed to have hit something and was thrown backward. A four-meter-tall behemoth now stood in his way.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
A series of impacts followed. This time, free from the interference of the Waaagh! field and psionic disruption, Zhou Ye chose to teleport directly into Fulgrim's face.
His massive boarding shield sent Fulgrim flying. The elite Space Marines he had brought with him crashed down into the Slaaneshi legions, and in that instant, the battle fully erupted.
But Zhou Ye's attention wasn't on Fulgrim at all. It was on the little girl in his arms, and her golden eyes.
"Huh...?"
---o---