"Traitor..."
Sanguinius looked at Horus, and the fury in his heart had already reached its limit.
He was not angry over the cruelty that fallen Primarch had inflicted upon him.
He was angry at Horus's betrayal. That traitor had launched a rebellion that gravely wounded the Imperium and nearly killed their father.
Now he intended to drag humanity into the abyss with the support of the Chaos Gods.
"Unforgivable.
"This betrayal has lasted ten thousand years. It must end here."
Sanguinius looked toward the Primarch brothers beside him and spoke in a solemn voice.
He knew this was the final battle.
"Brother, at last we can fight side by side. We will slit that traitor's throat with our own hands and wash Terra clean with his blood."
Lion El'Jonson came to Sanguinius's side and tightened his grip on his blade, his voice carrying a trace of age and sorrow.
He had never expected to see this fallen brother again.
Ten thousand years ago, they had rushed to Terra together.
In the end, everything had been left in ruins. Some had died. Some had fallen into slumber. They had failed to save the Emperor, their father, and they had failed to save the Imperium.
Fortunately, the Savior had revived the Great Angel, allowing that destined war from ten thousand years ago to continue. Now they could take revenge with their own hands.
Boom!
"Brothers, I've come to support you."
Roboute Guilliman fell from high above.
He slammed down beside Sanguinius, his voice resolute and filled with the joy of reunion.
He had carved a road through the rifts of the Warp before finally arriving, just in time to reinforce them.
"Roboute, you came after all. I knew you would return and fight beside us."
Sanguinius looked at the approaching Lord of Ultramar, and a smile appeared on his face. His tone was utterly certain.
He had foreseen this brother's arrival, but when he truly saw Guilliman, joy still filled him.
Ten thousand years ago, the three of them had rushed to Terra together in this very way.
"Yes. I would not miss such an important occasion, and I certainly would not miss the chance to judge a traitor."
Guilliman spoke with thunderous wrath brewing in his eyes.
Only, as he spoke, an almost imperceptible bead of sweat slid across his forehead. Clearly, this journey to reinforce them had still left him somewhat shaken.
In truth, Guilliman had already been sweating profusely earlier.
The Lord of Ultramar had been the first to use the Blackstone device to tear through the Chaos barrier around the Chaos Temple and charge inside.
However, the moment he rushed in, he encountered the maze of the Changer of Ways. He suffered an immediate stress response and spent a long time wandering without finding the exit.
If his Savior brother had not fished him out, he might have been trapped in that Chaos labyrinth again and missed the final battle entirely.
But that brother had only been able to help him escape the Chaos mirage. After that, Guilliman had relied on himself to fight his way through the tides of Chaos.
It had perhaps been the most desperate effort of his life. At one point, he had truly thought he would not make it in time for the decisive battle and would fail to provide support.
Fortunately, the Lord of Ultramar had arrived in time after all.
After Sanguinius, Lion El'Jonson, and Guilliman, three loyal Primarchs, gathered together, the fighting spirit in their eyes became even firmer.
Then Rogal Dorn, Perturabo, and the young Angron also stood beside them, united by a shared hatred.
The loyal Primarchs had gathered in an unprecedented assembly. Together, they would face the Dark Emperor who had gathered the power of the Chaos Gods.
"The Chaos Gods seek to corrupt mankind's hope with Chaos. They believe the evil of Chaos can overcome everything.
"Then let them break themselves upon our shield wall."
Rogal Dorn gripped the shield in his hand.
"Father will see our unity and our will. We will save the Imperium together with our brother, the Savior!"
The Lord of the Phalanx's voice was unyielding. He believed humanity could win this war, not suffer a crushing defeat as it had ten thousand years ago.
He would not give Chaos another chance to continue corrupting mankind.
Yet the moment his voice fell, the breath of Chaos appeared in the area. Molten flame tore open the void.
A figure with moth-like wings on his back appeared before them, followed by more Death Guard warriors.
In the void, countless hateful dead roared, as if composing a loyal hymn.
Their cries could be heard faintly.
We are souls still loyal. We shall bear shield and sword, trample the domains of Chaos, and burn away every shadow of betrayal.
For the King of Hell, for humanity, loyalty endures!
For a time, the loyalty emanating from these Hell-aligned Chaos beings was no weaker than that of the Imperium's own warriors.
"Brothers, fate has brought us together again."
Mortarion looked toward Sanguinius and the other Primarchs, and joy at their reunion also appeared on his face.
He strode over cheerfully and spoke as though making an oath.
"That traitor Horus, corroded by ambition, dared to harm our father and stab the Imperium's heart with the blade of betrayal.
"We will not allow it. Let him taste reckoning. Let us avenge our father!"
The Death Lord's words were so loyal that he clearly seemed to have counted himself among the loyal Primarchs.
However, as he drew closer, Guilliman and the others could not help shifting farther away.
Their fists clenched.
If not for the Imperium's situation and this crucial war, they would have judged this skull-damaged fool first.
"Mortarion, I am indeed glad you have broken free from the gods' shackles. That is worthy of celebration."
Sanguinius spoke seriously.
"But that does not mean your past sins have vanished. If you ever again do anything that harms humanity, I will judge you with my own hands.
"The same applies to me."
The Great Angel had never forgotten the fact that he had once been corrupted by the Chaos Gods.
He had even told the other Primarchs and the Blood Angels that if he ever fell again, they should kill him and show no mercy.
"You're right, brother. If that day ever comes, I will gladly accept death. I will prove my loyalty."
Mortarion was not angered. He responded to the matter seriously.
He did not believe he would betray them. His loyalty would not be any less than that of his other Primarch brothers.
The Death Lord also had a good impression of Sanguinius. He vaguely remembered that when he died in the illusion, the Great Angel had shed tears as well.
He had even helped the Blood Angels carry Mortarion's coffin to the funeral.
That was a good brother!
Afterward, Magnus, Alpharius, and the other Chaos Primarchs who had submitted to the King of Hell also arrived at the Chaos Temple.
Their purpose was the same as Mortarion's. They too had come to participate in the final battle and help the Imperium destroy Horus.
"Everyone, I leave this duel to you. You must stop Chaos from corroding my throne.
"Preferably, execute that traitor."
Eden spoke with unusual seriousness.
He believed that with so many Primarchs joining forces, they would surely be able to kill Horus and end this war.
As for the Savior himself, he had no time to fight shoulder to shoulder with Guilliman and the others. He still had to go find trouble with the Chaos Gods.
Not long ago, Eden had finally discovered the Chaos Gods' trail.
They were actually trying to dig into the Dawnlight City Webway and launch a sneak attack on his home base. Wasn't that the same as digging at the Imperium's roots?
He had to stop those bastards. Otherwise, if their scheme succeeded, even winning the war on New Dragonwood would count as a loss.
"Leave it to us."
Sanguinius and the other Primarchs nodded solemnly.
This duel had belonged to them from the beginning. It was also the final battle they had awaited for ten thousand years.
Then the Great Angel unfurled his wings and headed toward Horus's position with the other Primarchs.
Eden watched the Primarchs' departing backs and finally relaxed. Then he returned to the Chaos Throne.
That was the most important node.
He closed his eyes as if falling asleep, and his soul-consciousness returned to the Hope Sun.
Now, he had to face the battle that belonged to him: a war between gods of the Warp.
This time, no one could help him.
There was no avoiding it. The Machine Goddess and Goddess of Life Isha could offer only limited help, at most some support from the outer perimeter.
If he let them participate too deeply, the Chaos Gods would probably treat them like dessert.
Besides, the original purpose of those two lesser gods was to help humanity develop, not to participate in a life-and-death duel.
The Warp.
Eden controlled the King of Hell, who had nearly condensed into physical form. Everywhere in his field of vision, terrifying tides of Chaos surged and churned.
Because of the high-dimensional war between him and the Chaos Gods over authority, many regions had fallen into disorder.
That chaos had caused drastic changes across countless areas.
Even the consciousness of the Hope Sun found it difficult to probe distant regions. That was also why he had spent so much time searching earlier.
Fortunately, he had already found his target and knew where the Chaos Gods were hiding.
Eden controlled the King of Hell as he slowly advanced through the Warp. Every step crossed endless regions.
But he was extremely careful, doing his best not to stir the slightest ripple. Even the hellfire on his body had been extinguished.
This could prevent the Chaos Gods from discovering his movements and preparing in advance.
While traveling, Eden casually covered the mouth of an enormous void whale. He also frightened a lesser god shaped like an octopus.
That creature could be considered an old acquaintance. Back when Eden's Warp nature had still been weak, the thing had even tried to swallow him.
But times had changed. The difference in strength between the two sides had been overturned completely. They were no longer beings on the same dimension.
After Eden slapped the octopus lesser god across the face, the creature obediently lowered its head and did not dare make a sound.
The lesser god knew that the high-dimensional deity before it could easily destroy it, leaving it no chance to escape.
Before long, Eden saw the Chaos Gods.
The void screamed.
Khorne looked as though he had been forged from brass. Within his crimson skull-armor, billions of dead souls howled inside the cavities of his helm.
Every breath he took sprayed boiling sulfurous vapor, and his pupil-less blood eyes contained an endless hunger for slaughter.
Nurgle's hunched divine body was like a boundless mountain of rotting flesh. Pus and affection intertwined across him, and torn-open intestines coiled around countless filthy ruins.
The crown made of rotting giant flies above him buzzed with plague hymns, as if every smile of his could make a world rot and fester with maggots.
Slaanesh's exquisitely beautiful body spread endless desire. It flowed and shifted without cease. Around that body coiled countless lives locked in coupling and torment, exhausting every possible sensation and meaning.
It was the ultimate rapture erupting from the fall of billions of living beings. A single glance was enough to trigger a supreme sensory experience.
Tzeentch was formless. His body shimmered with ever-changing colors, countless threads of fate coiling around him, while billions of faces whispered different futures.
Blue flame burned within his crown. It was the manifestation of endless knowledge and wisdom, and layer upon layer of labyrinths spread around him.
Those four colossal figures stood in the void of Chaos, terrifying beyond measure. Any being who witnessed them would fall into madness and fear.
Or be utterly corrupted.
When Eden saw the Chaos Gods, he was not affected much. At most, when he looked at Slaanesh, his consciousness automatically began producing content that would seriously poison the youth of the Imperium.
He was a little nervous.
These were the true bodies of the Chaos Gods. All four of them had gathered, and he was about to clash with them.
If he made a single mistake, he would be finished.
Eden almost wanted to go back, but he could not avoid this battle. Or rather, this divine war.
The Chaos Gods were attacking the veil of the Dawnlight City Webway. Under the support of their authority, a powerful deep spiral was probing into the void.
That terrifying rotating energy dragged in the surrounding area and no small number of Warp life-forms.
It ground them all into dust.
"This sneak attack has to work..."
Eden held his breath and became even more cautious.
This might be his first direct confrontation with the Chaos Gods. No one knew what the consequences would be.
???
Suddenly, Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, sensed something. Countless eyes swept in Eden's direction, scanning one region after another.
However, he found nothing unusual and once again focused his attention on the deep spiral.
"Good thing I hid fast enough."
Eden was hiding in a turbulent region, badly startled. If he had reacted even a little slower just now, the Chaos Gods might have caught him.
If he was discovered in advance and surrounded by the Chaos Gods, this opportunity would very likely fail.
Even if he did not die, he would be badly mauled. More importantly, he would be unable to stop their attack on the Webway veil.
At that point, his home base might be lost.
Terra, which had just been transported to the Dawnlight City Webway, and the Emperor himself would also face unknown risks.
Eden waited patiently. After a while, he once again controlled the King of Hell and stepped out of the turbulent region, carefully approaching.
At this moment, the deep spiral's intensity had reached its limit. It madly churned this section of the void.
It perfectly concealed his traces.
As for the Changer of Ways' prophecy, Eden was even less worried. That guy's prophecies about him had never been accurate.
Now he was cautious to the extreme. Under the concealment of various authorities, even his movement was utterly silent.
If it were any other existence, this would have been impossible. But the Hope Sun's knockoff fusion had incorporated too much of the Chaos Gods' authority, allowing Eden to deeply understand the boundaries of divine authority.
That allowed him to do this and sneak closer in an extremely suspicious manner.
Soon, he reached a distance from which he could launch an attack.
If it had to be described concretely, the King of Hell looked like Tom Cat tiptoeing closer, sneaking forward with his eyebrows raised and a wicked grin on his face.
Bzzzz.
The void stirred. Eden launched his attack without hesitation.
The cruel, savage King of Hell raised his head. His crimson body, vast as endless mountain ranges, suddenly ignited with flame. The vicious black spines on his back seemed ready to pierce the void.
In an instant, the attack he had prepared for so long erupted.
It was formed from sacred flame, knockoff divine evil energy, and many other authorities, condensing into a spinning drill that shot out violently.
A sneak attack!
???
The Chaos Gods sensed danger approaching and immediately turned to resist, but it was already too late.
Pchhh!
The King of Hell's burning authority drill struck Grandfather Nurgle, the slowest to react. The erupting force of authority inflicted heart-piercing agony.
Grandfather Nurgle struggled to turn around. When he saw the spinning authority drill in his backside, he looked somewhat stunned.
Then his face turned from green to red. Clutching his rear, he jumped up with a howl, the sight truly tragic.
The Lord of Plagues had already been weakened, and now he had suffered a ruthless critical hit.
Even Khorne shuddered at the sight. That King of Hell was far too sinister and despicable.
Boom!
Even more troublesome was the fact that the deep spiral maintained by the Chaos Gods had also lost control under that violent disturbance. The resulting impact covered everything around them.
It swallowed the Chaos Gods and the King of Hell alike, while the uncontrolled authority sliced into their bodies.
The sudden attack enraged the Chaos Gods beyond measure.
Other than the Anathema, they could not remember how long it had been since they had suffered such provocation and assault.
What humiliation!
Run!
After succeeding with one strike, Eden excitedly controlled the King of Hell and charged outward through the chaotic spiral.
Staying here would only lead to him being surrounded and beaten.
"Savior!"
The Chaos Gods erupted at once. Khorne, the Blood God, roared and charged after the King of Hell with the other dark gods.
Driven by fury, his speed became terrifyingly fast. He tackled the fleeing King of Hell to the ground.
The two wills of authority entangled, unleashing a violent shockwave. The other Chaos Gods also pounced on him.
(End of Chapter)
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