Warhammer [440-442] (Patreon)

Chapter 440: Tartarus Acts—Absolute Annihilation, Void Dragon Relocated

"That guy is no good, Rhodes. Back in the day, I was framed and corrupted by him," Horus said grimly.

If Logar is a good person, then what does that make Horus? A clown? If it weren't for that bastard, he wouldn't have fallen for the scheme back then!

"It's not as simple as you think, Rhodes. Logar is nothing like Magnus. He's a fanatic worshiper of the gods—he only follows those stronger than himself! He'll only follow you if you're willing to be his god. The Ecclesiarchy has been using his scriptures, but some content has still been modified," Guilliman explained.

Only the Primarchs knew the full truth. The destruction of the Monarchia was a sealed chapter in Imperial history. How did Rhodes even learn about it? Did the Emperor tell him?

In fact, the Emperor himself was puzzled. He never told Rhodes anything about Logar—not even a word.

The Ecclesiarchy's current scriptures were indeed unearthed through archaeology. The founders of the Ecclesiarchy believed them to be divine gifts from the Emperor. In reality, they were written by Logar. Though the Monarchia was destroyed, these texts were secretly preserved.

To be honest, without these scriptures, the Emperor would never have become so powerful. He suspected Guilliman might have told Rhodes on Macragge; after all, Guilliman participated in the annihilation of the Monarchia.

"Maybe we can give him a chance—see if he'd be willing to return and lead the Ecclesiarchy. The Emperor's situation is different now; he needs humanity's faith more than ever," Rhodes suggested.

"Absolutely not!" Guilliman, Magnus, Horus, Sanguinius, Lion El'Jonson, and Vulkan all shook their heads firmly.

On the Golden Throne, the Emperor fell silent. No one knew better than him how fervently Logar worshiped him. Back then, the Emperor sought to sever humanity's ties to the gods—he could never become a god himself, only a monarch of men.

But now, sitting on the Golden Throne and suppressing the Dark King to save the universe from destruction, humanity truly needed the Ecclesiarchy's support.

The miracles performed by the Sisters of Battle on the battlefield weren't a one-off. Most of the Emperor's Living Saints came from the Sisters of Battle. The Cursed Legions were made up of fallen but valiant Imperial soldiers, mainly Astartes.

"Rather than persuading Logar to return, why not try reviving Ferrus Manus?" Lion El'Jonson suggested.

None of the Primarchs liked Logar. If any Primarch should be revived next, Ferrus Manus was the best candidate.

Logar was only good at preaching and founding sects; his combat ability was at the bottom among Primarchs. Even Guilliman, before Rhodes enhanced him, could beat Logar easily, and Logar was also a notorious coward.

Ferrus Manus, on the other hand, was popular, steady, and among the top in combat strength.

"Father! Lion is right. Ferrus Manus should be revivable, right? You still have his soul, don't you?" Sanguinius asked.

"Ferrus Manus's soul is indeed here, but his situation is different from yours. He was utterly killed by Fulgrim," the Emperor said.

Ferrus Manus had volunteered to join the Cursed Legion, gaining a warp body to help the Emperor fight. Reviving him was just as difficult as reviving Sanguinius.

Perhaps the perfect resurrection method Rhodes once mentioned could be used, but the Emperor would rather use that chance on his own Regent, Malcador.

"We'll discuss this later. My children, it's time for you to deal with the Void Dragon," the Emperor said.

He planned to discuss this with Rhodes privately later. The Emperor was uneasy that so many things now depended on Rhodes. Once, it was the Emperor himself that held the Imperium together.

Rhodes was strong now, but compared to the Emperor at his prime, he was still lacking—especially in psychic power. As for physical strength, Rhodes surpassed him, but as an immortal, the Emperor could still hold his own.

"Alright, let's get started. I'll have Tartarus move the Void Dragon, and the rest of us will clean up the Martian traitors," Rhodes said.

At this point, it was clear who was loyal to the Emperor and who had rebelled—they could be purged.

"Be careful! Remember, do not use any technological items when fighting the Void Dragon. Only rely on the power of your cosmic beast forms!" the Emperor warned.

The main reason for this assault was that all the Primarchs, after fusing with cosmic beasts, could use their powers to manifest personalized power armor and weapons, and unleash elemental and psychic attacks.

If you relied solely on technology, no matter how advanced, it was useless against the Void Dragon. When the Emperor won in the past, it was because he limited the Void Dragon—humans had no technology back then, only primitive ironworking.

This allowed the Emperor to use powerful psychic powers, which were more effective.

Everyone nodded, then collectively transformed into their cosmic beast forms and, led by Rhodes, headed to the battlefield.

In the void, Tartarus waved his hand to open a golden portal, teleporting Rhodes and the Primarchs through it.

He then appeared above Mars, radiating golden light so intense that his face was hidden.

Upon seeing the golden-armored giant floating in the sky, all the Sisters of Battle, Space Marines, and loyalist Ecclesiarchy guards burst into excitement.

"By the Emperor!"

"Look, warriors! The Emperor watches us! How can we not win for him?"

"For the Emperor! Destroy the enemies of the Imperium!" roared the leading Sister Superior, firing her bolter at the traitors.

Other human forces were equally inspired.

"No, impossible. The Emperor sits on the Golden Throne. That can't be him," said a Mechanicus Magos, 96% machine.

"Haven't you heard of the Emperor's avatars? He appeared at Cadia, at the gates of Holy Terra! We're not far from Terra—the Custodes will arrive soon. Traitors, you're doomed!" a Space Marine declared.

Many Space Marines training on Mars were from Rhodes' own legion. Rhodes had divided his legion into chapters and brigades; each chapter sent Marines to Mars for training as future tech-sergeants.

Tartarus, floating in the sky, sneered and began to gather immense power in his hand.

A golden light, interlaced with lightning, illuminated all of Mars' sky—this was Tartarus's ultimate move, Absolute Annihilation. He could adjust its power at will; at full strength, he could shatter a planet, or at minimum, not even harm a super being.

"ROAR!" The Void Dragon on Mars's surface sensed the threat, shrinking its massive form to a hundred meters tall and charging a silver energy sphere in its mouth.

"Absolute Annihilation!" Tartarus shouted, unleashing countless golden lightning bolts.

The Void Dragon spat out its silver energy sphere. The gold and silver energies clashed in space, generating a shockwave that blew all mortals on the planet away. Those closer were ejected into space itself. The golden lightning quickly overwhelmed the silver energy.

The golden lightning struck the Void Dragon hard, making this C'tan fragment scream in agony.

Tartarus pressed the attack, firing a golden shockwave from his palm, lifting the Void Dragon off Mars and opening a giant golden portal.

"ROAR! How dare you wound me? I'll kill you!" the Void Dragon roared at the golden giant.

Since the dawn of the universe, it had never seen such a golden being. What was this thing?

"Your opponent isn't me. Now, please go to your designated battlefield!" Tartarus sneered, hurling the Void Dragon through the golden portal and sealing it.

On Mars, the Mechanicus traitors who had followed the Void Dragon were stunned.

Seriously? Their boss was dealt with so quickly? From start to finish, their leader had been suppressed by this golden being. Was the Emperor truly this powerful?

"Traitors, prepare for the Emperor's judgment! You must pay for your crimes!"

"Face the Emperor's wrath!"

Countless Sisters of Battle and Space Marines roared, charging the Martian traitors.

With the Void Dragon gone, Tartarus opened another giant golden portal, anchoring it on Mars' surface.

Marching out from the portal were squads of Custodes in golden armor, wielding enormous weapons.

"The symbol of the Emperor is here!"

The Custodes' arrival greatly boosted loyalist morale. For the traitors, it was a disaster.

After the Custodes, black-armored Dark Angels emerged—veterans of millennia, though only some had received the new Astartes upgrades, most were still original pattern Marines. Even so, they were more than enough to deal with the Martian traitors.

"By the order of the Emperor, all Martian Mechanicus traitors are sentenced to death," announced Custodes Captain Ultraman.

"For the Emperor! Destroy the traitors!"

The Custodes charged, weapons at the ready. Their orders were clear—purge all traitors, protect the survivors among the loyal Mechanicus, Sisters, and Marines.

For the first time in millennia, the Custodes marched from Holy Terra to intervene on a foreign battlefield.

The lead Custodes suddenly grew, transforming into 60-meter-tall giants, unleashing energy blasts at the traitors.

In moments, the Martian traitors were thrown into chaos and suffered heavy losses.

"No! Don't kill us, mighty Custodes! We surrender! This wasn't our intention. We were deceived by the so-called Omnissiah—he's no god, but a monstrous Xenos!" Some Mechanicus Magi who had surrendered to the Void Dragon quickly switched sides.

"We accept your surrender, but even in surrender, you must be judged by the Emperor. You will be destroyed," the Custodes replied. Such turncoats had no right to return to the Golden Throne.

With Custodes and Dark Angels joining the fight, the battle became a slaughter. Martian traitors fell in droves.

…

Meanwhile, in a red giant system hundreds of light-years from Terra, the Void Dragon and the Primarchs were teleported in.

Everyone had grown to gigantic size, wrapped in cosmic beast armor.

"I'll lead the charge!" Sanguinius, ahead of Lion, spread his golden wings, flames roaring around him, and rushed at the Void Dragon with his greatsword.

The Void Dragon snorted, swinging its massive fists to meet Sanguinius.

The Void Dragon was strong, but against a super-being and a god of order, it was evenly matched at first.

Chapter 441: Beast-Fused Primarchs vs Void Dragon

After their first clash, Sanguinius became a golden-red blur, rapidly slashing the Void Dragon.

Even without his beast fusion, Sanguinius was the fastest Primarch, his wings giving him a massive edge. He was used to fighting foes dozens of times his size—he'd even soloed Emperor-class Titans in training, taking them apart multiple times.

In raw power, Primarchs couldn't match Emperor-class Titans, but Sanguinius's speed and flight made him untouchable, while his power sword and bolters could harm Titans.

Fused with his cosmic beast, Sanguinius reached 70 meters tall, with a wingspan over 140 meters. In space, his speed and agility soared.

He slashed the Void Dragon repeatedly, causing significant damage. Apart from the initial melee, Sanguinius kept his distance, using hit-and-run tactics. Despite his bold personality, he fought smart.

The Void Dragon was huge and fast, but against Sanguinius he was outmatched—Sanguinius's speed exceeded hundreds of times the speed of sound. As a super-being, his top speed was near light-speed.

So, maintaining a few hundred times sonic speed in battle was easy.

The golden-red blur darted around, while the kilometer-tall Void Dragon flailed helplessly, destroying asteroids with its attacks. The shockwaves alone would obliterate any mortal on contact, but for super-beings, they were nothing. Sanguinius's psychic attacks occasionally struck home too.

Is that all you've got? Or am I just too strong now?" Sanguinius taunted, hurling energy spheres infused with cosmic beast and psychic power at the Void Dragon, slashing it with his greatsword.

No matter how many wounds Sanguinius inflicted, the Void Dragon's body quickly regenerated using the energies of realspace.

"What are you, little insect? What kind of creature are you? Are you related to us C'tan? What are you?" the Void Dragon demanded.

From Sanguinius, it sensed the familiar laws of realspace—the ultimate energy of the universe, once exclusive to the C'tan, now present in their fragments. But it also sensed the hated power of the warp—psychic energy at a godlike level, the only type that could harm it.

Normal psykers were nothing to it; C'tan suppressed all such power. But this was strange—physical and warp energy should be mutually exclusive, yet Sanguinius wielded both.

"I am a Primarch, son of the human Emperor. Nothing more," Sanguinius replied.

This Void Dragon was odd—it had taken countless attacks and psychic blasts, but didn't seem fazed.

"Human? Don't be ridiculous. No human could be like you. Even the one who sealed me wasn't as strong as you physically," the Void Dragon scoffed. Humans were weak, nothing like this.

Sanguinius ignored him, continuing his assault. If you can heal a thousand times, I'll cut you a thousand and one.

"This Void Dragon doesn't seem that tough!" Lion said, regretting letting Sanguinius take the first round.

"Only Sanguinius, Horus, or Rhodes could handle this so easily—they can freely fly in space," Guilliman explained.

He, Lion, Vulkan, and Magnus all fused with land-based cosmic beasts. They could survive and float in space short-term, but not fly freely or break the sound barrier.

In space, only those with wings could maneuver like Sanguinius. If Lion fought the Void Dragon head-on, he'd be outmatched. Only Sanguinius could run rings around it—he was the only Primarch who could solo an Emperor-class Titan.

"It's not as easy as it looks. The Void Dragon's energy hasn't diminished at all. Even as a fragment, C'tan have infinite energy as long as realspace exists," Rhodes noted.

Sanguinius, even fused with a cosmic beast, couldn't overpower the Void Dragon like he could a Titan. They weren't even on the same level. Even as fragments, C'tan had endless energy; that's why the Necrons imprisoned them and drew on their power indefinitely.

"Rhodes is right, this battle isn't over. The Void Dragon is more curious about Sanguinius than anything," Horus said.

Before Rhodes arrived, Warhammer never had the concept of super-beings. In physical strength, the C'tan were the strongest. Among mortals, the Emperor and the Primarchs were unmatched—even the Eldar couldn't compare.

As they chatted, the situation changed—the Void Dragon figured out Sanguinius's power and shrank to a hundred-meter-tall giant, radiating metallic light, a halo on its back, and a strange eye on its head.

"Round two starts now!" the Void Dragon declared, turning into a silver blur and charging Sanguinius. Its speed now matched Sanguinius.

Sanguinius barely blocked with his sword but was sent flying, and before he could recover, the Void Dragon struck again.

Moments ago, Sanguinius dominated; now, it was the reverse—the Void Dragon's speed surpassed his, beating him mercilessly.

Hundreds of times sonic speed? C'tan moved faster than light in space.

"You are very strong—even physically stronger than the one who sealed me. Your psychic power is a bit less, but not by much," the Void Dragon admitted.

Indeed, the one who sealed it could not defeat it alone. Back then, many immortals joined the siege, exhausting the Void Dragon until the Emperor dealt the final blow.

"Let's join in. Sanguinius is losing ground," Horus said to Rhodes, transforming into a 60-meter-tall golden giant. He fired an L-shaped energy beam at the Void Dragon.

The Void Dragon quickly dodged, sensing this was a power that could kill it.

Chapter 442: Unexpected Allies—Defeating the Void Dragon

With Horus joining, the rest of the Primarchs attacked as well. The Emperor wanted to ensure the Void Dragon's destruction, assembling a formidable force.

Guilliman shone with ochre light, using his cosmic Black Tortoise power to shield all his brothers with powerful energy barriers—stronger than void or psychic shields.

Magnus and Elena, after transforming, stood at the edge, launching waves of freezing attacks to slow the Void Dragon. Both had the weakest bodies among Primarchs, so they stuck to ranged attacks. Magnus, besides ice, unleashed powerful psychic assaults—second only to the Emperor.

Ice and psychic blasts rained down on the Void Dragon. Psychic energy was the most effective.

Lion El'Jonson and Vulkan, transformed, charged in. After fusing with the fire beast Golza, Vulkan was 80 meters tall, his weapons wreathed in flame. He smashed his hammer into the Void Dragon's belly, making it howl across the cosmos.

Lion raised his Tiger Soul Blade, surrounded by blue-white lightning—White Tiger wasn't just lethal, but also electric. Lion was like a thunder god.

"Come on, Xenos! Face me, the Emperor's firstborn, the First Primarch!" Lion roared, slashing and tearing at the monster, electricity and cold slowing the C'tan fragment to a crawl. Every Primarch used psychic attacks—the Emperor taught that psychic power was the best weapon against the Void Dragon.

Rhodes teleported around, building up energy, sometimes striking with his Steel-Breaking Fist or Ultra Shockwave, both infused with the Emperor's golden psychic energy—devastating to the Void Dragon.

Horus watched for openings, firing golden beams that the Void Dragon desperately avoided—one hit would mean defeat.

But dodging Horus meant taking hits from everyone else. The team effort battered the Void Dragon, with Guilliman tanking, shielding everyone.

Vulkan, Sanguinius, Lion, and Rhodes handled melee, while Rhodes and Sanguinius also healed with Phoenix Fire.

Magnus, Elena, and Horus provided ranged fire.

The Emperor summoned two avatars to join the melee.

Tartarus opened a portal, summoning Huron from Rhodes' territory, plus Magnus's former gene-son Ahriman, and Yvraine.

Yvraine, whom the Primarchs had met before, leapt into the fray wielding twin swords.

The other two drew curiosity. Ahriman was well-known.

"Don't worry—they're my subordinates. Focus on the Void Dragon," Rhodes said.

The newcomers joined the fight. Ahriman, fused with a cosmic beast, was almost as powerful psychically as Magnus. Huron, after Rhodes's modifications, was also formidable.

With these reinforcements, victory was assured.

"Ahriman, is that you? You follow Rhodes now?" Magnus asked, looking at his once-proud gene-son, the Thousand Sons' greatest sorcerer.

"Just focus on the fight, Father. I no longer have a gene-seed. With the cosmic beast's power, I'm a super-being on the level of a Primarch," Ahriman replied, fighting beside Magnus.

How nostalgic—last time they fought together was ten thousand years ago.

"Returning to the Imperium under Rhodes was the right choice," Magnus nodded. He was glad his gene-son had come back, even if not to his side.

"I'll keep trying to save those brothers who can be saved," Ahriman said while casting spells, testing Magnus's attitude.

"If you need my help, just ask," Magnus replied, understanding Ahriman's intentions. Magnus's answer pleased Ahriman.

"The cosmic beast's power can purify Chaos. If you're willing to help, I'll call on you," Ahriman said.

"Understood. What's your current identity?"

"I no longer use my old name. Lord Rhodes calls me Arim, and I'm his legion's chief strategist," Arim replied.

With this farewell to his gene-father, the name Ahriman was now history—he would serve Rhodes under a new identity.

He would not form his own Astartes legion, nor would the Emperor or Imperium allow it.

Magnus nodded and focused his rage into even fiercer attacks on the Void Dragon.

Arim smiled, wielding his staff to support Magnus in the assault.

"I've invented new sorcerer powers—some can control Chaos daemons. I'll teach you later."

"Good," Arim nodded. The name Ahriman was truly in the past now. The father and son had said their last goodbye; now they were like strangers.

"Curse you mortals! How dare you harm a god!" the Void Dragon raged. The battle had turned against him. He tried to escape, but found space itself sealed by some powerful force, unable to use C'tan powers to leave.

Staying meant certain defeat.

"You can't escape, Xenos. From the moment you tried to corrupt humanity, your fate was sealed," Rhodes sneered, unleashing his Steel-Breaking Fist.

A giant golden bull crashed into the Void Dragon, and the moment it faltered, freezing power immobilized its legs. Psychic binds, a flaming greatsword, and a warhammer pinned its arms, while a massive blade stabbed its chest, electricity surging and paralyzing it.

"Now, Horus—finish it!" Rhodes shouted.

Horus nodded, crossing his hands and forming a circle midair, golden energy gathering in his arms, then unleashing a powerful L-shaped beam.

The golden beam struck the Void Dragon, and the other Primarchs withdrew. The Void Dragon's body collapsed, unable to maintain its condensed form, losing all ability to fight.

Horus's ultimate attack, even at full power, would be deadly to the real Void Dragon, let alone a fragment.

The once-mighty Void Dragon was finished.

"We've won this war!" Lion declared.

"Yes, now release your cosmic beasts to suppress his power," Rhodes said, summoning his high-level cosmic beasts, and the others did the same.

Beasts that had already absorbed some C'tan fragments took the lead in suppressing the Void Dragon, helping the others to absorb C'tan energy.