Warhammer [552-554] (Patreon)

Chapter 552: Guilliman Arrives

The war was about to reach its climax—the time had come for Rhodes to close the net. Fulgrim's Slaanesh host, along with the Noise Marines, had joined the fray a month earlier.

They had formed a coalition with Abaddon's Chaos forces to strike toward the Imperium. In recent days, under the leadership of the Emperor's Avatar, the Aeldari Avatar of Khaine, and the enlarged Calgar—the Imperium struggled to hold the line.

Every Imperial soldier now fought sustained by a single belief: in the not-too-distant future, Lord Regent Roboute Guilliman would arrive. When the great Guilliman arrived, he would save them all.

"Warriors! Don't let these Chaos fiends break our lines. This battle is critical. We must hold until the Primarch arrives—until the Lord Regent arrives!" A Captain of the Ultramarines raised his chainsword and roared.

"For the Imperium!" "For the Emperor!"

Once more, the human defenders erupted with unimaginable morale and launched a counterattack against the Chaos army.

Calgar sighed helplessly at the sight. All of this was for the Imperium, for the human race.

No matter what, they had to win this war in the end.

At that moment, Guilliman's flagship, Gloriana-class Macragge's Honour, slowly sailed out of a warp rift. A massive fleet spread across the void, like a sword pointed at the Vigilus planet.

Guilliman had brought hundreds of thousands of Ultramarines, hundreds of Imperial Navy warships, and over a hundred million Imperial Guardsmen.

And those hundred million Guardsmen were not ordinary soldiers—they had all been injected with superhuman agents, a mortal army with strength comparable to that of the original Astartes.

"My Lord, we have reached the outskirts of Vigilus." the Fleet Admiral reported.

"But the warp fluctuations are extremely violent—the Chaos fleet is besieging Vigilus. A battle beyond imagination is raging here," said a naval officer watching the auspex screens.

He could hardly believe what he was seeing: endless hordes of daemons, endless Chaos Space Marines, madly assaulting the Imperium's bastion.

Guilliman stood at the bridge, eyes fixed on the burning world within the hololithic projection, his brow tightly knit. "Abaddon and Fulgrim… so they joined forces after all."

Vigilus was the key to victory in this war. Even while traversing the warp, he had paid close attention to the course of the battle.

If not for Rhodes's restraint, he would have used his psychic power many times to carve a faster path for the fleet.

Only when Rhodes told him not long ago that the time had come—that Fulgrim had fallen into their trap—did Guilliman advance at full speed, arriving roughly half a month earlier than planned to reach Vigilus at last.

"These accursed daemons—they seek to seize the sacred territories of the Imperium," a mortal naval officer said.

"But the Imperium will never let them succeed. The great Father of the Gene will lead us to defeat Chaos," an Ultramarine declared.

Guilliman nodded at their words. The Imperium's borders would not be violated; its majesty would not be trampled by Chaos.

"My Lord, high-energy reactions detected!" an Imperial Navy officer reported.

A Tech-Priest suddenly cried out, "It's…the Emperor's Avatar! He is on the planet's surface! In addition, there are many Aeldari—there's even an Avatar of Khaine."

A flicker of surprise crossed Guilliman's eyes, then turned to resolve. Rhodes had already informed him about the matter of the Eldar god of death—at such a critical juncture,

It was understandable that the Aeldari intervened; after all, Slaanesh's birth was inextricably tied to them.

And according to their ancient myths, the God of Death would end Slaanesh. In a way, the Eldar god was enacting their prophecy.

"All forces, prepare for planetary drop! Target: Vigilus surface! We must support the Emperor's Avatar! Support our xenos allies! Support the warriors of the Imperium!" Guilliman commanded.

"You heard the Primarch's order. Warriors, prepare to attack!"

"Ultramarines—deploy!"

At Guilliman's order, the Imperial fleet formed up. A storm of drop pods rained down. Hundreds of thousands of Ultramarines descended onto the battlefield.

…

"Hold fast, brothers! The Lord Regent is almost here!" Calgar roared. His power armor was battered and scarred, yet he still stood at the forefront,

A blue giant incarnate, he rallied the entire Chapter.

"For the Emperor!" an Ultramarines Captain shouted—only to be hewn in half by a Chaos Lord's axe. Despair began to spread.

And at the very moment the line was about to collapse—BOOM!

Countless drop pods slammed into the battlefield like meteors, the blue ceramite of Ultramarines gleaming through the fire.

"For Macragge! For the Emperor!" Guilliman's roar thundered across the battlefield. Wielding the Emperor's Sword, he led the elite guard into the foe. Golden flames danced along the blade; every stroke shattered several Chaos warriors.

"It's the Lord Regent—he's here!" The morale of the Imperial defenders surged in an instant.

"Counterattack! Counterattack! Lord Guilliman has arrived!"

At the same time, Guilliman's fleet executed orbital bombardments. Lance strikes and macrocannon salvos tore Chaos formations apart.

Abaddon's Black Legion was forced to pull back, while Fulgrim's daemon legions fell under constant pressure from the Emperor's Avatar.

Chaos Sorcerers quickly opened more warp rifts to summon additional daemons. Even so, their numbers still fell short of the Ultramarines—Guilliman had brought nearly the entire Chapter, hundreds of thousands strong.

Chants of dark sorcery resonated in the air; warp rifts split reality like wounds. Legions of twisted daemons poured out: Khorne's flesh hounds, Nurgle's pestilent hosts, even Tzeentch's horrific flux-spawn.

They howled and screeched, hurling themselves at the Imperial lines.

The Imperium had long been ready.

"Maintain formation! Overlapping fields of fire!" Ultramarine commanders ordered coolly.

Hundreds of thousands of blue-armored warriors formed an unbreakable battleline—a blue wall of steel. The thunder of bolter volleys shook the field, their interlocked fire nets shredding charging daemons.

Those that broke through were carved to pieces by power swords and chainswords.

Guilliman himself moved like a pillar of golden lightning, the Emperor's Sword blazing with sacred fire. Each swing reduced daemons to ashes with their dying shrieks.

His tactical mind worked at full speed, directing precise strikes against Chaos weak points.

Beside him, the Emperor's Avatar raised a burning golden greatsword; with a single swing, dozens of daemons crumbled to ash in holy flame.

Guilliman and the Avatar stood side by side, nodding once to each other before fighting in concert.

Guilliman then magnified himself as well; a dun-colored shield blossomed, protecting all human soldiers. The power of the Cosmic Black Tortoise manifested, its mighty energy barrier covering nearly every human warrior.

Behind him, the Imperial defenders and the Sisters of Silence held back the tidal Chaos onslaught.

The Eldar Avatar fought shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor's Avatar, blade held high. Numerous ordinary Aeldari supported the human soldiers, battling daemons at close quarters.

Suddenly, the heavens tore open—an immense warp vortex widened, and Fulgrim's daemon legions cascaded down like a storm.

Leading them was a figure in purple armor, wielding a runic daemonblade: Fulgrim. He had been utterly transformed.

A powerful purple Chaos divinity flowed through his body—the power of a Chaos God.

Fulgrim had indeed inherited Slaanesh's divine power, and that power was rending his body. Even a Primarch's form could not bear a Chaos God's full might once he fully fused with it.

Seeing the purple figure, Guilliman and the Emperor's Avatar exchanged a smile. The one they'd been waiting for had finally come. After so much effort—at last, they had lured this bastard in.

"Dogs of the False Emperor—your end has come!"

Fulgrim's voice rolled over the battlefield. He leveled the daemonblade Kingslayer at the Emperor's Avatar.

"Fulgrim… look at you now.

Vile. You've become what humanity despises most—a thoroughgoing daemon." The Avatar's voice was deep and commanding.

"Your fall will meet its end," Guilliman snorted.

"End? No—imitation," Fulgrim laughed. "You're nothing but a weapon of war imbued with a fragment of my father's power. Spare me your lectures.

The one who ends here today is you. And you, Guilliman—ten thousand years ago I failed to kill you. Today, you won't escape. No one will save you. This time you die by my hand."

The Emperor's Avatar wasted no words. He raised his golden greatsword and unleashed a cleaving arc—golden sword-light raced toward Fulgrim. Fulgrim, not to be outdone, drew his runic daemonblade and met the strike.

Two divine forces collided with a roar. A storm of gold and violet energy swept the battlefield; even the earth cracked apart.

The Avatar's golden power began to dissipate before Fulgrim's violet Chaos divinity. Strong as the Avatar was, he faced Fulgrim, who had already absorbed more than half of a Chaos God's power.

Guilliman snorted, stepped beside the Avatar, and unleashed dun-colored power: the Cosmic Beast Black Tortoise appeared, forming a great protective membrane that screened out the Chaos power.

"The outcome is far from decided, Fulgrim. You don't think this is enough to win, do you?

 Today is your death day—not mine," Guilliman declared.

Chapter 553: Crushing the Eldar God of Death

"Fulgrim, the moment you set foot on this field, the ending was fixed. The Imperium paid dearly and set so much in motion just to draw you out."

"Guilliman, you think I don't know this is a trap? And you think this is enough to take me down? How much do you really know about my power?

 Ten thousand years ago, when you suffered a miserable defeat at my hands, weren't you just as confident as today? I still remember what you said when you boarded my ship!" Fulgrim said.

Back then, he had given Guilliman several chances to flee; Guilliman insisted on a duel and ended up finished.

Among all the Primarchs, his record was the proudest—he alone had slain two Primarchs. Granted, one had since returned.

From the start, Fulgrim knew this was a trap. The Emperor must have discovered he was about to gain a Chaos godhead and feared he would devour humanity's souls.

My father—do you truly grasp the strength I now possess? Unless you rise from the Golden Throne, there is no one in the Imperium who can match me.

Even with only half a Chaos godhead fused, he had been acknowledged by Chaos law. Becoming a Chaos God was only a matter of time.

Even knowing it was a trap, Fulgrim still came. That was the Phoenix's confidence.

Even if they cast a net of heaven and earth, he believed he could escape—and take what he wanted.

"You think gaining a Dark God's power lets you do as you please? That power will make you something no longer human. You already are." Guilliman said.

"I know you, too, have gained new power. You've even awakened your warp essence—accepted yourself, accepted your identity as a warp divinity," Fulgrim said.

He knew of those so-called Cosmic Beasts; in recent years, Primarchs had often wielded their power in battle. They were special lifeforms akin to the Necrons' star gods, able to manipulate various energies of realspace.

One such beast, fused with a normal human, could uplift that human into a superhuman—far beyond an Astartes. Seeds taken from their genes could even produce Astartes.

Guilliman's power focused on defense—very fitting for his character. Not everyone could take the hardest hits and live.

"New Slaanesh—you are doomed to die by my hand, and today is the day the prophecy is fulfilled. Here and now I will annihilate you," the Eldar Avatar of Khaine pointed his Sword of Death at Fulgrim and spoke.

He had waited too long for this day. If Slaanesh were still at full power, still in the stature of a Chaos God, he could never kill it—unless born anew with the sacrifice of the entire Aeldari race.

But now the chance had come. For reasons unknown, Slaanesh had indeed relinquished its godhead.

And this nascent Slaanesh—before he fully matured, before fully fusing the godhead—was vulnerable.

The Avatar of Khaine deemed this a once-in-a-millennium opportunity; hence he had come to Vigilus to fight alongside humanity.

"Eldar god of death? A mere jumping clown. Even if all your gods revived together, I could put you all down again," Fulgrim said.

Fulgrim was supremely arrogant. What Slaanesh had once done, he saw no reason he could not. He would surpass his predecessor.

He would prove to all that he was the strongest being in the universe; he had only lacked the opportunity before.

"Enough talk! Today, you will not escape," the Eldar god snorted and surged forward, Sword of Death blazing with the power of mortality.

Fulgrim sneered and unleashed a surge of violet-crimson Chaos power. The terrifying blast struck the Eldar god, hurling him away in an instant.

No one expected it—the god of death had uttered the boldest words and then took the harshest beating, defeated in a single exchange.

"Impossible—you haven't become a full Chaos God. How can you wield such power?" the Eldar god cried, aghast.

He could not believe it—the foe had merely lifted a hand and swatted him aside.

"How much do you understand of my power, little god? I am the first in this universe to be chosen by Chaos's divine power, by a Chaos godhead—the man about to become a Chaos God.

This has never happened before. I am the first. I have fused more than half the godhead!

 Right now, if I will it, I can wield half of Slaanesh's power. And this half—through my body—can be perfectly expressed in realspace!

So did you truly think this trap could handle me? You—a tiny Eldar god?" Fulgrim laughed madly.

"I don't believe it!" the Eldar god roared, his sword blazing as he charged again.

The Sword of Death erupted with blinding pallid light. His form flickered between warp and realspace, each blink trailing ripples of mortal unmaking.

Fulgrim merely lifted a left hand adorned with amethyst, Chaos energy congealing into a twisted mirror.

"Pitiful ant. The gap between us is like that between an insect and a god."

The moment the Sword of Death touched the mirror, its blade warped like melting wax.

Eyes wide, the Eldar god leapt back, gathered all his divinity into the sword, and slashed for Fulgrim's head.

Fulgrim only tilted his head, lips curling in scorn. Violet-red Chaos power snaked from his fingertips, shaping into a warped barrier that stopped the god's strike cold.

"Your power of death is a child's toy before me."

The instant the sword pierced the barrier, its blade crumbled like rotted wood. The pale energy was devoured by the god's corruptive force.

The Eldar god's pupils tightened. An irresistible taint crept up the hilt; he felt unimaginable corruption invading his form.

"No—!" he howled, trying to break away.

Fulgrim traced a line with one finger. A lash of violet-black energy cracked across the god's chest, flinging him thousands of meters into the ruins of a shattered bastion.

"Death God!" Guilliman barked, his form streaking blue and gold as he sprinted to the ruins with incredible speed.

The Armor of Fate flickered with wards against the corrupting energies; the Emperor's Sword burned with pure warp-fire.

Fulgrim waved a hand, launching a storm of violet-red spikes from the ground to intercept. But Guilliman was ready—his Cosmic Beast Black Tortoise raised the "Firmament Shield," a brilliant ward that shattered the spikes.

The beasts' powers were highly suppressive against warp energies; even Slaanesh's divinity failed to penetrate.

Guilliman reached the Eldar god, seizing his battered form. The god's body was being eaten away by Chaos; purple lines crawled over pallid skin.

Startled, Guilliman poured the Black Tortoise's power into him to scour away the corruption.

Only then did the god's life stabilize. Otherwise, Fulgrim's power might have consumed him entirely.

They might both be called "true gods," but the Eldar deities were no match for the Chaos Powers.

Fulgrim stood alone at the center of the battlefield, Chaos energies roiling as his laughter echoed through the ruins.

"Father, do you see? This is the power you once refused… and now, it will be mine." A terrifying surge of warp energy erupted from him.

Violet-red power shrouded the entire Vigilus system, twisting both warp and reality.

"Hahaha! You think I'd come unprepared? You want to lure me into realspace—but why should I not drag you into the warp?" Fulgrim declared.

Having fused over half a Chaos God's power, Fulgrim could now do much—like ripping open a rift to realspace and dragging a planet into the Sea of Souls.

The Emperor's Avatar frowned at once, raised his golden blade, and unleashed sacred psychic light to push back Fulgrim's influence and pull Vigilus back into realspace.

A flash of gold—and twelve more Avatars of the Emperor appeared across the battlefield.

Together with the first, they raised their golden swords,

Forming a vast energy barrier that enshrouded the entire planet.

With that, the Emperor himself could, through his avatars, wield more direct influence over Vigilus.

A golden portal opened. Rhodes stepped through with Tartarus.

At their side came a black-armored swordsman—the Dark Emperor of the Otherverse: the Alien Empera.

Chapter 554: The Dark Emperor vs. Fulgrim

The appearance of twelve towering, golden Emperors further rallied the Imperium. Their interlocking sword-net hauled Vigilus back from the warp's grasp.

After the twelve Avatars arrived, the Emperor could channel his power through them to intervene directly on Vigilus.

Rhodes's sudden arrival drew little notice from Chaos forces and mortal soldiers alike; only Fulgrim truly sensed them.

Rhodes masked his aura; Fulgrim detected no great power from him, nor from Tartarus. But the black-armored giant—the Alien Empera—felt utterly different.

An indescribable darkness, ultimate and absolute, emanated from the giant.

A terrifying power radiated from him, its point aimed squarely at Fulgrim, pressure gathering upon him alone.

"This opponent looks promising, master. I think he can withstand my new power," said the Alien Empera.

"He's only fused half a Chaos godhead. His body can't express the full might of a Dark God. If it were a peak Chaos God, you wouldn't be a match," Rhodes replied.

The Dark Emperor was indeed powerful—but not enough to defeat a full Chaos God. Bullying Fulgrim was fine. Besides, Tartarus stood ready, and the Emperor would lend psychic aid. Other Primarchs could be ported in at any time.

Guilliman was right—the moment Fulgrim appeared here, his defeat was sealed.

Crimson sigils pulsed over the Alien Empera's sable armor; Tartarus crossed his hands, projecting a golden chrono-spatial field.

The triad of extradimensional forces resonated with the Emperor's planetary ward. Vigilus was now utterly stabilized.

At this point, even fleeing into the warp was no longer possible for Fulgrim.

Fulgrim felt the strange energy at once. His link to the warp was damped. The Emperor's power, plus the black giant's and the golden giant's, blocked his passage to the warp.

"Who are you? Why target me? What do you gain?" Fulgrim growled.

This newcomer was no gutter god like the Eldar Avatar—his power gave even Fulgrim pause.

"Who am I? I'm the one who's about to kill you. I hear you're proud of your swordsmanship—care to test it?" the Dark Emperor sneered, drawing the Empera Blade.

He strode up to Fulgrim, lifting a hand. He was the Dark Emperor—but also a proud swordsman.

To cross blades with a strong foe—nothing more desirable.

"You're unworthy to duel the father of perfection! I'll take your place!" A Chaos Champion leapt to answer.

But the Dark Emperor's aura alone corroded him to nothing—his body dissolved into black void.

That terrifying darkness spread. Chaos Marines and Sorcerers recoiled in terror; none dared face it.

It was a power more dreadful than the warp—it would dismantle you entirely, a force of extreme evil, darkness, and distortion.

A colossal darkness from the Ultra Universe.

"Hahah! Feel my darkness!" the Dark Emperor barked. Raising his blade, a pall of black cloud covered the battlefield.

The whole world dimmed; Vigilus fell into shadow. Even the star's light could not pierce it. troops wavered in fear, but a dozen Emperors shone with gold, restoring hope, and the soldiers rallied behind them.

This creature of pure darkness appeared to be opposing Fulgrim—friend or foe, they could not tell.

Mortals knew nothing of Rhodes's plan, nor that the Alien Empera was on their side.

Rhodes nodded to Guilliman, who understood at once and ordered the Ultramarines to withdraw. This battle was beyond their remit now.

"Be careful, Rhodes. Fulgrim is no easy foe now. Is your subordinate up to it?" Guilliman asked after repositioning Imperial forces.

"Relax. He's called the Dark Emperor for a reason—his combat power is off the charts," Rhodes said.

"Emperor of the Universe? That title… forget it," Guilliman shook his head.

The Dark Emperor did look a bit like his father. After all, his old man was a dark lord, too.

On the other side, Fulgrim and the Alien Empera faced off, weapons in hand.

"I'll give you one chance—submit to me, and I will grant you unimaginable power," Fulgrim said.

"Hahaha! Funniest thing I've heard. You, make me submit? Not qualified. I'll take your head," the Alien Empera raised his Empera Blade.

As if you could make me kneel? If not for the System, even my master might not have my wholehearted fealty.

Steel rang.

The Empera Blade clashed with the daemonblade, two opposing dark powers exploding into a kilometer-wide shock ring across Vigilus's surface.

Fulgrim's serpentine pupils narrowed. The dark red lightning coiling around his foe's blade impeded his proud Chaos power. This was no warp energy—but some purer cosmic dark matter,

A darkness he had never seen or heard of.

"Let's hope you make this interesting," the Phoenix Lord's bat wings snapped open, sulfurous fire belching beneath purple-black scales.

"That's my line. Don't disappoint me—I expect you to be entertaining," the Alien Empera growled.

Fulgrim's daemonblade slashed, rending reality; warp filth coiled like serpents along its edge.

The Alien Empera only sneered. His blade erupted with a flood of dark-red energy, cleaving the Chaos force apart.

Clang!

The god-weapons met again. Shockwaves scoured the field; the ground crazed and stones rose into the air.

Fulgrim's pupils tightened—the black-armored warrior's strength matched his own.

"Your swordsmanship is indeed impressive," the Alien Empera's deep voice rolled across the field.

This one's technique was among the greatest he had seen.

"Much obliged. You're not bad yourself." Fulgrim snarled, wings lashing as he blurred into a violet afterimage,

Instantly circling to the Alien Empera's back, thrusting for his heart.

But the Dark Emperor didn't even look. A slight sidestep—then a reverse slash.

Boom!

Dark powers collided again. Fulgrim skidded back dozens of meters, gouging trenches beneath his feet. His expression finally grew grave.

"Seems I should get serious," the Alien Empera said coolly.

"Slaanesh's divine power—unleashed!" Fulgrim roared, violet light flaring as he fully released his Chaos might.

His body swelled; purple-black scales grew more grotesque; Chaos power burned like fire. His speed spiked; his sword left countless afterimages, striking from every angle.

The Dark Emperor stood unshaken. His blade spun in tight arcs, every parry precise, sparks fountaining.

"Try this," the Alien Empera rumbled.

"What!"

The Dark Emperor raised a hand. A jet-black lightning bolt burst from his palm and slammed into Fulgrim's chest.

"Dark Destruction Bolt!"

If you thought I only knew swordplay, you were sorely mistaken. Dark energy is my specialty.

Fulgrim was blasted back, then rose again, glowering hatefully at the Dark Emperor.

The Alien Empera's black cloak snapped in the wind. The ground beneath his feet collapsed into a web of cracks. Both warriors broke the sound barrier and surged into the sky, their clashing blades sketching unbroken lines of light across the dim vault.

Tartarus shaped a golden cube between his palms. "Master, shall I use Absolute Annihilation?"

If he wished, he could erase every daemon and Chaos Marine present in an instant. The warp gates were sealed entirely; the Emperor's power and his own had locked space down—there was nowhere for the monsters to flee.

"No need. I'll handle this myself," Rhodes smiled.

If Tartarus did the killing, none of the daemons or Chaos Marines would count toward the system's reward currency. No way he'd allow that.

High above, tens of thousands of meters up, Fulgrim's serpents writhed in the near-vacuum. Each thrust carried Slaanesh's divinity, trailing a pink-violet corrosive wake through the fabric of reality.

"Interesting… very interesting. You're stronger than I expected!" Fulgrim said.

The Alien Empera sneered.