CRACK!
A sharp, cracking sound echoed through the silent grand hall.
Instantly, the Iron Hands, whose aggressive proximity was making the Ultramarines anxious, and the Space Wolf Dreadnought, who was busy throttling Metellus, all ceased their actions.
"Huu... We've already sent someone to file for the cancellation, but he's probably still en route," Metellus finally managed to explain. This sort of bureaucratic mess would likely take decades to resolve.
But a moment later, he too froze. Because right at that moment...
A fiery red meteor descended from the heavens, smashing violently into the prosperous cityscape of Macragge.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
With a sky-shaking bellow, a towering crimson figure slowly rose from the ruins and began to furiously attack everything around it.
"The Daemon Primarch, Angron!!!" Calgar cried out in alarm. The faces of every Ultramarine contorted with rage.
This wasn't just a reaction to Angron's sudden appearance; they had a blood feud with this Daemon Primarch. Setting aside the Battle of Calth, their own gene-father had once nearly slain him for good. Then that coward Lorgar performed his daemonic ascension, and Angron put Guilliman in the ICU. If not for his incredibly capable Honour Guard, the Primarch might have been lost forever. One could say Guilliman's combat record was spotty; a closer look revealed every battle was a 3-to-2 nail-biter.
Of course, it wasn't just Angron. As more meteors rained down from the sky, the entirety of Macragge was instantly engulfed in the flames of war.
This time, Abaddon chose not to charge straight for Guilliman. After all, two of his "uncles" were present. Besides, Abaddon had a bad feeling; he needed to conserve his strength as much as possible. Macragge's defenses may look flimsy and with no reinforcements able to arrive in time, but based on his experience, he knew there was a ninety-nine percent chance things were about to take a bizarre turn. It didn't matter that his Chaos Sorcerers, no matter how they scried the future, came back with only two words... "It's a lock!"
In any case, with two Daemon Primarchs participating, if they could pull off the decapitation strike, great. If they couldn't, there was no point in him going in either. Moreover, he was different from the others. While he was the Chosen of all four Chaos Gods, it also meant his standing with each of them was only so-so. He had no stable home base; his entire war machine was built from scratch, piece by piece. Suffering heavy losses would be disastrous.
Therefore, Abaddon had already decided to have his elite forces hold back.
---o---
Down below...
The entire world of Macragge mobilized. Every able-bodied person took up arms. Calgar no longer had time to deal with Cawl's retinue and charged out into the fray. The scattered Space Wolves, the Iron Hands who had been brawling with the Ultramarines, the Imperial Fists squad, and the Dark Angels Inner Circle supermen all assembled rapidly. All other matters were put aside; dealing with the daemons was the priority.
At the same time, with a flash of light, Grey Knights Grand Master Aldrik Voldus, leading the "Wardmakers" of his 3rd Brotherhood, teleported directly to Calgar's side. They too had been forewarned and had already arrived on Macragge and met with Calgar. However, due to the secretive nature of the Grey Knights, they had not revealed themselves to everyone.
As expected, the appearance of the Grey Knights startled everyone present. None had expected to find such a large contingent of them on Macragge.
"Calgar, find a way to hold Angron! We will seek his True Name! It is the only way to banish a Daemon Primarch, for we do not have... a Primarch here."
The Grand Master paused. He had seen the battle records. Whether it was facing Mortarion on Tillius or Fulgrim on the space hulk, without that mysterious Primarch holding the line, those battles would have been hopeless.
"All units, protect the Grey Knights!!!" Lemont Icefang commanded decisively. The first priority was to deal with Angron. If he reached the shrine, all would be lost. No one here could stand against the Daemon Primarch. Lemont Icefang knew this was their only option. He had the will, but his Dreadnought chassis was too battered to fight.
The word of the ten-thousand-year-old ancient carried weight. Sacrifices had to be made to prioritize dealing with Angron, or this battle could not be won. Their forces on Macragge were limited, and they had to rely on the loyal Macragge Defence Force—armies composed of mortal men. While Astartes were the undisputed protagonists of Warhammer, the true backbone of any major war had always been, from start to finish, ordinary humans. Without them, even the million-strong Astartes of the current era, let alone the legions of the Golden Age, would not be enough.
Unnoticed by all, Cawl and Yvraine, carrying the Armor of Fate and led by the Ultramarines' Chief Librarian, slipped quietly towards the stasis field that held Roboute Guilliman.
"ROOOOAR!!!"
Angron had now spotted the massive palace. The Blood God's command echoed in his mind. He had received a single order: charge the shrine and kill Guilliman.
"Guilliman... a familiar name..." A flicker of confusion crossed Angron's chaotic mind, but it was quickly washed away.
"It matters not. I will offer his skull to the Blood God."
ROAR!
Angron leaped high into the air, bringing his full might down upon the shrine of Guilliman.
"Activate defensive measures!!!" Calgar ordered, raising a massive energy shield. Nearly every warrior turned their gaze to the blood-red angel, while almost all the Grey Knights unleashed their psychic might to its fullest.
CLANG!
With a sharp ring, a crack was smashed into the defense field. Angron was sent flying by the combined psychic assault of the Grey Knights.
But at that very moment...
BOOM!
The ground shook violently again as a colossal, blood-red, corrupted Titan was slammed onto the planet's surface.
"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!!!"
With a deafening roar, the corrupted Titan possessed by a Bloodthirster—a Khornate Titan Daemon War Engine—began its charge towards the Shrine of Macragge, its body towering over a hundred meters tall.
The other daemonic forces that had landed all gave these two beings a wide berth. Both Angron and the Khornate Daemon Engine were indiscriminate killing machines; keeping a safe distance was the smart thing to do.
Around the shrine, two Warlord Titans rose to meet the threat. They were the last and strongest line of defense for their gene-father. The two god-machines charged fearlessly towards the Khornate Titan, as their long-range weaponry could not harm it.
Very quickly...
CRACK!
With a sickening crunch, the two Warlord Titans were cut in half at the waist by the Khornate Titan, which stood nearly half again as tall as they were. But their final, point-blank volleys had struck true, crippling the Daemon Titan's legs and temporarily immobilizing it.
Everyone on the field breathed a collective sigh of relief. Angron was temporarily bogged down by the mortal armies buying time with their blood, and this monstrous Khornate war engine had been disabled at the cost of two Warlord Titans. Although it was only temporary—the living armor was already rapidly regenerating—it bought them precious time.
And at that same time...
"What are you doing?!"
Calgar and his Honour Guard finally noticed the Chief Librarian's clandestine actions. The group had reached Guilliman. The Armor of Fate was already active, and Yvraine had drawn her crone-sword, aiming it at the stasis field's power cables.
Seeing this, Calgar could no longer spare a thought for the battlefield. He activated his relic armor and prepared to charge.
But...
A serpentine black shadow slithered into the room, unnoticed by all, and instantly enveloped the chamber.
"Hahahaha..."
A peal of crazed laughter followed. The charging Calgar felt a wave of danger wash over him and immediately shifted into a defensive stance. An immense force slammed into him, sending him hurtling through the air.
CRACK.
He smashed right through the already failing energy shield, flying out of the shrine and crashing through a pack of Bloodletters in the process.
"FULGRIM!!!"
Calgar's anguished cry tore through the air.
The towering figure ignored Calgar completely, instead charging forward and shattering the Grey Knights' battle formation. Their psychic ritual was broken, and the backlash instantly incapacitated many of them.
In a single moment, a pall of despair fell over the room. Far away, the citizens of Macragge were being slaughtered. Here, a Daemon Primarch had slipped past their defenses. With Guilliman right before them, a single thought crossed everyone's mind: It's over.
"For the Emperor!!!" Black Templar Marshal Amalrich was the first to react, drawing his weapon and preparing to charge with his Emperor's Champion.
Just then, a crimson figure smashed through the ceiling, the impact knocking the two Templars away. Angron's chaotic mind saw Fulgrim, and he swung his massive axe down upon him.
"Beast! Guilliman's head is mine!!!" Fulgrim expertly parried Angron's attack. "I shall offer it to the Prince of Pleasure!"
"ROAR!!!"
After blocking Angron's strike, Fulgrim lunged towards Guilliman. Angron, in turn, swung his axe at Fulgrim's back. The two fallen Primarchs began to fight each other as they advanced on their dormant brother.
Beep... beep... beep...
A series of electronic tones rang out. Guilliman was now clad in the Armor of Fate, and Yvraine, taking advantage of the two Primarchs' infighting, had severed the cables. Now, the two of them, along with the Chief Librarian and Living Saint Celestine, formed the last line of defense.
At that moment, Celestine felt her very soul ignite. A searing flame threatened to consume her existence. It was clear that a certain entity intended to sacrifice her to manifest personally. Feeling the holy fire, Celestine did not resist. Instead, she felt a strange sense of peace. Her mission was finally coming to an end. She could find eternal rest.
But just then...
Zzzzzzt...
The power vanished.
"?"
Celestine opened her eyes in a daze. She saw the two Daemon Primarchs, still hacking at each other as they charged. Though they were tripping each other up, they were still Primarchs and had already reached them. Just as they were about to close the distance...
BOOM!
A beam of golden light descended from the heavens, slamming into the ground directly in front of them. A golden shield swept out, catching the two unprepared Daemon Primarchs and sending them flying. Fulgrim, in particular, felt a nauseatingly familiar sensation.
"No passage beyond this point!!!"
A figure over four meters tall, clad in black armor with a golden sword and golden shield, landed on the floor, having smashed through the ceiling as well.
Though he spoke, his actions were swift. He charged again, using his weapons to ram the two Daemon Primarchs, who had not yet regained their footing, straight out of the grand hall. It was only then that everyone inside noticed the sky outside was filled with falling meteors, each trailing a golden corona.
Then, a contingent of over a hundred Grey Knights, radiating a brilliant golden light, landed in the hall alongside the towering figure.
"My Lord, you've finally come!!!"
The first to react was Lemont Icefang. His voice held a hint of a sob as he rushed towards Zhou Ye. But with his first strained movement...
CRACK.
With a sound of shattering metal, his entire Dreadnought chassis fell apart on the spot, collapsing in a heap on the floor.
"Fa...ther?"
Grand Master Aldrik Voldus stared dumbly at the newcomer. He felt a surge of incredible power welling up inside him. The shard of the Emperor's armor he wore seemed to have been activated, pouring endless strength into him. The power flowed into his body, making his very gene-seed tremble.
He had never experienced such a sensation before, but he spoke the word almost by instinct...
---o---