"It is too similar..."
In a daze, Horus recalled the Siege of Terra he had set in motion ten thousand years ago. In the later stages of that war, the situation had seemed to reach a similar point.
At the time, the Imperium had been at a disadvantage, while Chaos had also faced the risk of a counteroffensive. The war had sunk into a kind of stalemate.
The long war, along with the losses that might follow, had become unbearable for both sides. They had no choice but to launch decapitation strikes against each other's leaders.
In the end, Horus had used the last of his consciousness to lower the Chaos shields aboard the Vengeful Spirit, inviting the False Emperor to board the ship and duel him.
The two sides had decided the final victor through a battle to the death.
This time, however, it was the Savior, Emperor of the Imperium, who had taken the initiative to lower the Chaos shield over New Dragonwood and invite him, the Dark Emperor, to the final battle.
It would be a life-or-death battle between the two emperors and their primarchs. In the end, only one side would survive and seize the fruits of victory.
"This is likely a trap set by the Savior. We must remain cautious..."
A trace of vigilance flickered through Mortarion's eyes as he explained.
"The Savior has always been cautious, and he holds the advantage in this war. He would never allow us to reach his core throne so easily.
"There is only one possible reason for him to do this. He has encountered some new problem and hopes to swiftly end his battle with us.
"And the Imperium must have laid layer upon layer of traps across New Dragonwood.
"The Savior is out of time. If we can keep dragging this out, we will gain more advantages, and may even tip the scales of victory in our favor."
The Death Lord believed in the view that survival stood above glory. He was also the most conservative in tactics, unwilling to take too many risks.
"You are too... cautious. That is not a good quality." Horus glanced at Mortarion and spoke slowly.
His assessment was already restrained. In truth, in the Dark Emperor's eyes, the Death Lord's nature was too timid and indecisive.
This man had not even dared to resist the False Emperor cleanly, and when he threw himself into Chaos, he had done so with hesitation and reluctance. He was difficult to entrust with any great responsibility.
"Yes, the Savior's sudden invitation to a decisive battle means he will certainly have set many restrictions on New Dragonwood.
"He may also have encountered some difficulty that forces him to hurry and end this war with us.
"But this is also our opportunity, a chance for us to win. Compared with the Savior, we have even less time."
Horus spoke in this way.
Of course he knew the Savior's invitation to battle was malicious. He also knew the Savior was eager to end the war.
But the Chaos coalition was also close to breaking. If this continued, they would inevitably be annihilated under the encirclement of the Imperial coalition.
If that happened, he, the Dark Emperor, would completely lose the capital needed to break out and carve out a realm of his own. He would also lose the ancient artifact, Shadowlight, which restrained the False Emperor, placing himself in even greater danger in the future.
In that case, he might as well accept the Savior's challenge, land on New Dragonwood, and settle the matter with him in a direct confrontation, using a decapitation strike to win this war.
Horus possessed absolute confidence in his own strength. Even if the Savior had laid trap after trap, he could destroy them all.
No matter how one looked at it, landing on New Dragonwood for a decisive battle was an excellent choice. The advantage was his.
It was also the choice both sides wanted.
"Kill the Savior!"
Angron roared, killing intent surging from him.
His body was filled with the aura of slaughter. It seemed he had already emerged from the shadow of being brutally beaten by the False Emperor.
"The Savior is provoking us. We absolutely cannot shrink back at a time like this. That would be shameful weakness."
Fulgrim spoke in this way.
His eyes were filled with venom, and he was eager for this decisive battle.
This favored child of excess would not allow himself to retreat before the Savior, much less be overwhelmed by the other's momentum.
He stared at Mortarion. "Do you fear that Savior, or do you believe we cannot defeat him and Roboute's pack?"
Mortarion was left speechless by Fulgrim's question and only gave a cold snort.
He could not possibly admit that he was inferior to Guilliman, Rogal Dorn, and the rest of the False Emperor's hounds.
Nor did he believe that the Savior could withstand Horus's attack.
Horus nodded in satisfaction. His gaze swept over everyone, then lingered for a moment on Sanguinius's corrupted body.
He wanted to know the Great Angel's opinion, but Sanguinius did not react. He remained silent.
After Sanguinius had been cloned and resurrected, he had been polluted and manipulated by the corrupted power of the Chaos Gods, falling into Chaos.
Even so, he still disliked these traitors to the Imperium, especially Horus, the one who had once killed him so cruelly.
"Everyone, I have successfully invaded New Dragonwood's core Chaos node. I can establish a teleportation passage at any time."
"I have seen the state of that Chaos world. As long as we launch a landing assault into its interior, those pitiful defensive lines will never be able to stop us..."
Magnus's voice echoed through the hall. Chaos lightning spilled from his eyes, and the corrupted energy around him twisted even more violently.
The King of Sorcerers was so arrogant that he had never once considered refusing the Savior's invitation to a decisive battle.
Thus, the instant New Dragonwood's Chaos shield lowered, he had immediately begun constructing large-scale Chaos sorcery and, with the power of the Changer of Ways, laid down a new sorcerous labyrinth.
Once they landed on New Dragonwood, they could use that region's Chaos node to temporarily seal the planet, cut off outside reinforcements, and divide the internal battlefield.
"My learned brother, you have done well. You are the key to our victory in this battle."
Horus spoke in this way.
Even after falling into Chaos, he still retained his former way of thinking and his old nature. He had always possessed the charisma of a leader, a warmth that made others feel as though they stood beneath spring sunlight.
This was one of the reasons he had been able to gain so much support when he raised his rebellion.
"In that case, let us prepare for battle. I will personally cut off the Savior's head, and each of you will be able to end your own opponent.
"We will settle every old grievance once and for all!"
Horus turned to the others, his tone allowing no argument. He radiated an irresistible authority.
The sickly flames burning over his body were scorching hot. Even the fallen primarchs were baked by them and felt a trace of discomfort.
They bowed slightly to show their agreement, and they were even more astonished by the immense power possessed by the being before them.
Mortarion could not help lowering his head as well, expressing his approval of the Dark Emperor's view. He no longer had the courage to oppose this decision.
He knew this was not a discussion. It was an order, and any who defied it would receive no forgiveness.
Buzz.
Within the hall, sorcerous corrupted power rapidly expanded and enveloped the area.
Horus and the other fallen primarchs, fully armed, led their elite guards into it, their hearts filled with killing intent.
This was their final decapitation operation, and perhaps the beginning of the Imperium's total decline.
When the beings of Chaos stepped into the vast sorcerous formation, Magnus's inverted pyramid in the void suddenly erupted with a dark purple beam.
That beam seemed to cross time and space, abruptly passing through the Chaos shield to strike New Dragonwood, stirring surging ripples of corrupted power.
...
New Dragonwood.
The Warp's corrupted energies grew fiercer and changed constantly, rendering the entire planet unfit for any life below the level of high-grade warriors.
As for the mortals, they had been evacuated beyond the planet one after another. They no longer had the qualification or ability to participate in this dreadful final battle.
"Savior, may we win this war..."
On the last departing ship, the priests looked at this fortress world that had completely sunk into Chaos and could not help praying.
They sensed the terrible threat soon to arrive, and the darkness was so deep it felt as though some apocalyptic flame was about to devour everything.
Even the most devout believers could not help wavering, afraid that the Imperium would face destruction.
"This planet will become a battlefield of primarchs. It will be one of the cruelest battlefields in the galaxy."
On the ship, old York of the Storm Armor Corps stared blankly outside. New Dragonwood in the void looked like a vast, inflamed eye.
His heart was pounding violently.
Now the planet's clouds had been burned black. Sickly arcs of lightning flashed, and crimson magma could be faintly seen flowing below.
Ever since his discharge, old York had fought with the resolve to die. Over these past decades, he had experienced many great battles and survived until now.
What luck. What divine blessing. Perhaps he could live through this battle and return home.
Yet at this moment, the old veteran wanted nothing more than to remain on that Chaos planet and fight.
He wanted to follow the Emperor of the Imperium and those legends into a bloody battle against every Chaos evil, including the Dark Emperor Horus.
Even if the price was death.
Perhaps that would be the highest glory a warrior could attain, and it would be recorded forever in the epics of the Imperium.
Old York sighed and said with some regret, "Old friends, it's a pity we can't take part in all this.
"We won't be able to witness the fall of the Chaos abominations and traitors with our own eyes."
This veteran was not qualified to participate in the final battle, and so he had withdrawn from New Dragonwood with the other warriors.
Even though they were honored veterans and some of the finest soldiers of the Imperium, even though they had destroyed many daemons and even killed a heavily wounded Greater Daemon of Chaos.
Not only them, but many more warriors deemed unqualified to fight by the Departmento Munitorum had boarded ships and withdrawn.
In one observation-window area, more than a dozen Space Marines stared at New Dragonwood, seemingly frozen.
They looked toward that region with such yearning.
At some point, tears slid down the faces of these resolute warriors. One by one, they stood there in silence.
"If I had trained longer, killed more Chaos abominations, and won more glory, perhaps we would not have had to go through this?"
The captain murmured.
His Space Marine company had been judged insufficient in strength and therefore could not remain to participate in that glorious final battle.
Like mortals, they had withdrawn from the planet in disgrace.
Even this veteran Space Marine captain, a fierce man whose face was covered in scars, quietly shed tears.
They were tears of grief and shame. His brothers were joining the final battle against Chaos, while they could only watch from the planet's perimeter as their brothers charged into the fray.
How shameful was that?
At that moment, some crew members passed by while escorting supplies.
They looked at these warriors, then bowed their heads slightly to offer their respect.
Facing the crew's respectful gazes, the Space Marines trembled all over. Their shame grew even deeper, and they silently put on their helmets.
Their tears blurred their vision. They no longer had the face to meet anyone's eyes.
"We're going back to train..."
The captain turned and left, his voice slightly hoarse. The other Space Marines quietly followed him.
They wanted to avoid everyone's gazes. They should have been down on the planet, not at the bottom of a ship.
These warriors lashed themselves in their hearts. From now on, they would have to train twice as hard, hone their skills, and kill more enemies.
They had to win more glory. They would never allow themselves to encounter such a shameful thing again.
In the Chaos Temple.
The loyalist primarchs had gathered there. Invisible energy spread outward, and even Guilliman had recovered from his injuries and re-equipped his armor.
They were all fully armed, as though waiting for something.
"Horus has finally come..."
Eden stepped down from the Chaos Throne and stood shoulder to shoulder with Guilliman, Lion, and the other primarch brothers.
They raised their heads to look toward a certain point in the void, their expressions solemn.
Horus and the other Chaos traitors and abominations were arriving along some kind of passage, and the Chaos Gods had cast their incomparably vicious gazes upon them.
Now this Chaos planet had become a bridge to hell, a place where the galaxy and the Empyrean fused together, enough to let a person step from rational reality into utter madness.
This place was sinking into the Warp and connecting to another dimension. An extremely terrifying battle was about to arrive.
Even for primarchs such as Guilliman and Lion, this was their first time participating in such a battle.
Their hearts were inevitably heavy.
"It's still a little too rushed. I hope everything goes smoothly," Eden thought with a faint sigh.
His preparations were still too few. He always felt a measure of danger and unease, after all, this battle wagered his own life.
Although the probability of defeat was not high, if he fell here, he would be reduced to lingering in the Warp like the Emperor from then on, occasionally manifesting a miracle.
And he might even be sealed by Horus with that artifact, unable to extend his authority into reality again.
That would be extremely miserable.
In truth, Eden had no wish to risk a decisive battle with Horus. Unfortunately, a major incident had occurred in Imperial territory, and the old man on the Golden Throne could not wait any longer. That forced Eden to end the war ahead of schedule.
Otherwise, the state of the Imperium would fall into even greater danger.
Moreover, such a decisive battle could reduce casualties as much as possible, confining the scope of the war to this planet while also making it easier for Eden to exert his power.
He could invest everything and swiftly bring this duel to an end.
"Brothers, let us fight," Eden finally said after a moment of silence.
After that, he led Guilliman and the other primarchs into the sulfurous fog, their figures vanishing from the area.
...
New Dragonwood, core position outside the Chaos Temple.
Buzz.
A dark red point of light suddenly appeared in midair, spreading and expanding at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Immediately afterward, a Chaos beam descended, stirring the entire sky. A new veil covered the original breach in the Chaos shield.
From within that column of variegated black light, Horus and the other fallen primarchs stepped out. The corrupted power spilling from them swiftly altered the surrounding space.
Their presence was so terrifying that the plants on the ground twisted and swelled, tumors grew, and the air filled with a bloody haze.
The black flames caused the ground to crystallize, forming structures like obsidian while releasing black mist.
This Chaos planet made them even stronger.
"We arrived safely, and there are no traps nearby?"
Mortarion used his moth wings to shield himself from the front, highly vigilant. He had suffered too many losses at the Savior's hands and had no choice but to be extra cautious.
But in the next instant, his eyes widened. "Grandfather..."
After the mist formed by the beam before Mortarion dispersed, he saw what this planet had now become.
This place seemed to have transformed into a terrifying lava hell. What the volcanoes spewed was not ash, but the screams of countless souls.
Twisted spires rose from magma mixed with flesh and blood, piercing into the sky like the bones of some divine abomination.
The endless wailing wind swept sulfurous steam toward him, burning his decayed face.
More importantly, all of this Chaos and Warp aura pointed toward that Primarch of Hope, that Savior.
The evil presence was so violent that it even overwhelmed the spread of plague and burned away the pus.
The entire Chaos planet was like a gaping mouth of hell, ready to swallow them all.
???
Mortarion was numb.
Was this not a little too chaotic, too evil?
(End of Chapter)
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