The beast Night Fang is quite special, boasting extremely powerful ranged attacks. It can fire fireballs from the mouth on its forehead, and even rapid-fire them. This can be enhanced up to three times, increasing both the burst duration and the fireball's power.
It also has a move called Nightmare Sonic Wave, a shockwave emitted from a hidden eye in its head. It once even blasted Taiga Ultraman away, and can force opponents to relive painful memories—an ability uncannily similar to the Raven Lord's.
In addition, it has another technique called Nightmare. It absorbs the energy released by the eye in its head, causing living beings to fall asleep and experience nightmares; those nightmares are then devoured and converted into its own energy.
All these abilities can be strengthened. This monster possesses exceptionally powerful shadow force.
Once enhanced, Night Fang can, with its nightmare power, hypnotize all intelligent life on an entire planet, plunging them into nightmares and extracting their nightmare energy.
Rhodes relayed all of Night Fang's attributes to Guilliman, as well as to Khan and Magnus. It also goes by another name: the Nightmare Monster.
"If you hadn't said anything, I would've thought this was a clone of Corax! The similarities are uncanny—every ability is almost the same as Corax's," Guilliman said.
The other two Primarchs nodded in agreement. The raptor monster previously prepared for Jaghatai Khan could only be called compatible; this one, however, is the perfect match for Corax.
"Of course. This beast is absolutely reliable. Once we purge the Chaos corruption from Corax, we'll fuse this cosmic beast with him," Rhodes said.
Beyond its special abilities, Night Fang's close-quarters combat is also solid. Its initial mass exceeds 60,000 tons; with enhancements it can approach 80,000 tons, and its height exceeds 70 meters.
With that size and weight, its melee prowess can't help but be formidable.
Moreover, Night Fang can extend many tentacle-like appendages from its body to bind enemies—a true connoisseur of binding tactics!
"Rhodes! Since you're out, there's no time to waste. Let's go save Corax. The Chaos corruption has become extremely severe. I've kept him beneath the Imperial Palace all this time," Guilliman said.
"Yeah. Let's go solve Corax's problem first," Rhodes nodded.
Led by Guilliman, they quickly reached the lower levels of the Holy Terra Palace, where a massive Gellar Field had been erected.
Dozens of Custodians stood guard, and an Emperor Avatar continuously radiated psychic power to prevent the spread of the warp's chaotic miasma.
Corax had spent ten thousand years in the warp, was later captured by Fulgrim, and was corrupted with Slaanesh power. He has now been completely transformed into a Daemon Prince of Slaanesh.
His face no longer resembled anything human. A long tongue lolled, razor talons extended, and a pair of wings unfurled from his back.
The warp taint was thick here. Without the barrier released by the Emperor Avatar, mere exposure to this atmosphere would be enough to corrupt an Astartes into a Chaos Space Marine.
Rhodes and Magnus fared slightly better, but Jaghatai Khan stared at the creature before him in shock. This… this monster was his brother? The Raven Lord? Corax?
How could that be? This was clearly a warp abomination—an utterly evil demon!
"Guilliman, is… is that you? Please! Don't look at me. Even I feel ashamed of how I look now," Corax turned away, shrinking into a corner, trembling.
At this moment, his disgusting form made even himself retch, let alone his brothers.
Had his father and Guilliman not given him confidence—assuring him he could return to a human form—he might have already taken his own life.
"Don't say that, Corax. You are my brother. I will save you," Guilliman said.
On the way here, he had already given Jaghatai some forewarning, but seeing Corax in person still shocked the White Scars Primarch.
"I sense others. Who… who did you bring?" Corax asked.
He could sense several presences besides Guilliman's. That was why he hid in the corner: he didn't want anyone—especially his former brothers or this new brother—to see his hideous appearance.
"It's me, Corax. I'm Jaghatai. I came to see you," Jaghatai Khan finally accepted that this monster was indeed his brother. Although he had become like this, his heart still belonged to the Emperor!
"You're back too, Jaghatai? That's good. I can tell your aura is normal. You're not like me. I… I am a Chaos monster now," Corax said.
"And me as well, Corax. Do you recognize my voice?" Magnus asked.
"Of course I do. Your mother came to chat with me once and told me about you and Horus. I'm glad you both returned to Father's side and to the Imperium," Corax said.
To be honest, after returning to Holy Terra, the most shocking news he heard was the return of those two.
"Don't worry, my brother. We will be fighting side by side again soon," Guilliman said.
"Hello, Corax—or should I call you Raven Lord? I am Rhodes, a Primarch of the new era. My wife is the only female Primarch in the Imperium now, and my two sons have already grown and formed their own Astartes Legions," Rhodes said, offering a brief introduction.
"Hello, new brother. Guilliman has told me about you. You've done better than any of us. You saved the entire Human Imperium," Corax said.
"Enough small talk. I'm here to completely purify all the Chaos power in you and restore your humanity," Rhodes said.
"I've waited too long for this day. I desperately want to cast off this disgusting form. Tell me what to do," Corax asked.
It was the best news he'd heard in days—he could finally be rid of this Daemon Prince body.
"Relax. It's simple. Leave it to me," Rhodes said, and summoned the strongest First Emperor Avatar, plus twelve new Emperor Avatars. Counting the one already here, there were fourteen in total.
The fourteen Emperor Avatars appeared and unleashed terrifying golden psychic power, illuminating the entire underground space. Chaotic creatures imprisoned by the Custodians screamed; even Corax in the chamber howled in agony.
"Corax, are you alright? Rhodes's power won't hurt him, will it?" Seeing Corax cry out, Guilliman grew anxious.
Magnus and Jaghatai looked worried too.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine, though it'll be painful. It's necessary," Rhodes said.
Corax's body had been completely corrupted by Chaos and transformed into a Daemon Prince. They now had to thoroughly purify his soul and destroy his demonic flesh.
Rhodes had already sent his two most capable subordinates—Yapool and Balt—to construct a super-beast shell.
Once the Daemon Prince's flesh was completely purged, Corax's soul would, aided by the cosmic beast aura, revert to a normal state and be reborn in the new body.
"Do it, Brother Rhodes. I can take it. I must purge the Chaos within me. I must become human again—a true Primarch," Corax said, gritting his teeth as he sat at the center of the cell under the blazing gold light.
Rhodes nodded, redeemed Night Fang from his system space, spent hundreds of thousands of coins to max its enhancements, then another million to evolve it into a cosmic beast.
After purging Corax's Chaos power, he would fuse him with the cosmic beast to help him return to Order.
"I'm starting, Corax," Rhodes drew a deep breath. The psychic flames of the fourteen Emperor Avatars surged.
Dazzling golden light congealed into chains, binding Corax's twisted form. The Daemon Prince of Slaanesh screamed. Violet scales peeled away in holy fire, revealing writhing flesh beneath.
"Aaaargh!" Corax shrieked, feeling his body torn apart and even his soul wracked with pain.
"Hold on, Corax, my brother!" Magnus dropped to one knee, pouring a tide of psychic power into the ritual to assist.
Jaghatai Khan and Guilliman cheered their brother on from the side.
Feeling his brothers' aid and encouragement, Corax clenched his teeth and endured.
Behind Rhodes, Night Fang's phantasmal image appeared. Its nightmare eyes fired ghost-blue beams. Night Fang manipulates nightmares, but past memories can also become a host's strength—a pillar of spirit.
As the light pierced Corax's chest, countless memory shards burst forth—Nostramo's shadowy alleys, the Night Lords executing traitors, the Emperor's warm hand on his shoulder at Ullanor. He recalled battles of the Great Crusade and the days fighting alongside the Emperor.
"Now!" Rhodes pressed his palms together.
Fourteen golden rays twisted into a drill, tearing open the crown of Corax's demonic skull.
Prismatic chaotic essence gushed out like magma, but was instantly ensnared by Night Fang's tendrils.
Those nightmare-devouring organs writhed madly, converting Slaanesh benedictions into crystalline shadow. The Chaos power was being cleansed.
The contemporary Chaos God Slaanesh's godshard was unmoored and had no strength to intervene in the Daemon Prince's transformation. If this were a fully intact Chaos God, what they were doing would be suicide—the Daemon Prince would be slain by their master without question.
But although Corax bore Slaanesh's power, he was effectively unclaimed now, making the conversion easier.
The Daemon Prince's body began burning in holy psychic fire. Warp power was being corroded away—the power of the Emperor.
Above the Terra Palace, the Emperor, in the midst of stripping the Chaos godshard, grit his teeth and sent some divine power below to aid his son.
"Soul transfer!"
Veins throbbed on Rhodes's forehead.
His subordinates delivered the completed super-beast body—crafted as a 1:1 recreation of Corax's form, even fused with some Emperor Avatar flesh and the Primarch's prior genecrafted flesh.
Night Fang's seventy-meter body exploded, becoming a river of starlike energy that poured into the prepared super-beast shell, while Corax's soul entered as well.
With the cosmic beast's aid, Corax's soul, corrupted by Chaos, was purified, supported by the Emperor's psychic power.
The cosmic beast's strength, the Emperor's power, and the Raven Lord Corax's own will made the cleansing a complete success.
When the purifying light faded, standing in the ruins was no longer a Daemon Prince. Night Fang's rhomboid head-crest had merged perfectly with Corax's facial armor. The wings on his back were no longer Slaanesh bat-wings but an umbral mantle woven from countless nightmare tendrils. As he raised a hand and lightly clenched, every shadow under the palace seemed to come alive.
"Welcome back, brother," Jaghatai laughed, pointing to Corax's feet—there, a patch of shadow twisted and formed into a bizarre creature like a raven crossed with an octopus.
"Looks like your shadow pet leveled up!"
The cosmic beast's power had fused with the Raven Lord's previous abilities, forming a special summon.
Wiping sweat, Rhodes glanced at his datapad. "Interesting—the devouring trait of Night Fang resonates with your original shadow-stealth."
At this moment, the Primarch of the Raven Guard, Corax, had returned.