Brilliant, golden psychic energy emerged from the titanic statue, and an alien psychic aura swirled around Magnus. The intensity of the energy fluctuations was such that Magnus's crimson hair whipped through the air as if caught in a gale. For a fleeting instant, the Primarch's consciousness drifted into a trance.
"You have finally come, wayward son."
The golden psychic resonance boomed like thunder within Magnus's mind, heavy with unmistakable disappointment and fury. "Do you even comprehend the depths of the sin you have committed?"
The familiar voice and cadence twisted Magnus's features into a mask of pure malice. He erupted into a piercing, hysterical laugh, his eyes flashing with a scarlet light filled with madness and paranoia.
"Sin? Everything I have done has been in pursuit of truth! And you, my 'father,' are nothing more than a hypocritical tyrant!"
His psychic power expanded like a surging tide, colliding violently with the Emperor's essence. The very fabric of the chamber began to warp and tremble.
"Do you think I am still the same pawn you can manipulate at will?!"
The golden brilliance from the statue surged in response, the terrifying weight of its psychic pressure forcing Magnus to expend every ounce of his strength just to remain standing.
"You have been blinded by Chaos! Tzeentch's promises are but smoke and mirrors, meant only to drag you into an endless abyss!"
"Abyss?"
Magnus's eyes widened, the energies of Chaos swirling madly around him. "If it were not for your need to control and exploit us, would I ever have reached this point? From the moment we were born, you treated us as nothing more than instruments to realize your own ambitions!"
His voice was saturated with resentment, every word torn from the deepest recesses of his soul. "I humbled myself to seek your aid. You claimed to be our father, yet you never cared for us as equals! It was this way with Perturabo, and it was this way with me. When I saw my gene-sons trapped in the mutations wrought by their psychic gifts, do you think I did not beg you for help?!"
A flicker passed through the golden light surrounding the statue, as if stirred by Magnus's words, but it quickly regained its composure. The information emanating from the golden essence became calm and resolute.
"Everything I did was for the survival of humanity. You are my sons, the blades I forged to shield the species!"
"Blades?" Magnus let out a scornful laugh, his rage erupting like a volcano. "You treated us like pieces on a board, to be moved at your whim and punished for the slightest deviation! When I sought to probe the future with my psychic power to protect the Thousand Sons, you hindered me at every turn, watching as my gene-sons plunged into damnation! Is this your 'care'?"
The psychic aura of the statue turned frigid. "Your recklessness destroyed the future of humanity! You brought the foundations of the Imperium to the brink of exhaustion! I had to take measures to prevent a greater catastrophe from descending!"
"Measures?"
Magnus's psychic power skyrocketed; behind him, the faint, shimmering shadow of Tzeentch began to manifest. "Your so-called measures were merely to preserve your own rule! I see your true face now, you are nothing but a despot afraid of losing his grip on power! And Lord Tzeentch, he has granted me the knowledge and strength to see the true nature of this world!"
The energy from the statue surged like a tidal wave. "You mistake the corruption of Chaos for a gift? Magnus, you are beyond saving!"
Magnus met the golden onslaught without fear, his eyes ablaze with fanatical zeal. "I am the only one who is truly awake! I shall continue to fight for true freedom and truth under the guidance of Lord Tzeentch! And you, Emperor, shall eventually be swallowed by the tide of Chaos!"
"Obstinate fool!"
A thunderous roar seemed to echo from the statue. It raised its arm, and the psychic energy wreathing its golden greatsword ignited into a roaring, holy flame. With a sudden, sweeping motion, it brought the blade down toward Magnus.
Magnus attempted to shield himself with his psychic might, but he found the ambient energy in the chamber unnaturally thin. Forced to act, Magnus leaped backward, covering ten meters in a blur to narrowly escape the reach of the flaming sword.
THUD!
WHOOSH!
The doors of the chapel burst open. A Destroyer-class Heavy Automaton lowered its chassis, squeezing its bulky frame into the chamber.
"Abnormal mechanical operation detected. Statue-type A-2, terminate all processes immediately. Execute foundational protocol FFG-38279. Open data-link for diagnostic inspection!"
The machine's massive power-claw attempted to grapple the golden blade. However, the sword sliced through the automaton's limb with ease. The cut was as clean as if rendered by a high-output molecular cutter. Taking advantage of the distraction, Magnus lunged through the gap beneath the robot's legs and bolted from the chamber.
Outside, the psychic resonance was even weaker. In the distance, another Destroyer-class unit was closing in. Magnus felt his own strength beginning to wane, yet a smile played upon his lips.
"It seems Perturabo has not failed my expectations. This heavy combat machinery must already be under the control of the Iron Warriors."
The Destroyer-class unit raised its mechanical arm, scanning the severed power-claw with a hint of mechanical confusion. The construction schematics and assembly logs for such statues were well-documented, but they were never intended to exhibit such destructive capabilities.
Inside the room, once the statue's blade missed its mark, the pale golden energy simply vanished, as if it had never existed at all. Magnus felt a faint, lingering sigh resonate within the psychic void. He turned back toward the titanic icon that had seemingly been possessed by the Emperor, only to see it sheathing its blade. The flames had extinguished. The statue returned to its alloyed base and powered down.
A group of the Iron Men's servitor-constructs, the same types Magnus had seen on the surface of Sortiarius, emerged from the shadows. They walked to the side of the statue, ignited their cutters, and carved a breach into its chassis, exposing the mechanical structure within. A mass of cables slithered out like living things, probing deep into the interior.
Only then did Magnus realize something was wrong.
Another Destroyer-class automaton had reached him. The machine's emotionless voice boomed above his head:
"Magnus, traitor Primarch of the XV Legion, identity confirmed. It is fortunate that you were not killed by the malfunctioning unit. You are ordered to cease resistance immediately. A living specimen provides more complete read-out data. This unit has no curiosity regarding why you surrendered yourself, but if you voluntarily disclose the location of Leman Russ and Perturabo, you shall be granted eternal peace post-haste."
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