Lorgar's vision was a blur, ears ringing. Blood dripped from his brow and mouth. He had never imagined that he—a proud Daemon Prince—would be pinned and pummeled by his former brothers like a cur.
"Enough… enough!" Lorgar suddenly burst into manic laughter. Chaotic energy surged within him, purple helllight glimmering beneath his skin.
"Oh? Finally going all out?" The Lion tightened his grip on his blade, smiling coldly.
"You really think… I'm just trash?!" Lorgar raised his head. His eyes were fully consumed by Chaos, turned into twin purple fireballs. His body swelled; muscles warped and twisted; bony spines tore from his back; blasphemous runes crawled over his skin.
"The power Chaos grants me… exceeds your imagination!" His voice deepened and rasped like a thousand daemons whispering.
Fulgrim had gifted him this new power—far stronger than before.
"Heh. Now it's a bit interesting," Horus cracked his knuckles. "That's more like it. Beating a sandbag is boring."
He was mildly curious whether Lorgar had actually grown stronger.
The other Primarchs watched Lorgar's performance with amused smiles.
"Hahaha! Behold—Chaos's benediction!" Lorgar cackled, flickering like a wraith to appear before Sanguinius, driving a punch at his chest.
Awkwardly, a golden flame blossomed on Sanguinius's chest. The Chaos-laced blow did nothing; the flame even seared Lorgar's fist.
"That's it? Is that all you've got, Lorgar? I thought this would be fun.
So it turns out Fulgrim just gave you a bit of Chaos power—to make you slightly stronger?" Sanguinius smirked. He'd barely tapped his cosmic-eidolon energy; Lorgar couldn't even break his guard.
Horus looked disappointed too. Pale-scarlet light radiated from him as he invoked Daram, the giant of light.
Bathed in that radiance, Lorgar screamed like a stuck pig. Why? Why wasn't this mighty power doing anything to those three?
This can't be real. I must be dreaming!
The Lion rushed in and flattened the Chaos-empowered Lorgar with a single colossal slap.
He'd hoped the kid had improved. Turned out it was just parlor tricks.
The three Primarchs pinned Lorgar again and resumed the merciless beating.
So you think joining Chaos means we can't touch you? You think Fulgrim's gift is impressive? Try cosmic beasts—now we've awakened god-power.
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Lorgar stopped resisting, beaten into existential doubt.
"That's enough, you three!" Vulkan finally stepped in, halting the pummeling.
"If you keep going, he really will die. We need to take him back and let Father judge him."
Another few blows and they'd kill him.
The Lion drew back his fist with a snort. "Letting him off easy."
Sanguinius: "I wasn't done!"
What a shame—it had been a perfect, compliant sandbag.
"Enough for now. We still have to ship him home, then put him and Mortarion on the scaffold together and execute them in front of the Imperium," Vulkan said.
To be fair, Lorgar was a bit pitiful. The Emperor had officially labeled him a treasonous clone—demoted from the original to an impersonator, his identity replaced by another clone.
Mortarion would at least be executed as a gene-progenitor; Lorgar would likely die as a traitor-clone.
But he'd brought it entirely on himself.
"That's that," Horus sighed.
While they were beating Lorgar, they'd also taken care of the surrounding Chaos Marines.
Like dragging a dead dog, the three Primarchs grabbed Lorgar by one leg and hauled him away.
"Right—we still need to pry Erebus's location out of him. That bastard must be punished," Horus said.
Of all people, Erebus had to be the one he personally tore apart—shred him to bits, flatten him into a patty, grind him into paste underfoot.
Only then would Horus's rage be sated.
"Maybe let Rhodes see if he can rummage the answer out of Lorgar's head," Sanguinius said.
They weren't likely to get Erebus's whereabouts from Lorgar directly. They'd have to ask Rhodes.
He remembered Rhodes's subordinate Tartalos had the power to read memories through the eyes.
"Good idea. Rhodes will have a way. Erebus must pay—he's the one man we absolutely can't let go," Sanguinius said.
Who would've thought the true culprit for the Imperium's plight was that bastard?
He'd been rotten to the core since birth.
"If you want Erebus, I can help," said Lucius, reappearing before the four Primarchs.
"For Rhodes's sake, we won't kill you. But don't show yourself before us again—or I'll be unable to resist purifying you," Sanguinius snapped.
"Lord Rhodes sent me to tell you this. If you don't care to know, I'll keep it to myself," Lucius said.
Who would willingly face a pack of Primarchs? If not for orders from his new master, he wouldn't be here. Didn't they see Lorgar had been beaten into a lump?
Brutal.
"You know where Erebus is?" Horus asked.
Unlike some of his brothers, he wasn't excessively hostile toward Chaos Astartes. If they truly repented, they deserved a chance—after all, who had erred worse than him?
If he could be forgiven and given a chance to change, others could too—barring those who had willingly embraced Chaos.
"Lorgar's been holed up in his fortress for ten thousand years. He hardly leaves, and he hasn't been leading his Legion.
His Word Bearers have split—some formed their own warbands, others joined Abaddon.
So he really doesn't know where Erebus is. If you want Erebus, I'll have to act. I'll drag him out," Lucius said.
"Good. Lucius, here's your chance to atone. Capture Erebus alive, bring him before us, and you'll receive Primarch-grade stock," Sanguinius said.
"No need. I'm going now," Lucius turned to leave.
He didn't care for Primarch genetics. He didn't put these people in his eyes. He served only his master and former master.
Goddess Aisha and Lord Rhodes were his loyalties.
After parting with the Primarchs, Lucius immediately contacted Rhodes.
"Lord Rhodes, as ordered, I've met with the Primarchs. I'll depart now to find Erebus and take him alive," Lucius said.
"Good, Lucius. No rush. I'll upgrade you first—then you can grab Erebus," Rhodes replied.
This mission hinged on Lucius—Rhodes wouldn't stint on rewards.
"You're generous, Lord Rhodes. But I'd rather receive the reward after I've caught Erebus," Lucius said.
"Then I promise—bring Erebus in, and I'll give you a cosmic beast to fuse with. You'll become top-tier in the real universe," Rhodes said.
"Much obliged, Lord Rhodes. Wait for my good news," said Lucius.
…
On another front, after a fierce battle in space, Fulgrim was finally defeated—pinned by the Alien Empera, his throat gripped and his body slammed down to a planet's surface.
To prevent escape, the Dark-Emperor bound him with black energy.
Fulgrim had a shard of Chaos godhead, but it wasn't fully fused, and his body couldn't yet bear it—so he could still be restrained.
"Damn it! How—how could the likes of you capture me?" Fulgrim roared.
He couldn't accept defeat—such a crushing defeat. He'd arrived brimming with confidence, only to fall into a trap. The Emperor's avatar he feared had not even intervened.
At Rhodes's side, Tartalos unleashed golden power to further bind Fulgrim.
A white figure also appeared—Angel Zog—adding her power.
The war on Vigilus ended in a total Imperial victory, with two Daemon-Primarchs captured.