|3rd POV|
The Battle for Itus rages on. Even with Kael luring Ku'Gath away from the fortress-city and the human defenders, daemons continue to surge from a dozen massive portals appearing across the battlefield.
Nurgle prepares to expend a vast portion of his power in this single engagement. He is obsessed with Kael's death and will stop at nothing to achieve it.
However, despite the massive surge of Daemons spilling from the portals, the planet's defenders do not falter. They have witnessed the power of their savior and refuse to be found wanting in his presence. They fight with iron resolve, holding the line without fear in their hearts.
Priests and Sisters of Battle release deafening war cries and hymns, preaching amidst the carnage. One Sister of Battle stands tall upon the ramparts, a tome in one hand and a bolter in the other, her voice carrying over the masses.
She is an Imagifier, bearer of the Simulacrum Imperialis. She recounts the deeds of fallen Sororitas, invoking their spirits to bolster those still standing. She is now preaching the deed of one of the saints.
"Her blade was her hand! Her bolter was her wrath! With a single strike, she cut through the heretics in her path! Three abominations fell to her first blow! Two more perished by the bark of her bolter!"
Golden light seeps from her form, rejuvenating those nearby and stoking the fires of morale in all who hear her. The Emperor is going all out, and, as much as he doesn't want to, he is forced to perform miracles as if he were a God.
She continues her sermon, her voice broadcast across vox channels over the thunder of munitions and the roar of chainswords. The Simulacrum Imperialis shines with a blinding golden flame as the Emperor's power erupts throughout the system.
"She ordered the gates thrown open! Her eyes blazed with gold, for she was blessed by the God-Emperor himself! 'Heretic!' she roared at the commander who dared suggest retreat! With a mighty cry, she awakened the spirit of humanity, and in the Emperor's name, they held the line for the Golden Throne!"
Basilisks and Leman Russ tanks hammer the horde with heavy ordnance. Tech-priests chant litanies in Cant Mechanicus, beseeching the machine spirits to unleash their divine wrath upon the faithless.
"And so she stood before the heretic tide! Her sword shone with gold, and her bolter found its mark! She looked upon them with holy anger and roared, 'Witness the miracle of our God-Emperor!'"
As she speaks, a massive light descends from the heavens. The people of the fortress-city witness yet another miracle: white light erupts from Kael, incinerating every daemon in his vicinity. His [Banishing Fire] reaches a critical mass, exploding into a tide of flame that scours the warp-spawn from existence.
"The miracle has come! Witness the Beacon of Humanity! Witness the Avatar of the God-Emperor! Witness his power and stand tall! Today we fight! Today we offer our lives for the God-Emperor! Fear not death, for we are all martyrs in His name!"
Kael releases another tsunami of [Banishing Fire] across the battlefield. The flames sweep through the fortress-city, aiding the defenders and thinning the ranks of the daemons attempting to scale the walls.
He knows the daemons near the portals are more resilient and cannot be vanquished with a single burst, even with his power boosted. Consequently, he focuses his fire on the hordes charging the fortress while simultaneously dueling Ku'Gath, who assails him from every direction.
Green miasma vents from every pore of the Great Unclean One, and sickly ichor spills onto the ground. From the liquid, abominations coalesce; slug-like creatures formed from the biomass of fallen cultists and victims, thrashing and emitting a cacophony of joyful gurgles and agonized screams.
Kael gestures, and the earth beneath the daemons heaves, crushing and impaling them. He even manages to repair breaches in the walls as the Space Marines purge the few daemons that had broken through the fortifications.
He waits for his abilities to fully connect with Ku'Gath. His [Reaper's Writ] trait allows him to strike down any foe or ensure their wounds cannot be closed. However, against this Greater Daemon, the trait is suppressed by the burgeoning power of Nurgle within the beast. Nurgle's domain fighting his trait, and it requires time to stick.
"Give up… Anathema. Embrace the darkness and die."
Ku'Gath's voice is solemn, unlike his more jubilant siblings. It carries on the wind like the finality of death.
"Accept your fate. You cannot win. Grandfather Nurgle is watching over me. Your fate is already written."
Instead of answering, the green jewel in Kael's chest flares. He releases a blast of red energy toward Ku'Gath, who manages to block it, though the white flame begins to consume the outer layer of his rotting skin. The daemon's unnatural healing begins to work.
However, the regeneration is noticeably slower than before.
"Really? Then why does your so-called grandfather not give you more power? My attack is slowly killing you, you know?"
With a snarl, Ku'Gath releases a blast of green miasma. As Kael dodges the attack, the daemon tears a blob of filth from his own body and crushes it, releasing a massive wave of green energy that washes over half the planet.
The effect is immediate. Kael is not affected by his boosted state or powers, but the others are greatly affected by it.
Normal humans scream as their bodies bubble, their blood boiling within their veins. Those with stronger physiques and greater zeal, like the Sisters of Battle, stand and scream their defiance in the name of the God-Emperor. The Space Marines continue to fight, though their efficiency is hampered significantly by this.
Ku'Gath looks to the sky and raises his hands as if he is praying.
"O great Nurgh-leth! I offer you these souls! I've marked their souls for the harvest! Take their souls and use them to grow your garden!"
Sensing the shift in the warp, Kael takes immediate action. The Soul Stone in his possession glows brilliantly, vibrating violently as its primordial power begins to expand and unleash powerful energy into the world.
"No, you don't! I reject your reality and protect these souls from your dirty, grubby hands!"
An explosion of light follows. A kaleidoscopic blast scours the planet, washing over everything in its path. The people on the ground find they can breathe again, their souls shielded from the reach of the Chaos God.
"I deny you! I deny your powers in this reality! No longer can you consume the souls of humanity, Parasite!"
Another burst of light follows, accompanied by a terrible roar from the portals. Cultists and victims collapse as their souls fly toward the Warp, protected and safe from Nurgle's hunger. Nurgle is no longer able to prey on humanity's souls.
What he has achieved is theoretically impossible. The Chaos Gods usually claim all corrupted souls, but now, Nurgle is denied his harvest by the power of the Soul Stone.
The slight enrages Nurgle, who begins to manifest through the portal. For the first time since their inception, a Chaos God attempts to step fully into Realspace. It is a catastrophic event that even the God-Emperor fears.
With a grimace, Kael draws Ea. The planet shakes violently at the sword's presence as it clashes with the Plague God's aura. Nurgle glares with pure malice and unleashes a primordial wave of plague energy.
Kael points Ea at the deity and unleashes a counter-blast. The two forces collide, creating a shockwave that obliterates anything in its path. Ku'Gath and the remaining daemons charge, desperate to kill Kael so their master can fully manifest.
Kael grits his teeth, struggling against the sheer number of opponents. He manifests a massive [Divine Blade] in his left hand, preparing a desperate gambit.
He knows he will be injured, but he must create an opening to strike Nurgle directly.
Before he can act, reinforcements arrive from the sky. A massive Titan lands, crushing the daemons charging Kael, followed closely by two more. He blinks for a second at the presence that he never thought would join this battle.
These are not Imperial Titans, but Eldar Titans. They immediately engage the Greater Daemon and deploy portable Webway Portals, allowing an army of Eldar to spill onto the battlefield. At least 5,000 of them are coming through, and another 1,000 are using their vehicles.
Among them is a three-meter-tall Eldar woman of eerie, transcendent beauty. She exudes a motherly aura, though her eyes burn with a hatred that belies her gentle features. This is Isha, Mother of the Eldar and former prisoner of Nurgle.
The Plague Father roars in fury, thrashing as he tries to force his way into Realspace. He sees his prized toy dare to appear in front of him once again. The jolly Grandfather is no longer here; now the true Nurgle is what the people see.
Isha looks at Kael and nods. He returns the gesture, silently thanking her before preparing his final move. He can feel Nurgle's presence anchoring in Realspace, finally allowing his powers to affect the Plague God.
With another dozen boosts, he unleashes his trump card.
He points his finger at the Plague Father who speaks in the Dark Tongue, cursing at him, and says.
"With the authority bestowed upon me!"
His voice is not a shout, yet it resonates across the planet and echoes through the Warp. The words cause even the four Chaos Gods to shudder with an unfamiliar sensation. It is a sensation they never feel and something they do not like.
"I, Kael, declare you and your creations!"
He points at Nurgle, his eyes glowing with an eerie purple light. The energy he releases is not violent, but carries the absolute coldness of something familiar to all living and unliving beings in the galaxy.
It is the sense of Death.
"Mortals!"
Nurgle recoils as he feels a sensation that makes him feel fear so primal that it makes him run away. He is attempting to throw his mass back into his realm to escape from the grip of Death, but the [Authority of Death] has already taken hold. He is no longer an untouchable immortal. He remains a god, but one who can now know the end. As a being born from the Warp, the feeling is ten thousand more potent than anyone feels from the glimpse they feel from Kael.
As Kael raises Ea, Nurgle retreats in terror. The embodiment of decay, who fancied himself death's master, flees after experiencing the touch of true Death for the first time in his eternal life. His massive body attempts to run away to the very corner of his realm.
"Judgment is upon you. Behold the crushing might of my Sword of Rupture."
Nurgle attempts to slam the portal shut, but it remains open. He turns to see Isha floating in the air, her power anchoring the gateway so Kael can finish his strike.
Isha smiles. It is not with her usual gentle smile, but with a cold satisfaction at his impending doom.
"Behold! Enuma Elish!"
With every ounce of his strength, Kael channels the [Authority of Death], [Banishing Fire], and the Soul Stone into his attack. Blinding light erupts from Ea and streaks toward the Plague Father.
Nurgle screams, summoning every daemon, creature, and even slave he ever created and captured at his command to form a shield. Legions of warp creatures are vaporized as the light hammers into them.
Enuma Elish punches through the daemonic wall. Each of his creations that die reduces his power even more, as they are granted True Death from the attack. Nurgle narrowly avoids the brunt of the strike, sacrificing a significant portion of his manifested form to escape.
With a final snarl, Nurgle overpowers Isha's hold and collapses the portal. Isha allows it, sending one last smug smile after the retreating god.
Kael exhales a long sigh and begins to fall, his energy depleted. Though disappointed he didn't kill the Chaos God, he is satisfied. He knows Nurgle will be unable to launch another offensive anytime soon or ever. Nurgle and his creation no longer have the power of immortality. Each of his creations who died in Realspace or the Warp will truly die and reduce his power in the process.
Without the souls of humanity to fuel him, his recovery will be slow. Kael knows that the situation in the Imperium will still feed Nurgle with how horrendous the situation in Hive Cities or any planet under the Imperium.
Kael braces for impact with the hard ground, but instead, he is caught by Isha. He removes his helmet and smiles up at her.
"Well, hello there, beautiful. How's the weather?" His attempt at flirting is met with a melodic giggle that rings pleasantly in his ears.
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