Abaddon roared in fury. The "nuisance" had destroyed his Obliterators. He descended personally, the Talon of Horus gleaming with dark energy.
They met in the center of the plaza. The dark giant with the Talon of Horus, and the green warrior, smaller but radiating a concentrated fury that rivaled that of the Eye of Terror itself.
There were no words. Only violence.
Abaddon struck first, the Talon seeking to tear. The Slayer dodged with supernatural speed, his Shotgun firing against Abaddon's Terminator armor. The buckshot barely scratched the Chaos-hardened adamantium.
Abaddon laughed, a guttural sound. "Insect! Your death will serve the Dark Gods!"
The Slayer switched weapons. TheEnergy Ballista. A shot hit Abaddon's shoulder, forcing him back a step. Surprise turned to rage. The Slayer charged, his Shield-Saw spinning. It clashed against the Talon of Horus, and for a millisecond, the antagonistic energies sparked. The Slayer was gaining ground, pushing, his fury fueling his strength.
Abaddon, for the first time in millennia, felt a flash of... doubt. This being had no soul to corrupt, no fear to exploit. Only a pure, annihilating hatred.
It was then that Abaddon's Chaos Marines, the Sons of the Eye, intervened. A rain of bolter fire and spells hit the Slayer from all angles. His shoulder shield deployed, but it was overloaded. A bolter round found a damaged joint in his thigh. Another spell struck him in the back, making him stumble.
It was the opening Abaddon needed.
With a roar of triumph, the Talon of Horus rose and fell with the force of a dark god. The Slayer tried to block with the Shield-Saw, but the weapon was shattered. The Talon pierced him, digging into his torso with a horrific crunch of metal and bone.
The DOOM Slayer collapsed, his green and golden light fading. Abaddon, panting, withdrew his Talon. The cost had been terrible.Hundreds of his best demons dead, Obliterators destroyed, and his own armor showed dents and energy scars that would not heal easily.
He looked at the body of the fallen warrior. There was no triumph in his eyes, only a deep and unsettling disturbance. "Throw his body into the core fires," he ordered hoarsely. "Let nothing remain of this... abomination."
As his marines dragged the body away, the planet itself cracked. The Fortress of Lights failed. Cadia fell.
But in the darkness of space, as the fragments of Cadia scattered, a new power stirred in the Warp. A consciousness, fed by an unbreakable will and the power stolen from thousands of demons, refused to dissolve. It was not the end.
It was only the first round. And the Scourge would not stay dead for long.