Pythos. Inside the cavern.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!—
The bolt launchers within the Guardian Spears spat a curtain of fire. Each bolt found the gaps in the Chaos warriors' armor, detonating within twisted flesh and tearing desecrated bodies into fragments.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!—
Holy explosive grenades blossomed within the enemy ranks. Golden fire swept outward from the epicenters, igniting the flesh and plate of the Chaos cultists instantly. Screams rose as the heretics, consumed by the holy flames, struggled before turning into twisted piles of ash.
Hummmm—
The molecular decomposition fields of the power blades roared. Every swing accompanied the shrieks of heretics. Blood sprayed against the cave walls, dark red liquid flowing along the rock veins and reflecting the torchlight with a foul luster.
Everything was beautiful.
"Heretic, die!" Custodian Tribune Diocletian leaped.
Under the enhancement of reality-warping power, his speed exceeded his former peak, reaching heights he had never achieved in life. Sonic clouds boomed as they were pushed aside, the white cone of vapor shattering around him to form a visible shockwave. On his charge, he did not even need to swing his Guardian Spear; his golden-clad body alone crushed five or six Chaos Space Marines in his path. Power armor tore like paper, and flesh and bone turned into mist under the impact. Shards of armor embedded themselves into the surrounding rock walls.
So fast! Abaddon's pupils shrank. He raised the Talon of Horus, his five claws closing into a heavy grip as he blocked upward.
Clang!
The Guardian Spear collided with the Talon of Horus. The sound of clashing decomposition fields erupted, a shrill cry like metal being shredded. An energy shockwave expanded from the point of impact, blowing dust and debris across the ground. Abaddon's wrist shook, the terrifying force transmitted through his claws leaving his arm numb.
From the other side, a silent attack arrived. Ra Endymion's Guardian Sword moved like a dance, graceful yet lethal. The blade drew silver arcs in the darkness, weaving into a seamless web of steel. Speed far beyond his peak era surged through the legendary Custodian. The dancing blade released a storm of steel, cutting everything in its vicinity.
Abaddon swung the daemon sword Drach'nyen in a black arc. Blade met blade with a piercing screech. Sparks illuminated Abaddon's contorted face. Though the Warmaster appeared composed, his heart was heavy with gravity.
An illogical power operated within the Custodians. It twisted the rules of reality, allowing their speed to exceed physical limits and their strength to break the bounds of common sense.
Abaddon spat through gritted teeth. He had believed himself invincible, standing at the summit of power. The Chaos energy flowing within him from the Four Gods had inflated his ambition and desire to an incredible degree. Abaddon had thought he had surpassed the being he once called Father!
Yet, two Custodian Tribunes were forcing him into a desperate struggle. How is this possible? I am the Warmaster of Chaos!
"Abaddon, face me!" Diocletian roared, continuing his assault. His Guardian Spear became a golden storm. The tip slammed into the Talon of Horus and clashed with the daemon sword, fire and energy shockwaves carving charred pits into the ground. "Today we finish the business Captain-General Valdor left incomplete on the Vengeful Spirit!"
Diocletian's peak martial skill was on full display. Reality-warping power surged through him again. His movements became more fluid, more precise, more lethal. The Guardian Spear seemed to possess its own life, leaving golden afterimages in the air like holy runes.
Abaddon felt the strain. His arm muscles trembled—an instinctive reaction to absorbing too much impact. "I was wondering who it was! It's you two!" he said, adjusting his breathing. His voice held a mocking edge, an attempt to mask his shock.
Having participated in the Siege of Terra, Abaddon recognized them. Memories from ten thousand years ago surfaced—the burning Palace, the shattered walls, and the golden figures fighting atop the ramparts.
"Diocletian? Ra Endymion?" Abaddon called out their names. "Since you are already dead, do not return to the material universe!"
He attacked with renewed fervor. The daemon sword became a black storm, the blade tearing the air with a shrill whistle. The Talon of Horus swung simultaneously, five claws carving dark trails in the air. The Warmaster attempted to suppress the two Custodians with a torrential offensive. "Let me help you return to where you belong!"
Despite his mockery, Abaddon was fuming. A twisted smirk crossed his face. "Look at you now. Have you decided to kneel completely to that lie and find yourselves a new master?"
He mocked them relentlessly, his gaze sweeping over the power surging around Diocletian and Endymion. This power ignored the order of the material universe and twisted the laws of physics. Every time they swung their weapons, that power surged within them, allowing their attacks to transcend mortal limits. "Look at the foul energy within you, the power that disregards the order of the material universe. How are you any different from the filth of Chaos?"
"The difference lies in our essence! Heretic!" Diocletian dismissed the comment. "Gods are not inherently greater than us; only the weak succumb to their lies and promises. We share the same blood as the omniscient Emperor and Adam. They walk among us."
"Humanity is greater than any god-made thing," Endymion said calmly. "We are the greatest race in the galaxy, and the Emperor and Adam are our greatest individuals. They are humans, and we pray to them."
"For the Emperor!"
"Ha." Abaddon let out a sneer. For some reason, hearing this argument and seeing this glorious force that seemed to have stepped directly out of the Great Crusade filled him with an inexhaustible, tooth-grinding rage.
"You are all the same, intoxicated by the lies of Warp deities. Whereas I am a human who possesses true sanity," Abaddon roared. "I utilize them with the correct attitude! Your efforts are futile!"
His daemon sword and the Talon of Horus swung together, trying to tear open the joint defense of the two Custodians. "I will take your heads as my finest trophies! Your eyes will watch as this Imperium walks toward its destruction!"
"Absurd!" "Wishful thinking!"
Two roars sounded at once. The offensive of the two Tribunes came like a tide. Abaddon ignored all else. He gritted his teeth, swinging the Talon of Horus and the daemon sword in a brutal, sweeping strike. Pure strength against technique!
Using a sudden surge of Warp energy within him, he forcibly broke the encirclement of the two powerful reality-warpers. A shockwave of energy expanded, blowing away the dust. Abaddon's body retreated rapidly, each step leaving deep footprints in the stone floor.
He had barely adapted to their endless tricks, but he still could not gain the upper hand.
Damn it. I must retreat.
Abaddon looked around at the chaos, his teeth clenched in hatred. The ambush had been too sudden. Most of the Chaos warriors around him had fallen under the slaughter of the golden supermen. The executioners who had once slaughtered Imperial citizens on countless worlds—Chaos Champions whose names alone inspired terror—were being butchered like lambs. The bodies of Bringers of Despair lay across the cave floor. Veterans of ten thousand years of war died without dignity.
His gaze swept the area. Where is Erebus? Where did that damned Dark Apostle go? Abaddon searched the chaotic battlefield. He found no sign of Erebus; the man had vanished without a trace.
Abaddon ground his teeth. That damned coward. "One day, I will settle this account."
He pulled a Warp teleportation device from his belt. Abaddon pressed the button. No response. He froze and pressed it again. Still no response.
The runes on the device flickered and then went out completely. The light faded as if some power had forcibly severed its connection to the Warp. Abaddon looked up at the two Custodian Tribunes.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Abaddon's temple. Damn it!