The original plan had been simple: Magnus would use his warships to herd Guilliman toward the Maelstrom, trapping him like a rat. Then he, Kairos Fateweaver, would slowly break the Primarch's mind within the swirling energies of the Warp.
But Magnus had failed. Worse, he had fallen into enemy hands.
Truly pathetic.
Kairos pushed the thought of his incompetent brother aside and turned his second head toward Guilliman.
"I have long foreseen every thread of the future," the daemon rasped, his voice layering over itself. "All your struggles are destined for a single ending: failure."
What is he jabbering about?
Zeke and Guilliman exchanged a glance and tacitly chose to ignore the monologue.
Zeke raised his Endersoul Hand. With a flex of telekinetic will, he ripped a peeling sheet of plasteel from a nearby bulkhead and hurled the jagged metal at the daemon.
Simultaneously, Guilliman charged. He swept into the Tzeentchian lines, dispensing death with efficient brutality. Every time the Primarch threw a punch, a daemon disintegrated into warp-dust.
Even without consulting the strands of fate, Kairos could sense his forces collapsing. He channeled his psychic energy and drifted backward, putting distance between himself and the avenging son.
I must not confront Guilliman head-on. Defeating him while he wields the Emperor's Sword is impossible.
And that human who petrified Magnus... I must guard against his strange sorcery.
Kairos raised the Staff of Tomorrow high above his head. Blue Warp-fire erupted from the tip, intercepting the metal plate Zeke had thrown. The plasteel melted instantly, dripping onto the deck like molten rain.
Zeke shifted tactics, sprinting toward Kairos. He needed to get close enough for the Blackstone Armor to nullify the daemon's psychic power.
But Kairos was cunning, and his paranoia was legendary. He had already glimpsed Zeke's intent through the lens of the future. The moment Zeke moved to close the gap, the withered bird-thing floated further back, maintaining an absolute, maddening safety distance.
He's stalling, Zeke realized.
He glanced at his Minimap.
The display showed nine red dots forming a perfect circle, centered on him and Guilliman.
Zeke looked up, scanning the empty air where the dots indicated enemies should be. Squinting, he finally spotted them: faint, floating health bars shimmering in the void.
Nine Tzeentchian Vanguards hiding with illusion arts. They were chanting in the shadows, weaving the prelude to a massive ritual. Kairos wasn't trying to win a duel; he was buying time.
Zeke reached into his inventory and pulled out a handful of Splash Potions of Night Vision. Regardless of friend or foe, he hurled them into the air like a scattering of celestial flowers.
Crash! Crash!
The bottles shattered, the liquid falling like gold beads onto a jade plate.
Particle effects erupted across the empty air, clinging to the invisible forms of the nine Vanguards. Their outlines weren't sharp, but the shimmering particles were enough for Zeke and Guilliman to lock onto their positions.
"Those invisible enemies—they're charging a major spell!" Zeke warned, dashing toward the nearest shimmer.
These sorcerers were glass cannons—high damage, fragile bodies. They had poured all their energy into the ritual and their concealment. Zeke reached the first one and hacked it down with three brutal strikes of his Manyullyn Chainsword.
[Mod Unlocked: Iron's Spells 'n Spellbooks]
Iron's Spells: A mod that adds many magic systems to Minecraft. Spells can be cast once via Scrolls or transcribed into a Spellbook for permanent learning.
"Discovered, were they..." Kairos's voice rang out with multiple overlapping echoes. He didn't sound surprised.
Everything remained within his calculations. He tapped the Staff of Tomorrow against the air, sending a silent psychic command.
The remaining eight Vanguards knew hiding was now meaningless. They dropped their invisibility, revealing their wretched, twisting forms. Abandoning defense, they poured every ounce of their psychic energy desperately into the final chant.
The sound of the incantation rose in pitch, eight voices twisting into a dizzying, nauseating harmony.
"Hahaha! My mission is complete."
Kairos laughed proudly. Floating further away, he raised his staff and added the final, thunderous syllable to the combined spell.
Now. Kairos's attention was fully committed to the ritual.
"Primaris!" Zeke shouted to the shadows.
Two bursts of cherry blossom particles flashed in quick succession.
First, the Primaris Marine teleported to Zeke's side.
Second, he grabbed Zeke and warped again—instantly appearing right next to Kairos.
Before the Fateweaver could react, the suppression field of the Blackstone Armor washed over him. The daemon felt an unprecedented sickness, his connection to the Warp choking off.
Zeke narrowed his eyes. His chainsword roared, shearing large chunks of flesh from the Fateweaver's withered torso.
A deafening screech echoed through the ship. Feathers exploded into the air.
[Kairos's Feather] x10
Description: Can be used to create Ink for transcribing Iron's Spells.
Kairos endured the agony of his corporeal form being butchered. He did not stop chanting for a single heartbeat, forcing out the final note of the spell through gritted beaks.
Then, his figure dimmed amidst a flurry of psychic flashes. He melted into a blur of colors, leaving only a fading blue afterimage.
He had fled. Decisive, fast, and without a shred of warrior's pride.
Rumble...
The ship listed violently. Zeke grabbed a railing to steady himself and looked out the viewport.
The Maelstrom, originally a stable churning in the distance, was expanding. Its boundaries swelled, fueled by Kairos's spell.
Tentacles of pure energy, as thick as battleships, lashed out from the storm. They wrapped around every ship in the Terran Crusade. From the smallest frigate to the Macragge's Honour, nothing was spared—not even the captured Vengeful Spirit of Tizca.
The tentacles retracted, dragging the helpless fleet into the furious heart of the anomaly.
The Maelstrom swallowed them whole.
Guilliman... you cannot escape my palm. Somewhere in the deep Warp, Kairos licked his wounds. Once inside the Maelstrom, escape is impossible. If I cannot defeat Guilliman in battle, I will rot his mind in the dark.
The Crusade fleet fell into panic. The Warp tentacles were like the claws of prehistoric beasts, tearing at reality. Gravity waves swept every deck as the ships were ripped from realspace and dragged into the depths of the Empyrean.
Guilliman, having returned to the flagship via the Nether Portal, took command immediately.
Under the Primarch's leadership, the soldiers found their backbone. They scrambled to protect the ship's core—the Geller Field generator. The shields flared to life, successfully weathering the violent transition.
They were inside.
Here, reality and void merged in impossible ways. The light of stars was replaced by supernatural veils. Sinister, twisted worlds flickered in and out of existence against a maddening, kaleidoscopic sky.
Guilliman gathered the fleet's commanders in the Strategium. The mood was grim.
"We can use a super-giant Nether Portal. We can escape the Maelstrom anytime," Zeke said, his voice cutting through the tension.
The relief in the room was palpable. Knowing safety was an option, Guilliman did not order an immediate retreat.
The Fateweaver had wanted to use the Maelstrom to deal with Guilliman.
But perhaps... Guilliman could use the Maelstrom to deal with him.