Magnus looked at Rhodes in disbelief.
No way! This new brother—who'd helped so much, even saved him from Chaos—wants to join Chaos? And with Nurgle, the most disgusting one!
Only the Emperor and Guilliman seemed to realize something.
Nurgle peered through the rift at the giant zombie beast—covered with bacteria and toxic fumes, extremely rotten but still alive! Its strength was comparable to a Greater Daemon.
Khorne and Slaanesh, busy fighting, didn't care—rotting beasts weren't their thing.
Tzeentch was curious—if he saw such a beast elsewhere, he'd assume it was Nurgle's creation. Only Nurgle would love such abominations.
But seeing Nurgle so delighted meant this thing was from the material universe.
To the other three gods, it was just walking rotten meat—useless compared to a Chaos Titan. But for Nurgle, it was fatally attractive.
"I love it! Will you offer it to Great Nurgle? I can make you my Daemon Prince—my chosen one," Nurgle's voice boomed from the rift.
This thing was beautiful—so perfect, proving Nurgle's creed correct. He had to have it.
Nurgle liked this new Primarch—clearly, Nurgle's power had attracted him. With the Emperor on the ropes, surely Rhodes wanted to join Nurgle.
No problem! Nurgle welcomed all, especially a powerful Primarch who brought such a gift.
"Sorry but It's useless to me, and I don't want to end up like Mortarion. I'm only offering it because you're the only one who'd want it.
I'll give it to you if you help me with one thing—save Sanguinius," Rhodes said.
"You don't want to join me? I'd love you like a father, more than the Emperor ever could. In my garden, even the smallest daemon is cared for—every child is happy," Nurgle said.
"Cut the crap! Nurgle, I'll give you the beast if you help me save Sanguinius. Agree, and I'll hand him over," Rhodes said.
The other three gods realized Rhodes wasn't trying to defect, just making a deal to save Sanguinius.
Sanguinius, half-seized by Khorne and half by Slaanesh, shouted, "Don't save me, you fool—you can't bargain with Chaos!
Any contact will corrupt you, and making deals shows your weakness!"
Magnus once thought the same—he could manipulate Chaos, but look where that got him: the Emperor was tormented for ten thousand years, and Magnus was ruined by Chaos.
"Rhodes! Let's seal the rift and destroy the beast. You don't understand how powerful Nurgle is!" Magnus said.
He knew Rhodes wanted to help, but this was the wrong way—never make deals with Chaos!
"If it saves Sanguinius's soul, it's worth it," Rhodes replied.
Others might be tricked by Chaos, but not him—his power was always growing. He was destined to surpass the Four Bastards, who'd soon be no match for him.
His real goal: give Nurgle the beast. The Four would never suspect they could be controlled through it.
"This deal is tough. Sanguinius is a lesser god—I can join the fight for his soul, but even if I get it, I can't give it to you. He can't enter the material universe.
So let's change the terms. Great Nurgle loves trading with you. Come visit my garden," Nurgle said.
"Rhodes, I know you want to help, but don't get too involved with Chaos!" the Emperor warned Rhodes mentally.
He and Magnus, Guilliman, and the phantom beasts still distracted the Four, but Rhodes shouldn't get further involved!
"Trust me, Emperor—do you have any way to preserve Sanguinius's soul?" Rhodes asked.
"If I did, I'd have taken him back already! Sanguinius is a lesser god—insulated from the material universe," the Emperor replied.
"Then let me try! I've secretly obtained Sanguinius's remains on Baal, and with super-beast technology, I can revive him—though I can't guarantee the result," Rhodes said.
No better way—he had to retrieve Sanguinius's soul, even if he turned into a Blood Angel.
"At least he'd be free from Khorne or Slaanesh."
"Would you consider being my Daemon Prince—my chosen? I'd give you anything. If you love humanity, I'd even set aside a place for them to thrive.
We will never destroy humanity—they're our food. The one who will is the Emperor, or even the Dark King," Nurgle said.
"I have a better idea! That zombie beast's body would be perfect for Sanguinius's soul! Nurgle, if I help you seize Sanguinius, will you make him your special Greater Daemon?
That body can hold a lesser god—bathe it in your power, and it'll become one of the universe's most fearsome beings," Tzeentch proposed.
Everyone—including the Emperor and the warring Slaanesh and Khorne—was stunned. Tzeentch, usually Nurgle's rival, was offering help!
Their armies often fought—but now Tzeentch wanted to help Nurgle?
"You three idiots—just give me Sanguinius's soul! The Emperor and Rhodes are clearly trying to sow discord!" Slaanesh argued.
He'd nearly gotten Sanguinius, only to be blocked by Khorne and now the other two.
"You're right, but what's your real motive, Tzeentch?" asked Nurgle.
Nurgle and Khorne were evenly matched—he'd even beaten Slaanesh before, and still held Aeldari goddess Isha in his garden.
With Tzeentch's help, he'd surely win—but Tzeentch never acted without a scheme.
"Perhaps you don't know—Slaanesh wants Sanguinius's soul not just for pleasure, but also for his godchild. He recently obtained a true godchild in the material universe," Tzeentch revealed.
The other gods glared at Slaanesh: "Care to explain how you got a godchild?"
It was common knowledge that Chaos Gods couldn't have true offspring—their spawn were just daemons, or, at best, Daemon Princes.
So how could Slaanesh have a godchild?
"Aren't you going to explain?" Khorne asked.
"I don't need to. My domain is love and fertility—a godchild is no surprise," Slaanesh replied.
He knew he couldn't hide it, but didn't care.
"Then we can't let you have Sanguinius's soul! You want to feed it to your godchild to make it stronger, don't you?" Khorne demanded.
If Slaanesh's faction gained a being above all Greater Daemons, that would endanger the balance.
"So what? My godchild can move freely in the material universe," Slaanesh said.
"Tell us how you got it, and we won't pursue this," Tzeentch pressed.
The Emperor had his own special Avatar and Beast, and now Slaanesh had a godchild—the others couldn't fall behind.
"I don't know the details!" Slaanesh admitted. He suspected it was the offspring of a Chaos champion or chosen, who'd inherited his power.
"Looks like we need to discuss this further!"
"Tzeentch, you bastard, trying to turn the others against me? We're equals—we could fight forever!" Slaanesh retorted.
"I'll find out how your godchild was born! The universe just gets more interesting!"
"Now—hand over Sanguinius's soul."
Nurgle and Tzeentch joined the fight for Sanguinius's soul; Khorne wouldn't let anyone take his prize.
A fierce storm erupted in the Warp as the Four Chaos Gods fought.
Rhodes, on Holy Terra, was speechless. Seriously? The Four just started brawling?
"The Four Chaos God sometimes cooperate, but only when their survival is at stake. Usually, they're eternal enemies," the Emperor explained.
"So how long will they fight?" Rhodes asked.
"It could be over in an instant—or last until the end of the world," the Emperor replied.