The Death God's arrival neatly completed Rhodes' plan. Look, Fulgrim—the Aeldari Death God is here too. A strong contender for the fifth Chaos Power. And he wants a primordial-form Ace Killer as well. Tempted? Come and take it.
After striking his bargain with Rhodes, the Death God nodded and waded into the fight, his Sword of Death reaping as he went.
The Avatar and the Death God together faced two Greater Daemons and a daemon-prince primarch. The battle cracked the heavens; even the Vigilus system itself began to shudder.
It raged for seven days and nights. The sides fought to a standstill. One-on-one, none of Khorne's Greater Daemons or daemon princes could match the Avatar.
Even after Vashtorr's refits and the latest gigantification trials, the gap in raw power—and in banes—could not be bridged.
The Emperor's sacred psychic might was too lethal to daemons. It could kill any warp-spawn short of the Dark Gods themselves.
And at the Avatar's side stood a mighty Aeldari Death God whose dominion was death itself—fatal to greater daemons. When wielded by that god in person, any daemon prince or Greater Daemon struck would scarcely escape death.
So Chaos found itself in a bind. Khorne hurled in more Greater Daemons and legions, hounding the Avatar and the Death God by sheer rotation of fresh horrors.
For seven days and nights, mortal armies and Chaos hordes alike hurled themselves forward without rest.
None gave ground.
In that span, more than a dozen Greater Daemons, Chaos champions, and daemon princes fell to the blades of the Avatar and the Death God. Yet every time the Avatar moved to finish Angron, some strange force intervened—some Greater Daemon or daemon prince flung himself in the way to die for him.
The struggle's fury drew eyes across the galaxy. The Imperium watched with bated breath.
Other primarchs paused their crusades, asking the Emperor whether to reinforce.
Rogal Dorn and Sanguinius in particular sensed something amiss. Why move this special dimensional avatar through Vigilus? Why not have Rhodes open a portal—or use the Aeldari Webway?
After all, Rhodes' subordinate Tartarus could fold space. For Rhodes, distance meant nothing in the galaxy.
…
"Father! If needed, I request permission to reinforce Vigilus. The battle is extreme. From the lower warp we can see the storm—I fear Calgar may not hold," Dorn said.
Since merging with a cosmic phantom-beast, the primarchs' warp-essences had fully awakened.
Dorn could now, by soul-mode alone, survey whatever he wished in the warp-threaded galaxy—and saw the carnage on Vigilus. Mortal bones piled like hills. Daemons burned to ash under the Emperor's power. Aeldari hosts arrived in waves.
He did not much approve of these xenos allies. His attitude toward the newly returned Aeldari war-god primarch, Khaine, was likewise cool.
When did mankind's battlefields need alien aid?
"Father! Where is Rhodes? If he's free, he could move us to Vigilus at once. We cannot lose the Nachmund Gauntlet. The spirit-gems aid us, yes, and the Webway can return us through the Imperium Nihilus—but the Gauntlet lets more Imperial fleets pass," said Sanguinius.
"I know you would protect our people," the Emperor said from the Golden Throne. "This is Rhodes' and my design. I cannot tell you the details. Know only this war decides humanity's fate."
"Then we should go all the more. Has our strength become useless? Must mortals hold the line alone?" Sanguinius asked, baffled.
"No. You will join this war—but not yet. It has not reached its darkest hour," the Emperor said.
He had probed the warp of late and found two distinct Chaos godshards. One he could not source. The other was clustered about His son.
He was now certain: Fulgrim, by some means, was stealing the divinity of Slaanesh. If he succeeded, the consequences would be dire. He must be stopped. The Emperor watched Vigilus constantly—restraining His grief and refusing to commit His blade-bound legions and living saints.
By rights He should already have sent His own Greater Daemons and daemon princes to this slaughter. He had not.
He meant to draw Fulgrim out.
"As you will, Father. We'll stand ready to reinforce Vigilus at your word," Dorn said.
He suspected something vast—a trap laid by Father, Rhodes, and Guilliman—for whom, he could not yet say.
…
In the warp, Fulgrim also wore a frown.
Vigilus was too chaotic. If he did not act in person, his champions, lords, Slaanesh Greater Daemons, and daemon princes were all inadequate. Tossing them in would feed the grinder. Unless the Avatar and the Death God fell, more troops were wasted.
"Great master, trust your servant! Abaddon's forces carry the main fight. If we strike from the flank—when Guilliman arrives—if we attack then, we can seize what you seek," a Chaos champion knelt and said.
"This is different. The fight looks even, but Abaddon is starting to slip. If Khorne's full support falters, he will break within a day," Fulgrim said, shaking his head.
Under such pressure, stealing the cargo would be impossible. Abaddon's Black Legion might not even escape.
"Great one, we previously raided Macragge. Khârn slew one of the Emperor's Companions, and we captured many Primaris biowares," a sorcerer said.
"Oh? Speak plainly," Fulgrim said.
"Lord, the Ultramarines are not of one mind. There is a traitor among them—Leandros, formerly a chaplain in the Chapter era. Our easy penetration of Macragge was thanks to his leaks. We should reach out again. When Guilliman arrives, we send a special strike team while the main host fixes the Avatar and Death God. The team steals the dimensional avatar," the sorcerer said.
"A passable plan—but flawed. The Aeldari Death God wants the avatar too. Their gods wake early; he aids the Emperor for his own ends," Fulgrim said.
If not for the need of a vessel to stride the materium at full power, he would never risk this. Yet he had no choice. He had to seize that avatar. He could not let the Death God or Abaddon have it. Even knowing it might be a trap, he had to spring it. Otherwise he would be like Slaanesh—exiled from reality forever.
"Great Gene-Father, perhaps there is another way," said Lucius from the side.
Lucius had returned months ago—after learning his gene-father was about to fuse Slaanesh's godshard and become a new Dark God. To show magnanimity, Fulgrim took back this once-rebellious son.
"My son, speak," Fulgrim said.
For now, he would hear him.