The appearance of twelve towering, golden Emperors further rallied the Imperium. Their interlocking sword-net hauled Vigilus back from the warp's grasp.
After the twelve Avatars arrived, the Emperor could channel his power through them to intervene directly on Vigilus.
Rhodes's sudden arrival drew little notice from Chaos forces and mortal soldiers alike; only Fulgrim truly sensed them.
Rhodes masked his aura; Fulgrim detected no great power from him, nor from Tartarus. But the black-armored giant—the Alien Empera—felt utterly different.
An indescribable darkness, ultimate and absolute, emanated from the giant.
A terrifying power radiated from him, its point aimed squarely at Fulgrim, pressure gathering upon him alone.
"This opponent looks promising, master. I think he can withstand my new power," said the Alien Empera.
"He's only fused half a Chaos godhead. His body can't express the full might of a Dark God. If it were a peak Chaos God, you wouldn't be a match," Rhodes replied.
The Dark Emperor was indeed powerful—but not enough to defeat a full Chaos God. Bullying Fulgrim was fine. Besides, Tartarus stood ready, and the Emperor would lend psychic aid. Other Primarchs could be ported in at any time.
Guilliman was right—the moment Fulgrim appeared here, his defeat was sealed.
Crimson sigils pulsed over the Alien Empera's sable armor; Tartarus crossed his hands, projecting a golden chrono-spatial field.
The triad of extradimensional forces resonated with the Emperor's planetary ward. Vigilus was now utterly stabilized.
At this point, even fleeing into the warp was no longer possible for Fulgrim.
Fulgrim felt the strange energy at once. His link to the warp was damped. The Emperor's power, plus the black giant's and the golden giant's, blocked his passage to the warp.
"Who are you? Why target me? What do you gain?" Fulgrim growled.
This newcomer was no gutter god like the Eldar Avatar—his power gave even Fulgrim pause.
"Who am I? I'm the one who's about to kill you. I hear you're proud of your swordsmanship—care to test it?" the Dark Emperor sneered, drawing the Empera Blade.
He strode up to Fulgrim, lifting a hand. He was the Dark Emperor—but also a proud swordsman.
To cross blades with a strong foe—nothing more desirable.
"You're unworthy to duel the father of perfection! I'll take your place!" A Chaos Champion leapt to answer.
But the Dark Emperor's aura alone corroded him to nothing—his body dissolved into black void.
That terrifying darkness spread. Chaos Marines and Sorcerers recoiled in terror; none dared face it.
It was a power more dreadful than the warp—it would dismantle you entirely, a force of extreme evil, darkness, and distortion.
A colossal darkness from the Ultra Universe.
"Hahah! Feel my darkness!" the Dark Emperor barked. Raising his blade, a pall of black cloud covered the battlefield.
The whole world dimmed; Vigilus fell into shadow. Even the star's light could not pierce it. troops wavered in fear, but a dozen Emperors shone with gold, restoring hope, and the soldiers rallied behind them.
This creature of pure darkness appeared to be opposing Fulgrim—friend or foe, they could not tell.
Mortals knew nothing of Rhodes's plan, nor that the Alien Empera was on their side.
Rhodes nodded to Guilliman, who understood at once and ordered the Ultramarines to withdraw. This battle was beyond their remit now.
"Be careful, Rhodes. Fulgrim is no easy foe now. Is your subordinate up to it?" Guilliman asked after repositioning Imperial forces.
"Relax. He's called the Dark Emperor for a reason—his combat power is off the charts," Rhodes said.
"Emperor of the Universe? That title… forget it," Guilliman shook his head.
The Dark Emperor did look a bit like his father. After all, his old man was a dark lord, too.
On the other side, Fulgrim and the Alien Empera faced off, weapons in hand.
"I'll give you one chance—submit to me, and I will grant you unimaginable power," Fulgrim said.
"Hahaha! Funniest thing I've heard. You, make me submit? Not qualified. I'll take your head," the Alien Empera raised his Empera Blade.
As if you could make me kneel? If not for the System, even my master might not have my wholehearted fealty.
Steel rang.
The Empera Blade clashed with the daemonblade, two opposing dark powers exploding into a kilometer-wide shock ring across Vigilus's surface.
Fulgrim's serpentine pupils narrowed. The dark red lightning coiling around his foe's blade impeded his proud Chaos power. This was no warp energy—but some purer cosmic dark matter,
A darkness he had never seen or heard of.
"Let's hope you make this interesting," the Phoenix Lord's bat wings snapped open, sulfurous fire belching beneath purple-black scales.
"That's my line. Don't disappoint me—I expect you to be entertaining," the Alien Empera growled.
Fulgrim's daemonblade slashed, rending reality; warp filth coiled like serpents along its edge.
The Alien Empera only sneered. His blade erupted with a flood of dark-red energy, cleaving the Chaos force apart.
Clang!
The god-weapons met again. Shockwaves scoured the field; the ground crazed and stones rose into the air.
Fulgrim's pupils tightened—the black-armored warrior's strength matched his own.
"Your swordsmanship is indeed impressive," the Alien Empera's deep voice rolled across the field.
This one's technique was among the greatest he had seen.
"Much obliged. You're not bad yourself." Fulgrim snarled, wings lashing as he blurred into a violet afterimage,
Instantly circling to the Alien Empera's back, thrusting for his heart.
But the Dark Emperor didn't even look. A slight sidestep—then a reverse slash.
Boom!
Dark powers collided again. Fulgrim skidded back dozens of meters, gouging trenches beneath his feet. His expression finally grew grave.
"Seems I should get serious," the Alien Empera said coolly.
"Slaanesh's divine power—unleashed!" Fulgrim roared, violet light flaring as he fully released his Chaos might.
His body swelled; purple-black scales grew more grotesque; Chaos power burned like fire. His speed spiked; his sword left countless afterimages, striking from every angle.
The Dark Emperor stood unshaken. His blade spun in tight arcs, every parry precise, sparks fountaining.
"Try this," the Alien Empera rumbled.
"What!"
The Dark Emperor raised a hand. A jet-black lightning bolt burst from his palm and slammed into Fulgrim's chest.
"Dark Destruction Bolt!"
If you thought I only knew swordplay, you were sorely mistaken. Dark energy is my specialty.
Fulgrim was blasted back, then rose again, glowering hatefully at the Dark Emperor.
The Alien Empera's black cloak snapped in the wind. The ground beneath his feet collapsed into a web of cracks. Both warriors broke the sound barrier and surged into the sky, their clashing blades sketching unbroken lines of light across the dim vault.
Tartarus shaped a golden cube between his palms. "Master, shall I use Absolute Annihilation?"
If he wished, he could erase every daemon and Chaos Marine present in an instant. The warp gates were sealed entirely; the Emperor's power and his own had locked space down—there was nowhere for the monsters to flee.
"No need. I'll handle this myself," Rhodes smiled.
If Tartarus did the killing, none of the daemons or Chaos Marines would count toward the system's reward currency. No way he'd allow that.
High above, tens of thousands of meters up, Fulgrim's serpents writhed in the near-vacuum. Each thrust carried Slaanesh's divinity, trailing a pink-violet corrosive wake through the fabric of reality.
"Interesting… very interesting. You're stronger than I expected!" Fulgrim said.
The Alien Empera sneered.