Now was the best time—the Four were fighting, so Rhodes could close the rift and secure Terra.
But Sanguinius was still in grave danger!
"Rhodes, what's your real plan? In this situation, we can't accept Sanguinius's soul," Guilliman asked.
"I'm trying to create a chance for Sanguinius to escape. With the Four fighting, he'll have an opportunity. If he hides well in the Warp, they might never catch him," Rhodes said.
Reviving a Blood Angel wasn't possible—Sanguinius wouldn't accept it, nor would the Emperor or Guilliman.
So, the best option was to let Sanguinius escape—none of the gods would be kind if they caught him.
Rhodes had studied the Warp; the gods were bound to it, but it wasn't fully theirs. If Sanguinius hid well, he'd be safe.
"That's a good plan," the Emperor agreed.
"Nurgle! Let's change the deal—let Sanguinius go free, and the zombie beast is yours!" Rhodes called into the rift.
All four gods heard Rhodes's voice. Nurgle pondered—he wanted the beast more than Sanguinius's soul, and letting Sanguinius go was easier than capturing a lesser god.
"I agree. But if you trick me, I'll unleash a plague that will kill at least 70% of humanity," Nurgle warned.
He wasn't joking—even Mortarion could unleash seven plagues.
"I'll ensure Sanguinius escapes safely," the Emperor replied.
He answered for Rhodes—Rhodes couldn't afford to take the blame for dealing with Chaos.
The Four had terrifying conceptual powers—dealing with them could infect you, letting them foresee your future.
"Deal!"
With the deal struck, Nurgle unleashed green energy to attack Slaanesh and Khorne, with Tzeentch's blue energy helping. Who knew what Tzeentch was plotting?
The battle was fierce—Slaanesh was the first to retreat, giving up Sanguinius's soul. Despite being equal in rank, Slaanesh was a bit weaker, having been created later.
But it wasn't over—Slaanesh planned to harvest lesser god soul fragments to feed the godchild.
Slaanesh's plan: when the godchild's body matured, he'd seize it, gaining a material avatar—at 50–60% power, enough to dominate the other gods.
For now, he'd let Sanguinius's soul go—there were always more lesser gods in the Warp.
With Slaanesh gone, Tzeentch and Nurgle teamed up against Khorne, whose red energy was gradually overwhelmed.
"This isn't over! Nurgle, Tzeentch, I'll get revenge!" Khorne fled.
He could beat any of the three alone, but not two at once.
Nurgle and Tzeentch emerged victorious. The Warp rift was now only a few dozen meters wide—just enough to let the zombie beast through.
Sanguinius's soul was in Nurgle's grasp. The angel struggled, but he was no match for a Chaos God.
"Now that I have his soul, release him and I'll give you the beast," Nurgle said.
"Fine, but let Sanguinius go first," the Emperor insisted.
"You know what happens if you cheat me," Nurgle warned.
"I won't go back on my word," said the Emperor.
A huge green hand released Sanguinius, who finally caught his breath.
"Run, Sanguinius—hide yourself, I'll contact you later," the Emperor's voice echoed in his soul.
Sanguinius's soul burst with blood-red light and fled.
After a few minutes, with the Emperor's signal, Rhodes sent the zombie beast into the rift, and Nurgle took it.
Nurgle was pleased. A Primarch's soul! Such a rare and valuable being from the material universe.
"Rhoesd, are you interested in learning Chaos knowledge—the true secrets of the universe?" Tzeentch's voice entered Rhodes's mind.
He sensed something different about this Primarch—his future was shrouded, his past barely visible, protected by the Emperor and another strange power.
"He has no interest in your so-called knowledge. The deal is done—now get lost." The Emperor's golden energy slammed the rift shut, giving the Chaos Gods no chance to speak.
The massive rift over Terra, after two days and nights, was finally closed!
With the daemons cut off from reinforcements and command, humanity and Rhodes's monsters could finally clear them out completely.
Though the daemons outside weren't all destroyed, the battle ended in victory. Guilliman, Rhodes, and Magnus collapsed before the Golden Throne.
They had spent too much power—over a hundred thousand psykers had sacrificed their souls and lives! Only with cunning did they incite the gods to fight, reversing the situation, though it was still perilous and nearly cost Sanguinius his life.
"Guilliman, contact Sanguinius in the Warp—see if he's safe," the Emperor ordered.
They needed to confirm that Sanguinius was safe.
Guilliman nodded, sent his soul into the Warp, and quickly found the fleeing Sanguinius.
Sanguinius kept moving, hiding his presence—he couldn't let the gods find him again.
"Sanguinius, are you alright? Father is worried."
"Guilliman, I'm fine—I've escaped their grasp and I'm hiding. Thanks to Rhodes, but warn him—don't get too involved with Chaos," Sanguinius said.
"I understand, Sanguinius. I'll tell him—be careful!" Guilliman nodded and cut the link.
"Father, Sanguinius is safe!" Guilliman reported.
"Thank goodness!" the Emperor finally breathed a sigh of relief.