Axis's voice boomed like distant thunder, exploding amidst the endless hordes of daemons. It echoed clearly in the ears of every single servant of Chaos, for Axis was now thoroughly enraged.
It was time, he decided, to enjoy a proper slaughter.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, a cataclysmic event occurred.
An eruption of pure, terrifying energy burst forth from Axis. It was not the power of a psyker, yet it was purer and more potent than even the most powerful psychic energies. A viridian light, one that seemed to contain all the life essence of the universe at its dawn, shot toward the sky. It instantly dispelled the Warp-taint and twisted light that permeated the area for hundreds of meters around.
"ROAR!" Axis let out a battle cry that carried with it the terrifying power to shatter stars and tear open the void itself. He swung his arms, unleashing a tangible, spherical shockwave of viridian energy that expanded violently in every direction.
The impact was devastating.
Any daemon caught in the shockwave, regardless of its species or size, was instantly blown apart.
Axis raised his palm, and the green light illuminated the entire Webway. A sphere of energy gathered in the center of his hand before he launched it forward. Once it left his hand, the green ball of energy expanded in an instant, swelling into a terrifying projectile a hundred meters in diameter that detonated in the heart of the daemon host.
A tangible pressure, like the gravitational pull of a star, radiated from the point of explosion. The very fabric of the Webway shuddered. The daemonic legions, which had been roaring and charging moments before, were stopped dead in their tracks as if caught by an invisible giant's hand. Then, the viridian light consumed them.
Their bodies began to disintegrate, cracking and crumbling into ash. The terrifying destructive power of a Super Saiyan was on full display. In a single attack, Axis had completely cleared a swathe of the daemonic army several hundred meters deep, leaving behind a vacuum of scorched earth that burned with emerald flames and was littered with the remnants of daemons.
The surviving Custodians, Sisters of Silence, and Imperial Fists warriors could only stare, dumbfounded, at the scene before them.
It was a miracle, or perhaps, divine punishment. They had fought and bled, making enormous sacrifices just to hold their defensive line, and even then, they had paid a grievous price.
Yet all of this, all these terrifying daemons, were as nothing before this single man. His arrival alone had completely turned the tide of battle.
Caesar, the Custodian standing nearby, sighed with a sense of resignation. Two hundred years ago, when he had first met Axis, the man had been but a six-year-old child. In the years since, Lord Axis's power had grown to a level they could no longer comprehend. For a fleeting moment, Caesar even thought that Lord Axis's combat prowess might have surpassed that of the Emperor himself.
"Leave now. You are no longer needed here. This is my fight," Axis said, his Legendary Super Saiyan form turning to glance at them. He was furious, and once the real fight began, he would not be able to hold back. If they were caught in the crossfire, a stray shockwave could easily annihilate the remaining defenders.
"We understand, Lord Axis. We leave this to you," Custodian Caesar said with a nod. He gathered the remaining survivors and led them in a full retreat from the Webway.
After everyone had withdrawn, Axis transformed into a green meteor and plunged into the daemonic legions, launching an assault of his own.
He carved a path of annihilation burning with green energy, leaving a wake of shattered corpses and mangled limbs. Everything in his path, from the lowest fodder to powerful Chaos Spawns and hellbeasts, was utterly annihilated the moment they touched the raging aura of energy surrounding his body. Not even fragments of them were left behind.
The sheer ferocity of the Super Saiyan struck fear even into the hearts of daemons.
As Axis unleashed his awesome power and cut a swathe through the enemy, Magnus used his own psychic might to continuously repair the damaged Webway. Terrifying energy, sufficient to destroy an entire planet, exploded within the sub-dimension, yet Axis used his absolute strength to single-handedly push back the endless tide of daemons.
Seeing this, Magnus felt a sense of relief. With a killing machine like Axis present, it mattered not how many daemons poured into the Webway.
…
After the Sisters of Silence and Custodians withdrew from the Webway, they were given no time to rest. The remaining primarchs immediately reassigned them to the main gates of the Imperial Palace on Holy Terra, where a new battle awaited.
Meanwhile, the Emperor, Kratos, and Rogal Dorn had reached the Vengeful Spirit aboard their lander. Horus immediately ordered the ship's Chaos sorcerers to cast spells that would separate the Emperor and his two primarchs. But even scattered across the massive flagship, the power of the trio was far more than any ordinary Chaos Space Marine or cultist could withstand.
As planned, the three of them began fighting their way towards the core of the Vengeful Spirit. The one closest to this destination was the son of Axis, Kratos.
On the bridge of the Vengeful Spirit, what was once the solemn and majestic command center of the Emperor's era had utterly fallen into a blasphemous temple of Chaos.
Through the immense viewports, the burning system of Terra was visible, its light smeared by the warped energies of the Immaterium that clung to the reinforced glass like a thick, greasy film.
A moving, shrieking carpet of flesh covered the floor, and soul-crystals filled with wailing spirits were embedded in the walls. The air was thick with the foul stench of sulfur, ozone, and profane incense.
Kratos advanced with heavy steps, walking through this hellscape. The Chaos Space Marines, sorcerers, and even powerful Daemon Engines that attempted to block his path were reduced to burning wreckage by his furious strength and mighty blade.
A cold fire burned in his golden eyes, fixed on a single target: the Warmaster, Horus Lupercal.
"Father, Grandfather, there is no need for you to intervene. I will be the one to end Horus."
After slaughtering a host of Chaos Space Marines, Kratos was the first to successfully reach the heart of the Vengeful Spirit.
An unnaturally tall figure slowly emerged from the swirling Warp energies ahead.
It was Horus Lupercal.
Once the Warmaster of the Imperium and the hope of humanity's future, he was now a complete puppet of Chaos. He was clad in the massive, grotesque Terminator Armour known as the Serpent's Scales, its surface covered in blasphemous runes and writhing flesh.
The sigils of the four Chaos Gods were embedded upon his pauldrons. His face still held the faint outline of its former handsome features, but his eyes now burned with an inhuman, purple-black fire, a mixture of madness, ambition, and endless agony.
In one hand, he wielded the great power claw, the Talon of Horus, its blades wreathed in destructive Chaos energy. In the other, he held the mace Worldbreaker, which burned with a profane green flame.
"Hahaha, and look who it is. Axis's mongrel whelp… my dear nephew."
Horus's voice was low and gravelly, like sandpaper scraping against stone, and it dripped with endless contempt and a lust for destruction.
Kratos stopped, a golden aura flaring to life around him, its energy dispelling the suffocating taint of Chaos in the air.
He stared coldly at the fallen Warmaster, the man he had once so greatly admired. There had been a time when he had revered Horus, his grandfather's most cherished son. Kratos had even, on many occasions, imagined Horus as his own father, wishing his real father, Axis, could be as perfect and powerful as the great Warmaster.
"Uncle Horus, I cannot believe it," Kratos questioned him, "When I heard the news that you had betrayed the Imperium, betrayed my grandfather, I could not accept it as truth. The Uncle Horus I respected so much… why would you do this? Why betray Grandfather? Why betray all of humanity?"
"Why? Because I saw the truth of this Imperium. I saw that hypocrite for what he truly is! You have no idea of the filthy things he has done, my dear nephew. I was once like you, admiring him, worshiping him, until I saw his true face. And let me make one thing clear: I have never betrayed humanity. Humanity will rise to new heights under my leadership, to an era more glorious than the Golden Age," Horus sneered.
To be honest, he felt a strange connection to Kratos, the son of Axis. Before the boy had been cultivated by the Emperor to become the Warmaster of the Segmentum Pacificus, their relationship had been excellent. Horus had truly treated Kratos as his nephew, for he knew the truth: Kratos was of the Emperor's true bloodline. But the Emperor's favoritism changed everything, twisting it completely.
"My dear nephew, believe me, I fight for humanity. I fight to rejuvenate our species, not to allow it to become the tool of a tyrant! So come, join me! I have saved a special place for you. Become my second-in-command, and together, we will rule over a magnificent human Imperium, a new Imperium," Horus said, attempting to persuade Kratos. If the boy's faith wavered for even an instant, he could use the power of the Four Gods to corrupt him. He greatly desired to see a spectacle where Axis and Kratos were forced to fight each other to the death.
"Silence, you traitor!" Kratos retorted with a cold snort, "Your madness and ambition have dragged humanity into the abyss! Today, in the name of the son of Axis, I will put an end to your evil!" To think that Horus would even try to sway him was a fool's dream. The Warmaster Horus he had once known, the one he had revered, was dead.
"You are just like your damned father, a dog of the False Emperor! Both of you are incurable fools! Your skull will make a fine offering to the gods!" Horus declared, raising his massive power claw to face Kratos. Further words were useless. It was time for their actions to speak.
With a wild laugh, Horus took a powerful step forward. The Talon of Horus shrieked as it tore through the air, lunging straight for Kratos's head in a brutal, straightforward attack. This blow was pure, unadulterated might, containing enough force to crush mountains.
Golden light erupted in Kratos's eyes. He did not retreat. With a battle cry, the golden aura around him surged. He had gone to Super Saiyan Full Power. His golden hair stood on end like a burning flame, and his eyes became molten gold. He gripped his power sword with both hands, its blade wreathed in crimson-gold fire, and swung it upward to meet the Talon.
A titanic clang of metal on metal echoed, so loud it shook the entire chamber.
A violent shockwave of energy exploded from the point of impact, tearing apart the blasphemous decorations and metal conduits in the room.
The deck beneath Kratos's feet cracked and buckled, but he stood firm, having successfully blocked a blow that would have gravely wounded an ordinary primarch. In their first exchange, they were evenly matched.
"What?!" A flash of surprise crossed Horus's eyes. Although he had not used the power of the Chaos Gods in that attack, he had not expected the boy to block it so easily. No wonder, he thought, no wonder the Emperor valued him so highly.
"Not bad, boy!" Horus grinned savagely as Worldbreaker, trailing its filthy green flames, struck out like a venomous viper toward Kratos's ribs. The attack was blindingly fast.
Kratos's reaction was instantaneous. He twisted his body to dodge the blow while bringing his own blade down, parrying Horus's mace. The golden flames of his sword clashed and sizzled against the foul Chaos energies.
"You didn't really think you could finish me with just a couple of moves, did you, Uncle Horus?" Kratos sneered.
"Hahaha, interesting, boy. This fight with you is just a little warm-up before I face the Emperor."
"Hmph! Don't be so arrogant. I will knock your teeth out," Kratos scoffed, charging forward with his power sword.
In an instant, the two were locked in a furious duel.
Horus's fighting style was one of grand, sweeping motions, full of devastating power and the commanding presence of a Warmaster. Every swing of his Talon created a storm of energy that seemed to tear at space itself, while his mace, Worldbreaker, was cunning and vicious, always aimed at a vital point. His massive frame moved with an unnatural speed, his Terminator Armour seeming to weigh nothing at all.
Kratos, in contrast, was a golden storm. He utilized the speed, strength, and combat instincts of a Super Saiyan to their absolute limit. In his hands, the power sword became a whirlwind of golden destruction.
It hacked, slashed, parried, and blocked with deadly precision, each defensive move perfectly timed. He searched for an opening, his golden aura clashing violently with the foul Chaos energies emanating from Horus, the two forces annihilating each other on contact.
The sounds of their battle were a deafening symphony of destruction. Within moments, they had exchanged hundreds of blows, fighting to a standstill.
The longer they fought, the more unsettled Horus became.
He had expected to easily crush this whelp of Axis, but he had never imagined his opponent would be so difficult to deal with. It was unbelievable. His current power level was far beyond that of a normal primarch. How was this boy able to fight him on even terms?
Kratos, too, felt the weight of the moment.
Even without using the power of Chaos, Horus's combat skill and strength were at their absolute peak. He knew, however, that he still had cards he had not yet played. And he was certain Horus did as well.
...
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ps?