Chapter 99: Furious
Near the planet Trisolaran.
The Ultramarines' flagship Macragge's Honour gleamed gold and blue against the starfield, its armored hull catching the distant light. Hundreds of cruisers and assault craft followed in perfect formation.
Flanking them came the massed warships of the Blood Angels, Dark Angels, Iron Hands, Iron Warriors, Salamanders, Raven Guard, and Soul Drinkers.
The loyalist fleet arrayed itself like an impregnable fortress, its combined might illuminating the void.
The traitor fleet, by contrast, was significantly outnumbered.
The Sons of Horus flagship Vengeful Spirit served as the core of the Chaos armada, a steel behemoth adorned with blood and runes, wreathed in malevolent energies. Around it gathered the warships of the Word Bearers, Death Guard, Emperor's Children, and scattered vessels from the World Eaters and White Scars.
Aboard the cruiser Luna's Defiance, Garviel Loken, Captain of the 10th Company, Luna Wolves, stared in shock at the scene before him.
Their Primarch stood there, looking fresh and vital. Not only were the Luna Wolves stunned, but the Mournival, the Sons of Horus loyalists, and the remnants of the War Hounds all stood dumbfounded.
"What's happening? Has the Warmaster surrendered?!"
"Did we win?!"
"..."
As they murmured amongst themselves, Clone Horus spoke, his expression unchanged. "No. I... am merely a copy of Horus."
"A copy?!"
Clone Horus ignored their shock and continued. "Though I am not the original, I still love the Emperor deeply. I will fight for the Imperium. I came here at Francis's request."
"To do what only I can do."
To their astonishment, Luna's Defiance slowly broke formation, and Clone Horus stood upon the deck, activating a holographic projection and broadcasting across all channels.
Clone Horus began reciting the script Francis had prepared for him.
"Sons of Horus! Do not be deceived! The 'me' you see aboard the Vengeful Spirit is a false idol Chaos wearing my face!"
"I am the true Horus!"
"I never betrayed the Imperium! This is all a Chaos scheme!"
"It was Lorgar's manipulation that framed me! You must not let yourselves be misled any longer. Do not waste your lives in vain!"
The moment Clone Horus finished speaking, a terrible warp presence swept through the traitor fleet. Warriors who had been wavering suddenly found their doubts replaced by fear.
Francis saw that the effect wasn't overwhelming, but it was having some impact.
He immediately shouted at Guilliman, "Now! Charge!"
The other Primarchs understood. In an instant, the Loyalist fleet closed like a vice, completely enveloping the traitor warships.
On the bridge of Macragge's Honour, Guilliman commanded his forces. "Maintain formation! Do not let Chaos's taint affect you. We are the Emperor's spear, and we will destroy these traitors at any cost!"
Sanguinius, the Angel of Baal, prayed softly. "Fight, brothers! In the Emperor's name, let our blood purchase victory!"
"We will end the traitors swiftly, giving them no room to breathe," the Lion said, his voice dark and resolute.
As the Salamanders' fleet prepared for boarding actions, the warriors performed fire rituals, battle prayers echoing throughout their ships.
"Flame purifies all!"
On the bridge of the Soul Drinkers' flagship, Francis, fully armed, roared at his warriors below.
"Survival first! Killing second! Don't hold anything back, and all of you come back alive!"
Hundreds of assault craft launched. Thunderhawks and Stormbirds loaded with Astartes surged toward the Chaos fleet.
The Emperor's Children unleashed sonic weapons to disrupt the loyalist assault craft while warp entities began manifesting aboard their own vessels.
The Death Guard hulls leaked venomous gases, attempting to contaminate any loyalists who dared board.
On the Word Bearers bridge, dark rituals released eerie energies, teleporting daemons directly into battle.
As the Abyss's Roar closed with a Word Bearers cruiser, Francis led the charge. He leapt aboard and casually backhanded the first Word Bearer he encountered; the traitor's head exploded like a watermelon.
"Charge! Capture Lorgar alive! Tear up his precious Lectio Divinitatus! Everyone, megaphones out!"
The Ogryn surged forward past Francis, unleashing absolute mayhem in close combat.
Several Word Bearers sorcerers began chanting, as chaotic sigils manifested above their heads, their psychic storm energy coalescing.
The lead warlock raised his staff with a cold laugh, his hoarse voice echoing across the bridge. "Great powers of Chaos, descend upon this vessel! Tear its soul apart!"
Just as the psychic radiance reached critical mass, a roar like thunder shattered the ritual, accompanied by a deafening metallic crash that interrupted the chanting.
A heavy blast door was torn open by brute force. The Ogryn stormed into the ritual chamber!
These enormous abhumans, clad in heavy armor, wielding chainswords, and covered in blood, charged the Word Bearers like enraged beasts.
The lead Ogryn brandished his massive chainsword and bellowed, "Chaos scum! We's gonna chop youse up today!"
The other Ogryn followed, shouting battle prayers with enthusiasm, though their chants were fragmented and incoherent because they couldn't remember the longer phrases.
"Francis is great! Kill 'em all! ...We's all gonna die anyway!"
The Word Bearers were forced to abort their ritual and launched psychic attacks in fury.
One warlock unleashed a warp storm, green lightning lashed out like venomous serpents, tearing one of the lead Ogryn to shreds.
But the Ogryn ignored the death. The remaining warriors roared and continued their charge.
The Word Bearers tried to resume chanting, but every time they opened their mouths, the Ogryn interrupted with deafening roars.
"Wot're you mumblin' about?! Speak up so's we can 'ear you!"
"Shut it! Francis don't wanna 'ear your lies!"
The commotion was so great that even Francis, deep within the warship, heard it. He muttered to himself, "Wait, shouldn't the slogan have been 'Emperor'?"
The corridor stretched long and dark, filled with the stench of decay and sulfur, as if the entire space had been corrupted by warp taint.
Wall-lamps on either side emitted faint, distorted light, barely resisting the darkness.
The door opened slowly with a grating metallic scrape.
The command chamber had completely lost any resemblance to the material realm. The floor had transformed into a twisted amalgamation of flesh and black iron, emitting rhythmic sounds like a heartbeat. The walls were inlaid with countless skulls, twisted faces screaming among the decayed decorations.
At the chamber's center stood a massive obsidian altar, burning with blue warpfire.
Atop the altar stood Lorgar.
He wore daemonic armor woven from crimson and black gold, inlaid with runes and face-like ornaments that whispered constantly. Enormous daemonic wings unfurled from his back, their edges burning with purple warp-flame from which twisted daemonic figures occasionally emerged.
His face had become unfamiliar and terrible, part angel, part daemon. His eyes burned with inhuman metallic light.
He held an enormous daemon-staff engraved with the symbols of all four Chaos Gods.
"Francis. I have been waiting for you."
"The Gods say you belong to Chaos. Come. Embrace it."
His voice echoed through the command chamber, no longer human speech, but soul-shaking soundwaves that penetrated directly into the listener's mind.
Upon witnessing this, Francis's eyes went vacant. He walked toward Lorgar like an automaton.
"Yes... yes... let's embrace Chaos..."
"The Gods will grant you unparalleled power!"
"You will gain the favor of the Lord of Excess... hmm? And the Blood God... hmm? The Lord of Change has also expressed interest in you..."
Lorgar didn't quite understand what was happening, or why the Gods seemed so... interested.
"But it matters not. Once you join Chaos, you will—"
Before he could finish, Francis's expression turned thunderous. Flames practically shot from his eyes. He suddenly swung his fist and roared.
"Who gave you permission to turn into a daemon?!"
"How am I supposed to extract your blood if you do this?!"
"A man who doesn't respect himself is like rotten cabbage! Lorgar, you're just Chaos's rotten cabbage!"
"I boarded this ship for nothing!"
A devastating punch knocked Lorgar off the altar.
Then, with a swift kick, Francis shattered the altar, using acid to corrode all the surrounding runes.
Francis pulled out an enormous syringe from behind his back and threw it on the ground. Veins bulged on his forehead as he stared at Lorgar's massive daemonic form and gritted his teeth.
"I refuse to believe it! We've come this far!"
"Even if you're a Daemon Primarch, you're still giving me your blood!"
[End of Chapter]