Kairos's Utter Defeat

The changes in the illusion could not escape the overseer's eyes. After the Garden reverted to its original appearance following the Psionic Energy assault, a shocked Kairos arrived.

The Djinn that Kairos Fateweaver had transformed into spotted the source of the change at once: the repulsive Realspace monster up ahead—Hogg.

Just as the Djinn Kairos had transformed into was about to berate Hogg for ruining everything and use his magic to conceal the changes once more,

Hogg, who had been waiting for this moment, didn't bother with talk. He knew there was no way he could outsmart these magic-wielders with words. He transformed on the spot into a ten-meter-tall monster and launched himself at Kairos. His powerful claws seized the Djinn's head, and he began to bite down.

"Crack!"

The sound of porcelain shattering rang out. Kairos had only just reacted when Hogg shattered his transformed shell, revealing his true form.

The enormous creature shed its disguise, unfurling a pair of wings that blotted out the sky as it became a grotesque, two-headed bird. A staff shimmering with Warp energy sprang from the void. Boundless energy gathered around it, and within seconds, bizarre sorcery struck the beast.

"Since you've found me, I'll stop pretending. I am Lord of Change, Kairos. Remember my name. I'll make you pay for this, you witless, idiotic monster!"

The head that symbolized the future laughed wildly. It had long grown impatient with this game of make-believe. Unlike the other head, which saw the past, it had no taste for such pointless tricks. It preferred to spend its time exploring the infinite possibilities of the future.

A sorcery brimming with immense destructive power gathered around them. A devastating beam slammed into Hogg.

"Scream! Wail! Under the might of Change Sky, become ash and be driven mad for all eternity!"

But Hogg, who had absorbed Khorne's power and possessed exceptional resistance to magic, wasn't affected. He had already studied this place carefully. It was where the Warp and Realspace met. Though Kairos was a Greater Daemon and could summon most of his power, he couldn't call upon all of it.

Kairos's magic dealt Hogg a devastating blow, tearing half his body apart and reducing it to dust. But the remaining limbs clung tightly to Kairos. Ethereal tentacles appeared, burrowing into the Greater Daemon through its wounds and devouring and assimilating his power.

Hogg pulled four Blackstone obelisks from his pocket dimension, gripped them with his four arms, and viciously drove them into the Greater Daemon's body, severing his connection to the Warp.

With these trump cards, Hogg could hold his own even outside Realspace. What's more, he had the advantage of striking first and had already closed the distance, pinning the Greater Daemon down.

"Let go of me, you monster! What is this? Why is my power weakening?"

But Hogg, sprawled over Kairos, ignored him. His monstrous jaws began to work, the structure of his head shifting violently as his sharp teeth spun under the pull of his muscles.

The Psionic Energy he had been building up poured from his mouth in a blast, striking Kairos at point-blank range and rapidly corroding his body.

The tentacles assimilated energy without pause, feeding it back into Hogg. The energy he had spent began to surge back, while Kairos, who had just been hurling sorcery around, grew weaker.

When Hogg bit off one of his heads, Kairos panicked. He had thought his power would be enough to subdue the beast. He hadn't expected his vaunted spells to feel like little more than a tickle against Hogg's armor. Instead, the great Kairos had ended up fighting in close quarters, like some witless lord of Khorne.

Kairos was no poor hand at close combat. His staff whirled with force, and one blow shattered Hogg's arm. Just as Kairos thought he could break free, several fleshy tentacles sprouted from the severed limb and wrapped around his body.

Flesh infused with Psionic Energy seeped into Kairos through his wounds, wreaking havoc inside him.

"Caw! Don't swallow him!"

The head caught in Hogg's jaws could hold out no longer. Hogg tore it off and swallowed it whole.

The remaining bird head shrieked wildly. It could no longer sense the other head. Once the head that saw the past had been swallowed, the strange energy inside Hogg blocked its perception.

Kairos soon began to feel afraid. The part Hogg had devoured seemed to have vanished from the Warp, and most of the power that should have returned to him was lost.

In this state, the once-arrogant Lord of Change had lost all his swagger. All he could think about was escaping.

Hogg, now fully fused to Kairos's body and having replaced half of the Lord of Change's form, had accumulated enough energy. Dimensional Lightning, tailored to the Warp, erupted. The entire illusion began to shatter. Kairos, reduced to half a body, was blasted to a crisp—but he still wasn't dead.

As the most famous Lord of Change, Kairos began his final struggle. He had to escape this place. If he could return to the Warp, he could be reborn.

Having settled on his goal, Kairos smashed his own body with his staff and used the power he had left to call out to his master, the Lord of Change.

Kairos cast off most of his body and escaped Hogg's control, leaving only half of himself behind. He began to crow again:

"You witless monster! The great Saint Tzeentch is coming. Your doom is at hand! Ha! Ha! Ha! I'll peel off your skin and turn it into a book, then toss it into Khorne's Demon Realm, where those brainless brutes will trample you for ten thousand years!"

Seeing how determined Kairos was, Hogg reformed his body and resumed the attack. If he could catch him, he still had a chance to destroy the Lord of Change for good.

The frenzied beast charged. With the power of the C'tan, Hogg closed the distance between them. If I can just touch him, I can hold him down and destroy Kairos once and for all.

But the Great Ocean's gaze had already fallen upon them. The shell of the illusion warped, and Hogg's charge was interrupted. He could only watch as everything around him shattered and plunged into Tzeentch's domain. Countless daemons poured through the rifts.

The power to twist the laws of physics could not function in the chaotic, formless Warp. And among these daemons were plenty who could rival Kairos.

Hogg looked over at Magnus, still lying in the cesspit and blowing bubbles, then at the half-crippled Kairos across from him. Having made his decision, he stopped.

Just as Hogg thought he couldn't destroy Kairos and would have to flee back with Magnus, a familiar golden light crashed through the portal.

"You bastard! I'm here to save you!" The voice arrived before its owner.

The Emperor and Malcador led the Adeptus Custodes through the portal Magnus had opened, charging into battle and holding back the daemonic army pouring in.

The nearest one, Little Pony, was taken by the Adeptus Custodes back to Terra. With no more need to worry about him, Hogg charged at Kairos once more.

Hogg pulled a bone spear wrapped in ethereal tentacles from his body and hurled it with all his might. It struck the fleeing Kairos. The immense Psionic Energy within the spear restrained the half-crippled Kairos, dragging him toward Hogg, who swallowed him whole.

The Emperor's psychic power erupted, smashing the daemons nearby and forcing Tzeentch back.

Then Malcador began casting a spell. Psychic power swept everyone up and carried them through the portal, taking them away from the space that was on the verge of destruction.

Thanks to Starry Vastness, Ba Shu Good Youth, and Sleepy Dragon for pointing out the issues. The author spent all afternoon fixing the paragraph breaks and punctuation throughout every chapter.

My head hurts after all that, so please feel free to point out anything else that needs fixing. Love you all, from your corgi.