Moonfire

The cold surface of Luna turned silently beyond the portholes. In the distance, the scarred blue planet—Terra—hung like a stubbornly beating heart in the dark universe, radiating the reassuring light of the Astronomican.

Like a school of bloodied sharks, the Imperium expedition fleet slowly adjusted its formation and deployed a defensive perimeter in lunar orbit.

The communications channels were instantly flooded by a tidal wave of identification signals and tense demands from Terra.

"This is the Terra Orbital Defense Command! Unknown fleet, identify yourselves immediately! I repeat, identify yourselves immediately! Otherwise, you will be deemed hostile targets and destroyed!"

Guilliman drew a deep breath, preparing to announce his return to Terra through the flagship's broadcast system.

However, at that very moment, another change erupted!

The brightly colored members of the Harlequin Troupe had not departed after completing their task of guiding them.

Gathered upon the decks of the Wraithbone vessels, they suddenly began chanting in loud, ancient, warped voices filled with inhuman rhythms!

Invisible psychic waves rippled outward like water, aimed directly at the Webway Gate behind the fleet, whose edges still flowed with strange ghostly light and had not yet fully closed!

"What are they doing?" The Grey Knights Grand Master was the first to notice, anger rising in his eyes.

"Hummm—!!!"

A dull psychic detonation powerful enough to shake the soul exploded without warning near the Webway Gate!

The Harlequins' chanting abruptly ceased!

As though struck by an invisible giant hammer, their colorful figures were violently hurled away by the raging psychic shockwave and slammed into the Wraithbone ships' shields. Several smaller vessels even spun out of control and flew deep toward Luna!

The psychic ritual meant to close the gate had been instantly interrupted—and backlashed!

Then, a far greater, fouler torrent of psychic energy than the one that had accompanied the Rubric Marines surged from within the Webway Gate like poison bursting through a shattered dam, brimming with Tzeentch's schemes and Thousand Sons sorcery!

The gate's previously stabilizing edges were instantly torn open and forced wider! Countless Chaos warships painted with Tzeentchian blue flames, symbols of change, and crimson Thousand Sons insignia swarmed out of the expanding portal like piranhas scenting blood!

At their head was a vessel whose form had surpassed the bounds of any conventional warship!

Twisted and colossal, it seemed forcibly fused from countless writhing masses of flesh, pipes flowing with lava, and enormous metal skeletons set with enchanted gems.

Its prow was a gargantuan demon skull bristling with fangs, its hollow eye sockets burning with eternal Tzeentchian blue fire—the flagship of Magnus, Daemon Primarch of the Thousand Sons: the living daemon engine, the Crimson King!

"Thousand Sons! Chaos fleet!" The bridge alarms rang out deafeningly!

Guilliman watched the blasphemous ships swarm forth, watched those glaring Thousand Sons symbols, and felt an icy fury fill his chest—a fury at having been deceived, mixed with the resolve that Terra had to be protected!

But before he could issue an order, something even more horrifying happened!

The enormous, twisted Crimson King, like an Abyssal beast that had locked onto its prey, erupted with foul engine flames like spurting blood. Ignoring the dense Imperium fleet formation ahead, it charged straight at the battered expedition flagship—the Macragge's Honour—with devastating momentum and violent psychic power!

Its speed was too great, its angle too cunning, as if every detail had been calculated long ago!

"Evasive maneuvers! Evasive maneuvers now!" The captain's shout cracked.

But it was too late! The Macragge's Honour's engines had been severely damaged in the earlier battle, leaving it drastically less maneuverable.

RUMBLE—!!!!

A colossal crash, like planets colliding, exploded through lunar orbit and made every soul tremble!

The Crimson King's fanged demon prow slammed viciously into the Macragge's Honour's flank!

The tremendous impact sent the entire Imperium flagship skidding and rolling violently like a toy struck by a giant hammer!

Adamantium armor plates burst inward, melted, and tore apart like fragile eggshells!

Worse still, the massive living fangs and bone spurs on the Crimson King's prow plunged deep into the Macragge's Honour's hull, biting down like the teeth of some gigantic beast!

Then countless conduits of foul flesh, flowing with Warp energy, and thick tentacle-like metal structures crazily grew from the point of impact. Like lethal vines and chains, they wrapped around, constricted, and rooted themselves into the Macragge's Honour's armor and internal structure!

The two colossal ships were forcibly "welded" together in an extraordinarily grotesque and brutal fashion!

The living hull of the Crimson King writhed, producing nauseating sucking and chewing sounds, as though it intended to devour and assimilate the Imperium flagship entirely!

The Macragge's Honour completely lost all mobility, like a sacrifice nailed within the Void!

Amid that apocalyptic scene, an enormous figure radiating the aura of endless knowledge and curses slowly "walked" out from the Crimson King's bridge section, which resembled the maw of an Abyssal monster.

Magnus the Red!

His deep crimson skin glowed in the Void like burning coals, covered by ancient power armor adorned with runes and eye-shaped ornaments. Enormous daemon horns upon his head gleamed with psychic light.

His sole remaining eye, like a molten sun, calmly swept over the shattered bridge section of the Macragge's Honour, now engulfed in flames from the collision. He ignored the Imperium warriors struggling to rise and the weapons aimed at him as though facing a great enemy.

He stepped forward, his heavy daemonic hooves treading upon the Macragge's Honour's torn and molten Adamantium deck. They gave off hissing burns, leaving behind blazing brands reeking of sulfur.

Guilliman steadied himself amid the violent impact, cold flames burning in his eyes beneath his helmet.

He watched the two colossal vessels locked together on the screen. He watched the hull groan in agony as the Crimson King's living corruption ate through its structure. He watched that red daemon figure step onto the Imperium flagship, ignoring every obstacle in his path.

An unprecedented sense of urgency and icy killing intent seized him.

He understood Magnus's intention—this flagship and this battlefield were nothing more than a springboard and an insignificant obstacle on the way to his ultimate goal!

If no one stopped him, Magnus would cross the ruins of this flagship, tear through Terra's layers of defense with the unmatched power of a Daemon Primarch, and charge straight for the Imperial Palace to desecrate the Emperor's throne!

"Magnus..." Guilliman's voice seemed to rise from the frozen depths of the Abyss. His grip on the Emperor's Sword's hilt tightened until it creaked, and golden flames erupted across its blade, dispersing the smoke and dust from the impact.

"Your ambition ends here! If you want to touch Terra, you'll have to step over my corpse first!"

He drew the Emperor's Sword in one sharp motion, its point aimed directly at the red figure outside on the bridge deck—a moving calamity.

"Sicarius! Command the fleet! At any cost, suppress the Webway exit! Stop further enemy reinforcements!" Guilliman's orders struck like steel. "Everyone still able to fight! With me! Target—Magnus! Keep him... on this ship!"

As his words fell, Guilliman's towering blue figure became a streak of golden lightning. He smashed through the twisted hatch and charged first onto the deathly deck outside the bridge, shrouded in the Crimson King's shadow and trampled by the Daemon Primarch!

Greyfax, Celestine, and every warrior who could still stand followed their Regent like moths rushing into flame, carrying the will to die as they charged toward that red giant who had brought destruction and despair!

Obi-Wan Kenobi narrowed his eyes. Knowing that another great battle was at hand, he glanced at the Valkyries who had already left the lounge, then followed Guilliman!

The final battle between brothers, one that would decide the fate of the Imperium of Man, erupted upon the last line of defense leading to Terra's heart—atop the wreckage of an Imperium flagship being devoured by a daemon warship!