Lorgar's voice still lingered in the stagnant air when the golden thunderbolt of his body tore across the hundred paces of death separating him from Apophis!
The Chain Hammer shrieked through the air like a battle hymn of the reaper, striking Apophis before the hammerhead itself.
Faced with a physical blow powerful enough to shatter mountains, Apophis did not "erase" it as it had the plasma beam.
Its left hand, encased in ornate armour, rose with ghostly speed. Its fingers spread, palm facing forward, meeting the hammerhead as it hurtled down with crushing force, blazing with dark crimson light!
CLANG!!!!!!!
An indescribable crash erupted in the vast, deathly still space, mingling the explosive clash of metal, the roar of surging energy, and the thunder of space itself trembling!
The torrent of sound formed a visible ring of shock waves that warped the air, spreading wildly in every direction. It struck the invisible boundaries of the space and rebounded, producing an unbroken series of echoes!
The Chain Hammer's head slammed squarely into Apophis's palm!
The expected sight of a shattered hand and broken arm never came.
Apophis's seemingly slender palm held firm against the devastating blow!
At the instant its palm met the hammerhead, dazzling sparks of gold and spectral blue energy burst forth!
The tremendous impact caved in the dark silver metal floor beneath Apophis's feet, creating a shallow crater several metres across, with cracks radiating from its rim!
Its body slid back half a step under the immense force, its feet scraping across the floor with a teeth-grating screech.
But that was all.
It had caught the blow!
With sheer bodily strength, it had met Lorgar's long-prepared, utterly unrestrained strike head-on!
"Nothing more than that." Apophis's voice sounded in Lorgar's mind, carrying a trace of cold mockery as its