Vengeance

The war continued.

The terrifying Greater Daemons of Chaos felt a fear they had not known in ages.

A kick shattered the Bloodthirster Ka'Bandha's knee, and then a hand seized the horns on his head.

A Chainsword roared as it hacked into his neck, beheading the Bloodthirster.

All around lay the corpses of the Traitor Legions.

Astartes were slaughtered like ants, while God-Machine Titans lay strewn among them like fallen giants.

Even the mighty Greater Daemons of Chaos could do no more than let him vent some of his pent-up fury.

Bona killed the last Greater Daemon of Chaos present.

The anger in his heart eased slightly. He looked around at what had become mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

Only then did he calm down.

How... am I supposed to face Father now?

Suddenly, a tremor ran through his heart.

A flood of visions appeared before his eyes.

He saw his father battling Horus. His father would kill Horus, but would be left on the verge of death himself.

"No, no, no, no!"

He frantically tried to tear open a rift between reality and the Warp, but the veil he had always breached so easily had become as impenetrable as an iron curtain.

He looked around and spotted the Imperial Army resting in the distance.

There's still a way.

After their prolonged battle, the Imperial loyalists had just confirmed that the traitors had begun fighting among themselves for unknown reasons. The warriors who had fought for so long had practically collapsed onto the ground, twitching as they rested.

But then every machine spirit still on duty activated, and an endless barrage of fire shot into the sky.

"Enemy attack!"

A high-speed object slammed into the ramparts. When they looked, they saw a terrifying Greater Daemon of Chaos.

The Astartes who had been lying on the ground twitching reacted instantly, forcing their bodies to operate their weapons and fire.

But the horrific creature seemed to have no intention of attacking them. He simply smashed through everything in his way and rushed toward the Planetary Defense System.

Bona charged up to a Macro-cannon. Using psyker power, he slowly moved its immense barrel, aiming it at the Vengeful Spirit still overhead.

Then he went to the loading position, kicked aside the enormous Macro-cannon shell, and climbed in himself.

Under the astonished gazes of the loyalists, psyker power activated the Macro-cannon, and then...

The daemon fired himself onto the Vengeful Spirit.

Bona smashed through the Vengeful Spirit's lower deck, then crushed two stunned Sons of Horus to death.

He scrambled up and ran toward the bridge with reckless abandon.

No, no, no, no, no.

Loyalists and traitors still fighting along the way were hurled aside by the enormous daemon. Some unlucky souls who failed to react in time were killed outright by the impact.

At last, Bona reached the bridge.

Despair seized him.

The great golden giant lay at the edge of the bridge, barely breathing.

The weapon in Bona's hand fell to the floor. In despair, he ran over and knelt beside the golden giant.

"Father, I'm sorry. I'll heal you. You'll get better."

The Emperor did his best to smile.

"This isn't your fault, child."

"You'll get better. I'll take you away right now."

Bona tried to carry his father away, only to hear an explosive shout behind him.

"You damned abomination! Put our father down!"

Boundless fury surged through his heart. Bona merely reached out, and the Chainsword flew back into his hand.

Bona was about to attack the two bastards behind him, but a strong hand held his own down.

The Emperor gently shook his head.

"Child, don't let them control you. Don't let vengeance and regret break you."

Bona instantly calmed down. He looked at Dorn and Guilliman, who were still charging toward him, then took one last look at the Emperor.

"I will remember your teachings, Father."

Then he opened a warp rift and leaped straight into it.

A moment later, Dorn's furious hammer struck empty air.

"You coward!" Dorn roared.

Guilliman hurried to his father's side and examined his injuries.

"We have to take Father back. Right now."

Dorn looked around and could only abandon his pursuit.

"I'll contact the Fabricator-General of Mars immediately."

Khorne's Sanctuary-

His fury scorched the sky. His anger threatened to devour everything.

The whole of Khorne's Sanctuary felt that towering rage, surging endlessly toward it like a colossal wave.

"Khorne!"

The figure entered the Sanctuary, and the entire Blood Sanctuary trembled at his fury.

A curved blade tore through the sky, flying straight toward the one seated upon the Brass Throne.

It was the Black Blade, the Daemon Primarch's weapon.

The god upon the Brass Throne merely tilted his head, and the blade embedded itself firmly in the Throne.

In an instant, the entire Sanctuary fell silent.

Bona entered the Sanctuary, his eyes blazing with fury. Blood dripped from the Chainsword bearing the Imperial Aquila in his right hand, while his left dragged Angron, who had been cut in half.

Blood began to rain across the sky, and flames sprang from the earth without fuel.

Every being within the Sanctuary pondered the same question.

How long had it been since that fellow named Skarbrand had swung his axe at the Lord of War?

Now someone actually dared to openly pour his fury upon the Lord of Blood.

But he was not angry. Instead, he closed his eyes and let out a faint groan, as though savoring it.

How many ages had it been?

How many ages had passed?

For how many ages had he endured all this?

He did love blood and war. He did love slaughter and anger.

But he was also the embodiment of justice, order, and courage.

The Greater Daemons beneath him had grown ever more useless. They dared only slaughter those weaker than themselves to please him, trying to fob him off with the unarmed, the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled.

Those ignorant fools could only slaughter like packs of rabid dogs. They had no idea what he truly wanted.

What he wanted was true courage!

The courage to draw a blade against the strongest. The courage to die for justice.

That pure fury, that rage seeking to tear everything apart, instantly reminded the God of Courage of the days billions upon billions of years ago, when warriors with genuine courage and justice fought valiantly.

Those fools thought that killing enough people and offering enough heads would earn the Lord of Blood's favor.

But the God of Courage often favored those who were truly brave.

Those ants born into insignificance, as inconsequential as drifting dust, who dared to stand against violence and tyranny, defending fairness and justice with their own strength!

Not those fools drenched in the blood of unarmed innocents.

Ah... how he missed it.

The last one to raise a weapon against him had been that wretch who only dared strike from behind.

The great God of War rose from his Throne and drew the Sword of War, which had lain silent for so long.

Lava and blood erupted throughout the Sanctuary, as though celebrating this duel.

The Khorne Cultists who had fallen silent burst into jubilant cries, then charged at the one who dared challenge their lord.

But the Sword of War swept down upon them without hesitation, leaving an immense chasm. Countless cultists died instantly at the hands of the Lord of Blood.

They shrank back like frightened quail, no longer daring to defy the God of War's will.

Khorne chuckled disdainfully. As he descended from his Throne step by step, his body grew smaller.

Until he was the same size as Bona.

The Chainsword in Bona's hand roared. He stared fixedly at Khorne as he loaded his Bolter.

Neither spoke, but Bona's eyes were filled with a fury that sought to tear everything apart, while the God of War's held admiration and delight.

The two charged toward each other in great strides, then clashed in fierce combat.

The ordinary, standard-issue Imperial Chainsword blazed with dazzling golden light as it collided with the Sword of War, which burned with crimson flames.

To those Primarchs less adept at combat, their reactions were like lightning. Every clash seemed to shatter mountains and rend the earth.

Furious roars echoed throughout the Sanctuary. The Lord of War savored a battle such as he had not enjoyed in ages.

Bona was powerful. With the blessings of the Four Gods, he could even defeat the Imperium's Warmaster Horus with ease.

But against the ancient God of War, he still seemed terribly inexperienced and weak.

The God of War was in no hurry to end this battle. He had yearned for such a duel for so long-far too long.

More precisely, it had been a very long time since he had been satisfied.

He savored every swing and every shout, feeling that pure fury and those roars.

By comparison, everything he had consumed before tasted as awful as livestock feed. Had it not been for this encounter, he would have forgotten the blissful days he had enjoyed when the Warp first came into being.

He dearly wanted this moment to last longer, but as the God of War, he treated every battle with the utmost respect.

If he deliberately held back to savor this long-awaited battle, he would ruin this beautiful memory, leaving a stain that would taint it forever.

At last, the duel ended.

Bona was struck. A massive gash stretched from his left shoulder to his chest. He staggered back and dropped to one knee, glaring furiously at Khorne.

To the astonishment of every creature in the Sanctuary, a shallow wound marked the mighty Lord of War's thigh. Noble blood dripped from the God of Courage's body.

"You're quite impressive, child," the Blood God praised.

"You damned liar!" Bona roared.

He planted his Chainsword in the ground and shakily hauled himself upright.

"I will never submit to you!"

"You will pay for all of this-for me, for my father, and for the countless innocents who died horrific deaths!"

"I'll honor their memory with your blood!"

But Khorne did not swing his blade again. He merely watched Bona in silence, his expression hidden beneath his faceplate.

The Blood God turned back, leaving his back exposed to him.

Bona felt profoundly insulted.

"Come back! You coward!"

He had barely taken a step when he fell into a warp rift that appeared without warning, vanishing from the Sanctuary.

The God of Courage paused for a step.

Then he continued on his way.

And then he sat back upon the Brass Throne.