"Is that so?" Saul vanished from where he stood.
A second later, he appeared behind the Chaos Lord. His fist, blazing with golden flames, punched straight through the Chaos Lord's chest without the slightest flourish.
The Emperor's Fire of Golden Judgment erupted instantly.
The Chaos Lord never even managed a scream. Within the golden inferno, his soul and flesh were utterly purified and erased, leaving not a speck behind.
Saul's devastating strike gave every Sons of Sorrow warrior a tremendous boost in morale. They fought through blood and carnage, holding back the frenzied assault of enemies several times their number through sheer loyalty and courage.
Yet just as the battle reached a stalemate, the worst possible news arrived.
"Report, Company Captain! Extremely high-intensity Warp energy signatures have been detected simultaneously in the seven major star systems across the Maelstrom region! Huron's sacrificial ritual... has begun!"
Saul's heart sank. He knew that once the ritual was complete, nothing could undo it.
"Chapter Master Phoros!" Saul roared over the vox. "I have to stop Huron! I'm leaving this battlefield to you!"
"Go, Saul!" Phoros's voice rang with trust and resolve. "We'll hold everything back for you! Even if we have to bleed to the last drop!"
Saul said nothing more. Leading the remaining warriors of the Second Company, he cut a bloody path out and returned to the Storm's Son. The Thunderhawk Gunship's engines gave a mournful shriek as it tore free of the battlefield, pushing beyond its limits toward the center of the sacrificial ritual-Huron's flagship, the Pride of the Stars.
The Pride of the Stars had become a daemonic palace floating in hell. Seven blood-red pillars of light surrounded it, streaming in from different star systems, each formed from the wails of countless souls. They poured ceaselessly into a massive