Blink and you might miss it.

I kinda expected the sky to change, or a Warp Storm to erupt around us, something visible and dramatic.

But instead, those Chaos blood towers turned black, and a Warp Portal formed for a chariot to pass through, drawn by eleven Shards of Nurgle, like plague horses to a mortician's hearse.

Not an actual chariot, despite its outwards appearance. This was a giant Soul_Harvester , a Hell-forge factory that could churn out Daemon Engines like an automobile conveyor belt. Only with more blood and screams than regular industrial accidents.

"Roboute, my dear brother!" a malformed octopus with eleven tentacles exclaimed from the chariot's seat, the words imbued with special magic. Possibly Enuncia, like my Silent Sisters suspected.

"This creature you have become is not my brother, Malice." the blue-armored Primarch yelled back, likely exposing his Master Vox terminal to countless data-daemons.

"We should fire already." my wife urged me with a wary tone.

"And miss all the family drama? Two brothers rejoined after 11000 years?" I answered with mild sarcasm, and still more wary about what the Eldar were up to.

If things went to shit, it would be the Eldar starting it. They always did.

"You left me trapped in that Advex-Mors soul-prism, and stole my Legion. Do they even know, your Ultramarines? You and Dorn split my sons between you!"

Malice argued with a hateful voice.

Hmmm. Perhaps too much drama...this could split the Ultramarines in two, and maybe the Imperial Fists as well when the news reached them.

"Phase now. Tempormortis!" I told Valyene as I sped up my mind implant to combat speed.

Zath joined my assault and deployed the Necron Pylons, while I wore my Blackstone golem like a giant suit.

"And you, Pef Lancefire. I will make your death quick and painless for your service. You got me free of the Four Idiots, and even supplied me with their followers. Erebus and especially Ahriman were quite vociferous about you." Malice continued without hurry, even as my Necron Pylon crashed on top of his chariot.

I felt his Warp-flesh crumble under my strike, but when I drew the huge club back, Malice was intact again. This sucked.

Something to do with these Nurgle Shards, perhaps. Using them as agapic batteries, much like a tech-priest used their Sanctus_Canister .

'Dessima, kill the Nurgle shards.' I asked in my mind, and deployed my Silent Sister among the green, fat giants.

Then I struck Malice again, and this time used my Breath to time-lock my target in space and time. He still regenerated, but slower, and bleeding black ooze from the cracks. I followed up with the Cosmic Flare resulted from holding the Boros star still, then yanked Dessima back as Malice slashed at her with wicked tentacles.

Still, one Nurgle Shard was gone. Ten more to go. This should be easy.

So, of course, this is when this universe showed its cruel face.

The Eldar Craftworlds fired their deadly purple beams, but instead of striking at Chaos like any rational being, they fired on the C'tan wolves, who were innocently devouring some helpless Chaos ships and the juicy souls inside.

Then the shadow I felt near my dimensional sight emerged as a giant hooded reaper with a huge scythe, and it sliced a Craftworld in two. Millions of Eldar died for that betrayal, and more would follow as Zath changed course to aid his own brothers.

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"You see, Roboute? Your allies fight each other, just like your dear Imperium is split in two. This is the gift I bring for you now, my brother. Join me, and we can rule the galaxy together!" Malice exclaimed with a victorious voice, as hidden traitors among the Ultramarines rose in rebellion, either his gene-sons lost and found or maybe Alpha Legion in disguise. Probably both.

I sighed out loud. Too much drama for a normal day at work. Still, I had a mission to complete, and it didn't involve either the Eldar, the C'tan or even the Ultramarines' rebellion. Kill Malice and go home.

Three Immaterium beams fired on Malice at my order, while the Plus Ultra fort had fallen into internal conflict and out of the battle line. Nevermind, I never counted on outside help. They should learn to use only Blanks for their Space Marines...like I had.

Still, I did find a use for my own troops now, and sent a few thousand Blank Primaris to guard Roboute against treachery.

Below, on Boros Prime the Chaos host advanced again, bolstered by more daemons and daemon engines appearing from new Warp Portals. The barrier between the realspace and the Warp was weakening by the second, most likely from the presence of Malice himself.

Time to deploy those Earthshaker guns, and the remaining Las-cannon turrets. Then more Orks as distraction in the back, and back to the important fight with my golem.

Dessima killed another Nurgle Shard while Malice recovered from my bat to the face, when a floating Abeyant appeared with Erebus on top. This was the first Space Marine to fall to Chaos, and a powerful sorceror. I should be careful...

"Hold still, Lancefire!" his words struck me right in the soul.

I froze in place.

Truth be told, Lancefire wasn't even my real name. Yes, it was the identity I used here, but I could slip away from the Enuncia's reality warp by discarding the Lancefire. And yet, I didn't feel like it. It was 1000 years of hard work in this galaxy, and sunken costs or not, I felt attached to the lance.

"This is how I corrupted Horus as well, my God. Just a slice of the athame..." Erebus gloated for his new Master.

Fuck it. I'll do my way. You want me to hold still? Do you even realize this galaxy is moving with thousands of kilometers per second towards the Great Attractor, right behind me?

The Enuncia could work for me, helping stand really still, while the universe moved on. Can you imagine what an immovable object does when it hits something?

My last C'tan hermetic core broke open as I passed through Erebus, then through several Nurgle Shards and then crushed Malice much worse than simply striking him with a Pylon.

The stillness became part of my new powers, just as Ordella appeared from her own tesseract and stabbed the wounded Malice with the daemon lance.

"We are Lancefires, for we are what you fear!" the Silent Sister declared in a victorious voice, and the deamon in her hand screamed as a chorus. "We are fear incarnate!"

I skipped back and reformed my mangled golem. Would not recommend to anyone they become still while the galaxy passes by. Quite a lot of damage. I felt like that train who squashed a car on the rail. With my face. I had become a hammer...turning problems into nails.

'Don't faint now, Lancefire! The Eldar...' I heard Lash plead in a distant voice.

Too late. I fell into my tesseract, and lost all contact with the universe.