Chapter Twenty-Four: Stalling for Time

For some inexplicable reason, as Wang Ming surveyed the scene before him, an image suddenly surfaced in his mind—one from the “Vox-Caster,” where the Emperor commanded the Custodians to drag Guilliman away. He even glanced instinctively at the Custodian beside him.

“Prepare for battle,” Wang Ming said to the people around him.

Wang Xiaofa, who was also familiar with the plot, mirrored Wang Ming’s movement and looked up toward the ceiling.

A loud crash sounded.

At that moment, the massive wreckage of a Thunderhawk gunship smashed through the ornate, frescoed dome of the Hall of Truth. Several Raptors of the Black Legion, clad in jump packs, plunged into the sanctum alongside the gunship’s remains, bursting through the breach in the ceiling.

One had to admit, the Raptor squad’s assault was executed flawlessly. Using the massive wreck as a battering ram, they stormed directly into the enemy’s command center—a tactic that, had it occurred in the command post of mortals or some other Astartes chapter, would have been a resounding success. Unfortunately for them, their target this time was two Primarchs and an entire formation of Space Marines. The first thing that greeted them was a barrage of bolter fire from the Ultramarines.

The Ultramarines, who had moments before leveled their weapons at Cawl’s group, immediately swung their guns toward the sudden intruders. A dense hail of fire tore the Chaos Raptors to shreds as they attempted their assault.

Yet the Chaos Raptors had achieved their goal: a Chaos teleport beacon was slammed into the floor of the sanctum by one of their number.

Almost instantly, reality within the sanctum began to fracture. Accompanied by thunderous, terrifying noise, the very space inside the hall shattered like glass, and Chaos Terminators of the Black Legion emerged within the sacred chamber. Their overwhelming firepower was unleashed upon the Ultramarines in an instant.

These Terminators were all grizzled veterans from the days of the Sons of Horus, ten-thousand-year-old warriors with formidable combat skills and devastating weaponry.

Behind them, more Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion were teleported into the sanctum, wave after wave.

The Ultramarines responded swiftly, taking cover behind the collapsed masonry inside the hall as they fought desperately against their ancient, chaotic foes.

The battle between the two sides seemed as though the reliefs carved into the sanctum’s walls had come alive, and the war from ten millennia past was unfolding all over again before their eyes.

No, perhaps this war had never truly ended. It had raged across the stars of the galaxy for ten thousand years, ceaseless and unstoppable, with no one able to bring it to a halt.

Wang Ming and Fulgrim drew their weapons as well, joining the fray.

With two Primarchs entering the battle, the morale of the Imperial forces soared. Just as in the distant past, they fought side by side with their gene-sires against the traitors.

Calgar activated the power fists on both his hands and charged into the fray with the Black Templars, hurling himself at the Chaos invaders.

Previously, Wang Ming had already explained to Fulgrim the details and process of resurrecting Guilliman. He had also informed him how critical the Black Legion’s assault was to the success of Guilliman’s revival.

It was the Black Legion’s attack on the sanctum that forced the Ultramarines to shift their focus to the Chaos Marines, thereby buying Cawl and the Eldar the time needed to resurrect Guilliman. Without this attack, there was no way Calgar would have permitted Cawl and the Eldar to carry out their resurrection of the Primarch.

Wang Ming and Fulgrim fought the Chaos Space Marines of the Black Legion in a fierce, back-and-forth struggle. Ordinarily, two Primarchs should have been able to hold back the Chaos Marines entirely.

But as the battle raged, sometimes the Chaos forces drove Wang Ming and Fulgrim back several meters, forcing the Ultramarines to step in and support them; at other times, with the Ultramarines’ assistance, Wang Ming and Fulgrim pressed the Chaos Marines back.

All of this was according to the plan Wang Ming and Fulgrim had devised—the true purpose being to stall for time, giving Cawl and the Eldar a chance to bring Guilliman back to life.