Alex's guess was correct. When Guilliman learned that Lady Yudon's soul was in Lorgar's hands, he threw the task of evacuating the civilians to Calgar, who had just arrived from Macragge to provide support.
He took a unit to hunt Lorgar, vowing to reclaim Lady Yudon's soul.
Sanguinius was a bit depressed when he heard about this; Guilliman hadn't been so active in helping him snatch the remnant soul from the Vengeful Spirit, but as soon as he heard something happened to his adoptive mother, he completely changed.
"Guilliman, you can't be so impulsive."
"Those Lorgar guys are clearly doing this on purpose."
Lion communicated with Guilliman, trying to persuade his brother.
"No matter the cost, I must ensure Lady Yudon's safety." Guilliman did not heed Lion's advice, and when Lion attempted to persuade him a second time, Guilliman directly cut off the communication.
Lion, who had originally intended to garrison Vigil and wear down the Chaos forces, had no choice but to hand over the defensive mission to Azrael, while he himself took Zabriel and other Fallen Angels to support Guilliman.
Guilliman's recklessness infuriated Lion, but no matter what, he would not let Guilliman face those three traitorous brothers alone.
Lorgar and the other Daemon Primarchs seized control of the Knight World of Dalrok within the Nakmund Corridor and waited there for Guilliman's arrival.
Dalrok is located in the Nakmund Sub-sector, in the middle of the Corridor region.
This world was ruled by the High Knight Family Mandecor. Since the formation of the Great Rift, the High King of this world had become increasingly paranoid, constantly persecuting refugees, leading to internal dissent within Dalrok and even sparking a civil war.
Lorgar, Fulgrim, and Magnus, the three Daemon Primarchs, easily defeated the local loyalists with their Chaos Space Marines, corrupted the Mandecor family, made them serve the Chaos Gods, and turned Dalrok into a Chaos Knight World.
In the name of the Chaos Gods, Lorgar erected a massive altar on the surface of Dalrok, within which Lady Yudon's soul was imprisoned, along with the despair and anger extracted from countless dead. This was a clear trap aimed at Guilliman, and a corrupting curse upon the Primarch.
Once Guilliman entered the world of Dalrok, an extremely dark fate awaited him.
On the Bridge of the Macragge's Honour, "Sir, you shouldn't be so impulsive."
Sicarius tried to persuade his master, "This is too dangerous. You have to face three traitorous brothers. With all due respect, such recklessness truly has no chance of success."
"It's better to seek help from The Great Angel and Lion. Don't be so headstrong."
To prevent The Great Angel's interference, Guilliman even ordered the Adeptus Mechanicus accompanying the army to shut down the Macragge's Honour's beacon, solely to prevent God Chosen from teleporting over.
Sicarius's head was pounding; he felt that whenever Lady Yudon was involved, his master truly couldn't think calmly.
He was now very worried that his master would fall in this battle.
One-on-one, he couldn't win.
One-on-three, it was simply a dead end.
"I don't need victory; I just want these three bastards dead," Guilliman said. "I will never allow anyone to defile Lady Yudon's soul."
"Don't try to persuade me anymore. Immediately notify all ships to launch a void assault on Dalrok, destroying their fleet and void forces at all costs."
Seeing his master's insistence, Sicarius sighed and turned to relay the order.
The Chaos tides surrounding Dalrok were random and powerful, posing the greatest threat to the Imperial forces. The debris fields gathered in the planet's low and far orbits made the attack difficult to execute.
The debris fields were composed of Warp derelicts and the warships of the Mandecor Knight family, now home to various traitors, xenos, and heretics. Once Imperial forces penetrated, they would face enemies from all directions.
The Forge World satellite, Omega-Thraxis, in the star system was controlled by the Dark Mechanicum, capable of continuously supplying weapons and ammunition for the war.
Fortunately, after several reforms and technological revolutions, the strength of the Imperial Navy fleet had qualitatively improved compared to before. Even if the situation was dire, the Imperial Navy could still fight.
Under Guilliman's command, the Macragge's Honour, a Gloriana-class vessel, spearheaded the attack. Various types of warships followed closely, unleashing firepower on the enemy's warships and defensive fortifications. At the same time, a large number of transport ships prepared to deploy the accompanying Primaris Space Marines to the surface.
A fierce void battle erupted between the two sides, with energy beams and explosions flashing like twinkling stars.
The Imperium paid a heavy price, with countless Imperial soldiers falling.
But they successfully cut off the connection between the Chaos Knight World, Dalrok, and the Dark Forge World, Omega-Thraxis, destroying the debris fields and forcibly tearing open the enemy's defenses.
A large number of transport ships, utilizing the torn defenses, passed through the void battlefield. After several rounds of orbital bombardment on the ground, they then deployed the Imperial forces.
On the surface of Dalrok, a vast number of Chaos Knights, Chaos Space Marines, Astra Militarum rebels, Daemon Engines of the Dark Mechanicum, and Warp daemons had been waiting for a long time.
The Imperial ground assault achieved initial success, successfully securing the landing zone, but it wasn't long before they faced a fierce counterattack.
Dalrok's complex terrain and tight defensive fortifications became a nightmare for the landing forces. Although the military talents of Lorgar, Fulgrim, and Magnus were not the most top-tier among the Primarchs, they far surpassed those of mortals.
They formulated multiple tactics and defensive strategies targeting Imperial forces.
The planet-wide network of caves allowed Chaos forces to move from one entrance to a dozen different exits.
Even if one area fell, other Chaos forces could use the underground caves to retake it, or even launch surprise attacks on weak points in the Imperial defenses.
Every inch of ground required a great deal of sacrifice to seize.
The two sides repeatedly stalemated, locked in a bloody impasse.
Meanwhile, as the two sides were locked in a fierce battle, Lion and Alex arrived with their forces.
Seeing that Guilliman's forces were already inextricably engaged with the Chaos forces, they said nothing and directly issued the order to attack.
After their forces joined the battle, the stalemate was broken, and the Chaos forces began to retreat steadily.
However, on the other side, Abaddon, aboard the Vengeful Spirit, also launched a fierce assault on Vigil, aiming to reverse the Vigil's Blackstone field and destroy the Nakmund Corridor at all costs.
On the Webway side, Typhus and Ahriman also followed the planned schedule, leading their forces to harass the fortresses the Imperium had built within the Webway. Massive numbers of daemons were unleashed into the Webway by these two, and as time passed, the daemons' speed rapidly increased, showing the nascent form of a Webway war.
If not for the presence of the young Fulgrim and numerous Eldar, the Imperium's controlled Webway would likely have fallen on a large scale.
"We must act quickly," Alex said. "These three have anticipated our arrival and are now simultaneously attacking Vigil and the Webway."
"Let the forces continue a full-scale offensive. We will raid their core area." Lion proposed a crazy plan. "As long as we banish the three of them, we can win this war."
"That's the only way," Alex said. "Three against three, let's see who wins."
"I apologize for involving you," Guilliman said apologetically.
"Let's talk about it after the battle," Lion said. "You're too impulsive, Guilliman. Many have died because of your recklessness."
"Now is not the time to talk about this. Let's talk after we win." Alex stopped Lion from continuing, "Now, let's attack."
The accompanying Adeptus Mechanicus locked onto the altar, then sent Alex, the two Primarchs, and a carefully selected group of elites and players to the surface.
As soon as they landed, the Imperial forces were met with an overwhelming assault, with countless traitors and daemons swarming towards them.
The closer they got to the altar, the stronger the Warp tide became. The entire ground was polluted, turning into writhing flesh, and the air was filled with strange whispers.
"Kill! Kill! Kill! Hack! Hack! Hack!"
Wrist Bro howled like a Khorne God Chosen, swinging his battle-axe, cleaving every daemon and enemy in sight.
Warmaster, Tenjiro, Twisted person, and other players were scattered around Wrist Bro, also continuously swinging their swords, slaying the daemons.
As the most combat-effective Battle Group among the players, the Emperor Niuma Battle Group naturally went into battle with Alex.
Their combat power was extremely fierce. As soon as they landed, they caused a bloodbath, forcibly tearing open a path.
Guilliman and Lion also led their respective personal guards, fighting fiercely in the tide of daemons.
Sicarius constantly shouted, guarding his master's side, preventing Guilliman from getting carried away and attempting to charge in alone.
Zabriel and the other Fallen Angels also fought with all their might.
Alex soared in the air, holding a long spear, harvesting powerful flying daemons. From time to time, he would release powerful psychic energy, sweeping away swaths of enemies, or release potent faith energy to heal fallen Imperial heroes.
With the help of Alex, this super healer, even though the Imperial forces were deeply mired in an endless tide of daemons, they still carved out a bloody path.
After a brutal struggle, Guilliman saw the magnificent altar and the three traitorous brothers standing at its highest point.
However, more daemons rushed over.
These daemons were stronger, and among them were even the most favored beings of the Chaos Gods.
"Guilliman!" Lorgar shouted, drawing Guilliman's attention. "Surrender! If you pledge allegiance to the Chaos Gods, you will receive blessings and can bring back your adoptive mother."
Lorgar pulled the iron chain in his hand, and a confused soul stumbled out.
"Lady Yudon!" Guilliman recognized his adoptive mother at a glance.
She retained her youthful appearance, the way she looked when she first found him.
His adoptive father, Konnor, the King of Macragge, was too busy, and his wife had passed away.
Lady Yudon, as the steward, took on the responsibility of caring for Guilliman.
"Release her, Lorgar. Whatever grievances you have, direct them at me," Guilliman said.
"Hahaha, kneel before me!" Lorgar pointed his staff at Lady Yudon's soul. "Otherwise, I will completely shatter her soul."
Guilliman cut down the daemon in front of him. Just as he was about to furiously rebuke Lorgar, he saw the destructive power gathering in Lorgar's staff and could only suppress the rage in his heart.
"Stop, Lorgar, you cannot harm her. If you only want me to kneel, and you stop, I will do it."
"Stop," Lorgar commanded, and the daemons and traitors halted their movements.
The Imperial side also stopped, gathering around Guilliman.
"Don't trust him," Lion said. "Lorgar is a liar."
"I have no choice." Guilliman looked at Lorgar. "I will kneel to you, you bastard."
When Lady Yudon saw Guilliman, her confused eyes cleared. She recognized her child.
The child who was always disobedient and put himself in danger.
"Guilliman, no!" she said. "Compromising with the enemy will only embolden them."
Then, Lady Yudon deliberately crashed into Lorgar's staff, her soul turning to dust and dissipating before everyone's eyes.
"No!!!"
Witnessing Lady Yudon's soul shatter before him, Guilliman felt something within him completely break. An indescribable rage surged through him, making him roar up at the sky. Angrath, the Chief Daemon of Khorne, Guardian of the Brass Citadel, Khorne's Most Favored, Lord of Bloodletters and Bringer of Death, the Unchained, swung his burning battle-axe, blocking Guilliman's path, intending to cleave the Primarch.
Guilliman parried with his sword, and with a loud clang, Angrath's battle-axe flew from his hand and landed in the distance.
Then, Guilliman clenched his fist and struck fiercely, hitting Angrath's head. Angrath stumbled backward, half of his skull appearing as if it would shatter.
Guilliman cleaved again with his sword. The Emperor's Sword split the Chief Daemon in two on the spot, utterly destroying it.
Hot daemon blood gushed out, as if a rain of blood had fallen.
This scene plunged the entire battlefield into an eerie silence.
How powerful was Angrath, and now, he had died in Guilliman's hands in just two moves.
"Lorgar!!!"
Guilliman raised his head and let out a low roar, like a true beast, devoid of his previous rationality and humanity, only endless rage and a brutal desire for slaughter.
A rampant aura surged from his body, surging and powerful. The Chaos Gods, who had been observing the Vigil battlefield, shifted their gaze to Guilliman.
Khorne, in the Brass Realm, seeing Guilliman in his fury, was slightly stunned. He had misjudged; this guy was closer to pure rage than The Great Angel and Angron.
"Guilliman."
Lorgar's expression also changed slightly; no one had told him Guilliman had this side to him.
Magnus and Fulgrim also showed a hint of panic. They had all previously thrashed Guilliman; who would have thought that Guilliman still had such a form? "This is the awakening of the Avenger of Souls."
Warmaster and the other players also stared dumbfounded at Guilliman, who was charging through the battlefield.