Chapter 28: 26. Duel Of the Fates. Part 1
===Obi-Wan===
The hanger was silent, save for the faint hum of Obi-Wan's lightsaber, now a mere whisper in the growing storm. The air was thick with tension, a brewing conflict between two forces that should never have met: the disciplined calm of the Jedi and the frenzied, consuming chaos of the Warp.
Obi-Wan stood, barely able to keep himself upright, his muscles trembling from the weight of the sorcerous energy coursing through him. His skin was stretched taut, veins darkening with the poison of the Warp, but his mind remained clear, fighting back against the storm threatening to drown him. His heart pounded as he locked eyes with the Chaos Astartes, a towering figure whose armor shimmered with an impossible life of its own. The sorcerer stood confidently, his immense power radiating like a suffocating force, unbothered by Obi-Wan's defiance.
"You cannot escape it," the sorcerer's voice reverberated, deep and rich with the dark resonance of the Warp. His helmet's dark lenses gleamed with malicious energy, and his words were not just heard—they were felt, like cold fingers pressing into Obi-Wan's mind. "The Warp calls to you; it owns you now."
Obi-Wan's breathing was ragged, his body aching under the weight of the unholy power. But there was still a spark of defiance in his heart. He was no mere mortal. He had faced down countless enemies, and he would not let this sorcerer claim victory. His grip tightened on his lightsaber, the blue blade flickering brightly in his trembling hand.
"I will never fall," Obi-Wan whispered, his voice steady despite the chaos swirling around him. He could feel the Force struggling to reconnect with him, its familiar embrace weakening with every moment. But the Warp was there—twisting, coiling through him, tempting him with its raw, untamed power. His mind strained under the pressure, but he stood tall. "I will stop you."
The sorcerer chuckled, a sound like distant thunder. "You think you can fight me with that?" He raised his hand, a tendril of Warp energy forming around his armored fist, crackling with unnatural power. "You are nothing but a puppet now, a pawn in a game you don't understand."
Without warning, the sorcerer lashed out, the raw energy of the Warp blasting from his hand in a torrent of searing light. The force of it hit Obi-Wan like a tidal wave, throwing him off his feet and slamming him into the wall. His lightsaber flickered and sputtered, barely staying alight as the Warp's energy surged around him, seeking to tear him apart. His body screamed in agony, but his mind fought back.
"Focus," Obi-Wan whispered to himself, struggling to breathe against the suffocating pressure. He would not fall now. Drawing on the Warp, he reached out, not to command it but to survive, to hold his own. He could feel it—its madness, its chaos—but there was something else in him, something pure: his will to protect. To protect those he loved, to protect the galaxy.
He focused, drawing the Warp closer, trying to bend it to his will. The madness was unbearable, but with it came a fire—a fury that surged through him, searing his body but also empowering him. Obi-Wan's vision cleared, and with a roar, he rose, his lightsaber igniting with renewed intensity. The blade hummed in his hand, and he charged at the sorcerer, the energy of the Warp burning in his veins.
"Come, come and die!"
Obi-Wan was no longer listening. The power surged within him, urging him to strike, to destroy. His strikes were wild but precise, driven by the force of his will. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of telekinetic energy crashing into the sorcerer, sending him flying backward. The sorcerer hit the ground hard, but before Obi-Wan could strike again, the Astartes was back on his feet, his psychic presence more menacing than ever.
"You think you can match me?" The sorcerer's voice was deep and mocking. "I have existed for millennia, while you are but a fleeting mortal. The Warp is my domain, and you will break beneath it."
The air around them seemed to warp and twist as the sorcerer raised his arms, summoning the full power of the Warp. The ground shook as dark tendrils of energy spiraled toward Obi-Wan, aiming to crush him, to consume him. Obi-Wan's breath hitched, but he held his ground. The power of the Warp was rising within him—his heart raced, his body trembled with the force of it—but he would not let it consume him.
He called on the Force, his connection to it flickering like a dying ember, but there was still enough of it left. Enough to help him withstand the chaos. With a roar, Obi-Wan raised his lightsaber and deflected the Warp energy, sending it spiraling into the air. The force of the blast sent shockwaves through the hanger, rattling the walls and shaking the very foundations of the palace.
For a brief moment, the two combatants paused, their eyes locked. The air was thick with the crackling of psychic energy, the very fabric of reality trembling under the pressure of their powers.
"You cannot defeat me," the sorcerer sneered, his voice cold and filled with certainty. "You cannot contain what you have unleashed."
Obi-Wan's chest heaved as he struggled to control the torrent of chaotic energy swirling within him. "I will not lose to you," he said, his voice steady despite the storm inside him. "The Jedi do not fear the darkness."
With one final surge of strength, Obi-Wan channeled the last of the Warp's energy into his attack. His lightsaber blazed with unearthly power as he charged, his body a conduit for both the Force and the chaos that sought to claim him. The sorcerer raised his hand, attempting to block the attack with another wave of psychic power, but Obi-Wan's blow was unstoppable. The blade met the sorcerer's shield with a deafening crack, and for a moment, time seemed to freeze.
Obi-Wan's body convulsed as the Warp tore at him from within, but with a final, desperate slash, he cleaved through the sorcerer's defenses. The blade bit into the Chaos Astartes' armor, sending a pulse of psychic energy cascading through the air. The sorcerer staggered, his armor buckling under the force of the blow, but he did not fall.
Instead, he let out a howl of rage, the air around him swirling violently as he summoned a torrent of Warp energy to retaliate. The ground cracked open beneath him, and tendrils of pure chaos lashed out toward Obi-Wan.
But Obi-Wan stood tall, despite the agony ripping through his body. His lightsaber crackled with the last remnants of the Warp's power as he prepared for one final strike. His mind was a battlefield, torn between the purity of the Force and the corrupting chaos of the Warp, but there was no time to hesitate.
With a final, triumphant roar, Obi-Wan surged forward, slashing through the sorcerer's defenses once more.
"I will not fall to you," Obi-Wan roared, bringing his lightsaber back around to slam into the Astartes' open palm.
The Astartes barely flinched. He raised his hand, easily deflecting the attack with a flick of his fingers, sending the blade flying from Obi-Wan's grasp again. The blade clattered to the ground, and Obi-Wan's last vestiges of strength seemed to drain away. The Warp tore into him like a blade, and his consciousness began to fade.
With a final gesture, the sorcerer called upon the full fury of the Warp. His eyes blazed with power as his psychic energy engulfed Obi-Wan entirely. The Jedi's body jerked, his breath escaping in sharp gasps as the Warp surged through him, an unstoppable force that consumed everything in its path.
Obi-Wan's final thought was not of defeat, but of the people he fought for. His vision faded to black as the last spark of his will was snuffed out.
The sorcerer stood over him, triumphant. The battle was over. The Jedi had been broken.
"You should have known," the sorcerer whispered, his voice a final echo in the silence that followed. "You were never meant to win."
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As the sorcerer stood over Obi-Wan's unconscious body, a faint hum caught his attention. He looked up, his gaze drawn to a smoking ship hurtling toward the hanger bay. The massive vessel showed no signs of slowing as it barreled toward the hanger.
The Nubian shot through the air at high speed, its engines roaring as it surged into the hanger with reckless force before a Salamander and Black Templar jumped from a tear in its hull.
The sorcerer summoned his power, twisting the ship's trajectory and sending it crashing into one side of the massive hanger. He then turned his gaze to the two Astartes who had leaped from the ship at the last moment.
The two Astartes landed heavily on the ground, their power armor clanking with the impact. The air around them crackled with tension, and the oppressive weight of the sorcerer's presence loomed like a suffocating shadow. The two marines stood, weapons drawn, their eyes locked on the Chaos sorcerer as he turned to face them.
"Traitor!" Sebastian roared, charging forward with a warrior's fury toward the Rubric Marine.
Without hesitation, the sorcerer raised a hand, and the ground beneath Sebastian buckled, cracks splintering outward like an earth-shattering quake. The Black Templar struggled to maintain his footing as the very air around him twisted and writhed, pulled by the chaos of the Warp.
Raxor, less encumbered by the swirling chaos, opened fire, his heavy bolter roaring to life. The rounds thundered through the air, but the sorcerer merely smirked. His hands wove an intricate pattern, and the shells slowed mid-flight, twisting before disintegrating into nothingness.
"Is that all you have?" the sorcerer taunted, his voice dripping with disdain before pulling the heavy bolter towards him.
Sebastian, undeterred, surged forward, his power sword crackling to life in his grip. "Enough talk," he snarled. "Let's finish this."
With a speed that belied his massive frame, the Black Templar charged. His sword swung in a deadly arc, aimed straight for the sorcerer's chest. But the sorcerer was already moving, his hands outstretched as he summoned the full wrath of the Warp to shield him.
The sword struck an invisible barrier with a violent clash, sparks flying as the power of the blow was absorbed by the sorcerer's psychic shield. Sebastian stumbled back, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Foolish," the sorcerer sneered, his gaze cold and mocking. He raised both hands, and a torrent of psychic energy surged forward, slamming into the Black Templar and sending him crashing into a stack of crates with a sickening thud.
Raxor didn't hesitate. Charging with relentless fury, his combat knife gleaming in the dim light, he slashed toward the sorcerer's head. But again, the sorcerer was faster. With a flick of his wrist, a bolt of Warp lightning arced from his palm, slamming into the Salamander with an explosive crack. Raxor was thrown backward, smoke rising from the seams of his armor as he crumpled to the ground.
The sorcerer surveyed the battlefield, his gaze shifting over the wreckage, the chaos, and the two Astartes struggling to recover. His attention fixed on the Black Templar, who was slowly rising to his feet.
Sebastian didn't hesitate. His hand shot out, raising his heavy bolt pistol and firing a single round. But before the shot could reach its target, the sorcerer's will snaked through the air, and with a violent flick of his wrist, the weapon was wrenched from Sebastian's grip.
The bolt round shattered in mid-air, splitting into two pieces as it veered off course. The deadly projectiles soared past the sorcerer, hurtling straight into the Queen's entourage, their screams filling the air as two bodies hit the floor, lifeless.
The chaos was overwhelming, but the three Astartes cared not for the innocent bystanders. Their focus remained on each other, bound by the violence of their struggle.
With a primal roar, Sebastian hurled himself at the sorcerer, the Black Templar's power armor creaking under the weight of his charge. His sword rose, ready to strike, and the sorcerer, with a dark smile, met his fury head-on. The ground trembled beneath their feet as both combatants collided, each driven by their own inescapable purpose.
But to his surprise, Sebastian lifted the Chaos Astartes off the ground, hoisting him effortlessly over his shoulder before slamming him into the wall. The impact sent debris flying, the structure crumbling into dust as they crashed through into another chamber.
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