The two xenos Titans, one behind the other, shook the ground with their heavy steps, a rumbling echo.
They raised their long heads, fixing their gaze on the black-armored, golden-winged figure in the air.
Their right arms twisted, moving with a fluid grace unlike the crude synchronization of Imperial Titan crews through their psychic shock units.
The two lances spun with a roar. The air warped, as if the entire mountain range had drawn two deep breaths.
Brilliant points of light flared at the tips of the lances. A storm of razor-sharp shrapnel, like thunder and lightning, tore through the air, raining down on Nareth.
Light and shadow flickered in Nareth's eyes. His telekinetic power surged, forming an invisible barrier around his black armor.
A surge of blue flame erupted, piercing the blinding aetheric light, shooting towards the Aeldar Titan in the rear.
Crackle!
The serpentine black tendrils dragging behind the Titan were burned to ash.
The Aeldari Titan lowered its long, elegant head, looking down at Magnus.
It slid its feet, moving with slow but graceful steps, its lance aimed at Magnus.
Phosis T'Kar watched from below. Waves of destruction crashed against the telekinetic shield, crackling.
He looked to the ground: the storm parted around his gene-father, carving into the earth, sending up a spray of rubble.
Phosis T'kar, Magister Templi of the Raptora Cult, glanced at his belligerent Tutelary, Utipa.
'Even if we were to merge, at the peak of the aetheric wind, we could not generate such a powerful telekinetic shield.'
'I could block a Titan's attack, but not with such ease.
'I never believed the rumors before. Now I see they are true.'
Within the Imperium, it was rumored that Lord Nareth, in both telekinesis and mental power, rivaled their gene-father, Magnus.
Phosis T'kar had always scoffed at this. But now, watching their gene-father and Lord Nareth face identical Aeldari Titans, employing different but equally effective telekinetic shields against the same attack, he had no more doubts.
As he pondered, he saw Lord Nareth raise his right arm, as if grasping the Aeldari Titan's long arm from a distance.
A telekinetic hand shot out, seizing the Titan's arm.
The black tendrils, like rotting vines, were crushed to dust. The magnificent arm was shattered.
His gene-father, not to be outdone, clenched his fist. The arm, which had been spewing flame and shrapnel, exploded.
The damaged arm burst into flames.
Magnus grunted. The arm shattered into fragments.
'Hmm... how is this possible?'
'Lord Nareth destroyed the Titan's arm with a single blow. My father took two... though, he did block the attacks of both Titans at first.'
'His telekinesis is actually greater than my father's!'
As Phosis T'kar marveled, the two Aeldar Titans raised their mechanical fists almost simultaneously.
Their movements were fluid, unlike the noisy, clumsy motions of Imperial Titans.
Smooth, elegant fists blazed with electromagnetic fire. Balls of searing flame rose, scorching and distorting the very air they passed through.
Nareth beat his golden wings, the fist descending.
Crackle!
The stream of flame was split into three pillars, deflected by the Burning Fragments.
As the pillars shot skyward, light and shadow flickered in Nareth's eyes. The power of the Great Ocean surged.
With the Aeldar seal broken, the aetheric energy here rivaled that of the Warp itself.
As Nareth swung his right arm, his telekinesis spiraled downwards.
With every meter the telekinetic wave descended, the spiral expanded.
Rumble!
A deafening roar tore open a rift in the fragile barrier between Aghoru's reality and the Warp.
A vortex of aetheric energy swallowed the Aeldar Titan.
In a series of screeching detonations, the Titan's body erupted, torn apart by the destructive force.
The elegant form exploded. Wraithbone shattered like fragile porcelain. Countless fragments rained down.
After destroying one Aeldar Titan with his Doom Vortex, Nareth watched the dark veins covering its legs and the pools of foul sludge around its cloven feet explode.
'Tzeentch-corroded Aeldar Titan. Its psychic power is greater, but it has lost the psychic shields it had in life.'
'Hmm, it's not that Tzeentch couldn't grant it such shields. He simply had no interest in doing so.'
'These two are essentially giant signposts, telling Magnus the seal is broken and that he should hurry to claim the Webway's secrets.'
He looked down.
The Titan's fist descended, screaming as it spat a deadly hail.
Magnus's feathered cloak spread like an eagle's wings. He raised his hand, a blast of blue flame erupting.
Whoosh!
The psychic flames and the hail collided, exploding into clouds of aetheric mist.
Magnus's loose hair stiffened into a crimson mane. Lightning arced around him.
He clasped his hands together, forming a great lightning-spear.
The spear shot upward, plunging into the Titan's towering form.
With a roar of destruction, the spear pierced the Titan's head. The curved head exploded.
The magnificent Aeldar Titan toppled like a felled tree, its armor cracking, its wraithbone splintering.
The lightning-spear soared upward, passing close to Nareth.
Magnus hovered in mid-air, looking triumphantly at Nareth.
'My telekinesis is slightly weaker than yours. But I also command prophecy, flame, lightning, teleportation, and many other secrets. You are no match for me. I am the first among Primarchs in the psychic arts.'
Nareth saw the fire burning in Magnus's eye. His mind flashed to a memory.
In his memory, Magnus, with the aid of his Thousand Sons and a supporting force of Space Wolves from the 5th Great Company sent by Russ, had fought these two Titans.
In that battle, Magnus destroyed one. Then Phosis T'Kar, had raised a force shield that blocked the other Titan's killing blow, but was critically wounded.
Hathor Maat, believing his gene-father dead, had unleashed his full psychic power without restraint, combining with Khalophis, to destroy the second Titan.
'My arrival has saved the Thousand Sons hundreds of lives, and the Wolves dozens.'
As Nareth pondered, he folded his wings and descended before Magnus.
Magnus's eye shifted to blue. "It is not over. The corrupting power imprisoned beneath the mountain has awakened."
"We must enter the abyss."
Nareth nodded. "Very well."
Magnus summoned Hathor Maat and Ahzek Ahriman. Seeing the sixteen men behind Nareth, he was taken aback.
"It is dangerous down there."
"I know. I will bring them back," Nareth said to the "Scribes."
He sent Pat a mental pulse: "Mine the dead-stone."
Pat nodded in acknowledgment.
....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
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