The Starlight Bridge lies a few kilometers east of Itza. It was once the main thoroughfare into the city and was named not for an actual bridge, but because it was a place where the Old Ones had descended.
A massive chasm surrounds the area, with the main road extending thousands of meters into the distance. Beyond that lies an endless tropical rainforest and a single, long main road. Thousands of years ago, during a Chaos invasion, the Lizardmen, under the leadership of the first-generation Slann Mage-Priest Kroak, defended Itza here.
Mazda-Mudi chose to establish their defensive position here for many reasons. Most importantly, the Mage-Priest wanted to lure the enemy out. Itza, being the chief city among many, is vast. Defending it on all fronts would spread their forces thin and leave them vulnerable to being picked off. Concentrating their limited forces in one location was a more effective strategy.
Kroak's power was immense. Even with his eyes closed, Mazda-Mudi could feel the terrifying vitality emanating from Kroak. Their mortal enemies, the forces of Chaos, would never allow Kroak to be revived.
The most troubling aspect was that Kroak's revival would inevitably destabilize the "Great Warding." As the ritual progressed, the Warding would waver, creating the perfect opportunity for a Chaos incursion.
The boundary between the mortal realm and the Warp would tear open, allowing dreadful and grotesque daemonic entities to pour into the material world at the command of the Dark Gods. These entities would destroy everything in their path until the world's end. Once the world was completely devoured, the Dark Gods would lose interest and turn their attention to the next world.
Mazda-Mudi would not let this happen. The Slann Mage-Priest gazed up at the sky.
Kroak's revival stirred the Winds of Magic. The once-clear sky was now shrouded in clouds, lightning, and hurricanes. Amidst the howling wind, shadowy figures could be seen laughing maniacally, caught between reality and Chaos.
Five full regiments of Temple Guard defended Kroak on the high pyramid. Additionally, over 20,000 Saurus and more than 30,000 Skinks formed a protective ring around the pyramid. In the inner circle, more than twenty Slanns led various Dinosaur legions, including several colossal beasts equipped with ancient engines left by the Old Ones.
Above, three Pterosaur squadrons patrolled, vigilant for any approaching enemies, while Chameleon Skinks hid within the jungle.
They were ready for battle.
Fulgrim led the Ashen Legion, positioned in front of the pyramid. Among the towering Lizardmen and massive beasts, the human soldiers seemed small. The Primarch of the Emperor's Children gripped his golden power sword, Honor, in silence.
Lightning flashed across the darkened sky as he signaled his troops to form ranks and prepare for the coming onslaught.
Meanwhile, the Skaven Plagueclaw Clan's Right Claw, Lord Skurrk, also gazed at the sky.
Among the four major Skaven clans, the Plagueclaw Clan, also known as Clan Pestilens, was powerful and universally despised for its focus on producing plagues and biochemical weapons.
Skurrk had received orders from the Grey Seer to come to Itza and prevent the revival of "that frog thing," Kroak. He and his army were to ensure the enemy was killed—no, obliterated—here in Itza.
As Skurrk's forces approached the vicinity of the Starlight Bridge, he could distinctly feel the Winds of Magic saturating the air.
Skurrk's expertise lay in corrupting nature with the Great Horned Rat's pathogens. Where he walked, plants withered and died. Each step darkened the air, as if it were tainted by his malevolent presence.
Skurrk had existed for a long time, far longer than most of the eldest Skaven. His power had not waned with age. On the contrary, he had become a living plague source, with his hunchback twisted under the weight of countless festering boils and tumors, hidden beneath his tattered shroud. His toxic growths were so lethal that only the oldest Plague Monks could withstand them. Skurrk's hollow eyes constantly oozed dark yellow pus; he had gouged out his own eyes centuries ago in devotion to the Great Horned Rat.
The Great Horned Rat had rewarded Skurrk's devotion by granting him even greater sight. Though eyeless, he could see the vibrant spectrum of reality and had vowed to obliterate all existence in a plague of pestilence.
Now, he and his army were here. Skurrk immediately commanded the slave rats to begin their preparations. He had a nasty surprise in store for the Old Ones' servants.
Yet, for now, the Skaven were not the main focus of this battle.
The Chaos Daemon legions had descended upon the mortal world.
The first to arrive were the Blood God's forces. These blood-red Daemons raised the eight-pointed star banners of Khorne as they charged onto the battlefield. The first wave consisted of Bloodletters, these red-skinned horrors with twisted horns, cursed with deadly strikes capable of felling any mortal.
Following them, legions of Bloodletters, Flesh Hounds, and Skull Cannons poured out of the rifts in the Warp.
Finally, a towering Bloodthirster appeared, wielding a massive battle-axe in one hand and a whip in the other. Standing over four meters tall, it roared with a voice like thunder, "Kill! Kill everything!"
"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!" The embodiment of Khorne's endless rage and bloodlust had arrived.
Fulgrim watched the Bloodthirster with a hint of a sneer. "Khornath? How interesting."
The second Bloodthirster appeared, and Fulgrim recognized it too: "Karrox?"
The arrival of the Chaos legions did not pause at Fulgrim's words. With the appearance of Khorne's forces, the followers of Tzeentch, led by a Lord of Change, began teleporting into the mortal realm. Horrors and Flamers erupted into multicolored flames, while Discs of Tzeentch swarmed the skies.
This angered the Nurgle forces following closely behind. Thousands of Plaguebearers and Beasts of Nurgle covered the sky in a blanket of stench, the buzzing of flies nearly drowning out all other sounds. These Nurgle Daemons, rotting and shrouded in clouds of disease, wore rusted armor adorned with repulsive growths.
Nurgle's Greater Daemon, Rottigus, emerged from a noxious fog, standing over six meters tall. His bloated belly threatened to burst, with slimy intestines spilling from an open wound. He licked his own entrails with a long tongue, savoring their taste.
The Slaanesh forces were the last to arrive. These Daemons, with their delicate skin and lithe forms, exuded a strange scent that would cause any weak-willed mortal to surrender instantly. Adorned in shades of purple and pink, many bore multiple breasts or extra limbs, their contorted bodies dancing lasciviously.
Leading the Slaanesh host was a winged Daemon with alabaster skin, a sensuous figure, and long black hair. It had a bull-like face and horns, one hand a curved claw, and the other wielding a serpentine sword.
The Slaanesh legions snarled at the Nurgle Daemons, irritated by their stench overpowering their own perfumes. Khorne's forces casually decapitated a Tzeentch Daemon that got in their way.
The human soldiers of the Ashen Legion felt a surge of fear. Everywhere they looked were terrifying creatures. Vice-Captain Fernando Palazzo swallowed hard, almost hoping the Chaos Daemons would start fighting among themselves.
But Fernando would be disappointed. Despite their proximity to infighting, some inexplicable force kept the Daemons united. In unison, they focused their attention on Kroak, seated atop the pyramid.
The air was thick with tension, like the calm before a storm. The Last Defender, War Council Warlord Kroq-Gar, licked his lips as he sat astride his Carnosaur, Grimlock, awaiting the enemy's attack.
Kroq-Gar didn't have to wait long. With the command from the Bloodthirster Khornath, the endless tide of Chaos legions surged towards the Lizardmen's defenses.
"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!"
"For the Changer of Ways!"
"The Father's blessing!"
"Glory to the Prince of Pleasure!"
Simultaneously, the Lizardmen forces roared back with their battle cries.
"For the Old Ones! For Kroak!"
"For Sotek and the Great Plan!"
The Solar Engines mounted on Stegadons fired, their energy blasts decimating the ranks of the Chaos legions. Two lesser Daemons were obliterated instantly. The Slanns chanted spells, sending wave after wave of magical energy exploding in the path of the advancing Daemons.
Beams of energy shot from the Great Pyramid, lighting up the Starlight Bridge like daylight. Skinks hurled javelins, and Chameleon Skinks picked off Daemons from the cover of the jungle. In this initial assault, nearly a thousand Daemons were banished.
But more Daemons continued to pour in. The Winds of Chaos swept across the land, the Dark Gods' mocking laughter filling the air.
Leading the charge were the Khorne legions, heedless of the Chameleon and Skink javelins or the sun engine blasts. The scent of Lizardmen blood and the promise of skulls for their god drove them into a frenzy.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" The Bloodthirster Khornath was the first to breach the Lizardmen's lines. Bathed in the light of two magical beams and peppered by hundreds of javelins, it swung its battle-axe in a wide arc.
Eight Saurus Warriors were decapitated instantly. The coppery scent of blood filled the air, driving the war into a fever pitch.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Under Kroq-Gar's command, the Lizardmen formed ranks and fought fiercely against the Chaos Daemons. The Saurus Warriors wielded their spears and clubs with deadly precision. Each unit was led by a seasoned Saurus Oldblood, who coordinated their attacks to isolate and eliminate small groups of Daemons. They allowed a limited number of Daemons to penetrate their lines, only to trap and destroy them with coordinated strikes.
The scene was one of chaos and carnage.
The Lord of Change, the Great Daemon of Tzeentch, roared. It lifted its staff, and a rainbow-colored flame engulfed a group of Saurus Warriors. When the flames subsided, the Saurus had been reduced to a puddle of melted flesh. Their once-impenetrable scales had dissolved under the arcane fire. The realization dawned on many Lizardmen and dinosaurs alike that no matter how tough their hides were, they stood no chance against Tzeentch's magical flames.
The Lord of Change, a creature with a crescent-shaped avian head and wings, reveled in the power of the Changer of Ways. Hovering above the battlefield to avoid attacks, it unleashed wave after wave of chaos magic, decimating the ranks of the Lizardmen. Even the stoutest Saurus fell under its relentless assault.
But soon, the Daemon met a formidable opponent.
A pure beam of magical energy struck its face, melting half of its distorted visage. Screaming in agony, the Lord of Change's one remaining eye saw a second-generation Slann Mage-Priest on a golden throne. The Slann raised a hand, expressionless and calm.
Rainbow flames and blood waves were dispersed by the Slann's powerful magic, interrupting the Daemon's spells. The Slann wasted no time casting the next incantation.
Soul Quenching!
A half-meter-thick beam of magical light enveloped the Lord of Change. But it was not so easily defeated. Screeching praises to Tzeentch, the Daemon conjured a deep blue protective shield to ward off the attack.
The battle raged on. Below, the Lizardmen fought the Daemons with all their might. Above, a dazzling array of magical energies and lightning bolts marked the clash between the Slanns and the Chaos spellcasters. The explosions and spellcasting echoes resembled the ancient battles from millennia past when the Lizardmen first resisted Chaos.
This all played into Warlord Kroq-Gar's strategy. As the Chaos forces pushed closer, he executed a tactical withdrawal, ordering the Skinks and Chameleons to retreat behind the Saurus lines after a coordinated javelin volley. The front line was held by the robust Saurus Warriors.
Kroq-Gar himself, riding his formidable Carnosaur, Grimlock, began his hunt. The war-spear, the Spear of Tlanxla, pierced through Daemon flesh effortlessly. No Chaos creature could withstand the fury of Kroq-Gar.
A Bloodthirster set its sights on Kroq-Gar, exhaling foul air as it found its target.
Before Kroq-Gar could engage, Mazda-Mudi's magic intervened.
"Banishment Light!" The Slann Mage-Priest lifted his staff, and a beam of pure light engulfed the Bloodthirster, reducing it to ashes in an instant.
Amid the chaotic battlefield, Mazda-Mudi's voice rang clear with orders: "Kroq-Gar, do not be drawn into prolonged combat. Protect the master's body!"
"Understood!" Kroq-Gar quickly realized the Lizardmen forces were gradually withdrawing from the Starlight Bridge. He tugged on Grimlock's reins, signaling a retreat. As they fell back, the Spear of Tlanxla continued to strike down Daemons, spilling the blood of at least twenty creatures.
Glancing back, the situation looked grim. The Pterosaur squadrons dove into the Chaos ranks under Kroq-Gar's command, spreading destruction among the Daemons. Some dropped massive boulders from above, crushing unsuspecting Chaos warriors below.
However, many of the Pterosaur riders who plunged into the fray never took off again. Slaanesh's Daemonettes, with their agile forms and razor-sharp blades, danced across the battlefield, slaying the diving Pterosaurs with deadly precision. The bloated Nurgle Daemons, indifferent to their wounds, barely flinched under the Pterosaurs' attacks, their wounds only deepening and widening without any impact. These beasts screamed, flapped their wings, and rolled on the ground, trying to shake off their attackers, but were ultimately slaughtered.
The ocean of Chaos Daemons continued to pour onto the battlefield. Kroq-Gar sensed the Skaven plotting something and immediately ordered the Cold One riders and Stegadon groups to follow him.
He needed to organize a new offensive!
As the Saurus Warriors at the forefront were swallowed by the tide of Chaos, the vanguard of Khorne's forces neared the human lines. A leading Bloodletter, riding a Chaos Juggernaut, barreled through a volley of handguns and crossbows, smashing through the Ashen Legion's pike formation. The front row of pikemen were crushed into bloody pulp, their bodies flying apart.
Just as the Bloodletter began to roar in triumph for Khorne, a flash of golden light sliced through its neck.
The head flew off, severed cleanly.
"Form up! Aim at your targets! We won't have the chance to reload!" Fulgrim shouted, gripping his golden power sword, Honor. "Quickly!"
Before he could finish speaking, the Greater Daemon of Slaanesh swooped down before him. "Such a perfect human!"
"I am Azazel, the premier champion under the Prince of Pleasure. May I have the honor of knowing your name, mortal?"
Fulgrim sneered, raising his sword. "I am Fulgrim, Primarch of the Emperor's Children. You dare call me mortal? Prepare to die!"
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