"Aim for the mirror!"
The Lion's roar overpowered the thunder of the Bolters and the hiss of plasma.
His brief out-of-body experience confirmed that the sorcerer's plan hinged on that silver mirror.
Whether the sorcerer succeeded in seizing his soul or not, he had to be stopped from making any further attempts.
These loyal descendants, who had been faithful for millennia, executed the order without hesitation the moment they heard their Primarch's roar.
Serafax roared, waving his staff, trying to intercept the incoming hail of bullets, but his protective magic had not yet extended to the high-hanging mirror.
Under the Bolter bombardment, the silver mirror began to bend, emitting a discordant hum, and the perfect reflection on its surface became distorted.
On the damaged mirror, The Lion saw another existence... a shadow covered in eyes, claws, and fangs... and countless pairs of... "giant eyes."
Then, a plasma round accurately struck the center of the mirror, the searing energy melting the silver, and silver drops slowly fell, with Serafax standing directly beneath the mirror.
Serafakos screamed, struck by the scorching metal, but flames immediately engulfed the molten silver.
His entire face was covered in flames, and the silver chunks on his armor rotated like living things.
His robes instantly burned away, the edges of his black armor gleamed brightly, and silver claws grew from his fingertips, piercing through his ceramite gauntlets and immediately merging with them.
Intricate patterns spread across his war plate, like frost on a window.
The Lion forced himself not to look directly at the patterns; he instinctively felt they contained the universe's deepest secrets.
"You fools!"
Serafax roared, his voice no longer human, but like a broken metal string being forcibly plucked.
He swatted away the bolter rounds with a claw and bellowed:
"You have ruined me, ruined yourselves, and ruined all of time!"
Silver-blue wings unfurled from his back, reflecting a multitude of faces.
Those Fallen Angels who had followed him here.
Their reflections let out painful screams, kneeling on the ground, their ceramite armor clanking.
Space Marine could endure extreme pain, but against Warp sorcery that struck the soul directly, they were helpless.
Bella slowly walked onto the dais, his Bolter already raised, but he hesitated upon seeing all of this.
Though his face was obscured by his helmet, his movements betrayed his shock.
At the same time, The Lion suddenly tensed the chains, trying to break free, but the arcane ritual binding him was still in effect.
He heard a shout, and a black-armored figure was thrown into the pit, landing not far from his side.
"Baventhan!"
The former Librarian struggled to remove his helmet, his face contorted in pain: "Forgive me, Your Highness... he is too powerful, and I have not used my psychic abilities in a long time."
"The chains binding me are connected to some ritual," The Lion whispered, "Serafax's will is weakening, but I still cannot break free.
I need your help."
Baventhan nodded with effort, gritting his teeth: "He is drawing out my soul, but this also allows me to connect with him.
Before I completely dissipate, I can do one more thing."
He no longer resisted, allowing Serafax's magic to corrode him.
In an instant, his eyes erupted with dazzling light, pouring all his power into the sorcerer.
The glow on Serafax's wings suddenly became chaotic, and he stumbled backward, almost falling.
However, he almost immediately regained control.
But that instant was enough.
The Lion struggled free, and the chains snapped.
He leaped out of the shallow pit, directly at the sorcerer.
Serafax waved his staff, trying to block, but his speed was far inferior to The Lion's.
loyalty unsheathed, he cut the staff with one sword stroke, and the old Lion then crashed into the sorcerer, knocking him to the ground, his sword point pressed against his chest.
"Let them go!"
Serafax, however, laughed maniacally: "At this moment, you should kill me, just as you did in the past, saying, 'The deaths of these sons are an acceptable price.'"
"That was me ten thousand years ago."
The Lion growled, trying not to look at the tormented faces on the sorcerer's wings, "I will not watch my sons die before me again."
Silver light exploded, and The Lion was struck down, runes pinning him again.
Serafax stood up, laughing:
"You disappoint me greatly, Father!"
The faces on his wings shifted, transforming into The Lion's own face, aged and in pain.
His soul was hooked by claws, being torn apart.
"You betrayed everything we swore to fight for!
If you have the guts, take my soul!"
Serafax snorted: "That is precisely my plan."
He extended his claw-blade, about to completely strip The Lion of his soul, when he suddenly froze, beginning to convulse.
A sharp sword point emerged from his chest, a power sword shimmering with a blue power field.
The longsword remained in the sorcerer's body for an instant, Serafax convulsing in disbelief.
Then, before his bone and ceramite completely died, the sorcerer plunged his silver claws fiercely into his own wound, howling as he stabbed through the Dark Angels behind him.
The one who attacked Serafax cried out in pain, and then The Lion saw the flash of the longsword again, severing the sorcerer's wings.
Serafax twitched and fell to the ground, his wound beginning to writhe and liquefy, then everything boiled, finally turning into green smoke with a foul stench.
Bella collapsed to his knees, several wounds on his chest gushing blood, showing no signs of healing.
He dropped the power sword and removed his helmet.
His face, unlike the sorcerer's flame-covered countenance, showed no trace of corruption or mutation to The Lion.
His face bore only the scars of countless years of battle, but the pain in his heart was clearly evident.
The runes on the floor dimmed and dissipated, and The Lion was once again free to move.
He cautiously approached Bella, as Serafax's sword was still by Bella's side, but the warrior had no intention of picking it up.
The flames on Serafax's head finally dissipated, leaving only blurred flesh.
Bella slowly bent down to kiss his forehead, and then his brother's flesh completely vanished.
"Son," The Lion whispered.
A flicker of alarm crossed Bella's eyes, then silence.
"Father..."
"Thank you."
Bella murmured: "I followed him for too long... but when I saw what he had become, I knew he was no longer there.
And you, you protected my brothers.
This is not The Lion who destroyed Caliban."
"They chose to come with me," The Lion whispered, "Perhaps one day, I will have to ask them to sacrifice, but never for my own selfish desires."
Bella trembled slightly, blood flowing freely from his wounds, but he paid no attention, simply continuing:
"I followed him for too long.
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