Leman rushed his pack into the wall of Tzeentch�s chosen. All about them, thousands of space marines battled furiously, both Space Wolves and Thousand Sons, clenching moments of defeat and victory. Leman singled in on Magnus, while his Wolf Guard attacked M�Kachan�the most powerful of the greater daemons. �sir charged into the charred black daemon, Aswad�Ra, while most of his own bodyguard and many nearby Space Wolves threw themselves at a pair daemons standing sentry to the portal. The Space Wolves Grand Rune Lord, Khalid, faced off against a color fluxing Changer of Ways, Ahmutuuk. A pack of fiery Blood Claws pounced on Diin�Ahmur, the greater daemon on the right flank, while Omri�s Wolf Guard encircled Ah�Kull, and Omri himself faced before the golden Changer of Ways, Idogbe Heru.

�sir�s opponent floated about him. The daemon brought his scythe down upon �sir with incredible speed, but the Space Wolf parried immediately. Aswad�Ra continued her sequence of attacks in a series of well planned jabs and swiftly placed slices that confined the Wolf Lord to small and unbalancing blocks. �sir believed if he could not outpace this warpmaster of time, he would not last but many moments longer, and with his opponent suspended above him, his chances were dwindling. To his left, his bodyguard, a pack of Grey Hunters and a few Long Fangs offered a reasonably sized skirmish to the magnificent pair of daemon sentries.

To the Great Wolf�s immediate right, Khalid battled head to head against the daemon prince Ahmutuuk. It has been spoken of Khalid that he ranks among the most potent psykers in the Imperium, so if the emperor allows, Khalid could be the only character to offer a Lord of Change a metaphysical challenge. As �sir�s Wulfen knew him, besting a Lord of Change was not to be put beyond him. His psychic-hood alone protected him from any sorcery inflicting direct, physical harm. And for the moments passing, the Great Rune Priest seemed to be holding his ground.

Beyond him, a duel of titans continued. Leman made his Legion proud as Magnus fought hand in hand with the Space Wolf primarch, but could rarely match his frenzy in battle.

The great daemon M�Kachan seemed to effortlessly attack the whole of Leman�s Wolf Guard. As exalted as the great warriors were, they matched against the most powerful of the greater daemons and battled on with the least chance of victory. Their servo assisted, plasteel armour soon revealed its advantages and disadvantages. The thick ceramite plates protected them from the worst of their foe�s attacks, but its sheer bulkiness restricted their movements to more stalwart tactics. The armour stole its wearer�s agility.

Like �sir, Omri faced the shimmering gold warpmaster, Idogbe Heru alone. From the beginning, he deemed himself the victor of his duel, but as time slipped forward, it began to prove otherwise. He was unable to harm his foe.

Omri�s Wolf Guard fought at his side, seemingly overwhelming to their adversary, proving their valour and honour once again. Omri�s Wolf Guard was the most ferocious pack in the whole of the legion. No other band of warriors has accomplished more, and here again they couldn�t make their legion more proud.

On the extreme right, the daemon Diin�Ahmur struggled against a full pack of eighteen Blood Claws and was not faring well. Within the first fifteen minutes of the fight, the daemon was overwhelmed and slain in exchange for nine of the blood claws.

�sir drew back as his opponent struck again. Aswad�Ra�s blade wounded the Wolf Lord in the back as her blade caught hold of the Wolf Lord�s life support pack. The blade seared through the ceramite and sliced into the Space Marine�s shoulder tearing flesh. �sir roared as the tainted blade punctured his skin. He brought his axe over his shoulder and attacked furiously, relentlessly, pushing his opponent onto the defensive. The daemon bird flared backwards and brought her scythe to bear. As she swung down, �sir matched the strike with an upward blow from his knees. The blades clashed for a split second before �sir�s blade bit clear through the scythe�s shaft, searing the blade from its body. However, this didn�t appear to distract the daemon�s effort. In the return phase of her attack, Aswad�Ra slammed her newly crafted staff across the head of the Wolf, knocking the warrior off his feet.

The color-shifting monster released a surge of energy onto the psyker after defending a sequence of spells. The Rune Priest nullified the attack with a spell-spent parry, cast from his staff. Spell after spell was exchanged, varied by short progressions of armed attacks.

Leman continued to circle about the towering Thousand Sons� primarch, readying himself for his next move. Magnus glared down upon the Space Wolf. Suddenly, a flash of blinding light was cast towards Leman. The Cyclops followed in with his sword raised high. Leman escaped the light through a sudden, unexpected lurch forward, forcing Magnus to abandon his attack and parry. Swing for swing, each of their blades met between them with neither on the offense or defense. Quick, but methodical, like a common dance, they confronted each other. This wasn�t the first primarch Leman had challenged and promised it would not be the last. In the whole of the Imperium, Leman was the strongest warrior. His strength was unparalleled. However, the same applied to Magnus� psychic capabilities. As their skills confronted one another, none could stand to Leman�s ferocious battle rage, while Magnus� fortitude was uncanny. Say what one may, but this fight would only yield one victor. And in battles such as these, the consequences of a primarch�s actions would throw a battle to one side.

In the last few minutes of combat, Leman�s bodyguard lost a member as he was engulfed in an immense fireball that ate through the terminator�s armour and cooked him alive. M�Kachan was too swift and powerful for the encumbered terminators. On average they could parry the Lord of Change�s blows, but persistent attacks began to take their toll on the Space Wolves. Ingharr was the next to fall through a sequence of attacks that overwhelmingly and so easily disarmed and disemboweled the proud warrior. Ingharr�s death was followed by Eirolf�s. The Wolves� firepower sunk into the daemon�s hide, but it raged on as if unscathed. It seemed M�Kachan to be too resilient for the ammunitions of the Space Wolves� realm.

A wild horizontal swing crossed before his helm as Omri withdrew just in time. Omri grabbed his bolt pistol and sent round after round into Idogbe Heru�s midsection. The Wolf Lord charged back into the fight at the cue of the dry click of the loading lever as it smacked against the empty chamber. About him, the epic battle surged on as the Thousand Sons fought valiantly. Omri executed a sequence of slices and jabs with his sword before being knocked off balance by a far stretched poke from the daemon. By the time he reset himself, he was on the defensive again. Then his chance sprung, when the Changer of Ways brought back his blade for a looping slice. Omri rushed forward with a direct thrust. Just as his sword pierced Idogbe Heru�s hide, the magnificent bird vanished. A short moment passed and it reappeared behind him. The unseen daemon attacked from the rear, cheating to victory by impaling the Wolf Lord upon its warped blade. Omri staggered forward, overwhelmed by feelings of dishonour and disgust as his victory was stolen. The blade withdrew as it slid roughly from his body, wielded again only to behead the disheartened warrior. Omri�s body slumped to the ground away from the victor.

At the sight of their defeated leader, Omri�s Wolf Guard grew even more determined. With renewed vigor they each faced Ah�Kull as the daemon had yet to be defeated. Ah�Kull�s commanding stomp to the ground sent out a glowing ripple through the ground that ignited all who were touched. A handful of the Wolf Guard had dodged the attack, while most were set ablaze. It was at that moment that the Wolf Guard attacked simultaneously for the first time, overwhelming the great winged daemon and bringing it down to the ground. It so happened that Bjorn the Red is who landed the finishing blow as the daemon�s head collapsed during the pummeling.

On the end of the line, Diin�Ahmur was also brought down, overburdened and too distracted to fight off the last half of the hungry Blood Claws. It was an honour fight, each Blood Claw taking his turn until he was bested and the next replaced him. The first Blood Claw charged with his chainsword leading the way. The Changer of Ways jumped backwards with his claw outstretched. A spell filled moment later the warrior dropped to the ground grasping at his neck and choking for air. Brother wolf Reynard was to follow, onto the Changer of Ways in a heartbeat, going to work at the great bird�s abdomen, hacking furiously with his axe. His blade bit deep into the daemon�s hide two times before the Changer of Ways knocked him lifeless. Another attacked, firing away with his plasma pistol set on maximum discharge! He scored a glancing hit on the daemons arm before he misread an incoming blow to his face. The warrior slumped lifeless to the ground. Battle brother Lippo dove in secession, bringing his chainaxe to bear upon daemon. He then withdrew, spacing himself for a fair duel. He howled, moving his axe back and forth between his ands. Then the daemon attacked, moving his staff about him, and then shoving it about in harsh jabs and thrusts at lightning speed. His goal was to draw his opponent off balance before landing a finishing blow. However, the Blood Claw was quick to block and was keen to his intent. At the right chance, the Blood Claw sneaked in, dodging below the Changer of Ways� lengthy arms and threw his weight behind the head of his axe. The teeth of his weapon bit deep into the daemon�s hide. The Changer of Ways answered by grasping the warrior�s helm and sending a torrent of current through his armour, electrocuting the imperial warrior from top to bottom. At that suspended moment, the pack took advantage and jumped in together, hacking and clawing their way to victory. Seconds later and nothing resembled the body of a broken Changer of Ways. Bloody chunks of meat and sinew littered the area and the armour of the victorious Blood Claws.

Back on the other end, �sir�s bodyguard continued a heated fight against the two daemon sentries. �sir himself was not faring well as his opponent increased the level of difficulty of the fight with her psychic powers�visual distraction, manipulation and illogical, unsuspected attacks. He was quickly angering with Aswad�Ra�s choice of deceitful actions, and try as he might, �sir could not scathe the daemon. With every turn of combat he concentrated more, increasing his intensity and bringing out the best fight within himself. However, it seemed to him as if Aswad�Ra was only toying, withholding her best for only the necessary. The daemon fought with entertaining intent, reacting smoothly to �sir�s every attack, adding in wicked sorcery to confuse and frustrate the Space Wolf. �sir�s wound began to flare, working as another distraction in his most epic struggle. He felt he was fighting a wall. He felt cheated of his opponent�s best abilities and in a way he was right. Aswad�Ra had been withholding during the fight, only testing �sir�s limits. She had realized from the beginning they were equally matched in close quarter fighting as �sir�s skills well surpassed Aswad�Ra�s expectations. The daemon decided it would be her overwhelming psychic mastery that would bring her to sure victory. But yet, she withheld herself�.

Khalid however was faring much better, as he was not as skilled a fighter as �sir, but his psychic abilities more than compensated for that under the current circumstances. The Rune Priest wasn�t as vulnerable to his daemon�s sorcery. While it took all his might to defend and return against the daemonic sorcerer�s spells, he did measure the fight to be his toughest, for Ahmutuuk�s whip was quite a challenge. He was not as proficient in fighting such an armed opponent, especially one as mastered as this daemon. However, he had to his advantage thus. The whip being a non-rigid weapon took greater time to prepare for an attack. This would come to work to the advantage of the Space Wolf...

Leman�s Wolf Guard, now at a size of three were barely holding ground. Then, Styrkar was horribly maimed as the daemon�s strike fractured his helmet and skull beneath it. The two remaining terminators blazed away with their assault cannons, sending round after round in the numbers of hundreds M�Kachan�s way, keeping him at bay for some time.

Leman hacked back and forth brutally. Wild, illogic strokes flew about his hips back and forth and up from his ankles with exhausting results. He no longer pursued his opponent with the traditional sword fighting of the Emperor�s honoured, but more like an enraged madman. He put his mind on nothing but his next second�s strike. He continued his attack, sweeping the ground and the air about him, his blade clashing loudly with the Thousand Son�s or otherwise slicing small gashes through his foe�s armour. Magnus parried the Great Wolf�s attack and continued to block blow after blow. He�d never seen a warrior fight with such viciousness. Leman attacked relentlessly: again and again and again, restraining his opponent with his overwhelming vigor and pace. The Space Wolves� primarch put all his might into every swing, bringing down punishing blows that would horribly maim a normal space marine. Magnus began to falter, his moves not as sharp as before as fatigue worked its way in to his muscles. Leman�s attacks were too consistent and well executed that the great psyker could not focus to cast a spell in his defense.

Finally, taking advantage of a shocking blow, Leman arched his sword up and swung it reversely, penetrating Magnus chest plate and impaling him along the blade. Yet, the Thousand Sons primarch did not fall, but began a horrible transformation, shuddering�shaking violently. A dull glow glimmered about the Thousand Son while instantaneously, his armour exploded before he reappeared as an elegant Changer of Ways. Another imperial powerhouse was transformed into an immortal tyrant bearing the name of chaos. Following his change, Magnus spawned a wall of blinding flame surrounding the small battle, engulfing Leman in searing hot fire. The chaos portal behind them came to life, fluxing and twitching. One by one, the greater daemons of Tzeentch fled towards the chaos gate. M�Kachan extended his wings and initiated flight, grasping Leman from above with his deadly claws. Again, one by one, each daemon entered the portal, M�Kachan following, all Space Wolves incapable of preventing their Lord�s fate. However, before he disappeared, their primarch spoke a word to them all:

�Listen but closely Brothers, for my life�s breath will soon come to be all but spent. There shall come a time far from now when our legion itself is dying, even as my end will nearly come, and our foes shall gather to destroy us. Then my children, I shall listen for your call in whatever realm of death holds me. And come I shall, no matter what the laws of life and death forbid. At the end I will be there. For the final battle. For the Wolftime.�

He was gone, followed swiftly by Magnus. As he entered the portal, it closed behind him. At that cue, each Thousand Son collapsed as if death overcame him, their armour open and piled on the floor of the cavern, no trace of bodies, while the Space Wolves found themselves alone, seemingly abandoned.

�sir paused momentarily. He looked about the vast chamber, pondering and searching for clues. In the far back elevated on several tiers of thick stone sat Magnus� lifeless throne. Immediately about him, bodies crowded the floor space, swallowing the blue pearled floor with pools of blood. He glanced at Omri�s body then towards the captain of his brother�s Wolf Guard.

Bjorn the Red stood over his master�s body; a fierce young warrior ever proving himself worthy of captain. He was the sole Space Wolf who wore red armour. The colour signified the warrior�s insurmountable ferocity in combat, as his close quarter skills nearly rivaled those of �sir and Omri Russ. Successive thoughts lead him to realize that he was now in command of his master�s company, and would come to bow only to two men in the Imperium�the Emperor himself, and to his new master, �sir Russ.

�sir continued to watch Bjorn as he approached him.

�Bjorn, all of us here grieve the loss of my brother�s death, and even more so the sudden absence of our beloved primarch,� as he grasped the young warrior�s arm. �There will be retribution to ensue this battle. And so I pass to you command of the legion, and entitle you as the new Great Wolf. This has come to be, as I have yet to finish my duty. I am taking my beloved Thirteen to pursue Magnus and his Thousand, for we have yet to see our Lord�s death. You will thus have full command of the legion, as I do not anticipate my return in the near future,� he informed Bjorn as he began to consolidate his Wolf Guard before leaving the chamber. Once out and done, he and his Thirteen left the Legion and the Battle of Ways behind them, embarking on a great journey to come.