Amidst the chaos, the grand duel began. Tzeentch's first daemon under his command, Kairos, effortlessly melted two brave kingdom knights along with their horses into a pool of molten iron with just two movements of his fingers.
Now, there was no obstacle between them.
The first to confront Kairos was Karad. The Earl of Garamont and Holy Grail Knight charged forward on his pure-blooded elven warhorse like a meteor, aiming directly at Kairos. The divine sword Durandal in his hand drew a shimmering trajectory. Facing the daemon, this knight, who had endured a lifetime of hardships, vowed to continue fighting for the goddess.
Karad's strength was undeniable. Since embarking on his Grail quest, he had amassed numerous victories and had even defeated the mad Duke Melowen in a one-on-one duel.
However, against Kairos, this was still not enough. The daemon had grown immensely powerful after obtaining four sacred artifacts.
Kairos effortlessly swung his staff, which bore Tzeentch's emblem, covered in twisted sorcerous energy and writhing eyes. With the power of eternity and immortality, he easily saw through Karad's attack path and blocked Durandal's blade with his staff.
Gripping his staff, Kairos twisted Durandal's blade away with a small motion, then grabbed Karad by the neck with his other hand, flinging the knight and his horse aside.
As this movement concluded, Kairos sidestepped to avoid Ryan's hammer strike. The whistling lightning hit nothing. One of Kairos' heads focused intently on Ryan, parrying his hammer with the staff in a series of clashes, while the other head chanted a spell: "Amber Spear!"
A spear of pure chaotic energy clashed with Morgiana's lightning bolt. Morgiana frowned, knowing her spells were being countered effectively. She gripped the Grail of Potions and summoned more lightning to attack the daemon.
Kairos countered with a dazzling beam of light. The magic duel between him and Morgiana was evenly matched.
More terrifyingly, Kairos was simultaneously focusing on fighting Ryan. The Thunder Hammer and the staff clashed repeatedly, sparks flying as sorcerous fire and lightning erupted with excessive power. Ryan's relentless assaults were met with constant parries and dodges.
Impris, the griffon, spat lightning at Kairos' daemon armor, but the armor bearing Tzeentch's emblem was barely affected, the lightning only sparking briefly before dissipating.
Likewise, Kairos' rainbow flames couldn't harm Ryan. The Grey Knight Primarch's silver hexagonal shield repelled the sorcerous flames.
"Ugh!" Ryan struggled with his hammer, sensing Kairos had grown stronger.
Previously, on the battlements of Spire Palace, Ryan had believed he could hold his own against Kairos with his psychic abilities. Now, he felt outmatched. The daemon had solidified the energy passage between the Chaos realm and the material world with the additional sacred artifacts.
Ryan knew he had to defeat Kairos and the Chaos army here. He dismounted Impris, drawing the Vengeance Goddess and engaging in close combat. The duel was like a dance, their attacks so fast they were almost invisible.
Karad, lying in the mud, felt humiliated. He struck the muddy swamp in frustration, splashing cold water on his face. Rising in anger, he gripped Durandal and rejoined the fight.
The divine sword, infused with the goddess's wrath, carried Karad's unwavering faith. Eulex was surely watching this battle. With practiced skill, Karad launched a desperate assault on the powerful daemon.
But even with this, Kairos felt only a slight pressure. The Weaver of Fate countered Ryan and Karad's combined attacks with relative ease. His movements, honed over eons, were more elegant than those of the oldest High Elf Swordmasters. He parried their strikes with his staff, seeing through every attack.
It was as if Kairos was demonstrating that their weak goddess could never match the power of Holy Tzeentch.
"I don't understand why you persist," Kairos sneered, summoning a dark sorcerous storm. Morgiana's power couldn't counter it. She summoned green thorn spirits, which were instantly devoured by the storm.
Next, the storm clashed with Morgiana's chain lightning. Drawing power from the Grail of Potions, she struggled against the overwhelming magic. The duel remained unresolved.
Kairos, knowing his magic was ineffective against Ryan, switched to pure melee combat. His staff struck Ryan's sword repeatedly. Ryan felt immense pressure, his arms numb from the blows. The battlefield echoed with their furious battle, lightning and sorcery clashing violently.
The Vengeance Goddess was knocked aside. Before Ryan could recover, Kairos slapped him, sending him flying. The daemon's claws tore Ryan's armor, leaving bloody gashes on his arm and chest.
Ryan screamed in pain, unable to believe his predicament. Kneeling, he clutched the Vengeance Goddess, his handsome face twisted in agony.
Such power, such horror.
Was this the true strength of a Chaos daemon? Ryan looked up, blood streaming down his face.
Kairos laughed triumphantly but quickly realized he still had another formidable foe to face.
Seeing Ryan fall, Karad blocked Kairos' attacks, standing tall before the daemon. "You won't succeed. You can never defeat us. We are the knights of the Lady!"
"You bring corruption, hatred, and endless suffering to this land!"
"Now it's time to repay that debt!"
"For the Lady!"
Karad launched a fearless assault, his destructive attacks pressuring Kairos. The Weaver of Fate abandoned his pursuit of Ryan, turning to face Karad. Their duel was like a choreographed dance, Karad's elegant swordsmanship infused with destructive power. He poured all his strength into Durandal, embodying the great and noble first Grail knights.
For a moment, it seemed Karad and Kairos were evenly matched.
But mortal strength has limits. Exhausted, Karad's relentless assault left him defenseless. Kairos saw through his attack, burning Karad's chest plate with flames. Karad screamed, losing the ability to resist. Kairos raised his staff, ready to crush Karad's skull with sorcerous fire and Holy Tzeentch's power.
"It's over, Grail Knight! Neither you nor your goddess can save you!"
A hand wreathed in silver flames intercepted the blow. Ryan's scarred face appeared before Kairos, filled with pure hatred.
"Why do you still struggle, mortal?" Kairos mocked. "My power is unmatched. Your resistance is mere sustenance for us, proving your weakness time and again."
"I will never stop fighting, never!" Ryan roared, unleashing a cataclysmic power. Silver flames engulfed him as he stood tall, pure light enveloping the Lady's chosen champion. The light terrified Kairos, blinding him, forcing him to retreat.
Bathed in pure light, Ryan gripped the Vengeance Goddess, the sword tracing a rainbow arc.
Psychic light and daemon fire clashed violently in the swamp of Mousilon.
"Ahhh!" Ryan pushed the sword forward with all his strength.
"For the Lady's love! Die!" Karad, regaining his breath, roared, his divine sword Durandal fueled by rage. "Chaos scum!"
"Comet of the Grail!" Morgiana summoned her most powerful spell. A burning comet descended from the sky, striking Kairos and raising a cloud of smoke.
The entire battlefield's attention turned to this duel. The coalition forces struggled against the Chaos onslaught. Despair loomed over the mortals. Around the dueling grounds, corpses of humans and dwarves littered the cold swamp of Mousilon.
"I am the Weaver of Fate! I am immortal!" Kairos emerged from the smoke, heavily injured, one wing shattered by Morgiana's comet.
But he wasn't banished. Instead, Kairos struck Ryan and Karad aside, then unleashed a psychic blast, shattering Morgiana's thorn shield. She groaned, blood trickling from her nose, clearly mentally affected.
Karad was severely wounded, near collapse. Ryan was also injured but still able to fight. The Lady's champion gritted his teeth, continuing the fierce battle with Kairos.
Seeing the three domain strongmen injured, someone decided enough was enough.
Duke Berhemond of Bastogne noticed the situation and roared, "No! We cannot fail here! At all costs, we must protect our kingdom and defeat the Chaos daemons!"
Leading the knights of the Red Dragon Brotherhood, Berhemond charged.
Muddy terrain couldn't deter Berhemond's resolve. Under his command, Bastogne's knights leveled their lances. The ground trembled as their warhorses thundered across the swamp of Mousilon.
Steel clashed repeatedly as Bastogne's knights carved a wide path through the Chaos army. They charged recklessly, fighting amidst the daemons, lances piercing armor, swords cleaving flesh, severing limbs and heads. The knights shouted Berhemond's name, with the duke leading the charge, his sword gleaming in the sunlight.
This sword, called Excalibur, once belonged to Arthur. Its ever-sharp blade bore the Lady's blessing. Now, Berhemond felt he had found a worthy foe.
The brave and glorious knights of Bastogne cleared the way for Berhemond. As he charged at Kairos, the daemon felt immense pressure. Ryan and Karad seized the opportunity to engage the Weaver of Fate, creating an opening for Berhemond.
The plan worked. Berhemond's Excalibur pierced Kairos' stomach, hot daemon blood spraying from the wound. The sacred artifact tore through the daemon's armor, blood splattering as Berhemond's unyielding spirit.
This peak-level domain warrior joined the fray.
But this was all within the Weaver of Fate's calculations.
Kairos, severely injured, accepted Berhemond's fierce blow, which sent him flying a great distance and momentarily out of the fight.
In the next second, Kairos teleported into the Bretonnian ranks.
Duke Hagen of Gisoreux was still battling a Tzeentch Flamer when he felt a massive force knock him off his horse.
The Duke's antler lance was thus seized.
"Ahh, power, unending power!" With another sacred artifact in hand, the Weaver of Fate grew even more powerful. Terrifying waves of chaotic energy surged from the warp.
This was Tzeentch's power, a reward from the Lord of Change to his first daemon. Kairos' wounds healed rapidly, and soon, he was fully restored.
Everyone knew the chances of victory for the knightly army were becoming increasingly slim. Even at full strength, it took two Bretonnian knights to handle one Chaos daemon. After prolonged fighting, the knights and soldiers were exhausted. Though the dwarves could still hold out, their numbers were too few.
No one could stop the Chaos daemons.
"The mortals are breaking! No one can stop us now! Praise—" Kairos was about to declare his victory.
"Toot! Toot!" A long, wild horn sounded from a nearby grove, filled with untamed power.
Thunderous footsteps and hoofbeats, along with something heavier, joined the battle.
"The forest is moving?!" a Bretonnian knight shouted, noticing the change. "I see it. That grove wasn't there before!"
No one answered the knight's question because the horns continued to blare from the forest.
"Toot! Toot!" The wild, boundless power of the wilderness rose in the hearts of all mortals. Even the most stubborn dwarves felt a surge of strength upon hearing the majestic horn.
Kairos' face changed.
"This is?!"
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