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TalOS did not know what Fulgrim thought would happen. Maybe he was thinking that if only get TalOS to trade blades with him that he would be able to recover from this defeat. To repair a broken ego that was beginning to shatter even before it was won. TalOS might have entertained the thought of giving him that chance, or getting rid of such a chance.
He allowed him this chance though.
Fulgrim’s charge caused him to plow through Acillians, each of whose bodies played tricks upon his own. Perfect was the body of Fulgrim but it was still flesh. Even the Machine could not ignore the presence of the Machine God’s spark.
“TALOS!” He roared when he made his final stretch.
In response TalOS raised his hand.
The Mechanicus knew so much about the world around them but also so little. The facts and realities that brought them to this moment would be baffling to a non initiate. A Priest though was charged with learning and performing these feats of knowledge to the best of their ability. For TalOS, who felt that time was always running against him, decided that time was the first thing to be mastered.
It was because of this that Fulgrim slowed to a crawl. His perfect body and powerful soul powerless against the raw might of Understanding. He tried to power through it with sheer will power. TalOS knew that this could be done with the psychic might that all his brothers had but by only slowing his brother TalOS robbed him of that through the Blackstone.
There was no need to fight directly in this. There was little need to perform a duel with blades. TalOS looked at his Omnissian Axe knowing that he might have a chance against his brother. He did not chance it. Never would TalOS chance fighting one of his brothers in open combat. Today TalOS had given his brother the closest any of his kin would have in destroying TalOS, only to fail.
Failure does not cut it in war.
With another thought TalOS had a Mechanrite wielding a Disintegration Beam, and fired the exercise shot of it. TalOS had the satisfaction of watching his heretical brother’s face turn sour as he realized he was a failure.