When Macharius arrived at the bay, he was greeted by the sight of the Absalom marines in covering positions around the bulkheads. Inside the bay, warp energies flashed back and forth between two combatants, circling each other. Both were massive, clad in the ceramite armour of the Emperor's angels. One was in bright red armour, trimmed in gold with a white sunburst upon his pauldrons. He carried a long staff with a curved blade on one end, and a bolt pistol chased in gold and hung with turquoise talismans. His opponent was hunched and twisted, in cobalt blue armour and flowing purple cape. Horns curled up from his helm, and in one hand he held a long staff capped with a horned eye and wreathed in black flame, while in the other he held a ball of energy. On one pauldron was a horned skull, and on the other the symbol of the ourobouros. The marines didn't seem to want to approach.

As Macharius watched, the horned Astartes hurled the energy ball he was holding at the red one, who deflected it with his staff. It glanced to the side and multed a hole in one of the bay walls, metal bubbling and running down the wall in rivulets. The red Space Marine counterattacked, snapping off shots from his pistol at his hulking enemy. The shots impacted some sort of energy barrier and exploded harmlessly without even reaching the giant in blue.