Warhammer 40: Shattered Steel Soul

Chapter 516 Isstvan III (1)

"The Word Bearers enemy ship has sunk." The flying herald angel in the command hall dragged the metal tube along the edge of the hall, just like the needle of an ancient phonograph sliding fixedly across the cold surface of a disc.

Sigismund watched through the holographic image as the warship was torn into countless pieces in the blazing light.

Inside, plasma light burst out along the pipes extending outward from the energy pool, and the tumbling escaped liquid quickly froze into dark long strips like broken shrouds in the void. In and around them, the remains of many crew members slowly became still like points of light, or drifted away to an infinitely far point without force. Large pieces of armor and torn shields looked like pale fossil bones under the light and shadow, reflecting light clumsily and dully, and dissipating into the dark void.

"They didn't detonate the last fortress, Sigismund," Eidolon said through the communication channel. In the silence of the room, the Lord Commander's tone with a hint of sarcasm was particularly noticeable. "Have the Luna Wolves realized that they can't go any deeper?"

"No, it's just that the person who came to detonate the fortress died accidentally." Fafnir Lane muttered.

He was wearing a bright yellow Imperial Fist armor set with a pair of double-handed axes attached to his back. He walked among the command team members who were quietly watching the screens around him, scanning their screens one by one, checking the real-time updated battle reports and the statistical casualty ratio. According to the average number of crew members, the death toll of the auxiliary army might be around 700,000.

Opposite to Lann, several members of the Templars were wearing black specialized armor and stood in fixed positions. On their cold faces, there was nothing but the sharp murderous intent in their eyes.

"The Imperial Fists fought too hard..." Eidolon whispered.

The World Eaters' second-in-command, Delerax, appeared on the screen, taking up half of Eidolon's space. The flames of the void battle burned behind him, threatening to burst through the screen.

"Captain Sigismund, the enemy has no follow-up ship reinforcements. The damage to the Cotrimis fortress is within 30 percent." Delax made a downward gesture.

Sigismund closed his eyes and assessed the battlefield.

They could not easily place the enemy on the surface of Isstvan III, yet equally, the enemy must, at some point in the future, find their way into the pocket that the Emperor's Children had prepared on the surface.

A long, narrow and deep defense line is an excellent solution for both sides to preserve their strength; and the Kotrimis Fortress is an excellent location choice in the galaxy map. Once it is broken through, the relatively vast void environment around it will welcome the Imperial Legion to march straight in.

But correspondingly, the enemy's command system may also slow down the offensive trend and choose a more conservative small-scale breakthrough if it cannot ensure a rapid attack supply line and a stable situation. This is certainly acceptable to these rebels, but it is not the best situation.

The best outcome is that the Imperial Legion is willing to try to blow open the gap again.

"They are planning to retreat," Lann said. "The frigate is turning. The Iron Hands signaler picked up the signal. Their commander must be considering switching from offense to defense and waiting for the battle line to be evened out as much as possible."

The Iron Hands were so broken that Perturabo had not allowed them to fight, and Fulgrim took out some items from the Xth Legion's arsenal that might be of use.

Wolves are excellent hunters, Sigismund thought, and he remained cautious.

"Contact the fast gunboats to launch torpedoes at the Luna Wolves fleet and use them to detonate the western side of the booby trap zone. At the same time, blow up the armored plates on the east side of the Cotrimis Fortress." Sigismund gave the order softly. His adjutant glanced at him and quickly passed on the order for him. The instruction spread like ripples.

"Creating a gap for the wolves?" Eidolon asked. "Will they believe it?"

Sigismund ignored it and just gave the rest of the order.

"Emperor's Children, send a fleet from the planet side to attack the Kotrimis Fortress, and then escape to the asteroid belt behind. The fortress defenders assign a team to board the ship and chase, and evacuate the battlefield together with the Third Legion. The other sector teams will suppress the Luna Wolves as usual, and continue to try to cut off the corresponding attack routes."

Eidolon fell silent quickly. He knew that in the agreement between Fulgrim and the other Primarchs, Sigismund had the right to temporarily command the Emperor's Children in this sector.

After the order was given, his deputy completed the follow-up instructions, including the sparse sentinel machinery set up, faulty ships and a series of equipment, large-scale turmoil caused by torpedoes and rockets, and sporadic position signals made by weapon platforms and speedboats guarding the fortress's periphery.

If it weren't for safety considerations at the beginning of the design, the self-destruct reactors and detonators in various parts of the fortress would be directly connected to the remote control terminals in the hands of the Imperial Fists, rather than requiring members within the fortress to manually participate in the suicide explosion.

Huge plasma balls and macro cannon shells exploded in circles around the fortress. Suddenly lit red high-heat rays cut through the formations and shells of the two sides' ships like peeling skin and cutting bones. The scorching light of the nova cannon bloomed everywhere, and the flames brought by the shells continued to expand and become brighter, and then faded quickly and violently at its peak, waiting for the next ignition.

A few hours later, just as he wished, the Moon Wolves began to attack the fast gunboat fleet. This fragile sieve was gradually demanding the last bit of sacrifice that the attacking fleet could bear.

Hundreds of ships and wreckages of warships in fierce battle dissolved into the deep void. With visible hope and controllable losses, the second force of the Luna Wolves finally followed up and tried to penetrate the fortress from the east side of the fortress defense line, cooperating with the first fleet advancing head-on, breaking through the fortifications in the quagmire-like defense positions of the Imperial Fists, and slowly approaching the fortress.

"Mobilize the remaining defenders in the fortress, board the warships, intercept the Luna Wolves, and defend the fortress with all your strength." He continued to give orders. "At the same time, secretly transfer ammunition stocks, defense devices, and troops to Isstvan III."

Lan looked at him in surprise.

If the fleet tried to stop them, with the combined strength of the Iron Warriors and the Imperial Fists, it would be impossible for the Luna Wolves and Word Bearers to break through the defenses head-on and blast the Kotrimis Fortress. The gap in the fortress's armored shield would become a hopeless phantom. This went against the tactical plan drawn up by the Primarchs themselves.

"For Dorn's will." Lann simply said without asking any questions.

Regardless, Sigismund's orders were faithfully carried out. The head of the Templars stared at the holographic projection and fell into a long silence.

One after another, the combat ships set sail from the port of the planetary fortress, and rushed towards the fleet of the Moon Wolves like fish falling into the ocean, and soon engaged in a fight with the other side.

Countless conflicts are constantly breaking out between the star regions surrounding the planet Isstvan III.

In the Nathan asteroid belt, the two ships were clinging to each other, boarding each other like a pair of iron stones attracted to each other. These were the last two surviving ships in the entire radiation-filled area.

On the Probyles satellite, a secondary bridgehead was built near another fortress adjacent to Isstvan III, and a large amount of plasma was vented, but the bridgehead was soon dismantled and the attack fleet was driven back by the Iron Warriors into the void behind, where there was nothing but the wreckage of the warriors, leaving only the ability to launch small-scale offensive operations intermittently.

The breakthrough point of the Kotrimis Fortress is undoubtedly the top priority in the eyes of a qualified general. How many eyes are watching the war here, evaluating and discussing the next steps?

In Sigismund's peripheral vision, he realized that near the edge of the dome, the Imperial Sky Eagle was still imprinted on the ridges inside the command hall, perhaps considering the inconvenience of dismantling the interior structure...Thus, the golden double-headed eagle was also watching him.

Are the two emperors mentioned by the Primarchs - the Star of the Crossroads and the False Emperor of the Throne, also like the two heads of the Sky Eagle, watching this burning game from an infinite distance?
Sigismund felt the coldness on his forehead again. He gently pushed these thoughts away.

On this battlefield, he is called the commander, but he is just an eternal blade held in his hand.

Perhaps some of these rebels are still immersed in the glory of the past and the hidden friendship of their companions, and are hesitant about the decision of the Primarch...

But excessive philosophy and sensitive hesitation will never belong to the heart within the chest of a sharp knife.

It was not the honour or passion of facing the Emperor that shaped Sigismund, but the raging fire that hammered him when he was forged as a weapon.

That was his vow.

Time was still moving, and for the Space Marines, the daily counting cycle and their rest cycle did not need to coincide. Around Kotrimis, some small satellite platforms and outposts were captured by the Imperial army. After a while, these platforms turned to fire at the fortress itself, and clusters of flames splashed out tiny bright spots, which were permanently extinguished by the Imperial Fists fleet in a very short time.

It shouldn't take long, Sigismund calculated in his mind. However, if the situation continued like this, he had to consider the next tactical strategy to break the current stalemate.

Suddenly, a new set of signals came to Sigismund.

Within Kotrimis, a mysterious, hostile shadow seems to be spreading rapidly within the Iron Fortress.

A series of internal furnishings suffered electronic failures one after another. In the air circulation system of the gargoyle gargoyles, the micro-particle content index exceeded the warning value, and the detection coefficient of toxic nerve substances in the air rose rapidly. The purification system did not last long before it completely failed. In the entire fortress that was almost actively hollowed out by the Imperial Fists, the last few defenders and sentries leaned against the wall or fell on the spot.

New, unpainted armor appeared in the blind spot of the hidden camera, and in the next moment destroyed the monitoring points one by one. The red alarm data rolled down from the side of the screen like a needle-like rainstorm, and each signal symbolized a complete destruction.

From the outside, the Kotrimis Fortress was still safe and sound compared to the ships that were exploding one after another. But inside, the number of instruments that were still sending signals was decreasing, sensors were failing, and various communication channels were gradually falling silent. After the traps were triggered, they were disconnected from the command hall.

"Alpha." Delerax said suddenly. Their commander did not leave the Luna Wolves the opportunity to invade. Sigismund only made sure that the Empire's clustered forces had no intention of retreating.

All that was needed to demolish the fortress was a successful infiltration. Whatever the Alpha Legion had done, it seemed they had demonstrated their abilities.

When the invaders' attack signal reached an ammunition depot and found it empty, Fafnir couldn't help but laugh. Since they were going to hand over a fortress, they would definitely not leave the fortress with the opportunity to attack their fleet from the rear.

Sigismund breathed quietly. Would an empty fortress planet be useful to the Alpha Legion? Would they faithfully carry out the demolition plan formulated by Commander Horus?

The noise in the monitoring equipment was like a flood, the bright red danger signal stopped flowing, and the last message stayed at the bottom of the screen and kept flashing. The main control cabin was opened under the heat.

At the same time, the thrusters of the Imperial fleet around the fortress spewed flames, and the ships suddenly gave up the advantages they had gained and began to retreat.

There is no doubt that the Alpha Legion obeyed Horus's orders.

Lann took a deep breath and said, "Let's begin, sir."

Sigismund nodded slightly. "Let our fleet withdraw."

To the greatest extent imaginable, data flows through computing modules, triggering waves of high-energy reactions.

Until a flash of light suddenly flashed outward along the crack in the armor on the surface of the planet.

As the Imperial Fists' warships moved away from the Kotrimis Fortress, the entire fortress had already begun the process of self-destruction. Under the control of the Alpha Legion's infiltration team, unknown data flowed through countless huge machines that were only loyal to numbers. Bursts of light induced by high temperatures burned fiercely inside the fortress. The entire planetary fortress was like an unstable, old, and decaying star. The power carried within could be overloaded at any time, causing a complete explosion.

"Aim for the escape exit." Sigismund gave the final order.

Soon after, a cyan ship retreating from the side of the fortress exploded into a short-lived meteor.

The metal plates of Kotrimis twisted in the tremors, the transmission pipelines in the channels broke, and steel fragments burst out from the flames, splashing all around, and pieces of steel plates were forced to peel off. The criss-crossing cracks sprayed out streams of molten metal, hot and deadly. Every tiny explosion seemed to push this once indestructible military fortress to the brink of destruction.

Within eighteen minutes, the reactor of the Kotrimis Fortress completely exploded. Amidst flashes of light, large pieces of steel plates as big as mountains fell off the surface of the planet, the structural supports collapsed, and the core of the planet that had been hollowed out by the Mechanicus was shattered into pieces. Amidst the fire and smoke, the remains of the huge outpost fortress floated in space and turned into cold fragments.

"Kotrimis Fortress has been blown up," came the Iron Warriors' announcement. "Grand Commander Perturabo has ordered that the surface of Isstvan III will welcome the arrival of the Imperial Army."

"Our mission here is accomplished, sir." Delelax said in a deep voice.

Sigismund nodded slightly, rearranged the chain used to wrap the iron sword around his wrist, untied a ring that was locked by mistake, and allowed the chain to smoothly wrap around his wrist again, making a series of crackling sounds like sword swinging when it collided with the indestructible armor.

"Next, Istvaan III will burn," Sigismund replied calmly. "Prepare for ground combat."

-

"No matter how many honors and miracles we Space Marines have, and how many incredible military feats we have performed in the Great Crusade, we all know that fundamentally our armor is still wrapped in flesh and blood. This is true for us, and for the enemies we face now. The densely packed buildings and towers of the hive city, the insurmountable walls, the complex terrain of the lower nest, and the endless pipes and toxic mud of the bottom nest are all our natural trenches and shelters."

“Therefore, we need to make full use of underground railways and waterways. The impact of groundwater in this season is negligible, which is beneficial for preparation work.”

Warsmith Guy said, displaying a layered map of the Anthem City, the capital of Isstvan III, on a holographic projection.

A red line stretched for miles from the golden spires towering in the thick gray clouds, passing over the magnificent and glorious parish and the vast residential areas where countless civilians lived. There were layers of gradually filtered air and circulating water pipelines, which transformed the fragrant air enjoyed by the upper residents into polluted gases and sent them to the dirty and dark below.

Continue down, through the once overcrowded middle nest area, filled with explosions and sudden collapses, until the bright red arrow reaches the polluted lower nest, turning into a red circle with uncertain edges, framing a large area. The rest of the map is blurred, leaving only a layer of frosted crystal-like phantom.

"Our new combat zone is in the Lower and Lower Nests," Guy said. "This is the responsibility that Warmaster Perturabo has assigned to us."

"I have no objection. When it comes to defending cities and ambushing, the Emperor's Children are willing to obey the call of the Iron Warriors. What about you?" said Sol Tarvitz, the Tenth Captain of the Emperor's Children, turning his head to look at Erron, the Captain of the World Eaters.

"Of course." Erlen answered simply.

"I admire your attitude, cousins," Guy said.

"Thanks for your compliment, but did I show any attitude that was particularly worthy of praise?" Tarvitz asked.

"Don't worry about it." Guy brushed it off. "Time is running out."

Within the Iron Warriors, senior commanders knew - and were not surprised to learn - that not everyone was willing to participate in this war against the Imperial Legion. Among them, there were indeed a group of noble and loyal people who hesitated to temporarily suppress their doubts and follow the steps of the Primarch...

After receiving their report, Perturabo told the commander not to change the tactical arrangements hastily. In the ever-changing battlefield, everyone will decide their own fate. In the remaining time, they continued to evaluate the new round of plans: the auxiliary army and the Astartes were divided into multiple teams, distributed among the honeycomb-like houses deep in the hive, the pipes with colorful greasy luster and the isolated shafts, ready to ambush at any time, and deal with the enemy forces that infiltrated into the lower nest and underground areas. In addition, their main tasks at present are logistics transportation and holding and expanding the defense area.

After the opening of the Kotrimis Fortress and a long period of near-orbital fleet operations, about 50% of the main forces of the Imperial Legion arrived within the range of the Istvaan III airborne operations.

In the three days that followed, the Word Bearers first bombed the capital city and the outer areas of the other two hive cities continuously. Thousands of bombers of all sizes, escorted by heavy fighters, intensified the bombing activities and carried out long-range interdiction with insignificant results. This was an effort, but unfortunately, their attempts were constantly crushed by the Iron Warriors' automatic interception system. In any case, they at least provided some cover for their own landing.

The Word Bearers' Ash Ring and Luna Wolves' assault teams landed quickly, and the first battle took place around the Concerto Palace, an important landmark in Anthem City. A small palace that was once a native religious activity environment before the Empire, it was transformed into a landing site for trade by the Iron Warriors several years ago. After removing the signs and light signs installed around the long straight road on the surface, it was directly converted into one of the bases for air force takeoff and landing.

The two battalions of the Iron Warriors took a week to finish off the first minor battle, completely crushing the enemy forces that landed in the process, leaving no information even on the location of the Emperor's Children, which was unnecessary to present to the Imperial Legion, as Warmaster Perturabo was clearly pleased to see the enemy struggling to find the defenses he had laid.

Subsequent battles broke out in different areas. The Imperial tank army had difficulty moving in the overcrowded terrain of the hive city, and mechanized motorcycles and airborne troops searched for breakthroughs. The advance detachment tried to split a small-scale defense gap every day and night, and the Alpha Legion could appear in the chaos at any time.

The main battlefield shifted from the outside to the inside, entering the hive city where the Anthem City was located. Several regiments of the Imperial Army lost their combat capability in a short period of time. Correspondingly, part of the defense line built by the Iron Warriors also retreated. The Imperial Fists withdrew from the universe in large numbers, and more than ten companies returned to the ground from the void to fight. On the ground, a new round of anti-aircraft shooting was organized at all times. The biggest goal was to intercept as many airdrop pods as possible and shoot at the hovering Stormbird transport boats.

The World Eaters and the Emperor's Children were still asked to stay put for the time being, waiting for the general commander's collective order. But this situation did not last long. On the day when a secondary hive was captured as the enemy's first base, an order came quickly from the Palace of the Chancellor, the former Governor's Palace of the Anthem City and now the Warmaster's headquarters.

"Erlun, you need to lead the team by train to the Ferguson Canyon area in the Onan Wasteland outside the hive city and cut off the connection between the newly landed troops and the enemy's main force." Guy said in a tone of consultation.

"Who is involved?" Erlen asked.

"There are also five squads from your Fourteenth Company. They are currently at the front line preparing for battle. And an adjutant commander of the Imperial Fists."

Erlun sneered: "I have been waiting for a long time. I am willing to obtain the first drop of blood that belongs to us as a World Eater. Or the second drop."

"What about us?" Thor tapped the table. "Now that the World Eaters have taken action, the loyalty of the Emperor's Children may be questionable in the eyes of our enemies."

"Of course." Guy nodded approvingly. "Saul Tarvitz, the Warmaster needs the Emperor's Children to participate in the raid on the enemy's temporary command center. Before the enemy Primarch descends to the surface."

Tarvitz patted the power sword beside him with his gauntlet, stood up, and his purple-gold armor gleamed slightly: "Of course."

"Then I will go to the corridor of the west city to organize an assault and assist the defense of the counterattack line. We need to take over another area there to restore the depth... But, be careful, Thor, even if I am willing to trust your troops, perhaps you should still be careful whether every one of your soldiers is willing to call the Imperial Army 'our enemy'." Guy reminded according to the latest instructions left by Perturabo in the communication.

"I know," Saul Tarvitz sighed in his heart. He could understand why this sentence was said to him alone, after all, the Emperor's Children still use this legion name that was once the highest honor.

-

"There's something strange going on here," Torgaddon said, his voice reaching Loken over the intercom.

The second company commander was currently leading his team to attack the block that the infiltration team had explored the day before. He scanned the crowded and narrow closed environment around him, detonating the improvised explosive devices that had been discovered, so that their explosion effects were within a controllable range. From time to time, there were a few gunshots, followed by a curse and the sound of hurried footsteps.

Correspondingly, Gavial Loken guarded the newly built fortress, which was an old church that had been converted into a shelter for residents, and now it was changed again into one of the temporary ground command posts. The internal structure was extremely complicated. This was the result of the Iron Warriors and local indigenous people jointly contributing to the design of the church.

Through the space left by the demolished stained glass windows, he could overlook the open highland environment around him. The residential buildings below were neatly arranged in squares, with many houses having carved beams and painted rafters. In the middle, there was a green park with an artificial lake.

The architectural environment here makes one imagine what the former residents were like. Compared to the defense platform in orbit that caused them so much suffering, the interior of Istvaan III even has a peaceful beauty, but it is now in decay.

Over the long years, the Iron Warriors have left an impression on the entire Imperium. The consolidation of the friendship between this legion and other legions is completely subtle. Compared with the radiant charm of their Primarch, Perturabo's way of gaining the trust of others is more silent and imperceptible, and the impact it brings is more difficult to erase.

Loken knew that among them, mainly among the mortals, there were still small groups who silently missed the old days. Of course, this would not affect their determination to fight to the death with the Warmaster Perturabo.

Lorcan placed his hand bitterly on the rosewood window frame. Was he one of them?
Abaddon and Aximander might not have such doubts. After Cyjanus left them, hatred had already fermented under the urging of death, and it deepened with the death of each battle brother. This was reflected in the two of them.

However, the first ones sent to the ground by their Primarch Horus were Torgaddon and Loken. Presumably, the other two members of the Council of Four Kings still needed to command the fleet battle, after all, the enemy's space fleet had never given up on harassing them.

In a sense, this success made the Word Bearers lose the opportunity to release the extinction weapon. The Iron Warriors would not give those madmen the opportunity to lose both sides.

"What's so strange?" Locke pulled his mind away and listened to his friend's latest analysis.

"Residents," Torgaddon answered.

"Have you met real local residents? Not their mortal servants in disguise?" The latter had brought them unexpected casualties.

"No, of course not - but that's the thing... later."

There was a burst of explosions as bullets ricocheted in all directions. The strong whistling sound that broke through the air made all the combat team members raise their weapons. The huge recoil caused a series of earth-shaking collapses. Locke seemed to be able to see their team dodging, aiming and firing frantically in the alley.

Torgadon was wrong, Locke thought. He had seen many bodies of local residents, most of them concentrated in squares or factory open spaces, and some in front of their homes, with blood gushing out of their necks and drying on the walls. There were at least hundreds of them...

Too little.

His heart leaped with a premonition of danger.

Yes, they can't control the Word Bearers, but the Moon Wolves will still avoid the main residential areas - but, still, they have seen too few residents. Even if they are dead, this nest is still too empty; especially for the city-state that was once ruled by the Iron Warriors, this is not a normal population density.

The population is in a location they are not aware of at this time? Evacuated? Who has the capability, Iron Warriors? Why? Do they need this population?
No matter what, they, the enemy and themselves, are using the bones of their own army to fill this gap. Soon, the underground rivers of Isstvan III will be surging with blood...

The premonition of danger became stronger and stronger. After a few seconds, Gavial Loken suddenly squatted down and a bullet flew past his head.

"Attack!" Loken thought it was his own voice for a second, then realized it was Torgaddon. His friend shouted angrily in the channel, sounding somewhat surprised.

Locke had no time to care about Torgadon for the time being. He quickly evacuated from the overly empty corridor. There was a fire somewhere under the cathedral. It should not be their arsenal, but the original large wooden furnishings...

The light flickered in the dense smoke, and the shrill alarms sounded one after another, echoing between the steel skeletons of the buildings. Locke passed through a sloping passage, and the metal walls around him were shaking from the explosion, and debris kept falling from above.

He ran, his throat tense, and shouted loudly through the communicator: "Moon Wolves, assemble and counterattack immediately! The first team will guard the east passage and set up fire suppression points. The second and third teams will immediately block the defense nodes on the west wing and make sure to stop the enemy's advance!"

Thick black smoke from the burning floated in the intricate buildings, and the pungent smell was suffocating. Locke buckled his helmet, quickly pulled out his bolter, and dodged a burning wreckage. His arms were splashed with oil from the broken pipes. His steps were hurried, his heartbeat was pounding in his chest, and chaotic calls from all over the communication channel came from time to time.

"Loken?" Torgaddon also heard his roar.

"We each have our own battles--" Loken's gaze passed through the vibrating flames. On the spiral staircase below, a team of Luna Wolves were rapidly gathering. Not far away, the sound of close combat involving metal and iron could be heard.

Locke raised his gun, then put it down again, gritted his teeth and ran around the battle zone. He wanted to return to the monitoring wing used as the command room, where there was an internal network monitoring the church and the surrounding area, as well as a mobile terminal to contact the Spirit of Vengeance.

At the same time, the radios were ringing with reports of attacks from other teams. Similar situations were reported from logistics points, independent teams, and various communication command posts. The enemy had organized a large number of assault teams, and sparks filled with the smell of oil mist were blooming all along the line.

...The Iron Warriors or the Imperial Fists have additional detachments to carry out so many raids? This does not conform to the Alpha Legion's detection of the enemy's troop distribution along the front line.

There was a smaller window on the left side, further inside the structure, and it wasn't even finished until they arrived here as part of a repair to the church.

Locke had already memorized the scan map of this place, where he could quickly climb up via a short ladder.

He ran to the window, climbed over the fence and reached the other half of the adjacent building. The house was still a square shell made of red bricks and concrete, with scattered piles of broken soil. The ground structure was not complete, and many horizontal frames were empty in the air. He did not encounter raiders here, which gave him some breathing space. Was it because this new temporary repair structure was unknown to the Iron Warriors?

"Report the identity of the enemy." He said to the channel, turned around, returned to the spiral staircase inside the church bell tower, and climbed up between floors. The monitoring room was on the upper floor.

"Damn it, Gavial," Torgaddon said, and Loken remembered that he was also on the internal channel, "I can't believe it, those people are..."

At the same time, his own officers also spoke in panic: "Report to the commander..."

"...World Eaters," Torgaddon said bitterly, "I'm afraid we have more enemies than we imagined—"

"The attackers are the Emperor's Children!" his officer roared through gritted teeth.

A broad-bladed sword chopped down from above. Locke immediately let go, descended to the next level, and flipped heavily back into the spiral staircase, opening fire immediately.

The next moment, a burning pain rubbed the edge of the heavy shoulder armor and pierced his shoulder diagonally. Vermillion-like blood flowed out of his body and quickly coagulated under the action of the corresponding organs, but his bolter had already fallen out of his hand. He didn't care about the loss of the long-range weapon, pulled out the power sword, and dragged out the gold and silver ornaments in the niche as a temporary barrier to block the enemy's next sword swing.

The armor looked very familiar to him, and Loken seemed to understand the source of Torgaddon's anger.

"Saul," he roared. "Saul Tarvitz!"

"Gavir," the Tenth Captain of the Emperor's Children answered. "I am sorry."

An old friend whom he had known in previous battles was now looking down at him, and behind his purple-gold armor were heavy gray clouds and flying dust outside the window. That was the burning sky created by this battle.

The sword in Loken's hand became difficult to hold tightly. His mind raced, and he blurted out in an instant: "It's a hoax! You weren't attacked by the Iron Warriors at all - are the Iron Hands involved in the conspiracy?"

Tarvitz's broadsword was already thrusting at him. The swordsman of the Emperor's Children did not hold back at all, and Loken knew he could not delay him. Behind Thor were the members of his team. For some unknown reason, they did not attack him alone, but watched Tarvitz fight him one-on-one. Perhaps it was because the stairs were too narrow?

But no matter what the reason, even if he could luckily defeat his old friend in swordsmanship, the remaining four warriors would never continue to maintain the courtesy of watching the fight until the last moment.

A wave of sorrow and pain rose in his heart, and for a moment he couldn't help but ask why the Luna Wolves had to suffer such deception and betrayal for no reason. What had they done wrong?
Soon, this emotion was overwhelmed by the hormones aroused by the battle. Loken swung his sword, looking for gaps under Thor's continuous attacks. The dangerous omen of death was always hanging over his head.

"You can say that. It's not hard to guess." Thor answered him in the gap between the confrontation. His voice sounded extremely far away and could not cover the buzzing in Loken's ears.

"Why, Thor? You betrayed us. You killed warriors who were your friends... Why would the Emperor's Children side with traitors?"

Thor pressed on step by step, forcing Loken to retreat continuously on the stairs. Being on top, this fight was naturally disadvantageous to Loken.

"Because you are wrong. The emperor you are loyal to has long since..." Thor said, his tone filled with deep emotion.

"What did we do wrong? What did the Luna Wolves do wrong? What did Horus do wrong? Why was our father assassinated by Perturabo? Why did Cyjanus disappear?"

The hatred between them was piled up layer by layer, and it was already a pile of bones...

Loken pounced at Thor Tarvitz, who dodged quickly, and his broadsword brushed against Loken's sword, deflecting his force lightly. The next moment, Thor's sword cut through his flank, cutting a several-inch gash, and the broken pieces of armor pierced Loken's ribs, causing a sharp pain.

There was no need for the armor to inject any painkillers. Loken's rising anger offset the warning of physiological reactions. His helmet rang with cold words from his companions reporting the death of their companions, and a spicy metallic smell burned in his mouth. After a few seconds, he sprayed a blood mist from his mask.

"Why didn't you answer the letter your father sent you? Is it because of guilt for the rebellion?"

"Gavier—"

"Don't call me by my name, traitor. No matter what your reasons are, this fight between us can only end in blood!"

They kept retreating in the battle, and the second serious injury Loken suffered landed on the middle of his left forearm, where Sol Tarvitz almost severed the bone. No new raiders appeared at the bottom of the stairs. Loken looked at the stone steps under his feet, which extended down step by step with blood stains and metal scratches. Rage drove him to think like a flame.

He has to leave with his news, life and hatred... He must find a way to survive.

He slowed down his pace, turned slightly sideways, and avoided Tarvitz's next attack. Tarvitz quickly adjusted and followed with his blade. At the moment when the two blades crossed, Loken suddenly turned around, threw the sword out of his hand, and slammed into Tarvitz with all his strength.

Tarvitz was disrupted by the sudden attack, and his long sword was severely deflected under the heavy pressure, and was forced to drop from his hand after cutting through Loken's breastplate. In the short gap, Loken quickly turned around, jumped down the stairs, and jumped directly out of the window sill at the edge of the stairs. He hung on the window sill and dropped down twice, returning to the temporary construction passage from which he came, and looking for a way to escape.

...and the sound of Tarvitz's final command, followed by the crackle of bolters from the Emperor's Children, still rang in his ears.

Locke ran, the pain from his wound temporarily suppressed by the adrenaline, only the salty blood kept dripping from the corners of his mouth.

(End of this chapter)