After Thade put in a good word for them, Amalrich dropped the subject. When a loyal, fearless veteran and a Saint both vouch for someone, you trust their judgment. Any questions could wait till the dust settled after the battle.
"No pity! No regret! No fear!"
Amalrich roared the Chapter's battle cry. Many Black Templar Battle-Brothers charged forward with him, taking the fight to the enemy.
"Praise the God-Emperor, all glory belongs to Him."
Celestine's face radiated joy as she prayed and fought at the same time. The God-Emperor's gaze was always on them. Seeing their deep trouble, He had even sent His spokesperson. The Battle Sisters chanted prayers and rushed toward the enemy with her.
"Cadia stands! The glory of Cadia endures!"
A mortal officer yelled. His eyes were purple—a true Cadian. After the fall of Cadia Fortress, they had retreated with the Archmagos, fighting bloody battles and suffering a ton of casualties.
But they still maintained their high fighting spirit, fueled by terrible anger over the destruction of their homes. Following the officer's shouts, the Cadians scrambled out of their cover, formed tactical firing lines, and unleashed hell on the enemy.
They coordinated with the Atomal Corps and advanced with the support of armor. The Theresa tanks rumbled across the battlefield, their heavy treads grinding through rubble and corpses, constantly shelling the Daemon Engines.
The Cadians looked at the Atomal Corps soldiers with a touch of envy. Every soldier in the Atomal Corps was armed to the teeth. They wore exoskeleton armor, with auto-cannons and laser launchers mounted on their backs and shoulders.
They possessed extremely fierce firepower and were also equipped with melee weapons. Some heavy exoskeletons, tasked with attacking strongholds, were even equipped with deflector shields, providing rock-solid defensive capabilities. The Cadians, by contrast, were only equipped with standard flak armor and laser guns.
Daniel held the Blade of Holy Judgment, slaughtering Chaos minions and Daemons while using skills like Prayer, Blessing, and Roar to boost the morale of his friendly forces.
After he had chopped another Chaos Warrior in half, Skarbrand zeroed in on him.
"That is an excellent skull. If I can offer it to the Lord of Blood, He might wipe the slate clean and let me return to His domain."
Skarbrand let out a deafening roar. He charged toward Daniel, and the ground shook like a leaf. Daemons along the way were trampled; some fled screaming, and others died outright. The power of this Khorne Daemon was off the charts.
Skarbrand came with a heavy battle-axe burning with flame, carrying the posture of destruction. Two Leman Russ tanks tried to stop the Khorne Daemon, but the axe chopped them to pieces, and they burned fiercely on the spot.
Daniel stared down the monster, used his skills to bless himself, and then took off like a shot, rushing toward the Great Daemon.
Zheng!
The Blade of Holy Judgment and the Flame Axe collided, making a deafening echo. Daniel's palms were numb and aching. It felt like colliding with a battleship flying at full speed, and he nearly lost his footing. But with the Emperor's blessing, Daniel managed to keep his composure.
At that moment, Thousand Faces, the chosen champion of the Eldar Death Army, seized the opportunity to attack Skarbrand with the Silent Screaming Sword in hand. The Silent Screech is one of the five Crone Swords needed to awaken the Grim Reaper.
It's rumored that it was made from the severed finger of the Eldar's old goddess, who controlled fate and souls.
It grants the wielder the power to control life and death. The Death Army firmly believes that by gathering the five Crone Swords, they can awaken the Eldar Death God and defeat Slaanesh. So far, the Death Army has collected four. The last of the Crone Swords is hidden deep within Slaanesh's realm.
Thousand Faces' movements were lightning-fast, like those of a ghost, as he zipped around Daniel and Skarbrand. The sword in his hand inflicted shocking wounds on the body of the Great Demon of Khorne.
Skarbrand swung his axe, trying to put a stop to Thousand Faces, but he kept missing. He vented his frustration on Daniel, becoming more and more violent, his attacks growing in power, and the force of his battle-axe becoming stronger.
The clanging of metal was endless. Daniel went toe-to-toe with Skarbrand, burning his Experience Points to channel the Emperor's might. These points came from missions, rewards for improving people's lives, and the people's spontaneous faith in him.
Skarbrand posed the greatest threat. With him tied up by Daniel, the pressure on the battlefield suddenly eased up a lot. Coupled with the fierce firepower of the reinforcements, Celestine and the others began their counterattack.
"Take out Cawl first."
Not everyone in the Chaos Army was a complete idiot. They knew the name of the game was controlling the Great Magos and whatever he was carrying. The sudden arrival of reinforcements had thrown a wrench into their plan to wipe out the Corpse King's minions and the Eldar remnants. Now, they would have to settle for second best.
The self-proclaimed immortal Lucius moved across the battlefield like a ghost. He wielded a magnificent piercing blade, effortlessly running through several Astartes recruits of the First Chapter.
"So pathetically weak."
Lucius drew his sword and looked with disdain at his opponent slowly falling to the ground. He set his sights on Belisarius Cawl as his next target. This Magos was the key to everything. If he was killed, all hope for the Empire and the Corpse King would go up in smoke.
Two tall, muscular Skitarii with numerous metal prosthetic limbs attempted to stop Lucius. But Lucius was too fast; even the Crusaders implanted with sensory modules couldn't keep up and were cut in two by the sword in his hand.
"In the name of the Omnissiah—go!" Cawl's tone was frantic as he saw Lucius charging toward him.
"Still want to leave?"
Lucius cracked a grin and licked the blade with his forked tongue. He couldn't wait to savor his target's fear before the kill.
"Hey, ugly bastard! You got the guts to fight me?" Warmaster shouted at Lucius after slicing through a Chaos minion.
Cawl was the lynchpin of the mission. If he died, it would be a huge setback for the players.
Lucius glanced at him coldly, not even breaking stride, and kept rushing toward Belisarius Cawl.
"Tarvitz has more backbone than you, Lucius. You're nothing but a coward."
The comment made Lucius slam on the brakes and turn to look at Warmaster. His terrifying face twitched slightly, his eyes vicious, revealing a brutal murderous intent.
Warmaster added another sentence: "No wonder Eidolon preferred to win over Tarvitz instead of you—you're simply not up to the task."
Yuji looked at the Warmaster and gasped. How could someone say that?
Tarvitz was an officer of the Emperor's Children during the Great Crusade.
He possessed all the goodness and noble qualities that a member of the Third Legion should possess, winning the love and respect of many, both inside and outside his Legion. Tarvitz never cared about fame. His only desire was to bring true glory to the Primarch Fulgrim and the Emperor of Mankind.
Eidolon was the Grand Commander of the Emperor's Children during the Great Crusade.
After emerging from the Temple of Davin, when Horus planned to betray the Emperor, he chose to purge the loyalists of the four Legions (the Luna Wolves, World Eaters, Emperor's Children, and Death Guard) on Isstvan III. Eidolon tried to win over Tarvitz, offering him the stinging organ to become a Noise Marine, but Tarvitz refused.
When airborne on Isstvan III to suppress the rebels on the ground, Tarvitz noticed that the team arrangement was fishy, so he gave up the glory of the spearhead team and stayed on the ship.
He later discovered that Horus intended to drop a virus bomb on the ground. Realizing something was amiss, Tarvitz immediately headed to the surface to warn the loyalists and organize a counterattack by the loyalists of the Emperor's Children.
Here's the kicker: Lucius was abandoned. Tarvitz's warning is what saved his life, yet Lucius was the only one among the Emperor's Children who turned coat on the ground.
He chose to surrender to Eidolon and led the rebels to massacre the wounded. He dueled with Tarvitz, acting all arrogant and dominating, but was utterly beaten down by him. If he hadn't hightailed it out of there, Tarvitz would have killed him.
Lucius stuck out his long tongue and sneered. "Do you have any idea what it will cost you to humiliate me?"
"Sorry, I don't punch down. Wimps like you don't deserve the effort," Warmaster retorted, tightening his grip on his sword.
Lucius was already rushing toward him.