Before the tall, magnificent, and elegant holy gate, engraved with the grand image of Sister Arabella leading the Sisters to eradicate the apostate Gorg Vandire.
Warriors in blue, silver, and red armor launched a valiant counter-charge against the surging demonic fiends on the steps, directly knocking back the first wave of Bloodletters who charged up, impaling them on the dense forest of black swords below, turning them into fiery red flames.
Even though Bloodletters had no blood, the Spotless Angels Scourge in his hand was still surging with power. It seemed to have heard Horatio's words, recalling the hatred from the Signus campaign; it loathed these Khorne pawns and despised these mindless, bloodthirsty creatures.
The hum of Chainswords, accompanied by the hymns sung in unison by the Battle Sisterss, formed a peerless anthem of loyalty.
A holy light of faith condensed above the head of every struggling Imperial warrior, and facing them was a crimson tide of Fury.
The warriors' fighting spirit infected many believers; some fanatical believers gave up heading to the shelter, shouting Sanguinius's glorious name, and charging irreversibly with their staffs or short knives towards the Bloodletters, buying a chance for survival for those behind them.
These believers knew that charging out would mean certain death, but they wanted to die gloriously in front of the 'Imperial Martial Saint' Sanguinius, rather than agonizingly waiting to be slaughtered by demons.
More and more civilians volunteered and rushed out of the door, joining the battle and impeding the Bloodletters' advance.
Sister Arabella also rushed out, rescuing the severely wounded. She was covered in sweat, her holy silver power armor stained with blood, her pure white headscarf already red, and her demolition Chainsword on her arm sticky with horrifying flesh.
Even so, she was still like an angel, snatching lives from the hands of death. Some people were moved by her exhaustion and stepped forward to offer help.
This battle was no longer just a fight between the Emperor's angels, daughters, and warriors against demons, but what He had hoped for: humanity united against death and despair.
Through the propagation of the power of faith, the Emperor's might and Sanguinius's noble virtues temporarily suppressed the fear in mortal hearts.
Everyone knew what they were doing and why.
Because of this, the bloody struggle on the steps became incredibly cruel and gory; rain-like sweat mixed with ash, dust, and foul blood, making Horatio's face dirty and disheveled, like a vagrant who had just crawled out of the Lower Hive.
He had never experienced such a chaotic and relentless slaughter.
Time had slowed in his perception; he could no longer remember how long he had been fighting.
Bloodletters swarmed forward, and in a chaotic flurry of swords, a Battle Sisters's legs were severed.
"Ah! You filthy creatures who only win by numbers! I mock your cowardice!" the Battle Sisters cursed, falling to the ground.
"Sister!" A Battle Sisters tried to pull up her Sister whose legs had been severed by a hellblade, but she was surrounded by Bloodletters. Just as it seemed both she and her Sister were about to die, a crimson Holy Blood Chainsword blocked the terrifying blades for them.
Soon, they realized that the one wielding this Holy Blood Chainsword was not a Blood Angel, but a mortal.
"Unbelievable… He's holding the angels' sword," the Sister he had saved noticed this, murmuring in disbelief.
"Sanguinius above…"
Horatio's iron hand spewed hot steam, operating at full power, pushing aside a flurry of Bloodletter swords with immense brute force.
Sister Arabella took the opportunity to drag away the crippled Sister who had lost her legs.
"No! Sister Arabella, my duty is to live and die with the holy gate. Give the medical resources to others," the legless Sister struggled, pulling Sister Arabella's hand from her armor, and stood up leaning against the silver church door carved with reliefs, a pool of blood soaking the floor tiles beneath her.
She took off her helmet, drew her bolt pistol from her waist, and fired into the Bloodletter horde, a faint smile on her pale lips.
"It was a pleasure fighting alongside you."
"May your soul return to the Golden Throne."
Sister Arabella bravely wiped away the hot tears welling in her eyes, applied emergency hemostatic gel to stop the bleeding, then pursed her lips and rushed to other severely wounded individuals.
"Pugh!"
The high-ranking Sister standing at the front, blocking the demons, was impaled by several hellblades; fiery red blades pierced her thighs, waist, and arms, and severed one of her hands.
Before the demons could cut off her head, she snorted, took a deep breath, raised the corner of her mouth, and pulled the pin on her grenade.
"The Emperor redeems my soul, and you will never be saved," she sneered.
Then, this loyal and brave high-ranking Sister, in a noble act of martyrdom, spread her arms and leaped from the stairs, erupting in a golden light among the demons.
A light more intense than an explosion killed and banished a large number of demons, relieving some pressure on the defenders on the stairs.
The Blood Angels heroically held back the demons' advance; everyone was wounded, their sturdy ceramite armor torn by crimson blades, their flesh seared by unholy red flames.
But they remained silent, steadfastly guarding the evacuation of the mortals behind them.
They could see that these hideous demons desperately wanted their blood and heads, but they would not give these scum a chance; using the advantage of the higher ground, any Bloodletter who dared to advance was cut down by them.
The sacrifices of the Sisters of the Sacred Rose paid off. The evacuation finally neared its end, and the long line on the stairs finally showed its tail.
Of the 20 Battle Sisterss of the Holy Gate Guard, only 5 remained standing, wounded or crippled; the other Sisters lay at their feet, the red eyes on their helmets devoid of light and life.
Even as blood flowed, they devoutly and steadfastly guarded the silver gate, protecting the bodies of their fallen Sisters from being decapitated and desecrated, still fighting bravely.
But the number of demons was too great, and gradually even the Blood Angels could not stop their advance.
Not only Bloodletters, but also hellhounds with gill-fins burst out, greedily preying on flesh and blood.
"We must retreat!" The current situation was no longer enough to support the gate's defense. Through a gap in the demonic surge, Horatio vaguely saw a laughing face.
The evil face of a horned demon. Horatio recognized this demon; it was Khorne's general, the Bloodthirster Khabandha.
However, after the Warp rift's opening and closing were constrained by a mysterious force, it was not large enough for such a massive Greater Daemon to surge out. The enemies before them were only an endless stream of Bloodletters.
"Close the gate! We'll cover the retreat! Brothers fighting alongside us, carry our wishes and protect the people in the church. Please do not let the burial ground of our saints be defiled and desecrated by demons!" a gate-guarding Sister shouted loudly while fighting, while the other four Sisters continued to sing hymns in weary voices.
However, the one they sang now was a dirge of loyal sacrifice.
Horatio gasped for breath; he had intended to cover these Sisters and go inside with them, but the wounded Sisters were already stuck to the Bloodletters and could not escape.
"Prefect, you still have an unfulfilled duty! Please, fulfill our last wishes."
Finally, Horatio was forcibly pushed inside by a Battle Sisters. He tried to pull her in, but that Battle Sisters resolutely pressed the switch, slowly closing the silver gate, and firmly turned to walk towards her Battle Sisterss.
Through the gap before it closed, Horatio saw the last gate-guarding Sister fall.
The Bloodletters roared, attempting to harvest their spoils.
The legless Sister leaning against the gate outside laughed coldly, mocking the demons' ignorant revelry.
"Say goodbye to your skulls, demon."
The Sister picked up a promethium flamethrower nearby and pulled the trigger; fierce flames burned at the top of the entire church staircase, igniting the remains of the fallen Battle Sisterss, and herself included.
She calmly accepted her fate, singing a beautiful hymn with her melodious voice.
Those inside the gate heard this lingering and beautiful song, and many wept uncontrollably.
The flames ignited her black robe, and the shining silver armor reflected the golden firelight.
"Have you come to lead us to the Golden Throne?" she saw a golden illusion emerge from the flames, murmuring softly to herself in a voice weakened by severe blood loss.
In the fierce fire, the legless Sister raised her pale lips, leaning calmly against the silver gate with a gentle smile.
The demons roared, trying to rush into the fire to retrieve their spoils, but as soon as they touched this golden flame, they would be incinerated and banished, unable to be reborn in the Warp.
The Bloodletters became timid, no longer daring to approach, only waiting for the golden fire to dissipate.
What infuriated them even more was that the skulls they coveted and the bodies of the Battle Sisterss had vanished into golden light.
They could only watch helplessly as their easily obtainable spoils turned into a pile of shimmering pure white power armor.
They screamed and roared, but all they could do was dodge the golden fire, cursing loudly with evil words in impotent Fury, with no other recourse.
Such noble sacrifices are why human civilization can endure.
But the battle of the living was not over. Horatio looked at the tall and magnificent silver gate before him, his face grim, the grinding of his teeth clearly audible.
He turned around and saw that the warriors on the defensive line were dispirited, a sad gloom pervading above them, their morale almost at rock bottom.
Horatio's lips moved slightly.
"Behind us is His holy image! (The Church of the Celestial Woman's holy image is three-sided), His people! The demons will not desecrate this holy ground today! Fix bayonets! Activate Chainswords!"
He shouted into the church in a loud and inspiring voice:
"Loyal Imperial warriors! For the Emperor! For Sanguinius! For Saint Arabella! For the heroes who sacrificed today! Prepare for battle! We will never retreat! Never retreat!! (No step back!)"
He shouted the slogan of the Soviet Red Army during the defense of Moscow; he wanted to use this determination to ignite his own and everyone's fighting spirit, to encourage them to continue fighting instead of letting sadness erode their resolve.
"No retreat! Fight to the death! We are the Cadian Shock Troopers! We will hold to the death!"
"Defend the Emperor! The Imperial Navy will never yield! The Gothic Fleet will never surrender!!!"
"Glory belongs to the Emperor! Victory belongs to Sanguinius!!"
"Saint Arabella is watching us, Sisters, inherit the faith of our fallen Sisters, and drive out the evil!!!"
The warriors raised their weapons and roared in unison.
Behind them, the golden statue emitted a brilliant glow.
Under Horatio's inspiration and the radiance of the faith accumulated by tens of thousands of people, grief transformed into an even higher fighting spirit and conviction.
The warriors' previously tired bodies instantly regained power, and their negative emotions transformed into a renewed fighting spirit, preparing them for the bloody deathmatch ahead.