"Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the skull throne!!!"
"We will not fail the blood of Sanguinius!!!"
Two Blood Angels, covering and coordinating with each other, clashed and fought with an eightfold sacred mark Khorne Warrior.
Four Khorne Warriors surrounded the two Blood Angels, while several others swung their slaughtering blades at the nearby civilians.
The brutality of the fighting between the two sides escalated an entire dimension, with overwhelming battle intent becoming the only thought for the mortals.
Horatio's iron hand trembled, struggling to control the increasingly volatile Holy Blood Chainsword in his grasp.
When the Khorne Space Marine appeared, the 'Spotless Angels Scourge' vibrated violently; it was tired of banishing Khorne demons, and the higher intensity combat made it crave the blood of traitors, and right now, there were exactly 8 such despicable traitors before it.
Splash!
Fragments of stained glass showered down from the cathedral's ceiling, as 10 Storm Troopers, arriving in Valkyrie transport aircraft, descended from the sky using grav-chutes.
"Everyone! Consolidate the line!" Sergeant Major Valina shouted.
The Storm Troopers immediately plunged into the bloody battle, injecting a glimmer of hope into the precarious battle line. But the Khorne Warriors were blessed by their master, and before the two Blood Angels assault squads arrived, the outcome of the battle was still undecided.
Amidst the grating clash of Chainswords, Roman Roland, caught in a pincer attack, delivered a diagonal slash directly to the Khorne Warrior's chest, the serrated teeth catching on his ribs.
Accompanied by Roman Roland's roar, the sharp monomolecular saw-blade bit through the ceramite at a weak point, mangling the flesh protected by the ribs.
"Ah!!" The Khorne Warrior shrieked, only to be met with Roman Roland's even more violent assault.
As he hacked, he also swung his Power Fist at the Khorne Warrior's face, deforming the blasphemous helmet, and blood splattered onto the Blood Angel from the shattered eye-lenses.
Roman Roland then pulled out his Chainsword and swung it horizontally, severing the entire head and neck of this Khorne Warrior.
With two Blood Angels coordinating, even in a 2-on-4 disadvantage, they still managed to decapitate one eightfold sacred mark Khorne Warrior.
Roman Roland caught the head and, along with the helmet, crushed it with his bare hands, then raised his Chainsword, pointing it at his next target.
Valina and the Storm Troopers intercepted the Khorne Chaos Space Marines who were focused on breaking through the battle line.
The Storm Troopers, at the cost of five lives, attacked a Khorne Warrior with a volley from their high-powered hot-shot volley guns.
The high-energy laser seared his helmet and twisted his face; he shrieked, but Sergeant Major Valina blasted his head apart with a focus plasma pistol, turning him into countless charred fragments.
A bare-armed Khorne Warrior charged at the Catachan female Voidsmen-at-Arms Officer wearing a crimson beret.
Valina drew a sharp Catachan combat knife from her waist and swung it to meet the attack.
After several exchanges of blades, she was surprisingly able to hold her own against this bloodthirsty and volatile bare-armed Warrior.
But this was merely a game and a test for the Khorne Warrior.
The Warrior, clad in baroque armor, parried Valina's attacks while simultaneously cleaving a Stormtrooper who had rushed forward to assist into two pieces with an axe.
Blood splattered on his red armor, and he laughed wildly, attempting to provoke the veteran Sergeant Major with the red beret.
Buzz—!
Suddenly, a crimson Holy Blood Chainsword came slicing from the side, unexpectedly fast.
The Khorne Warrior stepped back to dodge, but was still struck on the helmet.
The brass trim was cut off by the serrated teeth, revealing his deformed lower jaw, his pale skin covered in magma-like bloodstains and the fresh gash from that last strike.
The Bloodletter Warrior looked at his attacker; it was a mortal wearing a beret, but wielding a Holy Blood Chainsword.
His eyes burned with overwhelming Fury, his blue pupils reflecting blood-light and flames, turning slightly red.
The Khorne Berserker was convinced that this was a worthy prey whose skull he should take for his master, so he burst into maniacal laughter and then, like a wild bull, charged at Horatio.
The attacks, leaving afterimages, were incredibly swift, two Chainaxe blades slashing fiercely at Horatio.
Horatio immediately met them, and the shortcomings of his force-feedback power armor became apparent; without a black carapace, the delay in force-feedback made him a beat slower, making it difficult to parry the relentless dual axes.
His arm armor was severely damaged, his elbow guard dangling from his arm, and finally, he simply tore off his war-suit, exposing his arms like his opponent.
During this time, some Storm Troopers attempted to ambush the Khorne Berserker with hellguns, but he, being blessed, swiftly dodged them all, retaliating with an axe swing that turned them into pulp.
He would not allow anyone to hinder his torment of this mortal.
Even Valina, who charged forward to attempt a pincer attack with Horatio, was unexpectedly sent flying by an elbow strike, crashing into a statue's pedestal, her plasma pistol falling at the feet of a Bloodletter.
Horatio was suppressed, until he was knocked back by an axe blow.
But the bare-armed Khorne Warrior seemed to have found a fun toy; he didn't press his advantage, but instead gave Horatio a moment to catch his breath, allowing him to recover and launch another attack, as if in a deathmatch arena.
The Blood Angels, being Space Marines, were clearly targeted; three Warriors continuously attacked, giving them no chance to breathe.
Roman Roland's helmet was smashed by an axe, and his golden long hair cascaded like a waterfall, blood from his head painting two crimson war-marks on his handsome face.
He ignored the increasingly thick smell of blood and metal, fighting back-to-back with another battle-brother, their power armor covered in battle scars, their own blood and that of their enemies coating their armor like a shiny glaze, beautifully colored.
"Die, you ants!" The Khorne Warrior fighting Horatio roared, countless scars on his arms opening and closing with his movements, blood filling these gaps.
Two fanatical crusaders who had accompanied Horatio in attacking the bare-armed Khorne Warrior had their sturdy shields cleaved open by the two-handed chainaxes, and their heads were sent flying.
Horatio seized a gap in the attack, lunged forward, and slashed open the Khorne Warrior's exposed upper arm with his sword. The Spotless Angels Scourge eagerly devoured his flesh.
"Ah! You damned...!"
Amidst the flurry of blades, flesh-tearing, and hacking, Horatio was unexpectedly kicked in the shin by the enraged Khorne Warrior.
A sharp pain shot through his entire lower leg, his senses numbed, and he lost all feeling.
But he still pulled back, took a stance, and expressed his determination to duel to the end with his actions.
"Hmph hmph hahaha, mortal. My brothers will soon arrive from the rift, you have no chance. I now offer you a glorious way out: serve Khorne, or die for Him." The Khorne Warrior said morbidly, pointing his Chainaxe at Horatio.
"Go to hell." Horatio gritted his teeth, supporting his swaying body with his sword planted on the ground.
Facing Horatio's insults, the Khorne Warrior sneered.
"I will show you your weakness, you can protect nothing. I will make you watch as civilians are slaughtered before your eyes."
He walked towards the Sanguinius statue.
"Fight me! You vile bastard." Horatio shouted at him, filled with immense Fury.
Facing the approaching Khorne Space Marine, Shawei Arbitrator, having broken 7 bones in the previous battle, was unable to stand; he was dragged by civilians to the base of the holy statue, but still persisted in firing his shotgun.
But the pellets could not penetrate the thick ceramite armor.
The heterochromatic girl stared with dazed eyes, filled with grief and indignation, at the Khorne Space Marine approaching her. She threw the doll in her hand at the brass warrior, but received only his sneer, and he stomped on the doll.
"Hahahahaha, how pathetic and weak."
The Khorne Space Marine walked towards the terrified children. Roman Roland saw this scene; he wanted to rush over immediately, but a Chainaxe blocked his path.
"Die! Traitors, we will end your wickedness! We will make your lives worse than death!" The two Blood Angels shouted again, swinging their swords.
Axe blades met sword blades, sparks flew, landing on the blood-soaked ground.
Suddenly, Louise, who had turned back from the front line, charged forward with great strides. Her bright purple eyes flashed with afterimages, her face grim, as she rushed towards the Khorne Space Marine.
"Louise! Don't be reckless!" Horatio wanted to stop her, but his leg was limping, and he couldn't exert force.
Clang! Clang!
Louise roared, as her large and small Chainswords clashed together. She was not swayed by the difference in their sizes; her mind held only one thought—to protect these children who, like her, had lost their parents.
"Hahahaha, what a feeble resistance, even with all your might, this is all the strength you have." The Khorne Space Marine effortlessly parried Louise's attacks, as if playing a game.
"Since you want to die so badly, then I shall grant your wish!"
The Khorne Warrior suddenly executed an incredibly swift move, his serrated blade slashing at Louise's neck with a speed almost impossible to follow with the naked eye.
Louise's eyes widened. She almost desperately tried to parry.
Bang!
Axe blade met sword blade, and against absolute strength, Louise's assault Chainsword snapped instantly. The back of the sword, due to the brute force, slammed into her chest, and the rose rosary Horatio had given her triggered a defensive field.
"Cough ah!" With a hum of an energy field activating, Louise coughed up a mouthful of blood, her body sent flying.
"Louise!" Horatio, ignoring the pain in his leg, lunged forward.
He caught Louise in mid-air, the sharp pain forcing him to gasp, kneeling on one knee.
The roar of engines came from overhead; the Imperial Navy had dispatched almost all available landing craft and shuttles, evacuating the children trapped in the holy chamber from the air, and deploying dozens of heavily armed boarding teams to join the close-quarters meat grinder battle inside the cathedral.
This action also provoked Khorne; the Bloodletters abandoned their outward assault, rushing frantically into the cathedral's interior, believing that by sacrificing these civilians, they could completely tear open the rift and allow a Greater Demon to manifest.
More eightfold sacred mark Khorne Warriors' figures flickered in and out of view at the rift, preparing to join the assault on the cathedral.
The pressure on the cathedral's defenders grew heavier and heavier. Even the Bloodletters, weakened by the power of faith, now recovered to their normal strength as fear gradually replaced faith.
They became even more bloodthirsty and brutal, cutting down Guardsmen Soldiers as easily as chopping vegetables, and even the Storm Troopers could only barely achieve a 1-to-1 casualty ratio against them at full strength.
When even mortal elites could only serve as cannon fodder, this was the true power of these Bloodletters.
Roman Roland, like Horatio, had all his muscles trembling, the power of the bloodlust surging through every part of his body, but now, apart from killing intent, he had no desire to drink blood.
One by one, the mortals around him fell.
He had sworn to protect these people from harm on this holy day, yet now, he could only watch helplessly as they were brutally slaughtered beside him.
The pain of Roman Roland breaking his oath tormented him constantly, but he was powerless.
Another Hellspawn fell beside him, its blood splattering on his power armor's boots.
Having slain hundreds of demons, he could feel his breathing growing heavier, rougher, his thoughts gradually dominated by a terrifying Fury; he was slowly losing control of his body, instinctively launching desperate attacks.
"Brother Roman Roland!" He heard his brother's shout, but the attacks of the Bloodletters and Khorne Warriors prevented him from looking back.
A hellblade was coming for him from behind.
Bang!
His battle-brother swung his Chainsword, blocking the blow for him, but was instantly impaled through the chest by a Chainaxe.
"Brother Vilan..." He watched as his battle-brother's ceramite chest plate, along with the torso beneath, instantly shattered into pieces, blood gushing from his chest, and the traitor Space Marine cheered excitedly.
Louise lay in Horatio's arms, breathing shallowly, blood flowing from her mouth and nose. Despite the protection of the rose rosary, she was still severely wounded.
"Horatio... I'm fine, first save... save the children!" She gritted her teeth, forcing out the words, coughing up a mouthful of bloody foam, the light in her eyes still resolute.
Time seemed to stand still, the entire cathedral was left with only black and red, strange Warp ash drifted in the air, the rift outside the courtyard slowly widened, and another Khorne Warrior crawled out, smashing aside a Bloodletter blocking his way with an axe, and roaring.
"The line is broken! We can't hold them!"
"Demons! Demons!!!"
"Damn you, I'll fight you to the death!"
"My leg! My leg!"
"Where are the Space Marine reinforcements!!!"
Heart-wrenching shouts, heavily wounded comrades falling, mournful wails, intense, scorching explosions, everything around Horatio caused him immense headache.
Veins protruded from his forehead, his sanity being destroyed and collapsing by a terrible rage, the fire in his heart growing more aggressive and unbearable.
His throat became exceptionally dry and stinging, an urge to drink large gulps of blood was trying to dominate his body.
Suddenly, his blue eyes glowed red, a bloodstain extended from his eyelid to his cheek, and the blackstone hanging on his chest vibrated violently.
"Horatio?!" Louise noticed the black-haired young man's abnormality. She looked up, her purple eyes suddenly widening.
"No! Control yourself, you're being corrupted! Horatio! Horatio!!!" Louise cried out in fear and concern, rushing forward to cup his face with both hands, trying to call back his sanity.
"I will get revenge on you things that made her bleed..." Horatio muttered.
Horatio, caught in extreme Fury, couldn't hear Louise calling him. His entire body's muscles twitched, and veins spread to his arms.
'+Potential Skill: 'Blood Angel's Fury' Activated+'
'+Corruption: 7/7+'
'+Warning: Corruption suppression has reached its limit. Activating related skills again in a short period will cause irreversible physiological and psychological corruption+'
"Corruption?" Horatio sneered coldly.
"Then let me see what you can bring me!!!" He roared, raising his iron hand gripping the Holy Blood Chainsword towards the sky.
'+Activate: Psyker Harmonization+'
'+Activate: Power Fist+'
'+Activate: Precognition Shard+'
"If we are doomed to die today, then all of you will serve as my stepping stones!!!"
Horatio's eyes burst forth with terrifying red light, arrogant laughter from the Warp echoed in his ears, and the bloodstains began to branch out, spreading across his entire face.
Imperial Soldiers fell one after another amidst the earth-shattering battle cries, shattered weapons and severed limbs forming a small mountain behind the breastwork.
As one fell, another rushed forward to hack at demons, and even Khorne Space Marines.
The power of faith could no longer contend with the increasingly dense bloodlust and brutality; everything was on the verge of spiraling out of control, and some individuals began to mutate, spikes piercing through their armor, and bloodstains spreading across their bodies, turning them into indiscriminate killing monsters.
Those Imperial Soldiers who still retained their sanity were forced to turn their slaughtering blades on comrades they had just been fighting alongside.
The golden holy statue silently witnessed all that unfolded at its feet.
Amidst the slaughter, no one noticed that Bloodletter tears silently flowed from the eyes of the Sanguinius statue.
The Bloodletter tears traced a path down his perfect cheek, flowed to his chin, and were about to drip.