The city wall stood roughly six meters high, made of earth and the wreckage of buildings, and was remarkably neat.
The soil in the trenches was still fresh; clearly, these were fortifications that had only just been dug.
“Archmagos, Saint.” Creed had spotted Cawl and the others from afar and strode quickly out to meet them.
When Abaddon had launched his attack on the final fortress, they had once stayed together, discussing how to respond to the Despoiler’s offensive.
When Cawl activated the blackstone pylon, suppressing the Warp and forcing Abaddon to retreat,
the Chaos host had collapsed as well, and the Imperial defenders slaughtered them in great numbers. Each of them had then led their own forces in pursuit of the fleeing traitors.
At that time, everyone had believed the Imperium had won the Battle of Cadia and thwarted Abaddon’s Thirteenth Black Crusade.
Who could have imagined that Abaddon would go so utterly mad as to hurl the wreckage of the blackstone pylons at Cadia itself, causing the blackstone matrix to spiral out of control?
Terrifying Warp energies tore Cadia and the galaxy apart, and the Imperial forces that had once held the advantage became lambs awaiting slaughter.
The planetary communications system collapsed, and every unit was forced to fight alone.
Fortunately, the broadcast system had not been completely destroyed, allowing survivors everywhere to learn that they could withdraw from the Elysion Plains.
“Castellan?” Greyfax, as an Inquisitor, was shocked to see Creed. “I had thought you had already returned to the Emperor’s embrace.”
“Almost.” Creed said. “Abaddon’s minions came very close to killing me.”
“How did you build this wall and these trenches?”
A trace of astonishment seeped into Cawl’s mechanical voice.
When his augmetic eye scanned the wall and trenches, the data it returned indicated that these were creations with atomic-level smoothness.
Creed pointed toward Dutch, who was standing on high ground and watching the distance.
“All of this is the work of that mysterious warrior sent by the Emperor. I don’t know how he did it either. All I can say is that it is a miracle.”
Cawl looked at the unpainted warrior and scanned him, but found nothing.
The data showed that this fellow was utterly unremarkable, and there was no information indicating that he belonged to any Chapter.
He turned to look at the Living Saint Celestine, hoping for an answer.
The others did the same.
“I don’t know either.” Celestine’s face also showed confusion.
Though she was a Living Saint, she truly was not familiar with her other colleagues.
Katarinya Greyfax frowned slightly. She stepped toward Dutch, wanting to ask him for clarity.
Dutch suddenly looked into the distance. “The enemy is here.”
Hearing his words, Creed hurriedly shouted, “Alert! The enemy is approaching.”
The remnants gathered from all over hurried to their posts, making ready for battle.
The troops and civilians entering the port instantly fell into panic, each of them rushing forward in fear.
A Chimera troop carrier actually rolled over the survivors in front of it, trying to enter the port ahead of the others.
Bang!
“Maintain order! Maintain order!”
A Commissar decisively shot the driver of the troop carrier and shouted.
Senior officers also drew their pistols one after another to suppress the chaos and prevent an even greater stampede.
Dutch ignored Greyfax, Cawl, and the others. Carrying his super shotgun and chainsword, he hopped and bounded against the human tide, advancing to meet the enemy.
“Blood for the Throne! Skulls for the God-Emperor!”
His roar almost made Black Templars Marshal Amalrich, the Emperor’s Champion Gallein, and the other Imperial loyalists see red.
Just who did this fellow believe in—Khorne, or the Emperor?!
Celestine stopped them in time. “Our Emperor says that He does not mind. Let this noble warrior interpret loyalty and protection in his own way.”
Refugees and retreating troops from across Cadia were running toward the port regardless of cost.
But the enemy was close behind them, slaughtering every Imperial citizen they could catch.
Among them were the Astartes blessed by the Dark Gods.
All of them were hulking monsters, madly shouting the names of the gods they served as they harvested souls and flesh for Them.
“For the Emperor! Cadia stands!”
Several brave men and women fired their lasguns at those hateful monsters.
But they held out for only a few seconds before being hacked to pieces.
“The Corpse-Emperor cannot protect you.” A Chaos Space Marine tore a female officer’s body apart with the chainsword in his hand. “The Corpse-Emperor can protect no one.”
“Ptooey. Coward who threw himself to Chaos.” Before dying, the woman spat a mouthful of blood at him.
The Chaos Space Marine flung aside the broken corpse, his voice filled with mockery.
“What right do you have to call me a coward? This Imperium was once conquered by us.”
With death pressing close behind them, the fleeing survivors were driven into utter panic.
A woman holding a little girl fell to the ground. No one had the time to help her; instead, they stepped over her one after another.
The mother used her own body to shield the child tightly, preventing her from being trampled.
Dutch stopped, blocked the human tide, and helped her up.
When the woman said thank you, Dutch shouted once more, “For the Emperor! For mankind!” Then he continued hopping and bounding forward in his charge.
Dutch, pushing upstream against the crowd, left the fleeing soldiers and civilians along the way stunned. In their hearts, filled with despair, courage began to rise.
“Soldiers, do not become cowards.” An officer stood atop a tank and shouted. “Unite! We must counterattack the enemy.”
“If those shameful traitors want to take our lives, then let them pay for them with their own.”
“Death is not frightening. To die a coward is the most shameful thing. Brave heroic spirits shall surely return to the God-Emperor’s Throne.”
Some soldiers who still had guns, led by several officers, broke away from the ranks withdrawing toward the port’s landing pads and joined Creed’s defensive force.
Dutch charged against the human tide, swinging his chainsword to cut down several traitors who were slaughtering civilians, and then encountered a Chaos Space Marine.
Dutch, whose understanding of the Warhammer plot was limited, had no way of telling from the other party’s pauldrons or banners which warband he belonged to, or which Legion he had once belonged to.
Bang!
The super shotgun fired. Its power, enough to instantly kill a World Eater, only made the other party take one step back. He did not die.
“In the name of the Plaguefather!” the Chaos Space Marine roared.
“Oh~ so you’re a believer of that dead fatty.”
Hearing the familiar title, Dutch knew whose follower the other party was.
He fired another shot, and this one blew apart the plague warrior’s head.
Just as he was about to reload, another Chaos Space Marine came killing his way.
He was extremely fast. Even with the enhancement of his traits, Dutch needed a few seconds to reload, and there was no time.
Caught off guard, he was struck by a sword. His power armor shattered, blood sprayed out, and he could only put away the shotgun.
He activated his skill, Trample, knocking the other party back, then gripped his chainsword with both hands and chopped into the opponent’s body, likewise leaving behind a ghastly wound.
But in the end, Dutch’s reactions were not as fast as his opponent’s. The other party stabbed him through the body with a sword and killed him.
“Motherfucker, are the developers sick in the head? The monsters on easy mode are already this strong? Didn’t they say only the monsters on hell difficulty were equal to the original setting?”
After reviving, Dutch cursed under his breath.
If the monsters on easy difficulty were already this strong, wouldn’t hell difficulty mean every random mob was a Greater Daemon?
How did those guys playing on hell difficulty even clear the game?!
It was said that hell difficulty only gave you one life, and if you died, you had to start over.
If it were him, with this level of difficulty and no resurrection, he would most likely quit the game outright.
Before that Chaos Space Marine could react, the revived Dutch cut him down and chopped off his head.
In the distance, Amalrich, Gallein, and Greyfax stared in complete astonishment.
At first, when they saw Dutch killed, they had felt some regret.
But only a few seconds later, Dutch revived right before their eyes and cut down the enemy in a few moves.
What was going on? Did this fellow possess an undying body like the legendary Vulkan?
Celestine’s eyes also widened.
Such a rapid resurrection—was this truly the Emperor’s blessing?
Why was it so difficult every time she resurrected?
Your blessing and my blessing don’t seem to be the same.
“Everyone, the enemy is here. If you have doubts in your hearts, seek answers another day.” Creed shouted, bringing them back to their senses. “While that mysterious warrior is still delaying the enemy, hurry and board the craft. May the Emperor bless you.”
Cawl looked back one last time at Dutch, who was fighting amid the crowd, then strode toward the landing craft.
He still had an important mission to complete. He absolutely could not die here.
“Let us go.” Celestine followed closely behind.
She had already received the Emperor’s guidance: she was to bring Cawl and the Armour of Fate to Macragge. Only in this way could they save the Thirteenth Son, Roboute Guilliman.