Chapter 443 Legion Era: Chapter 26: Battle of Baal

The golden angel statue stands under the dome, with a golden mask on his face. The mask and face look towards the sky above, with huge wings slowly unfolding behind him. He stands on the quiet church dome. Below, standing under stained glass and glazed skylights.

But the tranquility had long been broken, and the firelight reflected on his face with an explosion. The red blood tears on the golden mask on the angel's face were in the blood-like firelight, as if the golden angel was crying, silently. Baal and his sons wept.

The fire of the explosion once again lit up the dome above the church, and the blood-red sky cast the luster of blood. The shadow of the angel fell on the ground in the bloody light, and also fell on the man standing in front of the statue.

He stood there, looking up at the statue of the archangel in the former splendid monastery. The scarlet light shone behind him, constantly beating and illuminating the surrounding stained glass windows and reliefs, outside the high wall. The noisy roar of the loon swarm was already close at hand.

Those beasts roared one after another, and the sound of artillery fire in the sound had become extremely thin, and even almost disappeared. All the sounds of guns and the cries of human soldiers were buried in the collision of the carapace of the insect swarm. , disappeared into the sound of the sharp teeth and jaw opening and closing.

In this deserted hall, he stood alone in front of the statue of the angel. The firelight outside the surrounding stained glass windows also illuminated his body. With the flashing explosions one after another, the golden armor was lit up. It illuminated the golden wings spread out on the armor behind him.

The golden mask on his face was also flashing under the firelight. The mask was exactly the same as the one worn by the huge angel statue in front of him. The two faces stared at each other, but only one of the eyes under the mask was still alive, temporarily. in this way.

"Captain Dante." A Blood Angel priest appeared at the door behind him. He stood there wearing a silver skull mask. The priest warhammer he held in his hand was covered with blood. His armor was also covered with traces and cracks from sharp claws, and the once gorgeous Blood Angel power armor was already scarred.

"Kazariel and the Malakin Chapter Master of the Lamenters are back. They escorted the relics of Sanguinius from the moon of Baal, but they also brought bad news. In addition to Baal, they also brought bad news. All satellites have fallen, and the Guardians of the Holy Sepulchre, the Blood Knights, and the Angel Blades and Redemption Chapters have fallen under the wings of the angels."

The priest stood behind him and spoke. His voice seemed very calm, and it seemed so different from the roar of the insects outside the surrounding walls. He stood in front of the door and looked at the people in front of the angel statue.

"The outer perimeter of the monastery has been completely captured. A few minutes ago, all the fleets in orbit have been lost. The remaining fleets are reorganizing and retreating towards Baal 4. The airborne landing of the Tyranids is no longer blocked. They have fallen into Within the walls of the monastery, the Angel's Gate has fallen."

The priest said and looked aside. Outside the window of the church, with the impact of the airborne cysts, an auxiliary church outside the fortress collapsed, and its spire fell to the ground.

"The Tyranids rushed through the moat of the outer wall. The microbial river in it has been filled with corpses. The swarm has overwhelmed the mortal auxiliaries and warriors. The last line of defense has collapsed. Priest Mephiston organized all the death companies on his own. , led all the Black Fury warriors of the sub-regiments to launch a desperate charge, covering the retreat of the brothers on the outer wall, but all the Death Company brothers have returned to the angels. "

The silence lasted for a moment, and Raphael sighed silently, as if he didn't want Dante to find out. He still tried hard to maintain an optimistic attitude, but the boundless roar of the war beasts drowned the whole world. The scratching of his claws and the clicking of his jaw made it difficult for him to speak calmly.

Raphael finished his final report with a tragic mood. The last and most important thing was, "The holy relics have been stored in the secret room deep underground in the fortress according to the order. The Tyranid swarm will not discover them." , according to the suggestions of Lord Mephiston and other priests, we also stored the gene seeds of the Chapter underground, hoping that when everything is over, someone will still find them."

That was the last hope of the Chapter. The Blood Angels stored the gene seeds deep underground and buried them there together with the holy relics of all the Angel sub-groups, hoping that future generations of Imperial warriors could still use them to regenerate the Angels. , rising from the flames like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

But today, the raging flames were unable to escape by the remaining soldiers. Outside, the land and sky of Baal had been dyed red with blood, and fire-like light shone in the monastery, splashing on the surrounding walls and murals.

"Raphael, how many people are still there?" Dante's voice came slowly from under the mask, his voice seemed hoarse and low. These days of fighting have made many people forget that he is already a thousand-year-old man. An old man of many years, Raphael felt a lot of emotions when he heard that voice.

He was silent for a moment and then looked out the door behind him, "We only have eighty brothers left. Counting the Weeper and other sub-group brothers who broke out of the siege, the total number is three hundred."

"Three hundred people. I still remember the scene. All the brothers came to Baal. We even needed to repair the long-abandoned Angel Temple to accommodate all the brothers. The temple was filled with tens of thousands of angels. There were 20,000 people, but now there are only 300 left.”

Dante said sadly, his voice hoarse and low. Pastor Raphael lowered his head and looked behind him, looking at the remaining soldiers in the hall, "The death company led by Pastor Mephiston saved many lives in a desperate charge. People, otherwise, there would be even fewer people here.”

"Where's Mephiston?" "His whereabouts are unknown. The last time I saw him was when he led the Death Company into the Sea of ​​Insects. Maybe he's gone too."

Dante looked up at the angel statue in front of him. He looked at the angel's face and was silent for a long time. He looked at the angel and finally made the final decision in his heart.

"Who am I? Raphael."

Raphael came up from behind, and he came behind Chapter Master Dante, "You are our Chapter Master, our leader."

"So, do you trust your Chapter Master? Even if he wants to lead you to hell." Dante continued to ask while staring at the angel statue. Raphael also looked up at the statue. He nodded firmly after a moment of silence.

"I am your warrior, my lord, and we will always follow you, no matter what the outcome."

"Whatever the ending is?"

"Yes, my lord, no matter what the outcome."

Dante said and took off the mask on his face. Raphael looked at the old face. At this moment, he realized how old his chapter leader was. He had already served for the Emperor and Senge. How many suns and moons have Les fought?

The golden mask hit the ground as Dante let go of his hand. He looked up at the angel in front of him, and then turned his white-haired face to look at Raphael. At the same time, behind the statue of the angel behind Dante, The most holy and pure light shone in outside the window.

The light illuminated the statue of the angel, the face of Sanguinius, and the body of Dante. He stood under the divine light and looked at Raphael.

"Let the horn of the Holy Blood sound for the last time on the land of Baal." After Dante said this, he turned around and strode towards the monastery gate in front. Raphael stood behind him and watched the battle leader's death. Figure, he turned to look at the door next to the angel statue and rushed over.

Raphael pushed open the door and ran up the curved corridor. Under the blood-like sky and the Tyranid cysts scattered all over the sky, a huge curved howling towered under the sky. The golden wings stretched their tall horns towards the sky.

The priest rushed to the top gate of the fortress from behind the gate. He strode to the howling and took off his helmet. Raphael glanced at the silver skull mask and then shook it off. After flying out, the war helmet fell outwards towards the sea of ​​insects below, while Raphael took a step forward, stepped on the stone steps and blew the final horn.

The dull howl echoed throughout the land of Baal. The sound fell from the air and entered the monastery. All the warriors outside the door of the angel statue raised their heads, regardless of the battle group they belonged to or the commander. The warriors for whom all raised their heads high. They raised their armors covered with blood and scars and looked in the direction of the horn.

In the direction where the horn sound entered the hall, Chapter Commander Dante stood in the light on the towering stairs. The light coming from behind the angel behind him also shone out from the door, illuminating all the warriors. The soldiers sitting under the wall stood up. Even the wounded soldiers stood up with their weapons. They looked up at Dante standing in the light.

The old chapter leader stood in the holy light and looked down at them. This was the first time that everyone saw Dante's face, and perhaps the last time. The chapter leader slowly drew out the sword from his waist.

"The horn will witness the moment when I stand with you drawing swords, and let the sons of angels march forward for the last time in the name of Sanguinius."

Dante said as he looked at the door ahead, the golden door that was constantly being hit by the Tyrans outside. It rumbled and spread dust and smoke backwards.

"Open the gate, let us rush to that hell, let us advance under the wings of angels." Dante said, raising the sword in his hand high, and the holy light shot through the wings on the hilt, Dante said After rushing down the stairs, he held the sword in his hand and rushed through the surrounding soldiers on both sides.

"Follow the Chapter Master! Follow the Chapter Master!" A warrior roared and rushed out from the colonnade on the side. He held his sword and followed Dante, and then more warriors around him roared and followed. , they roared and rushed out from both sides of the colonnade, holding their weapons high, and gathered behind Dante.

Many angels gathered behind the Chapter Leader, and long swords unfolded from behind Dante. At this moment, the logo on the shoulder and the Chapter to which they belonged were no longer important. No matter whether they belonged to the same Chapter in the past, but At this moment they were both sons of angels, sons of Sanguinius, and they strode forward under the gaze of their father's statue.

Everyone roared and followed Dante towards the golden door. The giant golden door. The Tyranid war beast outside slammed into the door again, and the door leaf bulged backwards and broke.

"With my fury, with destruction, rush to the bloody dawn!" Dante roared, and almost at the same time, the door was knocked open by the Tyranid war beast, and the roaring beast broke open on both sides. A head stuck out from behind the gate and roared, and the holy light shone dazzlingly on the faces of the Tyranids who rushed through the gate.

All the war beasts could not look directly at the holy light and retreated. The war beast in the front opened his eyes and looked at the light. Dante rushed out of the light with a roar, and behind him were many angels, who rushed towards the swarm of insects in front of the door with war roars.

In an instant, the Tyranid there was knocked away, and the blood of the swinging blade flew across. The angels wearing golden red armor rushed out. The tall beast in front of the door fell to one side after being concentrated by dozens of plasma. It fell down and hit the side of the gate. Dante led the way and rushed out beside the body of the beast.

The war group leader jumped out on the stairs in front of the gate. He jumped towards the countless war beasts on the stairs below and raised the shining blade high in the light!

Dante fell into the sea of ​​insects, wielding the holy sword and killing people. Behind him, more warriors rushed up the steps, their bolt guns roared fiercely at the bottom, and the warriors wielding chain swords fled into the boundless Tyranid sea of ​​insects without hesitation, and the golden red wave swept over.

The warriors in golden red armor stepped down from the light, they wielded the sharp blades with their backs to the dazzling light, and the swords raised high shone like stars. The warrior roared and led the charge into Tyranid, and all the angels behind him rushed down the steps, they dispersed the Tyranid swarm, like an unstoppable wave rolling forward.

Chain saws chopped, bombs roared, and the angels stood in the sea of ​​insects. Even if the stars burned out and time came to an end, the Tyranid Hive Will will always remember the most painful loss He suffered today, and He will always remember the loud hymn of human courage in this galaxy!

Black fury turned into a sharp blade, blood thirst as sharp as a spear, the Blood Angels and their brothers released their inner rage, they fought desperately, killing all around in the swarm of insects, endless swarms of insects came from all directions, the warriors fought side by side, and their bones covered the ground.

Dante stepped onto the mountain of corpses made of the corpses of Tyranid war beasts. On that mountain range, Dante wielded a sharp blade, slashing and killing the swarm of insect war beasts that came. They turned into new materials for the mountain of corpses. The old but still powerful Dante wielded a bloody sword and stood firm in the name of the angels.

He fought selflessly, and staged the last bloody battle with the warriors around him. Time was no longer important. Dante forgot how long he had been fighting on the ground and how many enemies he had slashed. The warriors around him fell one by one, but each one made Tyranid pay dozens or hundreds of times the price.

Dante roared and slashed, and he chopped off the head of a war beast that was climbing up in front of him with one sword, and behind him, another war beast lying on the pile of corpses pierced Dante's hind legs with a claw. He yelled and knelt on one knee, turned the blade and stabbed the war beast's head with one sword.

Dante knelt on the towering pile of corpses, he stood on the endless Tyranid bones, and there was an angry roar below him. Dante looked in that direction and saw the Tyranid Tyrant rushing out of the herd. It came to kill this powerful warrior in person at the order of the hive will.

Dante looked around at the fallen comrades and brothers around him. The rest were still fighting bravely. They gave Dante courage and strength. The war band leader released the anger in his heart. He let the black anger surge into his mind, and the power was injected into his hands to let him stand up.

The tyrant stepped forward, raised the two bone swords in his hands after stepping on the pile of corpses, and the tall war beast chopped and slashed with both hands at the same time, and Dante went to meet it. The angel sword collided with the two bone swords, and dazzling sparks sprayed out. Dante looked at the tyrant in front of him, and his eyes were scarlet. On the red background, the shadow of the tyrant turned into the outline of Horus.

Dante looked at the person who spread his wings in front of the huge figure. He roared and let the last strength into his arms. After the sharp blade was pulled out, he chopped and cut off the tyrant's hands with his backhand. The beast roared, it took a step back, and the two bone knives fell to the ground.

The tyrant roared and raised his front legs to knock Dante to the ground. When the commander fell on his back on the pile of Tyranid war beasts, he looked up at the towering tyrant in front of him. It stepped on Dante's body, and its bloody mouth suddenly opened and bit Dante's face with its sharp teeth.

Dante was lying on the ground, looking up at the shadow in front of him. The shadow of Horus raised the hammer in his hand and pointed it at him, just like he pointed it at Sanguinius.

Dante felt the passing of life. He was exhausted. The black anger consumed all his energy. He looked at the shadow of Horus, but suddenly the center of the shadow pierced the light, and a dazzling golden light engulfed Dante. He looked up at the two figures standing in the light.

Two pairs of huge wings stood behind them. Dante looked at the man in the middle. Sanguinius, wearing a mask, stood beside him. Under his flowing golden hair was the most beautiful face in the world. Nothing else was as beautiful as him. Even the brightest sun would be eclipsed in front of him. He looked at Dante in the light, and the latter stretched out a hand to him tiredly.

"Father, let me come to you."

Sanguinius shook his head sadly, he raised his head and looked at Dante with golden eyes, "No, my child, your battle is not over yet, go back, my proud son."

He spread his white wings, and thousands of feet of golden light shone from them. Dante looked up at the light, and behind the huge wings he saw the throne in the distant light. The emperor sat on it and looked at him. The light shone from behind the emperor, and he raised his head and looked at himself with extremely proud eyes.

That all-engulfing light dispelled the black rage! The bitten tyrant appeared in front of Dante's eyes, and he roared, "Live up to the blood of Sanguinius!"

In that roar, Dante suddenly raised the sharp blade and stabbed the tyrant. The blade directly pierced the tyrant's head, entered from his mouth and pierced the back of his head. The tyrant screamed, and blood spurted on Dante's head. face, while he rose and knocked down the tyrant, and now Dante was standing over him, the white-haired Chapter Master with the Angel Sword drawn, glaring at the howling tyrant below.

"In the name of the Emperor! Until the dawn rises again!" Dante stabbed down and penetrated the carapace on the front of the tyrant's head. The sharp blade pierced through, killing him instantly.

Dante pulled out the blood-soaked Angel Sword. He stood on the mountain of Tyrant and Tyranid corpses and looked at the swarm of insects below with blood on his face. They fell into chaos due to the death of the node creature Tyrant, and the huge swarm of insects began to interact with each other. Attack like a group of mindless beasts.

Some of them rushed towards Dante, and they rushed towards Dante with primitive killing intent. Dante clenched his sword and faced them and raised the blade resolutely, and it flashed in the light.

But suddenly there was an explosion around Dante. The violent explosion blew up all the Tyranids in the surroundings. Those explosions bombarded the angels with great precision without focusing on them. Dante looked at the explosion around him and the remaining ones. The angels looked overhead.

Above their heads, a giant symbol of Khorne was placed on the surface of Baal's moon using a huge number of Tyranid skeletons. It towered above the sky, and it was extremely clear even under the cover of the sky-falling sacs. A golden giant ship jumped out from the side of the satellite. It reached Baal's orbit in an instant and rushed towards the massive Tyranid Hive Fleet ahead, pretending that it was not alone.

Countless teleportation flashes lit up at the same time in the starry sky, and countless battleships jumped into orbit. It was like a new star, illuminating the sky of Baal with the brightest light. Almost instantly, the entire fleet began to roar. , countless explosions bloomed in the worm fleet in orbit.

The airborne capsules of the Tyranid Hive Fleet came to an abrupt end, and were replaced by a rain of fire. From above the fleet, overwhelming empty cabins cut through the sky and fell to the earth, and the Emperor's iron rain fell.

The landing capsule crashed around Dante, and the warriors who arrived from the hatch rushed out. They stepped forward and stood behind the angels who were still standing, raising their weapons and standing side by side with them.

Dante looked around at the warriors descending from the sky. He turned his head and looked at each other with the remaining angels. They all clenched the sharp blades in their hands and aimed at the Tyranid swarm in front of them rushing from the ruins.

Dante turned his head and looked forward with determination in his eyes. He stood on the corpse mountain of the swarm. Behind the swarms of Tyranids, a blood-red light rose in the sky.

Dante stood in front of more landing pods and soldiers descending from the sky and raised his sword, pointing at the blood-red horizon.

"Warriors of the Emperor, follow me! Destroy the aliens!"