"Today will be the day our Chapter's souls return to the Golden Throne!" said Basha Kur, clad in Terminator Armour and serving as the ground commander for this planetary battlefield.
He had removed his helmet. His brow was tightly furrowed, and he stared at the demons charging madly toward them with a determined, furious gaze.
His armour was battered beyond recognition, covered in bloodstains and scratches that had nearly torn through it.
"We are the Emperor's most loyal warriors!"
Affos roared and raised the Power Sword in his hand, cleaving a charging demon—one resembling a goblin wielding a shield and shortsword—into minced meat.
"For the Emperor!"
A warrior beside him also raised his Power Sword and hacked off the head of a charging demon. Then the bolter in his hand spewed flames, sending several demons surrounding them back into the Warp.
The demons surged toward them like a tidal wave. Even from concealed positions, some demons carried corrupted rockets and fired them at the Chapter.
But another Astartes spotted one in time and sent a loyal bolter round into its twisted body, causing it to veer away and forcing the rocket launcher to shoot diagonally into the sky.
An Astartes wielding a Power Fist was also striking left and right, taking down one demon with every punch.
Farther back, an Astartes who had lost an arm ignored his wounds. Leaning halfway to one side, he raised a flamethrower and relentlessly scorched the charging demons.
By now, they had been drawn into close combat with the demons. The remaining three hundred or so Astartes were almost all wounded, and half of them were missing limbs.
But no one retreated!
Whenever a warrior became surrounded, he would shout without hesitation, "For the Emperor!" Then he would pull the pin on his grenade