As Dominic emerged from the temple's icy valley, the sight outside made his heart sink.
The once peaceful and tranquil City of Teeth has been completely transformed.
The sound of horns was incessant, and countless savages dressed in animal skins, wielding ice spears, stone axes, and steel knives, poured out from various ice caves and platforms, densely blocking every passage.
Their faces were painted with blue battle markings, their eyes burned with fury, and they shouted in a dialect he couldn't understand as they charged towards the two men without fear of death.
These are all ordinary humans within the Imperium's domain.
They are neither Genestealer nor Chaos Cultist, but simply savages who have lived on the ice plains for generations, struggling to survive.
Dominic tightened his grip on the Setting Sun, a fleeting moment of disorientation crossing his eyes.
Just a dozen minutes ago, he was standing behind the icicles, watching these people work and live peacefully, and watching children chase and play among the caves.
He had seen too many homes destroyed by war, and that's why he understood all too well how hard-won this peace, so fragile in the cruel galaxy, truly was.
He, an Imperium general who should have been protecting humanity, was now about to shatter that peace and slaughter these unarmed civilians.
[Focus your attention!]
Sister Elaine patted him on the shoulder and quickly made a gesture in sign language.
The next second, she swung her Power Sword in an arc, instantly severing the hands of the leading savages, who fell to the ground screaming in agony.
Her movements were swift and ruthless, each strike deadly, as if she were not killing her own kind, but merely troublesome Xenos beasts.
[They have been bewitched by the Xenos and are now heretics; the Imperium has no need for a general with pity.]
The nun's sign language was like a bucket of ice water, sending a chill down Dominic's spine.
He snapped back to reality.
Now is not the time to be soft-hearted.
Cassandra's body remains in the Ice Room; if they too die here, the truth will forever remain buried.
"Fight your way out."
Dominic spoke in a deep, hoarse voice.
He raised his Laspistol, aiming at the front-line savage warrior, but deliberately deflected it to the side, the beam hitting the man's shoulder and arm in an attempt to wound him and force him to retreat.
But the savages, like those believers, were not afraid of death.
As soon as one fell, the next one immediately leaped over its companion's body and continued charging.
They roared in anger and hurled ice spears and stone axes, though they couldn't penetrate the light armor beneath the two men's cloaks.
But it was like a sudden downpour, greatly hindering the speed of progress.
The closer you get to the entrance of the City of Teeth, the more savages surround you.
They jumped down from the ice steps on both sides, crawled out of the ice caves, and even slid down the ice cones on the dome; there were people everywhere.
Dominic's Laspistol's energy magazine was running out quickly, leaving him with no choice but to rely on the Setting Sun Dagger for close-quarters combat.
The golden blade always leaves behind a cloud of blood and the smell of burning flesh, but as one wave is driven back, another surges forward, an endless stream.
My energy is rapidly depleting.
They were wearing stealth suits, not heavy Power Armour designed specifically for frontal team battles.
With limited protection, limited ammunition, and even the propulsion system running out of power, the aircraft was nearly depleted.
Dominic's severed left arm was already numb from the cold; the low temperature seeped into the bone through the metal parts, making each swing of the knife excruciatingly painful.
What's even harder to bear is the psychological burden.
Every time the blade pierced a body, every time a scream was heard.
Images of children sitting by the campfire listening to stories, women sewing leather coats, and craftsmen polishing stone tools would flash before his eyes.
He's not someone who hasn't killed before.
Traitors, heretics, and thousands of enemies died at his hands.
Killing these unarmed, ordinary humans who were only trying to protect their homes was too painful.
Sister Elaine remained expressionless throughout.
Her Power Sword always maintains the most efficient swing angle, each strike precisely slicing through the throat or artery, never wasting a single ounce of strength.
When facing targets with light armor or no armor, she didn't even bother to activate her power field, unwilling to waste a single bit of energy.
In her eyes, these humans, who have been infiltrated by Xenos culture and worship Xenos as gods, are no different from corrupted heretics.
The Imperium has a vast territory and a population in the trillions; there are countless worthless, polluted lower classes.
Once you're dead, you're dead.
The two, one cold and one hot, one numb and one heavy, actually fought their way from the Ice Valley Temple all the way to the main gate of the City of Teeth with sheer tenacity.
A massive ice gate stood before us, beyond which lay howling snow and a vast ice field.
Once they break through this door, using optical cloaking devices to blend into the snowstorm, they can shake off their pursuers, find the pre-hidden airship, and return to the starport.
Hope is within reach.
But just then, "Boom!"
After a deafening roar, the heavy ice gate slammed shut from the inside, sealing the exit completely.
A wave of icy coolness and chill washed over me, like a Great Maw that had snapped its fangs shut.
Dominic rushed to the door and pounded on the ice door twice with his only remaining right hand, leaving only two shallow marks.
The ice gate was several meters thick; in their current state, it was impossible for them to break through it.
Behind them, hurried footsteps and shouts grew closer and closer.
Hundreds of green-robed believers had already chased out of the Ice Valley, their figures appearing densely at the entrance of the passage, their bluish-gray pupils gleaming coldly in the dim light.
Further out, countless savages, holding torches, surrounded the entire city gate square, their angry faces illuminated by the firelight.
Sister Elaine turned around, her back against the cold ice door, her Power Sword held horizontally in front of her, assuming a defensive stance.
She glanced sideways at Dominic beside her.
This usually spirited and decisive Imperium major general was now bowing his head slightly, his fiery red hair obscuring his eyes and brows.
The severed limbs hung limply at his sides, blood still dripping from the golden dagger, his shoulders heaving slightly, his breathing heavy.
His gaze was somewhat vacant, fixed on the throng of people ahead, yet it seemed as if he wasn't looking at anything at all.
Are they lost because their escape route is cut off?
Or is it because his hands are stained with the blood of too many innocent people that he's become delirious?
Sister Elaine did not ask.
She simply gripped her Power Sword tightly, slowly spreading out an untouchable force field that covered the area around the two of them.
The cold wind seeped in through the cracks in the city gate, stirring up the blood foam on the ground, which condensed into tiny ice crystals in the frigid air.
The crowd drew closer, the flickering firelight casting long, thin shadows of the two men.
It seems the predicament has become a dead end.
Elaine took one last look at Dominic, as if she had made up her mind.
But as soon as she took a step forward, Dominic moved first.
When Elaine looked at him again, the confusion in his eyes had vanished, replaced by his usual determination.
Dominic gave her a brief gesture, indicating that she should step back.
Elaine knew that the familiar major general had returned, at least for this moment.
She nodded, activated the thrusters, and suddenly reversed.
Dominic instinctively pulled out a small drill bit with his right hand; this was a breaching bomb specifically prepared for this situation.
He realized something not because he understood, but because he didn't want to see the same tragedy repeat itself in his eyes a third time.
The drill precisely pierced through all the savages who tried to block it and hit the gate.
"Boom!!!"