Warhammer 40K in a box

Chapter 720 The Battle of Kamas - End
Gorger was clearly not expecting his opponent to be able to get so close. A flicker of panic flashed in his cloudy eyes, which was then replaced by a deeper madness.

Instead of unleashing ranged attacks, he roared and brandished his bone scythe, charging headlong at Leona, who had already reached the top of the platform!
"Blood sacrifice to the Blood God!"

The scythe slashed down with a piercing shriek, its force enough to cleave through the armor of a tank.

Leona didn't choose to meet the attack head-on. Instead, she ducked and slid, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. The scythe's blade grazed above her head, the force of the gust ruffling her hair. At the same time, she swung her Lion King Sword upwards, aiming for Gorger's chest and abdomen!

Gorger reacted extremely quickly, withdrawing his mutated arm and using the hilt of his scythe to block.

"clang!"

The sound of metal clashing rang out. The divine energy on the Lion King Sword clashed violently with the chaotic evil energy contained in the Gorg Scythe, erupting in a blinding light.

Gorg possessed immense strength, but Leona's skill and speed were superior. She shifted her stance, flowing like water around the parry, and thrust towards Gorg's throat.

Gorg was forced to retreat, looking somewhat disheveled. He tried to use his psionic powers again, but Leona gave him no chance. Her attacks were relentless, like a tidal wave, and the Lion King Sword transformed into streaks of golden lightning, striking Gorg's vitals from all angles.

Her swordsmanship was inherited from the Lion King—direct, efficient, and every strike aimed at killing. Although Gorg possessed powerful Chaos Blessing and psionic energy, he could only struggle to cope with this close-quarters, deadly sword dance. His robes and overgrown tissue were constantly torn by the blades, leaving charred marks.

"You... what exactly are you?!" Gorger was filled with shock and anger. He sensed that the nature of the other party's power was different from any kind of psionic power he knew, yet it had an extremely strong restraint on chaos.

Leona didn't answer. Seizing the momentary hesitation Gorger showed in his shock and rage, she swiftly deflected his parrying scythe with her Lion King Sword, thrusting it straight in, the tip like a venomous snake aimed at Gorger's heart!
In his final moments, Gorger twisted his body desperately, the sword tip veering away from his heart, but still piercing deep into his chest.

"Ugh!" He let out a shrill scream as foul blood gushed from his wound, mixed with writhing black energy.

Without the slightest hesitation, Leona exerted force with her wrist, causing the blade to churn within Gorg's body, unleashing a burst of divine energy!

Gorg's body convulsed violently as he tried to grasp the sword, but his hands were scorched and carbonized the instant they touched the golden light. His mouth opened, but no sound came out, and the psionic flames in his eyes quickly dimmed.

Finally, his massive body crashed to the ground, golden flames burning from the wound on his chest, rapidly spreading throughout his body and reducing him to a pile of charred remains.

With Gorg's death, the ritual core that maintained the warp rift was destroyed.
-
The moment Gorgh's mangled body fell, the entire city of Hera seemed to let out a heavy sigh.

The evil ritual that maintained the boundary between reality and illusion was completely severed, and the resulting backlash swept through the entire central square like a chain reaction.

The blood pool, several kilometers in diameter, was the first to undergo mutation.

The once boiling, churning crimson liquid seemed to have all its vitality instantly drained away, its surface rapidly solidifying into a dark red, viscous crust. From time to time, huge bubbles burst from the depths, releasing the last trace of foul stench.

The bones and twisted metal that made up the altar pyramid lost the support of dark energy, and the continuous cracking sounds were like the lament of a dying beast.

The massive bone pillar snapped in two, and the metal components embedded within it fell off with a piercing twisting sound. The entire blasphemous structure began to collapse and disintegrate from top to bottom.

The scene in the sky was even more horrifying. The blood-red rift that stretched across the sky emitted a soul-rending shriek, as if the entire fabric of reality was groaning in agony.

The blood-red lightning that had been leaping erratically along the edge of the rift became frenzied and disorderly, lashing out at the surrounding air like a dying venomous snake.

Inside the fissure, the surging lava colors and distorted shadows began to twist and contract violently, as if an invisible giant hand was forcibly stitching up this fatal wound.

The malicious whispers from the warp turned into the panicked roars of countless demons, which were quickly swallowed up by the roar of the barrier of reality repairing itself.

The demon army on the battlefield suffered a devastating blow.

Those low-level demons that rely on rift energy to survive—vampires and fleshhounds—are the first to be affected.

Their forms flickered and distorted violently like malfunctioning holograms, and after emitting brief but mournful howls, they burst one after another into chaotic subspace energy dust, returning to the chaotic dimension from which they came.

Even the more powerful Khorne Berserkers and Demon Engines seemed to have their source of power severed. Their frenzied movements became sluggish and chaotic, the bloodthirsty flames burning in their eyes dimmed noticeably, and their once endless charging momentum was replaced by an unprecedented sense of bewilderment and weakness.

"The ritual core has been destroyed! The rift is collapsing!" Tycho's thunderous voice boomed across every communication channel, hoarse from the fierce battle and filled with unmistakable ecstasy. "Holy Blood Angels! Advance! Turn these blasphemous things to dust!"

The morale of the imperial army soared to its peak like a ignited bomb.

The crimson blood angels, the dark green raven wings of the dark angels, and the warriors of the crimson crescent moon unleashed earth-shattering battle cries, launching a final, merciless, crushing attack on the chaotic and weakened enemy like a bursting dam.

The precise bursts of explosive bombs, the high-pitched roar of chainswords, and the thunderous roar of heavy vehicle engines together formed the funeral dirge of the demon legion.

Leona stood atop the ruins of the collapsed pyramid, her deep green power armor stained with Gorg's filthy blood. The Lion King Sword in her hand still shone with a pure golden light, dispelling the remaining evil aura around her.

She looked up at the crack in the sky that was rapidly shrinking, its edges beginning to show the silvery-white ripples characteristic of the structure of reality, and clearly felt the suffocating, evil pressure that had been weighing on the hearts of every living being on the planet Kamas was quickly receding.

She activated the megaphone, and her clear and powerful voice resounded throughout every corner of the battlefield, like a horn piercing the darkness to herald dawn: "Gorg is slain! The ritual has been broken! In the name of the Emperor and the Lion King, purify this place, leaving not a single piece of armor!" Her declaration infused all the loyal warriors with their final strength.

The battle continues, with sporadic resistance persisting amidst the ruins. However, without the infinite supply from the warp rifts and the support of the core ritual, the defeat of the remaining demons and traitors is inevitable.

The imperial army steadily and relentlessly swept away the invaders, purifying every inch of the defiled land with flames and explosives.

Meanwhile, in orbit around the Kamath Sector, with the death of Therafax, leader of the Thousand-Eyed Warband, and the collapse of a key ground ritual, the last vestige of fighting spirit in the Chaos Fleet crumbled completely.

The remaining traitor ships attempted to turn and escape, but under the systematic encirclement and suppression of the massive, mountain-like "Rock" fortress and the main fleet of the First Legion, they were either turned into fireworks in the starry sea by a barrage of light spears or ruthlessly seized by the boarding forces.

The void, once ravaged by war and blasphemous energy, has gradually returned to its cold silence.
-
The flames of the Battle of Kamas finally died down after thirty-seven standard days, leaving behind a world ravaged and a Pyrrhic victory won in blood.

Hera, once an industrial center, is now a ruin polluted by deep chaos.

The urban center remains structurally fragile, with visible psionic echoes permeating the air. Experts from the Mechanicus have initially assessed that at least three centuries of continuous purification would be needed to barely eliminate the most severe pollution and restore it to a basically habitable state.

The Crimson Crescent Chapter's fortress monastery was severely damaged in a series of fierce battles, with many sections of the outer walls collapsing and more than 40 percent of the internal structure damaged.

The casualties among the battle group reached 57 percent. Even more fatal was that more than 70 percent of the dead were veterans who had fought in many battles. This caused incalculable damage to the battle group's legacy and combat effectiveness.

The Third Company of the Holy Blood Angels paid a heavy price in the street fighting and final assault in Hera City; of the 107 warriors, 39 fell forever on this land rife with heretics.

The Dark Angels' Deathwing Terminators lost twenty-three elites during their boarding of the Cursed Vision, but compared to their achievements of beheading the enemy commander and capturing the Chaos flagship, this loss was considered an acceptable price to pay by the Legion's high command.

The most alarming casualty figures came from Kamas itself.

The civilian death toll in Hera and the surrounding area is estimated to be over four million, and the planetary defense forces lost more than 80 percent of their units in the early stages of the campaign.

Judge Chen Xi ordered the "final purification" of the contaminated survivors at a critical moment in the battle. Although it was later proven effective in preventing the spread of chaotic contamination behind the defense line during the tactical review, the moral pressure brought about by this decision will linger in the hearts of everyone who knows about it for a long time.

On the seventh standard day after the end of the battle, Lion King Leon El-Jonson received all the senior commanders of the participating forces in the flagship conference hall of the Indomitable Truth.

Inside the spacious hall, deep red, bone white, and dark green power armor were gathered together, and the solemn atmosphere was filled with the lingering scent of gunpowder.

The Lion King sat on his steel throne, his gaze slowly sweeping over each commander present.

"The Blood Angels and the Crimson Crescent Chapter extended a helping hand even when the Baal system was in peril," his voice was steady and powerful, "and the First Legion will forever remember this loyalty and courage."

On the journey ahead, when you need it, the sword of the Dark Angel will surely be wielded for you.

He turned his attention to Leona, who was standing quietly to the side: "Leona's command skills and fearless spirit in this battle were key to the ground battlefield's ability to hold out until the end."

Her value transcends the physical strength of any individual.

Then, the Lion King's tone became even more solemn: "The Battle of Kamas marks the First Legion's official return to the Imperial battlefield. We have proven here that even after slumbering for millennia, the Dark Angels remain the sharpest sword in the Emperor's hand."

He turned to the great mentor Azrael and the inner circle members: "The timely arrival of 'The Rock' fortress proves the initial success of our Legion's reorganization plan. But this is only the beginning."

The destruction of the Thousand-Eyed Warband is just one of countless threats in the galaxy. Chaos, aliens, heretics… the Empire’s enemies have never been so rampant, and the Empire has never needed our strength so much.

The Lion King then issued a series of clear orders: to use the Kamas system as a temporary base to accelerate the integration process of the "Stone" fortress and the various sub-fleets; to dispatch the Ravenwing Force to thoroughly clean up the Kamas sector and wipe out any remaining Chaos forces; to order the technical sergeants to cooperate with the Mechanicus to comprehensively assess the damage to the Crimson Crescent Fortress Monastery and immediately begin repair work; and to assist the planetary government in establishing a preliminary purification and reconstruction system.

"We will rest and regroup in Kamas to replenish our troops and supplies," the Lion King finally announced, his voice filled with unwavering determination. "Then, the Legion will continue its advance. Our next stop will be those star systems that need the First Legion's strength and will even more. This expedition began in Kamas, but it will never end here."

After the meeting, Leona found the Lion King standing alone on the observation deck. Outside the huge observation window, the planet Kamas rotated silently, the traces of war still clearly visible on its surface, while in the distant void, the "Stone" fortress and its escort fleet stood like metallic stars, proclaiming the power of the First Legion's rebirth.

“You’ve done very well, Leona.” The Lion King’s voice was gentler than usual, his eyes, which had seen through millennia of history, fixed on her. “Your growth has even exceeded my expectations.”

Leona bowed slightly: "I was just fulfilling my duty. Without the sacrifice and struggle of every soldier, I alone could not have changed the course of the battle."

The Lion King nodded slowly, his gaze returning to the boundless starry sky: "Duty... yes. Each of us bears different responsibilities. My responsibility is to lead the Legion to restore the glory of the human empire. And you," he paused, his tone becoming deep, "you bear a burden that may be far greater than you can currently comprehend."

He didn't explain further, but Leona could sense the weight of his words. Gazing at the vast starry sky outside the window, she felt no joy of victory, only a heavy sense of responsibility and deep contemplation about the future.

The war in Kamas has subsided, but as the Lion King said, this is only the beginning. In the dark forty-first millennium, war will never end. And the Lion King's return, Leona's appearance, and the reorganized First Legion are destined to unleash a new storm in this despairing galaxy.

(End of this chapter)