This time it was Kanan who was on defense. Chaplain Haldredd unleashed all his fury in the blink of an eye, unleashing all his psychic power on his sword, which caused considerable damage to the blade of Kanan's axe.

The white-haired ork knew he couldn't continue like this. His weapon wouldn't last long before breaking into pieces, and his body was already beginning to experience wear and tear. Even the space marine, with his extra organs to increase his stamina, was beginning to feel the wear and tear on his own body.

The deafening sound of metal colliding again and again tore the patience, as did the cries of war around them that seemed to never end. Kanan and Haldredd only had eyes for their enemy, knowing that if they looked away for just a millisecond, it could be the immediate end for either of them. And among all that display of strength and bloodlust, the breaking point arrived.

An opening. The chaplain saw her immediately. Something ephemeral. When Kanan felt the blade of his ax crack from the edge to the shaft, he couldn't help but want to analyze the damage. Enough time for Haldredd to make his move.

Quick as a flash, the blade of the chaplain's sword found a crack in the ork warlord's once impenetrable defense. Its sharp tip found green flesh, embedding itself in his feet, tearing through his tissues and bruising every bone in its path. Due to the speed of said attack, the chaplain could not land a thrust as powerful as he wanted, but at least he had managed to seriously wound the ork just below the left shoulder.

Kanan experienced the full psychic fury of the Black Templar unleashed within him, using the metal blade of his sword as a catalyst to lash out with powerful electrical discharges into his adversary's body. It was only a second, but the ork could experience firsthand the fury of lightning entering his body.

From a distance, Murrey saw what happened with terror. His eyes showed him the chilling scene of his warlord being hit by his enemy's weapon, while his cry of anger and pain shook that portion of the battlefield.

The warlord's hand felt his body shudder. He felt for the first time the agony and the means of losing his lord, and it was something that infuriated him to the core. Without thinking twice, he ordered everyone present to charge forward, being himself the one who would lead the attack, completely forgetting that the entire central front depended on his decisions. But before his angry eyes, he showed himself somewhat majestic.

Despite feeling the fury of thunder on his body. Despite feeling the pain of how each of his cells quivered erratically before the fury of his opponent's psychic powers, Kanan did not back down.

Haldredd felt terror when he tried to withdraw his sword, and saw how it did not move. When he looked back at his weapon, he saw how the warlord's hand gripped the edge of his blade tightly, even as it made small cuts on his bruised fingers. The chaplain tried once again to retract his weapon from his opponent's shoulder, but it only moved a few centimeters, barely causing small cuts on his opponent's hand. Then, with regret, he saw a shadow rise from the corner of his eye.

By the time Haldredd looked up again, all he could see was the silhouette of his opponent's hand raised with his bruised great ax above his head, and before he could even react, its deadly blade descended at an impossible speed. to see for mortal eyes.

Even with his edge worn down and his blade about to shatter, Kanan unleashed all his fury in one last, deadly blow. The edge of his weapon found the perfect opening between the Astarte's shoulder pad and neck, cracking the metal until it split in two, cutting through the space marine's flesh and bones until stopped by his own lack of strength. Everyone, absolutely everyone, watched in shock as Kanan's ax cut Chaplain Haldredd from the shoulder to the lumbar area of ​​his body.

Had he not been wearing his helmet, Kanan would have been able to see his opponent's shocked face. Had lost. He had been overcome and could already feel the warp beginning to claim his spirit. Haldredd felt pain course through his dying body like he had never felt before as his gaze was dyed red by the blood that his pouch was spitting out and fogging up his visor inside his helmet.

The marine's body fell towards his back, weakened and lacking strength, while with his last breath he could see the contaminated sky of Atem III being stained by the flashes of the broadsides and the volley of death and metal. And above that, the colossal warships that faced each other in the distance of outer space.

Haldredd did not resist his fall. He knew that there was no point in opposing the inevitable, and that he did not have the strength to do such a thing. He simply let himself be carried away by gravity and would wait for his body to hit the ground until he was waiting for his last breath. Even so, he never experienced such an unpleasant sensation.

An unexpected hand cushioned his fall. No longer in the capacity to wonder, Haldredd felt the Ork chieftain's hands behind his back, gently placing him on the rocky, rotting floor of Atem III. And if he hadn't been wearing his corpse mask, Kanan might have watched the chaplain's gaze on him, asking... Why? But he didn't need to see it to know it was there.

Right:-I hope... you can finally find peace... Grumpy Old Man. -

Haldredd felt a shock shake the last fibers of his body that he could still feel, seeing only a blurry shadow between the weakness of his eyes and his visor covered in his own blood, but... somehow... he felt inside him an iota of happiness. He could deny it with all his willpower, but at this point in his exhausted life there was no point in indulging in denial.

Haldred: - Pala... din... of... the Emperor... dor... Kanan... Scott.- And those were his last words... and encouragement.

Hearing those words again left Kanan in a deep state of emotional pain. He remembered his duty as protector of humanity as something that clung to his flesh like hot fathoms marking his body, but he would not hesitate. He knew that... if he really wanted to be true to his vow, he had to complete his crusade. For the past. For the present. And for the future.

Murrey: - Kanan! -

The voice of his subordinate made him return to reality, where he found himself in the middle of the violent wave of massacres around him. The death of Chaplain Haldredd aroused unparalleled rage among his followers, who did everything possible to enter the ranks of their enemies and claim the head of that dirty xeno who ended the life of their admirable lord.

Kanan once again felt the putrid smell of war, the moans and lamentations of the fallen as well as the roar of gunpowder around him. The wound on his shoulder hurt once again, especially when he removed the sharp sword from his already very battered body. Such an act caused him back pain, but it was a necessary evil. It was then that Murrey arrived where he was surrounded by the nobility who were fighting fervently to defend their lord.

Murrey: - Are you okay? -

Kanan: - I am. Do not worry about me. -

Murrey: - Don't move. I'm going to cure it. -

The killer took out different medical equipment, but in such a rush of combat he couldn't heal that big wound. He had to retreat to tend to the warlord away from danger, but he couldn't leave such a hole exposed on the white-maned ork's skin. And with a simple glance around, he had an idea.

In a quick move, Murrey tore the pauldron off Haldredd's corpse and placed it over the warlord's shoulder. Kanan was about to tell him off for this, but given the situation it wasn't a good idea to do so. Furthermore, the matazanoz seemed so focused on his work that it was better not to bother him. When he finished, Kanan's wound was covered in hard Imperial metal, resting on several makeshift bandages that the ork used to try to prevent further blood loss.

Once his work was completed, Murrey ordered to retreat, being covered by the numerous nobles who fought with all their might to keep the swords of the Black Templars away from their lord. They had sworn to give their lives in exchange for his, and this would not be the moment where their conviction was going to fail. By the time Murrey was able to lead Kanan towards the bulk of his troops, away from the battle front, there were barely two hundred Ork nobility left, as most gave their lives to ensure that of their lord. But the problems were only beginning.

Before the terrified eyes of everyone present, and out of sight of any Imperial soldier, a small warp portal had opened right where Kanan was. As if this itself were the axis of the vortex where all the warp energies swirled. And before the astonished gaze of all the orks present, those who were inside the deadly purple miasma disappeared without leaving any trace, leaving behind only a circular void about five hundred meters in diameter. Everyone, absolutely everyone inside, had disappeared.

Meanwhile, away from any gravitational force, the colossal warships continued their fierce combat, but what no one expected was the inconceivable strategy that the orks would use to defeat their opponents.

Official:- Admiral. We have lost several frigates and many cruisers are inoperative. We receive reports that there are orks destroying the ships from the inside. -

Vasilika: -Impossible. As? No Ork nabe has come close enough. Perhaps...? It just can't be. -

But to confirm her fearful doubts, Marshal Werhner contacted her while they were in the middle of combat.

Werhner: - Admiral... Do you receive me?-

Vasilika: - Loud and clear, Marshal. What is the situation? -

Werhner: - There are orks besieging the ship. Thousands of them. The bow sectr is infestedO. -

Vasilika: -What I feared. It was the torpedoes, Marshal. They used them as landing capsules. -

Werhmer: -This confirms the reports. These orcs are not like the ones we have fought before.-

Vasilika: -Marshal. We have lost too many ships. At this rate we will be surpassed in a matter of hours. What are your orders? -

Marshal Werhner took a few seconds to think about it. The situation was critical and time was against them. He remembered Colonel Tairon's words and regretted not listening to his opinion and now they were paying the price. Removing Atem III's troops would take time, but they couldn't leave their own behind. They had to remain firm no matter what the cost.

Although the rest of the black templars fought bravely alongside the ships' militias to eliminate the orks before they caused serious damage to the ship, Warhner remained thinking about the difficulty of the situation. But his calm would be shaken without warning, when a worried Astarte would approach him with terrible news.

Marine: - Marshal. -

Werhner: - What's wrong, soldier? -

Marine: - We got reports from the surface. Chaplain Hardredd has fallen in combat. -