"Huff... huff..."
The human forces sergeant's breathing was rapid and heavy, each inhalation seemingly accompanied by a faint sting of pain.
His heart and lungs had been severely damaged in the previous battle, and even though his Astartes physiology was operating in overdrive, it was barely enough to maintain his current state.
To fully recover and return to peak condition, he would need the comprehensive treatment of an Apothecary brother, followed by specialized care and monitoring with precision instruments.
At this moment, he was crouched in the corner of the cramped storage room, with a dozen trembling children behind him.
The sergeant glanced down at the chainsword in his hand, the dried blood on its blade a testament to the fierce fighting that had taken place.
He had retreated here not out of cowardice, but out of necessity.
Not long ago, he had led three tactical squads, along with the 2nd Assault Squad leader Rylano and other brothers, to hold this commercial district alongside approximately twenty thousand auxiliary troops, ODSTs, and elite veterans.
At that time, their goal had been clear: to hold their ground and buy as much time as possible for the civilians to evacuate.
However, the onslaught of Chaos had been far more ferocious than anticipated.
The arrival of the main force of the Sons of the Emperor had quickly intensified the pressure on their defenses.
These fallen Chaos minions were not only stronger and faster than before, but their combat methods were also imbued with an indescribable blasphemy.
As the main force of the Sons of the Emperor advanced, wave after wave of Chaos creatures and heretics launched frenzied attacks, pushing the defensive line to the brink of collapse.
The most critical turning point was the appearance of the "Daemon Primarch" in the drone's aerial view.
Its massive frame, wielding a curved sword-like weapon, was surrounded by an eerie glow of deep purple and crimson, exuding an aura of evil that seemed to mock the fragility of humanity.
Everyone knew that if such a being breached their defenses, it would mean utter destruction.
Thus, they were forced to consolidate their positions, attempting to gather their remaining strength and wait for the arrival of the Primarch and the main force to launch a counterattack.
To their relief, thanks to the desperate efforts of countless brothers, most of the civilians had successfully evacuated to safer areas.
The sergeant had personally witnessed the tearful expressions of gratitude on the faces of those civilians as they fled behind the defensive lines, and this was one of the key reasons he had held on for so long.
But retreat always came at a cost.
To ensure the survival of as many people as possible, the sergeant had personally led three tactical squads and nearly a thousand auxiliary troops to cover the retreat.
They knew full well that this decision was tantamount to facing death head-on, but they had accepted the order without hesitation.
The three tactical squads and the thousand-strong auxiliary force were gradually swallowed up by the enemy's tide. The sergeant watched as many familiar faces fell, with no chance to even recover their bodies.
In the end, after several rounds of desperate fighting and at the cost of half the brothers and auxiliary troops, they finally managed to retreat to the more secure rear positions.
But at the most critical moment, the sergeant's sharp eyes caught a glimpse of something unusual at the main entrance on the west side of the shopping mall.
With his enhanced vision and the various augmentation modes on his helmet display, he quickly zoomed in and saw what the movement was.
It wasn't Chaos creatures or Sons of the Emperor—it was a group of children, no older than eleven or twelve.
They were wearing school uniforms stained with dust and debris, their faces filled with fear and helplessness as they huddled in a corner of the entrance.
It seemed that these children, in the chaos and panic of the initial invasion, had not followed the main evacuation and had instead become trapped in this now-hellish area, missing their best chance to escape.
Stranded in the mall, they were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered, at risk of becoming "playthings" for the Sons of the Emperor or sacrifices in Chaos rituals.
The urgency of the situation forced the sergeant to quickly weigh his options.
He was faced with two starkly different choices.
The first was to stick to the original plan.
According to the retreat plan, the sergeant and his tactical squads, along with the remaining auxiliary troops, could safely withdraw from the area, preserving their strength and building up resources for the upcoming counterattack.
This choice was undoubtedly rational and the most beneficial for the overall situation.
After all, as an Astartes, he knew that meaningless sacrifices would only worsen the situation.
The second option was to go against the tide and attempt a rescue.
Choosing this path meant abandoning the planned retreat route and actively charging into the Chaos-occupied area to try to save these helpless children.
However, this choice almost certainly meant paying a heavy price. It was unlikely that even his own squad and the auxiliary troops would make it out unscathed, let alone the children, who might not survive the Chaos onslaught.
But for the sergeant, there was no hesitation in this decision.
「Rescue those children.」
Almost the moment he saw them, the sergeant issued the order over the comms.
There was not a hint of hesitation or retreat in his voice.
The sergeant's decision was like a rallying cry of faith, quickly transmitted to every brother and auxiliary soldier.
And whether it was the Astartes brothers beside him or the "mortal" auxiliary soldiers, no one questioned or resisted the order upon hearing it.
Even though everyone understood that this order was essentially asking them to fight to the death, no one chose to retreat.
Thus, the remaining members of the tactical squads and the auxiliary troops quickly split into multiple groups and launched a decisive charge toward the Chaos-occupied area.
Their goal was clear: to create as much noise and chaos as possible to draw the attention of the Sons of the Emperor and their minions, giving the sergeant and two other human forces soldiers a chance to break through the blockade and rescue the children.
As they charged, the outskirts of the mall erupted with the sounds of intense fighting.
The roar of gunfire mixed with the thunder of explosions, completely shattering the previously oppressive silence.
The human forces and auxiliary troops, charging in reverse, turned every shot and every advance into a heroic battle hymn, carving a path of hope through the Chaos tide.
Regardless of the final outcome, the human forces had already demonstrated what selflessness and sacrifice truly meant.
Their will was as unyielding as steel, refusing to let those children become sacrifices to Chaos, standing in stark contrast to the depravity and madness of the Sons of the Emperor.
Faced with the fearless charge of the human forces and auxiliary troops, the ten-thousand-year veterans of the Sons of the Emperor were momentarily stunned.
A few seconds might seem insignificant, but for an Astartes, it was enough to recall countless events from their long history.
These Chaos Astartes, in their long years of blasphemy and corruption, had witnessed countless acts of desperate resistance.
However, the selfless and fearless sacrifice of the human forces and auxiliary troops seemed to stir something deep within their corrupted souls.
For a brief moment, these fallen warriors seemed to recall the glory and loyalty they had once known, back when they bore the title "Sons of the Emperor" and fought against countless xenos threats.
But a few seconds of "stunned silence" was an unforgivable mistake for an Astartes.
These corrupted veterans quickly shook off the fog of memory and launched a fierce and blasphemous counterattack.
Ssshh—!
A corrupted chainsword blade sliced through the air, tearing an auxiliary soldier in half, armor and all.
Boom—! Crash—!
A heavy "sonic cannon" blast shattered a human forces energy shield and tore apart their Titan-pattern power armor, sending blood and oil spraying in all directions.
Ssshh—! Crunch—!
A Terminator-clad ten-thousand-year veteran, with unimaginable strength, wrenched a human forces soldier's head from his spine, blood gushing forth.
The brutal battle quickly turned into a one-sided slaughter.
Despite the unprecedented bravery of the tactical squads and auxiliary troops, they were no match for these battle-hardened veterans enhanced by Chaos.
In the end, the charging tactical squads and over a hundred auxiliary troops were almost completely wiped out, their blood staining the broken walls and ruins of the mall.
But surprisingly, these ten-thousand-year veterans did not choose to torture, defile, or desecrate the surviving soldiers. Instead, they gave them a swift and clean death.
This was not out of mercy, but because they saw the soldiers' resilience and determination as worthy of respect.
It was the fearless sacrifice of these brothers and auxiliary troops that bought the sergeant and two other human forces soldiers precious time.
With their expert tactics and unyielding will, they finally broke through the Sons of the Emperor's blockade and reached the main entrance on the west side of the mall, reuniting with the terrified children.
But the challenges they faced were even more severe.
As the Chaos forces continued to gather on the battlefield, the corrupting power of the Warp was seeping into reality at an alarming rate.
The boundaries of space became blurred, and thick black mist and twisted energies filled the air above the mall, completely cutting off the sergeant's communications with the outside world.
They tried to contact the 2nd Assault Squad, but no response came.
The spread of Chaos's influence made all possibilities of escape vanish.
The sergeant and his two brothers quickly realized that the hope of evacuating these children through the main entrance was gone.
They were completely isolated, and the squad leader and brothers outside believed that the covering force had been completely wiped out, listing them among the fallen.
Faced with this hopeless situation, the sergeant and the two human forces soldiers showed no signs of retreat or despair.
They did not choose to give up, but instead made a firm decision to protect these innocent children and retreat deeper into the mall.
Gunfire echoed continuously inside the mall as the sergeant and his two brothers formed a protective barrier, keeping their distance from the pursuing Sons of the Emperor.
While covering the children's retreat to a safer area, they used their dwindling ammunition and close-combat weapons to desperately resist the encroaching "darkness" and "blasphemy."
But even though the sergeant and his two brothers were fearless and heroic, they could not withstand the overwhelming numbers of the Sons of the Emperor, heretics, and Chaos creatures.
Every second was a race against time, and every move was made under extreme pressure.
In just moments, they each sustained different injuries, surviving only by luck and chance.
Moreover, their equipment was nearly destroyed, and their ammunition was almost exhausted.
Faced with this dire situation, the two brothers knew that if they continued like this, none of the children would survive.
The final choice left no room for hesitation.
To buy more time for the children, the two brothers chose to launch a final assault on the first floor of the mall, where the Sons of the Emperor were concentrated.
They poured all their strength into every attack, pushing themselves to their limits.
As the two brothers overloaded the cold fusion reactors in their power packs, a massive explosion shook the entire mall.
The blast not only destroyed part of the mall's structure but also turned countless Chaos cultists, Sons of the Emperor, and surrounding heretical creatures into ash.
The shockwave tore through the air and shook the ground, while the flames consumed everything around them, also obscuring the vision of the Sons of the Emperor.
Taking advantage of the brief chaos caused by the explosion, the heavily wounded sergeant led the children quickly toward the parking lot.
Even though they had found temporary refuge in the storage room, it was only a temporary shelter.
As the shockwave subsided, the ten-thousand-year veterans left the mall, seemingly losing interest in the children and the sergeant.
But the Chaos creatures, heretics, and some "new recruits" remained relentless, determined to continue their defilement and sacrifices.
Driven by corruption and madness, they continued to prowl the area.
Among them, three experienced Sons of the Emperor, with their keen senses and battlefield expertise, quickly pinpointed the parking lot and headed straight for the storage room.
"..."
The hoarse, blasphemous voices outside, mixed with nasal-toned mockery and arrogance, made the atmosphere inside the storage room even more oppressive and despairing.
Every word was like a dagger piercing the children's hearts, filling them with extreme fear.
These children, still in their school uniforms, had tear-streaked faces and eyes filled with despair, but they forced themselves to hold back their emotions.
No one dared to make a sound, not even a sob, as they knew that even the slightest noise could reveal their location.
At this moment, they understood that absolute silence was their only hope for survival, no matter how slim, and it also prevented them from interfering with the sergeant's judgment.
The sergeant's chest heaved heavily, his labored breathing filled with undeniable exhaustion and pain.
The agony from his penetrating wound made it almost impossible for him to move, but his gaze remained resolute, without a trace of retreat or despair.
He knew his body was nearing its limit, every drop of sweat reminding him that "the end was near."
Even so, the sergeant forced himself to stay calm, gripping his chainsword and shock dagger tightly.
These were his only remaining weapons, the last line of defense for these children.
He knew that if he fell, these helpless children would have no chance of survival.
They would become sacrifices for the Sons of the Emperor to trample upon, subjected to unspeakable defilement and torture—an outcome he could never accept.
'Emperor... at least let me go before them, let me make one final contribution to humanity, to the Imperium...'
He murmured in his heart, as if making a final vow to himself.
His gaze swept over the innocent faces of the children, his heart filled with complex emotions—
Compassion, pain, and endless rage.
Even though death was inevitable, the sergeant was prepared to take the enemy down with him, to buy these children even the slimmest chance of survival.
Unbeknownst to him, a faint "golden light" began to shimmer in his eyes...
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]