On the surface of Kharkov, the Imperial Army's positions were advancing outwards at a slow but steady pace.
Armored units moved forward cautiously under artillery cover, while infantry advanced carefully, utilizing cover.
With each successful assault, the Imperial double-headed eagle banner was planted on new positions, symbolizing the expansion of human forces on this battlefield.
The banners flapped in the smoke of battle, providing a brief encouragement to the weary warriors.
However, this expansion also brought new challenges—each newly occupied area required the deployment of troops for garrison, which further dispersed the already stretched forces.
Requests for reinforcements from various unit Commanders constantly came through the communication channels, and the logistics department was scrambling to allocate limited resources.
As the battle continued to drag on, the situation faced by Sigismund and Loken became increasingly grim.
Frontline reports indicated that the Necrons were intensifying their attacks, and with the Imperial forces spread thin, the pressure on all defensive lines sharply increased.
After repeatedly weighing the pros and cons, the two Commanders had no choice but to commit the Blood Knights and Flesh Tearers chapters to the battlefield.
Although they harbored concerns about the Blood Knights and Flesh Tearers chapters, dwindling ammunition reserves and escalating casualty figures urged them to make a decision.
"We have no choice," Sigismund said to Loken.
—
Although the Imperium had deployed over a thousand elite Astartes Monks to the planet's surface, these forces still seemed insufficient against the Necrons' relentless offensive.
The metal skeletons appeared endless; as soon as one batch was shattered, a new one immediately surged forward, their green Gauss Weapons tracing deadly trajectories across the battlefield.
Urgent calls for assistance continuously came from all frontlines, and on the command post's holographic tactical map, red markers indicating urgent need for support densely covered the entire war zone.
Staff officers frantically updated the data, each flicker signifying another defensive line in distress.
Out of caution, Sigismund and Loken only deployed two companies from each of these two chapters, and had Ventanus, who was responsible for ground command, position them on the flanks of the battlefield in defensive positions.
Ventanus, aware of the situation regarding these two chapters, personally ordered an adjustment to the defensive line, ensuring that these two chapters maintained an appropriate distance from other units.
This arrangement not only alleviated pressure on the front line but also avoided placing these two chapters in critical positions that might cause problems.
Although the flanks would also face enemy attacks, the intensity of the fighting was relatively controllable and would not be the main direction of the enemy's assault.
However, despite the headaches these three Commanders felt, for the warriors of the Blood Knights and Flesh Tearers, they finally welcomed the battle they had long craved.
Although they were deliberately deployed on the flanks, away from the main assault, the intensity of the battle still far exceeded expectations.
The Necrons' metallic torrent and the Astartes Monks' iron will collided on this scorched earth, producing the most tragic sparks.
The Blood Knights' crimson Power Armor stood out on the dim battlefield, their tactical style bloody and ferocious.
Two companies of Blood Knights launched their assault in assault squad formations, piercing the Necron lines like a crimson dagger.
In close-quarters charges, the Blood Knights displayed terrifying skill.
Wielding roaring Chainsword, their jump packs spewed scorching exhaust, allowing these Angels of Death to tear through the battlefield at astonishing speed.
One Blood Knight warrior leaped fiercely during a charge, his Power Armor and Space Marine's superhuman physique momentarily suspending him in mid-air, then he swung his power sword, cleaving a Necron Destroyer from head to toe.
Metallic fragments and energy sparks rained down, illuminating his gruesome face revealed beneath his shattered helmet.
As the battle continued, some Blood Knight warriors began to show signs of the Blood Thirst, a trait unique to the sons of Sanguinius.
Their breathing became heavy, and their Power Armor's monitoring systems issued warnings, yet the movements of these Angels of Death became even more frenzied.
An assault squad of Astartes completely abandoned defensive postures, their Chainsword blurring as they swung, seeking only to utterly destroy the xenos before them.
The Flesh Tearers' combat style was even more extreme.
Because they already planned to die in atonement, the Flesh Tearers had not consumed sanctus wine before departing, which led many of them to exhibit a certain degree of emotional instability.
While this brought danger, it also showcased the terrifying combat prowess of Sanguinius's sons.
Their chain weapons played a symphony of death on the battlefield, the screeching of serrated teeth tearing through metal mixing with the roars of Sanguinius's sons.
A Flesh Tearers company champion spun and slashed through the enemy ranks, his dual master-crafted Chainsword shredding the metallic bodies of seven Necron warriors, scattering broken living metal everywhere.
However, the constantly flashing injury warnings on his helmet display indicated he was severely wounded, yet he completely ignored them.
Most shocking was the self-destructive behavior displayed by the Flesh Tearers; a severely wounded Flesh Tearers veteran, after being impaled through the chest by a Gauss beam, still used his last strength to lunge at a Necron Destroyer.
He detonated the Thermo-meltdown bomb on his body, achieving his final redemption in a blinding white flash.
The Necrons quickly sensed the pressure on their flanks and began to mobilize elite units for a counterattack.
More Necron forces were teleported to the planet's surface and launched fierce assaults from all directions against the Imperial positions, their Gauss Weapons weaving a deadly net of death.
A Doomstalker opened fire from a distance, its green energy beam sweeping across the battlefield, instantly vaporizing three Blood Knight warriors in its light.
But how could the Astartes be so easily dealt with? The Blood Knights and Flesh Tearers, with an almost suicidal attack posture, forcefully pushed back the Necrons' powerful offensive.
When the battle ended, the flank battlefield had become a metallic graveyard.
The Blood Knights lost nearly a third of their warriors, and the Flesh Tearers suffered even more devastating casualties.
But unsettlingly, many warriors continued to wander the battlefield after the fighting ended, their weapons still humming, as if ready to continue this eternal slaughter at any moment.
Apothecaries had to use sanctus wine mixed with sedatives to disengage some warriors from combat.
Sigismund remained silent for a long time as he reviewed the battle report, his Power Armor-clad finger lingering on the data slate for a long time before he finally wrote down a heavy comment: "They proved their loyalty with blood, but the cost… was too high."
On the last page of the battle report were two battlefield photos: a Blood Knights battle standard planted on the remains of a Necron Lord, and a Flesh Tearers shoulder pad melted by a Gauss Weapon, its half-destroyed chapter emblem still clearly visible.
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