These Space Marine penetrated the desert sky, landing directly near the capital's walls and important buildings. They quickly cleared the stationed mortal forces, occupied key defensive strongholds, and then turned to offense, transforming the entire city into a fortress.
Abaddon told his subordinates: "Control this place and wait for Horus to lead the great army to persuade his brother. Our mission is to completely destroy Magana's resistance."
Although these Space Marine were well-equipped and tactically perfect, they underestimated Magana's mysterious power and Sarradin's wisdom.
Upon learning of the attack on Istanbul, Sarradin, who was on the front lines, quickly led his army back to reinforce. He ordered his Soldiers to activate an ultimate weapon never before used on the battlefield: the alchemical weapon 'urban magda'.
This was a giant siege weapon crafted from a combination of alchemy and 'Damascus steel' technology, capable of firing an alchemically enhanced explosive warhead whose power was sufficient to breach the strongest fortifications.
When the urban magda was pushed onto the battlefield, its massive cannon body and strange glow deeply shocked both the human Soldiers and the Luna Wolves. Sarradin personally ordered to fire; the cannon spewed dazzling flames, and a huge alchemical shell arced through the sky, directly hitting the city gate.
"Boom!"
Istanbul's city gate was pulverized in the massive explosion, and nearby buildings were also destroyed. Dozens of Abaddon's Space Marine were knocked down by the shockwave of the explosion before they could fully set up their defenses.
Sarradin, brandishing the 'Damascus steel' longsword gifted by the sultan, shouted: "Reclaim our homeland!"
Sarradin led the mortal army into the city, confronting the Luna Wolves Space Marine who were still stubbornly resisting. Although the Space Marine had an overwhelming advantage in physique, combat experience, and equipment, Magana's mortal army compensated for the disadvantage with numbers and fearlessness.
Camel cavalry sped through the ruins, using handheld laser flintlock rifles to kill isolated Space Marine. Alchemists threw specially prepared explosive potions at the Luna Wolves, temporarily weakening their combat effectiveness. The urban magda continued to fire shells, destroying the Luna Wolves' gathering points and forcing them to disperse.
After several hours of street fighting, in the battle within the ruins of the Royal Palace, Sarradin and his Janissaries, using extraordinary swordsmanship and wisdom, attacked Abaddon, eventually capturing him alive with alchemically enhanced chains.
When Abaddon was brought before Sarradin, his eyes blazing with fury, he said: "You are mere mortals! We represent the Emperor and the great Primarch! How can you—"
Sarradin coldly interrupted: "I fight for my people, and you, you fight for a war you did not choose."
When Horus learned of Abaddon's capture, his anger reached its peak. The Emperor was watching all of this, and he had embarrassed himself in front of his father.
As the 'First Son Returned', 'Thirty Years of Solitude', 'Centaur', and 'Golden Ring', Horus experienced the humiliation of defeat for the first time, along with the anxiety of worrying that his father no longer loved him.
Horus ordered the fleet to conduct orbital bombardment. He did not ask the Emperor for permission but unilaterally ordered a devastating strike on Istanbul and its surrounding areas, under the pretext of "clearing resistance forces."
The fires of the orbital bombardment fell like a meteor shower. The entire city was reduced to ruins in flames and explosions. Sarradin's mortal army suffered heavy losses, with less than one in ten surviving, and hundreds of millions of civilians in the capital, Istanbul, were massacred. This slaughter made Sarradin fully understand the ruthless nature of the Imperium.
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