2nd Primarch

"Second Company, evacuate immediately! I repeat, Second Company, evacuate immediately! You are already incapable of fighting. Do you want to die by staying there?!"

"Coordinate point 22.22 requesting fire coverage! Repeat, coordinate point 22.22 requesting fire coverage!"

"Your Majesty, praise the great God-Emperor! The expeditionary corps' transport fleet has descended. Reinforcements are coming. We are going to be saved!"

"That's the Ultramarines? There are Dreadnoughts and Knight Titans too!"

The cries of Imperial soldiers echoed through the Astra Militarum communication channels.

Dukel and his guards had completed their mission flawlessly, like an indestructible sword cutting through the battlefield. Wherever they went, the Chaos forces' anti-aircraft railgun positions were obliterated.

A massive transport warship descended from orbit, deploying a barrage of heavy firepower units onto the battlefield.

The Knight Titan, armed with weapons such as laser cannons, howitzers, rotary cannons, and an array of tracking missiles, moved like a walking arsenal, unleashing devastating firepower across the poisoned, miasma-filled battlefield. Tanks rolled out from the landing fleet in orderly succession, while roaring artillery fire provided cover for the advancing forces.

The Ultramarines and Dreadnoughts formed tactical squads, advancing cautiously under a hail of bolter fire and the relentless grind of chainswords. They focused their assault on every Chaos warrior exposed to their line of sight.

Inspired by Dukel, these Ultramarines had joined the expeditionary corps, eager to find their purpose on the battlefield and exact vengeance on the Chaos Warriors who betrayed humanity and desecrated the honor of the Astartes.

The World Purifiers' Plague Army warbands launched a counterattack under the cover of Withering Drones. They unleashed torrents of deadly toxins and chemical weapons, indifferent to the lives of their own forces. The noxious substances penetrated even power armor filtration systems and the gas masks of the Astra Militarum soldiers.

Despite the agonizing effects of the poison, countless soldiers tenaciously charged forward, clutching melta bombs in their final moments. Their sacrifices fueled humanity's burning rage.

Plague zombies, driven as disposable shields, were mercilessly obliterated by Imperial firepower. The anger of the Imperial warriors would not be quenched until every last Chaos force was annihilated.

The expeditionary force's swift and relentless advance forced the Plague Army to retreat from their siege of the Iron Fortress. Their strategy of drawing the Imperial forces into a prolonged war of attrition was collapsing.

Airdrop pods rained down like a deluge. Astra Militarum soldiers, even those poisoned, strapped melta bombs to their bodies and charged into the enemy lines. The Chaos warbands realized too late that their position was untenable. Surrounded and under heavy fire from all directions, their lines crumbled.

The World Purifiers, led by the Forgotten Messenger Gerst, sought to break through the encirclement. Gerst, empowered by blessings rivaling those of a Great Daemon, led his forces in a desperate attempt to escape.

Dukel, having completed his mission to destroy the anti-aircraft railguns, now led his guards back to the fortress. Silent but filled with unyielding determination, they swept aside all Chaos forces in their path.

Gerst's path of escape collided directly with Dukel's approach. The so-called gap in the Imperial encirclement was no coincidence—it was the path chosen by the Primarch himself.

Gerst, aware of Dukel's resurrection and the plans of the Dark Lords, believed he could manipulate the Primarch or provoke him into losing control again.

"Greetings, forgotten emissary of the World Purifiers, Gerst, to the great Second Primarch," Gerst announced, his voice amplified by psychic energy.

Dukel, covering the battlefield like a bolt of lightning, halted just short of decapitating Gerst with his chainsword. Curious, he decided to let the traitor speak.

"Traitor, are you asking for mercy?" Dukel demanded, his voice cold as steel. Towering over his opponent, Dukel was an imposing figure, even compared to the Chaos-warped Gerst.

"You once walked the righteous path, Primarch," Gerst began, gripping his weapon tightly. "You swung your sword against the False Emperor. Why have you betrayed yourself? The true traitor is you, blinded once more by the lies of the False Emperor."

Dukel's face darkened as Gerst continued. To mention the Primarch's own fall, the chaos it wrought, and his eventual redemption was to strike at the deepest scars of his past.

"Are you done?" Dukel interrupted, his tone sharp as a blade.

Gerst attempted to speak again, but Dukel silenced him with action. "Just die already!"

The chainsword blazed with furious energy as Dukel struck. Gerst, despite his blessings, was overwhelmed. His weapon was shattered in an instant, and Dukel threw him to the ground, pinning him like a mountain crushing a mere insect.

The Forgotten Messenger's desperate resistance ended as Dukel's grenade launcher roared at point-blank range, burning with the fire of righteous fury. When the ammunition was spent, Dukel discarded the weapon and crushed Gerst's head with his bare hand, snuffing out his life.

"This grenade launcher is disappointing," Dukel muttered, standing over the lifeless body.

The battlefield fell silent, the surrounding forces—Imperial and Chaos alike—awestruck by the sheer power and rage of the Primarch.