The Heavenly Lion Battle Group had previously committed a company of troops, and also had to undertake combat missions in several other Star Districts. Therefore, although they were nominally committing the entire Battle Group to the battle this time, they could actually only deploy six full-strength companies.
Including the half-company that had been crippled in previous battles, these more than six hundred Astartes were the Heavenly Lion Battle Group's entire contribution to this Expeditionary Force.
Chapter Master Jolandiel had frankly stated at the strategic meeting that this was the maximum force they could spare without affecting the defense of other war zones.
In contrast, the Black Templars had a much more ample troop deployment.
As a Battle Group that did not adhere to the codex astartes, their Expeditionary Force was equivalent to a company-level unit of other Battle Groups, but the actual strength of each Expeditionary Force was far more than a hundred-man company.
For instance, the Expeditionary Force that came to support Alex this time had a formidable strength of eight hundred men, comparable to a full-strength Battle Group.
Moreover, these eight hundred men were all battle-hardened veterans with rich combat experience, and possessed an almost fanatical faith and devotion to the Emperor.
Speaking of the Black Templars, Alex suddenly recalled the Battle Group's special connection to the Imperial Fists.
They originated from the Imperial Fists' Templar Brotherhood during the 30k era.
When Roboute Guilliman implemented the Legion dissolution policy back then, Primarch Rogal Dorn made a far-reaching decision—he ordered Sigismund to gather all the most radical and fanatically devout warriors from the Imperial Fists to form this special Battle Group.
This historical origin also explains why the Black Templars became the most aggressive of Dorn's Sons.
Sigismund led this group of the most fanatical of Dorn's Sons in campaigns for the Imperium for a millennium, until the First Black Crusade, when this legendary warrior met his final destiny.
The aging Sigismund clearly knew that he could no longer confront Abaddon, who had been blessed by the Four Chaos Gods, as he had in his youth.
In their final duel, he resolutely chose to actively meet Abaddon's blade, piercing his archenemy's heart with his black power sword in a mutually destructive strike.
Sigismund's fall caused immeasurable losses to the Black Templars, but his spiritual legacy gave birth to a unique tradition within this Battle Group—the Emperor's Champion system.
The black power sword that pierced Abaddon's heart back then was the famous "Black Sword" of later generations.
It is worth mentioning that Abaddon, uncharacteristically, arranged Sigismund's remains after the battle and solemnly returned the Black Sword and Sigismund's body to the Black Templars.
This legendary weapon was later reforged into ten new Black Swords, each guarded by a different Black Templars' Expeditionary Force.
Whenever the Battle Group faced an insurmountable foe, a warrior would always receive a revelation from the Emperor, realizing his mission to become the Emperor's Champion.
These chosen warriors would don specially crafted black Power Armor and wield the Black Sword in battle.
Although the outcome of these battles often saw these Emperor's Champions perish in the fulfillment of their mission, the vast majority of Black Templars' Emperor's Champions completed their mission.
And unlike champions of other Battle Groups who were simply skilled fighters, the Black Templars' Emperor's Champions truly received revelations and combat enhancements; an Emperor's Champion wielding the Black Sword could even briefly fight Abaddon.
This Expeditionary Force that came to provide support also treasured a Black Sword and its accompanying black armor set.
Although no warrior had yet received a revelation, everyone knew that at the most critical moment, the Battle Group could at any time give birth to a powerful warrior capable of turning the tide of battle.
This also made this Black Templars' Expeditionary Force Alex's most strategically valuable trump card unit.
As for how to command this special unit, Alex made a decision almost without hesitation—to entrust it to Sigismund himself.
This was not only because he was intimately familiar with the Black Templars' combat style, but also because this Battle Group was essentially the unit he had personally led in the past.
In Alex's view, no one understood better than Sigismund how to unleash the maximum combat potential of these fanatical warriors.
If the reinforcements sent by the Imperial Fists this time had no major problems apart from being a bit stubborn, then the two Battle Group reinforcements from the Blood Angels were somewhat... afflicted with a serious illness.
Because the two Battle Groups that arrived were called the Flesh Tearers and the Blood Knights.
(Flesh Tearers)
(Blood Knights)
Among the Blood Angels' successors, these were the two Battle Groups most deeply immersed in the Black Rage and Blood Thirst.
Among them, the Flesh Tearers had already been deeply troubled by the Black Rage even before the Second Founding. Their first Chapter Master, Nassir Amit, the Flesh Tearer, was not only the origin of the Battle Group's name but also a direct manifestation of its combat style.
As early as the Great Crusade Era, Nassir Amit was renowned for his bloody and brutal combat. He and his company had committed numerous cruel massacres and atrocities during the Great Crusade, but the High Lord of Terra at the time only reviewed Nassir's company's combat records and subsequently deemed the casualties within an acceptable range.
After Roboute Guilliman dissolved the Legions, Nassir and his Battle Group made a Death World called Cretacia their home, and identified a primitive tribe on the planet as pure and suitable recruits.
This, to some extent, exacerbated the dire situation faced by the Flesh Tearers, causing them to become increasingly immersed in the influence of the Black Rage.
Few Space Marines in the Battle Group lived past two hundred years; most would eventually fall into the Black Rage and become unable to extricate themselves, which led to the Flesh Tearers Battle Group having far fewer Space Marines than other Battle Groups.
In M41, the Flesh Tearers Battle Group had only four companies of Space Marines capable of combat, relying heavily on new recruits to maintain the Battle Group's continued existence.
But even so, the Space Marines of the Flesh Tearers Battle Group were mostly on the verge of the Black Rage, and the entire Battle Group had a strong self-destructive tendency. They also deduced the fact that if the Black Rage problem could not be solved, the Battle Group would soon perish.
This also made the Flesh Tearers increasingly inclined towards self-destruction; they longed to die in a glorious war to defend the Imperium.
This also made them increasingly despise the Battle Group's past notoriety, and they were trying to use sacrifice to defend the Imperium, thereby washing away the Battle Group's past reputation and allowing the Flesh Tearers Battle Group to leave behind a legacy full of glory and brilliance.
According to the original storyline, the Flesh Tearers Battle Group would have made immense sacrifices during the Defense of Baal, thereby achieving the glory they desired.
But this time, due to the sudden appearance of sanctus wine, the fate of this Battle Group was rewritten; they found a way to free the Battle Group from the Black Rage.
Even if the Battle Group's Gene-Seed degradation problem still existed, and even if the Battle Group's warriors were still prone to falling into the Black Rage, at least the Battle Group could be passed down and would not perish due to the Black Rage problem.
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