Editing The 13th Black Crusade (section)

===A Reprieve, Not a Victory===

The remaining Nobles of House Raven combined their fire with that of the [[Imperial Fists]] [[Thunderhawk]]s, and soon enough the traitor Titan ''Vessel Damnation'' was reduced to fused and melted slag. At the same time, with the forces of the Cadian 8th and Sororitas of the Martyred Lady in the lead, the traitor filth was finally driven from Kasr Kraf's muster field. When Sergeant Kell replanted the company colors of the regiment back on the Kriegan Gates, Urkanthos himself had fallen, slain at the hands of Celestine and the reborn Canoness Eleanor and Genevieve, and the daemon prince's unholy corpse thrown off the walls.

With the death of the Blackstone Fortress, the spirit of many of the traitors broke, and soon the invaders fled south, hounded by the Ironwolves and the Knights of House Raven. Those who could not flee threw down their arms and begged for mercy, but the defenders would give none, and met their end via sanctified promethium. Countless died in the assault, but despite the victory of the Phalanx, Abaddon's forces still held air superiority. The air space above Cadia Secundus swarmed with drop-ships, who eagerly picked up survivors in preparation for another attack.

Creed himself knew the truth of the matter. This wasn't a victory. They had survived, but he wasn't sure if Cadia's luck could hold for much longer.

Indeed, far above the atmosphere, in the bridge of the ''Vengeful Spirit'' itself, Abaddon mulled this new setback in front of his nervous lieutenants. Cadia was still intact and still defiant, but the Blackstone was now in ruins, its three massive pieces spread across the planet's orbit for kilometers. And while Prozus Ghael, the commander of the ''Will of Eternity'', had somehow survived, he currently wished he didn't. Now he languished in agony under the ministrations of Abaddon's torturers, who would make sure that he would live for a ''long'' time before death was allowed to claim him.

Urkanthos' failure cast a tense shadow over the gathering, and the Despoiler was definitely in a foul mood. No, he would not let another of his lackeys possibly screw things up, oh no, now it was time for Abaddon to handle matters '''personally'''. No more messing around. Win or lose, the commander of the Black Legion would see things through himself.