For the Battle-Sisters, the purification of the temple was nearly complete. Now, only one final step remained...
"So, you're saying I just need to reinstall this bell?"
Standing atop the bell tower and looking at the enormous bell before him, Duanmu Huai asked the question. Hearing this, the Battle-Sister nodded.
"That's right. The next step is to let the bell ring once more across all of Mordheim, so that Sigmar's protection can return to this cursed city. The bell has already been fully purified. Now the only thing left is to hang it back up. But..."
It was no surprise they turned to Duanmu Huai for help. Though this bell wasn't quite as large as the ones monks strike all day in monasteries, it was still far too heavy for a normal person to lift. Only someone like Duanmu Huai could possibly manage it.
To him, this was a trivial task. But... should he actually do it?
Duanmu Huai glanced around. The Battle-Sisters were waiting quietly, and the Empire captain was grinning at him.
"We're counting on you, Iron Knight. I doubt this would be hard for you, right?"
...What an idiot.
Duanmu Huai ignored the captain and shifted his gaze to the Witch Hunter. The man noticed Duanmu Huai's look, paused for a moment, then silently gave a small nod.
"Alright, leave it to me."
Without saying anything further, Duanmu Huai reached out, grabbed the large bronze bell in front of him, lifted it with ease, and hung it back onto the tower frame.
Then, three Battle-Sisters approached and knelt in a circle beneath the bell, murmuring soft prayers. As their voices echoed, the bell began to glow faintly with a golden light. Seeing this, Duanmu Huai stepped back and gripped his warhammer tightly. At the same time, he saw the Witch Hunter lower his hands to his waist, fingers resting lightly on the hilt of his sword, eyes unblinking as he watched the Battle-Sisters.
Only the Empire captain remained oblivious, staring at the scene in nervous anticipation.
Finally, as the prayers reached their crescendo, the bell's glow intensified and then...
CLANG—!
The deep, sonorous chime rang out, reverberating across the skies above Mordheim. For a brief moment, everyone saw golden ripples emanate from the bell, spreading outward like waves. Even the oppressive, gloomy atmosphere surrounding them seemed to thin.
CLANG———!
The second chime sounded, louder than the first. As it echoed, the corrupted growths and twisted Chaos filth that had clung to the temple's outer walls began to retreat, melting away like snow under sunlight.
CLANG—————!
With the third ring, even the thick clouds that had long loomed over Mordheim seemed to tremble. A shaft of sunlight pierced the heavens like a divine blade, illuminating the temple below. Though it only lasted a moment, everyone could feel it—this temple was no longer what it had once been.
When the ceremony ended, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. The Empire captain immediately dispatched messengers to report to General Pasteur in the rear. Upon receiving the news, Pasteur too let out a long sigh. After all, they were preparing for a prolonged campaign in this cursed city, and without the protection of the gods, the operation might've failed before it even began.
But now, with the temple reclaimed and Sigmar's light restored, this was a victory well worth celebrating.
However, now wasn't the time to open the champagne. The renewed radiance of the Temple of Sigmar would inevitably draw the attention of the other hidden forces lurking in Mordheim. In fact, one could say that the reactivated Temple of Sigmar had become a block of cheese in a rat's nest—everyone would want a bite.
Thus, Pasteur immediately dispatched troops to open a secure route to the temple, so more soldiers could enter and fortify it. At the same time, he ordered the three current warbands to defend the temple with everything they had until reinforcements arrived.
In truth, he didn't need to say it. Everyone already understood what had to be done.
Though Sigmar's blessing was potent and glorious, the massive commotion it caused could be seen by anyone with eyes. For the factions entrenched in Mordheim, the revival of Sigmar's temple was exactly what they didn't want. It was only a matter of time before they launched another offensive to destroy this threat.
The Chaos cultists had just been defeated, so they likely wouldn't have the manpower to spare for now. Necromancers and vampires, being naturally repelled by Sigmar's presence, wouldn't dare approach recklessly either. But that didn't mean there weren't fools itching to die—like a certain species that loved to dig tunnels, bred like cockroaches, had no regard for casualties, and were sneaky and disgusting to boot—Skaven.
"I'm so sick of these damned rats!"
Duanmu Huai swung his warhammer with force, smashing a dozen Skaven into bloody paste. But it wasn't enough. Not long after the temple came back to life, these damned vermin had caught the scent and came swarming like lunatics, launching a frenzied assault.
The warbands guarding the temple were quickly thrown into a tough spot.
The towering temple walls were no defense against the Skaven—these rodents were experts at climbing and scaling. Worse yet, Duanmu Huai had very "generously" smashed the front gates to bits during the last battle. The consequences had come back to bite them—now the roles were reversed, and they were experiencing the same miserable defense the Chaos cultists had suffered before.
Sigmar's blessing didn't have much effect on Skaven. Worse still, these rats were cunning. They hid in the surrounding ruins and launched sneak attacks whenever Duanmu Huai and the others let their guard down. It was maddening.
Clearly, this called for something drastic.
After smashing another group of rats into meat paste, Duanmu Huai stepped back. By now, he was soaked in blood, his power armor covered in chunks of fur and gore. Lorena had taken some hits during the battle and was now helping hold the line under Olgis's protection. Melody was stationed atop the temple roof, sniping Skaven one by one—but her rifle wasn't a gatling gun, and it couldn't keep up with their sheer numbers.
Only Fia was having the time of her life at the front lines. She weaved through the rat horde like a specter, cutting down waves of them wherever she passed. She wasn't afraid of death—couldn't die—and just kept killing without hesitation.
But even that wasn't enough.
The other two warbands were still fighting hard. Though Sigmar's blessing kept everyone from getting too fatigued, if this continued, they'd soon suffer the same fate as the Chaos cultists.
In that case, don't blame me for going all out.
Duanmu Huai looked at the infuriating swarm of rodents, his expression hardening. As he swung his warhammer, he quickly activated his communicator.
"Mia, do you read?"
"Yes, Master. What are your orders?"
Mia's relaxed voice crackled in his ear.
"Load the [Hellstrike Missiles]. Prepare for aerial bombardment. I want these beasts blown to hell!"
"Understood~~!"
(End of Chapter)