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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→Last Stand
The first ground combat between loyalist and traitor saw Angron and his berserkers charge headlong into a bunker complex defended by some 2,000 loyal World Eaters under Ehrlen. Both sides succumbed to their [[Butcher's Nails]] and the battle soon erupted into a chaotic melee. During the fighting, Ehrlen was overcome by dozens of his former brothers and torn apart.{{Fn|1b}}{{Fn|1l}} Nearby in the remains of the Choral City plaza, 7,000 World Eaters butchered one another in a frenzy of violence. But Angron was an avatar of carnage, and the Primarch's presence allowed the Traitors to emerge victorious at unexpectedly heavy cost. Perhaps surprisingly, Angron seemed pleased with the contest that had erupted and is said to have yelled "It is well done!" before moving on in search of new foes to butcher.{{Fn|1l}}
With destroying Isstvan from orbit no longer an option and knowing Angron needed support against the surviving loyalists, Horus had no choice but to launch his armies back upon the surface of Isstvan III for a protracted struggle. The Emperor's Children under Eidolon were the next to deploy, landing near the scorched remains of the Precentor Palace and meeting fierce resistance from Tarvitz's loyalist Emperor's Children. Instead of finding confused survivors, the traitors encountered skilled and determined resistance and were forced to retreat, leaving dozens of damaged or destroyed vehicles in their wake. The rechristened Luna Wolves under Loken and Torgaddon launched a series of successful hit-and-run ambushes that decimated their traitorous brothers.{{Fn|1m}} The traitors next tried to use their air superiority to their advantage, but gunships and aircraft were vulnerable to ground fire and many loyalists would simply wait in hiding for them to pass on. Remaining loyalists were present even in the traitor fleet, as demonstrated when the Sons of Horus [[Strike Cruiser]] ''Minotaur'' was destroyed when a [[Storm Eagle]] unleashed its payload inside its hangar bay, its crew broadcasting "avenger avenge the blood of Terra!" before choosing suicide over treachery. While Horus had succeeded in the initial phase of his plan to separate his traitorous Legions from their loyalist elements, the entire campaign soon spiraled into a disaster.{{Fn|1l}}
In the ensuing months of bitter fighting, the defenders made the traitors pay for every piece of ground gained. Eidolon launched multiple attacks upon the Precentor Palace but each time was beaten back by Tarvitz and his Emperor's Children. The [[Venerable Dreadnought]] [[Rylanor]] fought alongside Tarvitz, gaining infamy in the battles. Many times Rylanor was thought destroyed, only to always rise again and reap carnage upon the enemy.{{Fn|1m}} In one engagement, Eidolon forced to scurry away after the loss of his [[Chaplain]] [[Charmosian]].{{Fn|2e}} Meanwhile, Loken and Torgaddon continued their strategy of mobile defence, proving too elusive to encircle and pin down. Roving bands of loyal World Eaters continued to harry the traitors, and to the northwest the loyal Death Guard stubbornly fought on in an intact bunker network.{{Fn|1m}}
