Battle of Helsreach - Temple of the Emperor Ascendant: The remnants of the Black Templars Helsreach Crusade -- thirty-five Astartes in total -- chose the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant in the Ecclesiarchy district of Hive Helsreach as their final stand.The temple was the first place of worship erected by the original colonists in Helsreach, and housed a number of sacred relics, including the colonists' charter.The Space Marines met with the Sisters of Battle of the Order of the Argent Shroud whose priory was located in the temple, and with surviving Armageddon Steel Legion units that retreated to the location.In addition, using the temple's short-range vox systems, Grimaldus ordered any Helsreach forces receiving the message to fall back to the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant to make their final stand against the Orks.Ork forces massed and assaulted the temple not long after, carefully approaching the walls that surrounded the cathedral and the massive graveyards surrounding it, only to discover that the bulk of Imperial defenders took up positions throughout the cemetery. As they had for over a solar month, Guardsmen began mowing down the advancing horde with las-fire, the Astartes fighting amongst them engaged in vicious melee.The Human defenders had little chances against the numerically superior Greenskins, and as solar minutes passed they fell back closer to the temple. The Sororitas did not participate in the battle taking place in the graveyards, their task was to guard the cathedral and delay the xenos when they finally reached the doorway.During the fight, however, the Black Templars' Emperor's Champion fell, leaving his sacred wargear in the hands of the Orks. Such sacrilege could not be stomached by the Space Marines, and they fought ever more fiercely to recover it -- with Grimaldus appointing another of his knights as the new Champion.During this time, the Mega-Gargant Godbreaker, which after felling the Stormherald had roamed the city and lent its might in obliterating any remnants of Imperial forces, took course for the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant. Such firepower would obliterate the Imperial defenders in solar minutes as they had no answer to defend against an Ork construct of that size.The only weapon capable of countering the Mega-Gargant was the Ordinatus Armageddon, piloted by Jurisian. The Techmarine was encountered by the Legio Invigilata Titans commanded by Princeps Amasat as they retreated from Helsreach.The Titan crews were shocked by the blasphemy against the Machine God that had been perpetrated by the Astartes, but faced with the choice of either dislodging the offender and risking that the sacred relic be damaged in the process, or escorting him to the hive city, they chose the latter.As mentioned before, the Ordinatus had been awakened improperly by the Space Marine, and because of this most of its systems were inactive, and the Nova Cannon that constituted its main armament could only be made to fire once every twenty solar minutes. Grimaldus ordered Jurisian to not endanger the Ordinatus, and bade him take only one shot with its great weapon once he reached Helsreach, to be aimed at the Godbreaker.Amasat took his god-engine and two 'Warhound-class Titans to protect the blessed weapon, and set forth for Helsreach once more. When they arrived, Amasat decided that the best way to protect the Ordinatus was to offer it a clear shot at the Ork Mega-Gargant.To this end, Amasat ordered the two smaller Titans to protect the weapon and moved to lure the lumbering xenos war machine out. Amasat succeeded in drawing the colossal Mega-Gargant to him, although he died in the process.His sacrifice, however, allowed the Ordinatus Armageddon to fire and obliterate the Godbreaker. Their task complete, the Ordinatus and the Titans finally retreated from Helsreach.This however was merely a boon, not a deliverance, and before long the Black Templars and their Astra Militarum allies found themselves pressed against the gates of the temple, and the Sororitas joined them in the struggle.What remained of the little force defending the holy place was butchered as it was pushed inside the temple. One by one, the Guardsmen, the Sororitas and the Astartes were hacked down by the Orks.Grimaldus was the last surviving Black Templar, and shortly before his final demise, he witnessed the Temple of the Emperor Ascendant collapsing under the stress it had been subjected to during the fighting, thus crushing all the xenos who dared defile its holy ground.