Imperium push into West Praxis

At the beginning of 12.018M42 the imperium began its operation to capture the centre of Praxis. Konev had already surrounded the city but now made a concerted push against the defenders of the city itself. First Konev had to deal with the remaining Federal forces on his right flank. In order to deal with the Librian Guard, the Imperium deployed the Last of Sycorax and their super heavy tanks, despite the closeness of the terrain in the city ruins. 

The Librians were deployed in the ruins supported by artillery and Leman Russ battle tanks. Horrified at the sudden appearance of the lumbering imperial behemoths the Librian commander in the field desperately requested air cover from Kuwalski, but there was no time. A baneblade and a Shadowsword led the Sycorax advance, and within minutes two Leman Russ has been picked off and their infantry support annihilated by heavy Bolter fire. The Librians then launched a counter attack with their hellhounds and remaining Russ. However the flame tanks missed their mark, failing to strike a decisive blow against the Sycorax infantry. Worse, the combined fire of the federal elite plasma tanks and artillery barely scratch the imperial vehicles, and the monstrous war engines continued their orgy of destruction. One after another Librian tanks were silenced, left as burning wrecks with their turrets torn off by weapons designed to destroy titans. Some were flipped over by Volcano Cannon fire, but the manner of their demise was irrelevant. By 02.018M42 the Librians were in full retreat having lost all their remaining vehicles, unable to significantly dent the super heavies. 

With the Federacy broken, Konev turned his eyes to the centre of the city, only to find the militia of the imperial cult had already got their. Led by maniacal preachers, the religious zealots had massacred the Black Legion and taken the centre of Praxis, defeating the Sisters of Quartz in the process. The device chamber was now in the hands of the imperium, but now Konev had little idea of what to do next.