The Steel Tracks Roll Forward

The massive alloy gates stood wide open, broad enough for a Titan to stride through with its head held high.

As the armored vehicles of the Armageddon Steel Legion approached the gates, they immediately received a very enthusiastic welcome from the Ork Boyz.

Under the Astra Militarum's swift assault, the Orks of the Blood Axe Clan decisively abandoned all discipline and tore away their veneer of civilization.

To buy time for the massing Ork armor behind them, the Ork Boyz, led by a newly appeared Ork Boss, laughed wildly. Not a scrap of armor could be seen on them, and the weapons in their hands were nothing more than the crudest choppas and shootas.

The vast metal gateway was packed so tightly by them that the phrase "a sea of people" became a vividly literal description.

This was a raging tide forged from flesh and blood.

Yet the tide that seemed capable of swallowing everything faced another surging torrent, one no less vast than itself—one forged from steel!

Inside his personal Venomblade tank, the Fortress of Arrogance, Yarrick looked through the periscope at the scene outside. His voice remained calm as he raised the interference-resistant communications unit specially provided by Rowan, a product of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

"Fire!"

Upon receiving the order, the steel beasts leading the column immediately roared with excitement.

The two Vulcan Mega-Bolters mounted on the front of the Storm Lord began to spin at once, spewing long tongues of flame as heavy bolts rained into the Ork horde like a storm.

These armor-piercing heavy bolts, powerful enough to tear apart light vehicles like paper, effortlessly punched through the Orks' dense muscles, blasting grotesque holes through their bodies.

And that was not all. After piercing one Ork, the terrifying kinetic force carried the bolt onward, punching through the next, then the next, then another... only stopping once its momentum had finally been spent.

Blood and chunks of flesh exploded outward and scattered across the ground. The savage hail of fire tore every Ork Boy before them into pieces.

Then the other armored vehicles designed specifically for anti-infantry combat refused to be outdone, freely displaying the wrath of the Omnissiah upon those Orks foolish enough to stand in their way.

The Hellhounds' promethium sprayers belched scorching flames, turning great swathes of Orks into charred husks. The Leman Russ Executioners fired dazzling plasma, precisely picking off elite individuals hidden among the Ork mobs who posed a threat to armored tanks.

The Hydra crews also lowered their four linked anti-aircraft guns flat. Machine Spirits specially tuned by Rowan howled with excitement as high-explosive shells blossomed amid the Ork horde, spraying bloody flowers in every direction.

The Venomblade tank, deliberately positioned by Yarrick in the center and serving as the all-purpose workhorse among the Super-heavy Tanks, also opened fire. Its eleven guns of various types tore apart every enemy in front of it.

The armor rolled onward, its Adamantium tracks crushing the lifeless Ork corpses beneath them without a shred of emotion.

Rumble, rumble, rumble...

Once he confirmed that every obstacle had been cleared, Yarrick raised the command vox again and reported to all tanks:

"Enemy cleared. I repeat, enemy cleared! Our route is unobstructed, unobstructed!"

"Armageddon Steel Legion, 252nd Regiment, advance!"

Following the original plan, large numbers of Sentinel walkers, which had been carefully shielded behind the Super-heavy Tanks during the charge, strode forward on mechanical legs and moved to the front to begin scouting ahead.

Several Tankbustas hiding in blind spots beyond the tanks' line of sight, intending to launch a sneak attack, were swiftly flushed out and eliminated with Autocannons and plasma.

"The area is secure. Prepare to advance."

With the reconnaissance Sentinels' report, the steel tracks rolled onward.

After entering the Hive City, this torrent of steel immediately sped forward along the main avenue.

Their objective was simple.

To fulfill Rowan's request to decapitate the Ork Warboss, Yarrick began considering how to force that enemy to reveal himself on the battlefield.

Naturally, with Yarrick's lifetime of military experience, he quickly came up with a solution.

That was, not to bother with anything!

Ignore everything, drive straight in, and crush every bit of resistance they encountered.

Once the Armageddon Steel Legion charged all the way to this Hive City's Void Shield generator, they would see whether the enemy panicked or not!

And the Ork Warboss, Hakk'ar Bloodaxe, was clearly truly panicking.

"Damn it! A bunch of useless gits! Were those lot eating for free? How could they not even stop this?"

Inside the command room, Hakk'ar clenched his fist and slammed it heavily into a wooden table in the room.

The messenger beside him shuddered at his leader's action, but that immediately drew Hakk'ar's attention.

"You, pay attention! Keep quiet and listen to my micromanagement!"

"Get them to mobilize all the troops! Ignore those ugly gits still biting each other at the artillery positions. Bring all the Boyz over to reinforce the Old Tower Street area and establish fortified positions!"

"Then send the Speed Freeks Company to Old Tower Street too! Ain't they always howling about hunting big targets? Let 'em act according to the situation!"

"Order the Steel Armor Company to assemble immediately and await my command to counterattack!"

After rattling off a barrage of unit designations, he finally stopped, his mouth dry from talking.

Convinced that he had made perfect arrangements, Hakk'ar waved his hand and ordered the Ork messenger to get out and deliver the commands at once.

Then he turned toward the Big Mek standing on the other side, his eyes bloodshot.

"Well? Is that secret weapon you mentioned ready yet?"

"It's ready, Boss!"

Thinking of how he had been humiliated for misjudging Shrimp's armored forces, and fearing that one dissatisfied word from the boss might cost him his life, the Great Mekboy nodded at once, meek as a quail.

However, out of caution, he still carefully reminded him.

"It's just... since we didn't find suitable materials, that secret weapon might not be very stable."

"Don't need it!"

Hakk'ar cut him off through gritted teeth. "Because Gork and Mork are watching me, and all the Ork boyz will be watching me! Our victory is certain!"

"I order you to go paint the brightest, reddest, most eye-searing patterns on that thing right now! I want to crush these Shrimp in front of every Ork boy!"