Standing before Yarrick was not a fellow soldier, but a man dressed as an Imperial noble.
His blond hair was impeccably combed, as if every strand had been carefully arranged. His military dress uniform was pressed to perfection, and the silver medals gleamed coldly in the dim light. The lace at his collar and cuffs was as white as new, utterly out of place amid the surrounding ruins and choking smoke.
Several soldiers stood beside the noble. They looked less like fighters who charged into battle and more like personal attendants.
They wore the uniforms of the PDF, but lacked the ferocity of soldiers. They gave the impression of men who had never killed anyone.
Yarrick's glare did not faze the noble in the slightest. He lifted his chin slightly. "Commissar Yarrick, please calm down. I'm here to assist you."
"Assist?"
That was a complete insult to Yarrick's military knowledge.
He was almost laughing with rage.
Just moments ago, when he saw the Ork Boyz beginning to rout, Yarrick had been about to direct the Steel Legion troops to form armored squads and exterminate as many Orks as possible, reducing their numbers and breaking up their organization.
But at that moment, this Planetary Defense Force had followed the breach their own troops had just made and entered the interior of the Hive City.
The Astra Militarum, who had been seeing red only moments before, had nearly mistaken this sudden appearance of Unknown troops on the battlefield for Orks and opened fire. They only stopped when they saw human faces.
"First, your actions have completely disrupted our regiment's planned route. We can no longer divide our armored forces and spread out to hunt down the Orks."
Yarrick spoke coldly, having barely managed to restrain himself. "Second, these are Orks, not underhive