"They're here!" Mare screamed. He was not afraid; he was exhilarated beyond measure. He swung his staff, splitting the earth open and burrowing inside, leaving the Brightness Dragon Lord standing there at a loss.
Beyond the Far Eastern Cliff, Leman Russ and Magnus watched the mushroom clouds rising in the distance and concluded that the strike had yielded little.
"These mountain ranges seem to have been reinforced with magic. The craters left by the explosions are far too small." Leman Russ looked at a peak that had endured missile bombardment yet still retained its summit.
"Perhaps we should leave siegework to Perturabo. He loves smashing everything to pieces." Magnus yawned. Without a body, drowsiness tugged at his eyelids.
Though he disagreed with Magnus on many matters, Leman Russ nodded in agreement with his assessment of Perturabo.
"Still, conquering this world is our glory. Perturabo should not be allowed to interfere." With that, Leman Russ stood before the army. Even without seeking the high ground, he stood taller than many heavily armored vehicles.
The impassioned speeches had already been made before this operation, so Leman Russ gave only a simple gesture to order the Imperium forces to attack the restless Far Eastern Cliff.
He picked up an enormous banner embroidered with the Aquila of the Imperium of Man, swung it hard to fully unfurl it, then hurled it like a spear and pinned it to the most distant mountain within his sight.
"That banner is where we will reach by the end of today!"
This greatly stirred the warriors' desire for battle. Inside their armored vehicles, they gave the Aquila Salute and shouted at the top of their lungs to express their resolve to Leman Russ. "For the Imperium! For The Emperor! Kill all xenos! Conquer the defiant!"
The vehicles advanced