Red Eye Tribe

Carefully crossing the Imperium's control line, everyone heightened their vigilance the moment the convoy truly set foot on the dry ground of the Sinister Wasteland. As the guide, Diego was quite familiar with this route, but familiarity was not the only reason he had chosen it.

This time, Yusuf had assigned him five hundred soldiers. They were all veterans who had seen real combat and knew how to keep their mouths shut.

Bayonets gleamed beneath the blazing sun, and sweat quickly soaked everyone's backs, yet no one dared relax. They had entered the Beast's domain, and perhaps many malicious eyes had already noticed them.

From the moment they entered the wasteland, all the horses had been extremely restless. The riders knew it was a dangerous sign, but the mission came before all else. They had to press on.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

By the time the sun had begun to sink westward, the convoy finally reached the designated location: a stone forest formed from weathered rock.

"All right, you can go back now. Take the horses with you too. I'll wait here."

Diego glanced at the sky. There was still some time before the final deadline. Given the Orks' loose nature, they probably would not arrive on time, so he turned and greeted the officer in charge, signaling that he could leave.

"Sir, the general ordered us to protect you and these things until those fellows arrive!"

But the officer refused to leave, stubbornly insisting on following his orders. Diego did not press the matter, because he knew that once these junior officers became obstinate, no one could budge them.

After arranging sentries, the officers allowed the soldiers to rest. They gathered together with uneasy expressions and began discussing the mission. Although the officers had not said it outright, they could still guess that whoever came to receive these goods after crossing this place clearly would not be human.

A trade with Orks? The soldiers spread all kinds of unreliable rumors, while the officers turned a blind eye, because they too were full of doubts. But the first lesson at Imperial Army University—obedience—kept them from asking too many questions about their superiors' orders.

"He's a Secret Guard. I saw one before too. That man had the mayor of my hometown executed."

"Could this be some plan from the Imperium's upper ranks? Those people in the Army Ministry have always liked strange fantasies. If they could replace our equipment with new gear, I think that would be much better than this."

"I think paying the retirement funds they owe us and getting rid of expired supplies are more important."

"Keep it down. This isn't something we should be worrying about."

Leaning against a rock, Diego missed none of their words. It was an instinct born of his profession. Though he said nothing, he had gained a deeper understanding of the mindset among the Aswan Fortress garrison. The Imperium's long-term neglect had filled both soldiers and officers with resentment. Yusuf truly had it difficult.

Time slipped away amid hushed whispers. Diego leaned against a rock with his eyes half-closed. Though he was not a Wizard, he had his own methods of gaining abilities similar to a Wizard's—for example, perception.

"They're here!"

Opening his eyes, Diego drew the dark gray pistol at his waist—Calamity—and shouted:

"Everyone! Enemy attack!"

"Enemy attack!"

The sentry standing at the highest point shouted as well. At the same time, terrifying roars rang out in the distance, and a huge cloud of dust rushed toward them.

"Enemy attack! Form ranks, now! Form ranks!!!"

The officers waved their sabers, driving the soldiers out of the stone forest and arranging them into two lines. Though it was a sudden attack, the soldiers did not panic too badly. Everyone understood that this was only natural—they were already in enemy territory.

Waaagh!!!!!!

The Orks' distinctive battle cry erupted. Groups of Greenskins wearing crude armor, brandishing rough weapons, and riding all manner of beasts burst from the dust. There were only two or three hundred of them, but they showed no fear, their eyes filled only with bloodthirsty desire for battle.

"Load!"

The soldiers bit open their paper cartridges, poured the powder and bullet into their muzzles, rammed them down with rods, and firmly set the percussion caps. Everything was practiced and smooth; no one was overly nervous.

"Second rank, aim!"

The soldiers in the front rank half-crouched while those behind raised their guns. The Orks drew ever closer, their roars making many people's eardrums ache. Sweat dripped from foreheads onto gun barrels. The officers swallowed, but did not give the order to fire yet.

"Everyone! Hold!"

They were closer now. Diego raised his pistol as well, aiming at an Ork.

"Fire!"

The saber slashed down. The soldiers pulled their triggers, and amid a series of explosive reports, clouds of bluish smoke shrouded the front of the formation. The leading Orks jerked backward and fell to the ground.

"First rank! Fire!"

The front-rank soldiers stood, and another volley rang out. The dense Ork formation was raked as if by a comb, instantly losing another quarter of its numbers. The riderless Squigs ran wildly about, throwing the Orks behind them into confusion.

"Everyone! Aim!"

This time, both ranks raised their guns. The remaining Orks still charged forward without fear of death. Even most of the Orks knocked to the ground were not dead; they climbed back up and continued their charge with howls.

"Fire!"

The leading Ork instantly erupted in a cloud of blood. At least a dozen bullets struck his body, one of his eyeballs was blown apart, and the tremendous impact knocked him straight off his Squig.

The scorching bullets swept through the Ork ranks once more, but the results were much worse than before. The Orks merely staggered from the hits instead of falling.

"Reload! Quickly!"

The officer urged them on while firing his revolver. After suffering two rounds of attacks, the Ork formation had completely lost its momentum because the humans occupied higher ground. But that did not mean they had no chance of reaching the humans. In truth, though the volleys looked fierce, they had not actually killed many Orks.

Boom boom boom~!

Suddenly, a dull drumbeat rang out from the distance. The charging Orks immediately turned and ran back in the direction they had come from upon hearing it. Even the wounded who had climbed back up did the same, ultimately leaving behind dozens of corpses.

"They're retreating!"

"No."

After precisely sending his last bullet into the back of an Ork's head, Diego rapidly loaded rounds into his pistol's cylinder. He knew very well that this was no retreat.

"This was merely a probe by fire."

"A probe by fire? Those Beasts know that too?"

Faced with the officer's incredulous expression, Diego flicked his wrist, snapping the cylinder back into the gun, then gently cocked the hammer. His voice was hard as iron.

"They are no Beasts, especially when it comes to war."

"Look!"

A soldier suddenly screamed. The officer turned his head and saw a green line slowly emerging across the endless dunes in the distance.

"Holy Kaimon..."

The officer was completely stunned, murmuring prayers under his breath. The soldiers grew tense as well. Some began praying, while others looked around in alarm. This would be a desperate battle, because the enemy was simply too numerous.

Boom boom!

The drumbeats became increasingly urgent. That green line gradually spread out, turning into a massive green rag. The Orks marched with heavy steps and let out savage roars. In the middle of their formation was a massive war wagon bearing a huge drum. A burly Ork clad in patchwork iron plates beat the drum madly, while above the wagon flew a green banner emblazoned with a red eye.

"Red Eye Tribe..."

Diego was naturally familiar with that banner. This was one of the largest tribes in the northern Sinister Wasteland, comparable in size to ten White Hand Tribes. Their war boss was Shattered Iron Agugu, a brutal and cunning brute. However, the Orks that had come this time were "not many"—only around ten thousand. This was probably just one of their chieftains.

"I told you before to go back. Now it's too late to leave. Fight if you want to live."

Hearing those icy words, the officer knew Diego was right, but he still felt as if he had been deceived. He did not lash out, however, and instead roared at the soldiers:

"Don't just stand there! Get ready! If you want to make it back alive, then pull yourselves together!"

Waaagh!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Orks cried out, their pace accelerating as they gathered into a torrent that swept toward the tiny cluster of humans.

"It should be about time."

Glancing at the sky, Diego saw that the sun had already slanted westward. He silently prayed as well. He did not want these soldiers to die here. Their lives mattered more to the Imperium.

"Ready!"

The first wave of fast-moving Orks had already closed in. The officer raised his saber again, determination in his eyes alongside a trace of despair.

"Fire!"

The two ranks' volley swept down a group of Orks, but before long, most of those that had fallen got back to their feet.

"Reload!"

The Orks came closer and closer. Some soldiers' hands began to tremble, and the formation's rate of fire began to drop. Once they had to use their bayonets, it would mean they were all about to die.

Diego felt some regret. If he had insisted a little more back then, perhaps these soldiers would not have had to die here...

Waaagh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An enraged roar resounded across the sky. Diego's eyes instantly lit up. He had finally arrived.

"Who dares steal my stuff!!!!!!!!!"

From the left side of the battlefield, over a thousand Boyz led by Guk struck hard into the center of the Red Eye Tribe's formation like a sharp knife. For a moment, the Red Eye Tribe Boyz were utterly bewildered. They had no idea where these suddenly appearing Orks had come from or why they were attacking them.

"Haha! Come on! You slow-moving idiots!"

Turok drove his savage war wagon around the edge of the formation, using the rapidly spinning blades on its wheels to Oppress the Boyz' movements. Meanwhile, Green Tooth led his Boyz in exploiting their mobility to continuously split apart the Red Eye Tribe's formation. Most of the ten thousand Orks were thrown into complete disarray by this comparatively tiny number of Boyz.

"Haha! Diego, these are your kind?"

Guk did not continue tangling with the other Orks. Instead, he rode his giant beast straight toward the human formation. The tense soldiers all raised their guns at him, but Diego immediately stepped forward and signaled them not to fire.

"Yes. Getting these things delivered to you took a great deal of effort."

"Let me see!"

Jumping down from his beast, Guk ignored the soldiers' curious and fearful gazes and walked with Diego to the wagons. As Guk approached, the transport horses grew restless and agitated, forcing the riders into a flurry of work.

"Look."

As Diego lifted the canvas, blocks of silver-gray steel appeared before Guk's eyes. He picked one up and weighed it in his hand, then raised his weapon and chopped down hard.

Clang!

The wrought-iron sword snapped at once. Guk nodded in satisfaction. The surrounding soldiers' eyes nearly fell out of their heads. They could not imagine what sort of monster could sever a massive sword as thick as an arm with a single strike.

"Very good! Very, very good! I like this iron!"

"It's steel—steel specifically used for making weapons. Actually, if time had not been so tight, I could have made a batch of weapons for you. They would certainly be better than the ones you make yourselves."

Diego spoke Orkish in a deep voice. The officer beside him curiously studied him and Guk. It was his first time seeing a white Ork. He looked very different from the others: his mouth was not as large, he lacked protruding tusks, and his body proportions were closer to those of a human. The only similarities were his savage aura and immense size.

"We know what kind of weapons we need. Where did those guys come from?"

Guk was naturally referring to the Red Eye Tribe. Diego put on a show of thinking for a moment, then answered in an uncertain tone:

"They were probably... discovered by accident. They are the Red Eye Tribe."

"Red Eye."

After searching his memories for a while, Guk recalled several super tribes Diego had previously mentioned to him. One of them had been Red Eye.

"I remember now. That guy called... Shattered Iron."

"It isn't him this time. It should only be one of his chieftains."

"Doesn't matter! Since they dared touch my stuff, they have to pay for it!"

With that, Guk turned to head back into battle, but Diego hurriedly called after him.

"Wait. Didn't your weapon get destroyed? I had someone make a simple one for you earlier. You might like it."

Smiling, Diego lifted the canvas behind another wagon, then laboriously dragged an enormous object down from the vehicle with both hands. Guk's eyes immediately lit up...