Time flew by. By the time Goldtooth and his Boyz dug Iron Claw out from underground, the situation in Euronia III's Southern Hemisphere had changed dramatically.
Kester's Astra Militarum had retaken Pioneer City and turned its ruins into a frontline fortress city much like Capello.
They had also built a rapid transit route directly between Pioneer City and Capello to allow troops to deploy quickly.
Countless forts, bunkers, and trenches had been built along both sides of the road, protecting the route against Ork attacks.
To strengthen the defenses, Kester had also ordered the Astra Militarum's engineers to lay a railway along the road. Armored trains ran along it, not only transporting supplies between the two cities but also providing mobile, long-range fire support to every point on the defensive line.
The Astra Militarum army Kester commanded had only recently been formed. Apart from its core cadre, drawn from experienced veteran Astra Militarum regiments, many of its rank-and-file soldiers had merely served in the Planetary Defense Forces of various worlds.
As the saying went, a lion raised tigers. Under Kester's command, this Astra Militarum army had already shown itself to be the equal of long-established veteran formations.
Beyond the defenses on either side of the road lay vast stretches scarred by battle. Craters, corpses, and burning vehicles were everywhere. In the month since the defensive line had been established, countless Orks had attacked. Without exception, they had fallen here.
A burst of frenzied music sounded in the distance as several Ork vehicles came racing toward them. The Ork Speed Freeks never missed a fight.
Two Ork Bikes led the charge. One carried a Shoota gunner in its sidecar, while the other carried a Bomm Boy clutching a rocket launcher.
As the Motorcycles hurtled forward, their passengers poured ammunition and rockets