The war continued to unfold according to the Storm King's plan.
Although Imotekh acknowledged the talent of the enemy commander named Perturabo, no amount of tactical planning mattered in the face of overwhelming strength.
To bring the war to a swifter end, Imotekh sent Deathmark snipers and the Flayed Ones dynasty into battle. This drew objections from some of the Overlords under his command, but he silenced them all.
The Necrons had an entire code of wartime etiquette: no indiscriminate attacks on civilians, no sending Deathmark snipers to assassinate enemy lords, and certainly no unleashing lunatics like the Flayed Ones against fellow Necrons.
Some polite Necron Overlords would even mercifully grant the "illegal immigrants" living on their territory a grace period to leave after they awoke.
Though those illegal immigrants might see this as nothing more than a bizarre display of Necron arrogance and incomprehensible conceit.
But Imotekh had no intention of observing the ancient code of war. In his eyes, these stupid carbon-based monkeys and those damned traitors deserved not a shred of sympathy.
Of course, Imotekh did still recognize these foolish humans as worthy opponents. He had activated over a hundred Tomb Worlds for this operation, possibly making it the Necrons' largest campaign since the War in Heaven.
Imotekh had originally hoped the humans would at least provide him with some amusement, perhaps an entertaining little diversion, but he had not expected the gulf in strength between them to remain so vast.
Just then, his trusted subordinate Asmonk entered with utmost deference.
"Storm King, those primitive creatures have launched a counterattack."
"Speak."
In the blink of an eye, a holographic projection appeared before Imotekh. Countless human ship markers had mobilized almost in their entirety, heading straight for the World Engine Death's Decree.
"According to reports from our concealed