Armageddon, the Imperium's industrial giant, now resembled a grievously wounded beast, thick clouds of corrosive toxic fog shrouding every inch of its land like a filthy burial cloth.
The air reeked of rusted metal and chemical waste. Countless smokestacks belched poisonous industrial dust into the gray sky, a testament to both its output and its suffering.
Every year, it supplied astronomical numbers of armored vehicles to the surrounding sectors. Unending war and an overgrown population had also forged Armageddon's renowned Steel Legion.
They were among the most highly mechanized forces in the Imperium, their cold masks concealing battle-hardened resolve. Commissar Yarrick had once led them in dealing devastating blows to the Ork armies on this cursed world.
Now, the green tide battered the Hive City's walls once more.
"For the Emperor! Crush these savage Orks!" A Commissar's voice echoed through the Steel Legion's ranks over a loudspeaker, hoarse yet carrying unquestionable authority.
The Hive City fortress shook. Every roar of its ground-based artillery made the defenses tremble. Shells tore through the air, blasting the enormous Ork rocks hurtling through the sky into brilliant, deadly meteor showers.
Along the battlements, Great General Cannons-rarely seen even in other sectors-roared deafeningly. With every burst of flame, they precisely tore the Gargant-class engines looming on the distant horizon into burning wreckage.
On the ground, wave after wave of Orks bellowed thunderous cries of "WAAAGH!" Their primal, savage roars seemed ready to split eardrums. Even from kilometers away, they rang out clearly, fraying the defenders' nerves.
Yet something seemed wrong with the Orks today.
The Orks who usually did nothing but howl and charge wildly now displayed a disturbing degree of organization. Divided into several distinct battle groups, they launched successive probes and full assaults against the defensive line in orderly fashion.
Ork military "wisdom"