Though Luna's forces launched their assault with ferocious momentum, their drive stalled as the factions of Siss and Chandler set aside their grievances to form a temporary united front. The landing troops no longer possessed their earlier unstoppable energy and gradually fell into a grueling war of attrition. The Greenskins' warlike genes exploded under the stimulus of an alien invasion. Even those who were stabbing each other in the back moments ago now stood back-to-back, pouring relentless fire into the Imperial lines.
A strike force composed of five Imperial Knights and ten Armiger squires clashed with the Gargant and Chandler's personal guard. The ten Armigers took on the task of intercepting the infantry and Chandler's armored retinue, while the five Knights focused directly on dealing with the Gargant.
Two Errant-class Knights moved at high speed around the Gargant, one on each side, wielding Reaper Chainswords that showered sparks upon impact. Their ion shields flickered, protecting their hulls as they absorbed the constant fire from the Gargant's myriad weapon systems. Every swing of a chainsword left deep gouges in the mecha's thick plating, yet they consistently failed to pierce the faith-based shield maintained by the Waaagh! field.
Whenever the three-meter-caliber Smasha cannon in the Gargant's abdomen began to charge, its muzzle glowing with a blinding red light, two Moirax-class Lancer Knights positioned on the flanks would immediately ignite their high-mobility back thrusters. Like two streaks of silver lightning, they charged from the sides. They held thick ion arm-shields in their left hands and Cerastus shock lances with disruption fields in their right. This dual-shield defensive system allowed them to withstand even the sweep of the Gargant's flail, which merely knocked them back several meters without dealing fatal damage.
These Lancers were the most mobile of the Knights, their combat style mirroring that of Assault Space Marines. Relying on their mobility gear, they could launch swift mid-range charges. Their shock lances struck the barrel of the Smasha cannon with precision. Amidst the ear-piercing sound of grinding metal, the charge was forcibly interrupted, causing the barrel to instantly overheat and turn a glowing red.
Before the Gargant could turn to counter-attack, the two Lancers would ignite their thrusters to retreat and reset the distance. Simultaneously, the two Errant-class Knights would move in to "block," continuing to restrict the Gargant's positioning. Farther away, a Knight Crusader stood steadily behind the lines, its thermal cannon spitting searing rays that precisely bombarded the Gargant's joint connections. Wherever the melta beam passed, even the Gargant's alloy armor melted instantly, leaving behind smoking black craters.
These five Knights were the elite of the elite within the Saint Galus family, highly experienced and possessed of excellent coordination. This "kite-flying" tactic made Chandler's life miserable.
"Stupid Humies! Fight me face-to-face if ya got da stones!" Inside the cockpit, Chandler pounded the control console frantically. The Gargant's weapon systems cycled and fired without pause. However, no matter how he aimed, he couldn't kill those slippery Knight mechas.
If he charged his weapon, he got poked. If he didn't charge, he still got poked. If he tried to chase the Lancers, he was scorched by the Crusader's thermal cannon; if he turned to deal with the Crusader, he was slashed from behind by an Errant's chainsword. The massive Gargant was being toyed with by the five Knights, spun around like a top.
Frustrated, a sudden flash of inspiration hit Chandler. A thought popped into his head.
"I fink... it'd be better if I just start spinnin' meself!"
As the words left his mouth, he slammed the red lever on the console all the way to the right. The Gargant's core power reactor overloaded immediately, its output power soaring to the limit. The thirty-meter-tall iron giant began to spin at high speed right where it stood, like a massive whirlwind!
"Hahahaha! Now dis is WAAAAUGH!"
At the same time, he flipped every weapon switch on the console. "On, on, on! Everyfink on!" Chandler's manic laughter echoed from the cockpit.
The Gargant opened fire with every weapon simultaneously—shoulder cannons, the Snappa, the Smasha cannon, flamethrowers, and laser cannons. Every aperture capable of firing poured out ammunition frantically, showing no distinction between friend and foe. In any case, this mecha didn't bother with reloading; a "fancied" ultimate mecha was supposed to have infinite ammo!
The dense gunfire formed a death-zone over a hundred meters in diameter. Anything that drew near was instantly shredded. The wind generated by the rotation kicked up rocks and metal fragments from the ground, creating a lethal metal storm.
This sudden maneuver completely stunned the five Imperial Knights. Their original tactics were rendered useless. Forget melee attacks; they could hardly even approach the perimeter of the fire-circle. An Armiger that was half a second too slow was caught by the rotating flail; the eight-meter-tall mecha was swatted away like a toy. It crashed heavily into distant ruins, surviving only because of its ion shield, though its systems were severely damaged.
Meanwhile, the Boyz surrounding the Gargant were ground into mincemeat. More absurdly, the nearby Greenskins didn't get angry about the friendly fire. Instead, they erupted into deafening cheers.
"So Waaagh!!" "Boss Chandler is da best! Spin dem Humies to deaf!" "Faster! Faster!"
The Greenskin Boyz raised their weapons and cheered for Chandler. Many even began to spin in place, imitating the Gargant. As more Boyz cheered, the Waaagh! field in the air surged into the mecha. It spun faster and faster, its fire becoming even more violent, expanding the horrific death-zone to two hundred meters. The Gargant King of Tops moved like an unstoppable iron hurricane, grinding toward the Imperial lines step by step.
The defensive line Luna had arranged was torn open. Countless soldiers were shredded by gunfire and metal fragments. Chimera armored vehicles were flattened into iron pancakes by the rotating flail. The entire left wing of the landing force was beginning to collapse.
On the other side of the battlefield, Siss and Luna engaged in a one-on-one duel. Luna piloted the Shadow of Change, a custom Knight mecha modified specifically for her by the Adeptus Mechanicus. Its defensive capabilities far exceeded a standard Knight, and its speed and firepower were top-tier. Most uniquely, her ion shield shimmered with a magnificent, iridescent color, showing a near-total immunity to psychic attacks.
"Die, Greenskin monster!" Luna roared. The missile pods on her mecha's shoulders opened simultaneously, and dozens of tracking missiles hissed out toward Siss. At the same time, her left-hand thermal cannon finished charging, locking a searing beam onto Siss's silhouette.
Siss flickered and teleported fifty meters away. The missiles exploded where he had just stood, and the melta beam melted a massive hole into the floor. Before Luna could fire again, Siss condensed several bolts of pitch-black psychic lightning in his palms and hurled them at her.
Several bolts struck the ion shield, but they only triggered a faint blue ripple before vanishing without a trace.
Raynor stood in a corner of the hall, watching the scene with narrowed eyes. Both he and Sarah could feel a Chaotic energy lingering on Luna's shield. It was this energy that was neutralizing Siss's psychic attacks.
"That STC..." Raynor whispered to himself. He seemed to have realized something.
The ensuing battle devolved into a total war of attrition. Siss continued to blink and dodge, cycling through psychic fireballs and lightning strikes, yet he remained unable to pierce Luna's iridescent shield. Similarly, Luna's cannon fire and missiles failed to pin down Siss's agile silhouette; the occasional stray hit was easily deflected by his own psychic barriers. Both sides traded blows in what appeared to be an even stalemate.
However, Raynor saw the situation clearly: Siss was holding back. Every one of the Greenskin's attacks was measured, and his gaze drifted toward the still-spinning Gargant mecha from time to time. He was intentionally preserving his strength, keeping a wary eye on Chandler.
Taking in the wider battlefield, Luna's forces had fallen completely into the disadvantage. The Gargant "King of Tops" continued its mindless grinding of the human lines, while more Greenskin Boyz flooded into the core district from all directions, their numbers growing as the fighting intensified. At this rate of attrition, Luna's entire landing force would be wiped out in less than half a day.
"This won't do." The current level of chaos had not yet reached Raynor's desired threshold.
He whispered a command into his comms unit.
Immediately, the Hokage Ninja Boyz and Blood Axe agents, who had been lying in wait across the battlefield, sprang into action.
A Deathskull Mek was currently lugging a massive "Supah-Dakkagun"—two ion rifles welded together—and firing wildly at an Imperial armored vehicle. Suddenly, a precision sniper round took his head off from behind. The Hokage Boy who fired the shot vanished back into the shadows instantly, swiping the exaggerated ion weapon as he left.
Not far away, a Goff bruiser had just cleaved a PDF soldier in two with his massive choppa when a blade sank into his back. A Blood Axe agent withdrew a blood-stained dagger and retreated swiftly.
These types of ambushes quickly drew the attention of Chandler's camp. The Greenskins, whose alliance was shaky at best, instantly fell into disarray. Trust was a non-existent commodity among Orks; the previous cooperation was merely a reaction to the human invasion. Now that their own were being picked off one after another—with "clear evidence" pointing at their allies—suspicion and hatred rapidly eclipsed their enmity toward the Humies.
"Blood Axe gits! How dare ya stab me in da back!" "Dat's a lie! It wuz yer own boyz wot did it!" "Kill 'em all! Take der dakkas and der teef!"
No one knew who fired the first shot, but in an instant, a fierce firefight erupted between the Greenskin clans. Deathskulls fired on the Hokage; Evil Sunz and Snakebites charged into one another; Blood Axe agents blended into the fray, fishing in troubled waters. The entire battlefield turned into a chaotic mess.
The factions of Luna, Siss, and Chandler began fighting their own separate wars. Bullets and shells flew indiscriminately; no one could distinguish friend from foe anymore.
Seeing this, Siss's expression darkened. He roared with a psychically-amplified voice, commanding his own Boyz to stop and cease the infighting. But Chandler, currently a mindless "King of Tops," had long since lost his grip on reality and couldn't even notice the situation, let alone give an order to stop. The Deathskulls, Goffs, and Snakebites were also seeing red, ignoring all pleas for reason. A few Hokage Boyz who actually obeyed the order to stop were instantly cleaved in two by charging Goff maniacs.
"Yer askin' for it!"
The Boyz in Siss's camp were instantly enraged. Forgetting the joint resistance, they raised their weapons and began a furious counter-attack against the Goffs and Snakebites. The scale of the three-way brawl escalated violently.
This sudden turn of events left Luna stunned. She halted her attack and frowned as she watched the battlefield below dissolve into madness. Something was wrong—very wrong. The Greenskins were cooperating just fine a moment ago; why had they suddenly turned on each other? Every conflict seemed timed perfectly, as if someone behind the scenes was precisely instigating them.
This familiar sensation caused a single person to flash through her mind. Luna closed her eyes, expanding her psychic perception to its limit. Her senses swept across the battlefield until they finally locked onto a patch of shadows on the western side of the hall.
There, a tall Greenskin figure stood atop the ruins, calmly directing operations. Though his outward appearance was no different from a standard Ork bruiser, the aura within the depths of his soul was something Luna would recognize even if it were reduced to ash!
"RAYNOR CORVANA!!!"
Luna spat the name, every syllable dripping with fury.
In the shadows, Raynor instinctively looked back. Over a distance of hundreds of meters, through the smoke and gunfire, his eyes locked precisely with Luna's within her Knight's cockpit. Raynor wore a slightly awkward smile and raised a hand to wave at her—a casual greeting.
That gesture completely ignited Luna's rage. She realized she had been played again! No wonder Raynor's Imperial fleet was taking its time on the outskirts, refusing to push forward. No wonder her own path into the core district had been so smooth. Raynor had been lurking in the Ork headquarters all along, waiting to reap the rewards. She was here fighting for her life against two Greenskin titans while Raynor sat back and watched the show!
Thinking of the countless times Raynor had tricked her before, Luna trembled with rage, breaking into a cold sweat. Inside the cockpit, the psychic overflow caused by her anger made her white hair drift as if caught in a wind.
"Raynor! I'm going to kill you!"
With a roar of fury, Luna ignored Siss and swung her mecha around, charging toward Raynor's position. She didn't care about anything else anymore—Karl-2, the Greenskins—none of it mattered. She was determined to tear this man, who had fooled her time and again, into a thousand pieces!
She had only taken two steps before a green wall of psychic fire blocked her path. Siss stood before her, his gaze icy. He could feel that this human woman was the supreme commander of the Humies. To defeat them, she had to be eliminated.
"Get out of my way!" Luna screamed, her melta cannon firing at Siss.
Siss teleported away to dodge the attack, psychic lightning condensing on his fingertips as he struck at Luna's Knight again. The two were locked in combat once more. This time, Siss finally stopped holding back; his psychic offensive was swift and lethal, pressing Luna so hard she couldn't catch her breath, let alone break away to hunt Raynor.
"Dammit!" Luna hissed into her comms unit. "Sicaran Infiltrator squads, deploy immediately! Target the Ork directing the Greenskins on the west side of the hall. Kill him at any cost! Sector C Skitarii units, shift fire! Concentrate all fire on that target!"
The orders were relayed instantly. A Skitarii Vanguard regiment that had been firing on the Orks immediately turned their guns. Countless radium beams and bolter rounds poured toward the shadow-covered area where Raynor was located. Simultaneously, a dozen Sicaran Infiltrators, who had been lurking in the dark, began to move. Their power blades crackled with blue disruption fields as they crept toward Raynor in silence.
The Ninja Boyz around Raynor moved to intercept, clashing with the Sicaran Infiltrators. But the Sicarans were the Mechanicus's top-tier assassination units, and with the dual enhancements of high technology and Tzeentchian sorcery, they proved too much for the ninjas despite their expertise in stealth. Ninja Boyz fell one by one under the power blades, and as the Skitarii fire grew denser, the defensive perimeter around Raynor began to shrink.
One Sicaran Infiltrator found an opening, bypassed the ninja's block, and pounced toward Raynor like a black panther. The disruption field on his power blade hummed at maximum power, aimed directly at Raynor's back.
"Got him!" A flash of joy crossed the Infiltrator's eyes.
But at the exact moment the blade was about to strike Raynor, the Infiltrator suddenly felt his field of vision grow wider, with a black crack appearing in the center. The Ork he was attacking hadn't even bothered to look back.
He instinctively looked down, only to see his own body split perfectly in two from his brow down to his crotch. Warm blood and engine oil mixed, splashing onto the floor as he watched his own internal organs spill out. Until the final second before his death, he couldn't even see who had killed him.
"Did you really think I didn't have a backup plan?"
Behind Raynor, a terrifying, five-meter-tall silhouette slowly emerged from the shadows. Raynor reached out and gently stroked the giant beast.
"My dear... let's begin."