Both the Orks and the Tyranids tacitly cleared the area that was about to become the duel ring for the supreme commanders of both armies.
King against King. General against General!
ROAR!
The Swarmlord opened its maw, filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth, and unleashed a roar of pure rage. The sonic wave instantly blasted away the massive cloud of dust rising before it.
As the smoke cleared, the Tyranid's most elite warrior was revealed. Its chitinous exoskeleton was marred by several obvious cracks, and Tyranid ichor oozed from the fractures, making it look incredibly wretched.
But injury only made this naturally brutal beast even more terrifying. It hunched over, lowering its body into a posture optimized for explosive speed. Gripping its four bone sabers, it prepared to strangle its enemy from all four directions.
Moving far faster than the speed of sound—faster than the naked eye could track—the Swarmlord vanished from its spot. The recoil from its leap pulverized the ground within a hundred-meter radius into dust.
"This isn't a battlefield I can step into."
Kenmei piloted his Gargant backward, continuing to fire upon the endless waves of lesser Tyranids rushing toward him.
Even with the protection of the WAAAGH! Field, his pile of scrap metal would likely be torn apart in seconds, and he'd be plucked from the cockpit and squashed like a bug.
One might wonder: didn't the Ork Supreme Gods give Kenmei forbidden knowledge? Why not open fire on this terrifying entity?
To put it simply: Kenmei was just the guy who designed the gun barrel. In the script written by the gods, he wasn't the one to pull the trigger.
The only one who could pull the trigger was the one standing at the center of the WAAAGH! Field right now—the one who could mobilize the "destiny" of every Ork's WAAAGH! from the bottom of their hearts.
The true Chosen One.
The presence radiating from the Tyranid wasn't this absurd when it was in the bio-pod. But now, in its extreme rage, the psychic fluctuations of the Hive Mind coming off it were unfathomable. It was the phenomenon known as the "Shadow in the Warp."
This Tyranid psychic power had a devastating effect on psychically active races like the Aeldari. Any psyker or Warp-sensitive individual exposed to it would suffer from bleeding eyes and lapse into unconsciousness.
Fortunately, Kenmei was currently a Greenskin. His "psychic power" came from the collective Ork WAAAGH! Field.
Thinking back, he had been insanely brave. Shooting at the bio-pod carrying the Swarmlord was like throwing a pebble at a Titan from the next sector over—pure, ignorant bravado.
Facing this horror directly, Kenmei's hand trembled on the trigger. He needed to kill a few more Tyranids to calm his nerves.
---
The genes deep within Ork bones worship the most primal, pure form of combat. This was especially true for Ghazghkull Thraka.
Hive Tyrant? Swarmlord? In the eyes of the giant Green One, it was just a flashy bug. And yet, he had been easily knocked down by it. There was no greater insult.
The fury in Thraka's heart was like a blast furnace. The boiling, uncontrollable rage threatened to swallow him whole.
He ripped off his cracked heavy armor, choosing to fight bare-chested.
"Lost some face? Den I jus' gotta earn it back!"
Thraka shouldered his massive crescent battle axe. Veins bulged on his arms like pythons. In that short distance, he built up enough kinetic energy for a devastating charge.
Baring his tusks, he gripped the axe tight, leaped into the air, and brought it down with a vicious chop onto the damned bug diving toward him.
This wasn't just a simple duel. Behind it lay a chess match between the Ork Supreme Gods, Gork and Mork, and the Hive Mind.
If Thraka won, every Ork Boy in the galaxy would hear of this epic "WAAAGH!"
No Greenskin could resist that temptation. They would gather from every corner of the galaxy, converging into a green tidal wave that would sweep across the stars. Then, Gork and Mork would personally descend to lead the Orks into the true, endless WAAAGH! of Destiny.
The blessings and protection from Gork and Mork were maxed out on Thraka.
The terrifying power generated by the collision of the red shadow and the green shadow swept across the entire planetary battlefield.
Who knows how long it lasted? Finally, the storm was ended by a resounding roar:
"WAAAGH!!!"
On the shattered mountain peak, a scarred but tall and mighty figure displayed his trophy to the Greenskins below.
A hideous Tyranid head...
Still dripping blood!
The Swarmlord had been decapitated by Bonebreaka.
It seems destiny cannot be defied. The wheel of history began to turn. With the support of two true gods, Thraka's destiny was unstoppable.
Every Ork Boy present went wild. Nothing could stop Thraka now!
The Orks roared in fury and joy. Kenmei himself shouted Thraka's name along with them. Every Greenskin charged madly at the swarm, terrified of missing out on this carnival of war and slaughter!
"WAAAGH!!!"
The Tyranids routed. It was a true rout. Tyranid Bio-Titans were torn to pieces, falling into the endless green ocean. Even though the Hive Mind tried to adjust tactics again and again, it was futile against the absolute violence of Thraka's army.
The remaining Tyranid fleet, guarding the Hive Ship, began a pathetic retreat, unable to withstand the Ork firepower.
Hearing the guidance of the gods in the void, Kenmei knew it was time. His pupils were now dyed with a touch of green.
Sitting in the cockpit, he initiated the transformation of the Gargant. It began to disassemble. Heavy weapons were discarded directly.
The thickest armor plating on the abdomen detached and, driven by some force, stood upright. It began to orbit the Gargant at a distance of thirty meters.
The open abdomen exposed the true core of this violent war machine: a small, dense, green metal sphere containing the true divine power of Gork and Mork.
Simultaneously, Ork totems appeared on the armor plating orbiting the sphere. The banner of Gork and Mork manifested directly on the steel plates and began to burn—symbolizing the story of the Ork race, rising from destruction like a phoenix time and time again.
Thraka and every Greenskin on the planet gathered together. They could feel the gaze of Gork and Mork.
Before they knew it, they were standing in the center of a massive altar.
"WAAAGH!!!"
With the first impassioned shout, a massive WAAAGH! resonated through the skies of Octarius. The roaring "WAAAGH! Field" even stirred waves in the Warp.
"I fink..."
Amidst the unprecedentedly majestic WAAAGH! Field, Thraka, his eyes fixed dead on the fleeing Hive Ship, spoke his heart's desire.
"We can shoot dat fing down!!!"
A blinding light appeared before the eyes of every Ork. A beam of light, containing the "Power of Belief" (I Fink Therefore It Is) of the entire Ork race, shot straight into the sky.
The green light illuminated the entire Octarius System. Even on distant Terra, people could see a green star flashing in the galaxy!
The power of destruction, ignoring the protection of the Hive Mind, swallowed the Leviathan splinter fleet's Hive Ship and its escorts without suspense.
[Hive Ship Destroyed]
[War Contribution +10,000,000 Points]
[Simulation Ended]
Kenmei's simulation was over, but the [Warhammer Simulator] seemed to have other plans.
Just before the Leviathan splinter was destroyed, a small bio-ship, carrying the hope of rebuilding this Tyranid hive fleet, quietly detached from the main fleet.
The [Warhammer Simulator] locked onto this entity—a special Tyranid unit.
Norn Queen.
[Data Anomaly Detected]
[Repairing Anomaly...]
[Restoring Data...]
[Consuming 10,000,000 War Contribution Points. Notarizing Entity...]
[Notarization Complete.]