Chapter 59: Monster
"What? You've located the Bonebreaker's army?" The Primarch's voice carried a mix of surprise and excitement.
At last, the endless waiting was over. Dukel could hardly contain his eagerness—this mission had been mind-numbingly dull so far.
Organa was a massive planet, with an area three to five times the size of Terra. To successfully delay the orc advance, Dukel's task force first needed to locate Bonebreaker Saraka's main force without revealing their presence.
But finding a massive orc warband in such an expansive world was no small task. Despite the Imperium's advanced detection equipment, the mission had thus far consisted of little more than a monotonous trek through endless landscapes.
Sure, Organa had its share of natural wonders—lush rainforests, sprawling deserts, glistening oceans, and treacherous swamps. Perhaps under different circumstances, Dukel might have found the scenery relaxing, even inspiring.
But right now? Who had time for sightseeing?
He had come to ignite the skies with the fires of battle, to paint the soil red with the blood of xenos. Anything less was a waste of his talents.
Finally, the breakthrough came.
"I've got you now, you green-skinned vermin," Dukel muttered with a smirk.
"Indeed, Your Highness," agreed Kane, the ever-watchful Commissar by his side, relief washing over his features. "We've confirmed the Bonebreaker's location."
The task of tracking these orcs had been unexpectedly taxing. Kane had expected loud, reckless greenskins to practically announce their presence, but Bonebreaker Saraka had proven uncharacteristically cunning.
Even more frustrating had been the Primarch's repeated insistence on exterminating every orc tribe they stumbled upon. With a force of only 110,500 soldiers and limited heavy weaponry, Dukel's plan was, at best, a logistical nightmare.
Kane spent much of their journey devising ways to curb the Primarch's more destructive impulses.
Now, at least, their primary goal was within reach.
"Our mission is to delay the orcs' advance and create chaos in their ranks," Kane said, cautiously broaching the subject of strategy. "Do you have a specific plan, Your Highness?"
"Of course!" Dukel replied confidently, pulling a sheet of draft paper from his satchel. With swift, bold strokes, he scrawled out his battle strategy.
Kane leaned in to read it, anticipation quickly replaced by despair.
The "plan" consisted of a single line:
Find the enemy and destroy them all.
"Your Highness... is this really—"
"Brothers!" Dukel's voice boomed over the vox network, cutting Kane off. "The enemy is ahead. For humanity, for the Emperor—charge!"
Space Marines readied their bolters with practiced precision. Krieg soldiers silently fixed bayonets, their faces grim under their rebreathers. Chainswords roared to life.
Kane, meanwhile, looked ready to collapse.
"Your Highness, may I remind you that our mission is to delay the orcs, not annihilate them outright?" he pleaded, stepping in front of Dukel as the Primarch prepared to charge.
"Exactly," Dukel agreed with a grin. "If we kill every last one of them, they'll be delayed indefinitely. Problem solved!"
"But—"
"No more questions, Commissar," Dukel interrupted, his tone brooking no argument. "Now, onward!"
Despite Kane's protests, Dukel stormed toward the front line, his guards following with unwavering loyalty.
"I like Krieg," Dukel remarked, glancing back at the Commissar. "They know how to take action."
Kane could only watch helplessly as a vanguard of Krieg cavalry charged past him. He realized with growing dread that trying to stop Dukel was like trying to halt a supernova.
Meanwhile, on the orcs' side of the battlefield...
Bonebreaker Saraka's forces marched onward, their ranks bolstered by endless hordes of greenskins.
The Storm Boys tasked with reconnaissance squinted at a distant figure approaching their position.
"Wot's dat?" one of them grunted, revving his crude vehicle's engine.
As the figure grew closer, details became clearer—a towering figure clad in unmistakable ceramite armor, the two-headed eagle of the Imperium emblazoned proudly on his chest.
"Just one humie?" a Storm Boy scoffed. "Da zog he finkin'?"
But something was off. The lone human wasn't just approaching—he was sprinting, covering hundreds of meters in seconds.
Before they could react, the figure leapt into the air, descending upon them like a thunderbolt.
BOOM!
The ground shook with the impact, sending orks flying in all directions. In mere moments, the squad of Storm Boys was reduced to a scattering of mangled bodies and dazed survivors.
The remaining orks stared in wide-eyed horror as Dukel stood amidst the wreckage. Through the orcs' latent Waaagh! energy, his image distorted into something far more monstrous—a terrifying avatar of destruction.
"Who's next?" Dukel growled, his chainsword roaring to life.
The orks barely had time to process their fear before the slaughter began.