"All Third Company units! Highest alert! Large-scale underground tunnel counterattack! Confirm heavy weapon clusters! Report pressure coordinates!" The company adjutant's voice pierced through all the clamor, cold, authoritative, and with an undeniable urgency.
"Hold steady! Re-form! Circular defense! Concentrate fire to prioritize clearing heavy weapon units! Chainswords ready for close combat!" Vasily immediately ordered, his voice as steady as a mountain, instantly dispelling the slight chill that had just risen in Mikhail's heart.
Ten Astartes Warriors, like precise war machines, instantly tightened their formation, back to back, shoulder plates touching, forming an indestructible steel circle of death!
All Bolter muzzles turned, and a deadly rain of bullets accurately poured onto the crude rocket launcher, multi-barreled 'bang-bang' cannon, and flamer-wielding Ork heavy weapon lads!
But the scale and ferocity of this counterattack far exceeded expectations!
The tunnel exits were like a viper's nest, extending in all directions, with heavy fire points scattered and numerous!
The Bolter storm tore apart several target groups, but more 'bang-bang' gun barrages and crooked, smoke-trailing rockets slammed like deadly hail onto the Astartes' circular defensive perimeter!
Sparks flew wildly from the ceramite Power Armor, and the screeching scrapes and dull thuds were incessant.
Mikhail's Power Armor servo system constantly hummed with fine adjustments, resisting the impact.
A rocket exploded less than five meters to his front-side, and the violent blast wave, carrying scorching debris and sharp metal fragments, slammed like a heavy hammer onto his chest and shoulder plates; the dull impact force caused the balance assist system to hum and adjust instantly, pushing him back half a step.
His optics were completely covered by the thick smoke and splattered green blood stirred up by the explosion, leaving only a frantically flashing, almost continuous, red threat indicator on his tactical interface.
He could hear the Thunderhawk Gunship's gunfire shifting high above, now bombarding the most threatening Ork strongholds with more ferocious firepower, attempting to suppress the fire points.
The stormclaw, more daringly, lowered its altitude, almost skimming the rock face, using precise Bolter and rocket fire to eliminate scattered heavy weapon targets that had survived the chaos, relieving pressure on the ground's circular defensive line.
The roar of the Stormtalon Gunships on the flanks suddenly intensified, clearly accelerating their maneuvers, seeking the best firing angles to seal off new tunnel entrances.
"Rostov 17th Regiment Fire Control Center! This is Ash Knights A-Team! Request heavy artillery fire! Coordinates Delta-7-Alpha to Gamma Sector! Saturation strike! Immediately! Repeat, immediately!" Vasily roared over the general tactical channel, precise coordinate data streaming instantly.
In a lull in his intense firing, Mikhail glanced at the coordinate range—it was precisely the core area from which Ork heavy weapons and fresh forces were pouring out.
"Third Company Command Node confirms coordinates Alpha to Gamma! Rostov Artillery, execute highest priority fire support! Completely clear this area! Orbital Strike Platform, prepare 'Retribution' class Lance Strike, target Delta-7 core structure, execute after ground units confirm withdrawal to safety zone!" The company adjutant's voice was decisive, mobilizing the power of the entire battlefield.
"For the Emperor! For Rostov! Heavy Artillery Group! Full charge high-explosive shells! Cover the coordinate area! Rapid fire! Fire!" The human artillery officer's hoarse, breaking shout, filled with desperate resolve, clearly reached Mikhail's ears through the comms channel.
The next moment, a world-shattering roar exploded! It drowned out all the clamor in the canyon! The sound did not come from overhead or in front, but from behind, from the direction of the landing zone, carrying the very tremor of the earth!
"Boom—! Whoosh—Boom!!!"
The Astra Militarum heavy artillery group deployed on the high ground behind the landing zone let out an earth-shattering roar! The sound wave of dozens of large-caliber heavy cannons firing in unison was like a physical giant hammer, slamming violently into the entire canyon! Deadly shells, with the shriek of death, tore through the smoke-filled sky, accurately plunging into the designated fan-shaped area!
A destructive inferno instantly surged skyward!
The ground trembled violently as if trampled by a giant god!
Gigantic mushroom clouds, mixed with dirt, rubble, metal fragments, and flesh, shot up into the sky!
Several exposed Ork heavy weapon teams, along with their cover, and even the tunnel exits themselves, were instantly obliterated under this devastating artillery barrage!
The violent shockwave, like an invisible tsunami, made the ground beneath the Astartes forming the circular defense shake wildly!
Mikhail was almost unable to stand, relying on the Power Armor's powerful stabilization system to steady himself.
Hot air, carrying debris and a foul stench, rushed at him! Dense smoke and blinding fire completely obscured his vision.
Mikhail felt the rock layers beneath his feet groaning, as if about to collapse at any moment.
Almost simultaneously, the Astra Militarum heavy Bolter teams and Lascannon teams on the flanks also opened fire in full support, laser beams and a denser barrage of Bolter rounds sweeping away survivors on the edge of the bombardment.
Stormtalon Gunships circled the periphery like keen hounds, filling the gaps in the artillery fire with their mobile firepower, ensuring no stragglers escaped.
This fierce, precise, and timely human artillery support, like an anvil dropped by the Emperor, struck down heavily, becoming the final straw that broke this deadly Ork counterattack.
The Ork WAAAGH! roars were instantly drowned out by the roar of artillery and the wails of death.
"Fire support confirmed effective! Report damage and ammunition status! Re-form assault formation! Target Delta-7 core! Full speed advance! Orbital standby status maintained!" The company adjutant's voice remained calm and efficient, as if the destructive strike just now was merely part of the plan.
Mikhail quickly scanned his status readings: Power Armor lightly damaged, ammunition more than half expended but still sustainable.
Brief replies came through the comms channel from his brothers: "Combat ready!" "Ammunition sufficient!" "Proceed!"
"Circular line! Assault! Crush the remnants! Target the core! For the Emperor! To ash!" Vasily seized this fleeting opportunity, his Power Sword glowing intensely blue, its blade pointing directly at the Orks, who were plunged into chaos and fear amidst the artillery's afterglow.
The steel circle of death suddenly expanded outwards, once again transforming into an unstoppable assault wedge, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes!
Mikhail took a deep breath of the air, which was still hot but no longer as suffocating, and propelled by his surging Power Armor, he followed the steel vanguard forward.
His Bolter roared again with its familiar, exhilarating sound.
His movements were perfectly coordinated with the entire wedge formation; every shot, every step, every swing of his chainsword contributed precisely to maintaining the sharpness and thrust of this spear of destruction.
He could feel the crossfire cover provided by his brothers on the flanks, like an invisible shield.
His helmet's audio pickup caught the roar of the human artillery positions shifting their fire; that sound now resembled the drums of victory.
Above him, a Thunderhawk Gunship roared as it lowered its altitude, its ramp wide open, and another fully armed Ash Knights Primaris tactical squad descended like divine soldiers, sliding precisely into the most intense core area of the battle, instantly joining the blade of the wedge assault.
Several Impulsor armored vehicles also seized the opportunity, engines roaring, and under the cross-cover of Stormtalon Gunships, accelerated towards the breakthrough, their vehicle-mounted heavy weapons spitting fire, providing continuous flank fire support for the assault team.
Air-ground coordination reached its climax at this moment, with orbital, aerial, armored, and infantry fire perfectly interwoven, forming a destructive net targeting the Ork core positions.
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