The plaza was a picture of chaos. Not the real one, but the good one, in the Orks' eyes. The air, thick with the scent of ozone, burnt promethium, blue Mana Arrows and the metallic tang of blood, shimmered under the pressure of two separate Waaagh-fields.
Gerhard stood at the epicentre of it all, a stripped-down spiritual titan of flesh with the blood of hundreds of Orks on him and eyes that looked ready to cut apart anyone who stood in his way. The Hulk Buster suit had been left behind, a grey shell fused into the wreckage of the Mega Dread, but the man who stepped out of it, as it turned out, was far more dangerous than the Power Armour he had left behind.
Because being so close to death once more forced Gerhard to push himself beyond his limits. The effects of the Waaagh! were profound and made him fight more savagely as he enjoyed himself. His mind wasn't overcome with delusions or anything; he was still clear in his head, but he was brutal and ploughed through hundreds of Ork infantry, while Gustav, Lencillus, and the Sisters cleared the larger mechs and walkers.
Gerhard felt the change deep in his body. His STR and VIT stats had finally surpassed the legendary 100-point threshold, triggering a cascade of system notifications that filled him with even more strength and power. The physical sensation was unmistakable, and together with the effect of Gork and Mork's blessing, he was able to fight the strongest enemies on the battlefield and save the largest walkers.
[Mana Reinforcement has levelled up]
The super-heavy tank had been doing work, destroying the Ork walkers, Trukks and tanks from biggest to smallest. Its secondary Mana Demolisher Cannon barked powerfully, locking onto the Warboss's towering frame.
Meklord Dakkabad wanted to, but didn't have time to use his Tellyport Blasta again. Gustav fired a high-precision, low-yield Mana shell, a "scalpel" shot compared to usual tank firing, designed by the tank's artificial spirit. It struck the Warboss's power pack with surgical accuracy.
BOOOOOM---!
The Mega Armour broke partially. The hydraulic pistons hissed as they were sheared away, and the six-inch thick gilded plates were flung across the plaza like discarded scrap, and the Tellyport Blasta fell off, now useless for him, but it would surely yield incredible things for Gerhard later on.
But he wasn't dead. Oh, no.
From the smoke stepped Dakkabad. He was a literal mountain of emerald-green muscles, standing nearly nine feet tall, his body a map of surgical scars and bionic ports. He looked at Gerhard, who was mowing down several Orks, ripping out the arm of one, and using it to bash in the heads of several others, all while gaining more HP and MP through the Bonesword and [Energy Drain]
And as he did, his own personal miniature Waaagh-field grew more intense.
Dakkabad ripped a sparking cable from his chest, threw aside the remaining parts of his shattered Mega Armour, and let out a booming laugh that sounded like two tectonic plates shifting.
"NO MORE TOYS, DAKKA MASTA!" Dakkabad roared.
His eyes were burning with a bioluminescent green flame, and his body crackled with the remaining Waaagh-energy, just like Gerhard was.
"JUS' ME AN' YOU. DATS DA PROPA ORK WAY!"
Gerhard didn't hesitate either. He tore the remains of his left Power Gauntlet from his arm, letting the heavy metal thud into the mud and ripped off his shirt for some reason.
This was a fight between two Ork Warbosses. No one bothered about the details.
Gerhard gripped his Bonesword in his right hand, the only weapon he kept, while Dakkabad held a large part of his Power Klaw in his hand. They both stared at one another and then grinned, charging forward like two psychotic bulls on massive steroids.
BAAANNGGG
The impact of their charge was felt by every Sister of Silence, Lencillus, and every Ork left on the field.
Gerhard's [STR: 195| VIT: 199] vs the Dakkabad's [STR: 200 | VIT: 218]
The Waaagh-energy had also made the Ork Warboss more powerful, and so he was just slightly more powerful than Gerhard. But he was also an Ork, so it somewhat balanced things out.
Gerhard met the Warboss in the very centre of the plaza. Dakkabad swung a fist the size of Gerhard's face and neck, a blow that could cave in the side of a Killa Kan with ease.
Gerhard didn't dodge; he blocked the fist, bringing his hand to his head and using the 'wall' his bare hands created to tank the hit. The ground beneath his feet cratered, spider-webbing across the ferro-crete, and his bones cracked, but Gerhard refused to move an inch.
"WAAAAAAGH!" Dakkabad roared, surprised and ecstatic by the humie's strength.
Gerhard's response was to pull the Warboss's arm towards him and then hit him with a brutal headbutt that cracked both of their brows. Gerhard then drove the Bonesword upward in a wide arc.
The Xenos-blade, humming with the power of the monomolecular edge and fuelled by Gerhard's massive Mana pool, was about to slice through the Warboss's side, but Dakkabad was too tough to go down. In the last moment, he slammed a knee into Gerhard's chest, sending the Gamer flying back twenty feet.
[HP: 3,950 / 6,360]
Gerhard spat on the ground and grinned. It was a terrifying, twisted expression. The [Blessing of Gork and Mork] levelled up again, the green energy swirling around his fists like a more powerful force, as the two engaged again.
The Bonesword blocked the Power Klaw, the crude power weapon wielded by the former Big Mek, and they both locked in a show of brute strength. The resistance was high enough that neither blade would usually win.
But the Bonesword was not a normal one, created by Tyranids; this one was created by Gerhard, who had a legendary Creation skill, and it showed, as it slowly cut through the Power Klaw.
Seeing that his weapon was about to lose, the Warboss pulled back slightly, forcing Gerhard to compensate and then sent a nasty hook into his ribs.
Gerhard felt that punch, but was fast enough to block the next attack again. He blocked the next strike and used the Ork's strength against him to move the large Power Klaw to the side and get into his guard. He punched the Ork.
[Power Strike]
BAAAANNGG--!!
The fist smashed the Ork's cheekbones and burst several blood vessels, making him fall through the sky for a short distance, and fall to the ground.
"You's big and bad, Dakkabad," Gerhard said, his voice dropping into a low, predatory growl. "But I's the one Gork and Mork is watchin' now."
Gerhard charged forward, enhancing himself using [Psychokinesis] even more. Dakkabad, who had stood up again, swung the broken pieces of the Power Klaw in a wild hook, but Gerhard moved under it, his Bonesword carving a thick arc through the Warboss's thigh.
"WAAAAGGGHHH!!!" he roared in pain.
The Bonesword, however, got stuck in the thick muscular thigh of the Warboss, and the Ork punched him away, making him lose the blade. But it didn't matter.
As the large Ork stumbled, Gerhard, already on his feet, leapt onto the Ork's broad shoulders. He used his bare hands, fueled by [Psychokinesis] and the blessing of Gork and Mork, to grip the Warboss's head.
"KRUMP THIS!!"
Using his momentum, Gerhard slammed the Warboss's head into the jagged wreckage with a sickening crack of bone. He followed up with a punch to the back of his head and several right and left hooks, as the Ork tried to get up again. Each attack lacked skill or elegance, but was powerful.
Dakkabad tried to fight back desperately, his massive hands reaching up to crush Gerhard's ribs, but that wasn't any concern to Gerhard. He continued punching and using his elbow to great effect. The Warboss's strength was legendary, but he was fighting a man who had effectively hacked the Waaagh! itself and was fuelled by it.
[Energy Drain]
A sudden wave of weakness affected the Warboss, and the energy continued to flow into Gerhard, who saw the fight as over at this point.
Gerhard pulled the Ork's head right into one of his knees, which only worked because he was kneeling on the ground.
Dakkabad's eyes rolled back, and Gerhard pushed him to the ground. He straddled the large beast and started to punch him over and over and over again.
His fist rained down on the Ork's head and caved it in, breaking bones and bursting blood vessels. He pulled back his fist and instinctively poured his Mana into his fist. But his fist was faster than the energy, causing it to lag behind his attack.
The fist hit the Warboss's head and almost broke through to the brain, when the Mana finally arrived after the strike and created a stronger second impact...
--BOOOOMMM--!
...which smashed a big hole through the brain and out the other side.
CRAACKKK---SCHLIKKK--
[Blessing of Gork and Mork has levelled up]
[Blessing of Gork and Mork has levelled up]
[Warboss Meklord Dakkabad defeated]
[+1,100,000 EXP]
[Level up]
[A new skill has been created through a special action]
[A skill to make Mana flow through your body and into a target.]
[Please name the skill]
...
...
Gerhard stood over the massive, unmoving corpse of the Warboss. He was full of Ork blood, gore and half-naked, but as he looked up at the remaining Orks, who had witnessed everything.
They didn't charge. They saw the green fire in Gerhard's eyes, the way the Waaagh-field flowed over his body, and cyan lightning zapped in the air sporadically. And so, they did the only thing Orks do when faced with a bigger, meaner Boss.
They raised their Shootas and Choppas... and began to cheer.
"DA DAKKA MASTA!" they bellowed in a deafening chorus. "DA BEST KRUMPA!"
Gerhard wiped the soot from his forehead and looked at the roaring Orks. He could kill all of them, but that wasn't what he was going to do. These Orks were useful, and if they spread the word... Gerhard would only benefit. Yarrick is basically immortal at this point, so it was truly beneficial to have the Orks believe you are powerful.
Gustav rolled into view, and Hans popped his head out to look at his Master. Lencillus, Hestia, Liora, and Kaelen approached Gerhard, each with a complicated expression.
"Note for the log, Hans," Gerhard panted, a weary but triumphant smile on his face. "We need to find ways to block Warp fuckery. The Shokk Attack Gun and the Tellyport Blasta were a fucking nuisance."
H: > Understood. I shall make a note
"You are a peculiar man, Gerhard Valkyrie. How you managed not only to be affected but to use the Ork gestalt field is beyond me. And to see you fully sane shocks me greatly," Lencillus said.
"Sanity? What would I do with something as useless as that?" Gerhard asked with a grin, causing the others to chuckle or smile.
"What now? The extermination of the Orks is only a matter of moments now."
"No, we won't kill the Orks," Gerhard said, making the others frown.
"What?! Why not?"
"Sometimes it's good to have enemies who tell everyone just how bad and powerful you truly are. If they leave the planet and spread word of what happened, it will only benefit us in the long run. And sometimes it's good to turn your enemies into your personal warband and allies."
The others looked at him as if he were the most heretical fucker they had ever seen. To even suggest, no, to even think or come close to thinking this was already heresy. What Gerhard suggested was having the Orks as subordinates.
H: > Your mind functions on another level, Master. Might I suggest we loot everything the Orks created and stole from the Spires? I believe we might find some interesting technology, like a void shield.
"Hans is right. Let's loot the Spire for everything that might still be valuable and then get to work on the next big project."
'And what might that be?' Hestia signed. 'Betraying the Imperium and declaring yourself Emperor of Orks?'
Gerhard looked at her and smiled.
"Too much paperwork. No. To go to Arraissa, obviously. If I'm right, we need to hurry and get to Cadia. But I fear we're already too late."
'You mean--'
"Yes. It is time to build a transport shuttle or another kind of spaceship. Time to leave this planet temporarily. I'll definitely be back."
Gerhard also looked at the skill he had unknowingly created mid-fight and smiled. It was too similar not to do it.
'Call it: Divergent Fist.'
[Skill named: Divergent Fist]
Divergent Fist (Active) Lv. 1
| A close-combat technique that creates a delayed second impact by desynchronizing physical force and energy flow.
| The user's strike lands first, followed by a secondary Mana shock a fraction of a second later.
Effects:
| First Impact: 100% Physical Damage (STR scaling)
| Second Impact: 80% Mana Damage (INT scaling)
| Delay between hits: 0.3 sec
| +10% guard break chance
| -10% enemy reaction speed for 0.5 sec after hit
---
------------------
|Name: Gerhard
|Class: The Gamer
|Level: 60
| Emperor's Chosen (Unique)
|Race: Psyker-Blank-Hybrid
-----------------
|HP: 4378/4378 (6213/6213) [+1095]
|MP: 7446/7446 (10814/10814)
------------------
STR: 117 (+49) [+29]
VIT: 119 (+50) [+30]
DEX: 99 (+42) [+20]
INT: 255 (+107)
WIS: 162 (+68)
LUK: 40
------------------
| Point: 271
|Money: 0
------------------