In a short amount of time, Yarrick had gained a fundamental understanding of Hades Hive.
He couldn't traverse the entire Hive in such a brief period, so he relied on his aging but still formidable memory to memorize its general structure. He had to do this; Hades Hive was teetering on the brink of existence.
"Sir, the Orks have broken through our forward lines."
"They've done well," Yarrick replied. "That was the easiest line for those wretched xenos to break. Now, they've walked right into our encirclement!"
Yarrick drew his bolt pistol. "Let the hunt begin."
...
"See what I told you, Ghazghkull? I told you this Hive wouldn't be as easy to take as you thought."
"Shut up, Yuki-Umie."
"You can just call me Yuki."
Ghazghkull stood on high ground, gazing at the towering Hive in the distance. These past few days, he had been wandering around with Yuki, taking this strange "Umie" and the other "Umie" Yuno on wild rides. He had to admit, he liked this Yuki-Umie. He was the coolest Umie around—he'd floor the accelerator until the vehicle practically took flight, laugh hysterically after ramming Ghazghkull's own ride, and then jump out for a brawl.
Ghazghkull loved scrapping with Yuki. The man's strength was immense; if he were a Greenskin, he'd definitely be a "Flash Git." Because of this, even when Yuki's words weren't pleasant to hear, Ghazghkull didn't harbor much resentment.
"Da Umies here are just a bit more 'ard to kill. We'll beat 'em."
"I hope so. Do you need me to send the bugs in to help?"
"No! Gork and Mork told me dey wanna see us take dis place ourselvez!"
"Fine, fine. Do it your way."
Ghazghkull led the charge himself. Currently, this Hive was the only place on the planet offering such stubborn resistance, held tightly by the Imperium. This was exactly the kind of opponent the Prophet of Gork and Mork deserved.
"Greenskins are so pure, aren't they?" Yuki mused.
Yuno watched the creatures depart and said, "I once heard a theory."
"On the internet?"
"No. Back before I was in this state, when I wandered the universe and felt the unusual presences within the galaxy."
"You mean..."
"The War in Heaven. At that time, I didn't know the exact location of the galaxy, but it called to me until a light eventually guided my way." Yuno continued, "I'm getting off-topic. What I meant to say is, I heard that Gork and Mork don't actually exist."
"The Silent King created a virus that permanently altered the genes of the Krorks, turning them into the weakened forms they are today."
Yuki remained silent. If compared to the Krorks—who fought against the Ancient Aeldari and the Necrons at their peak during the War in Heaven—modern Orks were indeed "weak."
"The Silent King genetically exterminated the Krorks, and the modern Orks don't even know it. They created gods like Gork and Mork to worship, becoming creatures that only care about the joy of battle, never seeking further progress."
Yuno looked out at the green tide covering the hills. "However, it seems the Krork genes haven't completely vanished. They still hold that potential. If given enough time and the right enemies, they might truly reclaim the glory of the Krorks..."
"Wouldn't that be a threat to us?" Yuki asked.
Yuno looked at him strangely. "How could it be? Endless numbers, growing the more you kill them... they are the perfect food source."
Yuki was speechless. Was Yuno planning to treat the Orks as a backup food supply?
"Find ten thousand planets to ranch them on, and come back every once in a while to feast..."
"If it's come to that, why not switch from being nomads to settlers? We could build a home that way."
"There must have been so much to eat during the War in Heaven..."
...
"Waaaaagh!" "For the Emperor!"
In every district, on every street, around every corner—anywhere a soldier or a weapon could be hidden—warriors were fighting. The Greenskins weren't getting the satisfying melee combat they craved. Instead, they faced snipers, sudden ambushes, and hidden artillery fire from unknown locations.
In the narrow alleys, massive and unstable Ork tanks and Killa Kans were blown apart by melta bombs or crushed by collapsing buildings. The Hive structures, built with countless lives, were now being used as weapons by the humans.
Ghazghkull was buried under a collapsing building. From the dust and smoke, a hail of bolter shells and plasma fire erupted.
"Keep firing! This beast won't die that easily!"
"Waaaaagh!"
Ghazghkull burst from the ruins. The Waaaaagh! energy surrounding him deflected almost all attacks. His massive frame, like a runaway truck, slammed directly into the human positions. Suddenly, a Leman Russ tank hidden in a barricade fired, blasting Ghazghkull back.
"Why didn't you use armor-piercing rounds?"
"Report! We're out of armor-piercing rounds!"
Yarrick, who was at the front lines, was furious. Seeing that unusually large Ork boss being so reckless offered a perfect opportunity to kill him, yet it was missed. No matter how war-hungry or reckless an Ork was, they wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
"Yarrick-Umie..."
Ghazghkull's eyes cleared. The blast had snapped him out of the excitement of his earlier brawl with Yuki. "This is the old Umie who killed Ugulhard."
He studied Yarrick—whose eyes were filled with rage—from a distance and muttered, "Quite an Umie."
"For the Emperor!"
The human defenders let out a roar that shook the sky, drowning out the Orks. Not to be outdone, the Orks responded with an even louder, "Waaaaagh!"
The two sides shouted at each other for a long time, until Ghazghkull grew bored and waved for the Orks to stop. Yarrick, assuming a victor's stance, signaled his defenders to cease their shouting as well.
"Cunnin' Umie." "Filthy xenos."
Ghazghkull applied his "cunning intelligence." This human was clearly weaker than him, yet dared to provoke him. Recalling the hidden tank from earlier, it meant the man definitely had a trap waiting.
"Ladz! Charge!"
The Ork Boyz rushed forward, screaming. Yarrick felt a surge of irritation. The Greenskin didn't fall for it?
The fated rivals locked eyes once more. Ghazghkull let out a low chuckle before Yarrick's view was obscured by a sea of green.
"Damn it! By the Emperor, let's get out of here for now!"
Ghazghkull had taken an interest in Yarrick. He would defeat this man, he swore it in the name of Gork and Mork! He swung his power claw and shouted:
"Come on! Ladz! Let's start a super-cool, mega-scrap Waaaaagh!"