As the Lehlians and Perturabo's Kislevites locked in a gruesome struggle, the unexpected occurred.
Just as the combat reached a fever pitch, Perturabo's trump card finally entered the fray. Dozens of war machines, personally designed and constructed by him, slowly lumbered onto the battlefield. These iron beasts, fueled by burning wood, appeared on the horizon.
In the months leading up to the war, Perturabo had repeatedly refined his designs. He took the steam engine he had initially developed as the power core, mounted it onto massive chariots, and equipped them with smoothbore cannons and exterior iron plating.
Perturabo had used every means at his disposal to keep these iron monsters a secret, ensuring that none of his rivals knew of their existence. He intended for these creations to herald the dawn of a new era, using them to bury the armies of the old world.
At this moment, even the bravest warrior with a heart of iron couldn't help but lose his soul to terror upon witnessing Perturabo's war beasts for the first time.
Many Kislevite soldiers following the Lehlian army dropped their weapons the instant they saw the iron-cast monsters. They fled for their lives, desperate to get as far away from these ominous machines as possible.
The professional soldiers of the Lehlian Black Army reacted in a manner that did justice to their training. Though panicked by the sight of Perturabo's machines, they quickly formed ranks. They concentrated their fire on the iron beasts crawling toward them, hoping to inflict damage on these unknown entities.
Unfortunately, the Lehlian muskets could do nothing to the war machines. At most, the lead balls left small indentations on the iron hulls, but that was all.
Then, the war beasts began their work. Their smoothbore cannons opened fire. While these "tanks" were nothing compared to the Leman Russ or Baneblade tanks that would naturally appear after the Imperium of Man arrived in Kislev, in the Kislev of the present, they were invincible.
Soon, with dozens of tanks firing simultaneously, countless shells poured onto the Lehlian positions like a torrential rain. The Lehlians, who had long neglected the development of firearms and artillery, realized the magnitude of their error. But it was too late for regrets.
In an instant, many Lehlian soldiers were blown apart. Worse still, shells that missed their human targets tore gaping holes in the frozen surface of Lake Chudskoye. This sent many fleeing soldiers plunging into the freezing waters, where they either drowned or froze to death instantly.
Lehlian cavalrymen tried to spur their horses into a retreat to escape the terrifying beasts, but they soon found it impossible. Perturabo's genius exceeded their imagination.
Under Perturabo's modifications, the steam engines powering these iron monsters were strong enough to pull the entire armored chassis fast enough to catch running horses. The war machines began to pursue the routed Lehlian cavalry, systematically annihilating them one by one.
"Damn it! This Perturabo is truly no mortal! My Black Army!"
King Wadisvav was besides himself with rage and despair. He had not expected his meticulously built Black Army to shatter so easily before Perturabo's iron beasts. Watching his organized units being slaughtered was like rubbing salt into an open wound.
But regardless of his thoughts, he had to retreat now to escape this battlefield that had turned into a living hell.
"Your Majesty, though we were defeated today, many of the nobles who opposed you have also perished. If we manage to escape alive, we might be able to centralize power and plan for a future strike!" the knight following him offered a word of comfort, hoping to ease his master's mind.
"Indeed. If I return to the capital alive and rebuild the Black Army—this time, there will be no senseless nobles to oppose my taxes—I will fight Perturabo to the death. I will make my craftsmen build war machines like those!"
King Wadisvav nodded slightly. While the defeat was a catastrophe, he saw the opportunity within it.
"However, the most pressing matter is that we must escape this place," the King added as an afterthought. But he was not permitted to contemplate the future any longer.
A shell landed directly on their position, blowing the King and his knight into fragments instantly. It was only several days later that Perturabo's soldiers identified the King's remains through the jewelry he had worn.
With the King dead from the bombardment, the leaderless Lehlian host collapsed. Every unit on the field sought only its own survival, abandoning their comrades.
Their fragmented flight only made it easier for Perturabo to pick them off. Soon, under the combined assault of the Streltsi, the Kossar cavalry, and the Kislevite armies—all of whom had shifted from defense to offense—the once-arrogant Lehlian army was nearly slaughtered to the last man.
Many Lehlian nobles were captured alive by the Streltsi and brought before Perturabo. According to ancient custom, captured nobles could pay a ransom for their freedom, but Perturabo had no intention of continuing this tradition. He intended to reshape Kislev.
Under Perturabo's orders, the captured nobles were executed en masse. Bound by strict military discipline, the Streltsi ignored the nobles' pleas for mercy and promises of gold, carrying out their orders without hesitation.
The consequence of this mass execution was the near-total eradication of the Lehlian nobility as a class. Across the lands of Kislev, Perturabo's ferocity became legendary. One by one, the various states abandoned Lehlia and offered their loyalty to the newly risen Tsar.
The Battle of Lake Chudskoye paved the way for Perturabo to reach the supreme throne of all Kislev. Now, only one final step remained to fulfill his ambition.