Since "you" want to flee, "I" will surround you.
To respond to all changes by remaining unchanged.
After all, Perturabo's original intention was to rely on the five thousand young Astartes under his command, along with heavy armored units like Titans, Predators, and Mammoth-class vehicles, to completely wipe out the orc capital, Nekrosis City.
Now that "you" have abandoned the advantage of defending the city and chosen to attack instead, isn't this just seeking death?
That's why Perturabo keenly sensed that the abnormal actions of the orc army indicated that the orc queen was trying to escape.
By deploying half of the young Astartes, he could effectively intercept the queen hiding among the orc forces.
After issuing his orders, Perturabo watched through the holographic screen as the 2,500 young Astartes divided into 140 joint squads of 18 each.
In moments, all paths and tunnels leading to or from Nekrosis City were marked green, indicating they were blocked by joint squads.
Meanwhile, the orc army's five main forces continued advancing toward the five Astartes divisions.
Of course, the main orc forces were likely the bait the queen used to secure her own escape—bait destined to die.
Despite their impressive physiques, the orcs had come to understand that resisting the Astartes could only result in their annihilation.
They didn't stand a chance.
What shocked the orcs most was that since the battle began, they hadn't managed to kill even a single Astartes, at most inflicting some minor injuries.
These injuries were usually on the aggressive Space Wolves, who tended to dive into the heart of the orc army in pursuit of glory.
Facing orcs that outnumbered them a hundred to one, it was inevitable for a Space Wolf to suffer slight injuries.
For this, Perturabo issued a stern warning to all Space Wolves to obey his commands and refrain from reckless actions.
Losing even one young Astartes would seriously damage his reputation, both within the company and among his brothers.
As his first operation after officially coming of age, managing the War Machine universe was his "debut."
If this debut were marred by the loss of a single Astartes, Perturabo would outwardly remain unruffled, but he would harbor deep resentment toward the Space Wolves and even Leman Russ.
In fact, his opinion of the Space Wolves was already declining sharply.
Once the Empire was established and he had his own legion, the first thing Perturabo planned to do was minimize contact with the Space Wolves.
He even intended to discuss with his father, hoping to avoid future cooperation with them.
He knew that his father might be displeased with such a request.
However, Perturabo's tolerance for the Space Wolves was nearly exhausted.
Fortunately, the Sons of Horus, War Hounds, Dawn Raiders, and Raven Guard followed orders to the letter and rarely acted impulsively.
Indirectly, Perturabo's regard for Fulgrim, Angron, Mortarion, and Corax rose significantly.
He already held these four primarch brothers in high esteem.
Seeing the 140 squads arrive at their designated areas and the orc army only about ten kilometers away from his location, Perturabo stood up and left his command seat.
He opened the hatch above the control room and, using a hover platform, exited the Mammoth-class vehicle.
Walking to the front of the formation, he gripped his power maul and fixed his gaze on the entrance of the tunnel from which the orcs would emerge.
"Everyone, attention."
At the same time, he gave further orders over the comm channel:
"Prepare for combat. I want every last one of these wretched beasts that harmed our fellow humans eliminated—no prisoners, except high-value targets!
"The bio division has obtained enough live specimens. We even captured the Rift Worm, which the orcs regard as a divine incarnation. So open fire and destroy every last enemy!
"For humanity! For the Empire!"
"For humanity!"
"For the Empire!"
The metallic roar echoed throughout the vast underground cavern.
After giving the command, Perturabo sent a message to every Space Wolf's helmet screen: "Cooperate with your comrades; do not venture into the enemy horde."
It seemed this young primarch was indeed "concerned" about the Space Wolves.
He dreaded hearing or seeing the words "Space Wolf killed in action" from any squad.
But given the situation, there was little he could do to "control" the Wolves, so he braced himself to end the battle swiftly.
Before long, rumbling.
Perturabo felt the ground under his feet tremble.
And the intensity of the tremors kept increasing.
This meant that the orc army charging toward him was about to appear within visual range.
But—
Zing—whoosh—whoosh—!
Before the orc army could enter sight, four Mammoth-class vehicles and a hundred Titans and Predators unleashed a barrage at the tunnel entrance.
In an instant, beams of gauss rounds and plasma blasts streaked over Perturabo and the Astartes, piercing into the tunnel's depths.
Boom! Boom!
The explosions intensified the ground tremors.
Whoosh!
Then came a fierce shockwave, surging out of the tunnel and sweeping across the cavern.
Dust and rubble filled the air, severely obscuring visibility.
But Perturabo and the Astartes' helmet monitors emitted eerie red and green lights, cutting through the dense cloud of dust and rubble.
After a moment's wait, Perturabo raised his power maul, pointing it forward.
Bang—bang—bang!
The roar of boltguns filled the air.
Bolts of various calibers shot through the haze, hitting the orcs emerging from the tunnel.
Boom! Boom!
In a blink, the orc vanguard exploded into bloody pulp and dismembered limbs, splattering the ground with gore.
Yet Perturabo, much like the Space Wolves he despised, charged alone into the horde.
However, the primarch's strength ensured his safety.
Besides, although he detested the Space Wolves, he wouldn't show it openly.
Leading the charge boosted morale, bolstered his reputation, and accelerated the orcs' defeat.
Why not take advantage?
As Perturabo's company clashed with the main orc force, the squad designated as "014" was relatively "at ease."
This joint squad, composed of Sons of Horus, Space Wolves, and Raven Guard, was assigned to guard a small cave that led to the surface.
The eighteen young Astartes spread out, keeping a safe distance of several dozen meters, occupying advantageous positions throughout the cave.
The captains of the three squads—Saul Tavis (Sons of Horus), Logan Sigurd (Space Wolves), and Avaris Maun (Raven Guard)—led the way.
Squad 014 was among the most distinguished squads in the company.
During the orc siege of the forward base, they had slain countless enemies.
Later, they discovered, by accident, a vein of Imiteum near the base and successfully captured an orc officer.
Under interrogation by the bio division, the officer's mind revealed every detail of Nekrosis City.
This information allowed the 5,000 young Astartes and the Atlas's ground forces to breach the orcs' core area unhindered.
Thus, Squad 014 received more resources than the others.
These included modules to upgrade their Titan armor, like high-quality plasma shoulder cannons without the risk of "overheating."
They also received various explosive rounds, grenades, and other tactical tools.
Perturabo even included these achievements in the squad's records.
When the members of Squad 014 reached maturity and completed their transformation surgeries, they were highly likely to earn the position of "Legion Sergeant," commanding squads of three to four in a combat platoon.
Within the legion, the lowest rank was "Legionnaire," recently transformed Astartes who had to obey their superiors completely.
Above that were "Legion Squad Leaders," who led six to ten Legionnaires.
Next came "Legion Sergeants."
Then, there were "Legion Lieutenants."
In command of three to four, or even over ten combat platoons, the "Legion Lieutenant" also had command over a warship or multiple ships.
Essentially, a "Legion Lieutenant" could independently wage small to medium-scale battles.
Squad 014's members, Tavis, Logan, and Maun, thus held great appreciation for Perturabo.
This respect placed Perturabo in high regard among the 5,000 young Astartes.
Although his personality was unusual, thanks to Samuel Young's adjustments and the elven queen Tinas' patient guidance, Perturabo was more than capable of using "small tactics" to earn loyalty.
Even his dislike of the Space Wolves didn't lead to favoritism.
At that moment.
"Ugh… I'm feeling a little sleepy."
On Squad 014's internal comms, Logan Sigurd grumbled:
"They're fighting up a storm over there, and we're stuck here, standing around.
"Maybe the primarch thought we'd already scored too many achievements and wanted to avoid others feeling slighted, so he sent us here?"
Perturabo hadn't informed the squads of his suspicions about the orc queen's possible escape.
Relying on instinct, he was sure the queen might use side paths to flee.
Without confirmation, Perturabo wouldn't issue direct orders based on speculation.
However, he still instructed the squads guarding those side paths to stay vigilant.
It was now only a matter of which squad would catch the queen.
"Quit complaining," Tavis replied.
"A primarch has his reasons. We just need to obey.
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