The planet Dreah was just a small agricultural world in one of the most dangerous sectors of the galaxy. And I'm not just referring to its proximity to the Cicatrix Maledictum, but also to all the horrors that the darkness of the universe hides just behind the light of the stars.

Dread was nothing more than an almost insignificant white stone from the Markayn Marches sub-sector, located in the Calixis sector, which in turn was a region of the Segmentus Oscurus. A vast area to operate and increase the thickness and strength of the ranks of the greenskins.

Still, Dreah is nothing more than a mere beginning. A right step for Kanan's crusade across the galaxy. The sub-sector where they were located had a lot to offer, and taking advantage of the fact that they were right in the center, there were many planets and resources that could be useful. Starting with their next objective: The Hive world of Cantus.

This world had nothing to offer but endless cities, an oversized population, and a decent fight against the regiment and millions of "volunteers" that a hive world could offer. Nothing out of the ordinary.

To ordinary Orks, the strategies taken by Kanan seemed to be a waste of time, but on a more general level of war, his decisions managed to reduce conquest time and Ork casualties by up to fifty percent, numbers that the average Ork could not. He is interested, but for the leader who has in mind to bring down Terra itself, it was for life.

The first thing he did was divide the forces depending on his combat style. While the Orks were famous for simple strategies - attacking head on with everything they had - this could be put to much better use in different ways.

Kurnet couldn't feel more satisfied for always being the first to arrive in battle. The enormous greenskin was in command of all the Ork meganobles, monstrosities at least twelve feet tall with metal armor so thick that it seemed impossible for there to be a living being inside.

These guys seemed to be the very reincarnation of bravery... or stupidity. They charged head-on using the same shield wall strategy, only now they were powerful metal walls that enemy fire could not overcome. Only heavy artillery fire could stop their advance for a few seconds, but nothing more.

Kanan watched these units with great care. They were elite among elite, and not even he had personally faced such numbers. An average Astarte would have a hard time taking down one of these guys, much less regular soldiers of the Astra Militarum. A type of unstoppable unit that grew stronger after each battle... Thinking about that would have made his blood run cold if he were still a Marine. Still... that unstoppable metal wall was only the first of the surprises.

Because right behind them were the real major forces. The true green tide seemed to be contained by the meganobles themselves, but once Kurnet decided the time was right, he would open the ranks of his heavy units and unleash the horde to rampage across the battlefield.

This combined mass of Orks, Grentchins and Snotlings was under the direct command of Murray, who managed to maintain a good balance between such different forces. Something typical of his charisma, a trait that usually belongs to the leader of the horde, but that he seemed to master perfectly. In fact, poetically speaking, it could be said that Kurnet was Kanan's arm that held his sword, and Murray that carried his banner.

Kurnet and Murray had fought together since the Heim Wars, and their coordination was near perfect. At the beginning of each battle they used to spread out almost a kilometer apart, but in the heat of fire and death they always ended up fighting together. Side by side as if their duo were something perfect. Attack and defense. Strength and regeneration.

Beside him, Kurnet knew that he could fight at ease, because for the matanoz, although at this moment he could consider himself a full-fledged battle doctor, there was no wound that he could not heal. And with his four personal grentchins reloading their weapons and repairing loose parts, Kurnet could focus on one thing. In destroying the enemy.

However, this battle was so fiercely fought on the central fronts, where the bulk of the troops on both sides were concentrated. For at the extremes, an even more terrifying threat was displayed.

Kantus's forces were indisputably superior in numbers and firepower to Dreah's. After all, a hive world would have much more to offer... many more souls to sacrifice. Thus, a much longer battle front had to be deployed.

The forces on the extremes fought tirelessly, but it was not the massacre that took place in the sector where Kurnet and Murrey displayed their fury. Here it The Orks were more careful, and kept some distance while facing the entrenched forces of the Astra Militarum, which were commanded by a fairly rookie war commissar.

Soldier: - Commissioner. The orks are being kept at bay. -

Commissioner: - Very good. Stay firm at all costs. If this sector falls it will be a matter of time before the world succumbs. He will not back down under any circumstances. -

The Commissioner's words were hard as stone and sharp as a razor. All soldiers knew perfectly well their role in the army, and their mere presence was reason enough to fear your officer more than the enemy. Well, the commissioners would not hesitate to shoot you in the back if you dared to leave the battlefield.

The Astra Militarun troops gritted their teeth and continued shooting. The lasers from their rifles crossed the battlefield, although most barely managed to reach their targets, as they remained hidden and only appeared to return fire. Something that was very unbecoming of an ork.

Commissioner: - Damn cowards. -He clenched his fists in disgust, but the shout of one of his subordinates caught his attention immediately.

Soldier: - Allied Fire! Allied Fire! -

The confusion was evident. How was it possible to shoot your own companions if they were all hiding in the same trench. That didn't make sense. The Commissioner had to find a high place, and only then could he see what was happening. In a sector under his command, multiple laser shots erupted from an inconspicuous place and eliminated dozens of the men and women of the Astra Militarum.

A thick layer of smoke seemed to confuse the enemies, and with so much chaos, the most logical thing would have been to think that a group of his own guard was lost in the combat and was now opening fire on his own allies. The Commissar couldn't feel any more anger about it, and he would make sure to personally execute each one of those idiots... that is... if they survived the battle. But his anger quickly turned to terror when he saw the truth.

Lor orks do not use laser weapons. In fact, the Astra Militarum regiments are one of the few to use the clean, stable energy of a laser as a weapon. Nothing comparable to the chaotic plasma that the energy weapons used by the Marines use for their mission.

For this reason, when the soldiers saw these laser shots hitting their allies, they feared the allied fire, and preferred to hide when in doubt. But what they didn't know, and what the commissioner had already seen, was that that... was not allied fire.

Commanding a large group of grentchins, David emerged from the smoke screen, a few meters from the first line of the trenches. Each grentchins was at least between five feet tall and up to six feet tall. The largest being two meters and ten centimeters. Each and every one of them, bearing the weapons and armor of the Astra Militarum they defeated at Dreah.

No human being could believe what they saw. Those dirty greenskins wearing the clothing of their fallen comrades, with the insignia of the guard torn or torn to pieces, on which stood a paint mark or a very Orkoid metal logo.

Kanan's orders for the group David commanded were very precise. He was to organize and welcome into his ranks all grentchins who met the physical conditions and arm them with enemy weapons and armor. Moving such a large army required ridiculous amounts of resources, and using the enemy's resources was basic in the ways of war.

The greenskins didn't have those hypocritical mentalities of honor...pride...or anything like that. They only lived to fight, and they would fight with any means available. An ork had to gather the loot of several battles to obtain a decent bolter, not even thinking about grentchins. But the enemy team was of vital value, and David knew how to take advantage of that advantage.

A battalion of nearly ten thousand Grentchins armed with laser rifles and armored with Imperial steel emerged from the dust and ashes. Their war cries terrified the men and women who were right in front, who did not have time to respond to the enemy fire when the greenskins ended their suffering and took control of that sector of the defenses.

The commissioner couldn't believe his eyes as he cursed the dirty xenos for their blasphemy. Dirty such refined masterpieces of the Empire with their mere existence. But his curses were not going to stop the advance of the Grentchins and that sector was already lost. The most prudent thing would be to withdraw for now. Meanwhile, in the trenches.

Grentchins: - Long hollow without human! - One of the greenskins shouted with his bad vocabulary referring to the trenches.

David: - The signal! Warn the others! -

From all the points of the battlefield was visible. A huge missile flew through the air, and its explosion released a powerful beam of light that warned all of his comrades. Humans shouldn't have meant it, but something like that was too strange.

An obvious sign like that might seem old-fashioned for the forty-second millennium, but when it came to Orks anything was possible. They did not use radios or means of communication, so for the greenskins something like this could be considered the final passage from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age. Poetically speaking.

Murray: - Ha... It seems that that dwarf is going to beat you again. -He said to his companion in a mocking tone.

Kurnet: - By enzyme from my corpse. In all unity! Move forward! -His poor pronunciation indicated his loss of patience.

The white-haired ork let a smile escape on his face. His strategy had worked perfectly. He didn't need to know that David had broken through the defenses. He knew that would happen eventually, but Kurnet knowing without a doubt would force him to move faster.

From the top of the hill, Kanan watched as the main forces led by Kurnet and Murray advanced twice as fast, despite constant enemy fire. On the right, you could see the green tide of grentchins sweeping through the trenches, yet... there was something that just stood out on the battlefield. A gray cloak that had not been there a few minutes ago, just behind the enemy headquarters heading towards the battlefield.

Orko: - Leader? What is he going to do? -One of his escorts asked when he saw how he turned around.

Kanan: - In front. The tides have changed. -

Ork: - What do you mean? -

Kanan: - That formation you see there. There is only one regiment capable of remaining so organized in such a chaotic battle. -

Ork: - Oh... Are... Are good warriorz. -

Kanan: - They may be the best this world has to offer. They are... The Krieg regiments. -

Kanan: - Attention everyone! It's Whaaag time!!