Both the Greenskin Orks and the Tyranids instinctively steered clear of the clearing that was about to become the battlefield for their respective supreme commanders.
King against King; General against General!
"ROAR!"
The Swarmlord unhinged its serrated mandibles, releasing a sonic wave of pure fury that instantly dispersed the massive clouds of rising dust before it.
As the smoke cleared, the Tyranids' most elite warrior stood revealed. Several jagged, visible cracks had appeared on its chitinous exoskeleton. Tyranid ichor seeped through the fractured plates, giving it a wretched, battered appearance.
However, a wounded beast of this magnitude only becomes more terrifying. It crouched low, prowling in a posture optimized for explosive speed. The Bone Sabres in its four massive arms were held ready to eviscerate the enemy from four directions simultaneously.
Faster than sound, moving beyond the speed of the naked eye, the Swarmlord vanished from its position. The sheer recoil of its leap pulverized the ground within a hundred-meter radius behind it into fine dust.
"This is no place for me."
Kenmyo Isayama retreated in his Gargant, continuing to direct his fire at the endless waves of rank-and-file Tyranids. Even with the protection of the Waaagh! field, his "scrap metal" walker would likely be torn open and his pilot seat yanked out in seconds by such a monster.
Some might wonder: since the Ork gods had bestowed forbidden knowledge upon Kenmyo, why didn't he open fire on this horrific entity?
Simply put: Kenmyo was the designer of the barrel and the architect of the weapon. In the script written by the gods, he was not the one meant to pull the trigger.
The only one who could pull the trigger was the one at the epicenter of the Waaagh! field—the one capable of mobilizing the "Waaagh!" destiny that lived in every Ork's heart.
The true Chosen One.
The Swarmlord's presence had been manageable while inside its bio-pod, but now, fueled by extreme rage, its psychic fluctuations from the [Hive Mind] were unfathomable. It was the "Shadow in the Warp"—a specialized Tyranid psionic power.
This power hit psionic races like the Aeldari the hardest; any psyker or Warp-sensitive individual exposed to it would suffer bleeding from the eyes and fall into an unconscious state. Fortunately, as a Greenskin, Kenmyo's psionic energy was rooted in the Orks' own Waaagh! field.
Looking back, he realized he had been incredibly bold to fire at the Swarmlord's bio-pod. It was the equivalent of "throwing a shuriken at the First Hokage from 800 miles away." Facing such horror, Kenmyo's trigger finger trembled; he decided he needed to kill a few more thousand Tyranids just to calm his nerves.
Ork DNA is hardcoded to crave the most primitive, purest form of combat—especially for Ghazghkull Thraka. To a giant Greenskin, a Swarmlord was just a "fancy bug." To have been knocked down so easily by it was an insult of the highest order.
The fury in Ghazghkull's heart was like a furnace, a rolling, boiling, uncontrollable rage that threatened to consume him entirely. He tore off his cracked heavy armor, choosing to fight bare-chested.
"Losing face is nuffin'. I'll just take it back!"
Ghazghkull shouldered his massive crescent war axe, the veins in his arms bulging. Within a short distance, he accumulated enough kinetic energy for a thunderous charge. Gnashing his teeth, he gripped the axe and leaped, swinging it with bone-shattering force toward the bug diving at him.
This was more than just a simple duel; it was a cosmic gamble between the twin Ork gods, Gork and Mork, and the Hive Mind.
If Ghazghkull won, every Ork boy in the galaxy would hear of this epic "Waaagh!" No Greenskin could resist such a lure; they would flock from every corner of the galaxy to join, forming a green tidal wave that would sweep through the stars. When that happened, Gork and Mork would descend personally to lead the Orks on an endless, divine Waaagh!
Gork and Mork's protection over Ghazghkull was now at its absolute peak.
When the red blur and the green blur collided, the shockwave swept across the entire planet's battlefield.
After an unknown amount of time, the storm was finally silenced by a booming, triumphant "WAAAAAGH!!!"
Atop a shattered mountain, a scarred but towering figure held up his trophy for the Greenskins below to see. A severed, hideous Tyranid head... still dripping with ichor!
The Swarmlord had been decapitated by Ghazghkull.
Destiny could not be denied. With the support of two actual gods, Ghazghkull's fate was now unstoppable.
Every Ork boy on the field went wild! Nothing could stop them now. They roared and charged, including Kenmyo himself, who shouted Ghazghkull's name. Every Greenskin threw themselves into the swarm, terrified of missing out on this carnival of slaughter!
"WAAAAAGH!!!"
The Tyranids broke. It was a true rout. Bio-monsters were torn to shreds, and Titans fell into the endless green ocean. No matter how many times the Hive Mind tried to adjust its tactics, it was futile against the absolute, raw violence of Ghazghkull's army. The remaining Tyranid fleet shielded the Hive Ship and began a pathetic retreat, fleeing the Orks' firepower.
As the guidance of the gods echoed in the void, Kenmyo knew it was time. His pupils had already taken on a permanent green tint.
Sitting in the cockpit, he began to manipulate the Gargant. It started to transform and disassemble; he discarded the heavy weapons entirely. The thickest armor from the torso detached and, powered by an unseen force, began to hover and orbit the machine in a thirty-meter radius.
The open chest cavity exposed the true core of this violent war machine: a dense, glowing green metal sphere containing the divine power of Gork and Mork.
Simultaneously, Ork totems appeared on the orbiting armor plates. The banners of Gork and Mork manifested on the steel and began to burn—symbolizing the Greenskin race's endless cycle of rebirth from destruction.
Ghazghkull and every Ork on the planet gathered together. They felt the gaze of Gork and Mork. Without realizing it, they were standing in the center of a massive altar.
"WAAAAAGH!!!"
As the first roar went up, the sound shattered the Octarius sky. The surging Waaagh! field even stirred waves within the Warp.
"I'z finkin'..."
Amidst the unprecedentedly vast Waaagh! field, Ghazghkull stared intently at the retreating Hive Ship. He spoke the thought in his heart:
"WE'Z GONNA KNOCK IT DOWN!!!"
A blinding light erupted before the eyes of every Ork. A pillar of light, fueled by the collective "Power of Belief" (I'z Finkin'!) of every Ork boy, shot straight into the heavens.
Green light illuminated the entire Octarius System. Even on distant Terra, people could see a new, brilliant green star shining in the galaxy!
The destructive power, despite the protection of the Hive Mind, swallowed the Leviathan Hive Ship and its escorts without suspense.
[Hive Ship Destroyed]
[War Contribution +10,000,000 points]
[Simulation Ended]
Kenmyo Isayama's simulation had finished, but the [Warhammer Simulator] seemed to have one last move. Before the Leviathan branch was completely vaporized, a tiny bio-vessel—carrying the hope of rebuilding this Tyranid swarm—quietly detached from the main fleet.
The [Warhammer Simulator] locked onto a specific Tyranid entity:
The Norn Queen.
[Data Anomaly Detected]
[Repairing Anomaly...]
[Restoring Data...]
[Consuming 10,000,000 War Contribution points for Certification...]
[Certification Complete]