Chapter 307: Slaughter, Brutality, Wolves, Capture? (Bonus Chapter 2)

In the abandoned city where the gateway to Universe "11" (from Gears of War) was located, young Astartes surged through the orc forces like an unstoppable tide, quickly shifting the battle from defense to attack.

The orc officers and sergeants further back looked on in confusion. Under orders from their queen, they were supposed to be sweeping the humans who hadn't yet retreated inland. Now, it was the humans who were sweeping through them. The young Astartes, clad in thick armor with helmets that bore grim, angular expressions, slaughtered the orcs as easily as squashing bugs.

Wielding explosive bolt guns in .75 and 1.0-caliber, as well as small-caliber plasma cannons, the Astartes' weapons tore through orc flesh and obliterated their biological units with ease.

The Sons of Humanity, Dark Raven Guards, Dawn Raiders, and War Hounds advanced in perfect synergy. The Sons of Humanity and War Hounds, seeking perfect records, fought meticulously, taking care to avoid even minor damage to their Titan armor. Clad in purple and gold, and blue and white, respectively, these units moved in coordinated squads, systematically clearing out every orc they encountered.

The Dark Raven Guards, painted black with white accents, executed flanking maneuvers and decapitation strikes. Some equipped with jetpacks—purchased by their trainee groups—would drop in on unsuspecting orcs from above, using their momentum to crush more of the enemy under their weight.

Meanwhile, the Dawn Raiders, with their white and green armor, preferred overwhelming force. They typically operated in multiple-squad formations, mowing down the orcs with absolute firepower. The other trainee groups followed their lead, using the Dawn Raiders' tactics to swiftly dismantle orc resistance.

Then there were the Space Wolves.

"Hahaha!!"

"Die, die!"

"You ugly, stinking filth, take my blade!"

The streets echoed with the harsh metal war cries of the gray-blue-clad "wolf pups" of the Space Wolves, who swung their chainswords wildly, hacking through waves of orcs. Carving out massive swathes of space within the enemy ranks, they left blood and severed limbs strewn across the roads.

Some squad leaders had adorned their Titan armor with animal pelts over their shoulders and waists. Those with superior combat skills and greater physical strength bore "lightning claws" or "power axes" enhanced with plasma fields, increasing their efficiency in killing.

Historically, these wild warriors could only be compared to Viking raiders. They threw caution aside, relying on the gene-seed's enhancements and brute strength to power through every obstacle. This recklessness, however, often resulted in avoidable injuries for the Space Wolves, who sometimes charged into overwhelming numbers of orcs alone.

While orc weaponry and physical strength struggled to penetrate the Titan armor, the sheer number of enemies presented a threat. Some stray shots or armor-piercing rounds occasionally struck vulnerable spots, injuring the Wolves.

Fortunately, no casualties had occurred yet. Any deaths would have sparked endless debates among the other trainee groups, as the orcs were nowhere near the strength of the Covenant ground forces—particularly the Elite and Hunter classes. Even Jackal sharpshooters posed more danger than the orcs.

After all, the Covenant, despite appearances, represented a second-tier empire. In the original Halo timeline, humanity only faced defeat after defeat against them, with colonies falling one by one.

In contrast, the orcs in Gears of War had merely exploited humanity's weakened state after seventy-nine years of internal strife, depleted resources, and exhaustion. Only then were the orcs able to strike.

At that moment, an imposing orc commander at the back of the horde surveyed the battlefield in shock.

What was going on?!

A month ago, they'd launched attacks on the surface to escape the Glow race. The human military was hardly a concern. Now, the humans before them were stronger and more ferocious than any orcs they had ever known.

Even more perplexing was the fact that intelligence had reported only a few human resistance fighters near this city. But these towering warriors? Where had they come from?

It was almost as if they, too, had emerged from underground.

Boom—! Splat—!

Before the orc commander could make sense of it, he heard the sickening thud of a blunt weapon smashing bodies to pulp.

Thud, thud!!

He felt the earth shake under heavy footsteps.

Turning around, he saw only a massive black form approaching.

Splat!!

The sharp crack of skulls and bodies bursting resonated across the orc lines as Perturabo, clad in thick powered armor and towering over four meters, had cut through wave after wave of defenses, heading directly for the orc commander.

As the orc turned to face him, Perturabo swung his massive hammer, smashing the commander to pieces.

Blood, flesh, and shattered organs splattered across the battlefield.

"Roar?"

Seeing their leader reduced to bloody chunks, the surrounding orc elites were horrified.

"Roar!!"

They looked up at the four-meter figure with terror, aware only that a hulking, swift-moving behemoth had broken through their lines and obliterated their commanding officer.

Such a feat was beyond anything they could imagine. Only their most frenzied berserkers had ever charged into battle without fear, yet even they were no match for the towering gene-primarch before them.

"Snap out of it!"

"Open fire! Fight back!"

After a moment's hesitation, the orc elites raised their weapons, trying to kill Perturabo.

But—

Whirr—whirr—!

Their large-caliber rounds bounced harmlessly off the faint golden shield generated by his mithril armor. Some stray rounds even struck their own allies, causing additional casualties.

Unhurried, Perturabo disengaged his helmet, revealing his face to the orcs, and surveyed them with a cold gaze.

"You kill to survive—I understand that."

"But!"

He tightened his grip on his hammer, swinging it in a wide arc.

Boom—splat!!

The orc elites, barely reaching his waist, were smashed to pieces, their bodies splattering on impact.

Perturabo methodically continued, swinging his hammer with "slow" but unstoppable force, eliminating the remaining orc elites.

He calmly addressed them as he advanced: "But the universes under Atlas's control tolerate no flaws. Since you creatures have committed these atrocities, prepare to face extermination."

Finishing his words, Perturabo unleashed his true strength, his movements becoming a blur as he swept through the orc ranks like a whirlwind.

Overwhelmed by the unmatched power of the gene-primarch, the orcs could do nothing.

With aerial support from the Shadow Strike and Vulture-class gunships, which began bombarding the orcs' positions, the remaining orcs finally broke.

"Run!"

"Retreat! Retreat to the tunnels!"

The remaining orcs fled in panic, desperately retreating to the collapse sites to escape underground.

Even with their overwhelming numbers, they could not withstand the combined slaughter of five thousand Astartes and a gene-primarch. Regular firearms were useless against Astartes and primarchs, artillery couldn't lock on accurately, and the queen's orders had led them into a death trap.

Nearly one million orcs had been mobilized, and it was only the young Astartes' need to acclimate to the environment that had prevented them from wiping out every orc within hours.

Less than one in ten managed to return to the underground.

Meanwhile, a squad led by Sol Taviz watched Perturabo emerge from the pile of bodies.

One Son of Humanity whispered, "If Perturabo and our gene-father Fulgrim dueled, who do you think would win?"

"Of course, our gene-father," the heavy-bolter gunner replied without hesitation.

The rest nodded in agreement. Though they couldn't quite follow Perturabo's movements, they felt he lacked the finesse Fulgrim wielded with his fiery curved blade, as he had once demonstrated when they served with him in the Halo universe.

Unlike Fulgrim's elegant style, Perturabo's heavy-handed approach seemed crude to them. They were free to discuss this only because the battle was over and they were relaxed.

Meanwhile, the Space Wolves were… indiscriminate in their "celebration."

"Haha! This ugly head'll look great pickled in ale!"

"Tsk! Mouth stinks—forget pulling their teeth."

"Wait, what?! They have…?"

The Space Wolves reveled in the aftermath, taking grisly trophies and leaving the Sons of Humanity, War Hounds, Dark Raven Guards, and Dawn Raiders shaking their heads.

"Attention, all."

Perturabo's voice came over their comms: "War Hounds and Dawn Raiders, secure the frontline base. Provide a safe environment for our bio-research team to dissect and analyze these orcs.

"And the engineering team will need seventy-two hours to assemble the aerospace and ground vehicles required to take full control of Planet Sera."

Perturabo paused before continuing: "Over the next seventy-two hours, Atlas will dispatch armed security forces to secure the base and assist in post-battle occupation and protection of survivors."

With that, he strode toward an entrance to the underground caverns.

"Our intel has confirmed that the orcs are controlled by a humanoid queen with telepathic capabilities," Perturabo added. "Let's see if this seventy-two-hour sweep happens to lead us to her for capture."

With those words, Perturabo vanished from sight, leaving Sol Taviz and his squad to check their orders, which directed them toward various entrances into the underground.

Though they believed Perturabo less refined than Fulgrim, they still respected him as a primarch and trusted his orders as suited to the situation.

After all, their "grandfather" Samuel Young had entrusted Perturabo with the command of operations within the Gears of War universe.

Thus, Sol Taviz and his squad exchanged glances before moving toward the underground, following Perturabo's lead. Their helmet displays highlighted the locations of various entry points into the caverns, along with the specific teams they were assigned to support.

As they descended, the young Astartes prepared themselves for the complex environment below, knowing that if they encountered the orc queen, they would bring her capture—or elimination—to a swift conclusion.

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