The Emperor’s Angel of Death

After more than a month of bitter fighting, with layers of resistance and retreat, yielding every inch of land with blood, most of the urban area had been lost. They had retreated to the old city, where protective walls from past war eras still stood. Outside these walls, they dug several trenches. Heavy firepower, based on the high points of the city walls, suppressed the enemy, while the trench lines intercepted enemy infantry. This time, they barely managed to hold on.

But it was a close call, a very close call, because the food shortage was becoming increasingly severe. Many had gone without food for three or four days straight, and there were even rumors of cannibalism.

Ammunition was also being rationed, with only a limited number of laser weapons given to the most loyal soldiers of the family. However, their primary task was not to fight the Orks, but to maintain order.

The entire old city was now crammed with about 1.5 million people, while the area could only realistically accommodate six or seven hundred thousand. Large numbers of wounded and refugees were packed together, hungry and miserable, like a massive bomb. If it exploded, it would drag the entire Volga family down to hell.

Some suggested opening the main fortress to accommodate some people, but the Volga family ruthlessly rejected this.

The family's main fortress absolutely could not be opened, as it was their last refuge. Black Bay Fortress was built on a small hill surrounded by water on three sides. After years of construction and reinforcement, not only had the hill become a permanent fortress, but the castle itself was even equipped with an expensive void shield, purchased at a high price from a rogue trader. If the city fell, family members and loyal soldiers could retreat to the castle, blow up the only bridge across the river, and then they would only have to face enemies from one direction, allowing them to hold out for some time.

"Alright! Go and find those poor wretches and organize another suicide squad! Remember, half a biscuit for each! If they die, give it to their families!"

"Yes, sir!"

Watching the adjutant's retreating figure, his thoughts turned to his family far away. According to the latest information, they had all safely retreated to North Mountain Territory. His son was not even a year old, still in swaddling clothes. He hoped he could see his son grow up, become an officer like him in the future—no, not like him, but far better than him, achieving great deeds and becoming a greater hero than his old man.

He endlessly longed for that day to come quickly, hoping to live longer, to see the day his son became successful.

But he knew that this hope was very slim.

"Come on, guys! Don't stop, hit them hard! Not for anything else, but to survive!"

Casting aside that fleeting thought, Donchev braced himself and continued to fire his pistol. Despite being a general, there were many generals in the Planetary Defense Force. After all, there was no war, but people always had to be promoted. However, he figured that after this battle, the number of generals should be greatly reduced, and their value would increase, but he probably wouldn't live to enjoy it, benefiting those bastards hiding in the rear.

In the smoke and dust, the roaring Orks pressed closer, six hundred meters, five hundred meters, four hundred meters... The machine gun fire did not slow down the horde at all, and due to the lack of ammunition, they dared not continue firing like this. The number of enemies might even far exceed their current ammunition supply. They surged through the gaps between fireballs, shrapnel, and shockwaves, never wavering for a moment.

Whoosh—

Just as the enemy approached within two hundred meters, a torrent of flames erupted from the trenches, engulfing swarms of green pests, causing them to scream and wave their arms wildly.

Flamethrowers were an important weapon against Orks, but there were not enough military-grade flamethrowers. Fortunately, they had modified some industrial and civilian facilities to create more.

At this moment, a hissing sound filled the air, and a dazzling light flashed past. It was a searing high-energy laser. Dozens of Orks fell to the ground with explosive sounds, fire bursting out, leaving only charred corpses.

A multi-barrel laser cannon was their only heavy weapon on the position, to be used only at the most critical moments, because it was easily targeted by Ork firepower. Therefore, they had to carefully consider their targets, aiming only at the biggest and blackest Orks. According to experience, these were the strongest and most courageous in the horde, their skin possibly harder than iron, covered with scars from battles and surgeries, crisscrossing each other.

They often led the charge, the most brutal, bloodthirsty, and savage beasts.

Donchev wailed in his heart, oh throne, how can there be such ugly monsters in the world? What kind of universe can accommodate such abominations?

The soldiers on the position also fired with a variety of weapons. Many of them didn't even have uniforms, just a red cloth tied around their shoulders or foreheads. For every meter the Orks advanced, they left behind a hundred or so corpses, but a dozen or so men would also fall screaming in the trenches, struggling in the blood-mixed mud. The Orks' weapons were inaccurate, but there were many of them, and even a graze could cripple or kill.

Click, the pistol ran out of energy again. As a reflex, he pressed the release button, the magazine fell to the ground, and he reached back to his waist to pull out a new battery, slammed it into the receiver, and continued firing.

A beam of light flashed, and black smoke erased the monster's hateful face, leaving only a charred blood hole. Now he could see the holes in the Orks' faces.

Rather, he saw his end approaching.

In the rolling dust, groups of Orks were getting closer and closer. Their attacks were almost chaotic, with no formation, no coordination, relying entirely on brute force. But even so, they relied on their almost heaven-defying vitality to reach him. Their ugly faces became clearer, their bloodshot eyes flashing with insane, bloodthirsty light.

Their noses were small and flat, and most wore animal bones, iron rings, and iron hoops. Their mouths were like bloody basins, gaping like sacks, big enough to swallow a human head, with bloody mucus dripping from their lips and teeth. Two tusks protruded from their lower jaws, especially thick, while the rest were short and sharp, resembling daggers.

He had never seen such hateful and detestable monsters in his life, as if this entire race was born only to terrify, specifically using the primal fear in human blood.

Where did these monsters come from?

"Sir, it's time to retreat to the inner defense line. The outer ring has been breached by the Orks in several places!"

Donchev nodded in agreement, firing at the enemy while slowly retreating to the sandbags.

"Pass it on, everyone retreat to the inner circle."

The trenches in front of the protective wall were clearly unable to hold. They could only return inside the wall and continue to defend.

But the wounded were difficult to take care of during the retreat. They desperately reached out to their comrades, but received no response. When the brutal Orks jumped into the trenches, they fiercely maimed the survivors with their weapons. Donchev even saw a poor boy being lifted up by two beasts, torn in two amidst desperate cries, while the two animals laughed wildly.

The scene was so cruel, but the Orks were the embodiment of massacre and evil, only killing and killing, wishing they could kill all living things in the world, until their blades were broken and their axes were blunt, and there was no one left to kill.