Although the Greenskins appeared extremely powerful in terms of individual combat strength, the Imperium of Man was no longer the Imperium of Man of the past. Neither the well-equipped and trained Astra Militarum, nor the Space Marines, nor the Adeptus Custodes forces paid these Greenskins any mind.
Ground warfare? Was the Imperium of Man not proficient in ground warfare?
The massive fleet slowly approached the surface of this mobile planet in the void, and immediately, large numbers of weapons began firing simultaneously, striking the planetary shield.
The Greenskin planet surface also had large amounts of anti-air firepower, which began attacking the fleet of warships in orbit. The attacks from both sides were mostly blocked by their respective shields.
Trading blows between a fleet and a planet was clearly a losing proposition. After all, it was a planet, and the various weapons equipped on it naturally could not be compared to an ordinary fleet suspended in the void.
But Noah did not care about any of this.
Short bursts of shelling could clarify exactly where the enemy's anti-air firepower was located, allowing the Space Marines and Adeptus Custodes forces to prioritize eliminating those positions.
Only after neutralizing the opponent's anti-air firepower and main fire support points could the Astra Militarum's attack yield effective results.
This was extremely important as it prevented large numbers of Astra Militarum from being wiped out during the orbital drop.
The orbital bombardment lasted about eight hours in the Warp. Soon, the locations of all anti-air firepoints on the planet were marked by Noah on a map and finally sent to Prefect Wakatou.
"This contains the locations of all anti-air firepoints on this planet. Next, your Adeptus Custodes will mobilize, taking the Space Marines to eliminate the Greenskin firepower in these areas."
"This time, our orbital bombardment will no longer be able to provide you with effective assistance, so once you reach the surface, you will be on your own."
Noah said this solemnly to Varkato standing before him, but the Adeptus Custodes showed no fear.
"Warmaster, rest assured, we will resolve everything. Before your arrival, Warmaster, we rarely received orbital bombardment support when launching planetary landing operations, so you do not need to worry about these matters."
Varkato's words made Noah pause slightly. Indeed, throughout the long history of the Imperium of Man's wars, Noah had seen that ground combat without orbital bombardment had become the norm for the Imperium of Man.
"In that case, I will not say anything more. Prepare to execute the operation. I will advance with you."
Noah's words were astonishing.
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Varkato, who had been preparing to leave to execute the order, stopped in his tracks once again upon hearing this and sharply turned his head to look at Noah.
What was happening? Their Warmaster had always stayed behind to oversee operations before, so why was he preparing to go with them this time?
"Warmaster, your safety..." Before Varkato could finish speaking, he saw Noah shake his head.
"You do not need to worry about my safety, Varkato. I am far stronger than all of you. My going with you will also count as fire support. I will have the Titan Legion deploy alongside you simultaneously, with the Titan Legion drawing fire and executing offensive operations."
"As for you, you only need to fight alongside me."
"Not all of the Adeptus Custodes need to follow me. Continue forming your usual combat squad formations and launch the attack below."
Under the premise that warships could not be used for orbital bombardment, was there anyone whose power was greater than Noah's?
His arrival meant a walking nuclear warhead.
Did Noah need the protection of the Adeptus Custodes?
The answer was obvious; the satellite that had just been destroyed was still lying shattered in the void.
With such a powerful being executing the operation alongside the Adeptus Custodes, one could imagine what those Greenskins would face.
"Understood, Warmaster."
Although Noah was preparing to go out and fight again, he was still wearing a long robe composed of nanotech.
This made him stand out and look conspicuously out of place among the Adeptus Custodes and Space Marine forces, but no one said anything.
After the Space Marines and Noah arrived at the location of the Thunderhawk Gunships, the aerial deployment operation began.
Dense masses of Thunderhawk Gunships began leaving the warships and activated optical stealth to avoid detection by the Greenskins.
Meanwhile, the warships' firepower began pouring onto the planet even more frantically, intending to use this intensity to draw the Greenskins' attention and reduce the attacks directed at the Space Marines and Adeptus Custodes forces.
The plan succeeded. Faced with the sudden and violent increase in warship firepower, the Greenskins' attention was completely drawn to the bigger and more Waaagh-filled entities in the sky.
Thunderhawk Gunships equipped with optical stealth systems began heading to the planet's surface in batches. Subsequently, large numbers of Space Marines emerged from the Thunderhawk Gunships, forming Kill Teams and advancing separately.
During the operation, the Kill Teams also cooperated in combat.
In the form of Kill Teams, four to five groups formed a squad and began advancing toward their respective targets, preparing to destroy the local Greenskin forces.
When Noah stepped out, he was only accompanied by eight Adeptus Custodes.
All Might was a mountainous planet, filled with numerous high peaks. However, as Noah walked across the terrain, he only felt a softness beneath his feet.
This planet had been completely occupied by the Greenskins; it was covered everywhere in Greenskin breeding grounds and spores.
The sticky feeling underfoot made Noah frown slightly. The Greenskin spores had completely reshaped the planet's ecology, and the air was saturated with an aura of savage growth.
"Warmaster, high-concentration Waaagh energy detected." Varkato scanned the surroundings vigilantly.
"I estimate that these Greenskins must have discovered us."
Noah did not reply immediately. Instead, he kept his head down, sensing the Greenskin spores on the land.
"This planet requires a thorough purification, but I can sense that it contains a vast amount of resources we need. If we can fully mine them, it would definitely be a great benefit to us."
Noah sensed large quantities of rare resources on this planet; almost every single one was a resource required for manufacturing the moon of war.
If this planet could be fully exploited, the resources needed for one moon of war would be nearly half complete.
From this, it was clear just how valuable this planet was.
Seeing that Noah did not reply, Varkato had no choice but to turn and look in the direction the Greenskins were approaching. Just as he turned, a strange green tide surged toward him.
That was an almost countless Greenskin army. The moment they set foot on the planet, the Greenskins also discovered them.
"Kill! Kill them all!"
Prefect Wakatou rushed directly toward the Greenskins with the Adeptus Custodes beside him without even pausing to think.
Eight golden figures charged directly into the surging green tide, slaughtering them and scattering them everywhere. The grievances the Adeptus Custodes had suffered at Kairos's hands would now all be vented upon these Greenskins.
The massive number of Green Skins was actually forced back by 8 Custodians, and among all the Custodians, Prefect Wakatou was the most insane in his killing.
Countless Green Skins were harvested like weeds in their hands, and even the endless Green Skins were killed cleanly before they could even get close to Noah.
It wasn't until the Custodians were already locked in battle with the Green Skins that Noah once again raised his head to look in the direction of the fighting.
"The energy on these Green Skins is a bit strange, I need to take a good look." As he said this, a large amount of Lightning appeared in Noah's hands, and Lightning crisscrossed behind him.
Lightning, flashing with dazzling white light, struck into the Green Skin crowd, instantly turning them into charred remains, which then disappeared as if they had never existed with a gentle breeze.
If the Custodians were like an unstoppable force among the Green Skins, then Noah was like an entire domain; wherever he went, the Green Skins completely vanished, and even the spore clusters on the ground that could grow Green Skins were thoroughly purified.
Wherever Noah passed, it was as if a natural enemy of the Green Skins had arrived, making it impossible for them to reappear.
But no matter what, this planet was the Green Skins' base; there were a large number of Green Skins here, so how could they be so easily eliminated?
As Noah harvested the lives of these Green Skins in swathes, when he threw out another bolt of Lightning, preparing to clear a large area of Green Skins, the Lightning was blocked by green Psychic Power.
WAAAGH energy, such energy can also be called one of the Psychic Powers; it is created by the Green Skins through their idealism.
Mind over matter, transcending the mundane and entering the sacred. Most of the Imperium of Man's Psychic Power comes from the Warp; they do not rely on mind over matter.
But Green Skins are different; Green Skins mainly rely on themselves, on what they firmly believe to be true, and that's what causes it.
Although there aren't any extremely powerful beings among them yet, with enough numbers, blocking Noah's attack became a reality.
Noah, whose Psychic Power had always been invincible, witnessed the combat power of the Green Skins.
But in the next second, an even more powerful Psychic Lightning bolt was unleashed from Noah's hand, and the massive attack directly shattered the green Barbaric Shield.
"Interesting, there's already a slight threat, but it's not enough."
A flicker of excitement flashed in Noah's eyes. He was increasingly eager to properly study these Ork Beastmen, rather than simply turning them into canned goods.
Mind over matter, transcending the mundane and entering the sacred. Perhaps these Green Skins could give him some inspiration to let the Custodians also master Psychic Power.
If it's impossible for ordinary humans to possess Psychic Power as strong as his, then why not start with numbers?
The number of humans is simply astonishing!
Noah, who came from the Terran Dominion, had to lament that the Imperium of Man might be lacking in other things and quite barren, but they possessed an advantage that no other human civilization could match.
Population!
No one could believe that the Imperium of Man was such a strange interstellar civilization, seemingly with living conditions insufficient for people to continue to properly procreate.
Yet, the Imperium of Man inexplicably had an endless population.
This truly made Noah very confused and puzzled. But since the population existed, why not utilize it? The characteristics of the Green Skins might become a breakthrough point for humanity.
And even if ordinary humans couldn't achieve it, perhaps applying this point to the Custodians would also be feasible.
As Noah was thinking this, suddenly, violent tremors appeared on the ground where the Custodians were fighting, and then the ground cracked open.
A tall Green Skin army appeared before the Custodians; their size was even far greater, twice the size of the Custodians.
For ordinary creatures, size actually represents combat power; the larger the size, the stronger their combat power.
Upon seeing this, the Custodians, who were fighting fiercely among the Green Skins, quickly dealt with their opponents and then regrouped around Noah after a round of slaughter.
"Warmaster, these Green Skins are very strange," Prefect Wakatou said, leaning next to Noah, whose eyes narrowed slightly.
"Normally, these Green Skins have some Warp Daemons on them, and there aren't just this few. I estimate there should be more Green Skin troops rushing towards our location."
"You all go charge and fight them; I'll cover your rear."
"Fusing Warp Daemons with Green Skins, this is truly a very evil idea, but it inexplicably seems to have given these Green Skins powerful combat power."
Noah was surprised by the fusion between Warp Daemons and Green Skins. No wonder he always felt that these 'Wali' were very strange; it turned out Tzeentch was behind it.
"For the Emperor!" Wakatou shouted, leading the Custodians to charge towards the mutated Green Skins. Golden armor and green behemoths clashed violently, erupting in deafening roars.
Noah carefully observed the battle. These Green Skins, fused with demonic power, were not only massive but also possessed combat skills far superior to ordinary Green Skins. More unsettling was that they seemed to possess some tactical intelligence.
These Green Skins no longer allowed the Custodians to rampage through them like ordinary Green Skins, slaughtering them at will.
Instead, they began to use battle formations and attempted to restrict the Custodians' movements with their Psychic Power.
Even though the Green Skins did this, they were still quite powerless in front of the Custodians.
The Custodians could still effortlessly wipe out these Green Skin Soldiers.
However, Noah could still tell that compared to the previous ordinary Green Skin Soldiers, the Custodians were approximately 0.1 seconds slower in eliminating each Green Skin Soldier.
Do not underestimate this 0.1-second speed; if it were ordinary Green Skins, at least dozens of Green Skins would be slain within that 0.1 second.
Moreover, as the battle progressed, these Green Skin troops did not weaken as their WAAAGH energy decreased.
The death of a large number of Green Skins instead made the remaining ones even larger; their bodies grew bigger, their strength became greater, and they lasted longer against the Custodians.
Ten minutes later, the originally arrayed Green Skin troops were already bleeding profusely; two-thirds of this mobilized Green Skin legion had been killed, but the remaining one-third still had high morale.
WAAAGH, this is what we want, these golden Shrimps are strong!
The Green Skins were still incredibly excited, and the Custodians also sensed that something was wrong; they once again retreated to Noah's side.
This time, without Wakatou needing to explain, Noah's face already showed a very troubled expression.
"This is big trouble!"
Although he didn't want to admit that he was already in trouble, Noah had to realize that these Orks had become enemies he didn't want to face.
The deaths of a large number of Orks did not weaken their fighting power; instead, it made them even stronger.
When all the Orks were killed until only the last Ork Boss remained, then the enemy's strength would exceed Noah's expectations.
The Custodes forces had retreated to Noah's side, and it was visibly clear that these Orks were continuously growing stronger. The Astra Militarum forces and Titan Legions were massacring them on this planet.
Orks continuously sprouted from the ground and joined the battle, but at the same time, a large number of Orks were constantly being annihilated by the attacks of the Astra Militarum and Titan Legions. The dead Orks strengthened the power of their comrades nearby.
It was visibly clear that the Orks in front of Noah were becoming increasingly robust, and the green glow of the weapons in their hands was also becoming more dazzling.
However, attacks and damage to the Orks could not be stopped.
This planet was simply too rich, which made it impossible for Noah to abandon this Ork-infested planet.
He didn't know how the Four Chaos Gods found this planet, but it had to be said that they succeeded. Noah couldn't abandon this planet; its value far exceeded that of an ordinary Imperial World.
"Order everyone to speed up and kill all these Orks. Even if they become stronger, don't worry about it; just kill them all. If individual soldiers can't handle it, send in tanks. If tanks can't handle it, send in Titans!"
"If even an emperor-class titan is no longer a match, then I will go! In short, exterminate these Orks, and at the same time, be sure to deal with the spore fields on the ground.
Completely eliminate them to prevent more Orks from growing."
Noah's orders were issued, and the Custodes immediately executed the combat directives.
A large number of Orks were brutally slaughtered after Noah's orders were given.
The human army's attack methods underwent subtle changes.
The Astra Militarum advanced with overwhelming armored formations, Space Marines specialized in attacking the Orks' energy nodes, and the Titan Legions created isolation zones with shockwave shells.
In addition, after the army had swept through, the engineer units simply purified all surfaces behind them with high-temperature flames.
To ensure that no Ork spores remained and could regrow into new Orks.
The main focus was efficient purification!
Noah's actions could not escape the notice of the Chaos Gods in the Warp; they were, of course, observing his every move.
If Noah were allowed to resolve this war so easily, wouldn't all their schemes be in vain?
Situations like this, where Noah happened to be coming to fight and the planet also possessed immense value, were rare.
It could be said that this time, their calculations were far less significant than their luck. Since Noah needed this planet, he couldn't just blow it up, and that was their best opportunity.
Just as the Astra Militarum and Space Marines were engaged in a large-scale slaughter of Orks, a blue Warp portal appeared.
Infinite Warp energy poured out from the portal. The void, which had been largely cleared of energy due to Kairos's death, was once again filled with higher-quality Warp energy.
Massive numbers of Warp Daemons emerged from the Warp, and at the same time, a new fleet of Orks was transported to this battlefield.
All of this naturally came at a cost. Originally, there was no concept of time and space in the Warp, which meant Noah's fleet couldn't leave.
But when these Chaos Gods of the Warp deployed the Ork fleet and Warp Daemons into this void, the Warp gained a concept of space.
This also gave Noah the possibility of leaving. If he wished, he could now order his fleet to leave this planet.
"Warmaster, we are under a large-scale attack by Warp Daemons!"
"Warmaster, a massive number of Warp Daemons have appeared in Sector 1967."
"A large number of Warp Daemons have appeared in Sector 1865."
Message after message arrived from the Astra Militarum; most reports indicated the appearance of a large number of Warp Daemons.
In addition, some messages reported Ork intelligence to Noah.
"Warmaster, a large fleet of Orks has appeared in the airspace of this star system; they were sent here by the Chaos Gods of the Warp!"
As message after message rang out, Noah fell into thought. With his intellect, he had analyzed what the Chaos Gods intended to do the moment he received the first messages.
Considering this rich planet, Noah had to admit that the Chaos Gods' plan had succeeded; he truly could not abandon this planet.
To put it plainly, as long as he coveted the resources of this planet, this war would certainly continue.
Even retreating at this point would be useless.
The Chaos Gods had already discerned that this planet possessed abundant resources, making it impossible for them to relinquish oversight of it.
As long as he sent troops or some units to this planet, the Warp Daemon armies would inevitably appear.
He couldn't even delay, because if he retreated and gave the Chaos Gods time to prepare, even more blasphemous Warp rituals would appear again.
At the same time, Orks were not something he could just beat up and leave. Orks also possessed powerful combat capabilities. If a large number of Ork fleets gathered in this new sector, not dealing with them was not an option.
"Order the Astra Militarum and Space Marine troops of this expeditionary force, after they finish dealing with the Orks on the planet, to immediately gather at All Might!"
Since the Chaos Gods wanted to fight a war of attrition with him here, then he would fight!
He wanted to see who would run out of resources first, the Chaos Gods or him.
Noah was not a stubborn person. He wouldn't stubbornly clash with the Chaos Gods here out of momentary anger. He would, of course, do other things to make the Chaos Gods abandon their operations here.
"Varkato, from now on, the forces on this planet in this campaign will be commanded by you. During my absence, you are responsible for commanding them to eliminate these Chaos Daemons."
Noah switched his communications, handing over the command of the battle to the Custodian Tribune. As a jack-of-all-trades unit, the Custodes could do anything.
Noah's order was not abrupt.
"Yes, and you, Warmaster?" Varkato accepted the order and then turned, somewhat concerned about what Noah intended to do.
"I need to return to the battleship and contact Terra. This war can no longer be resolved by the expeditionary force alone; more Custodes and Grey Knights need to be mobilized to participate."
"Since the Chaos Gods want to tie down the Imperial armies here and want us to invest more resources, then let's invest them!"
"Before engaging Starfish, we'll deal with the Chaos Gods, make them more compliant, and prevent them from holding us back."
The Custodian Tribune is a high-ranking officer within the Custodes, often tasked with leading significant detachments or overseeing critical operations. They are known for their versatility and exceptional combat prowess, capable of fulfilling various roles with distinction.
A few minutes later, Noah returned to his battleship and connected with Guilliman. Guilliman, who was handling state affairs, saw Noah's communication and his face fell.
Needless to say, it was impossible for Noah to have conquered those Orks in such a short time. Now, calling midway, it was highly likely he had encountered a problem and needed support.
As the regent of the Imperium of Man, Guilliman once again glanced at his national treasury, then reluctantly connected the communication with Noah.
Guilliman, with a suffering expression, appeared before Noah.
"Speak, do you need support? How much support do you need? Just say it, and I'll send you whatever I can get!"
Although very unwilling and not wanting to continue spending vast resources, Guilliman still distinguished what was important and what was not. Noah's expedition was the most important.
Even if it meant stopping some Imperial operations or wars in certain areas, it had to be done.
At worst, they could coordinate, halt operations in some areas temporarily, or directly deploy the Custodes to fight, replacing the PDF troops and Astra Militarum that were supposed to be involved.
Furthermore, if they were truly too poor to bear it, they would just raise taxes.
The common people of the Imperium of Man now lived lives that the common people of the past Imperium of Man could not have imagined.
To protect this good life, what was wrong with the Imperial populace contributing more resources? It was what they should do.
Although Guilliman certainly didn't want to impose large-scale tax increases on the populace, wasn't it necessary?
"I need support. The Chaos Gods have schemed against me. They have mobilized a large number of Ork troops to appear on All Might."
"But we must take this planet. It can almost solve half of the resource supply for the moon of war, which means it can save about 300 Eternal Coins worth of resources."
For the first half of the sentence, Guilliman still had a suffering expression, but upon hearing that it could save about 300 Eternal Coins worth of resources, the suffering on his face immediately vanished.
"Understood!"
"Just tell me how many troops you need. I will immediately draw them and deploy them for battle."
Being able to save money, especially being able to save so many resources from building the moon of war, made fighting this war completely worthwhile. Guilliman wasn't a fool; he had already calculated it in his mind.
"I have decided to mobilize 400,000 Custodes and about 800,000 Grey Knights Forces. As for other Astra Militarum and similar troops, you need to mobilize at least 10 billion!"
"The Imperial Navy can mobilize a Patrol Fleet, plus about 20 sector-level main fleet groups, preparing for battle. This will be a very complex war."
After a small wave of calculations, Noah reported the scale of troops he needed. Although Guilliman was surprised by the somewhat massive scale of the forces, he still waved his hand grandly and stated,
"I will follow your requirements and immediately assemble and dispatch the troops you need for support!"
"I just don't know if more Space Marine troops are needed for support?"
The Astra Militarum, Custodes, and Grey Knights were all going into battle, so what about the Space Marines?
Guilliman asked curiously.
"As for the Space Marines, I originally planned to leave them to deal with the vacant front lines after the Grey Knights and Custodes were drawn away.
However, since you've asked, I will still need a batch of Space Marines to enter the battlefield."
Upon hearing this, Guilliman felt a bit helpless.
He shouldn't have asked!
But since he had already asked, he could only grit his teeth and swallow the bitter fruit he had created.
Under Guilliman's somewhat regretful gaze, Noah stated the Space Marine forces he needed.
"First, I will mobilize about 2 million Space Marines in Misty Star Field World 108. In addition, you will draw half of your Ultramarines, and all loyalist Space Marine Chapters of the Imperium, when not on combat missions, will gather in the star system where the Orks are located."
"Since the Chaos Gods want us to fight a war of attrition with them, we will fight them, but we must not just fight a war of attrition."
"These Space Marine troops, besides the 2 million Space Marines from Misty Star Field World 108 that I mentioned, all other Space Marines will launch a full-scale attack on the various planets and star systems where the Orks are located."
"All Space Marine Chapter battle barges will carry atmospheric incineration torpedoes, cyclone torpedoes, and modal atmospheric missiles."
"Except for some planets that appear to have colonization value, these destructive weapons will not be deployed.
As long as there are a large number of Orks on them, and reconnaissance reveals they have no value, do not hesitate to deploy cyclone torpedoes and other weapons."
Noah, of course, could not allow Ork troops to continuously appear in his current battlefield.
In his current battlefield, if Orks died, it would strengthen other Orks. If a large number of Orks were to die again, who knew how powerful an Ork combat unit would be created in the Real Universe?
Moreover, Orks were also very strange; they had their own WAAAGH field.
This also led to the fact that even powerful Psykers, when facing these Orks, would have a portion of their WAAAGH energy around them nullified.
And in the Real Universe, the stronger an Ork was, the more Ork troops it could lead.
To avoid an unprecedented Ork WAAAGH from reappearing, Noah felt it necessary to prevent a large number of Orks from entering the engagement zone.
Although he was preparing to clash with the Chaos Gods,
that didn't mean he was willing to fight a needless galactic war here just because of Orks. The Starfish race were still watching.
The Eldar were also constantly stirring up trouble.
Although they had been quite quiet recently,
who knew if Yvraine and her kin would just swallow that insult without repeating the same tactics as in World 108?
Noah had always maintained extreme vigilance towards the Eldar. A 60-million-year-old interstellar civilization ultimately possessed deep foundations.
The most difficult part was that the Eldar kept running around and were too hard to catch, so Noah was currently waiting.
He was waiting until he had enough quasar-class battleships, moons of war, and stellar-class star-destroyer battleships in his hands.
When he had sufficiently powerful battleships, he could reach an agreement with the Starfish race to deal with these Eldar first.
Of course, the probability of the Starfish race agreeing was relatively small.
But it didn't matter; even if the Starfish race refused, Noah could still directly invade the star sea space where the Aeldari Lords resided using spatial jumps, and then end everything with the heaven-burning divine weapon.
Just as the Eldar had foretold in their prophecies, the heaven-burning divine weapon would incinerate all the star systems where they resided.