Warhammer: Don't Call Me the God of All Machines

Chapter 824 Kolk's Awakening
"He is watching us."

"That orc emperor, the last Kork."

Rosie's feet were on the twisted, charred metal tracks, and the space debris floating around her seemed to be affected by an invisible repulsive force, actively avoiding this area.

Under the intense barrage of light spears from the human warships, the original orc space station was completely destroyed, leaving only a small amount of melted and then solidified metal as evidence of its existence.

Although the main force of the Orcs has not been completely wiped out, with only one star system remaining, they have lost any chance of winning this war.

The only outcome of this war can be described as the destruction of the Orc Empire. The difference lies in how many twists and turns were encountered along the way and how much sacrifice humanity had to make.

"Space weapons for combating white dwarfs can effectively break through the energy shields of green-skinned stars."

"Once we breach their defenses, we can launch an orbital bombardment, then send in our landing forces to clean up the mess..."

As Loshi and Danteok were discussing the next steps of their attack, the global energy shield suddenly began to dissipate and fade rapidly.

The lush green shield dissipated into specks of light and was swept away by the wind. The atmosphere of Greenskin Star was once again connected to space, and the barrier that had prevented humanity from launching an attack vanished.

"What are the orcs planning to do? Abandon the Great Wall?"

Rosie's pupils contracted, her heart pounded, and her brain raced as she considered the current situation.

He could hardly believe what he was seeing, and even began to wonder if it was some kind of smokescreen put out by the Orks.

But after careful observation, he finally confirmed that the Green Star's shield had indeed fallen.

If they wished, the firepower of human warships could now be deployed directly to the surface to annihilate all the Ork.

Even the orc emperor, without using his psionic powers to teleport away, would only face death in the face of the relentless orbital bombardment by humans.

"Is this a case of feeling defeat is inevitable, and resigning immediately?"

"Or is the orc emperor trying to lure us deeper in so he can turn the tables by beheading us?"

For the first time, an unknown feeling arose in Loxi's heart. The orc emperor's unusual behavior made him hesitate.

"Could it be that the Orc Emperor has also read Romance of the Three Kingdoms and knows about Zhuge Liang's Empty City Stratagem? But the risk of strategic deception is too high; a slight mistake could lead to total defeat," Luo Xi thought to himself.

Guilliman quickly sent a message, expressing their equally high vigilance regarding the sudden changes on the Greenskins, fearing they might fall into a trap.

"We have observed that the energy shield of the Greenskin has dissipated."

"Should we launch an orbital bombardment immediately and end this damn thing right away?" Guilliman asked.

"Let's hold off for now. What if that ancient orc has some trump card up its sleeve? It's not impossible that if we bomb Greenskin Star, it will take us all down with it."

"The Kork orcs must have their reasons for doing this, and we should exercise restraint for the time being."

Loshi's guess is not without reason; no one can be sure whether the Kork orcs possess powerful technology left over from the War of Heaven.

“Wait, the Orc Emperor is trying to contact me.” As Lothie was speaking, he suddenly felt a strange psionic reaction in his mind.

The source of that psionic signal was the orc royal palace on the surface.

“He wants us to go to the ground, to his palace, and to face him directly.”

"He claimed that he would not stop us or set up an ambush to attack us."

"I'd like to see what this orc emperor is really up to."

Guilliman fell silent.

Like him were other high-ranking commanders of the expeditionary force, such as Vulcan, Astran, and Sigismund.

Even these experienced, battle-hardened battlefield commanders felt that the situation was beyond their expectations.

If the Orc Emperor leads the remaining Orcs in a desperate resistance, relying on the Greenskins' defenses to block humanity, and even pulls out some unknown technology left behind by the Ancients to fight back, then this would be exactly what humanity expected.

In the subconscious of humans, the orc emperor should be like the former King Urak Uger, fighting to the death against the human army led by the emperor, and finally being killed due to exhaustion.

This tragic way of dying is befitting of an orc emperor.

However, the orc emperor's current reaction seems no different from surrendering outright, which is highly suspicious.

Orcs will indeed surrender. After all, during the Battle of Skullshatterer, when Guilliman defeated Bloodhowl Zak, those abandoned Orcs surrendered to Guilliman due to despair and a collapse in morale.

However, the opponent was the Orc Emperor, and they had not truly reached the end of their rope.

If the ancient orc wants to escape, the probability of humans stopping him is not high.

The Orcs' control over the Waaagh Gate and the Webway gives them a significant advantage over humans in terms of mobility.

No matter how you look at it, the ancient orcs should continue to fight. They are a war-loving race created by the ancient saints, and fighting to the point of destruction is an instinct written into their genes.

"Be careful of the traps they might set. Don't forget that our enemies are not only the Ork, but also the Chaos traitors who have been plotting in the shadows."

“Loshi, I will not allow you to go to the surface on your own. If you insist on going, then you must wait for me and Vulgan to arrive. We will go to the surface to see the orc emperor when we are ready to retreat at any time.”

Guilliman's tone was extremely firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

"We are just one step away from victory, but historical experience tells us that we are often furthest from victory when we are about to kick the ball in the net."

"We can bring this war to a perfect close, and we must not allow any major mistakes to occur."

“In that case, I’ll wait for you here.” Rosie readily agreed to Guilliman’s request.

He wasn't some hothead who couldn't control his curiosity; he always readily accepted good advice.

About half an hour later, Guilliman and Vulcan, along with a group of high-ranking commanders of the expeditionary force, arrived at the area where Roch was located aboard a transport barge.

All the remaining Ork remnants in the surrounding area were cleared out, and the White Dwarf proactively moved the battlefield to other locations to minimize the number of Ork near the Greenskin Star.

After everyone reunited, Guilliman dared not be careless in the slightest.

He directly ordered his Space Marines to launch an orbital drop as planned, while the Titan Legion, Iron Legion, Mortal Support Forces, and Armored Forces were also deployed to the Orcish palace area.

The warships on track were also on high alert, with their light spears ready to aim and fire at any time, in case of any possible orc traps.

Guilliman exemplified caution to the extreme, issuing orders that were interconnected and proceeded step by step, without the slightest risk of recklessness.

Once everything was complete, Loxi used her psionic powers to teleport everyone inside the high walls of the orc royal palace.

When Loxi set foot on the land of the orc royal palace, she was not met with any counterattack or ambush by the orc forces.

The once magnificent orc palace was now almost empty, its former prosperity completely gone.

When people walk through the complex corridors of the palace, they can only hear the sound of their footsteps echoing through the corridors.

Even the heavily armed leaders who were always on duty along the roadside to ensure the emperor's safety had all disappeared without a trace, and the weapon systems controlled by the orcs had also been shut down.

Loxi and his team continued their slow advance, with a large number of drones spreading out to survey the entire palace inside and out, while simultaneously creating a complete three-dimensional map.

After about half a Terra Day, Loshi finally finished investigating the surrounding environment.

"We have already explored the orc palace. The only place we haven't investigated yet is the throne room."

“There’s no need to hesitate any longer, proceed to the throne room,” Guilliman ordered.

The throne room is the most prominent and eye-catching area in the orc palace; you could find it even with your eyes closed.

The doors to the Throne Room were not closed. The Iron Legion's scouts were the first to enter the Throne Room, followed by Space Marines from various Legions.

After confirming there was no ambush, Loxi stepped inside and met the legendary orc emperor.

Kork was sitting on his throne, with no other orcs besides him.

Numerous metal cables and complex energy conduits extended from behind the throne, plunging deep into the ground.

The condenser continuously carries away the heat from the machinery, and the drifting water vapor condenses near the ground after coming into contact with the low temperature, making it impossible to see the specific conditions of the ground.

Loshi had never seen such a massive orc. Even while seated, it was as large as a knight mech. If it stood up, it would probably be even taller than a warhound-class Titan.

“The ancient orcs I saw at the Solemnas Museum in Tarasim weren’t this big,” Loshi murmured.

"That's because the ancient orc I captured and collected was just an insignificant nobody from the era of the Heavenly Wars."

"Back then he was just a Kork orc, but things are different now."

The Endless One's voice rang out from behind him; he too had descended into the Orcish Royal Palace along with the Primarch and the others.

"The Kork orc race itself possesses extremely strong potential, not to mention that he now has the blessing of the orc god. As the last descendant of his race, he has many extraordinary qualities."

“From a mystical perspective, he is the sole embodiment of his own race.”

As Tarachin spoke, he walked, his transference annihilation staff striking the ground with a rhythmic sound.

He was also staring at the Kork orc with extreme seriousness, but he had completely lost any interest in collecting them.

Collecting is important, but if it requires countless people to pay a huge price, then it is truly not worth it.

Since the war against the Orc Empire began, Talassin has witnessed too much war and death, with countless human warriors and civilians falling forever in the flames of war.

Perhaps in that past world of games, Taraxin, who relied on collecting rare treasures to fill the emptiness of his soul, would not have cared about the suffering of humanity.

But now, Tarachin, who has regained his soul and has an incredibly close connection with humans, has undergone a fundamental change.

Even the crowned general Claudius was puzzled by Tarasin's change, stating that the ruler of the Nihirac dynasty treated humans better than his own kind.

"We should let our Titans deal with him. Is this monster really something an orc could achieve?"

Guilliman was extremely serious. He had participated in the siege of Urak Uger, the orc emperor of Ulanor, and the orc emperor before him was undoubtedly superior to Urak.

"Why don't we retreat and let the fleet handle this?"

Guilliman was confident of victory when facing Bloodhowl Zach before, but now, facing this monster, he was truly uncertain.

“My brother, since you have chosen to believe in Roxi, you should believe in him to the end.”

Vulcan patted Guilliman on the shoulder to dispel his unease.

"Even if we encounter real danger, I will cover your retreat."

Guilliman gave a wry smile. If someone else had said such a thing, he might have been able to refute it, but if Vulcan said he would cover the rear, then he would definitely do it.

If the Lord of Fire Dragons, who possesses the constitution of an immortal, is truly determined to entangle an opponent, then that opponent will almost certainly have no chance of breaking free.

Roche stopped before the throne of Korck.

Behind him stood Guilliman and Vulcan, the two Primarchs, while Sigismund, Astram, and the other commanders of the Astartes stood in turn.

The orc emperor's gaze swept over the humans before him one by one, and his thoughts began to race.

"During the Great Crusade, there were a total of twenty-one Primarchs. Even if two Primarchs were erased from existence, there were still nineteen such demigods."

"And yet, only two Primarchs appeared here, and they destroyed the empire I built."

The Orc Emperor could sense that the Primarch's life essence was far superior to his own; the Primarch's body concealed a special warp essence, and their physical bodies were merely appearances, while their inner essence was the key.

Each Primarch is a complete monster, and they all have limitless potential to be explored.

Once they have unearthed enough wealth from their own essence, they will become beings at the level of sub-gods in the warp.

However, such a divine being was merely a "child" created by that human emperor.

This incredible method reminded Corker da Vinci of the creators of the past.

Even the ancient sages did not create anything that was more advanced in the essence of life than the original.

The Spirit Gods are the product of the ancient Spirit race's beliefs, emotions, and desires; strictly speaking, the ancient saints only indirectly gave birth to them.

If we compare them this way, wouldn't human emperors be more powerful than ancient saints?
The orc emperor's thoughts drifted far away, seemingly back to the war-torn era of the Heavenly Wars.

The will of the second brother was urging him to quickly engage in a fierce and satisfying battle with these powerful humans before him.

Regardless of stance, right or wrong, win or lose, just enjoy yourself to the fullest!
For the green-skinned orcs, the meaning of life is fighting; killing is merely a means to an end, and battle is the ultimate goal. "No… I don't want it to be like this anymore," the orc emperor shook his head, speaking firmly.

He is using his willpower to resist the influence of Mao Zedong.

Perhaps when he first escaped the Necropolis world, Kolk was thinking of launching a waaagh! that would sweep across the entire galaxy, to break the vicious curse the Necropolis had placed on the Orcs and restore the race's former glory.

However, during the war with humanity, Kirk changed his mind; he realized that it was impossible.

This era belongs to humanity. As long as the human emperors are still alive, as long as the Primarchs are still alive, and as long as those mortals who refuse to submit and possess the will to resist are still alive, the green-skinned orcs will never be able to shake humanity's hegemony.

Even if they started in a different location and built an empire that was more powerful and vast than the ghoul orc empire, they still wouldn't be able to defeat humanity.

Kolk had already understood the underlying reason: the Greenskins were purely weapons of war, and for the Greenskins, war was the only purpose.

For humanity, war is merely a means to an end.

Their purpose in waging war was to protect their people, perpetuate their civilization, and allow more people to live freely according to their own will.

One fights for the sake of fighting, while the other understands why they are fighting; the difference is immediately apparent.

The difference may seem small, but it is fundamentally different.

Even he himself could not unleash the full potential of the green-skinned orcs, because he could not change the nature of the green-skinned orcs who fought for the sake of fighting.

Or to put it more bluntly, the Kork orcs have realized that a race whose essence is a weapon of war cannot win the final victory by itself alone—the only victor is the player, not the piece on the chessboard.

After the Old Ones perished, the green-skinned orcs lost their controllers and their pawns, and thus drifted into a state of chaos, degenerating into the Orcs.

The eternal opposition and constant fighting between the two orcs is a manifestation of the orcs falling into an unbalanced void after losing their controller and direction.

For this reason, the Kork orcs despised the blessing of the second brother.

Once they receive the blessing of the orc gods, they will be swept up by their will and instincts, becoming little different from other orcs.

"I am Kirk Da Vinci, and I am perhaps the first Kirk orc with an independent will."

I have my own ideas, my own beliefs, and my own principles.

"The purpose of my birth is to help my creator—the Ancient Ones—to fight against those twisted and tyrannical gods of the real universe, and against the malice from the depths of the warp."

"Although the Ork are said to be the degenerate descendants of our race, they are ultimately not the Kork, and I am not the same kind of being as them."

"I don't want your blessings!"

The orc emperor, seated on his throne, emanated a weak green light, while behind him, two enormous orc phantoms roared to the sky.

The fiery and violent Gao Ge, as scorching as lava, and the cunning and treacherous Mao Ge, as cold as ice, were furious at the rebellious attitude of the boy they had chosen, Kork.

How foolish, Kork!

However, they could not force Kirk and could only watch helplessly as he stripped off the blessing from his body.

After the blessing of the orc gods was reduced, Emperor Kolk's size also shrank rapidly from twenty meters to ten meters, returning to his original appearance.

Lothie looked at the shrinking Kork with suspicion and uncertainty. He vaguely understood what choice the other party had made and why the two orc gods were so furious.

"This Kork orc doesn't seem to be on the same page as Brother Gao Mao..."

"I never expected that after we descended to the surface, we would witness the orc emperor and the orc god turning against each other."

Although Guilliman and Vulcan did not understand the current situation, the threat they sensed from the Orc Emperor was rapidly decreasing.

Once Kolk had completely shed the blessing of the hairy creature, the aura of majesty and inviolability emanating from him also dissipated.

He rose from his throne, casually picked up his inertia hammer, and walked toward the humans before him.

Guilliman took a step forward, and the Crimson Sword in his hand emitted a dazzling blue light. The Lord of Limits once again activated his anti-spiritual power.

Kork showed no fear and did not display any hostility.

He glanced at Danteok and recognized the unique scent of the Star God on the other.

However, Kolk's attention did not linger on Danteok, but instead focused on Rosie.

"Human, this is our second meeting."

Kolk's voice was not as rough as one might imagine; in fact, it could be described as gentle.

"You also have your own consciousness within Tarasin's stasis field?" Loshi asked rhetorically, knowing that the first time he was referring to was when he accompanied Tarasin on his tour of Solemnas.

"A static field can only freeze the body, not the soul."

“A weak soul may not be able to perceive it, but for me, I can still feel the traces of time passing.”

The exchange between Roche and Kolk was devoid of any tense hostility; rather, it resembled a conversation between two long-lost friends.

Guilliman's grip on the sword loosened slightly, and Vulcan's Dawnbringer gradually landed.

"Why did you refuse Mao Erge's blessing? You should understand that if you intend to resist to the end and cooperate with those beast-like orc warlords, it won't be easy for us to win this war," Loxi asked.

The Kork orcs, blessed by the orc god, are indeed terrifying. If a Primarch is not awakened, the only result of facing him is brutal crushing.

Only by uncovering their own essence and awakening their own genetic origin can the Primarch be able to fight against monsters of this level.

Even if Rosie were to face him, she wouldn't be confident that she could definitely defeat him.

After all, the other side also has Brother Gao Mao backing them up, so they might suddenly get a double blessing and start going into overdrive.

"There's no reason why, I just realized a fact," Korke said slowly.

"My existence was just a mistake, an accident. I should have stayed in that museum of the space necromancer overlord until the day the universe was destroyed."

“My appearance has disrupted the normal development of the Orc race. If I hadn’t appeared, a second Orc Empire would have emerged, but not now, but perhaps at some point in the future.”

"Even with the addition of Kork as leader, the Ork cannot overthrow your human empire. My arrival only makes this war more brutal, but cannot change the outcome."

Kirk's tone revealed a sense of frustration and helplessness in the face of fate.

"When did you start thinking this way? Was it when we traced back to your home planet, or at some other point in time?"

“That was a long time ago, after my beasts could no longer advance and the empire was mired in war. I had already foreseen the end.”

"The war potential between the orcs and humans is far too different. Even in terms of sheer size, you can crush the orcs."

For a moment, a feeling of astonishment flashed through Rosie's mind.

He hadn't expected that the orc emperor had realized long ago that the orcs were doomed to defeat.

He instinctively bit his tongue, using the pain to keep himself more alert.

"My greatest advantage is that the advanced technologies inherited from the ancient saints have been erased by the curse left by the space necromancers, which prevents my Ork people from using too powerful war technology."

"Otherwise, if I were to restore some of the technologies from the era of the War of Heaven, the price you humans would have to pay would likely be exceptionally high."

"However, by then, our enemy will not be just the Nihilak dynasty, but the Silent King himself leading an army of undead to conquer us."

"We have witnessed the power of those space necromancers firsthand. After lying in wait and enduring, they were able to completely betray the Star God and shatter those greedy real-world cosmic gods."

"Even if the Kork orcs rise from the ashes, they will find it difficult to fight against those space undead. In the end, they will still be unable to escape destruction, and may even drag this already broken galaxy down with them."

"I never want to be the one to destroy the universe, after all, the universe gave birth to us."

The orc emperor spoke eloquently, and Lothie gave him ample respect, listening patiently.

"Moreover, you not only have the Necrons as allies, but also the Eldar as inside agents. I have learned about the Eldar's actions through Brother Mao, and I have never truly believed in that Eldar prophet."

Upon hearing Kork's words, Roche was suddenly startled.

Uslan, that cunning old fellow, wanted to use his identity to infiltrate the Orcs, but little did he know that the Orc Emperor already knew about the Eldar's splendid and shameful past.

He hadn't heard from Uslan in a long time. Had that guy been killed by the enraged Kork?

Seemingly seeing through Loxi's doubts, the orc emperor's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Don't worry, your Spirit Clan friend is not dead. I originally intended to strangle him after I was done using him, but the Laughing God of the Spirit Clan beat me to it and snatched him away from my grasp."

"It's a pity, it's a pity."

Loshi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for Uslan. This guy's skills were clearly not as deep as the orc emperor's, and he only managed to save his life thanks to the protection of the Laughing God.

He pressed on, "Since you realized long ago that you couldn't win, and that the Necromancers and Eldar were our allies, why did you push for all of this to happen?"

"Why?" the orc emperor laughed. "I just want to see how capable you are, and what the true strength of the galactic overlords of this era really is."

“I am a weapon of war forged by the ancient sages. Although I am different from those younger generations who only know how to fight, I am equally curious about your strength.”

"I want to test whether you are qualified to ascend to the position of galactic overlord."

"Now I know your level. Although it is far inferior to ours during the War of Heaven, you have also developed in a much shorter period of time. You have passed the test."

Although the orc emperor's tone was gentle, his words still revealed a hint of arrogance.

Seeing the growing anger on Rosie's face, Kolk also revealed a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"The reason why the ancient saints were destroyed was not only related to the great war between the star gods and the space undead, but also to the chaos inside the subspace."

"Once beings like the Four Chaos Gods are born in the future, they will converge on the timeline."

They also gave the Ancient Saints a push when they were at their weakest; those enslaved beings who suddenly appeared at the Ancient Saints' stronghold were inextricably linked to them!

"In this era, you humans are the main force against Chaos. When I realized that my appearance was Chaos's way of using the orcs to restrain you humans, I no longer wanted to continue the war."

"Compared to humanity, chaos is our irreconcilable enemy."

"Whether it's because we are all beings in the real universe and are naturally on the same side, or because of the blood feud between our creators, I will never associate with Chaos!"

At that moment, Rosie suddenly understood everything.

Why did the Orc Emperor become increasingly passive and negative as the war progressed?

He saw through the inevitable defeat of the orcs, saw through the conspiracy woven by the warp itself within him, and saw through that pitiful and hateful fate.

Why should he continue to fight to the death, causing humans and orcs to bleed even more?
As for the war that was already underway, even the Orc Emperor could not order the countless Orcs who were disregarding everything to stop.

When all the Ork were swept up by Waaagh!, his authority seemed so illusory and so powerless.

“I have sent away the remaining Orks on Greenskin, not to other parts of the galaxy, but to a place beyond the reach of your starlight.”

"The Ork are, after all, our descendants. I can't bear to watch you slaughter them all. It's better to let them go far away and leave this galaxy."

"Although this universe was mostly destroyed in the battle against the warp, there are still other living spaces where these Ork people can survive."

The orc emperor explained the whereabouts of the other Orcs, and Lothie immediately felt a headache coming on.

If these orcs are allowed to escape, an orc army might one day return from the Dark Realm beyond the Milky Way.

But now that things have come to this, and the orc emperor has already said he's sent them away, what else can Loxi say?

Future problems can only be dealt with in the future; the key is to prioritize solving current problems.

The orc emperor, as if having said everything he needed to say, proudly opened his chest to the humans and declared in a resounding voice:

"Thank you for listening to me finish recounting these trivial matters."

"Now, let's settle this once and for all."

"You can kill me and use my head to declare the destruction of the ghoul orc empire, or I can kill you and prove my point wrong, that you humans are not favored by fate."

Kirk took a deep breath, and then his eyes, which were fixed on the humans, were filled with a burning fighting spirit... and a will to die.

(End of this chapter)