Engaged in hacking the terminal in the main lobby of the Shinra headquarters to bring up a detailed map of the complex on the screen, Alex literally physically felt that everything was coming together far too easily… and even in some ways canonically. After all, their entire group had penetrated the corporation's holy of holies completely without fights or unnecessary noise — especially compared to the bloody chaos that had unfolded in the alternate timelines.
This time they hadn't even needed to draw their weapons: all of them had calmly driven into the underground parking garage under the guise of an ordinary loading crew, and had even managed beforehand to acquire Tseng's personal keycard, which opened access to practically any service door.
It was precisely because of all this suspicious ease that Alex, with every passing second, felt ever more strongly in his gut: something extremely unpleasant was about to happen. That was how it always went. Even when Alex constructed his plans with the utmost caution in order to minimize any risks for the squad and allow each of them to earn a sufficient amount of party points, he had already personally verified more than once the plain truth: some unforeseen stupidity was bound to occur, which he would then have to urgently clean up.
In a world like this, where the dominant role was played by mystical Fate, Alex had managed through his own bitter experience to confirm: the local incorporeal entities in the form of the Gray Whisperers madly loved to wreck any of his arrangements, just so long as they could return events to the course they needed.
Feeling the competitive anticipation flaring up inside him over exactly what dirty trick the Gray or Black Whisperers would pull this time, Alex broke into such a predatory smile that for a moment he completely forgot what he had been typing on the terminal's virtual keyboard. Only when Tifa gently but noticeably shook him by the shoulder did Alex snap out of his deep reflections. Turning his head back, he met the gazes of his companions, who were patiently waiting for him to finish working with the system.
"Find anything useful?" Dean asked, leaning his hands on the counter and peering curiously into the flickering terminal monitor.
"Sort of. We've got a map now, but along with it a few problems have surfaced," Alex said, stepping slightly aside to give the whole group a view of the screen.
"What kind of problems now?! Why does some crap always pop up the moment things start going normally?!" Barrett snapped, in annoyance lightly kicking a plastic chair standing nearby and sending it flying farther away.
"Judging by this schematic, with the access we currently have we'll only be able to go up the stairs or the elevator as far as the 59th floor," Claudia spoke up, calmly running her finger across the monitor and highlighting the available route.
"And what does that specifically mean for us?" Wedge asked in a puzzled tone, fruitlessly trying to peer out from behind Barrett's broad shoulder to examine the schematics on the monitor.
"It means that Professor Hojo's laboratory is located on the 65th floor. But that's far from everything yet…" Claudia continued, pointing her finger at the relevant section of the upper tier.
"Can we just get all the information at once instead of spoon-feeding it? Do we really have a ton of spare time to play guessing games here?" Dean asked in a tired tone, giving a slight wave of his hand to hurry Alex and Claudia along with their explanations.
"In short, with Tseng's keycard we simply won't be able to ride straight into Hojo's lab. And therefore we'll either have to manually reprogram a new card right on the spot, or steal a pass by force or cunning from someone who actually works there. Is that enough information now?" Alex quickly summarized. He pulled a black keycard from his pocket and briefly waved it in the air so everyone could see the object of the dispute.
"Ooooh, that's completely in my wheelhouse! Leave it to me: if something needs to be quietly stolen from someone, I'm the best of the best at that!" Yuffie declared with an eager grin, proudly raising her slender little fist above her head.
Looking at the enthusiastic Yuffie, Alex gave a slight nod of his head and did not forget to delicately remind her that literally a moment ago she had found an empty keycard at the reception desk — a visitor's pass that provided basic access to the 59th floor, where the Observation Deck was located. After these words from Alex, absolutely every member of the squad stared at him questioningly, not entirely understanding how exactly he planned to make use of this seemingly useless find.
Alex smiled slightly and proceeded to patiently explain: this standard visitor's card could be gradually "leveled up" through the local terminals on the upper tiers, thereby step by step opening access to those sections that were currently closed to them — all the way up to Hojo's laboratory itself.
Naturally, Alex preferred to remain silent and did not remind his friends that he actually did not require a single keycard to easily penetrate Hojo's sanctuary. After all, if their group followed a relatively canonical path, it would at least slightly ease the already taut bowstring of local fate and prevent it from finally snapping.
The last thing in the world Alex wanted was for such a catastrophic rupture of reality to occur so early, and in such a dangerous place overflowing with enemies. Dean, of course, immediately recalled their real capabilities and noticeably jabbed Alex in the side with his elbow, already preparing to ask aloud: why did they even need all this fuss with keycards when their smartphones had universal software built in that unlocked any electronic locks?
But before Dean could voice these seditious words in front of everyone, Alex warningly pressed his index finger to his lips, calling his comrade to complete silence. At this sharp gesture Dean frowned discontentedly, and a second later he heard Alex's calm voice right inside his head — with an exhaustive telepathic explanation of the entire deep underlying reason for the plan.
Having heard the true reasons, Dean only irritably rolled his eyes and nodded grimly, perfectly understanding what unspeakable filth this local Fate actually was. This silent exchange of glances and thoughts Aerith simply could not fail to notice, for she almost never took her attentive gaze off Alex.
Meeting his eyes, she slightly tilted her head to the side, gracefully narrowing her expressive green eyes. How could she not understand why Alex had proposed precisely this seemingly winding plan of gradually upgrading the access card? Everything was being done solely so that the squad would follow the strictly predetermined route and at least a little loosen the tension of the fatal string.
Aerith herself was perfectly aware that in the current situation it was categorically forbidden to rush events, otherwise at any moment something truly terrible could happen. She clearly sensed this invisible threat with her entire being and with all her heart wanted to avoid such an outcome. By this moment Alex had just finished bringing the others up to speed and suggested that the squad finally start moving forward.
"I'll ask anyway… Then why did those two weirdos even bring us their boss's keycard if it's ultimately useless for getting to Hojo?" Jessie suddenly asked, turning her head toward Alex as their entire group leisurely climbed the wide steps to the third floor.
"To calmly bypass certain service lockouts without raising the entire alarm. We won't get into Hojo's with it right now, but we will definitely get into a great many other very interesting places," Alex answered with a mysterious smile, smoothly running his fingers along the cold metal railings of the staircase as they ascended.
"Kid, are you saying…" Barrett began, and a predatory smile of anticipation instantly spread across his stern lips.
"Yes. Those very doors at the very top — this keycard unlocks them without any problem either," Alex confirmed with a smile, giving a slight nod of his head and fully fueling Barrett's innermost hopes.
Having received the desired answer, Barrett victoriously clenched his fist with the air of someone who had just hit the biggest jackpot of his life. He damned well loved that intoxicating sensation: the awareness that if he wanted he could personally exact solid percentages from Shinra for everything they had done. Noticing the wild joy on Barrett's face, the remaining members of the group turned questioningly toward Alex, burning with curiosity and wanting to know exactly which coveted door was being referred to.
In response to these intent gazes Alex only silently raised his index finger upward, quite transparently hinting at exactly where Tseng's pass opened access. At first no one understood the meaning of this gesture and why he was pointing at the ceiling. But gradually it finally began to dawn on everyone present: they had in their hands a keycard that allowed them without unnecessary noise to unlock that very main door located on the sky-high 70th floor of the Shinra headquarters.
From this shocking realization Biggs and Wedge exchanged stunned glances and simultaneously stared at Barrett. And he was already hungrily cracking his neck, looking as if he were ready right now to charge up to the 70th tier and personally have a man-to-man talk with the main bastard.
However, before Barrett could even seriously get inspired by the idea of storming President Shinra's office, Tifa instantly reined him in with just a couple of stern words. She weightily reminded Barrett of the reason they had penetrated this place at all: not for his personal vendetta and settling of scores, but for the sake of rescuing the innocent children whom the corporation had first kidnapped and then cynically decided to use as leverage to lure Aerith out and force her to surrender voluntarily.
Hearing these righteous words, Barrett gave a dry cough, guiltily lowered his eyes, and waved his hand forward, urging everyone to hurry so they could free the little ones as quickly as possible. Observing this scene, Tifa quietly sighed and met the gaze of Alex, who was carelessly strolling along at the very end, hands deeply thrust into the pockets of his long coat.
Seeing Tifa's tired and slightly exhausted look, Alex smiled warmly and encouragingly, gently making it clear that everything would definitely be perfectly fine. Having climbed to the spacious third floor, Alex first of all looked around and immediately spotted the darkening passage by the left wall that led to the service stairwells.
He instantly rejected that idea: the prospect of trudging on foot all the way up to the 59th floor and listening the entire way to the endless grumbling of Barrett and all the other friends who hated stairs held absolutely no appeal for him. Therefore the choice unanimously fell on the massive electronic doors in the center of the tier, which Claudia had already approached closely. Quickly taking the keycard from Yuffie, Claudia pressed it to the reading scanner and with a quiet hiss opened the passage.
"We act strictly according to the previously outlined plan. If the elevator unexpectedly stops on some intermediate floor, we react according to the situation. If Grunts look into the cabin — we quietly and noiselessly eliminate them without letting them raise the alarm," Claudia said, immediately tucking the pass into her reliable belt bag and clearly not wishing to leave such a valuable item in Yuffie's grabby little hands.
"And if there are ordinary people inside or at a stop? You know, regular civilian staff who work here?" Tifa asked worriedly, stepping a little closer to Claudia.
"We'll pretend we've just come on an exciting family excursion as one big friendly company. Isn't that obvious?" Dean said with a grin, swaggering past both girls with his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
"Oh yes, of course, a family excursion! And Steve, I suppose, is your little son?" Aerith asked in a cheerful tone, slyly pointing a finger at the Tonberry sitting primly right on Dean's shoulder.
"Right on the money, flower girl! Steve is simply crazy about cosplay and jerky. And he's not a deadly monster at all, the mere sight of whom makes everyone around shit their pants the moment he appears on the horizon," Dean answered in an equally cheerful tone, deftly slipping his Tonberry an appetizing slice of dried beef.
"Well, in some ways you're definitely right, Dean. No one in all of Midgar has that much insane courage to carry a real Tonberry on their shoulder, feed it jerky by hand, and even play 'Queen of Blood' with it," Biggs said with a slight chuckle, walking after Dean and carelessly throwing his hands behind his head.
In response Dean only carelessly shrugged — for him Steve still remained a cute pet and not a monster at all. Besides, in his turbulent life Dean had managed to see so many terrifying creatures that he had learned to unerringly distinguish truly dangerous beasts from harmless ones.
While the rest of the group was gathering by the farthest elevator, Alex entered the elevator lobby last and froze right at the entrance. At that very moment his heightened intuition was literally screaming that someone had already dragged a whole bucket of shit up to a running fan and at any second was ready to pour the entire contents out so it would splash in every direction.
Turning back, Alex cast a fleeting glance at the main lobby and slightly narrowed his eyes, and his eyes glimmered a little as he used magical sight. Outside, right in front of the building's façade, he clearly discerned an entire army of Grunts pulling forces up to the complex. However, looking at them, Alex perfectly understood: that very "shit on the fan" was clearly not these ordinary infantrymen.
Pondering exactly what dirty trick Fate had prepared for them, Alex heard Aerith call out to him, urging him to hurry and not linger longer than necessary. Nodding, Alex stepped across the threshold and approached the farthest elevator. Standing next to Yuffie, he carelessly propped his elbow right on top of her head. With a lazy expression ignoring Yuffie's discontented grumbling that she was a living person and not a rest for his elbows, Alex distractedly watched the changing numbers on the dial as the cabin descended to their floor.
Very soon the elevator reached the required floor and emitted a short electronic signal before sliding its doors open. When the passage opened, the squad began amicably filing into the cabin in order to head straight for the 59th floor. Casting a final glance at the brightly lit elevator lobby, Alex had only raised his foot to take a step inside when suddenly the remaining five elevators simultaneously filled the space with a loud arrival signal.
Hearing this synchronized sound, Alex lowered his foot back to the floor and with a soft but noticeable shove sent Yuffie deeper into the elevator cabin. Heaving a heavy sigh, Alex turned his head to the side and saw the doors of all five neighboring elevators begin simultaneously and ominously to open.
"Alex! What happened?!" Tifa asked in a worried tone, having timely noticed how sharply Alex's facial expression had changed, as if he had just gotten a splitting headache.
"Nothing unusual. Just someone has come down with a very insistent desire to hold a group therapy session," Alex answered with a predatory smile, leaning across the cabin threshold and personally pressing the button for the 59th floor on the panel.
"Wait! What are you even thinking of doing?!" Aerith cried out anxiously, noticing that Alex flatly refused to enter and was stepping back into the lobby.
"See you upstairs. I'll catch up with you very soon… Dean, you're in charge," Alex answered in an absolutely calm, even tone as the closing elevator doors cut him off from the group, while he himself was already smoothly slipping his hand under the flaps of his long coat.
Before the elevator doors finally closed, Alex managed to notice Dean's barely perceptible, confident nod confirming that he would look after the others and take everything under his control. Noticing through the narrowing gap the anxious and concerned faces of the girls, Alex with a smile formed his fingers into a neat little heart, silently showing that he would be perfectly fine, and they just needed to strictly follow the planned route.
In the very last second, before the metal panels fully sealed, Claudia soundlessly moved her lips, uttering only a single word: "Hurry." Alex gave a short nod and turned his back to the elevator at the very moment the doors locked.
He had perfectly understood from the very beginning that this entire sudden force majeure had occurred precisely because of his own actions and interference in the course of events. The appearance of the Deepground fighters was not supposed to happen at such an early stage at all — their sortie had been planned much later, only after the group returned from the Forgotten Capital.
However, fully aware that he would have to clean up this improvised mess personally, Alex with a calm movement reached into his pocket for his earphones, intending to arrange himself a full-fledged entertainment under a good track.
And the moment he pulled the earphones from his pocket, from the doors of all five neighboring elevators the rank-and-file fighters of Deepground began filing out in even formation. In the front ranks strode the infantry clad in heavy assault armor, gripping massive two-handed swords in their hands.
Following them advanced the second wave in lighter gear, armed with modified gunblades fitted with long bayonets. Some of the attackers even held short razor-sharp daggers in one hand and cocked submachine guns in the other.
Casting an ironic glance over this entire impressive "delegation" that had arrived for his group therapy session entitled "How I Survived the Massacre," Alex with a habitual movement inserted the earphones into his ears and smoothly drew his Saw Cleaver from under the flap of his coat.
The elevator lobby rapidly filled with soldiers armed to the teeth — Alex roughly counted at least about fifty people. Perfectly understanding that this brawl would inevitably end with him once again being smeared from head to toe in other people's blood and entrails, Alex emitted a short, tired groan.
"Well all right, kiddies… There's going to be a proper slaughter here now, so hold your buddy's underwear tighter so you don't lose your hands ahead of time… And now — music!" Alex said with a predatory grin, carelessly tapping the blade of the Saw Cleaver against his shoulder and surveying the front ranks of Deepground that had thrust their heavy two-handed swords forward.
Alex had not yet managed to start the music for himself when the front ranks of the heavily armed Deepground infantry synchronously dropped to one knee, presenting the broad flat of their massive two-handed swords as a solid shield and creating an improvised living barrier.
At such a spectacle Alex even involuntarily raised an eyebrow in mild surprise — for even the demons of Davoth, who possessed a fully conscious mind, had never acted so coordinated and tactically competent in suppressing him, preferring each time simply to overwhelm him with numbers. Deciding to observe the development of events a little, Alex nevertheless launched the music track in his earphones and patiently waited for Deepground's further moves.
Next into the fray entered the Deepground assault troopers: they coordinatedly advanced from behind the backs of the first line and thrust their gunblades forward, aiming the muzzles straight at Alex and preparing to open a barrage of fire. Quickly figuring out what was what, Alex understandingly nodded his head, perfectly realizing: the elite members of Deepground had from the very beginning been drilled and prepared precisely for the rapid neutralization of deadly creatures — such as Sephira or the most dangerous monsters created in Hojo's secret laboratories.
Without taking his intent gaze off the fighters, Alex with a light snap of his fingers created a powerful soundproof barrier around them so that the deafening noise of the coming slaughter would not attract unnecessary attention from the rest of the complex's security. And at the exact second his snap rang out, the Deepground assault troopers simultaneously pulled their triggers.
Seeing the dense stream of lead approaching, Alex did not even shift from his spot, allowing the bullets to strike his body with a deafening clang. As soon as the automatic fire ceased, Alex lazily and carelessly brushed from his chest the bullets that had embedded and flattened against him, after which he smiled even wider, predatorily baring his unnaturally sharp teeth.
In general he was not at all against being fired upon, but unlike his wife Alucard, Alex absolutely did not wish to repeat her bloody exploits — when she deliberately allowed her body to be torn to shreds by bullets only so she could afterward strike wild terror into the enemies with her gruesome and demonstrative regeneration. Lightly cracking his stiff neck, Alex placed a finger on the mechanical latch of the Saw Cleaver and tilted his body slightly forward.
"Well then… maximum effort," Alex pronounced with a predatory grin, rapidly selecting with his gaze his very first victim.
Not wishing to give the members of Deepground a single chance to conduct another prepared attack, Alex lightning-fast lunged forward, intending to personally open the score in this bloody slaughter. Closing the distance in a couple of rapid steps to the living metal wall of heavily armed fighters, Alex seized in a death grip the hilt of the massive two-handed sword of one of the Heavies and forcefully yanked it toward himself.
Opening a sufficient gap for the attack, Alex drew his arm back and with a loud, juicy click of the internal mechanism unfolded the blade of the Saw Cleaver. Predatorily grinning, Alex with all his might drove the blade of the Saw Cleaver straight into the metal helmet of his first victim.
The serrated iron with a deafening crunch sank into the metal and the skull, and from the pierced head a thick fountain of blood instantly sprayed in every direction. Yanking the stuck Saw Cleaver out of the Deepground fighter's head, Alex immediately dealt him a second crushing blow to finish him off for good.
After the second hit the helmet and head of the Deepground member finally split apart like an overripe pumpkin, and onto the cold floor thickly poured shreds of flesh mixed with blood and pieces of brain. The remaining members of Deepground reacted absolutely not at all to the gruesome death of their comrade and immediately switched to a group attack. The first into the fray entered the agile assault troopers: they simultaneously swung their gunblades, intending to impale Alex on the long bayonets.
Having timely noticed this threat, Alex scooped up the limp body of the killed Heavy and wave-like thrust it in front of himself, using it as a dense meat shield. The sharp bayonets with a whistle sank into the dead flesh, and right after that a series of shots dullly thundered straight into the torso. While the assault troopers tied Alex up in combat, the remaining Heavies heavily rose from their knees, preparing to join the melee.
The two nearest giants synchronously raised their massive two-handed swords and with one most powerful swing cleanly cleaved the body of their dead comrade in half. Alex instinctively leaped backward, sincerely worrying about the cleanliness of his clothes. In his hand remained only the upper half of the Heavy's torso, while the stumps of intestines and streams of blood with a squelching sound tumbled straight onto his footwear.
"Damn… Well why were you so useless even as a meat shield? You were supposed to protect me to the last, even after your death… Useless trash!" Alex pronounced with deep irritation, tossing aside the bloodied stump of the dead Heavy's body.
While Alex was distracted by his vexed complaints about his worthless "meat shield," the two Heavies who had attacked him a second earlier again synchronously charged into battle. Hearing the heavy, thundering tread of iron-shod boots, Alex deftly tilted his head back, literally millimeters avoiding the rapid point of a massive two-handed sword.
Having dodged the first thrust, Alex with a rapid sweep of his arm instantly folded the Saw Cleaver into compact mode and immediately delivered a crushing downward punch. Alex's heavy fist slammed straight into the flat side of the second Heavy's two-handed sword, driving its blade deep into the marble flooring with a swing.
Having parried the second opponent's attack, Alex without delay delivered a straight kick precisely into the ribs of the first Heavy, causing him to go flying backward and crash with full force back-first into the closed elevator doors. Not intending to stop for a single second, Alex instantly spun around and with all his might drove the blade of the Saw Cleaver straight into the head of the second Heavy. The serrated metal with a grinding sound pierced the steel helmet and entered precisely into the opponent's mouth.
Predatorily and widely smiling, Alex with a sharp movement jerked his arm sideways, cleanly severing the upper part of the second Heavy's head together with the remains of the helmet. Having finished with him, Alex turned to the first Heavy and again delivered a most powerful kick into his chest, forcing the giant to smash even harder back-first into the panels. From this ramming blow the massive Heavy finally got stuck in the deformed elevator doors because of his impressive bulk.
Having obtained the ideal opportunity for the finishing blow, Alex drove the Saw Cleaver deep into the belly of the helplessly stuck Heavy and sharply yanked his arm upward, with a squelching sound slicing his body from the very bottom to the neck. In the next second from the ruptured chest of the Heavy onto the floor tumbled the mangled entrails, and the first Heavy finally went limp, his head hanging dead on his chest.
"So, that was the third… Forty-seven idiots left. Well then, come closer, now I'll tickle your balls a little!" Alex pronounced with a grin, with a careless sweep shaking the thick blood from the blade of the Saw Cleaver.
Not wishing to give the members of Deepground a single chance to conduct another prepared attack, Alex lightning-fast lunged forward, intending to properly thin out the orderly ranks of Deepground. As soon as Alex began his rapid movement, the remaining eight Heavies again instantly closed their ranks, thrusting their massive two-handed swords in front of themselves and intending to use them as solid shields.
Following them the Deepground assault troopers once more synchronously raised their gunblades and immediately opened a barrage of fire. Deftly dodging the stream of bullets right on the run, Alex executed a powerful leap upward, easily flying over the formation of Heavies and landing precisely in the middle of the assault troopers' rank.
The moment Alex found himself in the very center of their battle order, the assault troopers instantly reacted, attempting to leap in different directions to break the distance. However, because the elevator lobby was too cramped for such a maneuver, the assault troopers managed to retreat from Alex by only a couple of steps.
With a death grip seizing one of the assault troopers by the arm, Alex sharply yanked him toward himself while simultaneously tilting his head back. The instant the pulled fighter was right up close, Alex executed a lightning, crushing ramming headbutt forward, driving his own forehead straight into the assault trooper's metal helmet. From this incredible force of impact the fighter's head instantly burst, spraying brains and blood in a fountain in every direction.
Releasing the arm of the beheaded corpse, Alex with a rapid sweep of his arm unfolded the Saw Cleaver. Gripping the hilt tighter, he with a sweeping blow drove the serrated blade precisely into the head of the next assault trooper. Bearing down with his full weight and forcefully pressing on the hilt, Alex with a sharp movement jerked the blade downward, without the slightest resistance sawing the assault trooper's body in half.
Not giving any of the Deepground members a chance to recover and conduct a counterattack, Alex began furiously swinging the Saw Cleaver, with every bloodthirsty sweep literally tearing the torso of the next assault trooper to pieces. Only after Alex had shredded about five assault troopers did the Deepground Liquidators armed with daggers and submachine guns finally manage to engage him in close combat.
At the very second when dozens of razor-sharp daggers were already about to plunge into his body, Alex yanked off his long black coat and with a sharp sweep flung it in front of himself, completely blocking the enemies' view. Dozens of blades simultaneously pierced the dense fabric, and right after that a deafening series of automatic bursts rang out, which instantly turned Alex's black coat into shredded rags. Only Alex himself had long since been nowhere near that spot.
"And that was my favorite coat, by the way! My wife bought it for me… Do you even realize what my strict Integra will do to me when she finds out what you've turned her gift into?!" Alex spat irritably, unexpectedly materializing in the very rear ranks of Deepground and driving his bare fingers clean through the chest of one of the Liquidators.
Perfectly knowing Integra's strictness and unyielding character, Alex was sacredly certain: a simple conversation would definitely not settle this matter when his wife found out exactly what had happened to his coat. And the most unpleasant thing for Alex in this entire situation was that the coat had been made to an absolutely exclusive order in the famous royal atelier "Kingsman."
Feeling the wild irritation boiling up inside him because of the loss of such a valuable part of his wardrobe, Alex with all his might drove his second palm into the back of the unfortunate Liquidator until his fingers with a grinding sound emerged from the opposite side of the chest. Deciding that he urgently needed a visual target onto which he could immediately vent the accumulated anger, Alex began slowly and juicily tearing the fighter apart with his bare hands. Sharply pulling his arms in different directions, Alex with a squelching sound ripped the Liquidator's torso in half, yet the irritation boiling inside him from this still did not subside in the least.
Lightly cracking his stiff neck, Alex powerfully stomped his foot on the hilt of the Saw Cleaver lying on the floor, deftly tossing the saw-axe straight into his palm. Firmly seizing the hilt, Alex instantly spun in place and with a twisting force launched the saw-axe forward.
The spinning blade of the Saw Cleaver whistled past an entire group of Liquidators and assault troopers until with a deafening crack it sank deep into the neck of one of the Heavies. Those fighters past whose faces the deadly blade had flown only froze and shuddered for a second — and already in the next instant a thin scarlet line appeared on their necks from which blood sprayed, and their heads neatly toppled onto the marble floor.
Drawing the massive "Jackal" from its holster, Alex with a predatory lunge charged forward. Closing the distance, he deftly avoided a desperate dagger thrust from a Liquidator by diving under his arm. Finding himself behind the opponent's back, Alex extended his arm backward and without hesitation fired the "Jackal" straight into the attacker's nape.
The large-caliber explosive bullet entered precisely into the skull, and the Liquidator's head instantly burst in a juicy bloody salute. Again dodging another sweeping blow, Alex aimed the muzzle of the "Jackal" straight ahead and pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced clean through two Liquidators at once and with meat entered the chest of the assault trooper standing behind them.
Continuing to enthusiastically arrange a bloody bacchanalia, Alex in a matter of minutes completely shredded and shot the remaining members of Deepground until only a single Heavy remained in the lobby. That one could barely stay on his feet, with difficulty gripping in his surviving hand the heavy two-handed sword.
By this moment Alex was already smeared from head to toe in fresh blood and scraps of intestines, and his coal-black hair had completely reddened from the clinging flesh. Running his fingers through his hair, Alex felt a stuck piece of someone's liver and with sincere disgust tossed it aside.
Narrowing his eyes in a dangerous squint on the last survivor, Alex assessed the pitiful condition of the barely living Heavy. Charging forward, Alex easily dodged the convulsive swing of the two-handed sword and with full force slammed his body into the Heavy, toppling the giant onto his back.
Immediately mounting the fallen opponent, Alex unnaturally widely opened his maw, displaying rows of razor-sharp teeth. Sharply jerking his head downward, Alex forcefully sank his teeth straight into the Heavy's metal helmet, biting clean through the sturdy steel all the way to the face. Driving his fangs into the living flesh, Alex with a crunch closed his jaws, and a dense fountain of hot blood immediately struck him in the face.
With a jerk throwing his head back, Alex cleanly tore out a chunk of the Heavy's face together with a piece of the helmet, finally finishing off the last fighter. Jerking his head, Alex slightly worked his jaw, after which he calmly leaned to the side and spat the disgusting mixture of metal shavings, skin, and blood onto the floor.
"Ugh, fuck… What a shitty taste you have, buddy! So, now I urgently need a proper bathroom to wash all this nightmare off myself and change normally. Don't feel like pointing out where the nearest restroom is around here?" Alex pronounced with a light chuckle, carelessly patting the bloodied chest of the Heavy who now completely lacked the front part of his face.
Alex looked at the dead Heavy and only indifferently shrugged, not worrying in the least that the fresh corpse had failed to answer his polite question. Rising to his feet, Alex critically surveyed the site of the recent slaughter: around chaotically lay mangled and torn bodies, scattered pieces of flesh and smoking entrails, and the entire elevator lobby from floor to ceiling was solidly drenched in thick scarlet blood.
Perfectly realizing that once again he had gotten too carried away and arranged an unjustified meat grinder, Alex consoled himself with only one soothing thought — fortunately none of his group had seen this, especially Aerith and Tifa, who would almost certainly have gone into shock at such a spectacle.
Wiping from his face part of the blood that had not yet completely dried, Alex planned to quickly find some inconspicuous little spot where with the help of magic he could silently wash off all the foreign blood with the clinging pieces of guts, and at the same time pull a new set of clothes from his spatial storage.
Lightly stretching and cracking his joints, Alex bent toward what until recently had been his favorite black coat and carefully extracted from the inner pocket a steel cigarette case together with a lighter.
Lighting a thin elegant cigar, Alex with a short kick of his foot struck the hilt of the Saw Cleaver lying nearby, deftly tossing the saw-axe straight into his palm. Feeling the disgusting stickiness of the drying blood on his skin, Alex clenched the cigar more firmly between his teeth and raised his hand upward, preparing with a snap of his fingers to activate a cleansing spell.
And at the exact moment when he was already prepared to perform the snap, all the elevators around him simultaneously and deafeningly emitted a distinct electronic arrival signal.
Heaving a heavy and doomed sigh, Alex slowly turned his head to the right and saw the metal doors of the nearest elevator slide open to the sides, while inside the cabin stood in even ranks yet another fresh group of Deepground fighters. Looking around, Alex confirmed: in absolutely every other elevator of the lobby the arrived reinforcements were likewise crowded.
"Are you fucking kidding me!.. Fine. Fuck it! Round two — so round two. Well come on, bitches, now I'll give your butts such tickles that you'll die right on the spot from the indescribable sensations!" Alex spat with deep irritation, predatorily cracking his stiff neck and preparing to open a new stage of the bloody slaughter.
To be continued...
(Wow, it's been a while since we had a bloodbath like this—with Alex getting splattered in blood and guts. I apologize that the carnage didn't end there, but it was all necessary to introduce two more doomed characters who are meant to disappear after this chapter. Plus, it saves Alex from having to visit the Shinra Museum and other such pointless locations. As for where else Alex will go next... well, that's a secret. But he will have to pay a visit to a few characters for a chat. Now, it's time to eat and rest. Peace, love, and potato bread.)
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