Some time before Alex and his team successfully captured Hojo, and while they were still watching the extremely dull meeting of Shinra's top management, a heavy armored truck slowly rolled toward the main entrance of the corporate headquarters, its appearance more closely resembling a militarized armed APC.
Behind the wheel of this monster sat a solid man of about forty. His face was adorned with lush aristocratic mustaches and a neat haircut with small stylish sideburns. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and a classic brown vest, from one of whose buttons an elegant gold chain stretched straight to the pocket.
This man was Falco. After a turbulent life in Night City and a fateful acquaintance with Alex, he, together with the rest of his friends, had moved to Orario. There they opened the cult bar "Afterlife," which instantly became an incredibly popular place not only for experienced adventurers but even for the Gods themselves — they dropped in not so much for the unique signature alcohol and branded cocktails as for the spectacles.
In those times when Orario began to develop rapidly thanks to the patronage of Alex's family, a grandiose Colosseum under the management of Moxxi appeared in the city, where adventurers could measure their strength and gain glory for their familias and deities.
And in the bar "Afterlife," which Falco managed, visitors could comfortably place large bets and follow live broadcasts of these large-scale fights without even leaving the establishment's walls. Sitting behind the wheel of the armored personnel carrier, Falco unhurriedly tapped his fingers on the leather-wrapped steering wheel, maintaining a light, relaxed smile on his face. Quite a lot of time had already passed since the moment when he had last personally sat behind the wheel of an armored vehicle and set out on such a specific mission in the role of a combat driver.
Observing the industrial streets of Midgar flashing past the armored glass, Falco inevitably indulged in nostalgia, recalling those days of his turbulent youth in Night City. The time spent there seemed simultaneously rather disgusting, yet at the same time evoked sincerely pleasant emotions. For no matter how terrible Night City was, there were also bright moments that they had more than once recalled with warmth in the circle of friends during long night gatherings.
"This place is simply the spitting image of Night City. Maine would definitely have gone crazy about it here… He would have given everything to cut loose here at full throttle. You think so too, V?" Falco said with a light, good-natured chuckle, leaning a little forward and through the armored vehicle's windshield examining the monumental Shinra headquarters rising in the distance.
Having finished speaking, Falco cast a quick glance at the passenger seat, where a girl of about eighteen had swaggeringly settled herself. She had long hair, daringly cut short on the sides, with chaotically sticking-out strands. The hair was dyed a bright red color, and two coal-black strands neatly framed her face.
She was dressed in a simple black T-shirt — so stretched that it looked as if the girl had pulled on the first thing that came to hand in the wardrobe. Over the T-shirt there was a short black jacket with the cult SAMURAI emblem on the back, from under the lower edge of which the grips of pistols clearly peeked out. On her legs were tight ripped jeans and massive high boots.
This girl was Valerie — Alex's younger sister. After their last chaotic meeting in the world of "Hellsing" she had once again managed to radically change the color of her hair and clothing style, making a lean toward an even more daring rebellious look. Hearing Falco's question, Valerie pressed the button, lowered the window and slightly stuck her head outside in order to better examine the gray streets of Midgar, after which she shifted her gaze to the towering gigantic Shinra headquarters.
A mocking smirk played on her lips. Valerie did not deny that this gloomy megapolis indeed in many ways resembled Night City: the same shining center where wealthy corporates luxuriated, and the same rotting Slums under the Plate, where ordinary people barely made ends meet under the harsh oppression of the megacorporation.
All of this seemed damned familiar, but no longer evoked absolutely any emotions in her soul. For after Alex had officially founded his guild in Orario and provided them the opportunity to freely take missions in other worlds, Valerie had managed to visit dozens of universes of the vast Multiverse. She had seen everything: from majestic royal castles to modern technological worlds where spatial Towers with monsters grew right in the middle of megapolises.
Having received exhaustive information about this specific world, Valerie had come to the conclusion that Midgar was the most boring and gray place of all that one could visit on this planet. Returning back into the cabin of the armored personnel carrier, Valerie relaxed and leaned back against the seat and with a deft motion pulled one of her pistols from the thigh holster.
"And you're still asking me about something? Judging by what I've managed to find out about this world, breaking into the local 'Major League' is easier than pie. It feels like absolutely any idiot can walk into the main Shinra office with impunity, shit right on their doorstep, and these corporates will even politely clean up after him," Valerie answered with a light smirk on her face, with habitual dexterity spinning the pistol on her finger.
"Ha, 'Major League,' you say? Can't argue with that, of course! Only in our time we didn't have any mutant monsters and fairy-tale Materia under our noses. But there was an excess of bloated corps, combat implants, street gangs, cyberpsychos and other shit that was far worse," Falco responded with a quiet, nostalgic laugh, leaning back against the driver's seat and casting a quick glance at Valerie sitting next to him.
"You forgot to add the main plus: here at least the local top hasn't yet managed to burn the entire world to the ground with their global wars. So there are still more than enough picturesque and untouched places on this planet," Valerie spoke, spinning the pistol around her index finger, after which she stuck her hand out the open window and beautifully moved her fingers in the oncoming wind.
"Thanks for the reminder. I'll have to make sure to find out what alcohol they even sell here when the chance comes. I think now is the most suitable time to properly expand the assortment of my bar. And even, who the hell knows, get the recipes for a couple of unique local cocktails," Falco spoke in a thoughtful tone, unhurriedly stroking his thick mustache and peering into the space of the highway in front of him.
"Whatever you say… Heh! Because of your 'Afterlife' absolutely all the other bars on your street have long since gone bankrupt and closed. After all, only in your establishment do they serve such aged alcohol for which even capricious Gods are ready to shell out simply incredible sums in valis," Valerie noted with a wide smirk, with a click putting the pistol back into the holster under the jacket.
"Ha-ha-ha! It's all pure business, nothing personal… All right, get ready, V. We're already rolling up. Now we'll have to make a proper noise in order to get inside without unnecessary red tape," Falco answered with a light mischievous laugh, noticing that their heavy APC was approaching the turnoff to the Shinra underground parking at full speed.
Looking out the window again and precisely assessing where exactly they were driving, Valerie turned to the rear part of the driver's cabin. Raising her hand, she several times thudded loudly against the metal partition, giving a clear signal: they were rolling up to the target, time to bring themselves into full combat readiness.
A moment later from that side of the body came a couple of light answering knocks, followed by the enthusiastic cry of a young guy that was immediately interrupted by the sound of a distinct slap on the back of the head. Hearing this familiar chaotic noise from the rear compartment of the armored personnel carrier, Falco quietly laughed — he had already begun gradually forgetting that unique feeling of adrenaline when in his time he had set out on a serious job together with his old team.
Smoothly driving onto the ramp leading straight to the headquarters' underground parking, Falco noticed that the entrance gates were tightly closed. Slightly narrowing his eyes, he a couple of times demandingly knocked the knuckles of his fist against the metal wall behind. From the body one short knock immediately answered, and at that same second the blocked gates of the underground parking crawled upward, opening free passage further.
With a victorious smile on his face Falco floored the gas pedal to the limit in order to shoot through the formed opening at maximum speed. Without reducing speed by a single kilometer, he sharply twisted the steering wheel — and the multi-ton armored personnel carrier, with a deafening screech of burned rubber, went into a perfect controlled drift down the spiral descent.
During this dashing and dangerous turn Valerie could not hide an eager smirk, feeling pure adrenaline rapidly boiling up inside her. The Grunts located on the lower level heard the fierce screech of sliding tires and instantly rushed to the front zone of the underground parking.
Very quickly the squad of Shinra's elite infantry took a disciplined defensive position, finally realizing that an unknown enemy had broken into the closed territory. Using massive concrete partitions and columns as reliable cover, the Grunts aimed all their weapons at the exit from the tunnel, tensely awaiting the uninvited guests.
And literally a second later from the dark maw of the tunnel with a whistle and smoke the heavy APC flew out, sliding sideways straight in the direction of the barrier. Alerted by the constant threats from AVALANCHE, the Grunts without unnecessary reflection opened a hurricane barrage of fire on the armored personnel carrier, hoping to riddle it and stop it before it crashed at full speed into their concrete fortifications.
"Ooooh, and this is already becoming truly interesting! It's been a while since I've found myself in scrapes of this kind," Falco said with a mischievous smirk, observing through the armored side glass the sheaf of sparks knocked out by bullets and drifting sideways straight toward the first row of barriers.
"So let's show these corporate nerds for what merits you were always called the best driver in all of Night City!" Valerie egged on with a predatory smirk, holding onto the upper handrail in a death grip during the steep slide.
"Now I'll give them a master class! Such shock content they definitely haven't seen yet in their Shinra!" Falco laughed at the top of his voice, with his other hand seizing the gearshift lever in a death grip.
Observing the dense hail of bullets flying in their direction, Falco smirked even wider. With a sharp motion twisting the steering wheel, he with a crunch jerked the gearshift lever. The multi-ton armored personnel carrier with a screech spun in place and at maximum speed rushed in reverse straight at the concrete fortifications.
Staring at the gigantic armored hulk rushing at them with its rear, the Grunts instantly realized that the situation was complete shit. Not wishing to be crushed alive under the massive wheels, the soldiers panic-stricken threw themselves to the sides, at the last moment jumping over the concrete barriers. A second later behind their backs rang out the deafening crash of destroyed barriers that collapsed one after another, turning into crumbs.
The captain of the Grunts immediately screamed at the top of his voice, straining his vocal cords and demanding the immediate activation of the emergency security system in order to block the unauthorized armored vehicle that had treacherously penetrated the closed territory of the Shinra headquarters. After his hysterical cry, massive protective barriers rose from under the floor with a metallic screech.
But literally a second later these vaunted steel barriers were easily crushed under the wheels of the heavy APC as if they were simple cardboard boxes. Observing the frightened, contorted faces of the Grunts through the side rear-view mirror, Falco quietly laughed, continuing to rush headlong in reverse and knocking down everything in his path.
Having literally rammed himself a blocked road all the way to the entrance leading into the main lobby, Falco again jerked the steering wheel, incredibly deftly spinning the multi-ton vehicle 180 degrees. Parking tightly next to the two heavy trucks that Alex with his group had previously stolen, Falco shut off the roaring engine.
Having finally stopped, Falco cast a quick glance at Valerie, who with a satisfied smirk was cracking her neck, savoring the adrenaline after this insane ride. Looking out the side mirror again, he noticed that the regrouped squad of Grunts was already racing toward them at full speed.
"How persistent they are after all… Come on, kid! Now it's your turn to have a little fun," Falco spoke with a smile, shaking his head, and thudded dully with his fist against the metal wall of the cabin.
"I really hope that after this he'll finally stop making so much noise. Is this some incurable family trait of the Oda clan? Even Nobuna is still just as noisy and restless," Valerie muttered, observing the rapidly approaching Shinra fighters.
"These philosophical questions are definitely not for me, V. If you meet Alex — ask him yourself personally," Falco answered with a chuckle, unhurriedly taking a cigarette from the breast pocket of his vest.
Casting a quick glance at Falco, Valerie exaggeratedly rolled her eyes. As if she herself did not know in all the details what was going on inside their family! She simply elementary wanted to vent and a little let off the accumulated steam. Especially because of the fact that their long-awaited family vacation had gone down the drain exclusively because of the work that had been so brazenly imposed on Alex in this world.
Both Valerie herself and the other girls from their huge family had already managed to see with their own eyes the main culprit of this mess in the person of Lucifer. This type with his unsurpassed insolent mug had treacherously invaded their home, swaggeringly walked around the rooms as if in his own estate, and in addition without asking had grabbed a heap of their personal things, declaring it "memorable souvenirs in honor of the visit to the younger brother."
Valerie simply could not help noting to herself that even Loki had never shown such extreme insolence when she appropriated others' belongings. Wearily shaking her head from these irritating memories, Valerie once again thudded loudly against the metal partition, strictly reminding those sitting behind that they actually had other important matters here.
Looking out through the side rear-view mirror, Valerie noticed that the regrouped squad of Grunts had already completely surrounded their armored vehicle in a ring, tactically advancing forward and with short dashes taking cover behind the concrete elements. Changing positions, the Grunts kept the heavy rear doors of the APC in their sights while their commander with energetic gestures gave orders to tighten the encirclement.
Into the front ranks advanced two 3rd-class SOLDIER with drawn swords in their hands, intending to be the first to engage in close combat. Exchanging glances, one of the SOLDIER spun a finger in the air, giving his partner the sign that the power compartment needed to be smoked out without unnecessary ceremonies.
Agreeing, the second SOLDIER dashed forward and instantly found himself at the rear of the vehicle. Seizing the massive door handles, both SOLDIER were already fully prepared to yank them toward themselves with force. But at the exact moment when they were about to pull the latches, from inside the body came a deafening enthusiastic laugh.
The SOLDIER had not managed to react in any way when from that side of the doors rang out a heaviest dull impact. The steel panels of the armored vehicle whistled open with such monstrous force that from the direct ramming blow both SOLDIER were thrown to different sides like cannonballs.
The Grunts with open mouths observed how two of their elite fighters flew along trajectories and with full force smashed into the concrete columns, instantly losing consciousness. Gripping their assault weapons even tighter, the Grunts shockedly turned their heads toward the APC.
From the swing-open body onto the asphalt gracefully jumped a young guy of about sixteen with light hair neatly cut into a classic "bob." On his forehead brightly stood out a red cloth headband with a metal plate on which were engraved a crossed sword and shield.
But the wildest thing in his appearance was not the haircut at all, but the tight bright-green jumpsuit over which was worn the same green vest with a multitude of patch pockets, and toxic-orange stockings reaching right up to the knees. This exotic young man in an incredibly absurd outfit was Oda Nobukatsu — the former prince of the Japanese Empire who had become a firm and passionate admirer of Might Guy after Alex had personally pointed out to him the true and unbreakable Path of the Power of Youth.
"The Green Beast of Orario Oda Nobukatsu takes the stage! Today the all-consuming fire of my youth will burn even brighter than yesterday! Ooooh, yeeeah!" Nobukatsu enthusiastically shouted at the top of his lungs with the broadest snow-white smile, instantly striking the most pompous pose with a thumb thrust forward.
The Grunts with mouths literally open from astonishment stared at Nobukatsu, not even properly understanding how they were supposed to react to such a performance at all. For they had never once in their lives met such an eccentric guy who would from the get-go kick out the heavy steel doors of an APC, send two SOLDIER into a deep flight, and then as if nothing had happened start throwing such mad pompous phrases.
Nobukatsu continued to stand proudly in his signature pompous pose, sincerely believing that the bright flame of his youth had impressed an entire squad of soldiers armed to the teeth to such an extent that they were right now ready to be inspired and join him in order to spread the Power of Youth together to every corner of this world.
The oppressive quiet on the underground parking did not last long: from the depths of the troop compartment of the APC came a sequential series of three ringing slaps on faces and prolonged, crushed groans — those sitting behind were clearly experiencing the wildest Spanish shame already simply from the fact that this Power-of-Youth-obsessed idiot was part of their group.
Nobukatsu himself reacted absolutely not at all to this reaction of his comrades and continued to smile dazzlingly with all thirty-two teeth. Coming to from the initial shock, the Grunts discerned the shiny protector on Nobukatsu's forehead and instantly took him for a saboteur from Wutai. Barely had these shouts swept through the ranks of the security when the captain of the Grunts immediately howled at the top of his voice, giving the order to urgently transmit by radio upstairs the message that Wutai had treacherously invaded the Shinra headquarters.
Noticing this chaotic impulse, Nobukatsu only smiled even wider and at that same instant dissolved into the air, disappearing from his place so quickly that not a single one of the Grunts even managed to react. In the next second Nobukatsu was already in the air right up against the Grunt who was only about to transmit the alarm signal. The soldier only managed to raise his gaze in stupefaction when right in front of his face in a spinning jump Nobukatsu froze, ready to bring down a crushing attack.
"Taijutsu Technique: Great Leaf Lightning!" Nobukatsu enthusiastically shouted throughout the entire parking, delivering a lightning and knock-down spinning kick.
The Grunts did not even manage to blink an eye when Nobukatsu had already delivered his crushing kick, immediately followed by a dense shockwave — as if right in the middle of the underground parking a clap of thunder had deafeningly rolled. The soldier who became the direct victim of this attack received a blow of such colossal power that he was torn from the ground by the roots and flung backward, and the sturdy protective armor shattered into pieces in every direction. Flying with a wild whistle past the stunned comrades, the Grunt along the way knocked down several more fighters from his squad.
With a light motion landing on the asphalt, Nobukatsu rapidly rolled forward and with perfect balance stood right on his hands. Demonstratively and loudly laughing throughout the entire parking in order to attract absolutely all the attention of the remaining enemies to himself, Nobukatsu began furiously spinning on his hands. He gained such a high speed that the swings of his legs generated whistling gusts of wind that formed a real aerodynamic funnel.
The formed whirlwind began inexorably drawing into itself the Grunts frozen in place. Having not a single chance to resist the artificial attraction, the soldiers one after another flew up to Nobukatsu and received ringing, knockout kicks precisely to the face, after which they were sent into free flight along bruised trajectories. Only those of the Grunts who oriented themselves in time and with a death grip managed to seize the concrete columns and metal barriers were able to stay on their feet and avoid a direct hit of the sole to the jaw.
"Taijutsu Technique: Spinning Leaf Wind!" Nobukatsu enthusiastically shouted, continuing to spin on his hands at frantic speed and accelerating the gusts of wind with powerful kicks.
Continuing to spin on his hands at frantic speed, Nobukatsu noticed that the surviving Grunts were holding onto the massive supports quite firmly. This meant only one thing: continuing to use this technique further was pointless. Sharply stopping the rotation, Nobukatsu with full force pushed off with his hands from the concrete floor and soared high into the air, at full speed smashing his feet right into the ceiling.
Sensing that they were no longer being drawn by the whistling whirlwind, the Grunts did not even manage to catch their breath and sigh with relief when from above came the sound of frequent, rhythmic running. Raising their heads to the ceiling, the soldiers with undisguised horror saw Nobukatsu who as if nothing had happened was running at full speed upside down right above them.
Even without unnecessary words understanding what would follow this, the Grunts in panic began convulsively accelerating the search for their knocked-out weapons in order to somehow fight off the rapid enemy. None of them even in a nightmare could have expected that a young shinobi from Wutai would turn out to be so monstrously strong at such a young age.
The captain of the Grunts did manage to feel and raise his heavy shotgun from the floor. But the moment he raised the weapon and prepared to open fire to kill, a piercing whistle of wind swept through the underground parking, immediately followed by a ringing impact and a suppressed, dull groan.
The next thing the captain of the Grunts managed to register was how one of the members of his squad at enormous speed flew right in front of his nose. At the very last moment jumping aside, the captain shockedly observed how his subordinate with a crash smashed into a massive metal container with such wild force that he literally got stuck in the dented iron.
Not having managed to comprehend the nightmare he had seen, the captain of the Grunts heard a rapid series of heavy impacts accompanied by continuous cries of pain. Right before his eyes absolutely all the remaining members of the squad at frenzied speed one after another smashed into the same metal container tightly against the first.
Feeling how a sticky, blood-chilling tremor rose from the very heels to the spine, the captain caught a sharp gust of wind literally at his very ear. Convulsively swallowing saliva, the captain, shaking from primordial fear, began slowly turning his head until his gaze rested on Nobukatsu's face shining with a dazzling smile. Having only just opened his mouth in order to beg for mercy in horror, the captain of the Grunts heard a shout from which the hairs on the nape under his protective helmet instantly stood on end.
"Taijutsu Technique: Strong Fist!" Nobukatsu shouted at the top of his voice with sincere enthusiasm, with an ominous wind-up drawing his clenched fist back for the subsequent crushing blow.
Having finished shouting the name of the technique, Nobukatsu with a swing slammed his fist precisely into the chest of the captain of the Grunts, instantly sending him into a prolonged flight. The last thing the captain managed to feel before finally plunging into oblivion was how practically all the bones in his ribcage emitted a deafening crunch, and he with a crash smashed back-first into that very metal container.
Lowering his buzzing fist, Nobukatsu again forced out his signature snow-white smile and playfully raised a thumbs-up above his head. Having finished sincerely rejoicing at the victory, Nobukatsu lowered his hand and slightly pulled back the sleeve of his bright-green jumpsuit, exposing a sports watch.
Barely glancing at the dial and seeing the final time, Nobukatsu emitted a dull, suppressed groan of the deepest disappointment and dropped dead onto his knees — as if his entire habitual life at that second had irrevocably come to an end. Desperately pounding his fist against the hard concrete floor of the parking, Nobukatsu could not stop expressing at the top of his voice his bitterness regarding the catastrophic situation that had developed.
He was so deeply absorbed in his own grief that he did not even notice how right behind his back a girl with long black hair gathered into a high ponytail and stylishly shaved temples had silently appeared.
She was wearing a strict black tracksuit with a high collar, behind her back hung a futuristic katana with shining bright blue inscriptions on the scabbard, and on her feet were bright red tabi sneakers. Standing right behind the grief-stricken Nobukatsu, Angel emitted a heaviest, crushed sigh: it was far from the first time she had had to observe such dramatic scenes. And absolutely every time the reasons for this universal grief of Nobukatsu turned out to be so insignificant and absurd that it was already beginning to frankly get on her nerves.
Turning her head back, Angel briefly looked at Valerie, who with her entire irritated demeanor made it clear that this time she was definitely not going to deal with this restless envoy of the Power of Youth. Wearily sighing, Angel shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her sports jacket and without unnecessary ceremonies delivered a hefty kick to Nobukatsu's rear.
"So what's wrong with you this time again? Why do you always behave in such an absurd manner?" Angel asked in a tired, exhausted tone, with this simple kick of the foot finally toppling Nobukatsu face-first into the concrete.
"Three seconds…" Nobukatsu moaned in a mournful, sepulchral tone, stretched out on the floor and not even attempting to turn his head.
"What the hell are three seconds?! Did you spin on your hands too fast and your brains finally got scrambled into mush?" another female voice sounded with a chuckle right behind Angel's back.
Hearing the familiar voice behind herself, Angel turned her head and with a tired gaze looked at the approaching girl of her age. She had slightly tousled dyed light hair of chin length with noticeably grown-out dark roots and a thick bang completely covering the right eye.
She was wearing a simple white T-shirt over which she wore a worn black jacket — from under the edges of which the grips of pistols clearly showed. Behind her back hung a compact banana bag and a simple-looking katana with a red hilt whose scabbard looked as if they were solidly covered with ingrained rust and dried blood. On her feet were high black boots and jeans artistically ripped at the knees.
This girl was Heather Mason — also known as Cheryl, who was the light side of the split soul of Alessa. After the fateful meeting with Alex and the final overcoming of her own nightmares in Silent Hill, Heather had sincerely counted on finally being able to return to a normal, calm life together with her father. Without eternal fear, without hellish monsters and without continuous moves from place to place because of the pursuit by the fanatics of the Order who had gone off the rails and thirsted for her to give birth to a mad God for them.
However, having returned to measured reality, Heather rather quickly realized that ordinary life was incredibly boring. Therefore with the onset of the first summer days she simply could not restrain herself and dialed the number that Alex had at one time left her, promising that this way she would always be able to set out on real adventures and see places whose existence she had not even suspected.
Dialing Valerie's contact number, Heather then even in the wildest fantasies could not have imagined that the so-called "adventure" would in the end turn into constant flights between completely different universes. Exchanging glances with Angel, Heather puzzledly raised an eyebrow and again lowered her gaze onto Nobukatsu who continued to pour comic streams of tears, sprawled on the cold concrete.
"So will you answer or not? What the hell are 'three seconds'?! Maybe you'll finally answer normally and stop bawling like a little girl?" Heather asked in an irritated tone, with annoyance lightly kicking Nobukatsu in the shin.
"I spent three seconds more than the allotted time to deal with these corporate fighters! I shamefully screwed up again!" Nobukatsu spoke dramatically, continuing to pour waterfalls of comic tears, somehow rising to his feet.
"Lord, and why did I even ask this… Honest word, I'd rather return right now back to Silent Hill than be on the same team with you," Heather muttered, dejectedly rubbing her forehead, no longer wishing to spend a single second of her time on this weirdo.
"I support. Better to lie down to sleep right in a nest of enraged Bullimongs than again observe how an adult guy lets snot run because of such nonsense," Angel added, shaking her head, turning away and preparing to go further.
"Since I shamefully was late by a full three seconds — that means I need to become a thousand times stronger! As a severe punishment I will climb on my hands straight to the sixty-second floor up the stairs!" Nobukatsu enthusiastically shouted and immediately from a run stood up on his hands, beginning to walk on his palms after the two girls.
Hearing the deafening cry behind their backs, Heather and Angel did not even manage to properly turn around when past them, enthusiastically and loudly laughing, Nobukatsu raced on his hands like a whirlwind. Observing how he at enormous speed bolted forward, both girls again heavily and crushedly sighed. Only now did it become fully clear to them why Göll had so categorically refused to participate in this mission, declaring as if she vitally needed to urgently help Brunhild with guild affairs.
And Alice had completely washed her hands of it, saying that she had an emergency ninjutsu training scheduled in the Ryozanpaku abode under the guidance of Shigure. Malka without unnecessary words had fled to a completely different world in order to come to the aid of Jonah who had gotten stuck there in the company of Takashi and Kota, christening this chaotic journey "The Ascension of the New Spear Hero."
Valerie, standing by the APC and enthusiastically chatting with Falco, discussing with him the last organizational details of their plan, heard Nobukatsu's loud victory cry and turned her head in surprise. Both Valerie and Falco managed to register how Nobukatsu at maximum speed was racing on his hands, not intending to slow down at all.
Even having run up to the massive locked glass doors, Nobukatsu did not bother looking for a terminal at all: he simply smashed them with one dashing kick in a jump and on his hands ran further along the corridor. Staring at the glass doors smashed to smithereens, Falco only quietly and good-naturedly laughed, swaggeringly stroking his thick mustache, while Valerie dejectedly rubbed her forehead.
She in no way denied that Nobukatsu was a rather strong fighter who had already more than once proven this in severe battles and continued to rapidly grow above himself. But in such moments she invariably felt as if she had to babysit an overly hyperactive and restless nephew — after all, Nobukatsu's older sister, Nobuna, was Alex's lawful wife.
"Okay, Falco. We're going upstairs, meeting the key targets whom we are supposed to help with the evacuation of the kidnapped children. Heh! It seems this Jessie has fallen head over heels for my older brother… Well, nothing surprising, though," Valerie spoke, taking her smartphone from the pocket of her ripped jeans.
"Ha-ha-ha! I'd even say, absolutely nothing new… I'll be waiting for you right here, V. As soon as you completely finish the ruckus you've raised — give the signal, and we can operatively deport from here," Falco answered with a light nod, playfully raising a thumbs-up.
"'Kay, we're off. And be on your guard, Falco! You've been sitting without real work for a while — make sure you don't lose your former skill," Valerie said with a light chuckle, turning to leave.
"If my combat experience were so easy to lose, I definitely wouldn't be sitting in front of you right now… And give a huge hello to Alex! He somehow hasn't dropped into my bar for a long time to down a shot," Falco answered with a warm smile, waving to her from the cabin of the armored vehicle.
Leaving, Valerie briefly waved her hand over her shoulder, making it clear that she had accepted the information. Turning to Heather and Angel, Valerie nodded her head, showing that they should pick up the pace before this idiot Nobukatsu through carelessness arranged a large-scale uproar and raised the entire alarm on the floor ahead of time.
Besides, she needed to manage to warn him in time that the central staircase leading upward had long been blocked and piled with a mountain of Shinra corpses, so that one simply could not push through it. Running through the opening with the smashed glass doors, Valerie, Heather and Angel quickly disappeared from view.
Falco, meanwhile, lazily leaned back against the soft back of the driver's seat and unhurriedly lit another cigarette. Taking a deep drag, Falco pulled a wireless earpiece-headset from the glove compartment and pressed the toggle on the central instrument panel.
In the next instant the windshield and side glasses of the cabin completely darkened, and around him in the air dozens of holographic screens flared up, broadcasting the video stream from the intercepted surveillance cameras in the corridors of the Shinra headquarters. Assessing the overall situation in the building, Falco with a deft click connected to the common closed communication channel, fully entering the role of a hardened operation coordinator.
To be continued...
(I got so carried away writing this chapter that I forgot to move on to the events involving Alex's group. Still, we've found out who showed up to play the role of the kids' rescue team. Nobukatsu is still following his path of the Power of Youth, even while everyone around him is just exhausted. And I'd planned to include Heather from the very beginning; even though she's part of Alessa, it's fair to assume she possesses some kind of power. That's what I think—it's certainly possible. And nothing's going to stop me. Well, I've said everything I wanted to for now—time to eat. Peace, love, and the Power of Youth.)
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