The order capturing Aerith spread through Shinra like a wildfire.
Every elite soldier, every Turk, and every scientist working under Hojo.
The promise of the Promised Land was a powerful lure.
It meant endless power, endless Mako, and endless control for Shinra.
To them, Aerith wasn't a person; she was a key, a tool.
Back in Seventh Heaven, the quiet buzz of conversation slowly picked up again, but it was different now.
The celebration had faded, replaced by a deep worry.
Everyone knew the plate was safe, but the idea of Whisperers and alternate timelines was a lot to take in.
And Shinra was not going to let this slide. They knew it.
Cloudia, leaning against the bar, looked around the familiar space.
"Shinra and Whisperer won't let us go. They are doing something I can tell."
Barret slammed his good hand on the table again, but this time it wasn't out of anger, but determination.
"Let 'em come! We took down those ghosts. We can handle Shinra's goons too!"
Aerith, though still tired, had a quiet strength in her eyes.
She knew what she represented to Shinra. She had felt their cold pursuit before, long ago.
And now she could tell that they would send people to capture her once again.
"They're going to come after me,"
She said softly, looking at Arthur.
"Aren't they?"
Arthur met her gaze, his own eyes holding a flicker of something ancient, something beyond their world.
He had decided. He won't hold anything back anymore.
If those whisperers come. He just had to beat them.
"Yes. But you don't have to worry about anything. Because you have me."
Aerith smiled and hugged his arms.
She felt safest when she was with him.
Up in Shinra Tower, the orders were being given.
Heidegger, a man built like a brick wall, roared commands into his comms unit.
"Every Turk, every SOLDIER! Sector 7! Seventh Heaven! I want that woman!"
The Turks were Shinra's special group. They wore suits, looked cool, and were very good at their jobs: spying, kidnapping, and sometimes, making problems disappear.
Tseng, their leader, was a calm man with sharp eyes.
He was given the direct order from Shinra.
"Aerith Gainsborough. She's to be taken alive."
"And the others?"
Reno, said with hesitation. He heard that Arthur was with them.
'Shit, I don't want to meet him again.'
He had told everyone about him but what he got in return was their laughing.
They told him that he was tricked. However, Reno knew he wasn't.
Arthur was a real deal.
'Let them witness with their own eyes and they will understand.'
"The Avalanche terrorists?"
Tseng's voice was cold.
"Deal with them as necessary. Eliminate any resistance."
Across Midgar, Shinra's elite SOLDIER units were getting ready. These were super-soldiers, made stronger with Mako.
They wore dark uniforms and carried powerful weapons. They were trained to follow orders without question.
Shinra's forces began to move. Not in a huge, obvious invasion, not yet.
They moved like shadows, gathering on the edges of Sector 7.
They didn't want to cause a panic that might make Avalanche move Aerith.
They wanted a quick, clean capture.
Inside Seventh Heaven, Barret paced.
"We can't just wait! We gotta move her! Get her outta here!"
Tifa, ever practical, pointed out,
"Where, Barret? Shinra controls everything. Every exit, every tunnel. They'll have eyes everywhere. The moment we try to leave, they'll pounce."
"Then we fight!"
Barret roared.
Cloudia nodded slowly.
"Barret's right, we will fight. But we need a plan. We can't just rush out blindly."
Arthur, looking deep in thought, finally spoke.
His eyes glowed with a faint, almost imperceptible light.
"They want Aerith unharmed. That's our one advantage. It means they won't just blast the place to rubble. They'll try to get her out first. They'll send in their best, probably the Turks, maybe some SOLDIERs."
He looked at each of them, a calm authority in his gaze.
"We prepare for a siege. We make Seventh Heaven a fortress. We use the tunnels, the back alleys. We fight them on our ground. We protect Aerith. And I will ensure they regret stepping foot here."
Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, despite their fear, stood a little taller. They had almost died once. They wouldn't let their friend be taken.
"We're with you,"
Jessie said, her voice firm.
"We'll fight."
Barret grinned, his old spirit returning.
"That's what I like to hear! Let's show Shinra what happens when you mess with Avalanche!"
Tifa began giving orders.
"Biggs, Wedge, check the back tunnels, make sure they're clear for an escape if needed. Jessie, get what little explosives we have ready, but don't blow the place up unless I say so! Cloudia, Barret, you're with me. We'll set up defensive positions. Arthur, Aerith, stay safe, we need your… unique talents."
Arthur shook his head.
"I'm fighting. Aerith needs to be protected, but I can help."
Aerith, however, insisted.
"I can help too, Arthur. I won't just hide."
As night deepened, the quiet tension in Sector 7 grew.
Dogs barked more than usual. The distant hum of Midgar seemed to hold a sharper edge.
People in the slums felt it, a chill in the air, a sense that something big was about to happen.
Inside Seventh Heaven, the preparations were frantic but orderly.
Windows were boarded up. Barrels and old crates were pushed into place to make cover.
The familiar, comforting scent of Tifa's cooking was replaced by the metallic tang of gunpowder and sweat.
Marlene, sensing the danger, clung to Barret. He held her tight, his heart aching.
He had faced down ghosts, but the thought of Shinra coming for them, for Marlene, filled him with a cold fury.
Around midnight, a whisper went through the Avalanche network: Shinra forces detected entering Sector 7.
They weren't coming down the main road. They were using the hidden paths, the shadows. Just as Arthur had predicted.
Tseng, leading the Turks, moved with silent precision. His team, including Reno and Rude, split up, covering every possible exit from Seventh Heaven.
SOLDIER units positioned themselves on rooftops, ready to drop down.
"This is it,"
Tifa murmured, looking out a crack in the boarded-up window. She could just make out shapes moving in the darkness.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the back alley. A heavy steel door, reinforced by Avalanche, had been blown inward.
"They're in!"
Barret roared, his gun-arm already raised.
Reno, nervous on his face, stepped through the smoke, his electro-rod sparking.
Behind him, Rude followed, a massive fist ready. Other Turks poured in, followed by a handful of Shinra grunts.
Before Barret could even open his mouth, Arthur took a step forward.
His eyes glowed a vibrant crimson, and a low hum filled the air, barely audible but deeply unsettling.
"You have made a mistake,"
Arthur's voice resonated, not just from his throat, but seeming to vibrate in the very air around them.
"This isn't a place you can come and go. You have entered a place under my protection."
With a thought, a wave of unseen force erupted from Arthur. It wasn't a blast, but a pure, unyielding power.
The Shinra grunts at the front, already pushing through the door, suddenly froze.
Their movements became sluggish, like figures trapped in thick mud.
Their weapons clattered to the ground, and their eyes glazed over with an overwhelming, bone-deep weariness.
Reno became even more nervous.
Rude's eyes widened slightly. This was no ordinary magic.
"What in the...? You gotta be kidding me! Why me?!"
Reno stammered, trying to raise his electro-rod, but even he felt a strange drag on his limbs.
Arthur didn't wait.
His hand snapped out, and a Dragonic Hand formed from pure crimson energy, slamming into Reno, sending him flying backward through the ruined doorway and out into the alley with a pained yelp.
Rude, seeing the raw power, charged. He was fast, a blur of muscle and fury.
"We have met again. And you still haven't learned your lesson."
But Arthur was faster. With a flicker, almost like teleportation from his high AGI, he was no longer where he was standing.
He was behind Rude, a glowing Dragonic Hand clamping down on the Turk's massive shoulder.
Rude grunted in pain as the raw energy pulsed through him.
"Shinra won't get their dirty hand on my woman,"
Arthur's voice was a low growl, laced with undeniable power.
He squeezed, and Rude, a man who could shrug off explosions, cried out as a bone-jarring crack echoed through the bar.
Rude crumpled, his arm hanging limp.
The remaining Turks and SOLDIERs froze, staring at Arthur with outright fear.
This was not in any Shinra combat manual. He had incapacitated their top operatives with seemingly no effort.
Cloudia, Tifa, and Barret exchanged wide-eyed glances.
This was a side of Arthur they had barely glimpsed.
He wasn't just strong; he was terrifyingly powerful.
Tseng, watching from the main entrance, remained outwardly calm, but his mind raced.
This was beyond their intel. This was a monster. He quickly relayed new orders to his remaining forces, pulling back, not advancing.
"He's not just an ordinary member,"
Tseng's voice was tight in his comms.
"He's something else entirely. Rethink strategy. Do NOT engage directly without superior numbers or a clear plan for his abilities."
Arthur, his glowing eyes scanning the room, saw Tseng's retreat. He didn't pursue it.
His goal was not to annihilate, but to protect and to send a message.
"This is your only warning,"
He projected, his voice echoing, resonating with a subtle hint of his Low Tier Godling power.
"Shinra will not touch Aerith. Come again, and you will face consequences you cannot imagine."
Aerith, watching Arthur, felt a surge of awe and gratitude.
His power was immense, a shield against the world.
Tifa and Cloudia stood ready, but the fight had ended before it truly began, thanks to Arthur.
Barret let out a whoop of triumph.
"Yeah! That's how you do it! Take that, Shinra!"
Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, who had been ready to fight to the death, were simply stunned.
The threat had been defused by Arthur's sheer force.
The remaining Shinra forces outside, hearing Tseng's urgent retreat orders and witnessing their comrades' sudden incapacitation, pulled back, melting into the shadows.
The air of tension, which had been thick moments before, slowly dissipated.
Arthur's crimson glow faded but he still looked ominous.
"Are you alright, Arthur?"
Tifa asked, her voice filled with concern.
He nodded, a faint smile on his lips.
"I'm fine."
He looked at Aerith, a protective warmth in his gaze.
"They won't be back for a little while. Not like this."
The immediate threat was gone, pushed back by Arthur's overwhelming display of power.
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Craze: Before going to the next floor. Arthur will take care of mutants problem first as they thought he was one of them.
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Yuffie was heading toward the mansion in an invisible jet no one noticed her even Logan.
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She is being sneaky sneaky there hehe.
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