MHA: Ubiytsa Bogov - Slayer of Gods

It was an usual day like all other days, the children sitting in their classroom, the professor droning on about tactical maneuvers. Aleksandr remains quiet but hyper-alert, his sharp blue eyes darting toward the door every so often. His thoughts are focused, calculating, as he prepares for what comes next.

As the lesson nears its conclusion, the door opens, and the guards file in. The faint hum of the quirk restraint collars fills the air as the guards move methodically to replace each child's collar. Aleksandr's heart pounds, but his face remains calm, masking the storm brewing inside him.

When a guard approaches Aleksandr, unlocking the metallic restraint around his neck, the moment he's been waiting for arrives.

Before the guard can latch the new collar onto his neck, Aleksandr's eyes flash with steely determination. He channels his enhanced telepathic abilities, sending out a mental wave that instantly freezes every guard and the professor in place. Their eyes glaze over, their movements ceasing entirely as if time itself has stopped for them.

The classroom plunges into an eerie silence. Yulia, Ivan, Gervasii, and Anya whip their heads toward Aleksandr, confusion and alarm evident on their faces.

"What just happened?" Yulia's voice is sharp, her amber eyes narrowing in suspicion.

The room was unnaturally still, with the guards and the professor locked in place mid-motion. Their expressions frozen, their bodies immobile. The only sound was the faint hum of the facility's fluorescent lights. Aleksandr stood at the center, his gaze unwavering, exuding a calm authority that made the moment even more surreal.

He took a hard plastic baton from a guard and beat all the guards along with the professor into the heads, all of them fainted.

Aleksandr had planned this moment for years. Every guard rotation, every blind spot in the security system, every single vulnerability in the facility—he had studied them all, analyzing them like pieces of a puzzle.

But he hadn't told anyone.

Because Aleksandr knew they would hesitate. He knew that if they had time to think, they would question him, argue, and waste precious seconds. He couldn't afford that.

And so, he made the decision alone.

Yet, even in his solitude, he hadn't planned this escape for himself alone. Every detail accounted for his friends, ensuring their best chance at freedom. Three years in this place had forged a bond he couldn't ignore, no matter how poor his emotional intelligence was.

"What the hell are you doing?!", Gervasii asked with his widened eyes.

Aleksandr turned toward them, his voice calm but firm. "There's no time to explain. We are leaving. Now."

The weight of his words slammed into them.

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then, Ivan took a slow, measured breath, his deep voice cutting through the tension. "…You're serious."

Aleksandr met his gaze. "Always."

Gervasii snapped out of his daze, his fists clenching. "And you didn't think to tell us before throwing us into this shitstorm?!"

"I didn't need you all second-guessing me," Aleksandr shot back. "Hesitation gets us killed."

Yulia was furious. "So you just decided for all of us, huh? Without even giving us a choice?"

Aleksandr didn't flinch. "Do you really think they would have let us walk out of here if we voted on it first?"

Yulia glared at him, but… he wasn't wrong.

Aleksandr moved quickly, stepping over the frozen guards as he deactivated the remaining children's collars. Once freed, he turned to the security cameras overhead.

A sharp crackle of electricity surged from his fingertips, sending a controlled EMP pulse to fry the surveillance systems.

"That gives us roughly 15 minutes before they reboot the backup security grid," Aleksandr stated.

"Move where?" Ivan demanded. "We have no map and I'm pretty damn sure we don't know where all the guards are positioned or what kind of things they prepared for us in case of a sudden escape like this."

"I do." Aleksandr's voice was unwavering. "I've been… listening for a long time."

"…Listening?" Gervasii narrowed his eyes. "What the hell does that mean?"

"We don't have time for this," Aleksandr cut him off. "I'll explain when we're outside."

Yulia growled in frustration but didn't argue further. "Fine. But if this goes sideways, I'm blaming you."

"Noted," Aleksandr replied dryly.

The group moved swiftly through the facility, sticking to the routes Aleksandr had mapped out in his mind. He guided them away from high-security zones and through maintenance tunnels that he had learned about by sifting through the minds of engineers over the years.

The group moved swiftly through the facility, sticking to the routes Aleksandr had mapped out in his mind. He guided them away from high-security zones and through maintenance tunnels—paths he had painstakingly extracted from the minds of engineers over the years.

As they weaved through the dimly lit corridors, Gervasii narrowed his eyes at their trajectory.

"This doesn't look like an exit route to me," he muttered.

"No. We're heading to the generator room first," Aleksandr answered curtly, not slowing his pace.

The plan was still on track.

Until the alarms began blaring.

A split second later, Aleksandr felt them. A guard patrol—seven men—closing in fast.

Without breaking stride, Aleksandr reached out with his mind and severed their control over their own bodies. The guards froze mid-step, their weapons clattering uselessly to the floor.

Statues. Completely paralyzed.

The others stared in stunned silence.

"That's also your doing?" Yulia asked, pointing at the guards with an unreadable expression.

Aleksandr didn't even look at her.

"Take them out. Quickly."

Despite their shock, the others moved. A flurry of magma, stone, and velocity took the guards down before they could regain control. No room for hesitation.

Then the real problem arrived.

"Warning: Unauthorized quirk usage detected. Lockdown in progress."

Automated turrets descended from the ceilings, scanning for targets. Reinforced security doors rumbled shut, cutting off their path to the generator room.

Aleksandr reacted instantly.

He raised a hand, sending out a powerful electromagnetic pulse, frying the turrets before they could fire. Sparks rained down from above, but the security doors were still closing.

"Yulia, Anya—defensive barriers now. Ivan—prepare a shockwave."

They moved without question.

Yulia's magma formed and Anya's water surged outward, shielding them.Then, from the ceiling—

Liquid nitrogen.

The freezing agent poured down in torrents, designed to neutralize both Yulia's magma and Anya's water. Yulia's heat fought against it, the air filling with steam and a sharp temperature clash.

Ivan clapped his hands together, sending a shockwave blast upward. The force shattered the dispensing systems, causing chunks of metal and ceiling panels to collapse.

Aleksandr ripped metal panels from the walls, crafting makeshift shields. But they were only enough for him and two more people. He picked Gervasii and Yulia who were standing closer to him.

"Ivan—"

"I got it. Say less."

Ivan moved before Aleksandr could finish. He hardened his skin with scales, shielding Anya completely as the debris crashed down around them.

Anya's face reddened slightly but said nothing.

The dust settled. The security doors were still closing, inches left before they shut completely.

Aleksandr planted his feet, magnetism thrumming through his veins.

He stopped the doors.

Barely.

"Gervasii." Aleksandr's voice was strained, but firm. "I'm holding them. You teleport through the gap—get inside the generator room and shut down the electrical system except the exit doors of the facility."

Gervasii hesitated. "Wait—why not just kill the power to the doors? Or just destroy it with our quirks–"

"These doors are made from bunker-grade materials that can withstand a nuclear bomb's impact. We don't have the firepower to destroy them. If I kill the circuits, they lock permanently. You are the only way in."

Gervasii still looked uncertain. "But what about the— I mean, how the hell do I even—"

"Trust me."

Gervasii gritted his teeth. "Damn it."

And then he vanished.

A low mechanical hum filled the corridor.

Then, they appeared.

Hulking, reinforced security automatons, armed with suppressive dart launchers and elongated, tentacle-like appendages ending in grappling clamps.

Aleksandr's mind raced.

"Don't let those clamps touch you." He forced the words out, straining to hold the doors open. "They work on the same principle as the quirk restraint collars. If they grab you—you're done."

The robots surged forward.

"Oh, perfect. It's like all those combat tests again." Yulia growled, her hair igniting in magma.

"Aleksandr, are you sure Gervasii can do it in time?", Ivan asked.

Aleksandr didn't respond.

Because he couldn't.

His focus was split in holding the doors and navigating Gervasii's mind simultaneously.

Inside the generator room— Gervasii froze mid-step. His thoughts a panicked mess. Aleksandr silenced them.

Then, he took control from the outside.

Guiding Gervasii's movements like a puppet, Aleksandr directed his hands across the control panels, inputting the shutdown sequence with perfect precision.

Yulia's magma-whip tore through one of the robots, but its body barely melted. The material was too resistant.

Anya wove defensive currents of water, deflecting dart barrages from the sides.

Ivan tore through them with raw strength and shockwaves, but the numbers were overwhelming.

Aleksandr didn't respond—his entire focus was split between holding the doors and controlling Gervasii.

"Hey, magnetic head—some backup would be appreciated!" Yulia snapped, slicing another robot's arm off with her razor-sharp magma hair.

Aleksandr finally managed to speak.

"I'm busy stopping the doors. And mind-controlling our only way out."

The three stared at him, momentarily distracted.

"""You're WHAT????!!!!"""

The battle raged.

But then—

The lights flickered. Aleksandr felt it. The power grid shutting down.

Aleksandr let go of Gervasii as he teleported back.

"I did it. I shut it down…although I have absolutely no fucking ideas how.", Gervasii answered as he just experienced something bizarre.

"Everyone hold still. We're going straight down to the exit." Aleksandr's voice cut through the chaos like steel.

Yulia glanced at him sharply, her amber eyes burning with skepticism.

"You do realize you just cut off the electricity, right? That means no working elevators, genius." Her tone dripped with sarcasm.

"We're not using the elevators." Aleksandr turned to Ivan. "Break the floor. Crack the concrete structure."

Ivan crossed his arms, his broad frame rigid with doubt. "Whatever insanity you're planning, it better not get us all killed."

Despite his grumbling, he stomped a foot down, channeling his mineral manipulation into the ground beneath them.

The floor trembled.

Jagged fissures split through the concrete, spiderwebbing outward, until the steel framework beneath was exposed. Cracks widened. Debris rained down into the darkness below.

Before the structure could fully collapse, Gervasii flashed forward, appearing beside Ivan.

"I'll cover you, big guy. Go play demolition crew with our "crazy magnet"."

Without hesitation, he absorbed the velocity from the incoming tranquilizer darts, stopping them mid-air before they could reach his teammates. Then, moving with blinding speed, he snatched up severed robot limbs and scrap metal from the destroyed sentries.

With a flick of his wrist, he sent them hurtling back at the enemy.

The air whistled as the improvised projectiles ripped through the remaining robots, slamming into their reinforced plating at deadly speeds.

Crack. Crack. CRACK.

Under Ivan's relentless power, the floor beneath them groaned and splintered, its framework on the verge of collapse.

Aleksandr lifted both hands, his magnetism humming to life.

"Gather to me now!"

The second the team gathered, Aleksandr ripped the steel beams apart with an immense magnetic pulse. The entire floor gave way beneath them.

Gravity seized them.

For a moment, they were falling—plunging straight into the abyss of the lower levels.

Then—

A deafening screech of twisting metal.

Aleksandr seized control of the steel rods and surrounding metallic debris, weaving them into a massive spherical barrier around them.

They plummeted through collapsing floors, the momentum slowed slightly by Aleksandr's control over the falling wreckage.

One level down. Then two. Then three.

The force of impact sent a tremor through the entire basement level as they finally landed, the protective metal cocoon shielding them from the worst of the destruction.

Dust and debris choked the air, the echoes of their descent still reverberating through the underground corridors.

Then—silence.

For a long moment, no one moved. The only sound was their heavy breathing.

Finally, Yulia coughed, waving away the dust as she shot a glare at Aleksandr.

"Next time you come up with a plan, how about NOT making it involve us FALLING THROUGH THREE FUCKING FLOORS?!"

Aleksandr released his hold on the metal, letting the wreckage settle as he stood up, unfazed.

"Noted."

"Noted, my ass you polarity maniac!"

Ivan groaned, stretching his sore muscles. "I hate to say it, but it worked."

Gervasii, sitting on the ground with his hands behind his head, exhaled sharply.

"Next time, don't involve me into this, just tell me where we are heading to and I will teleport to there myself."

Anya, her expression dazed but composed, simply glanced around at their surroundings.

"We're at the basement." Her quiet voice carried a note of realization. "That means the exit… it's close."

Aleksandr turned toward the dimly lit corridor ahead.

"We keep moving. No stopping now."

And with that, they pressed forward—toward the final stretch of their escape.

They encountered some small groups of guards and staffs on the way, but all of their movements had been foreseen by Aleksandr, helping the team take them out effortlessly. On the way, Anya was healing their wounds as well.

Aleksandr took a car key from a facility staff.

The final obstacle was the heavily reinforced exit gate.

Aleksandr typed some commands on the security panel to open the gate. Just a few more seconds and all of them would be free.

Then—a hidden pathway slid open from the wall behind them.

Emerging from the shadows, Dr. Orlov stepped forward, flanked by a squad of elite guards. Unlike the standard facility enforcers, these men moved with precise, practiced efficiency. They wore weird-designed helmets each one obscuring their faces along with invisible tech cloaks.

A volley of tranquilizer darts hissed through the air.

"Darts incoming!" Gervasii shouted in alarm, his enhanced reflexes barely catching the movement in time.

The team instantly sprang into action.

Yulia flared up with molten heat, melting the incoming darts before they could reach her. Ivan braced himself, letting the tranquilizers bounce harmlessly off his hardened scales. Aleksandr sent out a pulse of electromagnetism, attempting to disrupt the darts' trajectory mid-flight.

But Anya wasn't as lucky.

Already drained from the grueling combat and repeatedly healing their wounds, her reaction time had slowed. The moment she raised her hand, a dart buried itself deep into her shoulder.

"Anya!" Ivan's voice roared in panic as she staggered, her body betraying her will.

She fought to stay upright, her breaths shallow, but within seconds, her body slumped to the ground.

Aleksandr whipped around, his heart hammering, but he barely had time to process it.

He still couldn't sense them.

His telepathy—his ever-reliable advantage—had failed him.

A cold realization crept into Aleksandr's mind as Orlov deactivated his own invisibility, revealing himself with eerie composure.

The man stood with an air of absolute confidence, watching them like a teacher calmly assessing misbehaving students.

Aleksandr focused, instinctively reaching out with his telepathy to scan Orlov's mind—

Nothing.

A wall of silence.

His breath caught. He couldn't hear him. He couldn't sense any of the guards either.

Aleksandr's gaze snapped to the helmet on Orlov's head. His instincts screamed at him to stop, to think, to understand what just happened.

And in the briefest of moments, he did.

That helmet blocked his telepathy.

The realization hit him like a gunshot. He had no way of knowing what Orlov was thinking. No way of predicting his next move.

For the first time in years, Aleksandr was blind.

And the worst part?

Orlov knew it.

A slow, knowing smile curled on the doctor's lips. His eyes gleamed with an eerie mixture of pride and condescension.

"I must say, Aleksandr…" Orlov murmured, stepping forward with measured grace.

Aleksandr's blood ran cold.

"...you have surpassed our expectations by every degree imaginable."

From behind the scientist, the horde of earlier robots that the team escaped from finally arrived.

Their lost was inevitable….

_______________

Aleksandr's body still twitched from the quirk-suppressing grapplers of the robots, his limbs unresponsive. His breathing was steady, but his mind raced, trying to piece together where his plan had gone wrong. The rest of his team was also suppressed by the robots and the elite guards.

Dr. Orlov stood over him, hands clasped behind his back, the picture of calm authority.

"You're wondering where you miscalculated," Orlov said, his tone almost amused. "How we were prepared for every contingency, how we anticipated your every move."

Aleksandr forced his body to stillness, pushing past the residual tremors to glare up at the scientist. "You weren't here. You left the facility a month ago. I confirmed it myself."

Orlov chuckled. "Ah, yes. You must have read that from the my colleagues. And you assumed that meant I was out of the loop." He shook his head. "A rare lapse in judgment from you, Aleksandr. But understandable. You lacked the full picture."

"Tell me, how long have you been reading minds? Three years, perhaps? Four?"

Aleksandr's expression did not change. He did not answer.

Orlov smirked. "Your silence is unnecessary. We always knew."

The weight of those words sent a chill through Aleksandr's spine.

His face did not betray emotion, but his mind reeled.

"You're lying," he stated flatly.

Orlov sighed, shaking his head as if disappointed in a particularly slow student.

"You don't honestly believe you were the only experiment, do you?" he asked. "You think you're special because you figured it out on your own? Because you hid it? Aleksandr, we've been studying you from the moment you were born."

Aleksandr remained silent, but his fingers curled into the cold floor.

Orlov's eyes gleamed. "We have spent decades gathering quirk genes related to the nervous system—telepathy, mind control, cognitive manipulation, neural acceleration… all in pursuit of a singular goal."

He gestured toward Aleksandr.

"You."

Aleksandr's gritted through his teeth in desperation.

"For years, Aleksandr, you have been meticulously reading minds, prying through every stray thought, every whispered secret. You have believed yourself untouchable in the realm of information."

Orlov's smirk widened.

"But tell me—did you ever stop to wonder why you never found what truly mattered?"

Aleksandr's teeth clenched, his mind desperately searching for any flaw, any inconsistency in the explanation.

".....It's simply impossible," he finally said, his voice low, dangerous. "I have pried through every neuron of your fucking scum-bald head."

He exhaled sharply through his nose. "The only ultimate contingency I could not account for was the facility's self-destruction system—and you clearly wouldn't dare use it. You want us alive."

Orlov gave a quiet, knowing chuckle.

"Indeed, I do," he confirmed. "But you see, Aleksandr... you never read my mind."

Aleksandr's body went rigid.

Suddenly, all of the elite guards turned off their invisible cloak and took off their helmets.

Aleksandr's breath hitched, his normally sharp mind stumbling over the sheer impossibility of what he was seeing.

The elite guards—all of them—had identical faces.

Identical smirks.

Identical cold, calculating eyes.

All of them were Orlov.

For the first time in years, Aleksandr felt the stirrings of true horror.

His greatest advantage—his telepathy, his ability to pierce through the minds of others, to uncover their secrets, their fears, their weaknesses—

Had been completely useless.

Because the minds he had been reading… were never Orlov's in the first place.

The real Orlov, had never once been within Aleksandr's grasp.

Aleksandr's jaw tightened, his body trembling with suppressed fury. He had been so thorough. So careful. And yet, somehow, the man standing before him had outmaneuvered him at every turn.

Orlov took a step closer, his expression one of polite amusement.

"The only person one can truly trust," he said smoothly, "is himself. Don't you agree, Aleksandr?"

Aleksandr forced his body to remain still, though every fiber of his being screamed for action.

Even Yulia, normally quick to hurl insults, stood frozen in sheer disbelief. Ivan's fists twitched, his muscles coiling as if preparing to strike, but he didn't move. Gervasii's sharp eyes flickered between the clones, his usual cocky demeanor replaced with grim realization.

Orlov continued, his voice deceptively gentle. "The Orlovs you've seen, the ones whose minds you so cleverly dissected—"

He gestured to the identical men surrounding them.

"—They were never me."

Aleksandr's heart pounded. He felt something sharp twist in his gut—rage, disbelief, a creeping sense of betrayal by his own intelligence.

"Clones." The word left his mouth before he could stop it, a harsh whisper.

Orlov's smirk deepened.

"Very good." He clasped his hands behind his back. "You see, Aleksandr, there are many intelligent people in the world. Many brilliant minds. But true visionaries? They are rare."

His gaze became almost fond, in a twisted, detached way.

"And I am a man who trusts only himself."

A heavy silence hung in the air.

Orlov continued, his voice laced with mock sympathy.

"You have been watching shadows, Aleksandr. Illusions of me, each designed to be disposable. None of them carried classified information, none of them were aware of the true scope of our project. The 'Orlovs' you read? They knew exactly as much as they needed to know. No more, no less."

"Oh well, I believe it is enough talking for now."

Dr Orlov motioned toward his clones. The tranquilizers in their hands glinted ominously.

"You are coming back with me."

BOOM.

A loud explosion interrupted the situation.

The facility shook as the reinforced wall exploded inward, sending concrete and steel debris flying. The sudden burst of light and smoke disoriented everyone, breaking the tension like a whip crack.

Through the settling dust, **figures emerged—**a team of highly trained pro-heroes, each one exuding authority, power, and the unmistakable presence of warriors ready for battle.

At the forefront stood Tahlia "Webstrike" O'Connor, her stance low and agile, strands of glowing silk writhing from her fingertips like living threads. Her sharp, arachnid-like eyes scanned the room.

Beside her, Kiona "Solstice" Tuhei radiated with a burning intensity, her skin glowing faintly with stored solar energy, her presence almost overwhelmingly bright against the dark facility.

Dylan "Bullet Storm" Spencer strode forward, his rugged form bristling with conjured weaponry, a wild grin stretched across his face.

Then came Lucas "First Aid" Williams, his calm, measured gaze flickering over the children's injuries with clinical precision.

Emma "Lifeline" Rodriguez moved like a fluid dancer, golden ropes already weaving between her fingers, ready to restrain or rescue.

Behind them, Kai "Tracker" Tanaka remained at the rear, his sharp gaze piercing through the room, as if reading the very essence of every soul present.

Finally, Lian "Qilin" Zhang stepped forward, his movements graceful yet imposing, the aura of a mythical protector emanating from his very being. His eyes, calm but unyielding, locked onto Dr. Orlov with quiet fury his voice ringing out with authority:

"Dr. Nikolai Orlov, by the orders of the World Heroes Association, you and your illegal facility are under arrest."(He spoke in English, knowing the scientist would understand.)

For the first time, Dr. Nikolai Orlov showed genuine shock.

His calm, calculated demeanor cracked. His jaw tightened, and his fingers twitched in restrained fury.

"Hands off the children, you trash cans fucking Terminator's knockoff motherfuckers!", Dylan "Bullet Storm" Spencer shouted as he shot down all the robots that were holding the 5 children with precision quickly.

Emma "Lifeline" Rodriguez instantly moved into action, golden ropes shooting forward, grabbing hold of the children to separate and protect them from the fight. Lucas "First Aid" Williams ran at the 5 children to assess their wounds. The children told him(in English) to check for Anya first.

"Don't worry kids, you are safe now.", he assured them as he began to heal Anya.

"Kill them all!"

Orlov roared in pure rage as the robots and his clones immediately opened fire.

A hail of tranquilizer rounds shot toward the children and the heroes alike.

Tahlia "Webstrike" O'Connor moved, her arms blurring as strands of reinforced silk shot outward, snagging the projectiles mid-air. She twisted, using the momentum to swing herself up, evading further shots.

Kiona "Solstice" Tuhei threw both hands forward, unleashing blinding pulses of concentrated heat, superheating the air and melting incoming darts mid-flight.

Lian "Qilin" Zhang leapt across the battlefield, his form partially shifting into his mythical beast Chinese Qilin form as he crushed through robots and Orlov clones with his claws, horns, fangs and immense strength.

The fight ended quickly, as expected from the top world pro heroes. They captured the clones and Orlov while destroying all the robots in just under a few minutes.

Lian "Qilin" Zhang kicked the anti telepathy helmet off Orlov's head.

"It's over, you sick old bastard. Your facility had been under the Association's scope for quite a time now. There are more of us infiltrating your facility from other pathways right now. You and your accomplices will answer your crimes to the international court of the United Nations."

"Lian. Team Bravo calling, they had attained a lot of guards and spotted the main laboratory.", Kai "Tracker" Tanaka reported.

"Good. Keep in contact with them. Prepare your next phase team, we will go rescue the children.", Lian Zhang ordered.

Anya's status began to look better as the tranquilizer dart's substance in her body had been nullified by Lucas Williams.

"You all were very brave , kids. Wait here and we will get you out soon.", He gave a smile to the children to reassure them as he went on to other heroes for their planning.

The moment the battle ended, and the dust settled, Ivan's mind caught up with reality—they had actually been rescued by heroes. Not just any heroes, but top-ranked, world-renowned heroes from the World Heroes Association.

For a second, Ivan stood frozen, staring in utter disbelief as Lian "Qilin" Zhang kicked Orlov's anti-telepathy helmet off, while the other heroes swiftly secured the remaining guards and clones.

Then, the realization slammed into him like a freight train.

"H-Holy shit." Ivan's voice cracked, his scarred face twisting in shock.

The others barely had time to react before he completely lost it.

"We actually got rescued by real damn heroes." His breath hitched before he practically screamed in excitement, "REAL. PRO. HEROES."

His voice boomed through the ruined basement, echoing off the cracked walls as he whirled toward his friends, his usual composed demeanor obliterated. "You guys seeing this?! This is legit! This is the real deal!"

Gervasii shot him a flat look, rubbing his temple as if nursing a headache. "We're literally in the middle of an escape. Maybe dial it back a little, fanboy?"

Yulia let out a long, drawn-out sigh, shaking her head. "No, let him be. Today's a big day for him."

"Yeah, but imagine it from these Pro Heroes' point of view." Gervasii smirked. "They're probably staring at a crazy Russian kid they just rescued, watching him shout nonsense like he's won the lottery."

Yulia chuckled. "Oh, just wait. It's gonna get so much worse when he tries to communicate with them with the half-baked English we learned last week."

Ivan, too lost in the moment, had already turned toward the nearest hero, Kiona "Solstice" Tuhei, and attempted his best attempt at English.

"YOU! YOU BIG FIRE LADY! ME BIG FAN! YES! VERY GOOD!"

Dylan "Bullet Storm" Spencer burst into a wheezing laugh, slapping his knee. "HAHAHAHA, Jesus Christ—what the hell did I just hear?! Kid, that was some next-level Russian-English fusion."

Yulia covered her face with her hands. Gervasii just shook his head, muttering something under his breath about second-hand embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Aleksandr had barely heard any of this.

As the heroes secured the facility, Lian "Qilin" Zhang stood over the restrained clone of Dr. Orlov, his imposing figure casting a long shadow over the man. His golden eyes gleamed with quiet authority, his arms crossed over his chest.

"These clones of yours, Orlov…" Lian's voice was calm but firm, "Tell me what you know. We know about your facility. We know about your human experiments. But what are these clones all about? Are there any more hidden traps? Secret defenses? Tell me now, or I will personally make sure you regret it."

Aleksandr's sharp eyes had locked onto the anti-telepathy helmet the moment it was kicked free from Orlov's head. His chance had finally come. Without hesitation, he reached into Orlov's mind.

What he found made his stomach drop.

Something was wrong.

Orlov's mind was there— but it was empty.

No deeper memories. No carefully hidden thoughts. No encrypted knowledge of the facility's secrets.

Just surface-level thoughts.

Just a script.

Like a puppet that had been following pre-programmed instructions.

Aleksandr's face paled. His breath caught as a horrifying realization slammed into him like a bullet.

His head snapped up, eyes wide, as he shouted in Russian— "Wait! STOP—!"

But it was too late.

The Dr. Orlov they had just captured— the one who had monologued, the one who had gloated, the one who had revealed all of those unsettling truths—

He was just another clone.

The real Dr. Orlov was somewhere else.

Watching. Waiting.

—

Deep underground, hidden within the facility's most classified sector, the real Nikolai Orlov sat in a secured monitoring chamber, his gaze fixed on the screens before him.

Multiple camera feeds displayed the chaos unfolding in the facility—the captured clones, the restrained guards, and now, Aleksandr's sudden, horrified reaction.

A cold smirk curled at Orlov's lips.

He reached down, pressing a final command on the control panel.

"I'm afraid our little chess game ends today, my dear boy Aleksandr. Despite the interference of the WHA(World Heroes Association), you played well," he murmured. His voice was almost fond.

He glanced at the live footage of Aleksandr and his ragtag team of escapees. The heroes. The broken facility.

Then, with a sigh, he added, "I hope you have a warm reunion with your friends… in the afterlife."

He turned, scooping up the classified research files, hard drives, and documents from his desk. Then, with one final glance at the screen, he walked toward the exit hatch leading to his escape route.

Behind him, the self-destruction system of the facility activated.