Vrumm... Another altar crumbled into ruins during an Archon's self-detonation. As the surrounding Warp demons were cleared away, Alexei fixed his gaze on the magnificent palace in the distance.
Was this his final objective?
He had already destroyed half of the altars; four remained. Three of them surrounded the Governor's Palace like stars around a moon, and the last—the largest—lay within the grand palace itself.
He stepped out of the Astropathic Spire. He had hoped to find survivors there, perhaps to contact the local Sector Command, but it seemed he had been overoptimistic. Astropaths were naturally susceptible to Warp influence, and in an environment like this, their fates were sealed. The Chaos Spawn he had encountered inside the tower were likely those former psykers.
Alexei issued the command for the Protoss army to charge toward the final goal. With the reduction of Warp rifts, the number of demons in the Upper Hive was visibly thinning, though the scale of the Protoss forces had also diminished accordingly.
Suddenly, Alexei's attention was drawn to gunfire nearby. "Are there still survivors?"
Captain Anna's lasgun had already overheated. She drew a frag grenade from her belt and hurled it into the oncoming demon swarm. With a deafening explosion, several Warp entities fell. But a moment later, more surged forward. She ducked under a psionic bolt and turned to shout at her struggling, wailing soldiers, "Hold on! We're almost there!"
As she turned back to fire, a Screamer dove from the sky toward her. She didn't have time to raise her weapon. Just as Anna thought her soul was bound for the Golden Throne, a beam of light shot from nowhere, tearing the Screamer to pieces.
As the demon's mangled carcass slammed down before Anna, explosions began to rock the rear of the demonic horde. Horrors and Nurglings immediately abandoned the nearly broken humans, turning to face the unknown enemy.
Anna looked on in confusion. Through the gaps in the demon army, she could vaguely see golden-armored alien warriors systematically slaughtering the demons. There were also alien vehicles capable of vaporizing Flamers in a single shot. "This is..." She watched in shock, while the remaining PDF remnants behind her stood frozen at the sight of these mysterious allies.
In the next moment, Anna snapped back to reality and roared, "Fire! Don't stop!" Whether these golden warriors were friends or foes, they shared a common enemy.
The surviving humans coordinated their fire with the Protoss army. Screamers were pierced by beams in mid-air, while Zealots used their exquisite martial skills to cut down every demon in reach. Immortals' Phase Disruptors traded fire with Daemon Engines, and powerful Psionic Storms tore through those who failed to flee.
The demon numbers plummeted, while the Protoss reinforcements seemed endless. When the first Zealot fought through the horde to reach the humans, everyone was stunned by the sight of the powerful alien warrior whose shields were still flickering. Staring at the two buzzing psionic blades, they felt a mix of relief and a lingering fear of the unknown.
Once the last demon was reduced to dust, the Protoss ceased their movement, their eyes fixed on the humans. Anna looked nervously at the aliens as the tension in the air tightened. Suddenly, the golden warriors parted to create a path.
A figure in blue power armor appeared. Before she could speak, the helmet of the figure slowly opened, revealing a young man with delicate features.
A human?! She was secretly astonished. Why would these incredibly powerful aliens make way for this man?
"Alexei, leader of an ordinary gang in the Underhive. Are there any other survivors besides you?" The man's voice was remarkably soothing.
Anna breathed a sigh of relief. A communicable human was far better than a group of powerful aliens. "Anna, Captain of the Planetary Defense Force. The rest of the survivors are in the Ecclesiarchy Cathedral, but without our protection, I don't know..." She gave a bitter smile.
Alexei nodded. "The situation in the Lower Hive is largely under control. You can lead them there for refuge. I'll have a squad of warriors escort you." Through his link with Zagara, he knew the demon count in the Lower Hive had dropped significantly due to his destruction of the altars.
After much internal struggle, Anna agreed. She had no other choice but to trust the man before her. Under Alexei's orders, a squad of Stalkers followed several PDF soldiers back toward the cathedral.
As she looked at the man in power armor again, Anna felt a flicker of recognition. He seemed to be the reason she was recalled to the Hive Spire in the first place—the instigator of the Underhive rebellion.
Alexei ignored the strange look in Anna's eyes. "Are you looking for surviving Astropaths? I'm afraid you are likely the last survivors of the Upper Hive."
Anna sighed. Was all their effort in vain? "No... what is your goal?" She stared intently at him, hoping for an answer.
Alexei pointed toward the remaining four Warp rifts. "See those? Only four left. I've cleared most of the demons for you. Now, I'm going to resolve the source of the problem."
"Why? Why are these... aliens helping us?" Anna asked, perplexed.
Alexei rolled his eyes. Is this woman thick? "Have you ever heard the old Terran proverb: 'When the lips are gone, the teeth are cold'?" (Interdependence)
Seeing the woman shake her head, he decided not to waste more time. He put his helmet back on and turned to leave, the Protoss army marching toward the distant palace.
"Wait! We're coming with you!" Anna shouted.
Expelling the demons and eliminating the Hordem family was her mission, too. Cooperating with aliens was a desperate necessity; the Emperor would surely forgive them.
Alexei didn't look back, only saying, "Suit yourself."
An extra pair of hands was always useful. Even if their combat power was low, they were intimately familiar with the layout of the Upper Hive—something that would be helpful, or at the very least, they could serve as fodder.