Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent! - Chapter 476

Chapter 476: Iron Vultures
But Alex was relentless.

With each step, he cut Garmis down further, his strikes surgically precise, leaving the Iron Vulture leader bleeding, bruised, and stumbling.

The once-imposing figure of Garmis now looked haggard, his armour chipped and scorched, his face etched with terror.

“This is mercy.”

Alex said softly, before thrusting Virtue’s Edge through Garmis’s chest.

The man gasped, his body tensing as the blade sank into him, his expression fading from anger to an empty horror as he staggered backward, slumping against the wall, his last breath escaping him in a ragged whisper.

Alex stood over him for a moment, expression unreadable, before sheathing Virtue’s Edge.

He glanced back at Mira, who had watched the whole thing with a look of mild amusement.

“About time.”

She said with a grin, stepping out of the shadows.

“Thought you were going to keep playing with him.”

Alex rolled his shoulders, letting the tension ease from his stance.

“Didn’t want to risk any surprises. These higher lifeforms can be unpredictable.”

They turned, leaving the fallen Garmis and the broken Iron Vulture compound behind them as they made their way back into the city.

Their reputation would spread fast enough, and any remaining gang members would be left scrambling, wondering when Alex and Mira would come knocking.

***

A few days later.

The tension in the command room continued to mount as Corax and Vira brooded over Garmis’s defeat, each assessing the weight of Alex’s assault.

The holo-display before them flickered with intelligence reports, but it offered little in the way of comfort.

The grim news of Garmis’s death had thrown a harsh spotlight on the vulnerability of the Iron Vultures, and both Corax and Vira felt its weight.

“What’s worse,” Corax murmured, glaring at the latest message from their scouts, “is that he didn’t just take Garmis out. He humiliated him. Word of that will spread fast, and it’ll do us no favors. Gangs like ours are supposed to be feared. But now, we’ll look weak. Vulnerable.”

He spat the last word as though it tasted foul in his mouth.

Vira turned sharply to face him, her lips pressed into a thin line.

“Fear is essential, Corax, but so is survival. Garmis fell because he thought brute force would be enough to protect him. Alex is different. He’s more than just some Federation outcast. We underestimated him, and he made sure we paid for it.”

She paused, the cold fury in her voice growing as she continued.

“This isn’t just some glorified brawl with a rival gang, Corax. It is clear that Alex knows tactics. He knows how to plan, how to strategise, and how to exploit weaknesses. We need to take him seriously, or we’ll end up just like Garmis.”

Corax’s jaw tightened, his pride stung by Vira’s words.

“And what do you suggest we do, Vira? Cower and hide until he comes for us? If we keep backing down, we’ll lose face and credibility. Our own men will begin to doubt us. Do you want them to see us as cowards?”

Vira held his gaze steadily, unflinching.

“No, I don’t intend to ‘cower and hide.’ But I don’t plan to fight him on his terms, either. That’s what Garmis did, and look where it got him. We need to be smarter about this.”

She gestured to the holo-display, where a new map flickered into view, detailing a series of underground routes and abandoned industrial complexes scattered across the city.

“These routes give us the advantage.”

She said, her voice low and calculating.

“They’ll allow us to control the territory while forcing Alex and his ally to play a game of cat and mouse. Every step they take will be watched, every path they choose riddled with traps, dead ends, and controlled skirmishes. We’ll dictate the terms of this fight, not him.”

Corax’s eyes followed her movements on the map, a slow grin forming as he understood her plan.

“So, we’ll draw him into a maze. Bleed him dry little by little, wear him and his friend down before they can even reach us. It’s ruthless, Vira. I like it.”

She offered a cold smile in return.

“The key is patience, Corax. That’s where Garmis went wrong — he had none of it. The moment he saw Alex, he went charging in like a bull, thinking he could handle it without backup. But we both know Alex’s reputation. He’s used to taking down entire battalions of Red Demons, even killing their strongest talents. Garmis didn’t stand a chance because he thought this was personal, and underestimated him. We’ll make it tactical.”

Corax chuckled darkly, a glint of malice in his eyes.

“And what about Mira? I’m not sure what her connection is to Alex, but from what we’ve heard, she’s more than capable of handling herself in a fight. Some of Garmis’s scouts reported seeing her tear through his men as easily as he did. She may not be our primary target, but she’s no less dangerous.”

It seemed as though word that Mira was Alex’s girlfriend, not just a close companion, hadn’t spread everywhere throughout the galaxy just yet.

However, it was normal.

The average, unawakened and lower ranked person might know about it, but the higher life forms and above were less concerned with the goings on of the normal world so they tended to pay less attention to it.

Vira nodded thoughtfully, her expression hardening as she considered the new variable Mira presented.

“We don’t know much about her yet, but that doesn’t mean we’re unprepared. She’s clearly working alongside Alex, and that makes her a threat. However, from what our scouts reported, she’s not as heavily armoured as Alex. We can use that against her.”

Corax’s eyes narrowed with understanding.

“You’re suggesting we separate them.”

“Exactly.”

Vira replied.

“Our intel indicates that Alex is protective of his allies. If we force a separation, we can divide and conquer. Alex will be less effective if he’s constantly worried about Mira, and she, in turn, might be easier to target if we catch her alone. If we can find a way to lead her into an isolated trap, we can exploit any vulnerabilities she might have.”

The idea pleased Corax, and he grinned, a wicked glint in his eyes.

“So, we set the stage, lead Mira into a trap, and watch as Alex scrambles to save her. It’ll be like watching a mouse run through a maze, panicking as we close in. And by the time they realise what’s happening, it’ll be too late.”

Vira’s lips curved into a smirk, her satisfaction evident.

“Exactly. By the time they realise we’re leading them into a trap, they’ll have already lost the upper hand. And once they’re weakened, we’ll be ready to strike.”

Corax glanced back at the holo-display, the gears in his mind turning as he visualised their plan unfolding.

“We’ll need to use everything we’ve got — drones, traps, explosives, and every last thug still loyal to us. This won’t just be a fight; it’ll be a war of attrition. Every inch they gain, we’ll make them pay for in blood.”

Vira nodded, her gaze cold and calculating.

“And when they finally reach us, they’ll be so worn down that finishing them off will be easy.”

‘And then Alex’s bounty will be ours!’

Just thinking about it made Vira excited for the future, rather than anxious considering her situation — being targeted by Alex.

The two leaders shared a moment of grim satisfaction, a shared understanding that their enemies’ fate had already been sealed.

They knew the risks, knew that going against Alex was no small feat — which was already a big step ahead of their now dead comrade.

But they also knew that this was their only chance to survive, to hold onto their power and prove that the Iron Vultures were a force to be reckoned with.

Vira keyed a sequence into the control panel, sending out coded messages to their remaining forces across the city.

Within moments, the command room came alive with a flurry of activity, the sounds of soldiers preparing for the battle ahead filling the space.

Corax watched them with a look of grim satisfaction, his confidence in their plan unwavering.

“I hope you’re ready, Alex.”

He muttered under his breath.

“Because we’re not going down without a fight.”

The two of them soon disappeared from the control room, tending to their own personal matters in the mean time.