How do I get past the blades in Despots apartment?

[Hassat Hunter]

Not to mention they have... difficulties... with the stairs there, making killing them usually rather easy as they cannot touch you.

[johnshrapnel]

Wow, my experience sure was different. They had no problems with stairs on my playthrough.

But even then, I happened to kill one karkian at the bottom of the steps that are farthest from the axes. After that, I went around to the far side of the steel bars. The next couple karkians I was able to shoot through the bars. It helped a lot that karkians are attracted to stop and eat each other's carcasses.

I eventually went up after the other karkians to lure them down the stairs, and then try to get them where I could shoot them through the bars. As it happened, I messed up the timing so some of them ended up starting to pursue me on my way to the far side of the bars. I don't know whether I imagined this, but they seemed reluctant to pass over the spot that caused Trestkon to hallucinate being lowered into lava in a cage.