[OmegaMan]

[From Kasai Warehouse]

The sound of an engine could be heard descending. However, nothing could be seen.... That is, until Shadeth deactivated the cloaking device on the Shade Falcon and landed the vehicle nearby the fountain. He hopped out of the one-man glider and assessed his surroundings. The city seemed to be in chaos, from what he could tell while flying overhead. What looked like a military base was completely destroyed. What in the world was going on here? Could that rumored power actually exist here?

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

Liaf entered through one of the vacant gates from [Streets], allowing the Ordarium network to work it's magic. Out of the total park Reploids, a total of 3% were uninfected. He noticed three things; one was alone near the fountain, one was alone near the Gravity Game, and one was alone near the west gate. He frowned, deciding to check out the one near the fountain. He quickly emptied his mind, the plethora of info the Ordarium was giving letting on a headache. After a few seconds of shutting out the signals, he proceeded towards the fountain, pushing past many civilians and Sigma look-alikes.

[OmegaMan]

Shadeth looked around. He kept his face-guard up to cover his features. There were a number of odd civilians, it seemed. Some of them looked a lot like... Sigma...? Strange indeed. It seemed the city really was in total chaos. Shadeth crossed his arms and leaned against his now stationary vehicle to think. He didn't want to get too involved. After all, he was already working with Dr. Gate, and now a wanted criminal. The last thing Shadeth needed was to be lumped in with legitimate Mavericks. It was then that he noticed someone approaching. And that someone appeared to have a military uniform.

He instinctively reached for his katana, but stopped. The military base looked to be a pile of rubble. And with all of this other chaos about, Shadeth found it hard to believe that a military officer would single him out here. He lowered his arm and crossed them again. It would be best to see what this whole thing was about before acting hasty.

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

Liaf finally locked eyes on the fountain and looked directly at Shadeth. He placed his hand on his sabre and began to walk through the crowd before clearing it, his tall figure allowing him to see over. He walked towards Shadeth without a shroud of hesitance and pulled out his weapon slightly just in case he needed to attack. He stopped just short of five feet away from Shadeth.

"You're much too odd to be one of the civilians nor a local resident of Canada nor are you infected... and you came out of nowhere." He glared at Shadeth.

[OmegaMan]

Shadeth shrugged but remained propped up against the Shade Falcon with his arms crossed. He nonchalantly glanced at the soldier. Honestly? This guy was singling him out because he wasn't from here? Clearly this guy was connected to the chaos. Either way, the man was ready to fight him. It appeared that, one way or another, Shadeth would

"And you, sir, appear to be too lenient towards all of this chaos to be a member of the Federation's military," Shadeth replied. "Good thing, too. Means I won't have to deal with them this time."

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

Liaf smirked.

"I am the Colonel of this Military. Any Federation soldiers in this city follow my command, and you have no business. Either give yourself up to the Lord Sigma, get out, or do neither and be terminated on my watch. I'm sure there is some people here who would like to see the benefits of being on this Military and I personally wish to test my power to it's fullest," Liaf said, letting go of his sabre and placing his hands on his waist.

[OmegaMan]

"Oh? So Sigma is to blame? Wasn't he dead?" Shadeth asked, utterly surprised by this bit of information. But given the activity in the area, and the Maverick revolutionary's famous knack for cheating death, Shadeth supposed it wasn't too farfetched. "At any rate, if you truly are a Colonel of the Federation's military, then I suppose you might have some information I could use. Like where I can find a scientist named 'Cordell', for instance. Or, on the other hand, being a resident here... Maybe you can enlighten me about a rumored power I heard was here when I was at the Black Market recently. The same power you just mentioned you have, I assume?"

[From New Hera: Layer 1: Streets]

Blaze Lioness entered the area. Indeed, it seemed ripe with potential prey. She noticed something odd ahead though at the fountain. Was that... a small plane of some sort? She approached. Up ahead, she could see some important-looking military official, and what she was sure was...

"Fufufufu! If it isn't one of Lord Ciphus's lovely little targets. Today just keeps getting better," she said to herself as she approached. She was still a ways away and obscured by the crowd.

[White-Jet]

[From "Streets"]

It was hard for Ryuta to come back here, knowing that anyone could have pointed him out as a threat without even bothering to notice the mask, but he trudged in anyway, figuring if someone did squeal he would have plenty of hiding places to run to and throw off the robes.

Lioness can be seen heading towards the fountain where the inconsiderate Colonel stood, confronting the ninja reploid he had encountered back before New Hera ramped up their obsession with Sigma. It was hard not to forget that reploid with the soul bound to his structure.

He would stick around and see where this is going, but doing so may cause some concern from the quick judging citizens hanging around the area. He figures it was probably best to shed the disguise now and save himself unneeded persecution, or worse, a fight that would just worsen the possibility of being labeled a Maverick before anyone found out what he really is.

Ryuta starts to make his way towards the shadows of the park, keeping watch both spiritually and physically to make sure no one was following his moves.

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

Liaf shook his head. "Nothing can kill the Lord," he said, chuckling. However, at the mention of Cordell, Liaf's expression changed to anger... then the mention of Ordarium set him on edge. "You do not speak of roaches in this city nor do you simply demand information on such an item without certifying your worth to the Lord. Prove yourself to the givers first before asking information about it, or go ask the creators," he said, baring his teeth while placing a hand on his sabre.

[OmegaMan]

Shadeth raised an eyebrow. Not only had he hit a nerve, he had somehow managed to confirm this guy knew Cordell. Underneath his face-guard, a sly grin slowly crept. He kept an eye on the soldier's hand but still made no violent moves.

"Ah ha! Looks like I found someone else who has a bone to pick with Cordell," Shadeth spoke. "Tell me a bit more about that power and where Cordell is and I could very well eliminate him for you. As for my worth... You're looking at the Reploid who infiltrated your military's GULAG facility and stole a cart-full of a certain rod. Who infiltrated the naval port in Giga City and let a battleship just... disappear. Who broke out of a certain military headquarters... and stole a good number of Force Metal crates from Giga City itself. I believe a certain Generals has me on his immediate hit list." Shadeth then paused for a moment and looked the Colonel dead in the eyes.

"My Codename is Shadeth. I wonder if you've heard of me, or if maybe it's just the General that wants me dead?"

Blaze Lioness remained hunched over slightly and behind a small bit of the crowd as to not draw immediate attention to herself. She couldn't help but chuckle at Shadeth's words. My my, he's been a pretty naughty boy, she thought. Lord Ciphus himself might be impressed at this boy's recent work.

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

Liaf seemed to completely relax after his speech.

"Oh, okay. You're just a common terrorist. You could do well in my ranks, Reploid. You see, I have no bone to pick with Cordell but I might as well eliminate him. He grabbed me out of nowhere and fixed me. I can't have anybody who's seen my insides. Last I saw him was Abel City but it's most likely he's gone. I also like the fact that your terrorist acts target the General. I want him dead. Not even unleashing that Hydra this morning could cause the Hunter's to mistrust the General. Even so, I don't associate myself with terrorists. I may be an usurper but I am no terrorist," Liaf said before tilting his head towards his shoulder.

He pinched something on his shoulder and spoke into it. "This is Colonel Liaf speaking to all Federation personal in New Hera. If somebody with foreign clothing excluding SYN-Revenge asks you about Ordarium, and is a Reploid whom isn't infected, do not answer him. Don't acknowledge him. If he tries to force and you can't defend yourself, kill yourself. Over and out," he said. He looked back at Shadeth. "Nothing personal. We just can't trust you right now until you prove yourself to those other two. If you want to prove yourself to me, go sign up for the Federation military," he said.

[OmegaMan]

Shadeth shrugged. "Thanks, but no thanks," he replied. "You see, although I've been causing my fair share of chaos, I still have my standards. You see, Colonel... Although I think the government and the Hunters are absolutely worthless, I absolutely cannot stand Mavericks. I'm not sure I want a power tainted by Maverick hands anyway. And if it's all for 'Lord Sigma', I'm just going to assume that Sigma's to blame for this power, and that whatever power it is, it has its consequences for use. Like, say, being infected by the virus or something. I don't know about you, but I like my free will. I have to have at least that before I can exact my revenge."

It was then that Blaze Lioness stepped forward.

"Fufufufu!" she chuckled as she came into view. "Well now, Shadeth. Or should I say, 'Van Sinoko'. If you're not going to accept the power and join these ranks, then I have a message for you from a certain someone."

Shadeth immediately pulled out a handful of three shuriken from his pouch and reared back. He paused and spoke.

"... Hmph. You're that lion Maverick that went berserk years ago. And since you know my real name, I can only suppose you're one of Ciphus's pets."

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

Liaf shrugged his shoulders. "Well, in that case, die." Liaf said, ignoring Blaze Lioness.

He drew both sabres and dash-jumped forward, flipping himself so he would wind up bringing his foot down on Shadeth's head. He activated his sabres' energy, covering them. He kept his arms stiff and at the read and prepared for a dodge from the Reploid.

[White-Jet]

Upon reaching the shadows of the park, Ryuta prepares to take his mask and robe off when he noticed out the corner of his eyes Liaf charging towards the soul-bound reploid. Obviously whatever negotiations they were exchanging didn't end well and provoked the farce Colonel to attack in order to silence any secrets he already knew.

Normally he wouldn't get involved in this matter, but he doesn't trust how sane the lioness reploid is with her systems full of Ordarium. He quickly pulls the mask off and hides it in the hollow innards of a nearby, artificial tree before moving towards the other side of the fountain, keeping his hood as far over his head as possible to hide his face from any passerby that would most likely stop to witness the ensuing fight.

[OmegaMan]

Shadeth dropped his three shuriken and immediately unsheathed his Katana! Suddenly there was a brief flash of violet light and a plume of black smoke! In Shadeth's place were... Three Shadeths! One of the Shadeths blocked the Colonel's kick with his katana, while the other two jumped and simultaneously slashed for the Colonel's waste!

Lioness placed a claw on her hip and sighed. "Hmph. Men never give a lady a chance to speak."

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

Liaf thrust his sabres forward, blocking the swipes from the two Shadeth's at the side while using the sudden thrust to push his top half backwards. He obliviously emulated the risk Kazuma took earlier, landing on the ground with his spine. He allowed his legs to use the resisting movement of Shadeth's sabre and dashed off, scraping the ground with his backside while sliding several feet away.

[White-Jet]

Ryuta continues to watch from behind the waterfall. He didn't bother figuring out the mechanics of the cliched ninja clones as he was too busy trying to figure out what Liaf was planning to do in that position.

His attention then turns to Lioness, seeing her utter irritation at being ignored. It almost seemed certain that, if this keeps up she'll eventually get bored and look for someone else to test her new-found energy on. He attempts to move around the fountain to avoid falling into her line of sight.

[OmegaMan]

All three Shadeth's rushed Liaf. Their katanas energized and glowed with a violet hue! Two jumped forward. Liaf was now surrounded on three sides by Shadeth and his two doppelgangers. The one that stayed in front of the Colonel then dashed forward and twirled his katana around! He then attempted to thrust the blade through the colonel's midsection!

Lioness simply watched and waited. She wanted to test out her power badly. If Shadeth remained victorious but didn't listen, she remembered her master's orders to force him into submission. If the colonel ended up killing the boy, she'd just use him for target practice instead.

[『ちびまる子ちゃん』正人]

Liaf kicked upward towards Shadeth's wrist. He decided to test out his new dexterity given from his latest evolution and looked between the two Shadeth clones for better peripheral vision. He lunged his two sabre's forward at the same time towards the sword where the blade meets the hilt. His grip was the best he could aim and allowed his arm to use his full thrusting power. He felt some agitation that almost distracted him downtown, probably where Elzareth went for doughnuts.

[White-Jet]

Ryuta begins to notice a crowd forming around the fountain, the obvious sensation of excitement and confidence in the corrupt Colonel's abilities too apparent for even a child not to notice. Though this bothered him, knowing one of them was going to point him out at any given time, he chose not to make a big deal of it since they would probably be too busy cheering their hero on than worry about the threat of a mere monk.