Evening, Day 358 of the New Age…
"… I see. So that's the famed tower…"
"Yes. It was detected a couple of days ago, but…"
"You can't be sure of when it appeared there…"
"We're trying to collect map data and looking for former residents, but…"
"The war lasted so long, it's hard to find anyone nowadays…"
Dark Kirisaki and Barrel were whispering as they laid on the ground.
They were inspecting something with binoculars.
A metallic tower, tens of meters tall, stood in the middle of a valley.
It had a conical base with two carved locked doors built into it.
The main body had the golden words "Heaven's Tower" drawn into it.
A diamond made of a mix of colors was supported by eight "teeth".
"Do you copy, Iris?" Barrel asked.
"Yes. That diamond is interfering with scans…"
"What is it?"
"Its energy signature resembles that of a "Dimensional Area"…"
"I see. That barrier that shielded the Wily Lab last year…"
"And the system which Wily used to reshape the world…"
"Maybe it's an asset of that "Rufus Shinra" man…" Kirisaki suggested.
"Could be. Rock Man did come over to warn us about him…"
"I'd personally not touch that thing, least it triggers a calamity…"
"Agreed. But doesn't harm to know its existence…"
"Least it becomes the spawn point of Zoanoroids…"
"Given how that Hojo man had some as sentries…"
"We know that they can recreate them…"
"But we did earn means to materialize Navis, too…"
"I know. Those Copy Roids are useful…"
"Let's pull out and meet up with the others…"
"Roger. It's not like it's somewhere you'd want to walk into, anyway…"
"Steep mountains and cliffs surround it, and the road is narrow…"
Both pulled away and headed back the narrow pathway.
"We'll report this to Rock Man and his friends…"
"Yes. Maybe they can conduct a better analysis of that thing…"
"And help us figure out if it's dangerous or not…"
"That's the key point, yes…"
They made it back to the foothills.
Two trucks of the Resistance were parked there.
"Welcome back!"
"I take it that nothing happened over here, Masa?"
"Nothing…"
Masa walked up to them to greet them.
"Good. Let's pull out before the "owner" notices us…"
"If nothing happens, it's possible that it's absent…"
"Then I'll be taking it for myself!"
"Speaking of the devil!"
Rufus appeared from behind a truck, sneering.
"Let's see how much of an "immortal" you are, Barrel!"
He raised his shotgun.
"Killer Man…"
Kirisaki kept his cool and called out to him.
"Festival! Bloody festival!"
Killer Man dropped from atop a truck.
"Damn it! When did you gain the ability to…!?"
"We haven't been sitting idle!"
"Hell's Sickle!"
Killer Man swept his sickle and made a cut on the foe's upper chest.
Rufus growled and recoiled, hissing.
"Damn you! Eat shotgun!"
"Woody Tower!"
"What!"
A log ending in a spike emerged and stabbed his chest.
He was propelled upwards, stabbed on the spike.
He fell to the ground, groaning and weakened.
"I can still…!"
"Make it past me!"
Wood Man stood before him, and he wasn't amused.
"Out of the way! Side character relegated to oblivion!"
"Saying fancy words won't change reality…"
"Killer's Death Beam!"
"Damn you!"
The beam destroyed him, and they all sighed in relief.
"Stay sharp. There could be more than one!" Barrel warned.
"He's right. I feel a similar presence drawing closer!"
Skull Man reported from atop one of the trucks.
"We'll ready a trap around us…" Shark Man announced.
"Go ahead!" Masa authorized.
"More bloody jerks to blow up? Bring it up!" Killer Man laughed.
"Be careful, least the hunter become the hunted…" Kirisaki scolded.
"Coming!" Skull Man warned.
Another Rufus rushed towards them.
However, he stepped over a mine, and it took out his feet.
He fell on the ground, his body stabbing into a wooden spear.
"Demon Fire!"
Skull Man warped there and shot his blue flames at the foe.
Rufus ignited and burned, roaring.
"Too easy! It's a dummy…" He muttered.
"Let's use the chance to retreat back to the main camp…"
"Agreed!"
"Let's pull out!"
"We'll cover the retreat!" Wood Man announced.
"Alright!"
The humans climbed into the trucks, which ignited.
They drove away as the Navis made a formation.
"Die!"
"Bring it on!"
Another Rufus dropped from the sky for them, shooting at random.
Killer Man jumped into the air and swung his sickle.
"Hell's Sickle!"
He cut the foe in two by the waist, and it exploded.
"Bone Stalker!"
Skull Man detached his arms, and they attacked another foe.
"Woody Tower!"
Wood Man's towers pierced through a set of five foes.
"Water Tower!"
Shark Man attacked two foes trying to sneak on him.
"Let's retreat!"
The Navis flew away as more foes landed there.
However, they all stepped into mines and were taken out.
A landslide happened and the path into the valley collapsed.
The foes didn't notice because they were busy trying to deal with the raps.
"Whatever. I filled them with fear and terror!"
Another copy landed some meters away, clenching the left fist.
"Thought that I noticed an odd signature here, but…"
He looked around, trying to find something.
"Guess that it was some software bug. Damn it!"
He growled and shot several attacks at the buried mines.
"I'll have you pay for his chagrin!"
He growled and shot into the air next…
Evening, the same day…
"… Alright. Who sent me this ill-tasted prank?"
"What's wrong, Paxi?"
"See! This plastic toy of a whale…"
"What's the issue with it?"
Paxi Faran was complaining in the kitchen where she worked.
One of the village's housewives looked up from an oven she was handling.
Paxi held a plastic toy of a whale on her right hand.
"It was wrapped in paper next to the desk with the kitchen knives…"
"And?"
"Someone is making fun of my trauma!"
"Dear! I now remember… Zoan Whale Man, was it?" She gasped.
"Despite that I beat it a year ago, it's not going to leave anytime soon…"
"But who would bother?"
"I doubt that it's Kojirou. He does like pranks, but not to this extent…"
"And he also was attacked by it, too…"
"Now confess. What's in that valley?"
"Who…? Only kitchen staff can come in!"
"Dear! It's armed! Must be a thief!"
Rufus kicked open the doors, aiming the shotgun.
"Wide Slash!"
"What!"
Slash Man appeared behind Rufus and slashed his back.
He growled and turned around, but Slash Man punched his nose.
He quickly moved behind him and closed his arms from behind.
"Let go, savage!"
"You're the savage. Area Steal!"
He warped with Rufus in tow and the two cooks rushed to the window.
They saw them reappeared in the wooden pier south of the building.
"I'll find what you're hiding!"
"Dunno what you're talking about, and I don't care. Zoanoroid!"
"Don't place me in the same league as those toys of the old man!"
"I care not. Rolling Slash!"
Slash Man spun, forming a whirl, and propelled the foe far away.
He drew an arch across the sky and landed on the waters, sinking there.
"This is Shark Man of the Resistance! Beware of…"
"A Zoanoroid with a shotgun? Deal with it…"
"Devil! I'll send warnings to the others, it's on a rampage!"
"Sure is…"
"The only advantage is that it's very weak. Beat them up!"
"Delighted… Triple Edge!"
He whipped around and shot three kunai at another Rufus.
They stabbed across the chest, and it collapsed, exploding.
"Guess that it'll keep me busy for a while…"
"And if they dare come, they'll have a taste of my knives!"
"It's a Zoanoroid. All is valid to fight it off…"
"They'll learn not to start fights with a chef!"
"Sure…"
Evening, the same day…
"… The wind tells of the ill intents spreading across the lands…"
"Come out, Monk Maika! Coward of the Otherworld!"
"I can perceive it… The source of all ill intents…"
"I'll send both you and Seymour back to the void!"
"This young man is not rational, indeed…"
Fuuten sat cross-legged atop a rock, meditating.
He was listening to the wind and the voice that it carried.
He looked downwards at the course of a river.
Rufus walked upstream, looking around and shouting.
"Tengu Man…" Fuuten whispered.
A red nose formed behind Rufus and elongated, thrusting.
It pierced through his chest and emerged from before.
"There you are!"
He roared as he warped away and shot.
However, he only defeated a straw doll with a long nose.
"What!"
He heard something cutting across the air.
He looked up and saw Tengu Man diving for him.
He aimed and shot, but Tengu Man corrected his course, arching.
He headed back skywards and into a cloud.
"Come down!" Rufus growled.
He was too caught up to notice a figure emerging from the river.
"Tengu Thrust!"
Tengu Man's long nose pierced Rufus again, destroying him.
"Die!"
He dropped back inside the river to dodge another shot.
Another Rufus rushed there and shot at the water, with no effect.
"Where is that fool!?" He growled.
He heard a noise and turned to see boulders rolling down the slopes.
He tried shooting at them, but to no effect.
The landslide dragged him into the river, and he was washed away.
"Little tricks won't suffice to overcome me!"
Yet another copy landed there, shooting at the boulders.
"You're hiding inside! I'll cook you as if you were Goemon!"
Nothing happened for a couple of minutes.
Fuuten had changed locations and was calmly walking away.
"Is this your idea of an ambush? It's but a wannabe's attempt!"
He shot at random in eight directions.
"Wind God Tornado!"
A tornado descended from the skies and travelled along the ground.
Rufus shot several successive shots, to no avail.
The tornado caught him and dragged him to the skies.
Fuuten reached another river where he'd docked a wooden canoe.
He climbed onboard, undid the ropes, and let it travel downstream.
"Tengu Man will teach him the might of nature…"
He chuckled, amused.
"Go on, Tengu Man! Nature is with you!"
Evening, the same day…
"… Mr. Kurogane!"
"What's wrong?"
"An odd man has burst into the railway control center!"
"What?"
"Demands that Charge Man confess the secret!"
"What secret? Is he delusional?"
Kurogane, Charge Man's Operator, talked with a station attendant.
They were in the deposit of trains.
"Sounds like it to me, Kunio! What do we do?" Charge Man asked.
"Travel across railway 7 and draw him outside of the city…"
"Roger that!"
"I'll go to the railroad switch and be ready to activate it!"
"Good. I'll coordinate with the radio…"
"Roger that, sir!"
The attendant ran off as Charge Man materialized.
He landed atop the tracks and winked the right eye.
He sped away and Kurogane rushed out of the depot.
He exited into the city and saw Charge Man climb to a higher track.
"Found you! Old-timer!"
"Who's an old-timer!? Youth nowadays!"
"Confess! What's in that valley!?"
"Like I'd know! Go explore the desert!"
"Shut up! I'm in charge of this!"
Rufus jumped out of the control center and into the tracks.
He formed a skateboard to travel over the right rail.
He chased Charge Man, shooting at him.
The latter formed a barrier to block the shots.
"Volcano Charge!"
He shot burning cinders from his chimney.
They landed on the tracks behind him.
The skateboard tripped when hitting them.
Rufus landed atop one of those cinders and ignited.
"Damn it! You must be in league with that Fire Man bastard!"
"As if I'd know! Moron!"
He jumped and spun around to face Rufus.
He formed several cargo boxes behind him.
"Panic Train!"
"What!?"
He rammed and ran over Rufus, delivering several hits.
Rufus was kicked out of the tracks and fell into a lake below.
Another copy formed and landed there next.
"Crazy Locomotive!"
He charged up energy and sped at a mad speed.
He ran over a row of Rufus copies and defeated them all.
He braked, turned around, and sped away.
The attendant changed the track, and he drove out of the city.
"Come, moron! I'll teach you a lesson yet!"
Evening, the same day…
"… Been a while since we had spaghetti, man!"
"Yes! As delicious as always!"
"This project to restore a collapsed mine is progressing…"
"Sure. And we're also readying a new hot spring, too…"
"Business is thriving!"
"Thanks to our patronage, of course…"
"Who…?"
Horisugi and Press laughed as they enjoyed their meal.
They were animated but then Rufus burst into their trailer.
"Now confess! What's in that valley!?"
"Dunno! Dig it up yourself!" Horisugi grumbled.
"Must be a "business spy"!" Press gasped.
"I hate cowardly types like you!"
He stood up and kicked Rufus out of the trailer.
The foe raised the shotgun, but he shut the door and ducked.
The shot pierced at head heigh and through the trailer wall, too.
"Ground Upper!"
Ground Man emerged from beneath Rufus, pushing him skywards.
"Dust Break!"
Dust Man suctioned air and pulled Rufus towards him.
He then punched him with both fists, driving him into a mountain wall.
Rufus hissed and unleashed his shotgun, but he suctioned it.
"Scrap Reborn!"
Dust Man formed a "doll" out of scrap, and it had a shotgun.
It shot the absorbed attack at Rufus, greatly damaging him.
"Drill Attacker!"
Ground Man formed three drills and shot them at Rufus.
The foe ducked to dodge and flung grenades at him.
Dust Man suctioned them and then propelled them back at the source.
They detonated and defeated the foe.
Ground Man turned around and moved before the trailer.
He intercepted another foe and rushed for them.
"Rock Crush Breaker!"
He ran over Rufus and hit the mountain.
A piece of it detached and fell atop the next copy, crushing it.
"Flying Dust!"
Dust Man suctioned the shards and shot them at the foes.
"Good, good! Teach them some manners!" Horisugi rallied.
"Zoanoroids aren't welcome!" Press added.
"You're all such dumb fools! The Fool Killer will come!"
"Whatever. Get out, punk!" Horisugi growled.
"Eat this! Combination attack!"
Dust Man pushed Ground Man from behind.
Ground Man formed a battering ram and hit Rufus.
He was sent flying towards a distant wood.
"Never come back!" Ground Man roared.
"We'll turn you into DUST!" Dust Man laughed.
Night, the same day…
"… I see. Rufus is eager to access this valley…"
"Yes. Is this type of tower familiar to you, Rock Man?"
"Sorry, Iris, but… Never seen it before…"
"Can you at least tell what's written on it?"
"… "Heaven's Tower"… But feels a tad short for that…"
"Maybe it's "poetry"?"
Iris and Rock Man were talking about the famed tower.
They were in the central room of the Dimensional Area Lab.
Trill was playing with some car toys in a corner.
Barrel was keeping watch over him, sitting on a chair.
"Could be. But doesn't feel like Death Shadow to bother…"
"… That mysterious cat, then?"
Barrel looked up and suggested a candidate.
"True. He calls himself "The Nomad Emissary, T"…"
"Emissary… Does he represent someone?"
"Or maybe it's a red herring…"
"A fish?" Iris wondered.
"Sorry. "Red herring" is an expression to mean "misleading"…"
"I see…"
"What does he want to achieve, anyway?" Barrel asked.
"Seems to want to stop both Rufus and Death Shadow, but…"
"Offers no guarantees…"
"While we caught his copies before…"
"They offered no leads to his true colors…"
"Unfortunately…"
"And what exactly is "Death Shadow"?"
"A powerful Zoanoroid that believes itself a power of the Universe…"
"Talk about a blown out of proportion fool…"
"It doesn't serve anyone, acts on its own, but…"
"It's very hard to predict because it doesn't follow common logic…"
"It's imitating what the invaders did, abducting Navis and altering them…"
"To create its own army… Could be worrisome…"
"But, insofar, it has no awareness of this world's existence…"
"Let's hope that it keeps that way…"
"Besides. It's not interested in ruling, but proving its power…"
"I see. Which means that it might prefer to fight the strong instead…"
"We're on high alert, we fear it'll strike at any time now…"
"Be careful, Rock Man. It might use a trap…" Iris warned.
"Wouldn't surprise me if it did… Don't expect it to be "fair and square"…"
Rock Man sighed and shook his head.
"Must return. I want to be ready if it strikes…"
"Understood. Sorry that we can't be of help…" Barrel sighed.
"Don't mind it, Mr. Barrel. You do what you can. We all do…"
Rock Man headed away and Trill looked up, worried.
"Don't worry, Trill. I'll soon come back, and we'll play together!"
"Yes! I'll be waiting for you, Rock Man!"
"Thanks, Trill!"
22:22 PM (Japan Time), Tuesday February the 28th…
"… We detected four unusual signatures in the ruins of the lab…"
"Everyone loves hiding here… Be it Hojo, be it Death Shadow…"
"As we suspected, it's those four…"
"Be careful. We don't know what kind of modifications they underwent!"
Blues, Search Man, Rock Man and Prism Man inspected a site.
They found a sturdy firewall and detected something beyond it.
"Spread the will of the Universe, the will of Omicron…"
Four pallid blue gateways formed on the firewall.
The four Asteroids emerged from behind it.
They had devices attached to them.
The devices had a blue "gel" core with a metallic frame around it.
It had small LCD screens with graphs and readouts.
Their bodies had become pallid blue, too.
Their eyes were dead.
"That must be the control device that Mr. Meijin warned us about…"
"Which gives them a temporary boost…" Blues continued.
"They output attacks that generate that "gel"…" Search Man muttered.
"And it's dangerous to normal Navis. Be careful!" Prism Man warned.
"Activating Hyper Mode…"
The device hummed and a pale blue "aura" formed around the foes.
The readouts increased in numbers and the core glowed, too.
A metallic cover formed over the device, shielding it.
The seams glowed and a layer of solidified "gel" covered the device.
"Naturally. It's a material that blocks most attacks…"
Search Man scanned the devices and wasn't surprised.
"We need a powerful blow to damage them…"
"Such as Gold Fist, Silver Fist or Drill Arm?" Rock Man asked.
"Probably. If not, a close-quarters Mega Cannon or such…"
"Maybe a Dream Sword or Elemental Sword focused as a blade shape…"
"Or my spears…"
"Alright. But tonight is but threat assessment…" Blues reminded them.
"Chasing too far can be dangerous…" Prism Man added.
"Understood. Let's keep our distance and try different weapons…"
"Feeble life-form. There is no escape from my fate…"
The "shadow" of Death Shadow formed over the Asteroids.
It looked directly at Rock Man, who didn't beat an eyebrow.
"That must be some nonsense that Rufus inputted. Blame him…"
"All in due time…"
"Lame excuses. Is that all you have on you, Mr. Incarnation of Death?"
The foe's cold laughter echoed.
"Go, extensions of the will of Omicron…"
"The will of the Universe, the will of Omicron…"
Flash Man formed two arm cannons and shot beams of "gel".
Beast Man formed a machinegun on his back and crouched to shoot.
Desert Man formed missile launchers atop the head and fired.
Video Man formed two blades of "gel" and rushed forward.
"Evade!"
The defenders focused on evading the enemy attacks.
They formed stone walls to block and absorb the attacks.
The Asteroids rushed for them (Desert Man hovered over the ground).
They formed energy fields below their feet.
These fields absorbed the shock of the mine explosions.
"It's designed countermeasures. Was a matter of time…" Blues muttered.
"But it's a low-output power field. Can easily be overloaded…"
Search Man whispered information to the group.
"Anyway. Let's test the strength of those barriers… Sonic Boom!"
"Satellite Ray!"
"Super Vulcan!"
"Mega Cannon!"
The attacks bounced off the armor of the devices, but small cracks formed.
They soon regenerated, however.
The group wasn't surprised as they intercepted the enemy attacks.
"It is a pointless struggle. You cannot evade fate!"
"Tell that to Rufus and the nonsense that he imprinted into you…"
"That feeble life-form only has one purpose: proving the key…"
"To evolution? Heard that too many times to be impressed…"
"Besides. I'm sure that he slipped in some failsafe or another…"
"Such feeble attempts are tiny when faced with the Universe!"
"I prefer a manzai to that, even…" Blues sighed.
"Infinite Vulcan!"
"Giga Cannon!"
Search Man and Rock Man shot the Program Advances.
They formed bigger cracks on the armor, and pieces jumped off.
The armor began to regenerate but became black and solid.
It dropped to the ground and cracked.
"… A virus that alters composition of the Omicron Armor…"
Death Shadow analyzed the phenomenon.
"Feeble. Tiny. Insignificant. Meaningless…"
"What a poet. How about you become that?" Blues taunted.
"Meaning: unknown. Therefore, irrelevant to the Universe…"
"What a long-winded way of saying "I couldn't care less"…"
"Guess that that's also an influence by Rufus…"
"The fool isn't aware of how much its mind was altered by Rufus…"
"Doubt that it will ever care. What matters right now…"
"Is finding a way to overcome these foes before they attack en masse…"
"Equip these armor-piercing RPG-7!"
Meijin called out as he transferred the weapons there.
Each of them grabbed it and aimed at the foes drawing for them.
They shot and hit the armor, fully shattering it and exposing the cores.
The core "stirred", and an arm made of gel emerged.
A claw formed at the end of it, too.
"Flamethrowers!"
They equipped flamethrowers and shot flames at the arms.
The "gel" ignited, and the arms blew up into pieces.
The "aura" died down and the foes became still.
"Careful. They might use some last desperate resource!"
"Roger. Pull out!" Prism Man commanded.
The defenders pulled out as the foes glowed with a red "aura".
Energy flowed towards the "core".
The bodies of the foes were deleted, and huge spheres remained.
These spheres imploded and released shockwaves of gel.
They scattered around the ground, forming puddles.
The puddles formed bubbles.
The "silver" warriors emerged, but they were blue instead of silver.
"I see. Improved versions of those annoying things…" Meijin grumbled.
"The Asteroids were imitations, an outer shell…"
"Maybe that's the foe's goal. Using Navis as shells to hide these…"
"But now that they're made of gel, it should be easier to defeat these…"
"I wouldn't be so confident, sir. The enemy is not stupid…"
"True. We need to design countermeasures…"
"Making parodies next? How the mighty have fallen!"
Rufus appeared there, aiming his shotgun and mocking Death Shadow.
"Where is the key to evolution?"
"Maybe it never existed and it's a trap to blind you?" He laughed.
There was silence for a few seconds.
The foes then became active and jumped for Rufus, who ran away.
"Try to catch me, Dummy Stupid!"
"Foolish and feeble life-form. Pay for your affronts…"
The foe laughed and Rufus smirked…