Chapter 127: Lowengren's Deception

On the other side of the world, Lowengren and Alean continued to stroll through the lonely park avoiding public CCTV cameras and other video recording devices.

"Who's that?" Alean asked as she sensed a group of people following them. Her voice was extremely fast that it sounded like she was humming.

"Not sure. They don't seem to be Indians. So they're probably not Amir Mann's men. That must be a local African group. Maybe someone recognized us?" Lowengren frowned. His voice was also fast.

"They're too short to be Africans. If anything they should be Asians."

"You're right." Lowengren realized as he noted their sizes.

"If they are short, this means that they had purposely withheld themselves from taking genetic enhancement. They must be some prideful people."

"Do we fight?" Alean asked.

Lowengren shook his head.

They soon reached the dark areas of the park and could sense that the watchers were getting closer and closer.

"Do you think OUR future's hopeful now with all these advantages WE've been building? LOST?" Alean spoke in a fast tone and spoke at varying volumes. To anyone else, all that they could hear was 'Are we lost?'

"NO. From what Zeek explained, all these advantages could only make the enemy reveal more fangs. We just have to FOLLOW our orders as was planned by ME, Zeek, Arthur, and Lennox."

"I thought Zeek said they managed to fend off all the Aragarian's who attacked Earth in his timeline. With the recent information, he gave out… our victory seemed highly unlikely. How did he do that?" Alean's words reverted to producing hum-like words.

"Really? Bringing up the past? We're being tailed by who knows what organization, and you want to chat about Zeek's past?"

"I didn't really take Zeek's explanation seriously at first. But now… it's getting harder and harder to deny. So I want to know now."

"Alright. Well… We know Seeker's confidence that they defeated the direct threat on that stellar battle. That's the most important clue to understanding how they did it."

"You know how they did it?"

"Of course. A little chat with Arthur solved that dilemma. First, you have to understand how these Presider's see us. If the Pioneer's see us as nothing but meat, how much disdain would Presider's have towards us? That's why Seeker only knows about a few Presiders. There are probably many Presider's who didn't take part in the war. Their plan has always been to make Earth fight itself and so they used their Pioneers to do the dirty work."

"I see. Why send a General to do a task of a boy scout?" Alean nodded.

"Exactly. They didn't want to get their hands dirty. And I think, that the Lennox and Arthur of that timeline, along with whichever Overcomer's survived never fought back to an extent which would make the Presiders threatened to go all out."

"You mean they never crossed the bottom line?"

"Yes. That's why only a handful of Presiders was identified in Zeek's timeline. I think, what they plotted was to make these Presider's underestimate them then suddenly initiate a mission that probably would have wiped out the entire armada in one sweep."

"How would they do that?"

"If you are fighting against an enemy so strong and so many, deception would be your best bet. Remember what Zeek said about his death? Didn't you find anything strange with his story?"

"When he told it to me back then, I thought he was making up most of the stuff so I didn't bother. But now that I think about it. Why did they give that mission to Seeker? That was a crucial task. I doubt that all Overcomer's already died then."

"That's the right question. The answer is simple. They gave Seeker this mission because the Aragarian's would never imagine that it would be Seeker who would deliver the killing blow. It was a trap. They made it look like that the stellar attack was an all or nothing gamble to directly face the Presiders who didn't even bother taking action."

"So you mean, the Overcomer's were the bait and Seeker was the hidden dagger?"

"Yes. Consider their situation. Most of the nations who betrayed Earth had gone through an organized retreat to the Aragarian motherships. Once the Aragarian's fix them up with the right techs and weapons, returning to Earth with a few more Presiders would assure the Aragarian's victory."

"So Seeker's attack was a desperate suicide mission where failure meant the defeat of the human race?"

"Yes. They gave Seeker the most important mission because he was the weakest. The Overcomers were probably busy attacking the main motherships but were in fact, the ultimate diversion."

"I see. They made it look like that Seeker's mission was to take control of one of their big ships to fight the other ships?"

"Right. It was a somewhat sloppy attack and had to look like a desperate attempt so the Aragarian's wouldn't detect the scheme. That Supernova must have been so strong that I wouldn't be surprised that the explosion would have left devastating effects on Earth."

"That's the second thing that bothered me. How did we manage to have the science to do that? Wouldn't the Aragarian's have the tech that could detect anomalies in their star energy?"

"Yes. But they don't have the Unlocking. You've already seen the answer as to how Seeker overloaded that ship. The Lightning Phoenix. His lightning's are already unexplainable even at the Inhuman level, imagine what it could do at the World Champion level?"

Alean was stunned. She recalled the amazing exploits of Lennox when they sparred on several occasions.

"If that's the case, I could imagine that Lennox's lightning would be… almost alive at the World Champion level. So he studied the stellar energy and converted his lightning energy into something that would create an explosion…" Alean finally realized it.

"But if it's that terrifying why did Seeker have to dive in to kill himself?"

"Lennox must have told him somehow. Maybe the stored energy that Lennox sent with Zeek's team had a way of estimating the energy to make the star go into a full explosion. Even the World Governing Powers don't have the technology of the Four Force Accelerator. They must have stolen stellar energy and mixed it with Lennox's powers. This was why Seeker was sure his dive would complete the mission. If an Overcomer tells you to jump off a cliff, would you dare stand still?" Lowengren laughed.

Alean nodded.

"They're coming." Alean frowned as she sensed several men slowly approaching.

Just as Alean said, several figures were approaching the enemy from every side.

"Are they…?" Alean noticed the peculiarities.

"Interesting. Ninjas. I didn't think I'd ever get to see such warriors." Lowengren responded.

The hooded figures finally emerged and revealed themselves.

"Looks like this one's going to be fun," Lowengren revealed a smile.

The enemies revealed several sharp blades.

"Micro blades. How scary." Alean smiled.

"Let's release it together. Our combined Reaper Aura should paralyze them." Lowengren grinned.

The figures slowly readied a pose but right before anyone could attack a strange figure mysteriously appeared between the two.

"Stop. You've failed as shinobis. Their overall power is more than twice of yours. Retreat. Let me deal with them." The appearing ninja ordered.

Alean and Lowengren felt their stomachs clutch in fear. They were all too familiar with this sensation.

"This bearing. A Near-Overcomer." Alean frowned.

"Looks like our actions have brought in more troublesome foes," Lowengren answered back.

"Impressive. You spoke so fast and so softly, that even I couldn't understand what you are saying. It looks like rumors of your death were intentional. The masterminds of the Australian Avarice live on, I see?" The Ninja readied two swords.

"Who are you?" Alean took out two handguns and readied to attack. Her handguns were about two times thicker than a regular handgun.

The Ninja ignored her and unsheathed his blade.

"Don't bother asking, Alean. I know who that person is." Lowengren laughed confidently.

The ninja was surprised at Lowengren's declaration and observed him cautiously.

"Remember Greydon's information? I believe it was Typical who told us about his organization. It's obvious who they could be. We've created such a riot, it's not hard to deduce which group is after us."

Alean realized something.

"I see. It's them." Alean smirked as she kept one gun back and brought out a sword.

"I didn't know that the Dragon is aware of our existence. Looks like we'd have to look for his missing body." The ninja spoke coldly.

"Oh don't bother. We've already killed them. Your organization is next. So prepare to wash your neck… Lilibeth!" Lowengren pointed haughtily at the Ninja.

The Ninja's expression changed at Lowengren's haughty and unruly unveiling.

"You think that disguise going to fool me? I know a woman when I see one! Don't think that just because you're a woman, I would hold back!"

The ninja's arm was trembling visibly as he clutched it tighter and tighter.

"We've already made quick work of that last gang. Were they your subordinates? I bet they don't even know they were serving under a woman like you! I'll make sure to have a good time with your body, Lilibeth!" Lowengren laughed mischievously.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING LILIBETH?!" The Ninja cursed angrily.

The surrounding ninjas slowly retreated away from the circle they were making as they felt the anger of their master.

Lowengren had a shocked expression.

"What? You're not Lilibeth? No way! I'm sure it's you! That feminine voice! She's masking it and making it deep! But it's definitely a woman's voice!" Lowengren turned to Alean.

"I'm right, right?" Lowengren sought approval.

Alean immediately nodded and continued to glare cautiously at the Ninja.

"She's just trying to trick us. If we don't think she's Lilibeth then she can surprise us with that Lillypad attack that Typical talked about. Careful Lowengren." Alean added.

"Right!" After being reaffirmed Lowengren returned to his haughty look.

"You're plan failed, Lilibeth!"

"I'm the Void Ninja! Get your facts straight!" the Ninja was grinding his teeth in anger.

"The Void Ninja? Wasn't he the guy Lennox said had strange teleportation skills? What was his name again? Douglas?"

"No. I think it was F- something." Alean pondered.

"Frankie? Fred?" Lowengren guessed.

"It wasn't a name. They had a title similar to the Dragon's Fang." Alean rebutted with an irritated expression.

"Firefly? Fist? First? Fungal?"

"Stop guessing! You idiot!" Alean shouted.

"I'm Rai! Rai! For crying out loud! You have connections that would be envied even by the World Governing Powers and you still can't remember a damned name! Rai! Remember now!?" Rai shouted exasperatedly.

Alean and Lowengren turned to each other in shock.

"Rai. We'll take note of that. Now we have something to tell the World Governing Powers! A mysterious organization unknown even to them has resurfaced, and with strange teleporting powers that he displayed, he could be a threat to the WGP! I can already imagine the contents of my report. Thanks for telling us who you are, Lilibeth."

Rai's expression turned sour.

"YOU!"

His anger manifested on his surroundings. Aside from the overpowering strength of the Reaper's Breath, the entire space around Alean and Lowengren seemed to turn unstable.

"In any case, our info's off. It looks like we need to expand our search for the missing Rule!" Lowengren smiled and took out a comm device.

"We've got their names! Rai, the Void Assassin! Cover our retreat! Fire at will!" Lowengren ordered.

Rai was a step too late in trying to stop Lowengren from his request. Before his other foot left the ground, it happened.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Powerful explosions that created arcs of electricity that bolted from one shrapnel to the next blasted several Ninjas out of their formation.

"Borg! Use the Blue Solarium Bomb! Don't worry about us!"

Rai heard the strange command and searched for Lowengren.

"Borg! Shoot now! Lowengren shouted to his comm device as he cried staring at the top of a building.

Rai saw a strange bluish light which he concluded to be China's Light Rail technology and frowned.

Immediately, Rai kicked the ground and vanished appearing at a distance.

BOOM!

Rai didn't bother turning back to see the explosion but he immediately ran towards the building which he believed to be where the sniper was.

"NO! ALEAN! DON'T LET HIM GO TO BORG!" Lowengren's scream echoed but Rai rushed on ignoring whatever attacks would be shot at him.

He disappeared once more and appeared closer to the building. After a few steps he vanished once more and reappeared at another distance but this time, he reappeared as he was spinning to catch a small blade hurled towards his back.

CLANK!

Without even turning around, Rai caught the blade and teleported once more reaching the fifth floor of the building.

A few leaps up, he vanished and reappeared several floors above and continued to quickly rise through the building.

It hadn't been more than five seconds since he left Lowengren and sprinted to the top of the building.

With a long blade and the small dagger in hand, Rai stood on the top of the roof where he knew the attack came from and was shocked at what he saw.

Nothing.

There was nothing there.

Rai stood as his anger manifested once more in the surroundings.

"Report!" Rai angrily called out to his men.

"Master, they vanished." A voice replied hesitantly after a few seconds.

Rai stared in silence and was clutching the dagger he caught till his hands were bleeding. He then noticed, scratched on the blade of the dagger, was the taunt that made him punch the floor so hard that his fist dug through the cement.

"Made you look, Lilibeth!"

Alean and Lowengren had just sat down on their respective seats on a certain public train.

Strangely, their attire was vastly different and even their faces changed.

Alean continued to stare at Lowengren silently.

"What? Something off with my mask?"

"No. Your deception's getting scarier." Alean couldn't believe that the enemy would fall for such obvious taunts.

Using Specter's technology, Lowengren deceived Rai into thinking that a Rail attack came from the rooftop Rai scaled. It was in fact, a yoyo with strings made from Specter's technologies and had the ability to give off a bright neon blue glow.

"Your assistance made it easier. No wonder Arthur made you pair up with me. He was right. Your Path can support mine." Lowengren laughed.

"I wonder what Lilibeth is doing right now?"

"His Path was scary. Teleportation? It's a good thing you deceived him."

"Yeah. We would have died if we were held back any longer. Still... That Lilibeth would be very helpful if he does reach Overcomer. His Path beats Amir Mann's after all." Lowengren's expression turned serious.

"Let's double our security measures. We're fighting an organization that even Lennox and Meng didn't know about! Not to mention we still have our mission for luring Amir Mann here!"

"Already taken care of. Those explosions I left at the park should do the trick. Lilibeth would probably try hiding in fear of the World Governing Power's retaliation. Amir Mann should discover that battlefield and conclude it was us. After all, that shrapnel from the mines I've been secretly planting when we were strolling in the park would act as our calling card confirming our involvement."

"I see. A mysterious battle occurs in a nation with a powerful dictator. It should scramble the government to take strange movements. And Amir Mann would get wind of this and throw his search of tracks. But how did those ninjas from the EAA find out about us, anyway?"

"No idea. It looks like our entry to this country has its loopholes."

"Gee… I wonder where's the loophole in riding a satellite that was launched and gliding our way down here? That was a totally safe trip! I didn't even manage to say goodbye to him!" Alean cursed. She could still recall arguing with Arthur who was explaining the exact timing for them to get off the satellite and follow the exact path to make them reach the penthouse of Shark Umberton.

Lowengren gave a curious look at Alean and pondered at her irritable reactions.

"Are you missing him that much?" Lowengren asked.

"What? Where's that coming from?"

"Since it's not your period, I just assumed." Lowengren squinted.

"Well yeah! It's been months since I've contacted Lynd and-"

"Fine. Lie to me." Lowengren laughed.

"What? Who are you talking about?" Alean grabbed Lowengren's arm.

The comm device lit up.

"Oh, it's from dad!" Alean noticed an encrypted message.

"Dad? Not even calling him General." Lowengren teased.

Alean ignored Lowengren's tease and started decrypting the information.

"It's information about Presiders. Seeker's revealing it to everyone. It means…"

"Right. Arthur's prophecy was accurate. It seems that there are more Presiders here on Earth as compared with Seeker's timeline. We'll need to do one more task if that is the case. We can't risk leaving a trail which could lead these Presider's to the EAA ninjas or Amir Mann."

"What do we do?"

"What else? A deception." Lowengren smirked.