The True Path (Xeno Series)

[ReiZetsubou]

Not an SI. And warning! Spoilers for Xenoblade 1&2 along with Xenosaga and Xenogears.

EXE​

My first sight was that of the Monado. After that, I resolved myself to my final goal.

Its been fourteen years since then. I've used my knowledge of modern technology along with a little bit of Ether to progress the colonies. Although there was a possibility of Zanza interfering I had to go forward nonetheless. For now, I just have him trapped in a dream vessel in my body.

Of course, some were skeptical of meionic fusion power, but my reactors and testing of my prototype rockets proved them wrong. With my show of power on the boundless ocean, even Egil stopped his attacks on the colonies.

Of course, offensive technology wasn't the first thing I introduced. For some godforsaken reason, radios were only used by the military, High Entia, and Mechon. My knowledge of AI programming was rather limited to self-evolving constructs, but once I created smart companions. Voice and touch controlled armbands to the populace, the educational value of it created new infrastructure to help me greatly in my goals. The ability of cloud computing and instant communications were really underestimated.

Dickson would have been a problem but even super-powered beings can't take a fusion bomb to the face. And this isn't a game where people have some sort of plot shield or health bar to be able to survive that so he was gone.

I had him overseeing the testing facility for the early prototypes of fusion bombs and walked out of the building while he was distracted. The radiation from the testing site was somewhat worrying but I chose the perfect place for nuclear testing as no one really visits the foot of the Bionis that often.

I also wondered if my presence here disturbed the passage of fate that Zanza saw but I come to the conclusion that he really can't do anything about it. I am already close to getting the necessary technology to create a quantum phase transition modulator so it won't be long before its too late for him to do anything that can stop me.

Once I open a portal to Alrest, I can grab the conduit and seize the power of the Zohar. Either that or grab the power of the Ontos Aegis as originally intended in this universe with my administrator codes given to me by Zanza. I have not come to live for ten thousand years being a puppet of Fate to not attain my final wish.

I have all the data I needed and the conclusion is axiomatic. My will shall be done one way or another.

I am currently working on a titan mecha-frame with some of Lily's code for my battle against Zanza. It is rather maddening that my own daughter couldn't come with me but alas, she can handle herself. Anything short of a class five culture will be able to destroy her.

Spoiler: Mecha-Frame

I also integrated ether technology in it as it is an exploitable resource in a few words even if many do not support it. I like my technology to have as many redundancies as possible to work in every universe as I had trouble before with space grid technology that relied on a meta-subspace dimension in that particular universe to work.

Of course, meionic technology is always reliable as it worked on the principles of perceivable existence. It uses hacked probability nodes in the fabric of existence so it works in every universe except universes where reality is warped and nonsensically weaved together that even mathematical functions and causality contradicts itself.

"Hey, Shulk!" A voice called out from behind me.

I turn around and catch a female form glomping me to the ground. Bright blond air obscured my sight but lifted up to reveal Fiora's grinning face.

"How long are you gonna work on this thing? Even though you became my boyfriend you are awfully busy all the time!" She complained.

It was not my intention to really become her boyfriend but I felt guilty for replacing her Shulk that would have saved the world. Even though my original body was female. But it was not like I cared for physical forms. The mind is what actually important so genders are irrelevant to me.

"You know I have seen the future. This is what I must do prevent strife and loss" I told her.

"But aren't the fusion warheads good enough? I don't see how anyone can survive a blast from one of the infernal devices" She asked slash pleaded.

"The power the enemy wields is not so easily trumped by brute force. Once I finish the hendekeract sublimation engine I will be able to handle them" I try to explain.

"Well, while I still don't understand anything you are saying beyond the enemy part I'm gonna have to trust you on this. Don't waste it" She sighed out.

"My Leptonic-Axionic Zipf-Tarski probability computer has the ability to predict the future with 90% accuracy, even with multidimensional phaneron interference. Everything will come into place Fiora" I try further elucidate.

Assuaging her feelings a bit I return to the mecha frame and allowed the nano-curtain fabricators to finish up my new armor design I got from my previous world. Axionic matter is a matter that can only be created in specific circumstances and had to be designed with a weakness in mind to strengthen it. Considering I worked smart with it and contained the intrinsic weaknesses in different dimensions it worked pretty well.

"It's really amazing you know, how much you have changed the colonies and improved everyone's quality of life. Sky transportation lanes, fusion energy, and free basic necessities. I even heard that there is a religion cropping up about you" Fiora said while observing me work.

"A religion huh? We should probably regulate it before it gets out of hand. Such things only occur when ignorance raises to the extreme" I murmured.

"Anyways. I made you lunch Shulk" She told me while putting a bag on a table.

"Its gonna be delicious as always. I'm already finished with my mecha-frame and added a secondary control seat, so I will join you" I replied.

"Huh, what's the second seat for?" She inquisitively asked.

"I thought it be obvious. Its so you can battle with me of course" I said with a smile.

"Aw, that's so considerate of you!" She told me with a hug.

Of course, then we heard sirens started picking up.

"That doesn't sound like the debris siren? Computer, what's the situation?" I asked my cranial AI implant.

"It seems to be an attack from Mechonis forces. Early warning systems have detected ether wavelength patterns matching that of Mechon" The rudimentary AI responded.

"They have good timing. Fiora, call Reyn and Dunban to meet us at Colony 6. Their job placing down backup control rods over the Bionis must wait for another time. Their own mecha-frames should place them behind us on twenty minutes if we leave now" I told her.

I open the mecha-frame and climbed in, gesturing for Fiora to sit in the seat in front slightly below me.

"Right, okay" She agreed and climbed inside.

As she called her brother and Reyn, I close up the frame and open up the hangar above that lead to the flight deck of the defense force. I activate the sublimation motion drive and hovered until I reach two hundred feet above the colony.

As we reached enough height that the shock wave will not damage anything important I switched to overdrive mode and flashed away into the fray.

EXE​

We arrived to find the colony dome busted, the one kilometer in diameter structure burning with my mecha-frames firing leptonic beams against the mechon and exo-suits slashing them into pieces with axionic replica monado blades.

"We seem to have held pretty well with our technological advancements" I observed.

"People are still being killed, we should help to drive them off soon before more casualties occur" Fiora remarked.

"That's the plan. I will control the mech itself while you handle battle systems and maintenance" I advised.

"Understood" She responded.

"See those mechon near the urban areas? The computer painted them for so you should be able to hit them with my shoulder mounted leptonic missile pods. I will focus on the bigger targets" I told her

Flying near an M82 I allowed the attonites to come out from the dimensional shunts from my back and reformed them into two massive cleaver blades. Their axionic atto-edges vibrating at such a speed that it warped the air around it. The blades movement constantly leaving a wake of afterimages.

As the mechon looked up at my thirty-five feet tall frame I slashed at it from above and cut it up into multiple pieces. My missile pods followed suit and fired hundreds of missiles at the smaller mechon. Culminating in an explosion that washed away the colors from the environment.

I flew away to another M82 and to another. Never stopping as they fell apart beneath my feet. Once all the large mechon are dealt with did I stop for a breather. My implants instantly redistributing oxygen and chemicals around my body to increase efficiency.

"The carriers are retreating. It seems we have repelled them. That's a relief" Fiora observed on her monitor.

"That's not the end of it. Once Dunban and Reyn are here we will depart to Makna forest. It should be that particular time" I informed her.

"The Melia girl? I thought that happens later" She asked.

"The future isn't set in stone, it's likely that Lorithia became suspicious. And Egil is also becoming desperate" I explained.

"Considering that you threw the Monado into another dimension, it isn't hard to see why Zanza and Lorithia are becoming restless" She remarked with a raised eyebrow.

"The Monados are simply blades granted to the user by the Ontos Aegis. Normally the three Aegis from the conduit shouldn't have this much power but he is the exception as he is directly linked to the Zohar as the administrative AI. The only reason he obeys Zanza is because he has administrative access. Which he incidentally gave to me in his folly to return to the physical world" I explained further.

I would have clarified the plot more but we were interrupted as Dunban and Reyn finally arrived. Their custom mecha-frames flying beside us. Similarly to us but with Dunban having an oversized katana and Reyn with a massive shield blade.

"It seems we are late to the action. Having fun without us Shulk?" Dunban said from the coms.

"Your gear is finally finished I see, we can finally see what's its capable of then? Thought it'll take forever" Reyn cheerily called out.

"The rest of the defense force can handle the rest. It's time to initiate plan A" I told them.

"Ah, its that time then" Dunban mused.

"Move out to Makna forest. The ether control rods have detected Telethia activity there" I commanded.

"Understood" Both acknowledged.

EXE
​

We observed, cloaked from above as Melia used up all her ether to repel the Telethia. Just appearing now too late to actually save the other High Entia. Which was fine, as we aren't gods. Sometimes things don't always go to plan.

As the Telethia tried to flee I fired a terrawatt pulsed leptonic eye beam at it and watched it get vaporized into its constituent elements.

We landed on the ground and I configured the energy converter to use the energy from the meionic fusion reactor and transform it into pure healing ether. Of course, she didn't immediately wake up as she only passed out a few seconds ago.

"Disembark your mecha-frames and make camp. We should take care of the girl" I told the group.

We all exited the mechs and I set up a tent around us with attonites. I also allowed the attonites to reform into a bed where I laid down Melia and chairs in a circle outside the tent.

"Oh man, this place is hot. I think I prefer the cramped air conditioning in my mech rather than sit an hour outside" Reyn complained while taking a seat.

"Ah stop complaining doofus. You do realize your mech undersuit has a cooling system. Haven't you read the manual!?" Fiora incredulously questioned.

"Ah, so that was the complicated words coming out from my smart coms. I taught myself how to use this thing by trial and error and there was a manual?" He gawked.

"Hahaha, that's the Reyn we all know and love" Dunban laughed out loud.

"I'm done, there is no hope for you" Fiora sighed out.

I stood up and walked to Reyn's mecha-frame. Interacting with the custom AI and reading its data.

"Well, for someone that never read the manual you adjusted surprisingly well. Of course, that's no surprise considering I designed them. They're programmed to be user-friendly and adapt to the user. That's how you can have different weapons from each other" I explained, hoping that Reyn will feel better.

"Wait, doesn't that make it worse? Pressing the wrong buttons until they become correct is rather..." Dunban deliberated.

"Aah! Why are you guys all against me!" Reyn whined.

As rain clouds made from attonites form above his head I observe inside the tent Melia waking up. I gestured the group to follow me.

"She's waking up" I told them before going inside.

As we surrounded the bed I grab her shoulder and jostle it a bit. Of course then the predictable happened and she slapped my face with a yell, pushing me back a bit.

"Ah, I apologize. It was not my intention to… You just surprised me" She quickly mumbled.

"That's okay. You had a pretty hard time with the Telethia. Fortunately, we dealt with it before it could do more damage" I informed her.

"You... Killed the Telethia?" She questioned.

"We sure did, although I can't really claim credit as it was Shulk's mecha-frame that did the job" Reyn answered.

"Hm, mecha-frames? I heard rumors of them, but to think that they are able to handle Telethia..." She mused.

"Well, they were designed by Shulk here. The boy is full of surprises you will find out" Dunban explained.

"Then my job is complete... I will return to Alcamoth" She responded and left the tent.

We followed suit and watched as she stopped at our mech-frames. Their impressive height clearly amazing her.

"So these are the mecha-frames. Their stature is certainly impressive" She observed.

"Yes they certainly are" A familiar voice called out.

We turned to the sight of Alvis walking near us. A contemplative look on his face.

"They are outside of my sight, I cannot predict them. And so are you, anomaly" She voiced to me.

"Alvis I presume. Or should I say… Ontos, the administrative AI of the Phase Transition Experiment.

"How do you know that?" He asked.

"This body was a corpse before. I merely took hold of it from outside the universe alongside of Zanza. Now he's just trapped in a dream vessel inside my soul" I explained.

"Outside interference not made out of ether… Remarkable" He mused.

"Not sad for the fate of Zanza?" I asked him.

"His time would have ended sooner or later. That's the providence of infinity. The question would be what you will do" He elucidated.

"It is clear is it not? I will allow advancement so that the humans can take their own path. Not limited by human deficiencies" I laid out.

"I see, unfortunately, it is rather soon for you to take that power. Once you release Zanza and defeat him will I allow you your power. Besides, you have phenomenon phase shift. That should be enough for now" He explained.

"I did not expect anything less" I agreed.

Having what he needs, he left for unknown paths.

"What in the name of Bionis was that?!" Reyn asked.

"I thought I already explained this to you. Alvis is the true god of this world, although Zanza holds all the power as his driver"

"That's true, although I had my doubts. But this confirmed it" Dunban granted.

"Well, this confirmation also means we have what we needed in this universe. We will need to go to the origin universe to talk with Klaus" I realized.

"Wait here a second! What are you people talking about?!" Melia yelled out.

We looked at each other and I sighed. Getting tired of explaining everything all over again.

"It began when Klaus tried to harness the power of the Zohar, the four-dimensional representation of U-DO. Known as the one true God..."

EXE​