The end of a legend

On the surface.

-When will the reinforcement come?! Screamed a man with two blue stripes on his chest.

-They are on their way, general! Said one of the soldiers operating the computers

-What about all of our forces?! Said the general

-We have currently 30 Second gen battle focused IS ready for action. We also have 5 Second gen all-purpose IS. 1000 troops are ready to be moved. We have 100 attack jets and 220 helicopters! The other countries have already started to lock the frontier. We still have more troops being supplied at this moment!

-Good, but I still don't have a good feeling… What did the HQ say about using that?

-They are still discussing, but if an emergency happens they are ready to press the button! They don't want another failure.

-What about our third gen IS?

-I don't have much information on that sir. The response from the other countries has been…

-Those fuckers! They want me to take of this shit, but they don't want to give me the heavy hitters! They are afraid of showing their secret weapons!

Suddenly a man came running inside.

-REPORT!

-Say it Major!

-A massive energy signature has been detected on the underground caverns! It… It is exactly the same signature coming from an IS!

-What?! How did an IS breach our security? Even if the intruder has a personal IS, our sensors aren't there for fun! I want a response from the security division!

-Just my luck…

The Major suddenly put his hand on his headphone.

-GENERAL! THE UNIDENTIFIED INTRUDER IS MOVING IN THE ELEVATOR SHAFT AT HIGH SPEEDS!

-ALL UNITS PREPARE TO INTERCEPT!

/On the underground/

I was test flying my IS on the elevator shaft. I could go much faster, but I needed time to get used to it.

My original purpose with my IS was to make it more of a utilitarian one rather than a heavy hitter. In some worlds, my energy weapon might be useless against some of their magics/technologies/whatever they have. So I filled my IS with more useful things: Sensors, analytical machines, etc. So that they may help me with a wide range of activities.

But that doesn't mean my mech is defenceless. On the contrary, its weapons system is the main point that makes it a fifth gen Unit. I had researched deeply into the Fold-out-armor technology, in order to make a unit that could change every component on the fly. But I never fully realized that. I only managed to make it able to alternate between several saved presets.

But all of this changed when I got the chance to have Lylia finish my IS using energy.

The results were just as I had expected. It could change on the fly, but it consumed an immense degree of energy to change something into another completely different thing.

But everything was resolved when the two cores fused and my unit evolved. In truth I don't even know where I should place it now. Fifth-gen? 5.5? It certainly isn't a Sixth Gen right?

Currently, my core is generating so much energy that the counter isn't even going down. I think that even the AI is confused about its own capabilities. No… It isn't an AI anymore. It has long become something different.

I can think about this later.

I could see the elevator bottom now. From a small hole on my helmet, a blue beam shot forward, hitting the bottom of the elevator, it created a perfect circular hole where I could pass through. The beam actually pierced further, hitting the rocky surface above the elevator and beyond. I could actually see the sky from here.

The elevator is hidden in a small cave inside a small mountain in the forest.

To think such a tiny beam would have such power behind it… I really need to go through all of its systems later.

You might ask. Why go through all of this trouble in the first place? Why don't we just leave this world?

I just want to send a message back.

/Outside the mountain/

The general looked at the hologram screen that just showed the blue beam.

-What power… This isn't some low-grade intruder. But who could have such technology?...

In the sky above the mountain, I looked at the army assembled around me.

A few second gens… Nothing too great, is that a…

From the crowd of people a light flashed and an IS rose from the ground.

Another IS that didn't appear in the original. "Flood Dragon" Third-gen model from Korea.

-Identify yourself! You are currently…

-I don't care. Can we skip introductions? I just want to send a message and leave.

-You… I will consider them your last words then…

-I just want to say I won. Make sure the world hears it, else that person might not hear it. I will come back eventually, so make sure to wait for me. Oh yeah. If any of you go after my family and friends be prepared for retaliation. I will start with that shit up there.

I pointed towards the sky. But there wasn't anything there.

-What are you…

She was cut once again by a terrible light, followed by a heavy BUZZ sound.

-I knew it. They wouldn't stay calm after hearing me.

After the light started to fade away. I looked towards the sky. I wasn't the only one doing that though.

You couldn't see it with your bare eyes, but using the IS sensors some people were capable of seeing it. A massive sword-like satellite was above us. This was Excalibur, a "top-secret bombardment satellite built by the US and England". It uses a hyper condensing plasma cannon.

The problem is that it takes a few seconds to shoot and a few more to cool down. It can also only shoot in a straight line. So I took this time to strike.

From other people's perspective, I just disappeared from my location. A second later I was in space right next to Excalibur. This was long-range teleportation. I looked at my energy reserves but they were rapidly replenishing.

I used my sensors to find the core, and with it in sight I extended my hand towards it and closed it. The hull of the Satellite started to crack and the core shot out from a hole.

It was a very big hole and from inside it I could see a girl in a fetal position. The only reason why I didn't just blast it apart was because of her. She is the sister of someone close to me.

(You wouldn't kill your girlfriend's sister just like that right? If she was a good person and was just being manipulated, even if you consider that, his power is way above everyone's else, so doing this is effortless for him, it's just an example anyway.)

Looking at the Satellite that was losing its balance I calculated its fall trajectory. It won't fall in the ocean hence don't care anymore.

Teleporting once again, this time towards Japan. My destination was: The academy.

I appeared in the middle of arena number 1. I dropped the girl on the ground after safely separating her from the core. I then had Lylia convert the crystal inside it for energy since it's rather big.

…

I looked at the academy from the air and turned my back to it.

There is no reason to visit anyone anymore, nor a reason to say goodbye.

(The Ant is under Kona's care for those pet lovers out there, any ideas for some good pets?)

Let's go, Lylia. To infinity and beyond!

{I will open a portal to the Greater void}

A dark portal appeared in front of me, my body told me to run away but I knew it would be fine.

-WAIT!

Behind me I could see a flying purple IS, before she could come any closer though I deactivated the IS. Privileges of having built the IS.

As she fell I could hear her screaming something, but to that I only waved her a goodbye and went inside the dark portal.

Everything that needed to be said was inside the special letter I left in my room.

It might be cruel but I don't know what I should say to them. "I am leaving on an adventure, but I can't bring any of you with me, bye." Come on.

/In the greater void/

Lylia looked at me with her golden eyes. The true Lylia, not her avatar.

{You did an amazing job down there.}

...Thank you. But I Couldn't have done it with…

{I only gave you some tips from time to time, you only used my powers in the end, I consider that a good job.}

{Not only that, the amount of energy is… Above all of my expectations. I finally managed to find a good buyer that will buy in bulk. So we now have a rather big amount to play around with. But I must say. Are you sure about your next world? There are so many...}

I am. I want to train my mind and body a little.

{Alright then. Let's deal with this world thing first then we look at the next one. With the amount of energy we have, I can set a time distortion for this world. The higher it is, the higher the number of Units. So, how much will it be?}

...How about a 100:1? I don't imagine myself taking a hundred years to come back but…

{Do you want me to get bankrupt? That's too much, how about 50? It might seem only half, but the price is much more acceptable for what we have.}

...Sure, even if I spend 100 years out there, only two years will have passed, so I think it's reasonable.

{...So expensive… Okay. One more thing before we proceed. I have a decent amount of Units to do a rank-up.}

So go for it

{Let me finish. Last time I used the Units to rank up, but Now I am at the limit of this "Level", so I need to do a promotion test. It isn't hard, but I might be away for some time, this isn't the end. With a higher rank comes greater responsibilities, the usual bullcrap, so you might have to do some things in the future… But they won't come without rewards. I am telling you this because you aren't that strong yet, it's only your second world so far.}

… So the chances of danger coming from outside the world I am in will increase.

{In a sense. They won't be invasive in nature but more in line with what you did last time.}

Do it, we don't have much to lose.

...

{For your next world, I imagine you want all of your powers to go with you. And you also don't want to start from the beginning as a baby right? I can do all of that, but Your IS might be a problem.}

Tell me why

{The next world simply doesn't have anything similar to the time crystal, that's the very core of your Mech. Everything else is doable but not the core. The price might be a little too high.}

So we can pay for the husk but not for the core?

{Yes...}

I don't plan to stay in the next world for too long… So let's leave the Mech as a secret weapon.

{Most of the technology used in it will still work on the next world, but some parts from it will still suffer. In an emergency, you can take it out, but don't use it for long, else you risk damaging it too much and the world will start to reject you.}

What does that mean?

{You will be very unlucky...}

… I don't have anything else to add.

{You sure? I won't be there to help you.}

I only have one request. Make me have an innate affinity towards the basic power of this world.

{You don't need that, your body will naturally adapt later, it might be useful for a few days but after that, your body's natural talent will go beyond what I can give you. At least without paying too much. But I can give your body a special ability, I am sure you are going to like it.}

{I also made some changes in your three basic powers so that they won't get into conflict with the abilities from this world, on the contrary, they can work in harmony to a certain extent. It's up to you to develop it further.}

{Here, take this. It's a "Nexus key" and a world portal tool, they are both connected to the nexus and therefore follow its rules. They were made exactly for situations like these.}

The "key" thing looked like a cube, while the portal tool looked like a small boat with a crow in its bow.

{I left some energy in the "Cube" and "Boat" in case you need a quick escape. What a way to spend all of your money. I will take the small amount left with me...}

{Other explanations will be given when you are down there.}

{I will leave you in the place and timeline that you wanted so don't die on me!}

When she finished talking, a portal appeared and sucked me in. I remembered some of my friends and family from both lives.

...I will be back.