Disclaimer: I do not own Megaman X, or any of my original characters. No, wait, I do own those original guys. Disclaimers are rotting my brain:P

To Xangel-Rebirth: X used the remaining stored energy, from blowing up the door, to blow up the Weapon Alpha cannon. He stored the energy in his little energy capsules. (The ones you pick up for life energy, if you've played any of the X games.) So, that's where the other energy went.

Chapter 15: Paradise Never

Gates Core
Time:
-22:33-

X stood with an upright stance as the elevator locked in place at the top. The room he was in was illuminated brightly. He looked over at the wall to the left of him and saw what looked like a throne. In the throne was none other than Apus Epsilon, who was currently eyeing Megaman X with an ominous glare. Turning around to face the red-eyed Epsilon, X returned his glance with one of ferocity.

"Well done, Megaman X. You really are the legendary hero." Epsilon said while standing up. He walked down the short set of stairs towards X.

"Save your words. It's over..."

"Don't claim victory too soon, X. That's the problem with humans. They thought they would be safe when the first reploid was created. They are sadly mistaken."

"Why do you hate humanity so much? Why not try to co-exist?"

"Because humans hate themselves. They constantly create destruction of themselves, the planet and reploids. Except for maybe one man."

"...who?" Epsilon showed a wide grin. "Your father, X. The 'Father of Robotics'. The late Dr. Thomas Light." X felt a snarl creep on his face.

"He truly was a remarkable man. We wouldn't be standing here today if it were not for him. The 'Maverick Wars' wouldn't have happened were it not for him. X, the ultimate destruction of humanity would not even begin to fathom if it were for him. So X, if you want to blame someone for Paradise Eden, blame your father for being born!"

"Shut it! I'll stop you. You heartless bastard!" X tensed up and drew his blade. Epsilon ran a hand threw his hair.

"Ha ha ha...I'd rather be a heartless bastard, than have a human for a father!" Epsilon shouted out as he drew his own blade. He dashed at X, who stood ready in a defensive position. Epsilon swung his blade, aiming to take his head off. X parried the strike easily, and ducked under the next swipe. He turned the duck into a sweeping kick, which was avoided by a jump from Epsilon. Epsilon swung his blade vertically from over his head. X parried the blow and swung his blade horizontally. Epsilon jumped back, just barely dodging the swipe. He repeatedly stabbed his blade at X, who dodged each stab with precision.

Epsilon soon grew bored of this. He quickly re-sheathed his blade and threw a punch at X. His fist collided with X's jaw and sent him staggering back a bit. Still in his follow through position, Epsilon failed to see X form his buster. X placed the cannon point blank from Epsilon's surprised mug, charging it up as he went. Epsilon hastily made a grab for the cannon, trying to aim it anywhere but his face. A scorching wave of plasma erupted from the cannon as Epsilon barely dodged a lethal blast. Grabbing the heated buster in both arms, he spun around towards X and flung him into a nearby wall, sending out clouds of thick debris and dust. He readied his blade and dashed towards the wall. A dark silhouette of X was standing there, waiting for him to strike when he drew nearer. Epsilon smirked as he dashed around to the left side of the cloud and cut cleanly through the figure in the cloud.

"Too easy...what?" Epsilon gasped as the shadow vanished. His instincts screamed for him to look behind him, so he did and saw a large plasma wave hurtling toward him. He was engulfed in searing pain as the stream of offensive energy pushed him back into a wall. On the dealing end, X switched from Twin Soul to normal mode and continued to pour energy into his attack. The ground the stream of plasma ran above started to form small fissures. Epsilon was now pressed against inside the wall by the wave of plasma. The beam of energy ended abruptly when X stopped the attack. He looked on at Epsilon with heavy breaths. Walking slowly over towards the now ruined wall, X drew out the blade on his back, knowing his enemy was not yet dead.

Epsilon dropped his arm that was holding the once-white-now-blackened robe over his face. He revealed a face that was stricken with surprise, pain, and above all-- anger. His red eyes now burned with fury.

"Damn you..." He said simply and coldly. Pushing himself out of the wall, he drew his blade.

"Twin soul, worked before, still works now." X said, taunting the opponent. Succeeding, Epsilon rushed at the reploid clad in dark blue. He swung clumsily at the hunter, feeling desperation set in. X sidestepped and delivered him a quick kick to his face. Epsilon staggered back a bit and swung his blade widely. X brought his blade down quickly on the wild blade of Epsilon, cleaving it cleanly in half. Epsilon looked at the handle of his blade with wide eyes. He backed up slowly and threw the useless blade on the ground.

"Hnngg...This is not over yet X..." X walked over towards Epsilon, who held out a hand. X stopped as he felt a weighted force surrounding his head. The same force that held his legs while he watched Raydia endure torture. The same force that caused Raydia's torture. Now he was attempting to crush X's skull the same way. X felt the energy in him start to fluctuate. Epsilon tried to close all fingers at once, but it was like trying to crush a diamond. The energy inside X was reaching a peak as he continued to fight the force around his head.

"X! Not yet! Don't release it right now!" Raydia's voice came over in his mind. X opened his eyes and was shocked to see her standing next to him.

"Raydia!"

"I'll explain later, but you have to keep that energy stored. It's a one time use. I'll do what I can against the field." He could hear her speak, but the sound wasn't physical, like he was imagining her voice in his mind. Nodding, he forced the energy down as much as he could. Epsilon was too busy trying to crush the field to notice X talking to himself. But he did notice the crystalline field becoming softer. He finally clamped his hand into a fist and was rewarded with a scream from X, followed by a loud cracking sound. He looked up and saw X, holding his head from the extreme pressure. On the ground were at least three parts of the Ultimate Armor helmet, broken and useless.

"Hhnng! You should be dead!" Epsilon spat out, worn out from his previous attack. X recovered from his pressure headache and now started walking towards him, his brown hair slightly obscuring the coolness in his eyes.

"It ends here, Epsilon." Raydia was walking next to him, or rather, the essence of Raydia. This was possible because Raydia was not in fact completely reploid. In reality, she was first a human. She was involved in a cataclysmic accident, and became the first artificial reploid. Her body was bio-mechanical, but her brain and soul were human: a ghost in the shell. Much was still unknown about her though. X didn't complain though; he was going to need all the help he could get. Epsilon's eyes widened, then a smirk took hold of his face.

"X. I sense something coming!" Raydia gasped out, causing X to stop in his tracks. Without a moment's notice, the area shook fiercely. X struggled to hold his balance as the quaking room threatened to collapse. Raydia didn't have trouble, seeing as she wasn't a physical being. Epsilon let out a loud laugh as the ground below him started to crack.

"Raydia! What is that!"

"It's Eden! The Gates of Paradise Eden are arriving!" She exclaimed as she walked over towards Epsilon. He was oblivious to her as he was lifted off the ground by the structure purging from the ground. He would have been oblivious to her anyway. She walked back over to X, who was on his hands and knees for stability. The giant room began to settle down.

"X, Epsilon is changing. Be very careful." She told him as he stood himself up. "Changing how?"

"He's becoming the Key. He had to wait for the Gates to actually appear before he could open them. We can't let him open the Gates!" Raydia explained quickly. X looked at Epsilon who was now falling from the top of the giant stone structure, laughing the entire way down. He landed with a thud and stood up.

"X! I must admit, I was...frightened. It seems that fate will not steer off course. But, now! Now is the time for our Paradise to manifest!" He shouted as he held out both arms and quickly drew them out of his sleeves, letting the floppy material linger in the air. He thrusted his arms out again, this time throwing the robe high in the air off of his shoulders. He seemed to disappear, but as the robe floated to the ground, it revealed him leaping into the sky. He was surrounded by a swirl of iridescent light. His wings extended and closed around his body as more light drained into him. X clenched his teeth and drew his blade. He ran full speed at Epsilon.

"X! STOP!" Raydia called out quickly. Stumbling, X managed to stop his dead sprint. "X, we have to let him finish this transformation! If you disturb him, then Zero could be lost forever!" X swore under his breath and just continued to watch the scene unfold. Epsilon decided to toy with him.

"X...you know what's about to happen! So, why don't you stop me?" The wings on his back folded back into place, letting him slowly fall to the ground. "Is it because you can't destroy me? Or is it because you don't care about what happens next? Nonetheless, you will end up just like Raydia: broken and dead!" When he was on the ground, the light faded into his body, revealing that he was clad in the famous armor of the Crimson Demon. But instead of red, the armor was black. On the left shoulder, the 'Z' was replaced with a silver 'E'. He smirked and flicked his hair back. The scars that riddled his face vanished, leaving him feeling restored. He then walked over to X, slowly and confidently.

"X, I'll kill you, but let you see the Holy Gates open before you draw you last breath!" A red marking appeared on his face underneath his eyes. Clenching his fists, the shoulder plates on his armor slid back, revealing a saber hilt in each cavity. With his right hand he grabbed the left saber and ripped it out, activating it as he went. He repeated the action with the opposite shoulder. One blade was surrounded with a dark aura, the other cackled with bright light. He leaped off of the ground and propelled himself even higher by flapping his wings. He now hovered in the air. The Gates to Eden were now visible for everyone to see. They were two very large metallic doors, white in color with black runes painted on them. A large, strange looking device was on held onto the doors with heavy chains.

"Why? Why Zero? It's always Zero who ends up getting used by someone! Why do you people torture him!" X blew up at Epsilon who had a smirk on his face. "We're not torturing him X. We are simply using him to his full potential! He is the one ordained to spread the Purification Vaccine!" X's expression snarled fiercely. "I'm sick of it! He's not a pawn!" Epsilon grunted. "Don't worry, X. When I open Paradise Eden, Zero will have a very important position. He will become a god!" Overwhelmed with fury, X formed his buster and quickly shot a string of charged blasts at Epsilon.

Epsilon dropped himself to the ground and formed Zero's own buster. He let off two shots, which X hopped over with ease, then he quickly followed up with a shockwave erupting from his dark blade. X rolled to the left as soon as he hit the ground, managing to avoid the shockwave. He dashed out of the roll and let loose with another charged blast. Epsilon swung the light blade in a large circle in front of him, creating a ring that moved slowly forward. When the large plasma shot collided with the ring, both were neutralized into nothing.

"Meet 'Oblivion' and 'Salvation', the blade of darkness and light." Epsilon said coolly as he slammed Oblivion on the ground repeatedly, sending out shockwaves all over the place. X activated his air dash in a ninety degree angle and dashed straight up into the air, avoiding the shockwaves and letting out a few mid-level blasts from his buster. Epsilon swung Salvation down against the offensive energy, sending it back towards X almost as soon as he fired the blast. X dove out of the way instantly. He gasped as the stray bolt hit Raydia dead on, then remembered that she could not be harmed, being nothing but a stray soul.

"Damn it! Raydia, do you know of a weak point on him?" X asked her while dodging a shockwave of dark energy. He flinched as it clipped his arm and he felt a dull heat pain well up.

"Let's see..." She placed a hand to her head and did some thinking. X on the other hand drew out his blade and blocked a slice from Oblivion.

"Oblivion and Salvation? Darkness and light? I think I got it!" She then told X her plan and went off to examine the Gate. X smirked secretly and jumped back towards the Gate. Epsilon kept using Oblivion to strike at X, who did his best to block each blow. He fired a shot of plasma at Epsilon, only to have a ring of Salvation neutralize it. He stole a look over at Raydia, who gave him an affirmative nod. X now began charging his buster to full force. He closed his eyes and added some of the power Raydia gave him to his load. He let the blast off, the extra energy giving it more of a kick. Epsilon brought Salvation up to block the blast. Without wasting time, X dashed over to the device extruding from the Gate with his blade unsheathed. Epsilon looked over at the door and saw what X was aiming for. He protested greatly, but was couldn't do anything, seeing as how he was trying to deflect a huge sphere of plasma.

X dash jumped with his blade over his head and behind him. As he came within range, he swung the blade down on the large device, sending out all kinds of sparks and noise. He lingered in the air as the swirling of dark and light energy pushed against him. Raydia seemed anxious, waiting for a reaction of some kind. Epsilon felt out of control as X struck the device with his blade. He felt his arms go in opposite directions, causing him to stop defending against the plasma. He cried out in pain as the plasma tore past him, having built up extra speed and power from being idle so long. He rocketed back, just inches above the ground, and skidding to a stop several meters away. X also flew back from the device, but he recovered more quickly. Looking for Epsilon, he spotted Raydia kneeling on the ground while taking in huge breaths. Alarmed, he ran over to her.

"Hey! Are you okay? What's wrong?" He asked her while looking over at Epsilon as he slowly stood up, missing a wing.

"It's...nothing...I'm fine. X, I think I stumbled on a weakness of his!"

"What is it? What do I need to do?" X asked anxiously. Epsilon stood up sorely, his pale hair stained with red blood. He drew his blades and ran towards X at a steady pace.

"When you combine the darkness with the light, they cancel each other out. If you can get him to cross his weapons somehow, then that will leave both him and the Gate Lock open for attack. I noticed that his weapons are connected with the Gate Lock when you struck it; it made his blades act erratically."

"Ok, I'll see what I can do." X stood up to face the steadily approaching Epsilon with vigilance. He replaced the blade on his back, and began charging some energy. Epsilon swung Oblivion down in a slower manner, showing that he was hurt. X caught his arm and stopped Epsilon mid-swing. Forming his buster in his right arm, X pressed the cannon squarely on Epsilon's chest. Epsilon quickly deactivated Salvation and grabbed the X-Buster and aimed it out to the side.

"You clipped my wing! That HURT, bastard!" Epsilon spat out. X smirked and reformed his hand. "Sorry, I have a father!" He looked down briefly at the deactivated saber and saw a knee come up and nail him in the abdomen. Epsilon then put his foot into X's abdomen and rolled backwards, sending the blue bomber into a throw. He managed to roll directly on the wing stub, causing him excruciating pain. X twisted around and put a hand on the ground, slowing himself to a stop. He decided to shoot a blast of plasma at him. As soon as he did so, he charged at his foe, trying to repeat the plan. Epsilon turned around to see a plasma blast hurtling his way, so he drew out Salvation and deflected it back towards X. X didn't have much of a choice but to charge straight through the plasma. Crossing his arm in front of him, he leapt into the air with help from his dash systems through the wall of energy. An indescribable pain went through him as he passed through the energy. He landed and kept running, despite the burns on his flesh.

Epsilon swung Oblivion at X, who grabbed it once again. This time, instead of using the X buster, he drew the blade and swung it at Epsilon. Epsilon knocked the blade away from him, sending it towards Raydia, who was standing near the Lock. X smirked, as Epsilon did exactly what he wanted him to do. Epsilon's eyes twitched as he realized that he fell into a trap. X now had both of his arms in his grip. He started bending them closer towards each other, causing the blades to slowly cross.

"No! What are you doing!" Epsilon yelped out, sounding desperate. X couldn't help but smirk and he continued to force Epsilon's arms to cross. A loud crackle of energy burst out from the Lock as X continued force the blades into position. "The field around the Lock will dissipate if the blades come into contact with each other, correct? Take a wild guess!" X said as he slammed his knee into Epsilon's chest, causing the blades to cross. "NO! Not yet!" Epsilon screamed as an aura of light and darkness surrounded him. X felt something wrong.

"X! Watch out!" Raydia screamed out as an explosion erupted from the crossed blades. X and Epsilon let out a scream in unison as they flew in opposite directions. Raydia rushed over to X, who lay on his arm in an awkward position. Epsilon was standing, but just barely, with a new blade, this one shaped like a sharp key. She looked over at the Lock, which had now formed a Keyhole.

"X! X! Please, you have to get up! Here, I'll use some of the energy I gave you..." She closed her eyes, but couldn't concentrate enough to release the energy in X.

"...Raydia, no. Don't do that..." X said as he stood up, his left arm dangling oddly. "Come on! Let the energy heal you!" She tried to use the energy again, but X blocked her out again.

"Raydia. I don't want you to go away!" She was shocked. He knew! "If I use all of the energy you gave me, you will cease to exist, correct?" X said, as he looked her in the eye. "I don't want that to happen! I couldn't help you before, so I can't let you die twice!" He said, tears welling in his eyes. "I refuse to let a friend die for my health..." Epsilon had made his way over toward X by now.

"Fool! I was waiting until I had the energy to form the key!" He chided him, bleeding profusely from his wing stub, and multiple gashes on his face. "I should have known that witch was aiding you." He painstakingly kicked X in his arm, causing him to cry out in pain. Then he walked over towards the Lock, ready to finally open the Gates of Paradise Eden. "You fought well, Megaman X. But now, you can roll over and die with the humans!" X struggled to get up, but his arm protested. Raydia fell on her knees, feeling defeated.

"No. Crossing the blades released the field on the Lock, but in turn created the Key. X, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Raydia muttered. As she watched Epsilon make his way closer to the Lock, she saw him stop suddenly.

"(No you don't, bastard! You will NOT unleash hell on Earth! Not with my body!)" Zero's voice escaped through Epsilon's mouth. Epsilon suddenly turned around and started walking away from the Lock in a struggled manner.

"No! I...must...open the Gates!" Epsilon protested as he jerked himself around and walked back towards the Gates. X and Raydia stared in disbelief at the figure having an internal dispute. Raydia noticed that X's mind was preoccupied with Epsilon, and was pretty much open and unguarded. She drew in a breath and closed her eyes. X was startled as he felt the pain in his arm disappear. His body felt warm, and he was gaining power. He looked over at Raydia, realizing that he had left his guard down.

"Raydia, stop! Don't do it!" X protested as Raydia continued to heal him with her energy. She was beginning to feel lightheaded as she pushed more of her energy into his power output.

"X...it is a ninja's destiny to die, but a warrior's is to protect. Save the humans, X. And...farewell." Raydia said in a warming voice. She closed her eyes and gave one final push, sending the remainder of her energy into X's core. She let out one final puff of air before collapsing on the ground.

"Raydia!" X screamed, even though he was coursing with energy, he felt empty inside. He still couldn't save her, despite his protesting. He looked over at Epsilon, who was now leaning in an odd manner, as if being held back. "(X! What are you waiting for! Destroy the lock!)" Epsilon said in Zero's voice. X took a long look at Raydia's lifeless body, then he stood up and walked over towards the blade that was protruding from the ground. Tears formed up at the bottom of his eyes as he pulled the blade up from the ground. He looked at Epsilon with a murderous glance.

"Paradise was never meant to exist." X said coolly as he threw the sword at the Lock with amazing force. He felt tears running down his face as he did so. Everything seemed to slow down as the blade hurtled toward the Lock. Epsilon tried desperately to stop what was inevitable, but Zero was holding him still. "NOOOOO!" He screamed as the blade pierced through the Lock. X walked over to the saber hilt and pulled it out of the Lock. When he replaced the hilt, the Lock shattered into a flurry of iridescent light. The Gates formed fissures and broke down into a torrent of particles.

Epsilon cried out in pain and held his head as he was engulfed in a bright light. X shielded his eyes as he looked on at the light. He saw a figure emerge from the light. X closed his eyes and seemed to be concentrating. He walked back over to Raydia and knelt down. Her eyes shot open after a moment and she drew in shallow, quick breaths. X let a huge puff of air escape his mouth as she woke up. She slowly stood up, wondering why she wasn't dead.

"Wh-what happened? How am I...alive?" Raydia asked herself as she looked around. She looked at X, who had tears in his eyes, succeeding in his task. "I hid some of the energy you gave me. I added my life energy to it." X said while almost sobbing. She couldn't help but smile at him. This is why X was so well liked by those who looked up to him. She then saw a familiar figure behind X. "Zero?"

X whipped his head around to see Zero standing behind him with a grin on his face. "Well, this is certainly a pickle. What do you say we finish this?" Zero said. X stood up quickly and put his friend in a bear hug. When he released him, he turned around and saw a beat up looking Epsilon, barely alive and bleeding on the ground.

"Hah...hah...fools." He spit up a large amount of blood, splattering it over the ground. "Even...though...I did not open...Paradise Eden..." He paused for a moment. Zero knelt down next to him. "Go on!"

"...you cannot stop...the inevitable destruction...of the world..." The whole area shook violently as X stood up. He narrowed his eyes. "What are talking about?" X said crossly.

"With Eden...only the humans...would have died...but now...everything will perish...in due time..." He choked out, a sinister smile creeping up on his face. He felt the last bits of his life fade away as Zero ran his saber through his back. His red eyes became empty orbs. Replacing the hilt in his back, Zero turned around. He jumped back, just barely dodging a chunk of debris from the tall ceiling.

"What do you think he meant by that?" X asked Zero, who was looking for an exit. "Not completely sure. But we should get out of here..." He said while a large metal pipe crushed the ground in front of his feet. "NOW!" X nodded as he told Zero the coordinates. "Why are you telling me!" Zero protested. "Because I don't have helmet!" X countered. Soon, they were engulfed in crimson and blue lights, escaping the building as it came down. The world around Epsilon was coming down in torrents as he became buried in tons of debris.

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Ikijuka Desert
Time:
-23:45-

A bright beam of light came out of nowhere. Two figures emerged from it and landed on the hardened ground. They stood up and looked on at the crumbling building that housed the greatest evil either of them had seen. Sighing, they looked on in the direction of the MHHQ.

"Well, we did it! Again..." X said relieved that this whole ordeal was over. Paradise Eden never opened. They had dodged a huge bullet. Zero stretched out him arms. "So, uh. We walkin' the entire thirty million thousand miles, or can we I.T. back to the base?" Zero in a monotone voice. He smirked over at his friend, and noticed that there was another figure behind him. "What a sec? Raydia! When did you get here?" X was surprised as well, not because Raydia was behind him, but because Zero could see her as well.

"You can see her too!" Zero nodded his head furiously. They both turned to regard her. She sweat dropped and grinned.

"Long story short, I had a little bit of both of your DNA in me, so both of you can see me." She chirped out. Zero nodded, still getting used to how she sounded when she talked. "Can you read minds?" He asked out of the blue. She nodded affirmatively. "Well, do me favor if you will? Could you only reside in X? I have too many private thoughts I don't want shared..." Raydia raised an eyebrow before getting an image of a pretty reploid girl with brown hair. She had a red hat on her head. She realized who it was. "Oh. Sure. I understand." He gave her his grin. "Thanks!" X also knew that he was referring to Iris.

"Zero, does your comm link work?"

"Yeah, one sec..." He brought a hand up to his ear and waited a moment.

-Beep-

"WHERE'S X! Is he okay!" Zero flinched greatly as the bloodcurdling screech of Alia's voice pounded his ear.

"He's fine Alia. I.T. us back to the base."

"Who is this!" Zero sweatdropped as he handed the helmet to X. X put it on and talked for a moment before the three of them were engulfed in a light and shot off towards the night sky.

To be continued...

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And there you go! The climax of the story! But, what's after the climax? The resolution! What does that mean? There's more to come! I still need to tell the rest of the story. And don't worry, Scar and Rayne haven't disappeared. So, stay tuned!

Till next time!