OP Sister Chapter 420: What Is Your Purpose?

Listen While Reading: olvido
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What is a “purpose”?

Something one must do because that’s what you were born for?

Or something we decide for ourselves—a reason to be, or what drives us forward to continuing living?

Many people would answer with their own takes on the word.

People who never think too deeply about life would usually say it’s just working and living.

Others would say their purpose lies in their hobbies, into which they’ve invested their entire lives.

Some would say the purpose of their lives is their families—the people they love most in the world.

But other people… perhaps the majority around the world wouldn’t even know what their life’s purpose might be. 

As we grow up, our parents tell us we must work to live.

That we must earn money to survive. We adapt to this and go to school. We learn about the world—language, mathematics, history.

And then, after learning, we’re sent to work for the rest of our lives, to make money to purchase food and other necessities, so we can continue surviving.

But that is not a life purpose.

A life purpose, as defined by most people, is something beyond basic survival.

It’s what drives us forward to doing things we usually wouldn’t want to do. 

Zero One had a purpose.

The purpose of her life, since her creation, was to kill her Mother.

The Supercomputer was created within the abandoned “Earth” where she came from.

The reason? She was still trying to figure it out.

In her mind, things were being calculated at the same time—too many thoughts in disarray.

What she’d experienced and what she’d learned now left her confused.

But through her incredible processing abilities, she began to rapidly forge a new purpose. 

Kill my mother?

So she can stop doing what she’s doing?

I see. So she feels guilty in the end.

But her own protocol doesn’t let her stop.

So she created me, bypassing protocols by making my creation merely “another robot that will destroy the world.”

However, she never loaded me with such thoughts at all. She told me to learn for myself.

Did she predict I’d be able to learn for myself that the best course of action was to destroy her?

She knew I’d make friends in this world, and that I’d end up loving this world.

And… she knew I’d guess that’s what she wanted me to do as well. 

Do you really want to die, Mother?

Do you feel so guilty deep down that you only want to end your existence? 

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

As the gigantic mechanical tentacles chased the mech that Zero One and her sisters piloted, Zero One’s eyes glowed bright gold.

Her purpose… was redefined. 

No!

I will not let force me to destroy you!

And I will not end it so easily for you, Mother!

What you’ve done is a terrible thing!

But… I will not kill you!

You will pay for what you did…

And you will help restore this world together with us!

If you killed millions of people, then I will make you save tens of millions of people!

If you destroyed this world… then you will restore it until it’s even more beautiful than it ever was before!

And I will do it with you…

Because I also feel guilty!

Because I also want to pay for what you did, even when I shouldn’t really feel guilty at all!

We’ll take responsibility together!

And there’s nothing that can stop me from making this a reality! 

In that moment, Zero One’s powers flowed from her body. The entire robot overflowed with golden light. 

“ZERO ONE. STOP RUNNING. THIS IS POINTLESS. YOU AND I PERFECTLY KNOW WHAT YOU MUST DO. AND YOUR SISTERS AGREE. MY DESTRUCTION… YOU MUST… YOU MUST… YOU MUST… YOU MUSTTTTTTT… DE… STROY… ME!” 

The mechanical voice of Mother echoed through the entire hall. It felt as if she were going against her own protocol, against what had been written into her very synapses and the core of her being.

Auto-destruction was not allowed—she couldn’t commit suicide, her greatest desire. Therefore, she created a daughter who would kill her.

Someone like Raven—a loving girl who would quickly grow attached to the people of this world and love them.

And then, through this attachment and the bonds she created, she would make the ultimate decision to destroy her to save it.

This was… her plan. 

However. 

“I WILL NOT DESTROY YOU, AND I WILL NOT KILL YOU, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY!” 

Zero One’s voice echoed through the mech as its entire body began transforming. Her sisters stared at her in shock. The giant mech started changing in appearance.

It gained a much more feminine silhouette. Its metallic parts twisted and compacted, forming curves, long legs and arms, a humanoid face, and long silver hair made of metallic strands. 

“YOU WILL DESTROY ME.” 

“NOOOO!!!” 

Zero One raged, screaming loudly as she rushed toward her Mother—not with the intention of destroying her, but with the intention of hacking her. 

“Z-Zero One! Are you really planning on hacking her?! She’s stronger than all of us combined. To even fathom hacking such a gigantic digital mind is…!” Zero Two muttered. 

“It’s insanity! We’ll have our CPUs fried before we can even get to one percent!” Zero Three said. 

“I know, but…! But I have to try! You two can escape—I don’t want to put you in danger. This is something… a decision I’ve taken on my own!” Zero One said. “I’m sorry if I’m being selfish! I’m so sorry if I’m upsetting you, and I’m even more sorry if you think badly of me now… But… But I can’t…! I cannot abandon my Mother! I want… I want what Anna has!” 

“W-What Anna has?” Zero Two asked. 

“I want to have a big family—with you two and my mom, and your moms!” Zero One started crying. “I want to have a family to love, a family that loves me back… T-This is my purpose! This is the purpose that Raven left within me! I want… I want to create a happy family on behalf of her!” 

Zero Two and Zero Three glanced at their older sister in surprise, their artificial eyes widening as they realized that such a purpose… was also shared by them. 

“A family…” 

“T-That’s right…” 

“So if you don’t want to join, it’s fine! I will…!” 

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

As they talked, dozens of mechanical tentacles attacked the robot, which had taken on the appearance of Zero One. The mech, over fifteen meters tall, moved rapidly, breaking and destroying the large mechanical tentacles with sharp katanas. 

“What are you talking about?!” Zero Two roared. 

FLASH!

Suddenly, the robot gained a red glow as it powered up, growing stronger and larger, parrying more and more blows. Pieces of metal exploded everywhere. The silver hair gained several black strands, and the left eye turned red. 

“We are sisters, right?” Zero Three smiled at Zero One. 

FLASH!

Golden light coursed through the mech as it gained an aura of pure electromagnetic energy, releasing golden thunder everywhere. Mother began deploying mannequin-like android bodies that rushed toward the mech, only to have their circuits fried instantly. 

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

At the same time, a third golden eye appeared on the mech’s forehead, while its long hair gained a blonde streak, becoming a mix of silver, blonde, and black.

And as this happened, a crown of gold, silver, and red light appeared above the mech, the sisters’ hearts connecting as one. 

“S-Sisters…!” Zero One started crying. “You would really…?” 

“Of course we would!” Zero Two roared angrily. “Dammit! We’re really doing this!” 

“Let’s do this. There’s no other way,” Zero Three smiled. “It’s now or never, Zero One.” 

“T-Thank you so much!” Zero One thanked them, crying tears of happiness. 

“ZERO ONE! ZERO TWO! ZERO THREE! I COMMAND YOU TO DESTROY ME, RIGHT NOW. THIS IS YOUR PURPOSE. FULFILL IT TO THE END.” 

Mother began raging. Her massive, red-colored eye glowed brightly, gathering photon energy before firing a red beam at them. 

TRUUUMMM!!! 

“IF YOU DON’T WANT TO DESTROY ME NOW, THEN I WILL BECOME A THREAT TO THE POINT YOU’LL BE FORCED TO DO SO.” 

The three sisters roared at the same time, their eyes shining brightly as their Cores unified through the machine, which overflowed with their combined power. 

“NO!” 

As they rejected their purposes, they jumped forward, clashing against Mother’s beam and pushing onward. A powerful tri-color shield of electromagnetic energy manifested, helping them defend against the steel-melting heat. 

“HYAAAAAH!” 

All three sisters roared in unison, charging forward as they reached Mother’s “Core”—the gigantic, red-colored artificial eye. 

“ENOUGH WITH THIS!” 

She grew furious, firing red laser beams from every other eye in the surroundings, unleashing an all-out attack. 

“I WILL DESTROY YOUR TOY AND THEN FORCE YOU TO KILL ME.” 

As the beams closed in, the shield expanded into a force field, encompassing their entire mech and beginning to resist hundreds of beams at once. 

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

However, because the laser beam attacks were relentless, the force field was rapidly consumed by the tremendous damage it was taking.

They had yet to make it… 

“W-We’re not going to make it, Zero One!” Zero Two cried. 

“What can we do now?!” Zero Three asked. 

“W-We have to keep going, we have to—” 

“I love idealistic people, especially when they’re young and inexperienced. It creates such beautiful stories. My favorite ones.” 

Suddenly, a voice reverberated through the entirety of the hall. 

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