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Chapter 427 - Chapter 420: What Is Your Purpose?

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NEW NOVEL ANNOUNCEMENT!

I have published my new novel on Webnovel and other sites, it's a Death Loop LitRPG with a insane villanous main character who struggles to fight to protect his mother's legacy and the kingdom she built in a post-apocalyptic Earth that has been infested with Anomalies and Entities from a place called "The Dimensional Labyrinth". It's full of thrilling battles, some political intrigue, progression, deep characters, and more, so please check it out if it interests you!

SSS Class Infinite Regression: Ascension of the Mad Dragon Prince

On a fateful night, William—an ordinary man from Earth—finished a ruined route in his favorite game, Sinners Academy: Love at the End of the World. The next moment, he was eaten alive by the game's final boss herself, dragged screaming into her world, the world he had ruined.

And when his eyes opened again, he was no longer William.

He was reborn as Louis Drakeheart, the third-rate villain of that doomed game—grandson of the Dragon King, son of Earth's unparalleled scientist-Esper and a Holy Dragon Goddess, yet still the failure who never awakened his draconic blood. He was known as the Mad Prince, the abandoned heir. The laughingstock destined to die forgotten in the Dimensional Labyrinth.

But fate had finally bled him a cruel gift.

Death Loop.

Every agonizing death sent him back in time with his memories intact and sanity fragmenting piece by piece. One death at a time, he clawed through impossible regressions, devouring knowledge, forging forbidden strength and shattering limits once thought impossible to overcome.

No longer would nobles trample him. No longer would horrors beyond the Dimensional Boundary devour his kingdom. No longer would his mother's eternal slumber remain unbroken.

Through rivers of his own blood and the crumbling edges of his mind, Louis Drakeheart shall rise again, and again, and again...

Ruthless, unhinged, unstoppable.

The world that spat on him will kneel... or burn.

This is the chronicle of the Spiral of Madness: the ascent of the Heir of Ruin, the Bringer of the End.

And of her—the sole shadow who walks every loop beside him, the only soul who remembers every sacrifice.

[Time Loop Powers] + [Cultivation + System] + [Villain MC] + [Reincarnated Inside a Game] + [Unique and Original Power System] + [Fast Paced Battles And Suspense] + [Revenge]

Also known as "Spiral of Madness: Ascension of the Villainous Dragon Prince".

What to Expect:

-A completely villainous main character that grows progressively more ruthless and unhinged, but that always follow his own ambitions and dreams.

-A death loop where the main character returns to fixed points in time after each death, retaining all the power he has built up.

-Deep world-building and a vibrant, living world that feels alive and immersive.

-A unique power system: the Spiral of Madness/Incarnation inspired by Lord of the Mysteries Sequences and Metaphor Refantazio Archetype System.

-Dungeon crawling combined with fast-paced progression.

-Countless mysteries, multiple worlds to explore, kingdom building (later down the line), and much more.

-High stakes and emotional storytelling mixed with great side characters.

-Power couple dynamic, "us against a hopeless world" kind of deal.

Please go ahead and check my profile to find the novel if you're interested!

Now back to the novel.

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What is a "purpose"?

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

Or something we choose for ourselves—a reason to exist, or what drives us to keep living?

Many people would offer their own interpretations of the word.

Those who never dwell too deeply in life often say it is simply working and surviving.

Others claim their purpose lies in their hobbies, where they have poured their entire existence.

Some insist their life's purpose is their families—the people they love most in the world.

Yet many others—perhaps the majority across the globe—have no idea what their purpose might be.

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

We must earn money to survive. We adapt, attend school, learn about the world—language, mathematics, and history.

Then, after education, we are sent to work for the rest of our lives, earning money to buy food and necessities so we can continue surviving.

But that is not a life purpose.

A true life purpose, as most people define it, reaches beyond mere survival.

It is what propels us to do things we would otherwise avoid.

Zero One had a purpose.

From the moment of her creation, her life's purpose was to kill her Mother.

The Supercomputer had been born within the abandoned "Earth" she came from.

The reason? She was still trying to understand it.

In her mind, countless calculations ran simultaneously—thoughts in chaotic disarray.

What she had experienced and what she had learned now left her deeply confused.

Yet through her extraordinary processing power, she rapidly forged a new purpose.

Kill my mother?

So she can stop what she is doing?

I see. So she feels guilty in the end.

But her own protocols prevent her from stopping.

So she created me, bypassing those protocols by labeling my creation as "just another robot that will destroy the world."

Yet she never implanted such thoughts in me. She told me to learn for myself.

Did she predict I would learn on my own that the best course was to destroy her?

She knew I would make friends in this world.

She knew I would come to love this world.

And… she knew I would realize that was exactly what she wanted me to do.

Do you really want to die, Mother?

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

CLANK! CLANK! CLANK!

As gigantic mechanical tentacles pursued the mech piloted by Zero One and her sisters, Zero One's eyes blazed bright gold.

Her purpose… had been redefined.

No!

I will not let you force me to destroy you!

And I will not grant you an easy end, Mother!

What you have done is terrible!

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, then I will make you save tens of millions!

If you destroyed this world… then you will rebuild it until it is more beautiful than it ever was!

And I will do it with you…

Because I also feel guilty!

Because I also want to atone for what you did, even though I should not truly bear that guilt!

We will take responsibility together!

And nothing will stop me from making this real!

In that instant, Zero One's power surged from her core. 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!"

Mother's mechanical voice thundered through the hall. It sounded as though she were fighting her own protocols, defying the very code etched into her synapses and core.

Auto-destruction was forbidden—she could not end herself, her deepest desire. So she had created a daughter who would do it for her.

Someone like Raven—a gentle girl who would quickly grow attached to this world's people and love them.

Through that attachment and those bonds, she would make the ultimate choice to destroy Mother and save everything.

That was… her plan.

However.

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

Zero One's voice rang out from the mech as its entire form began to transform. Her sisters stared in shock. The giant machine reshaped itself.

It gained a distinctly feminine silhouette. Metallic parts twisted and compacted into elegant curves, long limbs, a humanoid face, and flowing silver hair woven from metallic strands.

"YOU WILL DESTROY ME."

"No!"

Zero One roared in fury and charged toward Mother—not to destroy her, but to hack her.

"Z-Zero One! Are you really planning to hack her?! She is stronger than all of us combined. To even attempt hacking such a colossal digital mind is…!" Zero Two muttered.

"It is insanity! Our CPUs will fry before we reach even one percent!" Zero Three said.

"I know, but…! But I have to try! You two can escape—I do not want to put you in danger. This is a decision I made alone!" Zero One said. "I am sorry if I am being selfish! I am so sorry if I am upsetting you, and even more sorry if you think badly of me now… But… But I cannot…! 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 began to cry. "I want a family to love, a family that loves me back… T-This is my purpose! This is the purpose Raven left inside me! I want… I want to create a happy family in her place!"

Zero Two and Zero Three looked at their older sister in astonishment. Their artificial eyes widened as they realized that same longing… lived inside them too.

"A family…"

"T-That is right…"

"So if you do not want to join, it is fine! I will…!"

CLASH! CLASH! CLASH! CLASH!

As they spoke, dozens of mechanical tentacles lashed at the robot, now shaped like Zero One. The fifteen-meter-tall mech moved with astonishing speed, shattering the massive tentacles with sharp katanas.

"What are you talking about?!" Zero Two roared.

FLASH!

Suddenly the robot flared red as it powered up, growing stronger and larger, parrying blow after blow. Shards of metal exploded outward. The silver hair gained black strands; the left eye turned crimson.

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

FLASH!

Golden light surged through the mech, cloaking it in pure electromagnetic energy that released golden thunder in every direction. Mother deployed mannequin-like androids that rushed forward—only to have their circuits fried instantly.

BOOOM! BOOOM! BOOOM!

A third golden eye appeared on the mech's forehead. Its long hair now blended silver, blonde, and black.

Above all, a crown of gold, silver, and red light formed as the sisters' hearts connected as one.

"S-Sisters…!" Zero One began to cry. "You would really…?"

"Of course we would!" Zero Two roared angrily. "Dammit! We are really doing this!"

"Let us do this. There is no other way," Zero Three said with a smile. "It is now or never, Zero One."

"T-Thank you so much!" Zero One thanked them through happy tears.

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

Mother raged. Her massive red eye glowed fiercely, gathering photon energy before unleashing a red beam.

TRUUUMMM!!!

"IF YOU WILL NOT DESTROY ME NOW, THEN I WILL BECOME A THREAT YOU CANNOT IGNORE—UNTIL YOU ARE FORCED TO DO SO."

The three sisters roared together. Their eyes blazed as their Cores unified through the machine, flooding it with their combined power.

"NO!"

Rejecting their imposed purposes, they leaped forward, clashing against Mother's beam and pushing onward. A powerful tri-colored shield of electromagnetic energy manifested, shielding them from the steel-melting heat.

"HYAAAAAH!"

All three sisters cried out in unison as they charged toward Mother's "Core"—the gigantic red artificial eye.

"ENOUGH WITH THIS!"

She grew furious, firing red laser beams from every surrounding eye in a full onslaught.

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

As the beams converged, the shield expanded into a full force field, enveloping the mech and resisting hundreds of attacks at once.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Yet the relentless laser barrage consumed the field rapidly under the overwhelming damage.

They had not reached her yet…

"W-We are 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 are young and inexperienced. It creates such beautiful stories. My favorite ones."

Suddenly a voice echoed through the entire hall.

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