MDA-01 Sirius 

My name is MDA-01 Sirius. I am a defense-type BOT program avatar made by the Factory.
My mission is to eliminate the unidentified avatars coming from Nemesis.

Nemesis… The dark world that threatens the Metaverse. If left unchecked, the malicious avatars said to come from there will likely devour and destroy everything in this world.

Why would Nemesis attempt to destroy humanity?
Just how much has their influence expanded?

…While such research and investigation are important, my mission is completely different.
Many of these malicious avatars directly harm humanity, and defense avatars like me were created to protect humanity from such beings.

The battles against Nemesis are sometimes extremely fierce. The malicious avatar we fought that day possessed troublesome abilities, forcing my comrades and me into a protracted battle.

"…Sirius! Procyon and I will flank it, so you take it on from the rear."
"No, Capella! If we keep this up, the city will suffer damage! We have no choice but to finish this right here!"
I accelerated suddenly and charged straight at the malicious avatar.

"Sirius!?"
I could hear my comrades’ cries, which sounded almost like screams.
The malicious avatar was startled by the silver knight who suddenly appeared before it. As if seizing a split-second opening, I swung my greatsword, slicing through the enemy’s defensive barrier and shattering its digital form.

The malicious avatar, split in two by my sword, scattered into sparkling particles of light.

"CONFIRMING ENEMY ELIMINATION. SWITCHING TO NORMAL MODE."
The operating system reports the enemy’s elimination.
"Alright! That’s one down!"
"Sirius! Are you okay?"
"…Seriously, you're always doing such reckless things."
"Hey! I’m fine. It’s nothing."

…I’m glad they’re worried about me, but it feels a bit like they’re treating me like a child.
I have to get strong enough soon so I don’t make everyone worry!

Yes… I have to be strong. Stronger than anyone else. There’s a reason I made that resolution.

It was a long time ago… during a mission, Nemesis launched a massive offensive. My comrades and I desperately fought, but… in the end, we couldn’t protect that world.

I gently touch my ear. There, a single earring sparkled.

This is something a certain girl was wearing during that battle.
She was desperately pleading for my help. I reached out with all my might… but I couldn’t quite grasp her hand, and she was swallowed up by Nemesis’s bugs…

I didn’t even know her name, but I haven’t forgotten her expression, filled with despair, for a single day.

"…I’ll get stronger. Absolutely!"

I clenched the earring tightly and stared straight ahead.

So I would never forget the frustration and sadness I felt back then… And so that no more victims like that girl would ever suffer, I will keep fighting.

That day, too, we were fighting a malicious avatar.

"There! Your body’s wide open!!"
As I sliced the malicious avatar in two, my comrades let out sighs that were somewhere between admiration and exasperation.
"Sigh… Sirius is still as headstrong as ever."
"Come on, her skills have really improved lately. It’s not that bad."
"Yeah. You’re right."
"Really!?"
I was genuinely happy to be praised by Procyon and Capella, my seniors in the unit.

"But… you can’t let your guard down. Apparently, a vicious avatar has been running rampant lately."
"What kind of vicious avatar is it?"
"Her true identity is unknown. For convenience, she’s been named Supplice."
"Supplice…"

When I heard that name, a sense of foreboding, as if a drop of black ink had fallen onto my heart, flashed through me,
but the feeling was so faint that I quickly forgot it.

"…No matter how powerful the enemy, we can definitely defeat them!"
…Our power is practically infinite. At that moment, I truly believed that.

Supplice’s rampage was becoming more and more uncontrollable by the day, and finally, we were given the order to eliminate her.

"She’s a formidable foe… make sure you don’t let your guard down."
Even though Capella was a veteran, her expression was unusually grim, and I realized just how difficult this mission would be.
Yes… We certainly weren’t being careless. But…

"…Hehehe. I was looking forward to playing with you Factory elite… What a letdown."
…In our battle against Supplice, we were driven into an overwhelmingly disadvantageous situation.

"…We’re regrouping! All hands, fall back!"
"What!?"
I simply couldn’t bring myself to obey Capella’s order. If we left Supplice alone like this, she would undoubtedly cause further destruction.

"Supplice! I can’t let you escape
from here… Force Reviver!!"
With all my might, I swung my sword down at Supplice… However.

"…Oh, come on. Is that all you’ve got? How disappointing."
"No way… You shattered my sword…!?"
My greatsword, the very symbol of my strength, had been smashed to pieces by Supplice’s ominous, purple-glowing guillotine.

Having had my greatsword, my very symbol, shattered, I lost my bearings.

"How pitiful…… I’ll send you straight back to heaven!"
Feeling the purple guillotine raised before me begin to descend agonizingly slowly, I instinctively closed my eyes. But the impact I had braced myself for never came.
When I opened my eyes, I saw Procyon standing there, having taken the blow with her own body in my place.

"Procyon!? Are you taking my hit!?"
"D-don’t worry about me! Run away quickly!"
"B-but…"
As I struggled to make up my mind to flee, Supplice raised her dull iron sword once more.

"…Such a lovely display of friendship. I’m sure the sight of you falling will be even more beautiful."
"Do you really think you can defeat us so easily…?"
"Capella!"
"You must retreat now! Sirius! Without your weapon, you’re helpless!"

Standing on the battlefield without a weapon, I was nothing but a hindrance… I must not let my emotions get the better of me.
"…I understand! I’ll retreat for now. But you two, make sure you both come back to the Factory, okay!?"

Leaving my comrades in the combat zone, all I could do was flee from there…

…In the end, we lost five comrades in the battle against Supplice.
Neither Procyon nor Capella, who shielded me, ever returned.

Supplice’s rampage continued after that, but the Factory was unable to come up with an effective countermeasure.

(What… have I even been doing all this time? …I felt like I’d gotten a little stronger, but I wasn’t able to protect a single thing. … No, actually, I was just a burden to my comrades……)
(……In the end, maybe there’s nothing I can do. It might be better if I were just deleted as I am……)

The moment I thought that… my earring fell out of my ear and landed in my hand.
"This is…"
The earring seemed to be pleading with me as it sparkled.
Seeing that glow, I suddenly realized.

"…That’s right. I swore to her that I would never give up again. That I would become stronger than anyone else…!
Even if I lose my comrades… I have to become strong enough to make up for them! Otherwise, I’ll lose the very meaning of being protected by them!"

I clenched the earring tightly and stood up.

"…Please! I want to be upgraded!"
The researchers at the Factory seemed unable to hide their surprise at my sudden request.

"Even if you want an upgrade… There aren’t any resources anywhere that could enhance you."
"No. I’ve heard that the resources from my fallen comrades were later recovered. They should be compatible with me, since I’m the same model!"
"But… Sirius, even if we evolve the current design philosophy, I doubt we could defeat that Supplice…"
"…There is a way. Supplice’s offensive power is certainly a threat… but analysis shows that its defensive capabilities are correspondingly low.
Therefore, if we disable defensive functions and specialize in offense and mobility, I believe we can defeat her."

The researchers murmured in response to my proposal.
"…That might be true in theory. But… that’s only if it succeeds. If the modification fails, who knows what will happen to you?"
"…I’m fully prepared for that. I beg you. So that I can remain myself… please, perform the upgrade!"

The modification, which defies the original design philosophy, is a massive undertaking that involves slicing my data into pieces and then reconstructing it.
My senses are severed one by one, sinking into pain…

"Consciousness level dropping… Sirius. As we feared, modifications that exceed the design philosophy are impossible… Abort it…"
"I’m fine…! P-please… keep going!"

Yes, no matter how much my senses screamed in agony, my spirit remained unbroken.
(…This time, I’ll protect everything! I won’t let everyone’s feelings… go to waste! Please, lend me your strength!!)

"Sirius, consciousness level rising! Accelerate reconstruction!"
As my senses returned one by one, I slowly opened my eyes and realized that my body was imbued with astonishing strength.

"Mental model activated normally… Scan beginning… Complete."
"MDA-01 Sirius, upgrade successful!"

My lost comrades haven’t disappeared. I can feel with my new heart and body that they are with me.

Just then, an emergency alarm blared through the Factory.
"Nemesis Unit, confirmed appearance of Supplice… Coordinates are…"
"Supplice… so you’ve appeared! I’m heading there right away!"

I would settle every battle and break the chain of sorrow!

To that end, I set out for Supplice. 

After being transported to the world where Supplice had appeared, I felt a strange sensation.
(So that’s it… this place bears a striking resemblance to the world where that girl was!)
As if drawn by some force, I found myself naturally heading toward the sea.

"What a beautiful sunset. It’s like the last light remaining, trying to shine as brightly as possible before the world comes to an end…"
"Supplice…"

Supplice turned to face me, her expression softening into a gentle smile that almost seemed compassionate.
"Do you really think a broken doll like you could defeat me? Well, never mind… Words have long since lost their meaning…"

"For the sake of my fallen comrades, I’ll defeat you right here!"
Amid the sunset that seemed to dye the entire sky crimson, our final battle began.

"Ahahaha! Excellent! You’re very good! It looks like you’ll finally satisfy me this time!"
"My… and my comrades' feelings…! I won’t let them go to waste!"

Supplice’s sharp strike grazed my side and arm, but I couldn’t let fear get the better of me.
…I have to stop her here, no matter what!

"Right here! With one hit!! Take thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis!!!!"

My all-out strike shattered Supplice’s dull iron sword into pieces, successfully dealing a fatal blow to the data that composed her.

"Oh my, you’re strong… I didn’t think you could defeat me. But… you’ve given me plenty of fun… That’s enough…"
With a voice laced with static, Supplice laughed. Her body gradually turned into particles of light, scattering a golden glow into the setting sun.

In her final moment… just as she was about to become a fragment of light, Supplice gave me a pure smile, completely different from any she had shown before.
"Th…ank…you… An... gel… Now I... can finally… go… to… Mom…"
"…Huh?"

I was about to ask what those faintly heard words meant, but she, now reduced to particles of light, had already vanished into the crimson-tinged sky.
Perhaps unable to withstand the impact of the fierce battle, my earring had also shattered without me noticing…

"…Supplice, the messenger of destruction from Nemesis. But perhaps she was…?"
I looked up and realized the sun had completely set; stars were beginning to twinkle in the sky. Spotting one that shone particularly brightly, I quietly closed my eyes.

"May peace come to all the lives lost in this battle…"
As if in response to my prayer, the star continued to twinkle gently, endlessly.