My name is... II

After assuming control of the Blackaquila, Sora's arms moved as if on their own, activating the various terminals and buttons in the cockpit. He utilized the advanced scanners of the ship to trace the traces left by the heavy trailer.

Once located, he projected the traces onto the smart screen of the ship with a hand gesture before launching himself after them. After breaking the sound barrier several times, Sora gripped the engine power lever, halting the ship in mid-air upon sighting his target.

Immediately, he reversed the lever, and the new engines of the Blackaquila roared, plunging the ship towards the trailer like a bird of prey in full pursuit.

However, in the midst of the descent, the alarms of the ship began to sound frantically. Sora, connected to all the ship's cameras, slowed his perception of time and raised his gaze to the night sky, which had taken on an unsettling reddish hue.

Taking heed of his mother's warning, Sora altered course, narrowly escaping being engulfed by a gigantic red light descending from the sky, followed by a deafening roar upon impact with the ground, carbonizing everything in its path as it moved in pursuit of the ship.

Managing to graze the tail, which was damaged with smoke billowing from it, before the rest of the ship could be consumed, the twin engines roared once more, regaining the lost speed after changing trajectory, allowing the Blackaquila to steer clear of the perilous Izanagi.

Next, a ripple in the armor reached the tail, and the mobilized nanobots reconstructed it instantly.

As the light behind him dispersed and night returned to the area, Sora halted the ship, hovering in the air, and surveyed the sky where the Izanagi had been fired. The ship's intelligent screen continuously zoomed until, beyond Earth's orbit, a black space installation appeared on screen. The same installation from which the metal behemoths had been launched.

Constructed upon a colossal cannon composed of countless gigantic lenses arranged one after another, easily discernible by how its barrel still glowed with a reddish hue. Drawing from his experience with similar weapons, such as the one integrated into his arm, Sora surmised that a laser shot of such magnitude and duration would require some time to recharge.

Putting his theory to the test, he once again surged toward Yorinubo's small convoy.

However, before he could get too close, the Izanagi fired again, this time with a much smaller yet equally devastating beam that approached the ship head-on. Sora maneuvered deftly, spinning the twin engines and flipping the ship to evade it, maintaining his advance toward the convoy.

To his surprise, the Izanagi didn't cease its barrage, unleashing increasingly thin but relentless bursts that besieged the ship without respite, gouging and scorching the ground.

By forcing the twin engines, which spun in all directions and moved chaotically on their own, the ship managed to alter its propulsion angle, enabling it to come to a sudden halt, pivot on itself, and execute abrupt dashes that expelled fiery blasts from the engines.

Despite all these maneuvers chained one after another, allowing the ship to gracefully navigate through the storm of red lightning bolts hurtling towards it. The Blackaquila could barely keep pace with Sora's eyes, which moved even faster, recognizing each incoming attack and anticipating its trajectory.

This discrepancy meant that, despite identifying and anticipating each incoming beam of red light, many grazed the ship, effortlessly penetrating its armor and accruing minor damages that gradually depleted the nanobots.

Reaching a point where Sora was forced to halt and turn around when his field of vision was completely filled with a rain of fine and swift beams of red light, without a single gap to dodge through.

The Izanagi ceased its attack the moment the Blackaquila turned around. Causing Sora, still believing that a weapon like that couldn't continuously fire, to want to try again. 

However, instead, he took a breath and decided to test his new invention and engines for the first time.

Lifting the nose of the ship, he shot off into the dark night sky, in the same trajectory where the Izanagi was. Needing to be sure of their efficiency if he wanted to use them to set foot on Night City again.

At the same time, now that the media Avs had caught up, which, as they approached, could only transmit from afar the terrifying power of the Izanagi, capable of dyeing the horizon red. The only thing they could capture with their cameras upon arrival was how the Blackaquila ascended at full speed, escaping their reach as it exited the atmosphere.

- 

A few minutes after Smasher crashed onto Iron Beast's headquarters.

On the East Coast, in Washington DC.

In the most secure building in all of the New United States, which had been handed over by the government to its primary private contractor after the third corporate war, lay the main headquarters of the corporation tasked with defending the country: Militech.

In one of the safest underground levels of the Pentagon, a person entered the private workshop of the president's daughter. Despite orders barring anyone from entering, this person held the same power and title as her.

"Tristana, you have to see this," the person said upon entering, as if it were nothing.

Tristana, busy working on the project her mother had specifically ordered her to abandon, rebuilding the Blackaquila from scratch, replied, "What do you want now, Andrew?"

Seeing her strangely disobey her mother's orders, with him usually being the 'rebellious son,' Andrew said, "Are you still on that? I don't understand why you're being so stubborn."

Tristana, upon rising from the ground, stared fixedly at her brother with her empty black eyes, causing him discomfort until he looked away, then she said, "You ask me that after you got me into this?"

"What do you want me to say? I still think that if everything had gone well and Mother had found out the truth after you fixed the ship's flaws, she would have easily forgiven us... I'm one of those who believe... that no matter how much you mess up. If once you expose the world to the results, they're good enough, everything is easily forgivable," Andrew said, shrugging as he shared his understanding of the corporate world, not being the only one who thought so.

"Whatever you say... Why are you here?" Tristana retorted.

"Do you remember the hot CEO of Iron Beast we met at the gala and her annoying mercenary who spilled the beans to General Lee about where I got the Blackaquila?" Andrew said, unable to prevent his voice from changing when referring to the mercenary.

"Yes, of course," Tristana replied, recalling the CEO of the company whose advances in holographic technology they integrated into the Blackaquila. And about the mercenary... when Tristana thought of him, the image of a shameless thief dressed in black with a hood and tactical poncho briefly flashed in her mind.

This made her shake her head as she didn't have enough evidence to back up her suspicions. Ignoring her sister's peculiarities, Andrew continued, "He's being attacked by Smasher himself as we speak."

Surprised by the news, Tristana activated a holographic screen in her workshop, with the two siblings watching the N54's coverage of the news, with a young journalist with spiked hair narrating the events as best he could.

After several minutes where the siblings were repeatedly shocked by how the conflict escalated, when the Arasaka Tower was partially destroyed, and the Mercenary called for his ship...

"THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Andrew shouted, rising from his seat and pointing in dismay at the image of the Blackaquila on the screen, "We need to call Mother, get Militech to join Arasaka, and put an end to that mercenary right now!"

While her brother got carried away, Tristana, after her suspicions had been confirmed, let slip, "So it really was him."

Hearing this from his sister, Andrew inquired, surprised, "You... knew?"

"I suspected, but I had no proof, and as for telling Mother to join in to take him down... I don't think it's necessary," Tristana replied, sitting with her legs crossed, nodding towards the screen where about fifty Arasaka fighters and AVs were approaching.

"Tch, I hope he's at least able to take down a few of Arasaka's Tengus before they destroy him..." her brother added, annoyed.

A few seconds later...

As the Tengus and AVs began to fall from the sky one after another... "This is... IMPOSSIBLE!" This time it was Tristana who stood up in surprise and pointed at the screen at the literally impossible performance of the Blackaquila she knew.

Tristana turned towards the half-built frame in her workshop, gritting her teeth in frustration. She worked on it solely, defying her mother's orders, driven by her wounded pride as an engineer, stung by the thief's mockery, promising to fix the flaws in the ship that she couldn't...

"What are you talking about?" her distracted brother said, seizing the opportunity presented before him without hesitation.

Seeing her brother suspiciously typing on a pad, Tristana calmed herself and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Me? I'm just messaging a friend I made in Night City. Did I tell you about her, right? Quite charming, she came to interview me during the time I spent hospitalized at the Medical Center, after the Mercenary's vicious attack in my apartment."

"For God's sake, you only had a little cut on your head and were discharged the same day!" Tristana exclaimed, impatient with her brother's victimhood.

"With that attitude, you'll never get a boyfriend, sister... Besides, I'm just sending her a quick message, nothing more," Andrew replied. Shortly after sending the message, on the screen, Tristana could see how the presenter's eyes lit up upon receiving a message on her ID, from someone important enough to bypass the filter activated by Gillean when she went live.

After reading it, the blonde presenter from N54 turned to the camera and announced: ["According to a reliable source just confirmed to me, it seems that the ship used by the mercenary is an experimental Militech vessel... loaned to the Iron Beast corporation. That explains the quality of the ship you see on your screens, capable of taking on a whole Arasaka fighter squadron alone. Undoubtedly, an incredible advancement by Militech!"]

Faced with the blatant advertising the presenter was doing in the middle of the battle, Tristana looked at her shameless brother, who replied, "What? I'm not stupid, I didn't say he stole it, I said we 'loaned' it. So there won't be any problem, and if there is, just look at Militech's stocks."

Tristana didn't have to look far to verify it, she simply glanced down at the corporate interface of her ID, seeing how Militech's stocks began to rise before her eyes.

She had to acknowledge her brother's flickering brilliance, capable of leveraging a situation like this to his advantage. Knowing that the loss of stocks was one of the things that angered their mother the most.

Minutes after the aerial battle ended, when the hologram of his mother appeared leading the joint forces of the other corporations.

"Ho!!, screw you mercenary, your game's up!" Andrew said as the hologram of General Lee was replaced by that of his mother.

"I thought you were cheering him on," Tristana replied to her brother's change, who began to cheer every fighter and AV that were shot down by the Mercenary.

"I was, when his use of the Blackaquila to destroy Arasaka's fighters drove Militech's stocks up, but now that things have ended with Saburo and Mother's arrival, I couldn't care less... look, it seems he still hasn't lost his mind and surrendered," Andrew commented as the images showed the Mercenary being handcuffed.

Now that things seemed to have been resolved, Tristana, her gaze fixed on Saburo's metal samurais, said, "I wonder if Mother would let me start a project to design colossi like Arasaka's."

In response to her sister's peculiar idea, Andrew replied, "They'd have to be lore-friendly with the country's history... perhaps you could make a metal Minuteman, what do you think? Or a cowboy?"

"I don't know if you're laughing at me or giving me ideas," she said, genuinely unsure.

Giving her another clue as to which of the two it was, he added, "How about a giant Apache with a laser tomahawk?"

"Got it, you're laughing at me..." Tristana replied, crossing her arms as she averted her gaze from her brother.

Unable to resist, he continued, "No, I'm serious, think about it. Besides the cultural appropriation that could be a marketing problem, it would strike fear into the hearts of our, um, enemies... hahahaha."

His laughter prompted Tristana to call him a "jackass."

Suddenly, something occurred that silenced both siblings, rendering them speechless, akin to the journalists, as Arasaka forces opened fire, with one of the colossi bearing down on Militech forces

A few seconds later, as the bulk of both sides lay crippled, rendering it impossible for them to continue their pursuit, the cameras captured the Mercenary walking away, while troops from both sides continued to massacre each other, and climbed back into the Blackaquila, which swiftly departed the area

Shortly after the Blackaquila vanished from the news footage, alarms began blaring throughout all levels of the Pentagon.

When the DEFCON level was lowered to DEFCON 2 due to a serious and credible threat of imminent war, in that level the armed forces were ordered to be ready to mobilize at a moment's notice.

Triggered by the activation of a weapon in orbit by an enemy corporation towards American territory. Simultaneously, from the media Avs tracking the Blackaquila's trail, it was broadcasted how the horizon turned red before a flash of red light fell from the sky.

This phenomenon repeated several times until the Avs finally caught up. Upon arrival, they could only capture the scorched earth and the Blackaquila rising into the night sky like a black arrow.

Guessing what the Mercenary was about to do, Tristana exclaimed "No-no, it can't be!"

"What's happening?" Andrew asked, intrigued by Tristana's tone.

"he's going to try to leave orbit..." she explained.

"it cant..." Andrew paused, realizing he was about to repeat the same words as his sister. Instead, he added directly, "With the amount of time the ship has been in flight, it shouldn't have enough fuel... When we finally got it, the test pilot nearly crashed because there wasn't enough left to stop the ship on reentry."

When the Blackaquila was no longer visible on the in the images broadcasted by the media Av, Tristana abruptly rushed to a terminal in her workshop.

After a few seconds of typing, the images on the holographic screen shifted to a view of Earth from orbit. They continued to change until she located Militech's weather satellite passing over the west coast. Given the DEFCON level, Tristana couldn't think of any other type of satellite that could be free.

She continued typing to zoom in on the image until she found the same black arrow that was fired from the outskirts of Night City, now transformed into a meteor.

Engulfed by flickering and violent red/yellow flames around the forefront of the ship as it soared rapidly out of Earth's atmosphere, contrasting with its twin engines releasing a stable and striking blue trail of ionized plasma in the opposite direction leaving behind small silver particles that shimmered as they dispersed behind the ship.

As Tristana beheld the spectacular sight, goosebumps prickled her skin. Finding beauty in the world had always been a constant challenge for her since childhood. Ironically, she found it in the thing that surrounded her most, in Technology, especially in its design.

Finding beauty in the way different components come together and complement each other, eventually covered by a functional and beautiful design that honors those very parts working stoically without anyone seeing or appreciating them, creating a harmonious and functional union.

And that very definition materialized in the image of the black ship defying the oppressive embrace of Earth's gravity, prompting a whisper to escape Tristana's lips, "Beautiful," as she became entranced while gazing at the screen.

Until, without warning, the ship accelerated even faster, leaving the plane of the weather satellite aimed at Earth. As it disappeared, Tristana snapped back to reality, quickly typing away, causing the Militech Weather Satellite to pivot, turning its camera towards space.

Her satisfaction lasted for a few seconds as she regained sight of the Black Eagle piercing through the atmosphere. However, being a simple weather satellite without sophisticated spy lenses, Tristana's satisfaction was short-lived as the ship began to drift away.

Not content with watching what would be a black pixel on a black background in a few seconds, Tristana couldn't allow it and made an "impulsive" decision. Seeing her sister typing intensely on the terminal again, Andrew asked accusingly, "What are you doing?"

Tristana responded like an addict unable to control herself, saying, "We-we can't lose it!" Using those few words to try to explain what she was about to do, as she pressed the 'enter' key without hesitation. This action caused the satellite to exhaust all its fuel to propel itself out of stable orbit, heading into space following the Blackaquila.

Andrew, thinking that 'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,' grabbed his pad, sighed and said; "Ahmm... since that satellite is going to end up lost in space, create a transmission link, I'll pass it on to my contact. Maybe its sacrifice could help the stocks rise again, and then mother won't be as upset.

Grateful not to bear the full burden of guilt, Tristana replied, "Okay," while creating and sending him a link. Just seconds after Andrew sent his message, N54 exclusively broadcasted images from a weather satellite embarking on its long space journey, capturing footage of a black ship swiftly propelling towards an imposing Arasaka station.

The Izanagi space station stood as a marvel of technological artistry in the vacuum of space. Shaped cylindrically, the station was built around an experimental laser cannon, which occupied nearly the entire base, surrounded by hundreds of large lenses arranged in a stepped series, each focused to channel and amplify the weapon's destructive power.

Forced to construct a belt around the weapon's structure, providing support and housing various facilities. Two gigantic wings of rectangular solar panels emerged from the belt of the base, supplying power to the imposing and graceful station.

Since the ship had not yet entered the range of its numerous turrets, the Arasaka station fired hundreds of missiles from the periphery of the cylindrical formation of the station, propelling towards the lone black ship.

Despite lacking ammunition to defend himself, the Blackaquila continued propelling straight ahead, heading directly towards the hundreds of missiles coming its way. However, just as they were about to impact, the twin engines of the ship shimmered intensely.

Releasing a small plasma condensation that boosted the ship's speed enough to outpace the missiles that converged behind him. Broadcasting through the trailing weather satellite, as the missiles exploded behind the unstoppable vessel, which continued its approach

"Heh" Andrew chuckled, raising a glass in celebration, watching Militech's stock rise with each feat the "Militech" vessel achieved.

As if knowing his intentions, thousands of kilometers away while piloting, live on the images broadcasted by the satellite, all could clearly see the white Iron Beast symbol appearing on the new engines of the Blackaquila.

On his part, Andrew, somewhat reciprocal and fully aware of the Mercenary's shameless promotional move, screamed again at what should have been solely Militech's advertisement "THAT SON OF A BITCH!"

-

Moments after Sora marked the engines with the Iron Beast symbol.

Without a single bullet, but having all the weapons he needed chasing him, the Blackaquila approached at full speed towards the Izanagi station. Which did not hesitate to defend itself by deploying all turrets in line of fire with the ship. 

Without a single bullet, yet with all the necessary armaments chasing him, the Blackaquila hurtled toward the Izanagi station at full thrusters. The station wasted no time defending itself, unleashing all turrets within firing range at the ship.

The Blackaquila showcased extraordinary maneuverability in the vacuum, capitalizing on momentum conservation to spin on itself, and the mobility of its engines to continuously shift trajectory, evading the relentless barrage of bullets from each turret.

Yet, such agility came at a cost: Sora had to endure the inhuman G-forces that crushed his body and organs, intensified by the multitude of attacks, eventually leading to bone fractures.

To counteract the crushing G-force, Sora utilized nanobots to fill the hollow parts of his body, such as the stomach and lungs, while also forcing his heart to keep pumping, by force.

Under these extreme circumstances, he continued to orbit around the station, dodging turret fire until he finished studying it.

Once he found what he was looking for, despite the intense turret fire destroying a few dozen, with over 60 missiles still tailing him, the Blackaquila dove towards the installation. Passing so close in certain parts that the outer part of the cabin scraped the installation's armor.

As a result, the missiles following him collided and exploded against certain parts of the same installation that had fired them. Sora repeated this process several times, causing no significant overall damage to the immense space station... but....

This resulted in lights in different sectors flickering and failing, while some of the turrets ceased firing as they ran out of power. By destroying the electrical infrastructure nodes scattered throughout the station. Relatively exposed, due to the large size of its maine weapon occupying the most protected part of the station.

Which, to Sora, with his eyes blackened beneath his helmet, capable of seeing the electromagnetic spectrum, these same nodes shone intensely under his gaze, resembling a striking accumulation of electricity branching out like veins of light covering the entire station to manage its energy.

After destroying most of the nodes, with only 20 missiles left, the Blackaquila headed towards one of the gigantic solar wings. Passing close to the thick metallic arm connecting it to the station, before swiftly changing course, putting itself in the path of the missiles trailing behind.

Generating hundreds of fragments that were propelled in all directions, after a dozen missiles impacted against it. Before the damaged arm gave way, eventually releasing the gigantic solar wing adrift in space.

Immediately after, the few remaining turrets ceased movement. After confirming that the station's main weapon was disabled, Sora wasted no time and... turned the ship around.

Upon doing so, he encountered a small weather satellite bidding farewell, beginning its long journey through space, transmitting as the unstoppable Blackaquila returned to Earth after disabling the space station.

As he began to approach Earth, it filled the intelligent screen of the cabin like a beautiful blue gem shining in contrast to the darkness it was suspended in.

Under different circumstances, Sora, being the first time he had seen it outside of the simulations, or even Arc, would have enjoyed the beauty of the blue planet's vista. However, at present, he remained completely focused, taking control of the missiles pursuing him, while mentally calculating a millimetric reentry for them before they ran out of fuel.

-

[96%]

That was the percentage displayed on a small part of the screens inside the Trailer, speeding as fast as it could through the arid terrain of the Badlands.

Only the passionate Dr. Hellman kept his eyes on them and the reading process, endeavoring to learn as much as he could, without even paying attention to the "tense" atmosphere that prevailed among the rest of the scientific personnel, security, and even Yorinobu inside the trailer.

After witnessing the shocking events broadcasted on the rest of the screens, one part showed exclusive images of the N54, while the others projected captures from various Arasaka spy satellites.

Allowing them to watch from different angle, how the "deranged" Mercenary who was pursuing them, left the planet to disable the space station, which until now had kept them out of his reach. Due to the different angles, it became even more difficult to try to rationalize or dismiss what they saw as a setup or some elaborate lie, as they wished it would be.

Realizing the mistake they made in attacking the small company, as if they had stormed and destroyed the lair of an "Iron Beast" that should not have been disturbed. Especially Yorinobu, unable to halt his nervous pacing inside the trailer

When Yorinobu was about to request an update from the Captain, who was at the helm of the trailer-towing truck, alarms erupted frenetically. The screens inside the trailer abruptly shifted, displaying the images captured by the container's motion cameras, showing a dozen unidentified objects engulfed in flames like meteors falling from the sky.

The first one landed near the moving convoy, triggering an explosion that shook the trailer and all its occupants, causing Hellman to curse in Swedish as he kept Smasher's head connected to dozens of cables and tubes within the reader.

With each subsequent fall, the ensuing explosions occurred closer to the convoy. Until the ninth one... engulfed one of the escort vehicles, and the tenth and final Arasaka missile, falling from orbit without fuel or any form of guidance, like a stone thrown thousands of kilometers away, struck directly in front of the truck.

The Captain, gripped by panic, executed a desperate maneuver to avoid the collision, saving the truck and trailer from direct impact but not from the inevitable explosion that followed. Due to the maneuver, the trailer took the worst part of the shockwave..

Sending it flying over the cab of the truck, which, tightly attached to it, was also dragged along with the trailer. Upon impact, it continued spinning relentlessly like a violent whirlwind of twisting metal until it finally came to a halt with a dull thud against the ground.

A few seconds later, Yorinobu, dazed but mostly unscathed except for a wounded leg, struggled to rise. As he straightened up, he surveyed the ruined interior of the trailer: screens and equipment shattered and strewn across the roof turned floor. The scientific staff lay injured, victims of the violent impact, along with his unconscious bodyguard, overcome by the force of the crash.

Upon getting to his feet, Yorinobu noticed Hellman, relatively unharmed save for some cuts on his face, also getting up. Without sparing him a glance, Anders hurried towards the overturned terminal, connected to the reader and Smasher's severed head, suspended by cables without touching the ground. On the damaged screens surrounding it, only a flickering [98%] could barely be distinguished.

As smoke began to billow from the small fires that had erupted, Yorinobu crawled over the overturned equipment towards the trailer's emergency exit. Upon emerging, he tumbled to the ground due to the tilt of the overturned trailer, feeling the sharp pain of his injured leg.

On the ground, Yorinobu lifted his head at the sound of a roaring aircraft coming to a halt in the air, only to see a black blur plummeting rapidly from it the next instant, before losing sight of it amidst the cloud generated by its inverted engines.

Suddenly, someone seized Yorinobu's arm, startling him until he saw one of his soldiers attempting to help him up. Upon rising, driven by the survival instinct that had been screaming at him since he saw the black blur fall from the aircraft, Yorinobu grabbed the soldier who had aided him and positioned him in front, using him as a shield.

This caused the bullet intended for his head to pierce through the startled soldier's skull instead, splattering Yorinobu's face with his blood. Prompting him to take a step back and fall once more due to his injured leg.

In the next moment, Yorinobu desperately tried to crawl away from the red eyes glaring at him, finally within his reach, from the dust cloud. Only to then witness the mercenary emerging from it, beginning to squeeze the trigger of his silver Malorian aimed at his terrified face.

- 

A few moments earlier, in the Afterlife alley, suddenly...

Four unconscious individuals jerked upright, shouting in unison, "NITROGEN!" Their outburst caught the Mercenaries in the small makeshift camp off guard, leaving them staring in surprise at the sudden commotion.

Before dismissing them, the Mercenaries redirected their expectant gazes towards one of the less deteriorated facades of the alley, where a large screen broadcasted the N54 channel signal.

Following the exclusive footage, where the ship disappeared upon returning to Earth, the news broadcast live several shots of the night sky around Night City, anticipating any changes.

The mercenaries couldn't tear their eyes away from the screen, eagerly awaiting his arrival. They even scanned the sky from time to time, hoping to catch a glimpse of his reentry.

As they still grappled with processing everything that had happened, absorbing each moment, aware that they were witnessing a moment that would go down in history, one they would recount time and time again, vying for who could tell it better.

Having borne witness to the birth of a legend, an army of one man that swept through everything in his path, unstoppable whether it was Smasher in massive power armor, Arasaka and all its troops, the damn government, Militech, the other corporations, or even Saburo Arasaka himself, firing an orbital weapon at him...

If necessary, he would leave the damn planet, to disable an entire damn space station, all to continue hunting down those responsible for the attack on his couple, still unconscious in the same spot where she fell.

Protected by none other than Morgan Blackhand himself and his companion, whom the mercenaries nicknamed "She-Smasher" for obvious reasons.

While most of the mercenaries weren't experts in aerial or space vehicles, as they didn't usually use them, some of them were tech geeks enough to explain to their peers the unreal performance of Okami's ship. Capable of maneuvering with equal freedom through the sky and space, something no other ship on the market or in experimental stages had achieved with such efficiency.

After the chilly reception from their comrades upon regaining consciousness, the four still sat confused on the ground. They had the uncomfortable feeling of forgetting something important, which they were unable to clarify in their minds, as if trying to remember a blurred dream.

As they tried to recall, three women approached them, with the one in the middle taking the lead, saying, "So, you've finally woken up?"

Maine turned to "Rogue? What hap—" Before he could finish, Rebecca interrupted, asking the same question, "What happened!? And why are those idiots ignoring us?" She exclaimed, pointing at the small group of surviving mercenaries who were gazing at the screen like children.

Rogue smiled faintly as she saw them all right and responded resignedly, "I can't blame them, after the spectacle your 'boss' is putting on."

"What happened?" Dorio asked, as she and the others staggered to their feet.

"Many things..." Lucy replied, unable to hide the worry on her face. Accompanied by Kiwi, who, after witnessing Okami's acts, couldn't be more grateful to Lucy and her survival instinct for convincing her.

"He... after you all passed out-" Lucy had to pause as a couple of mercenaries scrutinizing the sky exclaimed, "OH, SHIT!" "LOOK AT THAT!" upon spotting a dozen flaming meteors shining in the dark sky above Night City.

With all the mercenaries gazing excitedly at the sky, Well, almost all mercenaries were, one of them asked, "Is it him?"

"Who else could it be!" another replied.

This prompted a question to arise in the euphoric group, "Do you think he'll really do it... take down an Arasaka?" As the live images on N54 shifted to a closer shot, with the AV Eddie broadcasting, flying at full speed following the Blackaquila's re-entry.

"Who knows... he certainly tried before, when he shot Yorinobu as soon as he saw him," another mercenary in the group replied, able to enjoy the events broadcasted after not pissing off the unstoppable protagonist of the night by rejecting Faraday's job offer.

In contrast to their pale former comrades, who had accepted the job and were now detained, trembling on their knees, unable to be more terrified by what they had witnessed on the news.

Seeing the mercenary they had betrayed, attacking their girlfriend, ready to kill an Arasaka for revenge... Causing the question 'What would he do to them?' to fester and infect their minds.

"Damn, if he really takes down an Arasaka..." said one of the mercenaries with as much anticipation as fear, preferring to avoid the scenario that appeared in his mind. Others of his comrades, without the same reservations, concluded for him "Most likely, another war would arise..."

The mere mention of this scenario provoked a tense silence until one of them said, "I don't give a fuck! We'd surely earn more Eddies in war... Come on, OKAMI, KILL HIM!"

This spurred the rest to follow suit, cheering: "KILL HIM! OKAMI!"

Listening to the mercenaries' irresponsible and perilous remarks, knowing they wouldn't bear the consequences, Maine, Pilar, Dorio, and Rebecca snapped their eyes open in surprise. The sudden mention of a new war acted as a trigger, unlocking the message they had received through their Sandevistan's AIs

The AIs from their Sandevistan, after repairing the damage caused by themselves in their host's bodies, following infection by the red code through the connection they shared with Sora, delivered a message from her to them before departing their bodies once again.

Returning to her body, where, once "he" took control of the code, instructed them to go assist her in the search and analysis. And now that they had found what they were looking for, "she" still needed their help

The four turned towards Judy, lying in the same spot where she had fallen. Despite Rogue and Morgan's attempts to move her, they were rebuffed in every effort by Judy, or rather her body, which seemed to move on its own, refusing to budge. After understanding her message, the four shouted again: "Nitrogen!"

"What the hell is wrong with them?" Kiwi asked, bewildered by they behavior.

With no time to spare, Pilar turned to Rogue and exclaimed, "We need liquid nitrogen!"

Hearing the commotion caused by the group, Morgan left her companion guarding Judy and approached, inquiring, "Why?"

Rebecca turned to him and said solemnly, "To prevent Judy's damaged embryo from deteriorating further... If we manage to send a message to the father, informing him that we've stabilized the remains of his child, perhaps, we can calm him enough to prevent him from doing something insane that could start a war." Reflecting the sadness in her tone as she understood what had happened to her friends... and to they unborn child.

Upon hearing the shocking revelation...

Lucy, though already suspicious, upon discovering the truth, said, "She was pregnant..." Unable to continue, she covered her face with her hands, before shaking it to rid herself of the sorrow and focus on what she could do to help. This led her to rush off in search of nitrogen from the Netrunners' gurneys within the Bar, as well as to find a way to get in touch with "him".

While Rogue, gazing at the unconscious Judy, sighed heavily before saying with pain "Oh... girl."

The mercenaries who had betrayed her feared for their lives as they saw how Rogue stared at them, having to repeat in her mind, like a mantra, 'It's not you who should deal with them... It's not you who should deal with them...' to restrain herself from being the one to kill them.

Meanwhile, Morgan looked up at the sky where meteors shimmered, and, knowing the feeling of losing a child, lamented, "Kid..."

The euphoric group of mercenaries, upon hearing the news, exclaimed, "Okami was going to be a father?!" Pointing at the black ship engulfed in flames, followed by a dozen missiles, they expressed their disbelief, adding, "That guy?!"

After an obvious silence when no one responded to them, a mercenary among the group said, "I... really don't want another war to start."

Making it easier for the rest to say, "Me neither, honestly." "Nor do I."

Prompting complaints from the more reckless faction, "Tch, bunch of wimps."

Shortly after, Lucy appeared running up the stairs of the Afterlife, carrying a small nitrogen canister in one hand and her helmet in the other.

As she reached Judy lying on the ground, Lucy, holding the canister, asked, "What do we do now?"

Morgan, having "struggled" several times with the unconscious Judy while trying to move her, simply said, "Bring the canister closer to her."

As the canister passed over Judy's body, the lenses of her helmet lit up simultaneously as her arms moved to tightly embrace the canister before becoming motionless in a fetal position.

Slightly disappointed, expecting something more, Pilar asked, confused, "Is that what was supposed to happen?"

As soon as they opened their mouths, the canister began to be covered by a black substance, which made all four of them remember the substance of the same color from the bath they took to install their Sandevistan. While Morgan and her companion couldn't take their eyes off the mysterious substance.

When the canister was completely covered, an opening unfolded from Judy's helmet, revealing a white chip that seemed to be waiting for someone to take it.

After the obvious change, Rebecca looked at her brother and said, "It's obvious, isn't it?" causing him to roll his eyes as he extended his long arms unabashedly to take the white chip. Just before he could touch it, his hand was sent flying in the opposite direction by a violent swat from Dorio.

"That hurts, damn it!" Pilar said, feigning pain as he caressed him metallic hand, before adding, opening both hands towards the chip, "So what the hell does that mean, another message?"

"Probably, but not for you, idiot," Maine replied, before asking aloud, "Well now, how do we contact him?"

Before they could decide who would take it and how to inform 'him', a commotion among the mercenaries watching the news made the group turn towards the screen. There, they watched as the Blackaquila, after its re-entry, reversed its engines, allowing the missiles behind it, take the lead.

Plummeting toward the same area where Yorinobu's small convoy was heading, impacting like an explosive rain, until the last missile hit in front of the truck, forcing it to swerve. The ensuing explosion sent the trailer where they saw Yorinobu flee flying until it crashed in a violent accident.

"If he hasn't already taken him out... Whatever you're thinking to contact him, I hope it's fast," Rogue said, turning towards the chip, waiting to be picked up.

"Should we try calling him on the IDn?" Pilar asked, not knowing what else to say other than the obvious.

Causing his sister to rhetorically ask, knowing the answer, "Are you dumb? Do you think his IDn is working?"

Pressing her helmet, Lucy firmly grasped the chip without anyone stopping her and said, "I-I can do it!"

As the Blackaquila was broadcasted soaring over the area, it plummeted the moment Yorinobu, wounded, emerged from the overturned trailer. Morgan turned to Lucy and urged her seriously, "Hurry up."

Lucy, visibly nervous under the watchful gaze of the Queen of the Afterlife, Morgan Blackhand, Maine's group, and the rest of the present mercenaries, responded hesitantly, "Y-yes," before sitting cross-legged and inserting the white chip into the slot on her helmet after putting it on.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group turned towards the screen, Where the Blackaquila broadcasted soaring over the area, it suddenly plummeted the moment Yorinobu, wounded, emerged from the overturned trailer.

Then a black blur fall from the ship and vanish into the dust cloud raised by the Blackaquila's inverted engines. At the same time, from outside the cloud, they clearly witnessed Yorinobu, cowardly, placing the soldier who had helped him in front of him, only for his head to be blown off seconds later on live feed.

Seeing how Sora wasn't going to stop to talk, emerging from the dust cloud with the barrel of his silver Malorian aimed at Yorinobu's panicked face... Morgan exclaimed with clear nervousness in his voice, "Girl, hurry up!" 

"That's what I'm trying..." Lucy responded with difficulty, following the connection her helmet shared with Sora's destroyed cyberspace, where now there was only a massive mass of red code floating shapelessly in cyberspace, compacted from its core, preventing it from infecting the rest of the network.

Lucy didn't hesitate and attempted to make her way through the unsettling red code, written in a language she couldn't read, despite having a basic understanding of over the 1000 actual compiled languages. Although the dangerous sensation it transmitted was palpable, almost like a Daemon, touching it did nothing to her; however, when she tried to pass through it, the code resisted.

Just when Lucy thought time was running out, the chip she carried suddenly activated. From it emerged a nude feminine figure, formed from a radiant violet code, by the same incomprehensible language. The figure turned towards Lucy in a silent gesture of gratitude for bringing the link inside the chip here.

Confused by the striking resemblance, Lucy asked hesitantly, "Judy?"

The figure ignored her, directing her attention to the sea of red code. Lucy felt a wave of incomprehensible jealousy as she watched how, as soon as the violet figure approached, the red code reacted; moving slightly, as if begrudgingly offering a narrow passage for the violet figure.

However, the figure didn't accept the narrow path and, with a determined hand movement, mobilized her own code to forcefully make her way through the narrow gap. Although she wished to follow, Lucy remained still, watching as the violet figure reached the core of the red code, which took the form of a man with his back turned while holding his hand up as if gripping a weapon.

The violet figure didn't hesitate and embraced the red figure tightly.

Lucy heard nothing, only watching as the violet figure moved her mouth without generating sounds she could hear. A few seconds later, she was surprised to see the red code nebula beginning to flicker.... shifting in color

-

Meanwhile, in those few seconds that passed outside the network.

From the broadcasted images, the moment "he" squeezed the trigger of his Malorian... all the spectators, mercenaries present in the alley, Morgan, her companion 'She-Shasmer', Rogue, Maine, Dorio, Pilar, Rebecca, and Kiwi, watched as the lights of Sora's armor, along with those of the Blackaquila connected to him, began to flicker between red and blue as he stopped for the first time, bringing his free hand to his helmet/head.

-

With a severe case of tinnitus, rendering him only able to hear a disconcerting ringing in his ears, Yorinobu felt disoriented, as if he were disconnected from the reality surrounding him, unable to process what was happening, plunged into shock.

He raised his hand to the hot, damp area he felt on his face, smearing it with blood as he touched the bullet wound on his cheek, which sliced through his face, tearing off a piece of his left ear.

After staring at his bloodied hand, the pain finally registered, eliciting a scream of agony from his lips as more soldiers regrouped and hurried to protect him, including his masked bodyguard, who emerged from the trailer accompanied by several more soldiers.

Gazing at the Mercenary who had just fired, motionless with the lights on his helmet flickering, Yorinobu shouted, "Kill him, kill him now!" The soldiers aimed their weapons, but before they could fire, Yorinobu's bodyguard intervened, unsheathing his sword and lunging toward Sora.

Just as his sword was about to cleave Sora's head in two, the flickering battle between red and blue hues on his armor, the Blackaquila, and in cyberspace... came to an end.

The unsettling tide of red code drastically shifted, adopting a serene blue tone before folding in on itself and disappearing from the network, creating a new cyberspace of its own. This change also manifested in the physical world; where Sora's helmet lights shifted to their characteristic blue, while the red metallic parts of his armor were replaced by nanobots formed from metallic blue alloys.

As his armor shifted, his arms blurred as he gripped his two Malorian Arms 3516, one black and the other silver, crossing them over each other, Sora stopped the sword about to slice him. 

Aware of the time the "bodyguard" had given him to recover, Sora said, "Thanks," before rejecting his sword and shooting at his sides, taking down two of the soldiers. Immediately after, Sora lowered his head, took a step back, and leaned his body to one side, moving minimally to dodge the familiar attacks of the Tsume-ryu fencing style of the "bodyguard."

As he fired between his attacks, Sora rhetorically asked, "I hope that when I fix you, you have more moves than these or you'll never be able to touch me. Do you know how much time we've spent observing and practicing Tsume-ryu?"

Recalling for a moment the tens of thousands of hours they had both spent watching Musashi teach and practicing Tsume-ryu, and in Arc's case, also Sora, he added, "I know all its virtues and..." In a gap left by Tashin's attack, Sora/Arc seized the opportunity to deliver a brutal headbutt, shattering his mask, at the same time as he concluded "All its flaws."

As he fell, Sora took the moment to unload his Malorians on the remaining soldiers, who were no match for the powerful blasts from his noisy silver pistols, nor for his sleek black twin, neutralizing his targets the moment they were marked by its silent, sinuous smart bullets.

Upon recovering from the blow, Taishin's mask crumbled, revealing the face of a 29-year-old Japanese man, bearing a resemblance to Aoi. As he reloaded, executing a familiar vertical cut, Sora holstered one of his Malorians, while simultaneously manipulating the ocean of code in his new cyberspace, which, though it had shifted in color and nature to a more serene and easily manipulable form, had not diminished in its immense quantity...

Allowing him to manipulate more nanobots, faster than ever, enabling him to easily catch Tashin's powerful attack with two fingers of his black hand. Then, seizing the blade and shattering it before Tashin's vacant eyes, which, despite his condition, bore a slight expression of surprise.

As Tashin stared at his sword or what remained of it, he took a moment to react to the black hand that reached out towards him, grabbing him by the chest and pulling him close, as Sora said, "Rest. When you open your eyes again, I promise you'll be back with Aoi and the old Musashi." His words caused Tashin to feel less pain from the second brutal headbutt he received.

Grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, Sora opened his eyes, blinking several times as he saw a clear smile on Taishin's unconscious face. "So you're one of those too, like Lucy, huh? Don't worry, I won't tell Aoi or Musashi," Sora joked as he lifted him up, before... "But I can't help but think worse of you," tossing him several meters towards the Blackaquila, which was beginning to land near the unconscious Taishin.

Then, Sora turned towards Yorinobu, mentally paralyzed after things had gone so wrong, slowly shifting towards him, surprising him and everyone watching the news, when he passed by his side and headed towards the trailer behind him.

However, upon seeing the AV from N54 that was recording them begin to descend... likely under pressure to evacuate Yorinobu, Sora retraced his steps, raising a single finger as he stared at the AV, taking control of the ship, he halted it before ordering it to ascend again.

Warning everyone watching not to rush, Sora, looking at the AV camera, stomped on Yorinobu's knee until an unpleasant sound of broken bones echoed.

Before he could scream, Sora, walking away from him, said, "I'll be back, don't move too much," only to be answered by Yorinobu's cry of pain as he began to writhe in the dust and sand of the Badlands from the sheer agony.

Inside the trailer, Sora stumbled upon a group of unconscious "White Coats," except for one who kept cursing in Swedish while typing on a terminal connected to the reader containing Smasher's head.

A shot at the screen he was staring at, finally made Hellman notice Sora's presence. Raising his hands impulsively to show he was unarmed, he said, "Please don't shoot! I'm just a scientific staff member, just following orde—"

Before Hellman could finish the typical line, Sora interrupted him with another shot that blew off one of his eagerly displayed fingers, causing him to substitute what he was about to say with a cry of pain.

"Shut up already. I won't kill you because you still have a role to play... Hellman" Sora said as he approached Smasher's head. "Is he alive?" He asked, tapping the suspended head of Smasher with the barrel of his Malorian, connected by cables and tubes.

"Wh-What?!" Hellman stammered, struggling with pain, which left him impatient to entertain nonsense and instead rhetorically asked, "Does he look alive to you?" 

"Don't treat me like an idiot. To get the best possible read from the Soulkiller, you would have tried to revive the brain," Sora said firmly, aware with a glance of their intentions.

"This reader doesn't require it," Hellman replied, withholding the whole truth.

Upon hearing the peculiarities of the reader, Sora asked, "Huh? Let me guess, from the other side?" as his eyes darkened and his pupils shone intensely under his helmet, investigating the reader across every spectrum he could and the signals it transmitted.

"Yeah..." Hellman responded, well aware of where Yorinobu had gotten the technology from. then, Anders was then puzzled by the Mercenary's behavior, who quickly moved his hand towards the reader and clenched it tightly, as if he had something to communicate to the "air" he had trapped. Hellman watched him bring his fist to his helmet, with some resistance, as if he were pulling something out, to say mockingly, "This one stays to play with me, I can't wait for you all to come out too... brothers."

As soon as he finished, he clenched his fist tightly and pulled forcefully, surprising Hellman when the [98%] and [99%] that had glitched on the screens after the Soulkiller's reading stopped disappeared.

Feeling that both events were related, Hellman turned to the Mercenary. "What was that?! How did you do it?" He asked hurriedly, "It seemed like you grabbed..." Looking at the reader, Anders completed his theory, "...one of the signals it transmits!"

Grabbing the cables and tubes connected to Smasher's head abruptly, causing the head to shake uncontrollably, Sora replied, "Why the hell would I tell you..."

"Do you want to wake him up, don't you? The first thing I did was to install life support, although parts of his brain are too damaged, maybe part of his consciousness can still awaken. Although in the state he's in, he'll only stay conscious for a few seconds at most before the inflammation in his brain worsens and ultimately kills him for good..."

"If you answer how you were able to manipulate an intangible signal with your hands... I'll do it!" said the determined bioengineer, audibly swallowing when his suggestion made the devil smile...

Who carelessly released the cables and tubes supporting Smasher's head, causing it to hit against the reader and screens as it shook like a pendulum suspended in the air, to approach him.

With his face in front of Hellman's so he wouldn't miss anything, the mercenary's helmet began to retract, almost as if by magic before his eyes as it decomposed from a solid state. Revealing his face, which grew an unsettling smile as he asked, "What else would you do to find out?"

Hellman, like anyone who made deals with the devil, would also regret his.

-

A few seconds later...

A weak voice distorted by a damaged vocal synthesizer asked with great difficulty, ["Wh-where am I?"] as the lenses on his face acquired a faint glow.

Being answered by the voice he most hated, which welcomed him, "How did you sleep, darling?"

Smasher's damaged voice gained strength, turning into a strident and unsettling noise that roared with anger, ["Yoooouuuu."]

"I'm glad you're able to recognize me, or this would be much less comforting. I have to say, I like your Go form" said Sora as he played with Smasher's head, tossing it from hand to hand... like a ball.

With difficulty and stuttering due to severe brain damage, Smasher replied, ["Te-te-tell me, has your b-b-bitch of a girlfriend already cleaned up the remains of your-yo-your son?"]

Smasher's provocation achieved its goal, causing the lights on Sora's helmet to flicker again, while his grip on Smasher's head tightened, deforming the metal and breaking the bone, causing parts to fall and screws to fly out.

Feeling his skull crunching, Smasher accepted his final moments. However, Sora, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of having the last word, controlled the force of his hand before crushing the head.

"Don't worry, it might take a while, but I won't let my son die. We're resilient bastards," Sora said as he released the head to fall, adding, "As for you, Smasher, I hope you enjoy how the world and future generations will remember you from now on."

["Son of a bi—"] Before he could finish... Smasher's head received a brutal kick, like a ball, breaking his metal jaw and sending him flying skyward through the emergency exit of the overturned trailer.

As he soared into the sky, his vision kept spinning until it stopped at the highest point of its arc. In that moment of stillness, Smasher could see the lens of the Av camera in front of him, almost at his own height... recording him.

Feeling the mysterious itch behind his brain caused by the high-caliber bullet approaching, Smasher understood the Mercenary's intention. In that millisecond before the bullet struck, he could imagine how the world would react to his humiliating end.

Reduced to a head, which was kicked to be obliterated like a mere target with the whole world as a witness.

After correctly assuming, a high-caliber bullet struck his head. The exchange of kinetic energy caused by the bullet's speed was such that the lens of the live-streaming camera, a few meters from where the head stopped, was splattered with artificial blood that sprayed in all directions after Smasher's head exploded, turning into a blood flower in the air.

As the blood slowly dispersed, and silence fell over the spectators, the camera captured the figure of the Mercenary on the overturned trailer, wielding his silver Malorian 3516, its barrel still smoking after firing the bullet that blew off Adam Smasher's head.

Bringing an end to a battle between two monsters that had crossed the entire world, captivating a portion of the global population in front of their screens with a spectacle as gruesome as it was astonishing... one that was not yet over.

Tucking his weapon under his jacket, the mercenary jumped off the trailer and headed towards Yorinobu, who was crawling desperately on the ground trying to get away. The sight sent shivers down the spines of most viewers, fearing what he would do next, as they watched him grab Yorinobu Arasaka by the back of his neck and lift him with one arm as if displaying him to the Av cameras, especially to the Izanagi station camera broadcasting to a certain village in Japan.

-

At the same time, in the "certain" village in Japan...

The tension in the room was palpable as Saburo, from his imposing position in the office, gave the order with a coldness that froze the air, "Give the order to fire."

One of the three board members present, visibly uncomfortable, tried to object, "Sir—" but was interrupted by Saburo's imperative command, repeated with raised voice, "GIVE THE ORDER!"

"Saburo-sama, the station is not yet fully operational," another board member attempted to argue, with a trembling voice. "If we open fire, we could jeopardize the entire facility. Besides, Yorinobu-sama's life..."

"His sacrifice will be remembered just like Kei's, I prefer he meets a swift and painless death rather than enduring torture live, dishonoring the name of Arasaka," Saburo pronounced coldly, ready to lose another son to protect the Arasaka name. "I am willing to sacrifice the station if it means eradicating this problem at its roots. This is the last time I say it; if the Mercenary returns dishonoring the name of Arasaka by attacking Yorinobu... Give the order to fire," Saburo reiterated, emphasizing each word.

With a whisper of resignation, the board member nodded. "Understood, sir," aware that there was no room for dissent in Saburo's current state.

-

Meanwhile, in the Badlands...

Aware that the damage to the electrical grid at Izanagi Station wouldn't incapacitate it for much longer, Sora maintained a firm grip on Yorinobu's neck as he turned towards the Av and retracted his helmet, exposing his face to the camera.

Revealing a youthful face that surprised all spectators, including his own mother aboard the Space Force One, and those who knew him, by the sudden change. Now he appeared older, with sharper and more intimidating features as he shed his last vestiges of youthfulness, appearing to be between 20 and 22 years old.

Even through the cameras, his face exuded a mysterious magnetism that drew the gaze to him. His eyes, now sharper and more penetrating, conveyed a sense of dominant or control that was impossible to ignore.

With a voice similar to his usual one but more self-confident, he said, "My name is Sora... Sora Inazuka, the Mercenary known as Okami and the co-founder of the company that has been attacked this afternoon by this piece of shit..."

Shaking the "piece of shit" he held firmly, a muffled groan escaped Yorinobu's lips as Sora's grip tightened around his neck. "I'm not speaking to gain sympathy or to justify my actions, which many have labeled as terrorist, I don't deny it or care, they might be," he declared unperturbed,

Without flinching under the gaze of the cameras observing him, Sora continued, "I address you out of pure convenience. Because the people who have initiated this conflict believe that due to their position, they can do whatever they want... without being punished..." addressing Yorinobu at the end of his arm as he spoke. Sora turned back to the camera to conclude, "I am going to do the same to them."

"As the Co-Founder of Iron Beast and the designer of the new engines, I want to introduce you to the MagVolt Electromagnetic Turbines." With his free hand, Sora extended another finger pointing at the Blackaquila on the ground, causing the Av to rotate accordingly and its camera to focus on the engines marked with the Iron Beast symbol.

"Tested right in front of all of you when the 'borrowed' ship from Militech with the new Iron Beast engines was able to maneuver just as smoothly both inside and outside the planet."

At the same time he spoke, Sora flooded the signal of the borrowed Channel 54 with blueprints and diagrams of the MagVolt engines, showcasing their cutting-edge functionality that defied conventional logic.

"Although I am proud of them, the true breakthrough of Iron Beast is not the engines, which any talented engineer could develop. What truly makes us proud is the new fuel created by... one of our employees," Sora said with regret.

"I present to you Jerry's creation... H2Nd2O, or its commercial name NeoHydrO.

As everyone knows, when hydrogen reacts with oxygen, it produces powerful combustion, resulting in the formation of water molecules.

However, Jerry managed to create a new molecule by combining hydrogen with neodymium in a 1:1 ratio, using graphene nano-bridges. When reacting with oxygen, they maintain combustion, but result in the formation of a modified water molecule called H2Nd2O, or NeoHydrO.

What makes NeoHydrO unique is its magnetic capability. Due to the presence of neodymium, this molecule inherits those same great magnetic qualities, allowing it to be attracted by the magnetic field generated by the MagVolt engine, after being ejected

Then, through controlled electrolysis, NeoHydrO decomposes into its original components: neodymium hydrogen (HNd) and oxygen (O), which can be collected and reused, thus creating a sustainable and highly efficient fuel with minimal losses.

This breakthrough promises not only to transform the aerospace industry but also to create a new era where the skies and space are more accessible to all, not just the wealthy... that was the dream and purpose of its creator, who was murdered this afternoon by Smasher and this 'piece of shit' here," he said firmly, shaking his arm and with it Yorinobu, who struggled desperately under the pressure on his neck, which seemed about to break.

Sora, with a somber tone, said, "His name was Jerry... Jerry Parnell," crediting his brave deceased employee for his invention.

To support the lie, Sora flooded the signal with fictitious images of Jerry working on NeoHidrO, instantly generated in his cyberspace from Jerry's social media photos.

As well as the patent document with Jerry's name as the creator, which Sora sent to various patent institutions worldwide in real-time. Iron Beast held all the rights, but Jerry... retaining all the renown posthumously, and his family with a generous percentage of "his" invention.

With a humble smile, he addressed the audience in a calm yet determined tone, almost making one forget that he was still holding Yorinobu by the neck: "Due to the importance of Jerry's invention, I am confident that, with the collaboration of other companies, we can exploit this great breakthrough to reach as many people as possible... that's why I am putting 25% of Iron Beast shares up for sale right now."

As soon as these words left his lips, representatives of major corporations, blinded by the enormous benefits they could obtain, fought to purchase every share they could. Sora fractionally sold each share, multiplying the price with every sale.

Once major corporations like Militech, Biotechnia, SovOil, Petrochem, the German giant IEC, even Malorian Arms, Lazarus, and his mother's faction in Arasaka, fought amongst themselves to buy the shares, reaching an exorbitant price, Sora revealed his true nature hidden beneath the apparent humility of his speech. "Thank you for your support. Now that we are all in the same boat..."

Sora paused for a moment, averting his gaze from the camera, leaning in close to Yorinobu's ear while gripping his left arm, he asked so only he could hear, "Tell me, 'uncle'? At the gala... is this the hand you used to touch my mother against her will, isn't it?" Still recalling a moment he swore he would make him pay for.

Before the terrified and bewildered Yorinobu could respond to the sudden question, a chilling voice that sent shivers down his spine stopped him, "Never again..." Immediately after...

A disturbing and unsettling sound resonated as the left arm of Yorinobu Arasaka was brutally tore off, live in front of everyone and his father, Saburo, who didn't hesitate to order to open fire.

Falling to his knees, staring in disbelief at his brutally severed limb, before he could scream, Yorinobu heard a gruff "Oi" that made him shockingly divert his gaze from his missing limp and look at the one who just tore off.

Warning him; "If you ever dare to touch my mother again or indulge in your sick sexual fantasies with your prostitutes... I'll tear off something else... and if you even think about going after someone close to me... I assure you I won't be as kind as I am being today... Uncle," he finished almost whispering so only he could hear it.

Amidst Yorinobu's shouts and the frozen disbelief of most spectators, Sora turned towards the camera. With a brilliantly cathartic smile on his magnetic face, contrasting the blood of an Arasaka that stained him, he made a "respectful" bow to his new investors. "I hope you'll take good care of me,"

Unnoticed the change in his smile, Sora unabashedly added in the midst of his bow, finally showing his true colors. "Oh, by the way, I almost forgot! After Jerry's demise, I'm the only one who knows how to create graphene nano-bridges... so if I kick the bucket, so does NeoHydrO.

If you don't want to lose your money and an invention that could generate millions... since you're so fond of working in joint efforts... I hope you'll all be able to take care of the old mummy Saburo... who's threatening my life..." Sora said, rising with a malicious smile as he pointed to the red glow beginning to charge in the midst of the night sky.

-

In the Space Force One,

A tense silence fell over the Oval Office after Yorinobu's arm was brutally ripped off live, only to be followed by the brazen perpetrator saying ["I hope you'll all be able to take care of the old mummy Saburo... who's threatening my life..."]

President Myers, with a somber expression on her face, angrily slammed the table, furious at how Sora "Inazuka" was toying with them, forcing her to command, "Get me in touch with Saburo, meanwhile... aim Militech's orbital weapons towards the Izanagi station."

She couldn't afford to let the only person with knowledge of an invention that could usher in a new era be assassinated after exposing NeoHydr0 to the world. Even her daughter was bombarding her with messages requesting samples of the new fuel.

"As you command," replied one of her staff members, while another took over to report on the situation.

"Madam, IEC's orbital weapons in Germany, Biotechnia's in Italy, and SovOil's in the Union have begun to mobilize, all pointing towards the Arasaka station, along with some unidentified spy satellites that we haven't fully identified," the military officer reported, relaying the immediate response of the major corporations, glancing briefly at the hologram of a blonde woman before leaving the office. According to intelligence, she was the 'Boos' of the main corporation behind the unidentified spy satellites.

With them taking similar actions, President Myers hoped to speak with Saburo before resorting to more drastic measures. She turned to her team and asked, "How much have we managed to buy?"

"Unfortunately, we've come in third, securing 4.8% of the 25% of shares that were up for grabs," one of the president's cabinet members reported with regret, casting a discreet glance at those who had outpaced them... the two inside the Oval Office.

"We're trailing behind the Kiji faction of Hanako-Sama, who managed to secure 5.2%," the cabinet member informed, not hiding their veiled gaze at Hanako, who was massaging her forehead over her son's actions, tearing his brother's arm off, while elegantly seated with Yumeko and Oda standing behind her.

Then the cabinet member turned to the hologram of the blonde woman with a frosty expression seated in one of the chairs, concluding, "And in first place, acquiring 10.6% of the shares put up for sale, is the Lazarus Corporation... The remaining 4.4% was distributed almost evenly among Biotechnia, SovOil, Malorian Arms, and IEC."

Turning back to the hologram, the cabinet member gritted their teeth before departing. "Congratulations, Madam," which seemed amusing to the Boss of Lazarus, who slightly lifted the corners of her mouth... holding 10.6% of Iron Beast and its new invention.

Shortly after, the cabinet member who had left following the president's order to try to contact Saburo entered the Oval Office again with a grave expression, signaling bad news. "Madam President, I'm sorry, but all my attempts to reach Saburo Arasaka have been unsuccessful. It seems that due to his current.... "mood", he's not accepting any calls... nor is he willing to speak to anyone."

Sighing at the news, President Myers turned to Hanako and asked, "Is he really willing to kill his own son?"

"If it were under different circumstances, no. But my father's highest priority is Arasaka, and he'll do anything to protect its name" Hanako replied without hesitation, well aware of the positions she and her brothers held in her father's heart.

["Any suggestions on how to stop him?"] the hologram of the Lazarus Boss inquired.

"I don't think there are any. I've tried to reach out to him myself, but he won't talk to me either. From what I've been informed by one of the board members present at my father's villa... He's stopped communicating with anyone and is controlling the Izanagi station remotely."

Her honest response prompted President Myers and the Lazarus Boss to share a glance before both realizing they had no other option but to give the same order...

-

In the desolate Badlands...

Aware of the frantic activity in orbit...

As he smoked, he raised his black hand towards the red glow, still accumulating energy, albeit slower now with only one of his two solar wings still connected. Forming the shape of a gun with his metallic fingers, he aimed his new weapon at the Izanagi Station... Then he fired.

The impact of his "shot" was immediate. Following that, hundreds of missiles launched from the various corporations' war satellites rained down upon Arasaka's orbital fortress.

Due to the immense energy stored in the station to fire its main weapon, the unchecked damage from the missiles caused chain explosions that spread uncontrollably throughout the station.

The personnel aboard barely had time to escape in escape pods as explosions tore through the structure. In a matter of seconds, the Izanagi Station, Saburo Arasaka's ace in the hole, exploded into a spiral of twisted metal and shards of the hundreds of gigantic mirrors that formed its costly laser weapon.

Sora lowered his lethal "weapon," unable to suppress his smirk as he blew, somewhat mockingly, at the barrels of his destructive fingers. Then, having finished everything he had to do or say, he made his way towards Tashin lying on the ground, hoisting him onto his shoulder as he ventured into the Blackaquila, which began to rise on its own.

Without even deigning to glance at Yorinobu, who had lost consciousness due to blood loss, tha it was stopped thaks the prominent bioengineer Anders Hellman, who was saving his life by administering first aid.

As the Blackaquila moved away from the area, the AV of Channel 54, with Eddie aboard, regained its freedom of movement. Before descending to evacuate Yorinobu, Trauma Team AVs began arriving from the city, crossing paths with the Blackaquila returning to Night City.