It was a somewhat surreal situation. Allen was being pampered in a way he had never expected by those demon girls who had grown so close to him.
It wasn't just the connection through the Evil Pieces, but also the affection, perhaps even love, that had blossomed between them.
Rias smiled at Allen and kissed him. This girl had promised to stay by his side forever, and now she was indulging him with unwavering devotion.
"..." Allen opened his mouth to say something, but his mind plunged into a void, and before he realized it, he was in Cyberpunk.
Allen's consciousness traveled to another world.
....
Allen looked at his silver hand. It was clearly his version from this dystopian futuristic world, but something strange had happened this time. He had returned to exactly where he had left off during his previous visit.
He remembered that after fighting Adam Smasher and being interrupted by MaxTac, Allen had returned to the Afterlife, greeted a few people who acknowledged him out of habit, and headed to meet his merc crew.
"Confusing..."
[That's right...]
"Who said that?!" Allen looked around, but the voice seemed to be coming from inside his head.
[It's me, Lenalee Lee, Allen-kun~]
"And who's Lenalee?"
[What do you mean?! We're soulmates :'( Have you forgotten me that easily?]
"Sorry..." Allen didn't know how to respond, but he felt bad, as if he had actually done something wrong, and couldn't help apologizing.
[Hehe, just kidding. Well, you can think of me as... an AI inside your head. That's what I am to you right now.]
"An AI... Considering how strange this world is, I'm not surprised. Anyway, do you know what happened to me? What am I, or something like that?"
[Well, this happened a month ago. You lost consciousness while teaching Netrunning to Lucy, your disciple. That's the plot. You entered the Blackwall, and your consciousness, or soul, separated from your body. But instead of returning, you reincarnated into another world.]
"What the fuck?!"
[I know, it sounds like the terrible plot of a low-budget movie. But hey, it's better than saying the Devil sent you to another world while leaving your original body here.]
"Huh? The Devil?"
[Don't get hung up on the details. The point is that Allen currently has two accounts on two different servers...]
"Wait, if a month has passed here, then how did I live for almost eighteen years in my other world?"
[Well, it's complicated, but you can think of it as time dilation. You know how time slows down when you approach a black hole? Hours can pass for you while years pass for everyone else.]
"Like in that movie, Interstellar?"
[Exactly. At first, the connection to your body was weak, but as it grows stronger, the time dilation will increase to the point where time won't pass in one world while you're in the other...]
"..."
[Okay, you're not as smart as the Allen I remember. Look, imagine you're on your PC playing two games. You only have one screen, not two, so you can't play both at the same time...]
"What games?"
[Huh? That doesn't matter.]
"It does matter. How am I supposed to understand the mechanics?"
[Okay, okay. Well, in that world, you're the MC of an RPG harem who fights supernatural beings. Here, you're the MC of a futuristic dystopian world where everything is falling apart, in a city where human life is worth less than a hamburger.]
"Oh, can I choose my class and job?"
"It's not a fucking RPG! Focus, Allen! God, Lucifer must have taken away your intelligence points this time. Listen, right now, DxD is on pause, and it'll stay that way until you return."
"And when will that be?"
[Well, it could be an hour, a day, I don't know.]
"I see... I'll need information..."
[Of course. I'll introduce you to your merc crew and your current situation.]
....
Allen entered the private room where he heard laughter. Maine was sitting with Dorio beside him, while Pilar was at the table telling a joke or something.
"So the Scav without arms said, 'You idiots! How the fuck am I supposed to scratch my balls without my arms?!' Hahaha!"
Rebecca laughed at Pilar's joke/anecdote, which would have been considered cruel in Allen's world, but here it was hilarious. Even Sasha joined in. It was an unwritten rule that everyone in Night City hated Scavs.
"Hey, little bro," Pilar said, but Rebecca punched him.
"I already told you that during work hours, you call him boss. People will think our leader is weak!"
"Master." Lucy smiled and made room beside her for him to sit.
Allen looked at the beautiful girl with silver hair and rainbow-colored highlights. He blinked, then sat beside her. She immediately leaned against his shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Seeing this, Sasha hugged Allen's right arm. This level of closeness didn't seem strange to anyone.
"Boss, what do we do now?" Dorio asked. "This is the first time they've sent Smasher after you. Does this mean war?"
[Having a merc crew talk about going to war against a corporation as if it's the most normal thing in the world is insane, but this kind of insanity is possible with your crew... Adam Smasher is a monster, but they have a self-destruct button. Unfortunately, you don't have one... Say what I'm about to tell you and act like the boss.]
"No, wait. That's a bad idea. Arasaka indeed crossed the line, but they didn't get any results either. Smasher couldn't defeat me, which means they'll have to be prepared for massive losses if they want to kill me. In a hyper-capitalist world, losses are unacceptable..."
Everyone exchanged glances, and the tension in the room eased. Although they had been ready to take on Arasaka and die trying, realizing that it might not be necessary gave them a sense of relief they hadn't even known they needed.
"So... we're not doing anything?" Maine said.
"Not for now..." Allen said.
[Ask Rebecca about 'that.']
Hearing Lenalee's words, Allen nodded, even though he had no idea what she meant.
"Becca, what about that?"
Rebecca jumped onto his lap. "Of course! It's time to start the Tier upgrades. I've got a Tier 5 arm cannon for Maine, subdermal armor for Dorio, new arms for my stupid aniki, Kiroshi optics for Lucy and Sasha, and Jackal, your pistol has already been upgraded to legendary grade~."
Rebecca looked at Allen expectantly. She wanted praise and a reward. Even without his memories, Allen could feel the intense feelings she had for him, so he simply kissed her.
"Tsk... Get a room," Pilar grumbled.
"She's your sister," Dorio pointed out.
"Exactly!"
Allen stopped kissing Rebecca and looked at the others, feeling a sense of déjà vu. In DXD, he had Rias, Akeno, and Koneko around him all the time, and here it seemed Sasha, Lucy, and Rebecca occupied those positions.
"Is there any other important business?" Allen asked.
"Yeah," Dorio replied. "There's a Nomad named Falco who wants to join us. I've already evaluated him. He's trustworthy, but you're the boss."
"I see. I trust you, Dorio. Include Falco in a few missions and let's see what this Nomad wants to do," Allen said. At that moment, he really sounded like the badass Allen, even if it was an act with Lenalee's help. "Anything else?"
Rebecca smiled as she traced circles on Allen's chest with her finger. "There's a fixer, Regina Jones. She wants our services to deal with Cyberpsychos."
'Cyberpsychos?'
[Idiots who installed too much chrome and ended up going crazy. Normally, MaxTac handles them.]
"Isn't that MaxTac's job?" Allen asked.
"No. Apparently, she wants to capture them to look for a cure," Rebecca said mockingly.
"Capturing Cyberpsychos is about five times harder than killing them," Sasha grumbled.
Regina Jones...
Noticing Allen's uncertainty about Regina's intentions, Lenalee provided him with some information.
[Regina Jones is a fixer with Chinese ancestry who operates from the top floor of Yaiba Tower, a skyscraper in Kabuki, in the Watson district of Night City.]
[She first worked for the World News Service and later as an independent reporter for FTF Radio. When the News 54 conglomerate bought FTF Radio, Regina decided to look for a better way to spread her message and turned her extensive network of contacts—from high-ranking corpos to dealers, mercenaries, and street people—into a fixer business.]
[Her goal is to find a cure for Cyberpsychosis. For that, she needs Cyberpsychos alive.]
"I see. Tell her we're accepting the job, but we're charging a premium," Allen said.
"That's how it should be!" Pilar laughed.
"Yeah, one more thing," Maine said, looking toward the door. "Come in."
A red-haired woman entered, wearing a yellow EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) jacket.
"This is Gloria Martinez. She has an interesting offer," Maine said with a smile.
Gloria was nervous. Everyone here was a top-tier merc, but when she saw Allen, she nearly fainted. She hadn't expected to meet the Big Boss so soon. But for her son's sake and his future, she had to be brave.
"Mr. Walker, I work as an EMT for REO Meatwagon. My job allows me to retrieve implants, which I can offer at half their price, or even less."
Everyone could see that the woman needed money. Otherwise, she wouldn't do something as dangerous as this. She was proposing to do what Scavs did, but only with the countless corpses that appeared every day in NC.
It was suicide... That was what everyone thought. Sooner or later, she would get caught, but Gloria didn't care. She was doing everything for a reason she considered more valuable than her own life, or so she believed.
"Why are you taking this risk?" Allen asked.
Gloria seemed stunned by the question. In this world, where people only cared about profits, Allen should have been negotiating the price and trying to haggle, not worrying about her. In fact, in the original story, Maine hadn't bothered asking about her motives either. He had simply accepted the deal.
"I..." Gloria looked at Allen suspiciously, but when she saw his eyes, devoid of even a hint of malice, she let her guard down. "My son, David. I want him to reach the very top of Arasaka Tower. To make that happen, I want him to study at Arasaka Academy."
Rebecca and Pilar burst out laughing. This slightly annoyed Gloria, but she didn't dare say anything. Allen silenced them.
"Why us?" Allen asked.
"That's right. You could have gone to a Ripperdoc..." Lucy added. Although Rebecca was a Ripperdoc, she was exclusively available to the crew.
"I..." Gloria was about to tell a lie, but Allen's eyes stopped her. "Out of fear and for protection. Selling used implants to a Ripperdoc and selling them to a living legend are two completely different things."
"At least she's honest," Sasha chuckled.
"Gloria, do you have any proof of your abilities?" Allen asked with a smile.
Gloria's eyes lit up when she saw Allen smile. She approached the table and placed a container on it. When they opened it, they found two arm implants.
[Identification: Gorilla Arms – Tier 1 (Standard Model)
Condition: Functional / Fair condition. Extracted from a corpse, basic cleaning completed, no critical servo failures or leaks. Residual calibration present.
Estimated Manufacturer: Moore Technologies / Mid-range
New Market Value (Legal Ripperdoc, with warranty): 9,500–11,000 €$
Estimated Value in Current Condition (Black Market / Hot Secondhand): 3,800–4,600 €$]
"I see. Tier 1 should be worth around ten thousand on the market. In their current condition... between 3,800 and 4,600 €$. We'll pay half."
"Half?" Gloria blinked. She hadn't expected to receive that much.
"Hey, hey! You know we won't even get three thousand when we resell them," Maine pointed out.
"The woman risked her life," Allen said, putting an end to the discussion. Then he smiled at Gloria. "From now on, I'll be with you, Gloria"
Gloria blushed. Meanwhile, Sasha pouted, Lucy narrowed her eyes suspiciously, and Rebecca laughed.
....
Gloria received the transfer and left happily, leaving Allen her contact information.
Allen stayed at the Afterlife with his crew until he received a call from Regina Jones.
"Hello, you must be Regina Jones."
"Yes. Thank you for accepting. There aren't many mercs willing to deal with Cyberpsychos, and none of the ones who are willing have agreed to capture them alive."
"Well, dealing with a heavily armed lunatic loaded with military-grade implants isn't exactly something everyone would be willing to do."
Regina laughed and sent the information directly to Allen's optics.
"Cedric Muller, [On Deaf Ears]... and Chase Coley, [Discount Doc]. I don't think someone capable of facing Adam Smasher needs it, but be careful with the second one..."
The call ended.
Allen briefly reviewed the information and sent one of the files to Maine.
"Maine, Dorio, and Pilar, take care of Muller. Sasha, support them. Lucy and Rebecca, you're coming with me to deal with Coley."
Nobody questioned Allen's decision. There was a reason he was the leader.
....
Allen headed to Santo Domingo (Rancho Coronado) alongside Lucy and Rebecca.
"I've been itching for some action, haha!" Rebecca laughed from the back seat.
Lucy was nervous in the passenger seat, and Allen gently patted her head.
"Lucy, your job is to hack the cameras and provide us with information. If you think you can support us with Quickhacks as well, that's fine."
'Lenalee, what can you tell me about this Cyberpsycho?'
[Hm? Well, he used to be a construction worker, married to a woman named Mary and the father of a son named Charlie. He worked at a construction site in Santo Domingo under a toxic boss named Tom Selvig, who constantly pressured him to work harder.]
[To "help him," Selvig installed high-grade military cyberware in him and then gave him a Militech Centaur exoskeleton. A coworker and a doctor warned him not to use it (there was a real risk of breaking his spine and his body rejecting it), but due to the pressure at work, he kept using it. The chronic stress combined with the incompatible implants eventually drove him into cyberpsychosis.
During his psychotic break, he rampaged through the construction site, killing his boss and Holden McCoy, the mercenary Selvig had sent to stop him.]
'I see... Huh? Hey, isn't that a little too much information? How do you know all this?'
[Hehe, I'm the amazing Lenalee Lee, of course I know everything!]
Allen sighed.
....
Upon arriving, they got out of the vehicle and made their way toward the site where the target was supposed to be. Allen stepped away from the vehicle and walked alongside Rebecca, who had her shotgun in hand.
Allen entered through the main entrance.
The courtyard was a rectangle of cracked concrete, squeezed between low walls and industrial buildings. Rusted barrels, material crates, and an overturned car occupied the space alongside pools of dried blood. At the far end, the half-open door of a workshop revealed the glow of a terminal, while the surrounding rooftops and walkways offered the only useful high ground in that filthy corner of Rancho Coronado.
Allen heard the mechanical sound of an exoskeleton. When he saw it, he was surprised. The bald, Caucasian man's face had numerous red eyes like a spider, a Maelstrom trademark. On top of that, the exosuit was massive and powerful.
"Chase Coley?" Allen asked, although his Malorian was already drawn as he smoked a cigarette.
"..."
Unlike other Cyberpsychos, Chase didn't say anything. He simply aimed his enormous weapon and fired. Allen blocked the attack with an energy shield projected from his arm.
Rebecca laughed and fired, hitting Chase Coley's body.
[Health: 97%]
'What the hell is that?!' Allen almost stumbled when he saw a health bar above the Cyberpsycho's head, as if he were inside a video game.
[Well, well, that's how things work around here. Now shoot!]
'You're enjoying this, aren't you?!' Allen aimed his pistol and fired.