The slaughter began in an instant.
Slash—!
Bang!
Thunder roared. The clashing of metal and the slicing of flesh echoed as a rebel soldier in full EXO exoskeleton armor was hurled backward like a cannonball, crashing into two security bots before slamming into the glowing green surface of the energy shield.
The sheer force and acceleration pinned him against the barrier for a full second or two. Blood sprayed as his body slid down, the armor on his chest grotesquely dented, the metal frame twisted into jagged angles.
He convulsed once, vomited a mist of blood, then toppled over—dead.
Clang, clang.
A faint curve appeared at the corner of Vela's lips. She tapped her weapon to shake off the blood and continued forward.
Like an arrow leaving the string, she surged upstream, breaking through steel and flesh alike, heading straight for Yorinobu's position.
The sound of battle cries thundered across the entire port district. Behind her, the path was littered with the shattered corpses of mutinous soldiers.
When it came to melee combat, Vela had never been fond of swords. She preferred something with impact—a heavy gun, a warhammer, an axe, a halberd, a scythe, or even a massive polearm. Her only criteria: stab, cleave, and crush.
Especially crush. It had to feel heavy.
Boom, boom, boom—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—ratatat—BOOM, BOOM!
Amid a storm of smart weapons, high-tech ordnance, and kinetic projectiles, Vela unleashed the full might of her [Warframe System]—integrating modular armaments and detachable floating drones, each responding with seamless precision.
All weapons deployed—
Black Abyss V thrust forward. Blood erupted as the upgraded SSS+ class black-and-red Quinque spear skewered two enemies in one fluid motion.
Before the droplets even fell, the crimson blade—gleaming like a blood moon—twisted in her silver-white grip, tearing through the subdermal armor beneath their skin.
A flick of the wrist sent the two impaled men flying, their bodies slamming into a rebel clad in AST combat armor, launching him clear across the floor.
VARIS screeched—a flash of blue light turned red as the hadro cannon integrated in her arm guard fired, striking a bipedal "crab" drone spewing flames.
The energy projectile—optimized for penetration, heat, and kinetic impact—exploded on contact. Scorching winds and shockwaves overturned the multi-ton mech, splitting its armor shell like brittle twigs as molten fragments sprayed outward.
The [Gravity Field Generator] howled next—no warning lights, no scanning beams, only the silent birth of crushing force. Within a heartbeat, dozens of unlucky soldiers, along with their vehicles and drones, were pressed violently into the ground.
The reinforced concrete and polyurethane-coated flooring cracked apart under the immense pressure, collapsing into pits filled with shattered limbs and viscera, soaked in thick, oily blood laced with cybernetic fluids.
The [External Floating Module] danced with her every thought—drifting left and right, accelerating or braking with her will. Precision volleys from the wing-mounted cannons, intermittent micro-missile bursts, and real-time-programmed thermobaric rounds—all struck perfectly.
Fluid and graceful, yet devastatingly powerful—each motion clean, each strike thunderous.
...
Through perfect synchronization with her body via the Warframe's resonance interface, Vela moved as though wielding her own limbs.
A deadly dancer—elegant, lethal, and unstoppable—blooming in the heart of the enemy formation, cutting through legions alone.
Her armor's internal "second skin" Quinque lining was derived from matured CCG ghoul research into living kakuja bio-armor. Integrated with neural-link technology from Germany's GSG-9 and Japan's Section 9, it combined their strengths while eliminating their flaws.
And the final, most critical element—was the pilot herself.
Those who tried to imitate her—died.
"Haha! Glorious!"
Bathed in enemy blood, Vela felt every cell in her body screaming in exhilaration. Power coursed through her veins, bringing with it an intoxicating rush.
Her mind was clear—alive.
God, how she had missed this feeling!
Ever since ascending to power and leaving the frontlines, her life had been consumed by endless paperwork, bureaucratic meetings, and constant scheming. The thrill of battle had almost faded from memory.
Even with the Vela's counterparts helping shoulder the workload, and her own hobbies—research, issuing directives, and farming—keeping her occupied, it had never been quite enough.
Something had always been missing.
This—this was what she craved.
Now, that long-forgotten sensation was returning—the urge to attack, to destroy, surged from deep within her soul, boiling over in pure exhilaration.
VROOOOM!
The vector thrusters exploded near the ground, unleashing a massive circular shockwave and radiant jets of flame.
Charging straight through the lines, Vela slammed her palm down—crack!
The head of a young, old-fashioned Edokko mercenary—who had just shouted "Tennō Heika, banzai!"—was ripped clean off.
The headless power-armor unit instantly lost all functions and collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Under the horrified gazes of the soldiers, Vela braked midair.
BOOM!
Metal screeched and twisted under unbearable stress. An airborne armored vehicle, its cannons still spitting flames, was kicked so hard that its entire side armor caved in. It flipped over violently, grinding across the concrete with a trail of sparks and lightning, crushing several unlucky rebels before crashing into a barricade and finally halting.
Only then did the severed head roll into the green glow of the energy barrier, stopping beside a puddle of dark brown fluid.
All this—within the span of a dozen heartbeats.
Now Vela stood over the shattered remains of a Cyber Tyrant, its head already crushed into paste beneath her heel. Her Black Abyss spear hung low, its bloodstained tip angled toward the floor as droplets fell one by one.
Her Warframe was scorched by fire and drenched in blood—only adding to its feral majesty.
The ruined battlefield groaned beneath her boots. Her four-pair winged anti-gravity thrusters and quad-cone floating modules gleamed in the flickering light, making her figure appear both divine and terrifying.
For Yorinobu's rebel soldiers who faced her directly, the sight could only mean despair.
After all, the blood-soaked battlefield glorifying this angel of death was painted with their flesh and bone.
"Yorinobu!"
She raised her hand and sliced through the haze, shouting.
Her armor shimmered—silver veins rippled in intricate waves across her body, the faintly pulsing violet-red filaments beneath like veins of light running between layers of armor plating. The radiant red crystals embedded along her shoulders and back glowed through the smoke, freezing the devastation in a single, breathtaking frame.
Through the scattering beams of plasma, laser, and thermal cannon fire, Vela strode toward the figure kneeling in the center of the ruins.
"YORINOBU!!"
"Gu..."
Seeing this, Yorinobu's chief security officer leapt toward the shield control panel in panic, switching to manual override mode. His fingers flew across the console, overclocking the system to its limit—activating the energy shield at full power, sweat dripping down his temples.
Inside the barrier, Yorinobu was still screaming.
His Kakuja transformation was incomplete.
Truth be told, the distance between them—barely a hundred meters—had been too short. Vela's reckless advance had caught him completely off guard, and she had killed her way through too quickly.
[Holy shit!]
[Shit, shit, shit!]
[This chick's a goddamn cyberpsycho! Or is she one of your next-gen Arasaka super soldiers?! I'm about to piss my digital pants here!]
Johnny was in awe.
Even for a digital ghost whose very essence was rebellion, chaos, and defiance of corporate order, he had to admit—this woman named Vela was something else.
Saburo Arasaka must've had divine luck to find a successor this terrifyingly competent.
[But how do you measure a person's true worth? Death. To face it—fight it—and give everything to overcome it. Yorinobu, my friend... even if you die here, it won't be in vain.]
The holographic cigarette burned quietly between Johnny's mechanical fingers. Watching Yorinobu's body swell and mutate, he sighed and crushed the illusionary ember.
[I'll lend a hand... heh, here's hoping I can still separate after this. Wouldn't wanna get stuck in your brain tumor. Rogue, that fine vintage of yours... and Alt's ghost on the Net—they're still waiting for me to pay a visit.]
His simulated image dispersed into static.
[Should've let him smoke a real one... these digital cigs taste like shit without nicotine.]
Those were Johnny's final words—but Yorinobu could no longer hear them.
Thud!
Thud-thud!
"ROAAAAAARRRR!!"
Pain. Unbearable, blinding pain.
His face contorted into a monstrous snarl.
Mutated cells devoured his flesh from within, spreading like wildfire. Muscle and bone warped and bulged, pushing through his skin like tumors bursting open. A gray-blue carapace of hardened keratin rapidly consumed his body.
Countless crimson feeding organs tore free, steaming and pulsating, growing uncontrollably.
Every moment his body changed, becoming less human. His mind unraveled, sanity shattering piece by piece—but Yorinobu didn't care.
He wanted only one thing.
The power to kill Vela!
"Is it ready yet?!" Yorinobu roared through the agony, straightening his massive, mutating frame. The nearby technicians, paralyzed by fear and confusion at his grotesque transformation, froze under his glare.
"Y-Yes... Lord Yorinobu—"
"If it's ready, install it! Now!"
At that moment, Vela's voice echoed provocatively across the battlefield.
"Yorinobu!!"
...
"Uso... (No way...)"
Not far away, an ASDF ground forces general who had rushed to assess the situation widened his eyes in disbelief. The blood-splattered carnage before him made him instinctively grip the katana at his waist. His sub-commanders—rebels like himself—glanced at each other nervously.
Facing Vela felt like facing a death angel itself. An omen of disaster filled their hearts.
Something told them—they were doomed.
Suddenly—
"VELA—!"
"Wait... is that Lord Yorinobu?!"
The general turned toward the voice, and his expression changed drastically.
...
How to deal with a host of the T-G-118-09 Fusion Virus?
Indeed, Vela had no combat data to reference. But as the developer familiar with every step of the fusion process and the traits of each individual virus, she had plenty of ways to manipulate an infected subject.
Especially when it came to driving one who was barely keeping his sanity into complete loss of control—that was simple.
Pop!
A 20mL ampoule materialized in her left palm. With a flick of her finger, she cracked it open and poured out the liquid.
Drip.
Gulp. Yorinobu's head jerked up.
Leaning forward, nostrils flaring, his dark-red eyes gleamed with hunger. His lips peeled back, saliva dripping down his chin.
As expected. The low-grade, dead Quinque fragments had provided only minimal Rc cells. Drinking coffee to suppress the hunger was merely a trick to fool the stomach, not the virus. Vela smirked inwardly.
What she had just tossed was a vial of highly concentrated Rc cell reagent—sourced from a rare ghoul specimen whose blood was said to be unique.
The other viral components of the Fusion Virus—Progenitor Virus, T-Veronica, and G-Virus—each contributed their own madness. But when fused with the Ghoul Virus, the result was intense cellular hyper-division—rapid regeneration, accelerated mutation... and, naturally, unbearable hunger.
Whirr—boom! Adjusting her anti-gravity field to counteract that of the Cyber Tyrant, Vela unleashed a barrage of energy beams from her wrist cannons shaped like folded wings, blasting away the surrounding hostiles in an instant. In the chaos, she threw another vial of Rc concentrate—along with a piece of flesh.
A B-class ghoul's Kakuhou.
Snap!
"ROAAAR!!"
It was as if a string deep within Yorinobu's brain had finally snapped. His eyes glowed blood-red, breath heaving like a wild beast. The primal instincts of his newborn fusion cells surged free—no longer restrained. He lost control, lunging forward.
His authority clearly overrode that of his still-sane security officer. The energy shield's semi-autonomous system detected an authorized combat action and deactivated to avoid interference. The green field flickered—and Yorinobu burst out.
At that moment, Vela finally saw him clearly.
A monster—midway through a kakuja frenzy, starving and deranged.
He had grown taller, bulkier—at least two and a half meters in height. The combined effects of the Progenitor and G-Virus had vastly enhanced his physical capabilities through cellular proliferation and re-growth.
So, the custom strain derived from Saburo's genes truly did resonate with the Arasaka bloodline... yet strangely, Yorinobu showed no signs of being overtaken by G-Virus parasitic biomass. Odd. Could it be the Relic bioware chip?
Vela recalled the intel from Rogue's assault on her estate. By rights, Yorinobu shouldn't have had the connections to access such tech. And Rogue herself was too pragmatic to back him—unless her infamous ex-lover, the one who blew up Arasaka Tower, had somehow returned...
Dark-red Kagune sprouted across Yorinobu's body—Ukaku and Koukaku types hardened around his shoulders and back, their glossy blades twitching with each breath like living muscles.
Tiny, scattered red eyes formed along his limbs—secondary G-Virus ocular organs spreading via the fusion reaction.
His skin took on a gray-blue hue—consistent with T-Veronica's traits, though faint. Perhaps the mutation was incomplete.
After all, the T-Veronica strain required longer incubation—and in Night City's concrete-and-chrome wasteland, there weren't enough organic hosts to support a full viral ecosystem. Nor time to develop one.
Studying the towering, mutated Yorinobu clad in Tokyo Tower Weapons Research Institute's Oni-series external modules, Vela narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.
Driven by half the instincts of a researcher, Vela evaluated and recorded the invaluable live data from this fusion-virus specimen.
Then she lowered her arm—vrrrmmm!
Just as Yorinobu reached for the B-class ghoul Kakuhou, a blue energy blast shattered it to pieces.
Facing the mutated Yorinobu's furious roar and a storm of Ukaku feathers, Vela swung Black Abyss in one hand while the other rested behind her waist. "Don't worry—I'll give you something better."
Whoosh!
The vector engines roared. She shot skyward, flinging an S-class ghoul's fragrant Kakuhou toward the glowing green energy barrier—it slid across the surface and dropped.
Vela's arm came down again.
This time, the mutated Yorinobu didn't rush blindly. While summoning a cyclone of Ukaku feathers to block her, he extended several Bikaku tentacles, attempting to snatch the Kakuhou.
Vela narrowed her eyes.
Regaining reason already? Overcoming the hunger that fast?
No matter—it was enough.
The moment Yorinobu's Bikaku tendrils wrapped around the Kakuhou—Vela moved.
VROOOOM—!
A sonic boom split the air as the green energy shield collided with her crimson honeycomb barrier, scattering sparks like a shower of stars.
Then came the silver flash descending from above.
Slash!
Blood and flesh splattered across her armor.
Expressionless, Vela drove the spiraling cross-shaped spearhead deeper into the security officer's torso until it burst out through his back and pierced the ground beneath.
A heartbeat later, the crimson blade swept upward—metal tore, blood sprayed, and his head flew into the air.
Then—the Gravity Field roared.
The ground quaked violently. Amid the rumbling, Vela landed beside the unconscious Saburo Arasaka.
She deployed her polygonal honeycomb shield, knelt, and reached under one of her floating turrets, retrieving a pneumatic injector from the underside of her [Warframe System]. Without hesitation, she plunged it into Saburo's chest and pressed the plunger.
A special inhibitor flowed into his veins.
Old man, get up. It's not time to die on me yet.
Finally, Vela turned her spear horizontally across her chest, scooping up Saburo's limp body into her arms.
"VELA!!" Yorinobu's enraged bellow shook the air. "You can't save him!"
Having consumed the S-class Kakuhou, his hunger was subdued—his mind, clear once more. Even through the monstrous Kakuja mask, the half of his face still visible twisted into pure hatred.
Vela's lips curled into a satisfied, mocking smile.
"Is that so?"
...
Whirr... boom...
From the northern sky, the Airborne Assault Division's armored transports descended, streaks of rocket exhaust cutting through the night. Laser cannons and autocannons lashed the ground like glowing whips, carving molten trails of fire through the port.
Vela's tone was calm, almost casual, as she opened a secure comm channel.
"Did you get the footage?"
[Arin — Personal Attendant Unit: Recorded.]
"Good. You think I saved Saburo first for sentiment? And carried him for nothing?"