"N-no, no, no, ah!!!"
After finishing off the last Tyger Claw with a single slice, Akechi Mitsuhide used the clothes of a corpse on the ground to wipe clean his cherished blade, "Jue."
"Jue" truly lived up to its reputation as Saburo Arasaka's personal blade. After the slaughter, not a drop of blood remained; the gleaming surface radiated coldness, as pure as Berry's heart.
Glancing at the corpses scattered haphazardly in pools of blood, Berry felt her own mind calm down.
Since her mind had fallen from heaven, she naturally had to consider mundane, worldly affairs.
Akechi Mitsuhide squatted down and searched the corpses, picking up the full bag of bills the Tyger Claws had collected and tying it around his waist.
Hmm, it was thick, much more than Mitsuhide had just paid the vendor.
Very satisfied.
He had made a profit again.
The Bai Rui Family was represented by money; she was never one to suffer a loss.
This scene, however, completely baffled Goro Takemura, who had just appeared at the alley entrance.
Nevertheless, Goro Takemura twisted his mouth in silent exasperation and spoke.
"You are not a bad person."
Oh, the main character has arrived.
Just as Akechi Mitsuhide finished tying the money pouch to his waist, he noticed Goro Takemura walking over.
However, hearing the other party's words, Akechi Mitsuhide was speechless for a moment.
Huh, she was usually the one giving out "good person" cards; why was she receiving one today?
Moreover, she especially didn't want to be told this by Goro Takemura, the loyal dog of the Arasaka Corporation.
That's right, Goro Takemura was the person Akechi Mitsuhide had been waiting for.
This pure Japanese artifact seemed to have targeted Akechi Mitsuhide ever since their last inconclusive encounter.
That guy was more desperate than V was when chasing her, practically chasing Mitsuhide's heels.
Berry, manipulating Akechi Mitsuhide, wanted to avoid him, but unfortunately, Goro Takemura was Saburo's Bodyguard for a reason. Even with his advanced Battle Cyberware locked down, he was still formidable, able to seize the smallest clues and relentlessly pursue Mitsuhide throughout Night City.
Since he couldn't escape, Berry simply controlled Akechi Mitsuhide to put on his armor and wait for the man to arrive.
This led to the events of Mitsuhide waiting for someone earlier.
Now, Mitsuhide's public display of violence had successfully lured the man out.
Seeing Akechi Mitsuhide remain silent, Goro Takemura prepared to continue speaking.
Goro Takemura's life after leaving the company had not been easy. His expensive suit had been replaced by a cheap trench coat, and to evade the pursuit of Arasaka Agents, he was forced to hide in cheap rented rooms in the alleys of Japantown, looking extremely wretched.
However, none of this could defeat him.
Under the company's brainwashing, Goro Takemura placed his personal loyalty to Saburo Arasaka first.
He believed that Saburo Arasaka's death was suspicious, and he refused to believe Yorinobu Arasaka's lie that Saburo had died at the hands of a Militech Agent.
In reality, he had his own theory about the murderer.
That was Yorinobu Arasaka, Saburo's son.
Although the two were father and son, Takemura, who was constantly by Saburo's side, knew that Yorinobu had always opposed Saburo. While they were father and son, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them enemies.
Therefore, Goro Takemura felt he must find the truth.
His loyalty to the Arasaka Family made him feel he could not stand idly by.
And Akechi Mitsuhide, dressed like a samurai, was his breakthrough point.
After several days of tracking, he believed he had gained some understanding of the person before him.
Thinking this, Goro Takemura spoke.
"...You were helping that vendor."
Goro Takemura narrowed his eyes and stated his conclusion.
Akechi Mitsuhide must have attacked the Tyger Claws because he wanted to help the vendor.
Furthermore, to prevent the Tyger Claws from causing trouble for the vendor later if the confrontation happened on the spot, Mitsuhide chose to deal with these people far from the street.
All of this had been witnessed by him from the shadows, leading him to finally choose to step forward.
Because he knew that Akechi Mitsuhide was also waiting for him to appear.
"Heh heh."
Regarding Goro Takemura's speculation, Mitsuhide remained noncommittal, merely crossing his arms and letting out a cold laugh.
"I imagine you haven't been tracking me for this long just to come here and speak these few useless words."
Goro Takemura was not deterred by Mitsuhide's words and continued speaking on his own accord.
His gaze rested on "Jue," which Mitsuhide had re-sheathed at his waist—that was the personal blade of Lord Saburo Arasaka.
"'Jue' is not disgraced in the hands of a person like you. Your actions are very much in line with traditional moral style, and I can overlook that point. However, you must help me."
Goro Takemura sincerely extended his hand toward Mitsuhide.
"Lord Saburo's death is unclear. You, and the person behind you, must have seen everything. Help me, and you will certainly receive a generous reward."
Hearing Goro Takemura rambling on, Mitsuhide chuckled softly.
"Reward? Do you want to look at yourself right now? You can barely protect yourself. Do you look like you're in a position to negotiate terms?"
Mitsuhide glanced disdainfully at the cheap leather trench coat Takemura was wearing.
"This... is just a temporary setback."
Goro Takemura had been living miserably lately, and he knew he lacked persuasive power right now, but there were things he had to do.
Thinking this, Goro Takemura narrowed his eyes, revealing a hint of fierce intent.
"I absolutely can provide a reward. It might take a while, but I can guarantee that."
"But, if you choose not to help me, then I will choose to defeat you and force you to work for me. You can choose for yourself."
"You know you cannot defeat me."
Finally, Takemura added a concluding remark.
To be honest, Takemura wasn't boasting.
If it came down to normal combat strength, Akechi Mitsuhide, who was only at the "Epic" level, definitely couldn't match Takemura.
However, Akechi Mitsuhide also had his own trump card.
Although Akechi Mitsuhide might be destroyed in the process, he could ensure that Takemura would go down with him.
Even if he died, he would kill those self-righteous fellows. This was the spirit represented by the "Mizuiro Kikyo" family crest on Mitsuhide's chest.
Therefore, regarding Takemura's threat, Mitsuhide merely snorted.
"If you ask me, you're an idiot."
"Saburo Arasaka is dead, he no longer exists. You are free, so why don't you embrace your new life instead of clinging to that tyrant?"
This was the one thing Berry didn't understand.
Did Goro Takemura absolutely have to be the loyal dog of the Arasaka Family? Saburo Arasaka was dead, and Takemura was now a free man, no longer a corporate asset.
Berry had also heard that some Hackers possessed the technology to wipe the cyberware of escaped corporate dogs, allowing them to restart.
With Goro Takemura's skills, the world was vast; where couldn't he go? Why was he so anxious to return to the Arasaka Corporation just to be a dog?
The weak are forced to obey the strong; though they may be subservient, they still retain a spark of defiance, suppressed only by circumstance.
But being a slave physically is better than being a slave mentally. If you treat yourself as a servant mentally, your knees will take root, and you will never stand up for generations.
Therefore, Berry looked down on Goro Takemura.
This fellow was merely an Arasaka servant who had never tasted the flavor of freedom and could not appreciate it; though powerful, he was difficult to respect.
After all, if he treated himself as a tool, how could others respect a tool?
"Tyrant? No..." Regarding Akechi Mitsuhide's argument, Goro Takemura shook his head with a stern face.
"You people from the streets greatly misunderstand Arasaka-sama."
"Furthermore, a person must have their dignity, and for me, loyalty is the greatest dignity."
"Your name is Akechi Mitsuhide, a name I recognize from history lessons."
"He was a Samurai. A Samurai should be founded on loyalty. Shouldn't you, who bears the name of a Samurai, understand this?"
Regarding Takemura's assertion, Mitsuhide could only scoff.
"A Samurai's sword should be wielded for himself, just as a person's will should be his own master. Mundane morality is merely the prejudice of common folk, and a true Samurai must break free from that."
"You should understand that the death of Saburo Arasaka will only make this world better."
In a world where lifespan is monopolized by megacorporations, former tyrants, however ruthless, only lasted a century. But in this cyber world, thanks to advanced medical technology, tyrants can live for two or three centuries.
Not to mention Saburo Arasaka, who was pursuing eternal rule. If he had truly succeeded, this world would have welcomed an eternal apocalypse.
This situation forced those with free will to fight. In this desperate world, there would be no historical cycle; not fighting meant eternal servitude.
There was a great rift in their conversation.
It could only be said that every word spoken by people with differing worldviews felt like a provocation to the other's bottom line, even though both believed what they said was the truth.
Berry saw servitude, while Takemura saw the order brought by the corporation.
There was no room for compromise between free will and the tyrant's loyal dog.
"I advise you not to waste your effort on me. If you want to defeat Yorinobu, go find another way. There is no way I would ever stoop to cooperate with someone like you."
"...I will come back for you."
After hearing Mitsuhide's words, Takemura was silent for a moment. Just when Mitsuhide thought a fight was about to break out, Takemura turned and left. He actually walked away.
The sensors had already lost track of Takemura. It was only then that Berry breathed a sigh of relief.
Forget it, whatever he was going to do was irrelevant to her now.
Moreover, Berry did not believe that Goro Takemura alone could shake Yorinobu Arasaka.
After all, that fellow was not someone to be underestimated.
With this thought, Berry stopped dwelling on it. She could finally control Mitsuhide to carry out the necessary tasks.
This location was near the Afterlife, and Berry's target was the Afterlife itself. She needed to go find Rogue.
It was for the relic chip, and also for her grand plan. After all, her plan was not as simple as just reviving Johnny Silverhand.
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