Chapter 735: Final Piece.

04 July 2099

Dante woke up in his bed then spent thirty whole minutes staring at the ceiling. He still had some free time before he would have to make the rounds, so it didn’t matter if he lazed around a little. In fact, doing so felt like the right choice after spending all that time standing up inside Suzuka’s machine.

To his surprise, the voice didn’t come to him that morning, even though it had spent the past couple of days mocking him for getting along with two Genomes. Having a clear mind tempted him into another attempt at Soul Manifestation, but he dropped the idea right away. It was far too early for him to ruin his mood.

Unfortunately, when left with his own thoughts, Dante couldn’t stop them from turning toward the topics that bothered him. Among them was whatever it was that his mind still refuses to recall. Sometimes, it feels as if he was perfectly aware of it, but the moment he tries to focus, it suddenly escapes his grasp. The more he tries to chase after it, the farther it escapes from him, ensuring that he would never get to it.

Soon enough, Dante gave up on it completely. If his mind refused to tell him what it was, then forcing himself to remember was pointless.

Getting up from his bed, he showered, brushed his teeth, then ate one of the sandwiches he kept in his Storage. He brewed some coffee and downed it before heading out, going for a short ride before exchanging places with his clone.

He found a secure spot and unequipped his oni mask, replacing it with 8-6.

’Now, where to go...’

Looking at his 3D model of the entire planet, Dante noted that several places had been lost to spatial inhibitors. At the moment, most were still small dots scattered here and there, but it felt like it was only a matter of time before entire continents were hidden from his Spatial Awareness.

Traveling around, he delivered packages one after the other. Once done, he checked in on the Red Oni Club through his clone. Things seemed fine for the time being, and with Riot and Oliver around, he didn’t have to worry about being away for the entire day.

Once the clock hit 09:00, Dante activated Teleportation and appeared at his destination;

"God da- how many times do I have to tell you not to do that!?"

Larry seemed like he would have a heart attack from seeing the massive alloy suit manifest in front of him out of nowhere.

"You ready?" Dante asked.

"Damn it." Grabbing his pack of cigarettes, the surgeon bit one out, then lit it up. "I’m so damn looking forward to finishing this."

If things went well, this was going to be the last surgery Dante would undergo. He would finally have the last piece, becoming the full cyborg he had been aiming to become. And then...

"Go get washed. I will be there in a minute."

Larry’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"I’m also looking forward to not taking your laser baths."

"Keep washing those things with water, and you’ll really turn into a rust puppet."

Dante was the Cyberpunk, not the Steampunk. Neither his Modules nor Suzuka’s MBIs were susceptible to rust, so he didn’t have to worry about having to oil his joints any time soon. His sense of touch was nothing but a simulation created through Volcan’s senses, so it wasn’t as if he had to experience the annoying sensation of the laser shower. Dante didn’t ask his resident AI to filter it out, however. This was going to be his last surgery, so he wanted to experience it as if it were his first.

His arms were green, his legs were black. The only flesh left went from his crutch to his collarbone, and that would soon be gone. Putting on the usual hospital robe, Dante walked into the operation room. He glanced at the white walls, the padded chair, and the workbench beside it. The box containing the third piece of Suzuka’s MBI set was there, already disinfected. Larry was there as well, already in his work scrubs.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Always been," Dante replied.

This time, Dante decided to take the sleeping gas, even though he no longer required it. Closing his eyes, he went to sleep and allowed the doctor to begin his work.

~[ ]~

Larry spent a couple of minutes just staring at the body lying on his operating table. In less than half a year, he had watched as it gradually turned from that of a healthy young man to a machine created for the sole purpose of murder. Somehow, the bionics the young man wore appeared brand new. Despite months having passed since he first obtained them, not a single scratch could be found on their plating, making it seem as if he was replacing them once every day.

The bionic arms and legs weren’t the subject of today’s surgery. Larry was going to install a frame, something he had done many times before, but what made it different this time was that he was going to replace the last pieces of flesh the youth had with cold alloy, turning him into a complete machine.

’Only his brain would be left...’

Just as that thought crossed his mind, Larry remembered a conversation he had with the red-haired youth a while back. At the time, he was wondering if it was possible to replace his brain with an implant as well, and though he had dismissed it at the time, the surgeon, for some bizarre reason, got the impression that the youth would come to him with an artificial brain at some point. That might turn out for the best, because the one he already had inside that red head of his clearly wasn’t working well. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be picking fights with monsters who could destroy the entire world if they felt like it.

’Guess he’s one of those monster as well...’

As that thought crossed his mind, Larry took hold of his scalpel, and after drawing a deep breath, he began his work.