Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 453: Your Fault.

"It’s all your fault."

Dante’s eyes snapped open, and he drew in a sharp breath. He whipped his head left and right, trying to make sense of his surroundings, but his confusion only grew.

All around him, people chatted and laughed. Men clad in expensive suits, women dressed in eye-catching gowns. Most stood with long champagne glasses in hand, their faces hidden behind masks molded from lies and deception.

Disgust welled up in the depths of Dante’s stomach. He pulled a hand out of his pocket, placing it on the source of the awful feeling. That was when he realized he wore an expensive suit as well, although his was much smaller, almost as if it was made for a child.

"So it’s you."

Just as he caught on to the strangeness of his situation, a certain voice reached his ears, and his body was enveloped in a sudden chill.

"You have grown splendidly." The chatter seemed to fade away as he heard the words. "We had our hopes up, yet you managed to surpass them."

A strange ringing filled his ears a he turned to face the speaker. The first thing he saw was a young girl with white hair. She was looking up at something, her face pale, her eyes wide with horror. That something reached out, brushed a few strands of the girl’s hair, and caressed her cheek.

Fear quickly overwhelmed the disgust he felt, then came the anger. Unbridled hatred consumed every bit of his being, but as he aimed to direct it, he came to realize something was off about his target.

He glared and strained his eyes, but no amount of focus cleared his sight. He was sure he was looking at a man. He could tell the man was tall, handsome, charismatic, but no matter what he tried, but couldn’t see him.

The more he tried, the more distorted his vision became. Before long, the only thing he could see was a messy scribble.

"I believe the time has come."

Be it as it may, the hatred didn’t disappear, nor did the anger. The strange ringing continued to fill his ears, growing louder as everything threatened to erupt. Dante—William met Hanna’s gaze, and something instantly snapped inside him. He saw himself leaping at the man. He felt himself pull his arm, his fist clenched.

"It’s all your fault."

Swinging with everything he had, his fist struck true. Bones snapped, and blood spilled. Someone fell to the ground. The world felt cold all of a sudden. Rain poured from the sky, and lightning flashed in the distance, casting momentary light on the dark streets hidden between giant buildings.

Dante’s shoulders rose and fell. His breathing grew ragged, his body burning. At his feet, several people lay unconscious. They all looked like the average thug: strange hair, messy clothes, piercings, and tattoos. Some had broken noses, others had missing teeth.

The strange ringing continued, masking all other sounds. As he stared down at the motionless bodies, no thoughts formed in his mind. Something touched his shoulders, and he spun around, his fist already raised.

"Hey, hey, HEY! It’s me! Calm the fuck down!"

His fist stopped, and the one grasping his shoulder recoiled away. He was a young man almost his age, with skin as dark as charcoal, and dreadlocks tied behind his head. His face was covered in cars and a short stubble, and the frightened expression he wore seemed more exaggerated than genuine.

"... Kasim..."

"Goddamn it, Dante! If you had punched just now, I would have emptied a mag into your corpse!"

Dante listened to the young man’s rant, then let out a long sigh. A few seconds later, Kasim seemed to get serious all of a sudden.

"The cops are on the move." He said. "I hear they got the go. They are shooting to kill."

"Tsk..."

Though his thoughts had calmed for a moment, the ringing soon returned to Dante’s ears, and with it came the burning rage and anger.

"Listen, Dante," Kasim said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The Blood Hounds are done for. The cops will finish off Black Cross. We need to get out of here. We don’t have to-"

Dante pulled away, no longer wishing to hear the rest. His eyes were pinned to the ground for a moment, then he raised his gaze, meeting that of the dark skinned young man. The ringing kept getting louder. Paying it no mind, Dante opened his mouth to say something, but the words he heard weren’t his.

"It’s all your fault."

Flames filled his vision. The world around him burned. He heard the sound of gunfire, but just as he turned to its source, a hand flashed and a slap landed on the left side of his face. Coming back to his senses, he looked beside him and saw a man with an unkempt beard and rugged features.

"Ma...ttia..."

"Kid! Get your act together!" He shouted at him. "You need to get out of here!"

"Bu-"

"There is no escape."

The rugged man spun around and whipped his gun. He fired one bullet after the other, but the target shrugged them off as if they were nothing. Bullets did not work on that monster.

"Rats like you should’ve stayed in the sewers."

The monster took hold of the rugged man, then effortlessly lifted him in the air. His free hand slowly rose, then it turned to a blur. Crimson burst from the man’s back, and the ringing grew loud once again.

As he hung from one arm, his guts spilling onto the ground, the rugged man shifted his gaze. Blood spewing from his mouth, he struggled to move it and forced out a few words.

"It’s all your fault."

A young woman looked up at him, her crimson hair melding in a pool of blood. Her blue eyes locked onto him, and her lips moved, red droplets trickling from the corners of her mouth.

"It’s all your fault."

An old woman stood in the middle of a burning building, the folds of her wrinkled face growing deeper as she fixed him with a glare.

"It’s all your fault."

A child with short brown hair glared at him, his eyes full of hatred.

"It’s all your fault."

A purple-haired woman knelt on a bed.

"It’s all your fault."

A young girl clutched her red jacket, tears streaming from her eyes.

"It’s all your fault."

The faces flashed one after the other.

"It’s all your fault."

Their mouths moved, but they all said the same words.

"It’s all your fault."

As the voices echoed in his head, he found himself standing in front of a mirror.

"It’s all your fault."

A red-haired youth stared back at him, his blue eyes carrying no light in their depth. His mouth moved, and from it came the same words. Words that remained clear even when the ringing threatened to spill his head.

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault." 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

"It’s all your fault."

As the voices continued to echo in his head, Dante looked down at his own hands.

"It’s all my fault."

The voices suddenly grew silent, and only his own remained. Darkness slowly crept in through the corners of his vision, gradually erasing the world around him. The ringing stopped, and his thoughts cleared out. It felt as if he had finally realized the truth, and now that he did, there was no going back.

"... I guess it’s for the best..." He told himself, still looking at his hands.

The darkness continued to seep in, swallowing everything. Dante didn’t resist. He just stood there.

"Wi... lia... Wi...iam... WI... WILLIAM!!!"

A spark of lightning fell from above, banishing the darkness and painting everything white. Dante didn’t move, continuing to look at his hands. Rather than flesh, they were now covered in bright alloy.

The ground at his feet glowed yellow and orange. Tendrils of electricity arced here and there before fading into nothingness.

Raising his gaze, he came eye to eye with an imposing figure. He floated high in the air, his red cape flowing behind him. The bastard looked down with complete disinterest, the look on his face speaking of his boredom.

"Wake up, William!" A voice shouted in his head. "You cannot let it end like this! Did you not swear that you would make him pay!!?"

Staring at the floating man, Dante then turned away.

"What’s the point?" He said. "I’m going to screw it up anyway."

"Then screw it up!" The voice cut through him. "Screw it up and try again! You have to keep trying. You can’t give up. You don’t have the right to give up!"

The world shifted, and fire embraced it once again. William looked around him. He saw the broken car. He saw the corpses of his mother and father. Panic overwhelmed him in an instant, and he quickly searched his surroundings. She wasn’t there. He couldn’t find her anywhere. His body froze just then, and his gaze quickly turned upward.

There, in the sky, the same man was floating in the air. Fire illuminated his imposing form, and his red cape fluttered in the air. He was looking at him with the same disinterest, and in his hands he held her.

"Wait..."

The man floated up with no effort, and the next instant, he vanished.

"I SAID WAIT!!!"

Dante drew in a sharp breath, and his gaze was filled with white. A blurry face leaned over him a moment later. It turned away from him soon after. There was some shouting, but he couldn’t make out the words. His vision seemed to clear soon after, and the same face returned to hover over him.

"Kid! Do you hear me!!?"