Cyberpunk: Ultimate Cyborg System-Chapter 510: Soul Weapon.
"Become aware of your body, then your soul," Dante said. "Do that, and you can manifest your soul into the real world."
"Don't skip the integration," Riot said. "Soul Manifestation has levels of its own. I got to the second, but then my heart went and stopped working."
"Huh…"
Dante retreated into his thoughts, staring at his hand for a moment.
'What do you think?'
[I am unsure.] Volcan said. [The manifestation process does sound close to what happens when one of VOLCAN's armors is equipped, but I am struggling to understand how humans manifest their souls. Unless…]
'Unless?'
[Unless they have the natural ability to interact and manipulate souls.] Volcan said. [But that should not be possible. Something like that requires technology on the level of VOLCAN. I do not see how a human with no access to something as advanced as VOLCAN can interact with their soul, let alone manipulate and manifest it.]
Dante had already linked the powers of his relic to the Soul Manifestation Riot spoken of. According to Volcan, the relic had been integrated into his soul. It couldn't have done that while being a solid piece of tech, so it must have turned to whatever material souls are made of.
'Hold on...' Dante furrowed his brows, feeling as if he was onto something. 'Doesn't this mean…'
He crossed his arms and pondered the matter some more, then looked up at Riot.
"Do you get it now?" The big guy asked.
Dante didn't answer. He held his hands up in front of him and looked at the pale green alloy coating his arms. Returning his gaze to the muscular guy, he hesitated for a moment, then gave the command.
The green arms released a faint glow, then disintegrated into countless threads of white light. The threads then traveled over his shoulders and to his chest, where they sank into the circle at its center. Once the threads were gone, all that was left behind were skeletal arms made from gray alloy.
Riot's jaw had dropped to the floor halfway through. His face was painted with disbelief, and he could only gawk at the thin alloy arms.
'How long until 4-3 is fixed?'
[Eighty-six minutes.] Volcan replied.
After a moment of thought, Dante gave the command to equip 2-3's Module.
"Dear god…" Riot muttered as the threads of light manifested once more, and when blue alloy encased the skeletal arms instead of the green from before, his shock reached new levels.
"Does this count?" Dante asked.
"How…" Riot's gaze snapped from the arms to Dante. "How many do you have!!?"
"That is none of your concern," Dante said. "Answer my question. Does this count as Soul Manifestation?"
"Yeah…" The muscular man seemed to lose focus for a second before snapping out of it. "That's definitely Soul Manifestation, but…"
"But?"
"Well…" as if unsure of what to say, Riot pursed his lips, his forehead wrinkling up. "From what I heard, the final stage allows one to give one's soul a physical form, but…" He tilted his head. "I don't think they're supposed to be this complex."
Dante looked at his hands, then back at the giant.
"Have you seen something similar before?"
"My master could produce a spear that-" As if noticing too late, Riot clasped a hand on his mouth, his confusion turning into nervousness. "Sorry, but… I can't tell you more than that."
Dante frowned but chose not to dig deeper into the specifics.
"So it's supposed to come out as simple weapons like spears and swords?"
"That's what I thought," Riot said, his gaze returning to Dante's arms. "Until now."
Dante looked at his own hand once more.
'So… you are a Soul Weapon?'
[That is… one way to describe it…] Volcan replied, sounding hesitant. [I do not believe it is what you think it is, however.]
'Is that so?'
[Though I lack the specifics, I do have data pertaining to my manufacturing. I can say with utmost certainty that VOLCAN is not a manifestation of a living being's soul. It had been created in its physical form, then granted the function that allows for the integration with souls after completion.]
'Huh… well, you are an advanced piece of tech. I find it hard to see you as a mystical weapon or tool.' Dante thought. 'Still, I wish you could tell me more about who created you…'
Volcan's origin remains a mystery to this day. Though he thought about it from time to time, Dante tried not to let his curiosity grow. VOLCAN belonged to him now, and that's all that matters. Until his goal is achieved, solving that mystery would remain at the bottom of his priorities.
"Seriously though…" Riot said, drawing him out of his thoughts. "How many do you have?"
"I thought I said it's none of your business?" Dante replied with a frown, and Riot frowned back.
"Well, why did you ask me to explain if you have already mastered it? Don't tell me you didn't know what it was."
"I did not."
Riot's jaw dropped once more, and he had to raise it with his hand.
"Damn geniuses…" He grimaced. "You make us normal folk look like idiots."
Dante fixed him with a glare.
"Don't ever call me that again."
"O-okay, calm down."
Clicking his tongue, Dante got up. Just as he was about to exit the cage, a message notification appeared in front of him.
[
Finn: Got a minute?
There is something I want to talk to you about.
]
Giving it some thought, Dante replied, saying to wait for him in his office. Putting his jacket back on, he pretended to rummage through its pockets while taking a pair of gloves out of his Storage.
"Just to be clear," He said, turning to the muscular guy while putting on one of the gloves. "You will tell no one of what you saw today."
"Yeah, figured as much," Riot replied as he came out as well. "Still, how the hell are you able to do it?"
