In the neon-soaked culture of Japan, the samurai, their blades, and the code they lived by — Bushido — were inseparable. Even in the chrome and circuitry of Night City, the legacy of that warrior spirit lingered.
The Arasaka family, though no longer of the samurai class, carried centuries of imperial prestige. Their lineage didn't serve anyone — they ruled. Yet on the walls of Yorinobu Arasaka's penthouse suite, three katana hung side by side, gleaming in the low golden light.
Ordinarily, it was nothing worth fussing over. After all, even in Night City, rich corpos liked to hang blades on their walls — symbols of power, heritage, or maybe just expensive décor.
So every time Neo had reached this point in Cyberpunk 2077, playing through Konpeki Plaza over countless runs, he had never once turned the camera to look at those swords. They were just there.
But now, Jackie Welles had his hand on Neo's shoulder, eyes wide.
"Bro… that sword looks kinda special, doesn't it?"
The bottom sword was a pristine ceremonial katana — an art piece, polished, unblooded.
The second was a thermal katana — hot-edged, sleek, built for slicing through armor like butter.
But the third blade…
Even after countless playthroughs, endless weapons collected, endless loot databases scoured, he'd never seen this one.
Neo stepped forward, pulling the topmost sword from its mount. The weight felt right — perfectly balanced, the length and curve matching that of a classic katana. The blade's edge was blunt, untouched. But what caught his attention was the texture.
It wasn't forged metal. The blade shimmered with faint circuitry, like an integrated circuit board fused into the metal itself. Lines of microchips and neural latticework ran beneath the surface, faintly pulsing as if alive.
"Rebecca," Neo said, holding it up. "Scan this. Tell me what it says."
Rebecca raised her cyber-optics to scan it. A flicker ran across her eyes — and then froze.
"Uh… what the hell?" she muttered. "This thing's blank. Like… totally blank."
Neo turned. "Blank?"
Rebecca frowned. "Yeah. It's showing nothing. All I'm getting is an entry marked Unregistered Katana: X. I've never seen that before."
Jackie and David tried next, their optics clicking as they scanned the blade. Both got the same result — a simple identifier:
Unregistered Katana: X
Neo's eyes narrowed. He turned the blade in his hands, studying every line, every seam.
It wasn't cold weaponry.
It wasn't thermal weaponry.
It was something else. Something in between — elegant, silent, unarmed yet terrifyingly intentional.
And Yorinobu had hung it here, in his personal suite. That alone said something.
Things displayed in one's home, especially by someone like Yorinobu Arasaka, were never meaningless.
"What are you, really?" Neo murmured, eyes glinting.
For a moment, he turned the blade, letting its strange circuitry catch the light. Then, with a faint smirk, he slid it back into its scabbard and slung it at his side.
"Guess I'll find out soon enough."
He turned toward the window, pressed a hidden switch on the wooden floor, and the faint hum of machinery filled the air.
The floor panels split open, and a pedestal rose from beneath the suite — a secured glass case emerging from the shadows.
Inside it: a sleek, black Arasaka relic case. The Relic chip.
Along with it came the soft chime of a security lock engaging.
Neo knelt, examining it. There were only two ways to open it — either by scanning Yorinobu's retinal pattern, or with the decryption chip stored in the bedside cabinet.
"Rebecca, Jackie, David," Neo said quietly. "Check the nightstand. The unlock chip should be there."
As the three scattered, Neo stepped closer to the window, brushing aside the curtain — and froze.
Far beyond the glowing skyline, in the black sea of the Night City sky, a cluster of lights appeared — crimson and gold, sleek as razors.
A convoy. Arasaka aircrafts, high-end, military-grade.
Saburo Arasaka had arrived.
...
"Neo!" Rebecca called out, clutching a small chip. "Got it!"
He turned and took it from her, slotting it into the relic case. The locks disengaged one by one — metallic snaps echoing through the suite.
The case slid open, revealing the Relic in all its glory.
Jackie's voice broke the silence. "Holy shit! What the hell's happening outside?"
He ran to the window, eyes widening. "There's like… ten Arasaka fliers, man! And a whole squad of agents down there!"
David joined him, scanning with his optics. His tone turned grim.
"Those aren't just agents. That's Arasaka spec-ops, elite guards, and—" his pupils shrank "—cyberninjas. Drones too. Someone big is coming."
Jackie blinked. "What the fuck, Yorinobu's got that kinda welcoming committee waiting for him?"
Neo's voice came quiet, low, and cold.
"No. That's not for him."
He turned from the Relic, eyes dark as the night outside.
"That's for his father — Saburo Arasaka. The Emperor of Arasaka himself."
Jackie's breath hitched. "Oh… shit."
Neo grabbed the Relic case, pressing it into Jackie's hands.
"Take it," he ordered. "You, Rebecca, and David — get out of here. Now."
Jackie hesitated. "Wait, what about you?"
"I'm staying," Neo said. His tone left no room for argument. "There's something I need to confirm."
Rebecca's eyes flared. "The hell you are! I'm not leaving you behind, Neo!"
He reached out, gently ruffling her hair — a calm smile crossing his face despite the tension humming in the air.
"I'll be fine. Go with them. I'll catch up later."
"Touching my head's not gonna change my mind," she shot back. "If you're staying, I'm staying."
Before Neo could respond, Kiwi's voice crackled through the comms — fast, tense.
"Team, report! Did you get the Relic? Saburo Arasaka's inbound! Yorinobu's already in the elevator, heading up! You've got seconds before this place goes hot!"
Rebecca looked up at Neo, eyes burning with defiance.
He sighed. "Fine. You stay with me."
Then, to Jackie and David: "You two take the Relic, meet up with Maine's team, and get out of Konpeki. We'll regroup at the safehouse."
Jackie nodded, gripping Neo's shoulder once before turning toward the exit.
"Don't die on me, choom."
David gave a sharp nod. "We'll be waiting, Mr. Neo. You and Rebecca — come back alive."
The two disappeared into the corridor, the Relic case secure in Jackie's hands.
Neo grabbed Rebecca's wrist and pulled her toward a maintenance hatch at the far side of the suite. He opened it, revealing a narrow shaft — a maintenance vent running deep into the structure of the building.
He turned to her, voice low and steady.
"From now on, don't speak unless I tell you to. Don't move away from me, no matter what happens. Understand?"
Rebecca met his eyes, swallowed hard, and nodded.
The sound of distant engines grew louder outside — the thunder of the Emperor's arrival.
And as the red glow of Arasaka's airfleet bathed the suite in light, Neo and Rebecca vanished into the darkness below.