Chapter Summaries

Downton arrived in Night City in 2076 without cyberware and forced a passerby to take him to the Afterlife to meet Rogue. After he gave the passerby a luxury car by intimidating its owner, Rogue learned an unknown, factory-original big shot had entered her club and wondered why he had appeared in Little China.

• Downton asked the passersby where the Afterlife was, learned that it was 2076, and forced a passerby to drive him there.
• Downton kicked off the passerby's car door, then took the driver to a nearby Herrera Outlaw and demanded that its owner give the car to him.
• Andre Lawrence recognized Tyrone Yakubu, transferred the Herrera to him, and offered to escort Downton to Rogue.
• The Afterlife's bouncer let Downton in and sent Rogue his photo, reporting that Downton had no biochip or cyberware.
• Rogue searched for information on Downton and wondered which powerful figure he was and why he had intervened in the conflict between Maelstrom and the Tyger Claws.

Downton challenged Rogue for control of the Afterlife and revealed that bullets could not harm him. He declared his intention to build a new power in Night City and challenge the corporations, then invited the bar's patrons to attack him; the chapter ended as a grenade exploded in his hand.

• Rogue questioned Downton about his background and confronted him with her pistol, but he swiftly took Pride from her.
• Downton fired Pride at his own eye, and the bullet bounced off unharmed; he then declared himself the King of the Afterlife.
• Downton announced plans to overthrow the corporations and rallied the Afterlife's patrons to attack him in exchange for a chance to make him their king.
• Patrons opened fire on Downton, but their bullets ricocheted off his body and injured people nearby.
• Someone threw a grenade at Downton, and it exploded as Rogge cursed and watched nervously.

Downton amazed Rogue and the Afterlife crowd by compressing and swallowing a grenade’s explosion, then joined Rogue at the bar as she explained Night City’s mercenary culture and offered to help him become a legend. Rogue urged him to stop holding back and kill anyone who stood in his way.

• Downton used psychic force to contain a grenade’s explosion, swallowed it, and released its blast toward the onlookers.
• Rogue cleared the Afterlife, ordered Emerick to close the bar, and sat with Downton while Claire prepared their drinks.
• Downton and Claire discussed drinks named after Rogue, David, and Downton, while Rogue explained that mercenaries came to the Afterlife for high-paying jobs and her experience.
• Rogue described Night City as a chaotic city no single corporation controlled, where mercenaries could make money and build reputations.
• Rogue agreed to help Downton pursue his ambition of becoming a legend but told him to follow her advice and kill anyone who stood in his way.

Downton interrupted Rogue’s plan to lure Adam Smasher out by heading straight for Arasaka Tower, but stopped to rescue David Martinez and his mother after a gang attack. Rogue arranged medical care and money for Gloria, and Downton invited David to find him at the Afterlife.

• Downton used Rogue’s reactions to confirm she was serious about asking for his help, then learned she wanted him to draw out Adam Smasher.
• Downton declared that Adam Smasher was no problem for him and dragged Rogue out of the Afterlife to drive toward Arasaka Tower.
• Downton and Rogue encountered the aftermath of a gang attack, where David Martinez was trapped in an overturned car and his mother, Gloria, lay badly injured.
• Downton freed David from the car and ordered Rogue to treat Gloria, then told David to bring his mother to the Afterlife once she recovered.
• Rogue arranged a ripperdoc for Gloria, transferred David emergency money, and sent him the Afterlife’s location and contact details.

Downton left David with his mother and drove to Arasaka’s Konpeki Plaza, where he attacked the NCPD officers who tried to stop him. After turning the plaza into chaos, he faced Arasaka security and prepared to continue his assault.

• Downton told Rogue to alert the media that he was heading to Arasaka, and David stayed behind with his mother, hoping she would hold on until a ripperdoc arrived.
• Downton’s car reached Corpo Plaza with five police cars in pursuit, and he pushed Rogue’s car far from the scene before walking toward the officers.
• The NCPD officers fired at Downton, but he shrugged off their bullets, killed one officer, and warned the others that they were not his target.
• Downton tore off another officer’s arm, then crossed the plaza and caused panic among the luxury cars and Delamain taxis outside Konpeki Plaza.
• Arasaka security guards confronted Downton, and he became interested when he saw their Japanese faces.

Downton slaughtered Arasaka forces at Konpeki Plaza while Rogue and reporter Nancy watched from outside. He confirmed that a surviving agent belonged to Arasaka’s Counterintelligence Department, then challenged Adam Smasher to meet him at Arasaka Tower within three hours.

• Downton killed Arasaka guards and security forces as the battle at Konpeki Plaza continued.
• Rogue arrived at the police line and spoke with Nancy, who said Downton had nearly wiped out Arasaka’s Counterintelligence Department.
• Rogue explained that Downton had demanded to become the Afterlife’s boss, so she had sent him to Konpeki Plaza.
• Downton forced two wounded Arasaka agents to fight, then questioned the survivor about V and killed him when the agent said no one by that name worked in the department.
• Downton threw the agent’s head toward the reporters and announced on camera that Adam Smasher had three hours to meet him at Arasaka Tower.

Downton met Rogue and the reporters outside Konpeki Tower after devastating Arasaka, while military police retreated from him. Watching the live feed in Tokyo, Arasaka Saburo worried that Downton might have come from Kang Tao rather than Biotechnica.

• Downton approached Rogue as nearly eight hundred military police backed away and cleared the area around Konpeki Tower.
• Rogue praised Downton for the destruction he had inflicted on Arasaka, and Downton said he expected Smasher to appear eventually.
• Downton spoke to reporters, told them to call him Tang, and had a female reporter bring him a chair from Militech's building.
• Militech employees watched Downton with terrified reverence while reporters gathered around him and wiped blood from his body.
• Arasaka Hanako suggested Downton might be an unreplicable Biotechnica creation, but Arasaka Saburo said he feared Downton had come from Kang Tao.

Saburo Arasaka ordered Adam Smasher to fight Downton in Night City, while Michiko prepared to turn the battle into a public clash between biological and mechanical augmentation. Smasher welcomed the challenge and demanded access to heavy weapons, determined to prove his mechanical body superior.

• Hanako argued that Kang Tao could not have created Downton, but Saburo stopped her and considered the three factions dividing Arasaka.
• Saburo told Michiko to send Adam Smasher to Night City within three hours and publicize his fight with Downton as a contest between biological and mechanical augmentation.
• Michiko delivered the order to Smasher, who watched Downton's recorded feats and expressed disbelief at the strength of biological augmentation.
• Smasher claimed he had defeated armies and insisted he could match Downton's actions at Konpeki Plaza.
• Smasher asked Michiko for full access to the heavy weapons arsenal because Downton had withstood Chimera's energy blast, then vowed he would not lose.

After Downton challenged Adam Smasher on live television, Jackie Welles and Maine’s edgerunner crew decided to head toward the confrontation. The chapter left them setting out to witness the showdown near Konpeki Plaza.

• Jackie Welles watched Downton challenge Adam Smasher on television and decided to leave the Wild Wolf Bar to see the fight in person.
• Mrs. Welles warned Jackie to stay safe, and Jackie promised before riding off on his motorcycle.
• Maine, Lucy, and Dorio discussed how Downton’s attack might make biological modifications more popular.
• Pilar suggested that Maine’s crew go to Konpeki Plaza, and Maine agreed to look for work and collect Gloria’s Sandevistan on the way.
• Rebecca enthusiastically agreed to join the crew and watch Downton’s confrontation.

Maine's crew and Jack Welles joined the crowds gathering at Corpo Plaza to watch Downton face Adam Smasher. Father explained that the fight could decide whether Arasaka kept its hold on Night City, and Jack watched Downton arrive at Konpeki Plaza.

• Kiwi reported that her hack had yielded little, and Maine's crew drove toward Corpo Plaza to see the coming battle.
• Rebecca insulted the traffic, but Pilar silenced her after warning that dangerous crews, including the Predators, were nearby.
• Maine ordered his crew to abandon their car and walk after learning Adam Smasher was on his way to fight Downton.
• Jack Welles parked his motorcycle, climbed onto a rooftop, and squeezed in beside Father to watch the battle.
• Father told Jack that Downton's fight could shift Night City's balance and that Downton was close to Rogue and the Afterlife.
• Jack looked toward Konpeki Plaza through binoculars and saw Arasaka women kneeling before Downton.

Downton waited in the plaza outside Konpeki Plaza for Adam Smasher, reveling in the crowd’s attention and violently killing Arasaka employees who displeased him. Rogue relayed Biotechnica’s invitation through Night City’s mayor, but Downton refused to meet, saying he would visit Arasaka in Japan after defeating Smasher.

• Downton lounged in the plaza while Rogue told him Arasaka was bringing Adam Smasher to meet his challenge.
• Downton killed two Arasaka executives in front of the crowd and explained to Rogue that being watched made him feel like the center of the world.
• Rogue told Downton that Night City’s mayor had invited him on Biotechnica’s behalf, and Downton asked for a computer so he could see the mayor’s daughter’s picture.
• Mann’s crew watched Downton from the crowd, and Lucy called him handsome after criticizing his behavior, prompting him to look directly at her from afar.
• Downton refused Rogue’s suggestion to meet the mayor and said he would go to Arasaka in Japan after taking out Smasher.

Adam Smasher arrived above Night City expecting to confront Downton, while the city watched and Rogue prepared an escape plan. Downton ambushed Smasher, destroyed his aircraft, and left him helpless in the sky, declaring the game over.

• Adam Smasher arrived above Corporate Plaza and looked down at Downton and the gathered crowd.
• Mann, Jack, the Padre, and Lucy watched Smasher with shock and worry as Rogue prepared to move Downton's companions to safety.
• Rogue quietly told Downton she had stationed people and planted bombs so they could escape if he lost, but Downton dismissed her concerns and told her to peel him a pomelo.
• Downton explained that he had enjoyed the anticipation and said the game was over now that Smasher had arrived.
• Downton surged into the sky, grabbed Smasher before he could activate his Sandevistan, and smashed him through his aircraft.
• Downton hovered with Smasher in one hand and the aircraft in the other, then cheerfully told him the game was over.

Downton defeated Adam Smasher and hurled a spacecraft into Arasaka Tower, triggering widespread destruction across Night City. He protected Rogue from the debris, then used psychic force to pulverize collapsing buildings and everyone inside them.

• Downton repeatedly slammed Adam Smasher and a spacecraft together, leaving Smasher near defeat as Saburo and Yorinobu watched in shock.
• Adam Smasher praised Downton and asked him to kill him, but Downton tore his body apart and kept his head as a trophy.
• Downton threw the spacecraft into Arasaka Tower, causing a massive blast that toppled dozens of nearby corporate skyscrapers.
• Downton shielded Rogue from flying debris, then tossed Smasher's head toward her, but it hit the ground instead.
• Downton swept psychic force through the collapsing ruins, crushing the buildings and the people inside them into powder.

Downton stopped the destruction around Corporate Plaza, forced people around the world to kneel, and announced that he would punish the powerful and criminals. After crippling Saburo Arasaka and intercepting nuclear missiles aimed at Night City, he left President Myers considering a personal appeal to him.

• Lucy and the others escaped the falling debris before Downton halted and erased the rubble, then ordered the crowd to kneel.
• Downton broadcast a message across the world, introduced himself, and called out Saburo Arasaka.
• Downton blew off Saburo Arasaka’s right leg and warned Yorinobu to keep his father alive; Yorinobu and the Arasaka family rushed to treat him.
• Downton struck again, injuring Saburo and causing people committing crimes around the world to explode.
• Downton intercepted more than thirty nuclear missiles over Oregon, prompting President Myers and her officials to discuss how to approach him.
• President Myers looked toward the sky and asked whether she could travel to Night City to pay Downton homage.

Downton punished New American officials during a worldwide broadcast, while Miles took charge of the shaken survivors and defended her approach to him. Back in Night City, Downton reassured Rogue and announced that they would visit Tokyo to confront Saburo.

• Downton killed several officials and the Secretary of Defense, warning the survivors not to make others pay the price for their choices.
• Miles rejected the officials’ proposal to treat Downton as a traditional god, demanded a better team, and still ordered them to commission a portrait.
• Downton returned to the ruined corporate plaza, where Rogue struggled to understand why he had appeared and chosen to speak with her.
• Downton encouraged Rogue to stop dwelling on her regrets and invited her to return to the Afterlife for food and drinks.
• Downton told Rogue they would go to Tokyo to face Saburo and said he wanted fear to give Saburo false hope before he crushed it.

Downton approached Lucy and the Edgerunners after destroying corporate buildings and invited them to join him. He left with Rogue, while Lucy’s stunned team followed after Rebecca crashed from excitement.

• The crowd parted for Downton as Lucy, Rebecca, and the Edgerunners watched him approach.
• Lucy warned Rebecca and the team to act respectfully around Downton, while Maine agreed they should not draw attention.
• Downton discussed food, drinks, and getting Rayfield Caliburns before heading to Arasaka headquarters with Rogue.
• Downton stopped before the Edgerunners, repeated Rebecca’s joking imitation, and rubbed her head until she crashed unconscious.
• Downton handed Rebecca to Lucy and invited the whole Edgerunner team to come with him.
• Downton resumed walking with Rogue as Lucy and her stunned team prepared to follow.

Downton recruited Maine’s crew after leaving Corporate Plaza, then returned to the rooftop to question the Padre about V. The Padre identified V as Valerie, who had fled to New Orleans after the Tyger Claws targeted her.

• Rebecca, Lucy, Kiwi, Maine, Dorio, and Pilar followed Downton, and he told Rogue he wanted to give the young crew a chance.
• Downton’s bounty was canceled, and MaxTac provided an Astra to transport his group.
• Jack and the Padre watched the Astra depart, and Jack left to visit his mother.
• Downton returned to the rooftop, where the Padre fainted after Downton said there was no God and Jack revived him with an injector.
• Downton asked the Padre about V, and the Padre said she was Valerie, a runaway orphan who had gone to New Orleans after the Tyger Claws targeted her.

Downton recruited Jack and his crew, bringing them to the Coyote Cojo and warning them not to become the source of future evils as they gained power. Meanwhile, Valerie woke hungover in New Orleans, where she was broke and struggling to find work outside Biotechnica.

• Downton teased Jack by threatening to visit his mother’s bar, then made him kneel and declared him and Mann’s crew his team.
• Downton warned the crew not to become corrupt or create the evils they had once suffered under.
• At the Coyote Cojo, Downton hugged Mama Welles and asked her to feed him, while Rebecca pushed him and Lucy toward the bathroom.
• Rogue gathered the remaining crew and led them in a toast to their future team.
• In New Orleans, Valerie woke from a strange dream about Downton, found her water shut off over an overdue bill, and cursed her lack of job prospects.

Valerie struggled to find work in New Orleans until Downton’s worldwide killing of evildoers revealed that he had become a god. After recognizing him and learning he planned to attack Arasaka, she agreed to join his team, provided his hovercar had a shower.

• Valerie killed a masked man who tried to collect a debt and left her apartment to look for work.
• Valerie caught a battered sex doll who had jumped from a building and learned that her clients had been killed.
• Valerie discovered that Downton had killed evildoers around the world and considered returning to Night City.
• Downton and Rogue spotted Valerie from a Caliburn, and Valerie fled before Downton caught her in midair.
• Valerie recognized Downton, agreed to join his team against Arasaka, and asked if the hovercar had a shower.

Downton brought Valerie aboard the Aerondight and headed toward Japan, while Arasaka Saburo fled to the lunar station and left Yorinobu behind. Yorinobu waited for Downton to arrive, and three hours later saw the Aerondight in the sky.

• Downton invited the bloodied Valerie into the Aerondight, where she joked with him and the crew before going to take a bath.
• At Arasaka headquarters, Yorinobu mocked Saburo for fleeing to the moon, while Saburo boarded a spaceship with Takemura, Hanako, and Michiko.
• Saburo entrusted his safety to Takemura and left Oda behind to help protect Arasaka's position.
• Yorinobu rejected his father's cause, declared that he would wait for Downton, and went up to the rooftop.
• Three hours later, Yorinobu watched Downton's Aerondight drift through the sky and smiled.