On the chair. Reconfirmed that Kai lay restrained at the hands, legs, and torso, unconscious, Angus Code—first prince and one of the Code throne successors—steadied his ragged breathing.
Overall Rating: 12,230. The biological measurement device held by Code still hadn't had its mechanism fully deciphered, but its accuracy was beyond doubt.
A man exceeding an Overall Rating of 10,000, with no record even in Code's archives—he was a monster far beyond anything Angus had imagined.
"You fool of a man! If you'd simply obeyed, you could have risen to prominence even in this city!"
Restrained as he was, Kai had maintained that same composed, dignified bearing from start to finish. Combat capability powerful enough to grievously wound mecha soldiers while under the effects of incapacitation gas, the instant he realized brainwashing wouldn't work, he'd tried to destroy his own body—all of it was beyond the pale.
But in the end, he had become Angus's piece on the board.
The "Punishment White Mask" he'd used was something that even Code could seldom produce. Even Angus, who commanded one of the top support bases among the royal family, possessed only two.
Yet its power was immense. Imposing forbidden conditions by exploiting class disparity couldn't bind one's thoughts, and the strength was a touch unreliable, but this mask bound both thought and spirit completely.
His abilities would drop somewhat, but for a man bearing a rating over 12,000, that was no obstacle. The soldiers of organizations Code dealt with on a daily basis wouldn't even be worth mentioning.
The succession war a hundred years ago had been the first since Code's activation. He'd heard it had begun with everyone in the dark.
But this time was the second. Everyone had prepared countermeasures. Every holder of succession rights could be assumed to be aiming for the throne.
Last time, the Explorer's Guild's interference had also been involved, and fierce battles had reportedly erupted.
Current status was irrelevant. Lose, and everything was gone. Being the front-runner just days ago—it meant nothing. The nobles backing Angus would be crushed along with everything else.
Code's royal authority was—that kind of thing.
Win. Win, and seize everything. To that end, he had set in motion the risky plan of recruiting a top-tier warrior from the Explorer's Guild.
Behind Angus, a man who had been quietly observing the exchange between him and Kai now spoke with emotion.
"That was impressive. I expected we'd attract a strong warrior, but I never imagined a man with such ironclad resolve and ability would appear… Still, Code's medical system can treat bone and organ damage in short order. He should be ready in time for the succession war."
A man who stood no shorter than Kai.
Sharp eyes, sun-tanned skin. A prodigy who had posted a rating exceeding 3,000 on Code's overall evaluation.
Before the recruitment of soldiers had begun in earnest, Code had been selecting a handful of exceptional individuals and inviting them into the city. This man was one of those chosen.
Once a military advisor in some outside nation, Angus's right-hand man.
Jean Gorton.
He was the one who, after reviewing records of the battles from the previous succession war, had devised the audacious plan of procuring elite fighters from the Explorer's Guild—a strategy no one else had even considered.
If this Jean, who had quickly grasped even Code's eccentric urban systems, said Kai's treatment would be in time, then surely it would be.
"Shall we use the other mask on someone? If we're looking to use it on Saya, who lost consciousness without even putting up resistance, perhaps the man who launched a surprise attack on Code out of the blue would be better. His rating was 9,760 in an exhausted state. We also have several candidates among the Seal Designated individuals sent by other organizations."
Saya referred to the other woman with a high Overall Rating who had entered Code around the same time as Kai. Her rating sat just above 5,500. Half of Kai's, certainly, but roughly double Jean's—and that made her power far from ordinary.
The man who had ambushed Code was equally extraordinary. It had been a chance encounter, before the trap was laid for the Explorer's Guild, but he had shattered Code's defenses in a single instant and damaged some of the buildings—a feat no less staggering.
If there was one problem, it was that the man was a Mage. Within Code, the use of magic was restricted under laws enacted by the current Code King, so even if recruited as an ally, he would likely be unable to发挥 his full strength in the succession war.
"Seal Designated" was the general term for dangerous individuals sent from outside organizations. Too valuable to dispose of, yet too dangerous to control—they had been acquired through trade over a long period, and several were already held in Code's prison.
Their abilities were top-tier, but even with several mecha soldiers as bodyguards, they couldn't be trusted for close-quarters deployment.
Other siblings among the succession candidates were probably thinking the same thing—using masks to subdue their own Seal Designated pawns and send them to the vanguard.
"…A difficult situation indeed. I have only one mask left. I can't exactly negotiate someone into becoming an ally with it."
"No, you can't trust them. The city system's defenses can't fully counter attacks that exceed its threshold. A traitor would be immediately 'processed,' but that's meaningless if you're already dead."
"The scientists of that advanced physical civilization probably never imagined humans could grow this powerful."
The items produced by Code's urban functions included many that were both powerful and convenient, but some were decidedly less useful.
A prime example was the lightweight armor.
It was light and easy to handle, but too soft. It could withstand attacks from minimally trained individuals and accidental injuries, but against a Hunter who had absorbed Mana Material, it offered almost no protection.
People of the past civilization had been weaker than those of the present. Anyone with even a bit of education would have heard such theories.
The influence of Mana Material was considered significant, and Code's manufactured weapons lent that theory a small boost of support.
The fact that humans existed who could endure Code's incineration cannons—the very weapons meant to burn everything away—for several seconds meant that every problem had to be addressed with ample margin.
The imposition of forbidden conditions, too, would presumably have perfectly restricted the actions of people from that era.
Those not chosen as royal guards would likely be recruited into the retinues of other royals.
Despite differing scales of support, within Code's urban system, there was no power gap between the First Prince and the Second Prince. At least within the city system, no one could prevent the selection of guards for the other princes and princesses.
Angus had won the opening move.
Now, and only now, Angus could still choose whom to make his guard. Whom to make an ally, whom to make an enemy.
"We're rushing the confirmation of Saya's combat capabilities. Her intelligence may be contributing to the inflated rating."
"Hmph… I don't need strategists or scholars. I have you."
"It's an honor."
Jean bowed his head with solemn respect.
Saya, then. Over 5,500 was certainly high—he wanted her, but after seeing Kai, she paled by comparison.
Kai was undoubtedly a Hunter—but there was still the possibility that the Explorer's Guild would send someone of equal caliber. Considering that, using the last mask now might be premature.
It was at that moment that Jean's eyes went wide. He rose and reported to Angus in rapid succession.
"…Your Highness, a message from my subordinates. The unit we had assigned to verify Saya's abilities has been—wiped out, every last soldier."
"!!"
It was unbelievable. She'd appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary girl, but her Overall Rating was well known. They had taken every precaution for the confirmation.
The plan had been to lock her in a room and, once she regained consciousness, release Code-generated combat beasts—Creation Beasts—to test her.
"Go on."
"Yes. The Creation Beasts were released one after another, and she broke through all of them. Once every prepared beast had been killed, they dispatched the suppression mecha soldiers—and those were all destroyed as well."
Creation Beasts were new species bred through Code's technology. Not as versatile as mecha soldiers, but reliable weapons in terms of raw combat power.
The moment all the test Creation Beasts had been killed, she had exceeded their projected capabilities. After all, the opponent was a single girl.
"How many mecha soldiers did you send?"
"Fifty."
Mecha soldiers were one of the main fighting forces producible by Code. However, due primarily to material constraints, mass production on a large scale wasn't feasible.
"Fifty… and all of them were destroyed? What about her damage?"
"…Unscathed."
Unbelievable. If that was true, then Saya was stronger than Kai.
Even without having inhaled incapacitation gas, destroying fifty mecha soldiers without a scratch— And this was Code, where magic and its like couldn't be used.
Jean continued his report in a measured tone.
"After that—Saya shattered five layers of bulkheads and moved outside the room. Concluding that deploying more mecha soldiers would be pointless, they were forced to use the entire building's supply of incapacitation gas. Suppression was successful. That is all."
"…An astonishing report."
Angus let out a breath of relief.
Her weakness was gas, then. Even so, the losses sustained to deal with a single person were severe.
Resources were not infinite. Especially the items generated by the city's plants—there were limits.
Had it been a mistake to test her capabilities? But it was still far better than preserving resources and letting Saya escape.
He called up a terminal and pulled up the footage from the laboratory wing where Saya's abilities had been tested.
White gas filled the corridor. The dark-haired girl collapsed in the middle of the hallway looked nothing like someone who had taken down fifty mecha soldiers.
Then, reviewing the subsequent footage of the sealed isolation chamber where the experiment had continued, Angus's body shuddered.
A spacious isolation room constructed entirely of special metal. The walls of what should have been a completely sealed chamber with no air vents—thick, massive walls so simple in construction that even several mecha soldiers grouped together couldn't breach them—had been punched through with a hole several meters across. The edges of the hole were warped and crumpled outward, giving the unmistakable impression of brute force. The intact ceiling, walls, and floor had discolored to pitch black, and only small footprints leading out of the hole remained.
"What on earth happened?"
"We're still confirming what was done. At the moment of the attack, something obscured the camera, so no data was preserved."
He might need to re-examine the validity of the evaluation system. But with this, the decision was made.
The target for the last mask—would be Saya.
"Let's take care of it before the gas wears off."
"Agreed. Heh… I can win. With this, I can win—no matter how much combat power the others have amassed."
The era of the current Code King—his father's reign—was about to end.
His father had been timid. Though he ruled Code, the most powerful city-state in the world, he had never gone on the offensive, focusing solely on strengthening defenses.
There had been countless ways to act even without mobility functions—but Angus was different.
The King of Code was synonymous with the ruler of the world. He would make that fact, the greatness of Code, and the fear that the world was forgetting to forget, known to the entire world.
The one who would rule the new Code—would be him, Angus Code.
"Right. About that meeting point we set up for when the target slips past the screening—send someone to keep watch. A Hunter clever enough to slip through the net might actually show up in person."
"Understood. If someone in Kai or Saya's class were to be left unchecked, it would be troublesome… Well, I doubt any royal would want to take them in, though."
§ § § Replenishing my royal guard, huh. What to do…
Muttering Olivia's orders to myself as I walk through the streets of Code.
Strong sunlight pours down from the sky, but oddly enough, Code's streets are cool and pleasant. The fact that there aren't many people walking around is probably because everyone uses vehicles, right?
Apparently, in Code, anyone from Class 1 upward can freely use spiders. If I asked one to take me to the prison, it probably would.
The prison. Code apparently had only one. Criminals who had violated Code's laws were apparently held there.
Under Code's urban regulations, one form of sentencing for criminals involved working under a Code citizen.
The treatment was apparently close to slavery, but it was said to be a last resort when manpower was critically short.
What kind of criminals could walk these streets with their chests puffed out in a place like this, where even hardened bandits like Biker could stride around proudly…
Olivia had said the quickest way to fill out my guard was to recruit from the prison, but I'd rather avoid that if possible.
That said, I don't know anyone in Code—but I had one lead.
The client. I'd meet up with whoever had sent this request through the Explorer's Guild and have them introduce me to some candidates.
The client was apparently someone of considerable rank, so they should be able to provide suitable guards for the operation.
To think I'd end up as guard leader before we even regrouped—maybe I'm on a bit of a roll this time.
All that's left is to kill time until the scheduled meeting. I made it out alive! I want to see Kaiser and Saya again soon.
It was right then that I realized something and stopped in my tracks.
The meeting place…
…wasn't in my memory.
This is a problem. If I could offer an excuse—the designated address had been complicated.
If they'd told me to meet in front of a gate or something, it would've been easy. But the address used a block-numbering system and was absurdly long— I hadn't even taken a note during the inspection to avoid raising suspicion. The fact that Saya and Kaiser had memorized it instantly had made me too complacent.
I try to dig through my memory, but not only can I not recall it, I don't even feel like I ever could.
Honestly, it's questionable whether I'd even committed it to memory for a single instant in the first place. The downside of living by relying on others.
This… I'm going to have to give up on the meeting.
…W-Well, I told Kaiser and Saya to act independently as needed. They should be fine without me.
Both of them must be working for someone. No need to rush—we'll regroup eventually. Until then, I'll do what I can.
I look around and spot a figure peeking at me from between buildings. Wary eyes—these must be the lower-class citizens Olivia mentioned.
…For a royal guard, they'd probably be better than criminals. I'll go ahead and call out to them.