Cool and the others did everything they could to rescue their leader. They gathered information and kept searching for ways to bend the rules set by the city system.
They dug up the names of nobles who had the authority to release Krahi, sought out those who might be willing to cooperate, and even explored strategies far beyond their capabilities—like breaking into the prison.
They had every right to believe they'd exhausted every option.
During all of that, Thousand Transformations spent the entire day lounging in front of Princess Alisha's room, doing nothing.
But who could have guessed—that was actually part of the plan.
Thousand Transformations' strategy was on a completely different level from anything Cool had imagined.
Becoming a Class 6 themselves. Simple and straightforward. But it was a path Cool and the others had abandoned early on.
Only those of royal rank or above could be granted Class 6.
In this Code, the gap between Class 6 and Class 5—that is, between nobles and citizens—was an unbridgeable chasm.
Even families who'd lived in the city since the time of the first Code King had mostly never reached Class 6, so there was no way it would be granted to outsiders who'd just arrived.
Besides, at around Class 3, you couldn't even make contact with the royals. Even if you somehow managed, they'd never agree to your requests. Cool and the others were outsiders to the Code.
Asking Princess Alisha to raise their rank? Out of the question. She was imprisoned—there was no way she'd still have that kind of authority.
And yet, while they needed to rescue Krahi as quickly as possible, Thousand Transformations moved at an unhurried, leisurely pace.
They left the building and requested a Spider dispatch.
Cool still felt like he was dreaming, but he managed to speak to Krahi.
"Im…impossible… Her Highness actually…still had the authority to raise our rank…? Even though she's been imprisoned—"
"No, her authority was restored today. Perfect timing, right?"
"!?"
Cool's suspicions were correct after all. Princess Alisha hadn't had the authority. Even if they'd tried to persuade her back then, there was no way Cool and the others would have been granted Level 6.
But—her authority was restored today?
Waiting for the right moment… could it be that Thousand Transformations had been waiting for her authority to return? What on earth had they done?
Countless questions raced through his mind, but Thousand Transformations had no intention of answering any of them. They simply gazed blankly at the cluster of towering buildings.
After about five minutes, Kutori spoke up.
"Boss, the Spider… isn't it taking forever?"
"Huh… is it?"
He was right. It was slow. Spiders were the backbone of transportation in the Code. In a Code that had matter-transfer technology, there should be virtually no waiting time.
Cool pulled up his terminal and opened the menu to summon a Spider.
When he pressed the summon button again, the screen flashed red.
A reaction he'd never seen before. He couldn't read the text so he didn't know exactly what had happened, but… did this mean the Spider wasn't coming?
He didn't know what was going on, but he had a bad feeling. There was no time to hesitate.
"…We have no choice. We'll have to run."
"!?" Are you serious!? The prison is a seriously long distance away!?"
"What choice do we have!? Princess Nora has already started moving!"
Rusha, who hated running, let out an exaggerated cry and got scolded by Zuri.
But Zuri was right. This was their last chance.
And sure, it was a long distance, but Thousand Transformations was a Level 8 Hunter—running a few dozen kilometers would be no trouble at all. Of course, Cool and the others didn't have that kind of stamina yet, but they intended to keep up somehow.
Cool looked at Thousand Transformations. Were they exasperated by Rusha's words? They were frowning.
Only one Class 6—Thousand Transformations—was needed to file the release request, so Rusha didn't actually have to run. But in this operation, Thousand Transformations was helping them out. Demanding that they handle everything just because they didn't feel like running was completely out of the question.
He really couldn't afford to upset Thousand Transformations.
Just as Cool opened his mouth to chide Rusha—a Spider descended from the sky.
It bent its massive legs and landed without a sound. But this was no ordinary Spider.
Normal Spiders were black, but this machine was coated in polished crimson.
Not a public transport—a private Spider. Cool had heard rumors about them, but this was his first time seeing one.
"Need a lift, spare bodyguard? You look like you're in a bind."
The man who stepped out of the Spider had red hair and wore sunglasses.
His lean, well-built physique looked sharp in a white suit. Cool had never seen his face before, but in the Code, only the ruling class of upper nobles and above were permitted to own private Spiders.
!? What on earth was going on— While Cool and the others stood speechless before the sudden appearance of a stranger, Thousand Transformations showed no hesitation and replied in their usual leisurely tone.
"Thank you. Could you take us to the prison, then? The Spider we summoned is being awfully slow."
"Sure, sure, hop on. The reason the Spiders aren't coming is that Nora blocked them all. She can't stop you from calling them, but if she shuts down every Spider in existence, then even a summons won't get you one."
"!?" Wait, wait— that's impossible. Why would Princess Nora blockade the Spiders? And more importantly—who are you, and why are you here?"
Kutori's expression stiffened as he stared at the man. The man grinned.
"You guys are underestimating Nora. She figured, though it's almost unthinkable, that you might file the Thunder Emperor's release request before she does. So just to be safe—willing to waste the effort if it came to nothing—she prepared countermeasures. And I was asked to be here to rescue you when you got caught up in those measures. That's the gist of it. …You can call me TC."
The crimson Spider launched into the air and tore across the buildings at blistering speed. The regular Spiders couldn't even compare.
Cool had no idea what was happening. He didn't know who TC really was, or who had moved this clearly extraordinary man into position.
But Thousand Transformations hadn't shown the slightest fluster at any of this. A small smile played at the corner of their mouth. Could it be that this, too, had been part of their scheme?
Positioned at the very front of the Spider, TC spoke.
"Good call not picking an aerial vehicle. They're fast and convenient, but they're stuck on fixed routes, so anyone with Class 7 can shut them down easy. If you get stranded mid-air, it's game over. We never use aerial transport for emergencies."
A sensation of weightlessness. The red Spider soared effortlessly between buildings.
Below, Cool could clearly see the dense forest of skyscrapers—a cityscape almost impossible to find in the outside world. At this speed, they'd reach the prison in no time.
"With a Spider, routes don't matter. You can move pretty freely. Besides, a full lockdown like this is something you'd never do normally. Which means Nora is dead serious this time."
Thousand Transformations nodded thoughtfully at TC's words.
"I see… so she's serious."
"Dead serious. Nora can't directly lay a hand on a bodyguard—but there are plenty of other tricks up her sleeve."
The moment he said that, the machine—which had been tearing through the air violently yet smoothly until now—shuddered hard.
"What was that!?"
Rusha let out a drawn-out cry and looked outside. In that instant, a blazing mass of light streaked past just beyond the window.
An attack. It was clearly targeting this Spider.
Countless projectiles swarmed around the Spider. But TC showed no panic.
"Lower-class citizens did this. Most likely, Nora tempted them with the promise of citizenship. No big deal. This Spider is custom-built—they can't shoot it down with this. Just a nuisance."
"Nn, tempted with citizenship—can't they get caught doing that!?"
"Huh? They won't get caught. They're not citizens, so the city system will just purge them as hazardous elements. One shot and it's over. Idiots—why would Nora ever keep a promise as troublesome as granting citizenship?"
The Spider touched down on the ground. Armored soldiers had gathered there—far more than you'd normally see in peacetime.
They'd assembled in the span of those十几 seconds before the Spider landed.
If TC was telling the truth, they were here to purge foolish lower-class citizens who'd broken city rules. And what "purge" meant went without saying.
The armored soldiers sprang into motion. They moved as fast as the wind, with startling precision. Their full-body armor and weaponry—covering close, mid, and long range—made them opponents that even Cool and the others couldn't match.
Kutori clicked his tongue softly, looking irritated.
According to Kutori's intel, most lower-class citizens had below-average combat ability. Even if they possessed powerful weapons from an advanced physical civilization, they were still just humans at heart. Fight against armored soldiers, and they'd be crushed like bugs.
And then, Thousand Transformations—who'd been staring blankly out the window—suddenly spoke to TC.
"TC, those people… can they be saved?"
"Huh? Saved? The lower-class citizens? Why?"
"Because, don't you think it's kind of sad? They were just tricked by Nora."
Coming from a Level 8 Hunter, Thousand Transformations' words were impossibly soft-hearted.
Cool had to admit, he felt a little sorry for them too. The difference between citizens and lower-class citizens—having arrived from the outside, he couldn't truly grasp it.
But whether he should say that out loud was another matter entirely.
TC's words held no trace of sympathy for the lower-class citizens. That was just the norm here. Picking at that wasn't going to end well, and besides, helping the lower-class citizens offered no benefit to Cool and the others.
Even if they'd been deceived, they'd launched an attack—getting killed for that was their own fault.
But after thinking for a moment, TC snorted and broke into a grin.
"Hmm… fine. I don't see the point, but it's not much effort. You're the first person who's ever asked me to do something like that. I'll bend the city rules just a little."
"Thanks. You're a lifesaver."
It was only at those words that Cool finally understood the situation.
TC noticed Cool going rigid and let a smile spread across his face.
Bending the city rules. That wasn't something someone of a common rank could do.
There was no doubt.
This man—was a royal. Cool had the names of all the royals committed to memory.
TC—Tony Code.
The third child of the Code King, and said to be the man with the most noble connections.
Cool was finally starting to see the full picture of this ally.
This was the shadow battle before the succession war truly began. Another royal was making their move to keep the Thunder Emperor out of Nora's hands.
Princess Alisha had gained Class 6, but she was still locked in her room. Cool had been wondering how she'd stand up to Princess Nora, but if she had a fellow royal backing her—she could fight back!
Simply coming up with the idea didn't guarantee success. But from the way Tony spoke, it didn't seem like he'd been asked by Thousand Transformations either.
They'd read the tangled web of power in the Code and maneuvered themselves into action.
If this was all intentional, it was nothing short of masterful scheming.
While Cool buzzed with quiet excitement, Thousand Transformations' expression hadn't changed at all.
They'd probably figured out that TC was a royal just as Cool had—yet Kutori, Zuri, even Eleze couldn't hide their unease. What exactly was reflected in those pitch-black eyes?
"Nora's being held back by my brother. I'll deliver you to the prison. But whether you can release the Thunder Emperor before Nora gets to you—that's a toss-up."
"We'll make it in time."
Thousand Transformations' words carried an odd certainty.
Suddenly, the road dozens of meters ahead rippled and rose into a blocking wall.
But when TC shot it a sharp glare, the wall collapsed back into the road. TC laughed.
"Childish obstruction. This is good—Nora must be getting desperate. My brother must've done his job well."
The prison building came into view. There were no more obstacles in their way.
Armored soldiers standing guard around the prison, along with advanced physical civilization weaponry that had been set in place. At this point, even Princess Nora wouldn't dare act rashly.
The Spider landed in front of the prison. As Thousand Transformations and the others climbed out, TC spoke.
"This is where I leave you. Good luck—and do your best for my sake, won't you?"
"Ah, yes. Thank you for everything! See you later!"
See you later—imagine being that casual with a royal.
TC shrugged theatrically, ducked back into the Spider, and the crimson machine leapt away into the sky.