The Code King's second son, Tony Code. His territory boasted the second-largest scale after his elder brother Angus, and was known as one of the most prosperous areas within Code.
Area top Tony Code was, in a word, a playboy.
His cheerful, frank disposition—the way he spoke to everyone without distinction—while lacking in dignity, made him approachable. The sight of him riding around on multiple privately owned spiders painted in garish colors was a local attraction.
Tony's area was known as an easy place to live because he delegated most of the area's management to multiple nobles.
In other areas, nobles were given some degree of administrative responsibility too, but in Tony's area, this tendency was particularly strong. Depending on the time and circumstances, even Tony himself—the area's absolute authority—would sometimes accept the opinions of his nobles.
This stance attracted many nobles to Tony's area. Among them were even nobles from other factions.
Whether this was the appropriate behavior for the next-in-line Code King was unclear. But as a result, Tony had earned a certain degree of reputation within Code.
Following a charismatic older brother and a fierce sister who opposed him head-on, here was a prince who handled everything competently with an easygoing air. He hadn't funneled resources into combat-oriented research like the other two, so he was far from the next King—yet among the nobles, some insisted that Tony Code was the one most suited to be the next King.
The High-Mobility Fortress City Code. The East Area, with the King Tower and central district as its boundary.
This man, who had carved out such a unique position within Code, twisted his lips into a grin as he read a message his sister had sent him for the first time in a long while.
"Well, well. Nora's actually sending me a message. She wants me to have someone guide Princess Arisha's bodyguard around my area. Now that's interesting."
"...Princess Arisha's bodyguard—you mean the one the King himself spoke directly about—"
One of the nobles managing Tony's area happened to be visiting to discuss operations. As he spoke, Tony—seated on his throne with one knee propped up—grinned.
"Yeah, that's him. The guy who enrolled with a name suspiciously similar to the 'Thunder Emperor' that Nora's obsessed with. He was a pretty interesting fellow, but... for Nora to go to all this trouble. And in exchange, she's willing to drop the matter about my interference the other day."
"!? Princess Nora went that far? What on earth does that man have..."
The interference would be the incident where Tony had helped deliver Klye to the prison at Angus's request. Strictly speaking, Tony hadn't directly interfered with Nora's actions, and the whole thing had been pointless anyway—but it was undeniable that he had obstructed her acquisition of the "Thunder Emperor."
Tony had helped Angus because, for now, Angus was closest to the throne.
Angus and Nora were different in background. A cautious older brother and an impulsive sister. On top of that, the time they'd invested in their preparations differed. The enhanced human technology Nora had developed might perhaps have surpassed Angus's weapons development in terms of impressiveness—but it still wasn't enough.
So Tony had helped Angus. And so Angus had been certain that Tony would help.
There were reasons beyond "it seemed interesting," of course—but that was certainly one of them.
Tony wasn't particularly interested in the throne. He just wanted his current lifestyle to continue.
And he hoped that those who had helped him wouldn't be oppressed once the next Code King's reign began.
"What shall we do?"
"Heh heh... obviously I'll help. It's been ages since I've had a request from my big sister. Besides, there's nothing in my area worth spying on—right? And big brother won't have any complaints either."
After all, the person in question was Princess Arisha's bodyguard. Angus wouldn't even notice that Nora had asked Tony for such a thing. Nora was fundamentally not the type of person who would move on behalf of another royal's bodyguard.
Tony licked his lips and flashed a smile that looked almost feral.
"There's no real benefit to helping, but it's not much trouble either. More importantly—it'll be fun. I want to see what there is about Klye Andrich that moves Nora and even the King."
"Lord Tony, wait! That line of thinking is dangerous!"
"Hmm...? Oh, it's you lot."
He frowned at the people who had entered the room without permission. They were mercenaries who had recently fled into Tony's area.
Calling themselves the Dondan Family, these men looked like mere thugs at first glance, but in reality, they were a fighting unit with a respectable overall rating.
Tony had taken in a number of outside mercenaries as bodyguards, but his military strength was considerably less than Angus's or Nora's. That was precisely why he'd recruited the Dondan Family when they suddenly showed up—but...
The team's leader—a short man with the appearance of a street punk—spoke in a somewhat shrill voice.
"That man is the leader of the Mourning Specter, infamous in the outside world! He's a high-level Hunter gone rogue who'll take on anything—wanted criminals, organizations with a thousand members, it doesn't matter! There's no way you can let someone like that be shown around!"
The leader's face had gone pale, and cold sweat beaded on his tanned skin.
The people who had entered as mercenaries this time were basically members of criminal organizations that Code had dealings with—people who cared about face.
The Dondan Family should have been the same, yet here they were, openly terrified and appealing to their employer about the Mourning Specter. Just how fearsome was this group? They must be a fighting force that surpassed even the Dondan Family, but—admittedly, the name did sound ominous.
Still, the reaction seemed somewhat excessive. Tony lowered his crossed knee and frowned.
"That doesn't match what I see. You lot actually have a much higher rating. And you're just as infamous. Right?"
"That—that's true! We've taken down a Level 6 Hunter's Party before!"
Tony, who had never left the city, didn't know how significant a Level 6 Hunter was. But the other mercenaries who had gathered under Tony seemed to hold the Dondan Family in high regard. If so, they must have been formidable fighters.
But the leader clenched his fists and continued loudly.
"Bu-but that man—he's on a completely different level! I hate to say it, but—that man destroyed us just by smiling! Just by smiling!"
"Just by smiling...? Heh. You lot look like you've seen a ghost. Could you be mistaken about who it is? That man scored the absolute lowest on the system evaluation. Doubting that means doubting Code's urban system itself—the entire foundation crumbles. No one has ever falsified the evaluation system. There are people who haven't been evaluated by it, though."
For example, the woman in the Fox organization that Angus was working with. The one who called herself Kenbi—she had negotiated with Angus and avoided the system evaluation.
And the Mage imprisoned in the prison's lowest level, the one Kenbi had brought in. That one had deflected all outside interference with an anomalous power.
But Klye Andrich had been subjected to the evaluation system without any resistance whatsoever. Apart from the absurdly low score he'd received, there was nothing suspicious about it.
At Tony's words, the leader and the men behind him grew agitated.
"Tch... damn it! Nobody ever believes us!"
"Looks like you've seen a ghost, you say!? That man IS a monster! We fought him—and we're telling you! How could some urban system measure him!?"
Tony knew the Dondan Family had been spreading similar stories to the other mercenaries.
He'd taken the stories seriously to about half extent. But on the other hand, half was still significant. This wasn't something that could be completely dismissed.
At the very least, whether or not this Klye was truly the leader of the Mourning Specter, the Mourning Specter's reputation itself was apparently exactly as the man before him described.
The noble listening alongside Tony regarded the Dondan Family with contempt. Tony had hired them as mercenaries.
He hadn't expected much, but the role did include bodyguard duty. If they were this terrified of a strong opponent, they were useless.
But if a crime syndicate that valued face above all else was this frightened—that Klye Andrich fellow was truly intriguing.
"Now, now, calm down. It's not like I'm going to confront him right away. Besides, Klye is alone right now—his companions aren't here, right?"
"We—we thought so too! We let our guard down, but it wasn't a matter of skill level. I said we fought him, but that wasn't something you could even call a fight! I can still hear it—that eerie rustling sound—!!"
From what Tony could see, Klye Andrich didn't appear to have that kind of ability. And even if he did, the Dondan Family was overlooking one critical fact.
Tony Code was not Klye Andrich's enemy. The Dondan Family might have picked a fight, but Tony had no quarrel with him.
Quite the opposite—Tony had even lent him spiders on the way to the prison. In that sense, whether Klye was strong or not didn't matter to Tony.
But Code had been far too noisy lately, and far too interesting.
The Fox swordsman with a sealed designation. The "Thunder Emperor" among the two supreme warriors Angus had acquired. Zachary lurking somewhere in the shadows, pulling strings—and the King approaching death. A time of upheaval.
What kind of battles would erupt from here on? And how would Tony weather this storm?
Tony wasn't actively pursuing the throne. This contest favored Angus far too heavily.
But if victory rolled right up to his feet, that was a different story. If someone who had been preparing smoothly all along fumbled at the critical moment, Angus didn't deserve to be King.
Was Nora acting with full understanding of Klye's power? Probably not. He didn't know what Nora was thinking, but it made far more sense to assume she was targeting the "Thunder Emperor" who had fallen under Arisha's banner.
So Tony waved his hand casually and spoke.
"Fine, fine. I'll give it a shot then. This is a good opportunity. You lot don't need to show your faces—there are plenty of ways to do this."
Tony hadn't conducted combat-related research, but the resources he originally possessed were on par with Angus's and Nora's.
So where had his surplus resources gone? He glanced at the noble beside him and issued an instruction.
"Hey, prepare the neutralization gas. If Klye Andrich is anything like what these guys say, my brother's gas shouldn't work on him."
"Yes, sir. But that's rather powerful stuff... whether even an outside powerhouse could withstand it—"
"It seemed to work on the two fighters big brother was so proud of. But conversely, if the gas works, he's no real threat."
What Tony had invested his resources in was people. He'd distributed the majority of his resources to the nobles. Resources in this city were power itself.
Nobles who now held more power than they should have naturally expanded their influence beyond territory management—into Angus's, Nora's, and other factions' domains.
That was why information on Angus's and Nora's research—which should have been closely guarded secrets—had gathered under Tony's roof.
Angus and Nora were probably vaguely aware of this, but they didn't act on it. Other royals' resources were that attractive to them too. If Tony cut ties carelessly, that portion of resources would flow to rival factions—so Tony had avoided any sanctions thus far.
"Come to think of it, it seems big brother used up all his neutralization gas. That stuff can't be easy to come by."
"That must mean he valued it accordingly. The gas is powerful, but it's not very convenient to use."
"It loses effectiveness outdoors... and inside the King Tower, weapons can't be summoned, so if you say it's unnecessary, I suppose it is."
Tony still had some neutralization gas on hand, but it wasn't the kind of thing that would determine the tide of the succession battle. Besides, he doubted that cautious brother of his hadn't already prepared a countermeasure—but still.
Tony sent Nora an approving message and smirked.
Neutralization gas, if hit directly, could fell even the most powerful fighters without exception.
Whether Klye could counter it or not, a sudden blast would reveal his true capabilities.
§ And Tony Code could only stare blankly, unable to do anything but widen his eyes at the scene displayed before him.
"That's... ridiculous. There's a limit to being underwhelming. The neutralization gas should take at least some time to take effect... Could it be that he actually passed out without even letting out a scream...?"
"I-impossible! There—there's been a mistake! It's a Thousand Transformations trap!"
"Y-yes! There's no way the man who crushed us without even killing intent could be that weak! Don't fall for his act!"
The Dondan Family members, equally stunned by the images, shouted in a panic.
The noble who had been watching beside them—the one supporting Tony's plan this time—spoke as if completely exasperated.
"The children Princess Nora assigned as guides actually lasted longer. They noticed the gas and covered their mouths."
On the monitor, Klye Andrich and Zaza's group were shown collapsed inside one of the buildings in Tony's area.
Neutralization gas lost its effectiveness outdoors. That was why the room had been filled with gas the moment they stepped inside. And this was the result.
Neutralization gas could fell even a large magical beast in a short time. So against ordinary citizens, this outcome was entirely expected.
But if the target was a warrior who had absorbed Mana Material, they should have lasted longer. Indeed, when Angus had used it against the man called Kai, Kai had reportedly been affected but still managed to take down multiple mechanized soldiers.
This was no act. Klye Andrich had not lasted a single second against the gas deployed in a surprise attack. He could not deceive the urban system.
No—for him to collapse so completely, from his perspective, he might not have even realized something had been done to him. Right now, finishing Klye off would be as easy as crushing an infant.
Tony clicked his tongue and glared at the Dondan Family's leader.
"Tch. I thought I'd get to see something interesting—what a boring result. I'll need to think of an excuse for Nora... but her citizens are impressive. That's the extent of the outcome."
Tony had seen it—the two children Nora had assigned, Zaza and Lulu, had stumbled over to support Klye as he fell. They'd lost consciousness too quickly to succeed, but at their age, having the presence of mind to try to protect an older man was remarkable.
The Dondan Family members still hadn't let go of their suspicion toward Klye Andrich.
Between the Dondan Family and the urban system—which to trust? The Dondan Family might be trying to manipulate Tony, but their fear appeared genuine.
The other nobles' trust in the Dondan Family had nearly hit rock bottom. Tony and the others hadn't placed much importance on mercenaries in the first place.
If the Dondan Family possessed standout combat ability like the "Thunder Emperor," it would be different—but they weren't that strong.
"L-Lord Tony! This is our chance to eliminate Thousand Transformations! I don't know what happened, but this is the perfect opportunity!"
They really were just a combat-focused group, through and through. The Dondan Family gave no thought whatsoever to the bigger picture.
If Tony killed the guest Nora had specifically asked him to look after, she would fly into a rage. The penalty from the King for having eliminated a bodyguard—setting that aside—picking a direct fight with that sister would be disastrous. If Angus became King, Nora would lose all her power, but precisely for that reason, she would certainly try to settle scores before the King was decided. She would eliminate the brother who had defied her.
Tony said nothing and silently accessed the urban system in his mind.
In the video feed, gun barrels emerged from the walls, from the ceiling.
The Dondan Family swallowed hard, the nobles froze. Tony carefully took aim, then gave the order to fire.
The muzzles erupted with fire. Countless bullets were unleashed from every direction. For an instant, smoke filled the room before being expelled outward. One of the Dondan Family members let out a cry of joy at the scene on the monitor.
"Sh-see! Look at that—he's unharmed after taking all that! Just like we said! He's dangerous!"
Just as the man said, there on the screen was Klye, unharmed and collapsed. But Tony frowned.
"Are you stupid? They just didn't hit him. Look closer—the guide kids are unharmed too."
"Why—how is that—"
"I aimed for the edges. Seeing through bullets from all directions would be impossible. The fact that he showed no reaction to mortal danger means—that's exactly what happened. Understand?"
"...!!"
He accessed the system and displayed information. Status data on the subjects' consciousness.
The urban system revealed everything. Even if Tony had known he wouldn't hit, Klye couldn't have feigned unconsciousness.
Looking at that data, one of the nobles stroked his beard and spoke with a weary tone.
"...Zaza and the others—their bodies aside, their consciousness appears to have been awake. Klye, on the other hand... doesn't seem to have regained awareness at all."
This was actually astonishing.
The neutralization gas Tony had deployed on Klye this time had a far lower concentration than what Angus had used on Kai.
For someone to be knocked out so completely with that level—it was nothing short of talent. And on top of that, Tony had deliberately chosen weapons that fired kinetic rounds, creating a thunderous display— He snapped his fingers and addressed the other nobles.
"The trial's over. Send rescue. We're treating this whole thing as a blunder. Klye is one thing, but I got Nora's citizens involved. Handle them with care, got it? As for me—I should probably think about apologizing to Nora."
"!?"
Since no one was hurt yet, there was still room to recover. No—Tony had made sure there was room to recover. Nora's anger could be calmed somewhat by flowing extra resources her way.
What remained was dealing with the ones who had wasted Tony's time. The leader might have genuinely believed what he was saying, but letting these incompetents run loose would have negative consequences.
Tony turned a smile toward the Dondan Family, who had gone pale with rage or fear.
"You're all fired. Klye will be coming here for sightseeing soon anyway, so this works out better for you too. Go wherever you like."