Chapter 709: High Noon

J-District.

The entertainment district in Randa, located between the upper-class residential area and the middle to lower-class residential areas.

While it’s unclear if it was by design, due to such geographical features, various classes of Randa gather here, forming their own social exchanges.

Although sometimes these interactions turned violent and led to deaths, well, anyway.

As expected from a district frequented by the upper class, J-District was quite flashy.

There were hotels, department stores, casinos, and other multi-purpose skyscrapers dotted around the area, with airships constantly bustling around the high-rises, bringing energy to the sky.

Day or night.

Ah, correction.

It wasn’t exactly regardless of time. In fact, at night, it grew even more lively, unlike other areas that went to sleep.

The countless lights on the ground overwhelmed the starlight in the night sky, as the many visitors stayed awake, indulging in drinking, gambling, brawling, singing, plays, and all kinds of entertainment.

In a way, it defied the laws of nature.

The people of Randa took pride in this, believing their civilization had defeated the natural laws set by God.

But ironically, the way of life that had surpassed the great laws of nature was cruelly brought down by foreign invaders, armed with guns and swords.

The now noticeably desolate J-District under the guise of ‘security and defense’ was the proof.

“Seems like a lot has happened.”

In this unusually quiet street, a man stepped into a scarcely visible alley and spoke.

There was already someone in the alley, disguised by magic. It was Yareli.

“Kevin. Professor?”

“Yes, it’s been a while.”

Kevin, disguised just like Yareli, replied. It felt like ages since Yareli had parted ways with Oliver in the Holy Capital, likely due to what had happened in the meantime.

“I’ve been waiting. Thank you for coming as requested.”

“It’s fine. Disguising isn’t difficult. What’s important is the reason you asked me to do it. It surprised me a bit.”

Kevin casually showed the communication device from inside his coat.

When Oliver, Derek, Yareli, and Kevin traveled to the Central Continent, Kevin had distributed communication devices, which upon arrival in Randa, filled up with messages.

All of which came from Yareli. She had asked Kevin to come, disguised, to J-District.

“You’re not just showing me the horrors of J-District, are you? What’s so important that you called me out here in secret, even in disguise?”

The key words here were ‘disguise’ and ‘secret’.

Both were actions taken to avoid showing one’s true self. You wouldn’t do this unless you were involved in something shady or dealing with very important matters, and both carried an element of danger.

In short, it meant that Yareli was bringing something serious to the table.

“Before I explain, can I ask you a question first? Have you really become the Archive?”

“Impressive. I haven’t officially announced that yet.”

Despite Kevin’s words, he didn’t seem all that surprised. In fact, it was somewhat expected.

Not knowing wouldn’t be strange, but knowing wasn’t strange either.

Besides, the important thing wasn’t how Yareli knew Kevin had become the Archive, but why she singled him out to ask.

“The rumor is already spreading through the Tower of Magic. They say that Merlin has passed away, and that you, Professor Kevin, have become the new Archive. A few still don’t believe it, but… looks like it’s true.”

“A lot has happened.”

“Did it happen in the Holy Capital?”

The Holy Capital.

The most chaotic place in these chaotic times.

Though it was the smallest nation in the world, its connection to the Pater Church made it the most sacred city. Currently, it was in a highly tumultuous situation.

The sudden appearance of calamity and the descent of a Devil in the Holy Capital. Most importantly, the disappearance of Holy Power.

And of those, the disappearance of Holy Power was the most severe. As Holy Power supported much of the order, directly and indirectly.

The shockwaves had yet to calm, leading to chaos both big and small, and it was only with the appearance of the Children of Angels that things somewhat settled down.

But even that was only a temporary fix.

“Are you related to Xenon-”

“That’s not something I can comment on.”

Kevin lifted his hand, drawing a line. But even that was enough.

After all, the man who had defeated the Pied Piper and mercilessly shattered the previous Archive, Merlin, couldn’t possibly be uninvolved.

It was harder to imagine that he wasn’t involved.

Thanks to this, Yareli was now able to make up her mind.

“You need to run.”

A sudden, abrupt statement with no before or after. However, Kevin could tell Yareli was serious.

She was advising him sincerely, for his own good.

Kevin asked.

“Why should I run?”

“Because the Tower of Magic is targeting you.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Yareli, without realizing it, raised her voice.

Which was proof of how serious the situation was.

After covering her mouth and checking her surroundings, Yareli continued.

Fear, hesitation, guilt—her emotions were shining through. She looked quite troubled.

“Haa… Some don’t believe Merlin’s death, but most people do. That’s because the information came from a reliable source.”

“Let’s set aside the ‘reliable source’ for now. Who makes up this ‘most’?”

Yareli hesitated before answering. Her hesitation and guilt grew even stronger.

“…My grandmother, along with the new mages she brought into the Tower.”

“So, the Royal Army’s Military Mages.”

“Yes, they’re deliberating on how to handle… this situation.”

‘This situation’. There was a lot of hostility packed into those words. Surely, she was referring to the fact that a Red One had become Archive.

But the idea of holding a meeting was absurd to begin with.

The Archive was appointed by the previous Archive. No organization had any authority to interfere.

The Archive was an independent position, answerable to no one.

Even so, the Tower was holding a meeting. Because the Archive was a Red One.

A scientifically inferior being that lacked God’s blessing.

The proud, aristocratic magicians couldn’t accept this.

“They’ll demand you step down… My grandmother will, at least.”

“And if I refuse?”

At Kevin’s question, Yareli, who had been struggling, took a deep breath and coldly advised.

“Then you’ll be fighting the entire Tower of Magic.”

“Go on.”

Yareli, growing even more resolute, continued.

“I know the Archive was always independent of any organization’s interests. But, Professor, it’s not because everyone is considerate. All the mages are too greedy to be considerate.”

A precise assessment.

Organization, region, country—they didn’t leave the Archive alone for millennia because it was untouchably sacred. The Archives were just monstrously powerful, so no one dared touch them.

Anyone foolish enough to try would have been burned to a crisp.

“But that’s no longer the case.”

Yareli pointed out the harsh truth.

“While I admit Professor Kevin is a brilliant mage, you are not of the caliber to match the position of Archive. At least, not at the moment.”

“I admit it.”

“My grandmother and the others will use that as an excuse to demand you hand over the Archive, and if you refuse, they’ll force you out, claiming you stole the position without being qualified… Isn’t the strength of the Archive already too much for you to handle?”

“Yes, I admit that too.”

Kevin admitted everything willingly. While his magical disguise kept it hidden, his real face underneath was covered in cracks.

That was the result of overusing the power of the Archive, far beyond what his body could handle.

It might seem like he was agreeing too easily, but this was the unavoidable reality.

Could he fight the entire Tower in this state? No, it was impossible.

If he didn’t use the power of the Archive, he would be overwhelmed. If he used it, his body would collapse from the strain.

Either way, the outcome was bad.

“I don’t understand. Why did you return to Randa? You must have known this would happen.”

“Of course. I knew better than anyone that becoming the Archive wouldn’t change how people looked at me.”

“Then why…?”

“If I don’t return to the Tower and officially announce my succession, that would really be theft.”

For a moment, Yareli was speechless. His words were undeniable.

“…Even so-”

” -You want to say I could have waited, honing my skills to match the position of Archive, and then revealed myself later?”

“Yes… There would have been more noise, but that approach seems more certain and reasonable. Once you gained the power, they’d be forced to acknowledge it, albeit grudgingly. Now, though, it’s too early.”

“I agree, it would’ve been more reasonable. But sometimes, there are more important things than reason. Especially at times like this.”

Kevin glanced toward the streets of J-District outside the alley.

A demonstration had broken out as protesters demanded the removal of J-District’s security controls under the name of public order. The noisy sounds from earlier certainly weren’t mistaken.

The protest was made up of local shop owners, employees, and professional protesters, but before long, police began suppressing them.

More specifically, police under the pressure of the Royal Army.

Hiiiiing! The horse’s cry echoed, and as the protestors scattered, the beatings soon followed.

“…Does ‘a time like this’ have something to do with the end of the world?”

While watching the protesters and police, Yareli cautiously asked.

“I saw it too. Xenon defeating the Pied Piper and fighting the Archive.”

“Why are you asking about that?”

“…I overheard my grandmother speaking with a strange person. About the end of the world.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“…It feels like the right thing to do.”

***

12 noon, approaching lunch time.

In one corner of Randa’s impenetrable prison, a crackling sound echoed… and then again, crackling echoed.

A prison guard who was making his rounds activated his communication device and spoke into it.

“Outer Section 8. All clear in Section 8.”

Moments later, a voice came from the other end of the device.

[Confirmed. Continue your patrol. Report if anything unusual occurs.]

“Understood.”

With that response, the guard armed with a submachine gun resumed his patrol along the prison’s outer walls.

It was a strange sight.

This prison wasn’t exactly a fortress, so why were they guarding the exterior like this? Especially in broad daylight.

However, in Randa’s prison, this was considered normal.

Randa was a city full of superhumans, and there had been cases where prisons were raided and prisoners were broken out.

It all sounded insane, but this was Randa. Insane things had a high chance of being true here.

In fact, in the past, when security wasn’t as tight, the Kel Independent Free Army had raided Randa’s prison and freed all the prisoners. It was a terrifying memory to recall.

They had to work overtime every day cleaning up the aftermath, and several administrative officials had to bid farewell to their pensions as a lesson to others.

But, not everything was bad.

“Is that so?”

One of the guards patrolling the massive outer wall surrounding the fortress-like prison asked another guard who was patrolling with him.

Their workload had seemingly increased by 1.5 times since security was beefed up.

“Yeah, it’s gotten tougher, but remember how we managed to protect the prison when the zombies showed up?”

Hearing this, the guard who asked the question couldn’t help but nod.

Zombies had appeared out of the sewer system across various points in the city. Just remembering that time sent shivers down his spine.

Not only were the undead armed with heavy weapons, but they had attacked key locations with various advanced weaponry and corpse cannons.

It had been an invasion, and Randa had been caught completely off guard.

Except for the prison.

Thanks to the enhanced security after the attack by the Kel Independent Free Army, the prison had managed to hold out until the Royal Army arrived.

“Speaking of the Royal Army, did you hear the news?”

“What news?”

“It’s top secret.”

“Why do you have a new ‘top secret’ story every week?”

“No, listen. Remember how the Royal Army pushed all the way to Z-District to show off their strength?”

“Yeah, what happened with that again?”

“Apparently, they were attacked by an unknown group and had to abandon the operation.”

“For real? I didn’t hear anything about them retreating.”

“They didn’t retreat. They’re just holding their position now. If they pull back, it’ll be seen as admitting defeat.”

“Where’d you hear this? How many soldiers had to die for them to pull the plug?”

“My cousin works in supply for the Defense Force. He heard about it. And no one died.”

“What do you mean ‘no one died’? That’s nonsense.”

“Instead, everyone seems to have developed a neurosis. It’s like someone’s tormenting them or something.”

“…Are you sure about this?”

“Absolutely. No one was hurt, but all the military trucks and exoskeleton armor were completely wrecked, as if they’d been hit by artillery. I heard that the moment gunfire rang out, bullets came flying through the air, and every piece of equipment-”

BANG!!

In the middle of the day, a gunshot suddenly echoed.

At the same moment, the two guards chatting froze as they watched the machine guns installed on the prison’s outer walls be destroyed one after another.

In broad daylight, someone was attacking the prison.