"All right, this is the place. Please, come in."
The blonde girl led Roy to the Student Council office located on the top floor of the high school building. After confirming his school emblem authorization, she pushed open the massive double doors—each nearly twice the height of a person.
The interior was luxuriously extravagant beyond belief. Deep brown carpeting covered the floor, a full set of leather guest chairs and tables was arranged neatly to the side, and paintings of the sprawling Seidoukan Academy campus adorned the walls. A huge glass window, slicing the sky like a perfect frame, revealed a breathtaking view beyond. In front of it stood a heavy oak desk that seemed more fitting for a multinational CEO than a school office.
Compared to some other schools, this office would easily be mistaken for the chairman's suite of a global corporation.
In truth, the entire floor belonged to the Seidoukan Academy Student Council.
"In this Asterisk City, the six academies are all managed by their respective student councils, who oversee virtually every aspect of school affairs. So the student councils hold immense power, composed of the best students from middle school, high school, and university divisions alike. Especially me—as the Student Council President, my authority is second only to the chairman."
The blonde girl strode into the room and skillfully sat behind the desk, letting out a sigh.
"To formally introduce myself again: my name is Claudia Enfield. It's a pleasure to officially exchange names like this in the real world!"
Claudia interlaced her fingers, a faint blush coloring her cheeks like clouds dyed by the morning sun.
"Welcome to Seidoukan Academy, and welcome to the Asterisk City itself, Roy."
She spun her office chair away from the desk.
In that instant, a massive overhead map appeared behind her against the large floor-to-ceiling window.
Following her gaze, Roy saw an orderly, man-made city.
This enormous artificial metropolis floated above the Neon Northern Kanto's multi-layered crater lakes. Known simply as the Battle City, its urban layout consisted of hexagonal districts with six academies rising like bastions at each vertex, the overall shape resembling a snowflake. The official name—'Rokka' (Six Flowers)—derived from this design.
Moreover, straight avenues crossed the city grid, connecting each academy diagonally to the others, creating the shape of a star—specifically, a hexagram.
Although inside Neon's jurisdiction, this artificial city was directly controlled by the six Integrated Enterprise Foundations that currently dominate the world. Thus, it enjoyed extraterritorial rights, possessing independent political and legislative authority.
"In theory, transfer students like you who join our academy are exempt from tuition, receive living stipends, and get equipment or supplies support. But in exchange, you have duties to fulfill: to defeat Saint Galahadworth, subdue Arlequint, surpass Jie Long, overcome Rewolf, and beat Queenvail—to dominate at the 'Festa'…"
"Oh?"
Roy nodded thoughtfully.
"So, does that mean the Seidoukan Academy will reimburse the loss of my Lux weapon from earlier?"
"Ah? Yes, that's correct."
Claudia's expression flickered briefly with confusion but quickly masked it with a flawless, warm smile.
"Though Lux weapons are precious outside, the students gathered here are far more valuable—after all, nearly all are 'Genestellar.' So every academy provides Lux weapons free of charge to their students."
"Valuable, huh…"
Roy's smile deepened, something sharp flickering behind his eyes.
"Honestly, from what I've seen and heard out there, the status of the Genestellar Generation isn't exactly as precious as that."
"Well, the Invertia has only recently arrived, so some traits of this era are inevitable."
Claudia let out a faint smile tinged with helplessness.
Invertia.
This refers to a massive disaster that occurred in the 20th century. Countless meteors suddenly appeared in outer space without warning and rained down like drops of rain across the globe while every nation was completely unprepared—a worldwide meteor shower on a catastrophic scale.
During that calamity, countless cities were destroyed, and the remaining nations' power weakened drastically. To survive the chaos engulfing the global economic system, numerous corporations merged, giving birth to a new economic entity known as the "Integrated Enterprise Foundations."
These Foundations wielded power far greater than the debilitated states. While nations technically still existed, they had become little more than hollow shells—mere puppets whose presence was overshadowed entirely by the Foundations.
Originally, there were eight such Foundations, but two eventually collapsed, leaving six remaining: Ginga, EP, Jie Long, Frauenlob, Solnage, and W&W.
Yet the Invertia disaster didn't bring only suffering.
It is said that after the event, an unknown element called Mana began spreading worldwide. The most widely accepted theory today is that this mysterious element originated from the meteors themselves.
This Mana appears to resonate with the willpower of certain life forms—most strongly with humans.
Those humans affected by this substance, who were born anew with extraordinary abilities, came to be known as the "Genestellar."
The Genestellar Generation typically possess physical capabilities far beyond ordinary humans. They can sprint at speeds comparable to automobiles. Moreover, they harness a unique spiritual energy known as "Prana". By manipulating this Prana, they can perform incredible feats—even a simple concentration of it forms a defensive barrier strong enough to effortlessly stop bullets.
Originally, the birth of the Genestellar Generation was meant to signify humanity's next stage of evolution—a future direction for mankind's progress.
But somehow, in this world, the Genestellar Generation became social pariahs.
Rumor has it that because their power far exceeds that of ordinary people, they are prone to unintentionally harming others, leading to heavy restrictions both in public opinion and legal practice.
In conflicts involving both Genestellar individuals and ordinary people, public sentiment overwhelmingly sides with the latter. Even cases of rightful self-defense by Genestellar individuals are often seen as excessive force. On top of that, the courts tend to impose far harsher sentences on Genestellar defendants—sometimes imprisoning them for decades over minor offenses.
Roy's expression turned strange upon learning this.
How should he put it?
It carried a very distinct Japanese flavor in its setting.
But since he himself had traveled into this world, he kept his thoughts to himself.
On the other hand, the six Integrated Enterprise Foundations established the Asterisk City and founded a large-scale martial arts festival called the "Festa," where students from each academy took the stage to fight.
Victors of the Festa are usually granted a wish by the Foundations—be it wealth or fame. As long as one claims the championship on that stage, everything becomes within reach.
Decades after its inception, the Festa had grown into the world's largest comprehensive battle entertainment event, with the Genestellar Generation becoming a tool for the Foundations to amass vast fortunes.
Claudia's statement that the students of this Asterisk City were precious didn't refer to the intrinsic value of their lives, but rather to the fact that these students belonged to the Foundations as private property—used to entertain the entire world.
***
Hey readers!
Want to read ahead? 📖 Join my Patreon for early access to 30+ advance chapters! Your support helps me write more and bring the story to you faster.
🔹patreon.com/aarvan🔹