An airship drifted slowly overhead. Bright sunlight cast a rainbow beside the fountain downtown. Tourists gathered in small groups across the central plaza. Some were exotic-looking foreign races, while others carried cameras—they were travelers from the Void. There were even newspaper reporters, setting up equipment for live interviews.
This was Dawn City, a metropolis of tens of millions utterly unlike what one might expect—or perhaps exactly what one would expect.
Dawn City had been built by the Violators of Dawn Paradise. They possessed extraordinary vision and foresight, knowing clearly that ruling the place through harsh violence would leave it underpopulated and create a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere. The Violators had already become Undead; if they lived in an especially oppressive environment as well, their souls would rot, and collapse would only be a matter of time.
Under the leadership of the former Violator leader, Xictor, Dawn City had taken on this appearance. Its permanent population exceeded seventy-five million. Besides that, travelers came from the countless worlds of the Void. One should not forget that this world had no rule of death. Some thrill-seeking travelers were passionately fond of that fact, though accidents occasionally occurred.
At that moment, inside the headquarters of the Immortality Society, a magnificent skyscraper over a hundred stories tall—
Tap, tap~
A metal object spun between fingers, lightly striking the solid-wood desk. Govo, the tattooed Strong Man, Moon Witch, and the others stood or sat before the desk. Behind it sat a man whose body had been partly mechanized, his eyes dark red. His name was Golden Scorpion, vice president of the Immortality Society, ranking directly below President Xictor.
"You sent fourteen people, failed to accomplish the task, and only eight returned. May I understand it that way?"
Golden Scorpion set down the metal object and looked toward