Infinity Fortress
The Infinity Fortress is known in Japanese as Mugenjou (無限城, literally "infinite fortress") it is also variously translated as the Limitless Fortress. It's an abandonned district in inner-Shinjuku, a walled up fortress no one would enter willingly.
Contents
History
Before anything else, it must be said that within Mugenjou, reality and virtual reality mix into one. There are several denizens of Mugenjou which are not actually 'real', but can interact as if completely living people within Mugenjou, so much so that even people with life-sensory abilities or spirit senses will actually detect them as 'real', as they exist as living beings within the mys-tech of Mugenjou.
Within Mugenjou, the rules of balance are off-kilter. The Yang is much stronger than the Yin, quite literally, and people within Mugenjou are stronger, smarter, and quicker to grow into power than outside of it. It also allows for faster healing and rejuvenation and more potent uses of one's special abilities, or to use them more frequently than usual. While this seems like a boon, within Mugenjou, yang-related diseases, which implies growth, like cancer, are far more malignant and potent, and one ages faster and dies younger in Mugenjou, spending their whole life there.
The Infinity Fortress is a conglomeration of disused, condemned buildings that have, through chance or design, clustered together to form a self-contained habitat. Many smaller buildings surround its ground level, serving as the entrance to the fortress, while the core is formed of one especially tall tower that is said to have originally been planned to be a highly-advanced domicile, only to have construction abandoned mid-way. The remains came to be populated by beings from all walks of life, including one of the men responsible for its construction, Gensui Radou. The Fortress was soon subdivided into three specific tiers – Lower Town, the Beltline and the enigmatic Babylon City.
The Dark Age
Before VOLTS existed, Lower Town was in an era of anarchy. It was besieged by the Beltline inhabitants and few could oppose them. It was during this era that Ginji was found by Takeru Teshimine and later became Raitei during an invasion by the Beltline monsters, and marked the arrival of many of the future members of VOLTS. It was also during this period that Fuuga, led first by Saizou Toufuuin and later by Kazuki Fuuchoin, was the most powerful gang in Lower Town.
The Era of VOLTS
While it isn’t clear exactly how the VOLTS were formed, it is noted that the four Kings were awed by Ginji and gathered around him, some disbanding their previous gangs to follow him, such as the case of Kazuki and his gang Fuuga. Through Ginji and VOLTS, Lower Town was able to experience as close to peace as they could ever know while living in the Infinity Fortress.
However, this era came to a close when Ban came and fought with Ginji before taking him outside of the Infinity Fortress. With that, VOLTS began to slowly collapse, until only MakubeX remained. As MakubeX says, while speaking of his dream, “First Ginji leaves, then Kazuki and Shido follow, and the other guy too (meaning Masaki Kurusu). Everyone disappears, until finally I’m the only one left at Infinity Fortress”.
Locations
Lower Town
Lower Town is the lowest, outer portion of the fortress, with several layers extending below ground level. It is populated by a vast number – accounts state various numbers from thousands to millions – of society’s disenfranchised and destitute, those who have come to Infinity Fortress because they have nowhere else to go. Consequently, with many clashing independent personalities populating it, Lower Town proved to be a chaotic place – a situation not improved by constant attacks from the inhabitants of the middle level, the Beltline, whose monstrous, murderous inhabitants terrorized Lower Town. From the mayhem, one particular gang named "Fuuga" (風雅 Fūga, the translation "Elegance" is used in the anime), led by Kazuki Fuuchouin, emerged to bring some semblance of control. Little was anyone in Lower Town aware, however, that they were all subject to the controlling whims of the mysterious entity known as the “God of Infinity Fortress,” which dwells within the highest level of the fortress, Babylon City, and controls all that goes on within it.
Constantly flooding the entirety of the fortress are bizarre electromagnetic waves under the control of the "God". These waves subtly manipulate and control the electrical brain impulses of the fortress’s inhabitants, thereby warping their perceptions of reality. Unaware of this external manipulation, the inhabitants of Lower Town live in a world that is partially physical, and partially a “virtual reality” shaped by this electromagnetic radiation, seeing, hearing and reacting to sensations, things and even people who do not truly exist - living an existence that is fully malleable and subject to whatever desire the God of Infinity Fortress may choose to extert. Many inhabitants of the fortress possess incredible strength and super-normal physical abilities, and it is noted that wounds heal faster within its walls – at least of a portion of these unusual occurrences are a part of the fabricated virtual reality aspect of the fortress, but precisely how much is unclear.
When Takeru Teshimine came upon Ginji Amano, a young orphan boy apparently abandoned in the Infinity Fortress, he took him under his wing and raised him, keeping him safe in the midst of the chaos. As Ginji grew, his superhuman power to generate and control electricity began to manifest; this power allowed him to tap into the electromagnetic radiation, and with its additional energy, he became the inhumanly powerful “Lightning Emperor.” With his power, Ginji was able to establish the VOLTS – a gang led by him, and sub-commanded by the “four kings,” Kazuki Fuuchouin, Shido Fuyuki, Masaki Kurusu and the mysterious boy, MakubeX – and bring some measure of peace to Lower Town.
It would later be noted that Ginji’s electric abilities had subconsciously allowed him to manipulate the electromagnetic waves, and hence the virtual reality of the Infinity Fortress, shaping things to his desires – precisely how much this ability played into the VOLTS’ control of Lower Town is unknown.
The Beltline
The Beltline, the most dangerous area of the Infinity Fortress, located past the outer Lower Town and before Babylon City, was ruled by Der Kaiser, a mysterious man and Ban's father. The citizens of the Beltline are said to be immortal and imperishable, and they 'will rise back from the dead everytime they are attacked'. This is maybe due to Der Kaiser's powers as the scion of the Queen of the Witches. Every single person from the Beltline has a hideous death-like appearance and a frightening strength.
A unique feature of the Beltline is that the area is relatively unstable. As it exists between two worlds, virtual illusion and true reality are constantly in conflict with each other. One phenomenon is the existence of 'clones'. If a clone is accidentally killed, the real body also dies. The Beltline is also able to suck up one's life forces slowly, so that upon entering it, a person will feel very exhausted. However, in the Beltline, the movements of the cells are also greatly agitated, allowing quick healing.
Among the citizens of the Beltline are the Voodoo King, the Ura Fuuchouin triad, ex-VOLTS King Masaki Kurusu and his followers, Der Kaiser and the Three Knights (who ruled a separate part) and uncounted undead.
Babylon City
Babylon City is the inner core, the highest tower of Mugenjou, where only the strong are welcome. It cannot actually be reached without going through the Beltline, and once at the gates of Babylon City, one needs the Chimera, the Thunder and the Snake to enter. If they somehow make it there, they will see the vast network of Supercomputers that control Mugenjou's virtual reality, which makes movies like the Matrix look like a joke. The four generals of Babylon City await for anyone foolish enough to trespass into this inner sanctum. This is a point of amazing magic and incredible technology, merged into one in ways no one had thought possible, and who is in fact in charge of Mugenjou is completely unknown, although a group known as the Brain Trust had ties in there, and it was created long ago by the Witch Queen and Der Kaiser.
Notable People
These are the people known for being denizens of recently admitted to Mugenjou, along with their current or recent level of access.
- MakubeX: Resident computer genius, currently lives in lower town with his wife, Sakura.
