Andika

*This article is about **the city in Tortus**. You may be looking for **the Manga chapter from the "Zero" series**.*

The **Outlaw City of Andika** (無法（むほう）都市（とし）アンディカ, *Muhō Toshi Andika*?) was a floating island city that was once home to those that were labeled as "heretics" by the Holy Church.

The island itself was actually an artifact that was created to seal a gigantic monster known as the "*Divine Beast Leviathan*". Following the awakening of the Leviathan, and the subsequent destruction of Andika, its ruins were used to create the Melusine Great Labyrinth by Meiru Melusine and her companions.

## Layout

Andika was located approximately 500 km from the continent's nearest coast.

The city was atop a mysterious floating island that was roughly heptagonal in shape. The city itself was circular and split into three rings, outer, middle, and inner. The further from the innermost layer one was, the seedier the district.

The outermost ring was split into seven districts and each had its own unique traits. Going clockwise from the north, they were the Avid District, which served as Andika’s main port, the Gradd District, which was known for its sandy beaches and was filled with inns and bars, the Arcadia District, the Night District, which was full of small-scale casinos, the Gadaf District, which held the city’s gladiator rings, the Arrogan District, which was known for its craftsmen and workshops, and the Luthria District.

Wealth tended to gather in the center of the city, known as the "Central District". It was filled with so many flashy buildings. While the buildings were mostly wood, the central district’s main street was paved in marble. The adjacent buildings had all been painted white to match the color scheme, giving the entire area an air of nobility. At the center of the district stood the palace that was home to the Devault family that ruled Andika. Three spires jutted out from a spot around 300 m from the center of the palace.

Although Andika was built on top a floating island, the land extended a few hundred meters down into the water. There were plenty of valuable mineral resources to be mined there, which lead to extensive network of tunnels being built underneath the city over the years, and the mine shafts were now a veritable maze. If someone dug so deep they hit the sea, water didn’t rush into the tunnels. Instead, the sea remained where it was, held back by some invisible barrier. Most holes were at least covered with iron grilles to prevent monsters from getting in.

Deep within the labyrinth of tunnels that extended beneath Andika, directly underneath where the royal palace was, lay a vast dome-shaped room that was made out of marble, and a detailed magic circle was engraved onto the floor. An altar stood in the circle’s center, and a giant obelisk thrust its way out from the altar’s base. Around it wound a spiral staircase. The most noticeable feature was that it contained tiny fragments of a large fresco that had spanned the room’s walls and ceiling. It depicted the Leviathan that was sealed beneath the city, and that restoring the fresco would revive it.

## Ideology

The majority of Andika's citizens had a "*live and let live*" mindset. As they were considered to be heretics by the Holy Church, they did not follow their religion and lived their lives they way they wanted to. Even so, most people tended to only look out for themselves due to many of the dangers that resided within the city, but they generally lived peaceful and happy lives.

## History

In ancient times, Andika was used by the gods of Tortus to seal the Leviathan deep beneath the western sea after the people had prayed to them for their aid.

Over the centuries, Andika became a city of refuge for those that the Holy Church had deemed as heretics. In truth, however, it was secretly controlled by the church in order to make an example of those that would go against its teachings. As such, the church would collect much of the profits within the city through its various ventures, such as its casinos.

At some point, Andika's ruler Baharl Devault discovered a chamber deep within the island that served as the Leviathan's seal. After seeing the damaged fresco that depicted the tale of the Leviathan, Baharl sought to release it, in order to use it to protect Andika from all threats, including pirates, and even the church. Using the special magic that his daughter Diene possessed, Baharl slowly began to restore the fresco in an attempt to learn how to control the monster upon its release. However, this caused a series of unnaturally violent storms within the surrounding area. As a result, Baharl was forced to cease his attempts at freeing the Leviathan.

When a massive battle ensued between the Holy Church and a band of pirates for control of Andika, the Leviathan had been released due to the actions of God's servant. Upon its awakening, it ferociously attacked Andika as revenge for having been sealed underneath it for countless years. However, it was defeated by the pirates' leader Meiru Melusine, as well as her allies, the Liberators, but it had succeeded in destroying Andika, thus causing it to sink into the sea.

The majority of Andika's residents would establish a new home for themselves, though many of them would instead join the Liberators after having been saved by them from the Leviathan's attack.

Andika's ruins would later be used by Meiru to create one of seven labyrinths designed by her and the Liberators, with the intention of preparing someone to defeat Tortus' evil god, after they had failed to do so.

## Notable People

* Baharl Devault (Ruler)
* Diene Devault
* Meiru Melusine
* Reej
* Chris
* Kyaty Cougan
* Ace
* Kelvin
* Kiara Wanda
* Vera Wanda
* Marcus Wanda
* Kipson
* Davy Consman

## Trivia

* Andika means "*to tell; you (honourable)*" in Javanese. An older form of the language means "*words, command, order, decree*". Its also means "*write, draw, set, put in order*" in Swahili.
* Andika is currently the largest known artifact to have ever existed.