MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

Chapter 468 CH 454: BAD SURPRISE

A howl of a mythical existence shook heaven and the earth with its voice full of anger and wrath.

On the outskirts of Natasha's mansion, a large-scale barrier was slowly being deployed, cutting off the space surrounding the mansion from reality and isolating the phenomenon so that their enemies and other factions would be unable to interfere.

Sitting with her body bleeding and a literal hand missing from her body, Aleksandra looked at the person who had attacked her with pure disbelief in her eyes.

She had speculated many people to be the traitor in question. Analyzed and even over-analyzed to pinpoint the insider that was after Natasha's life. However, even in her wildest dreams, she could have never thought that the traitor would be this one person— the last person she would ever put her suspicions on.

"So it was you all along, huh…"

She growled, powerless to do anything even though the culprit was now right before her. The bleeding should not have affected her so much, even if it was inflicted with a weapon made of silver. But she had been poisoned beforehand, unable to prevent it due to the betrayal she had faced by the person in question. This should have been impossible in general cases, but was made possible exactly due to this wretched and insidious betrayal…

"I know what you are thinking. Truly, what I gave you wasn't poison by itself. Honestly, it's even a tonic. It's just— when you mix it in a certain way, well— let's just say that you get an explosive result."

Aleksandra gritted her teeth in anger and frustration. She had been careless, far too careless even though she was aware of the presence of a traitor. She should have been far more careful and should have doubted anyone and everyone.

"Why…?"

"Such a boring question."

The person hidden in the shadows slowly advanced until they were just one step away from Aleksandra then started placing a binding seal on her body.

"You seem to think that I am a traitor. That, I am acting with some nefarious goals in mind. But you see— I am actually not."

They smiled quietly as their eyes traced Aleksandra's figure.

"Believe it or not. Everything I am doing now…I am doing it for her own good. In fact, after this night… I am pretty sure that she will even thank me for going through such a cumbersome ordeal for her."

They laughed quietly, their voices seemingly mixed between young and old. There was a quiet happiness in their eyes, a calmness that could only be seen in the eyes of people who had lived a long life and had already been made aware of the vicissitudes of life.

"For now. You should sleep. Your presence in this situation is not needed as of now."

With a wave of their hands, Aleksandra vanished, leaving nothing but an empty space behind.

"Now then…"

Alone, they looked up at the skies above. The barrier was spreading, slowly covering the entirety of LA and creating a displaced dimension that would make this region inaccessible for anyone who wasn't them.

"This should be enough to stop all intruders from interfering in my work."

They grinned widely and sat on the wall, waiting for the fated moment to arrive. Initially, they should have acted on the 9th as they had planned. But with the way things were going, the plan would have been a failure, they were sure of that result.

Now though… It was the explicit reflection of perfection.

"This is going to be fun."

AWOOO~!!!

Thus, a howl of a mythical existence shook the heaven and earth with its voice, far earlier than it should have at the traitor's instigation…

———

[LAPPD]

In the LAPPD, a red alarm was resounding in the facilities— once again.

"Director! Something big is happening!"

Someone rushed at full speed toward Theresa's office, the Director of the LA branch, and then entered without even knocking as they screamed their lungs out due to the fear and trepidation they felt within.

However, the person immediately stopped when they noticed that Theresa was sitting quietly while sipping on her coffee. The others higher up were similarly sitting down and waiting, their faces impassive and unchanging.

"Director…?"

The man who had barged in stopped in his tracks and looked around, confused by the phenomenon before him, before looking at the still blaring alarm.

For a short instant, he wondered if this was some kind of illusion prank or if it was a test to see his reaction in cases of danger or something of the sort.

"Name."

"Agent Jhon! Director!"

"Jhon. Thanks for your swift response. I guess you must be a newbie in this place."

"Yes! I was just transferred one week ago."

"Hum. Understandable. You can leave. This is just a red alert."

"Understood!"

John left, his eyes shining and filled with awe. He may be a newbie in LA but was still an experienced hunter. Otherwise, he wouldn't be in this place. The last time a Red Alert sounded in New York, the directors and all the staff were jumping around like headless chickens while behaving like it was the end of the world.

'So cool!'

Compared to that farce, the L.A. division seemed to be completely on a whole another level. He couldn't be more happy that his transfer had been placed in this region.

Once Jhon left, Theresa slowly placed her cup down and released a tired sigh before speaking,

"I wonder if I should ask for a transfer already. This is getting out of hand."

All the men and women present in the room could only leak out a bitter smile at her words. They were indeed not surprised nor shocked by the perilous situation at hand.

A calamity level event may be a once-in-decade event for most, but for them, this would be the third one in just 5 weeks. This would make nearly an average of one calamity every two weeks. The notion was so out of pocket that they could only accept it and get on with it.

Feeling an intense headache coming her way at Mach speed, Theresa drank her coffee once more. Even so, she was quite calm in this situation. It was as if nothing could disturb her anymore, that her heart had already become as resilient as it could be. But she was truly considering simply leaving this place.

She was a powerful warrior. A bonafide Director. She was someone ready to throw down her life in a fight if necessary. As a Director, she enjoyed many rights and it was necessary to keep her duties in mind as well as she did her due.

But this— this was just something else.

"How is the situation?"

"A barrier was spread. The giant wolf that was sighted was covered and we are unable to observe it any longer."

"The barrier can be accessed?"

"Difficult. This barrier seems stronger than the one built by the descent of Asmodeus. But it does not spread nor does it seem like a breeding ground for devils and demons to appear."

"Hum… So this barrier is simply stopping us from entering inside, I take it?"

"Yes."

"Hum…"

This could be quite dangerous for them in the long run. She had received a call from Cecilia about having to help a wolf go through her transformation not long ago.

'Don't tell me the two are related?'

She did not have time to ponder more as new information continued to pour in,

"Director! We received new information. The nature of the barrier is changing and affecting the entirety of LA as we speak!"

"How so?"

"Snow… Ice and snow. The temperature is cooling fast. Too fast. The experts are theorizing that we are facing a Phantasm Realm rather than a simple barrier!"

Theresa couldn't help but hold her head this time around. She was giving her all to simply not scream out of frustration because of the current situation.

"Director! The situation is changing again! The cemeteries are moving. Undead made of ice and snow are appearing everywhere!"

This was one bad news after another. Just coming her way like a tsunami.

'Ice and snow, alongside a giant wolf and undead of ice?'

There weren't many myths that could fulfill such conditions.

'Fenrir?'

This might be one of the worst situations for her. Her Divine Weapon, like the one of her sister, was related to Norse mythology.

She would be severely restricted in this fight as she would be fighting a Norse mythological figure of the same element.

'Should I call Cecilia?'

"What do we do, Director?"

They were restless but not too tense. They knew that at this moment, panicking would do them no good. Furthermore— they had their utmost belief in Theresa.

Theresa could feel their belief and while it was slightly burdening, she appreciated this sentiment. She was about to speak when her phone rang.

She frowned. This was her work phone and very few people had this number.

She answered and listened, her expression slowly morphing in incomprehension.

Just what the hell was happening?

In the end, there was nothing she could do. Orders were orders.

"Let's take care of those undeads first."

This was certainly going to be a busy night for everyone.

———

(AN: Hi guys! Landed in Paris on Friday 27th night. Now I am up and running again. I will be in Paris until the 4th or the 6th of November. It will depend. I don't have much to say. But heh. At least we are approaching the end of Vol 7. It was quite long, to say the least. I hope you liked it and that you will also like the climax. Now in your opinion. Who is the Traitor and what is the twist? Heh.)