MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

Chapter 488  CH 474: END OF THE NIGHT

The gentle rays of sunlight could be seen meekly peeking out as the moon went down beyond the horizon; the night had ended, and with it, only faint traces of the chaos that swept the city could be seen lingering along the streets of Los Angeles city.

No matter where one looked, people could be seen walking listlessly, watching the streets with a lost expression on their faces, observing the debris of shattered glasses that had been broken the night prior by shockwaves of unknown and seemingly supernatural origins.

Hundreds of thousands of people received wounds of various degrees due to the sudden shockwaves. Furthermore, while there were no signs of death or demise, no one could laugh or feel any happiness due to the horrific event that swept through the city of Los Angeles.

The hospitals were filled to the brim; people were high and brimming with anger and a sense of despair and confusion. An indomitable wave of chaos was spreading everywhere and riots were occurring throughout the city, forcing the police and the firefighters to move everywhere like headless chickens. They were on the verge of madness from the constant back and forths and the unrest that was stirring up the whole city.

This was, by all means, a night that would enter the annals of history as one of the worst nights to have ever transpired in the history of the City of Dreams.

.

.

.

Seated in her chair, Theresa deftly managed phone call after phone call— a never-ending stream of them, weariness evident on her haggard face; for even someone as powerful as her couldn't escape the lamentation of her helplessness in the present situation.

All she could do was dispatch orders to her entire team of hunters and call for reinforcements. Thankfully, the church proved notably active in this particular instance. Of course, it was inevitable for them to be active due to the nature of the situation they were currently facing.

"So….. My dear Saintess, will you finally explain why I received a call from the Zodiac of Virgo in person to not interfere directly in this matter? I am positively dying to know… hmmm…"

Once she was finally done shuffling through all the phone calls, Theresa looked at the young pink-haired woman seated in front of her, exuding a graceful aura in each and every one of her actions and even her inaction. It amused her when she remembered that the seated girl was no older than Makoto, yet, she was in an entirely different realm of her own.

However, it did nothing to change or influence the matter at hand. Theresa had been ready to act and for once do her job as a Director, which was to directly lead the offensive and take down the danger that was plaguing the city under her jurisdiction. She had already made up her mind to stake her life to save this city.

But weirdly enough, she immediately received an order to not move from the White House. When she asked for more information, all they delivered in response was that it was a prophecy that had been delivered by Saint Virgo herself.

This was the only reason Theresa relented as she accepted the authority of the only Saint among the Zodiacs; as she mentioned about the calamity. This old woman had saved many people in her lifetime and more often than not, refusing to listen to her would bring about cumbersome and horrifying situations— something she was not willing to bring forth just to satiate her sense of duty.

Because of that, she was forced to call Cecilia and negotiate with her to not act unless it was absolutely necessary.

Elysia's smile did not change even though she was facing the full brunt of the anger of a director. In fact, her smile seemed to be shining far brighter than before once she saw Theresa being so angry at her. However, it was also possible to see that her smile was rather strained. What could make the Saintess herself feel so pressured?

"Would you believe me, if I said to you that, I don't have the answer to your question? That, I don't know why myself? No one can guess the mind of my mentor, Miss Theresa. Not even me, unfortunate as that may be."

Elysia shook her head from side to side, the grace and dignity of a Saintess never leaving her for even a second, and stood up before bowing to her with a quiet and elegant mannerism.

"Either way, I sincerely apologize for this situation that you have been put in. The church will be 100% active in handling the aftermath and many of our priests are already moving through the city while purifying the undead who were left behind. They will also take care of the population and keep them some emergency medical attention if need be."

She was truly apologetic for the current scenario and the restraint that had been put upon Theresa. But there was nothing she could do now except apologize.

As for Anastasia, the Zodiac of Virgo, Elysia couldn't help but grit her teeth. She definitely needed to have a talk with that old hag.

———

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the compound where the Realm of Frost had been first deployed… Tsubasa couldn't help but leak out a sigh of relief as she watched the ice and snow recede and the breach between dimensions go back to their normal, stable state. The weight on her shoulders had finally vanished along with the realm and now all she had to do was observe the situation at hand as the workers of the mansion appeared one after another before her sight.

In her surroundings, no matter where one's eyes chanced upon, the corpses of the undead she had been fighting could be seen vanishing into nothingness as their essence was being absorbed into her Phantasm Realm. One could say without a shadow of a doubt that she was perhaps one of the greatest winners of this night of calamity.

She could also feel that the presence that had been bothering her vanished without a trace. She did not know if it was a friend or a foe but it didn't matter to her right now. She would be able to find out one day anyway.

Finally, her gaze rested on only one man.

He was there, clad in his red uniform and holding Natasha like a princess while piggybacking the girl named Fedora as she could be seen sleeping peacefully on his back.

Next to him was a shirtless and bloodied Takoda, wearing a complicated expression on his face that seemed to be a mix of awe and fear as he limped his way toward the mansion gate.

Tsubasa smiled, her eyes only on the man she loved as he muttered awkwardly,

"It seems like I couldn't faint in the end."

Tsubasa laughed to herself at her own corny joke. She didn't know what was the context of the current situation but what she did know though was that— he had succeeded.

.

.

Sitting on the rooftop of a high-rise building, while holding her chainsaw blade in her hand, Cecilia took her eyes away from the sight of her son finally returning from the Phantasm Realm.

'He grew once again.'

As someone was had many links with the Norse mythology, she had been one of the first few to reach this place but she did not act or intervene in the matter. Not because Theresa asked her to do so, of course…

But simply because she decided that this was indeed the perfect moment to see how much Adam had grown and also because, in the end, she could not babysit him for the rest of his life. He had a long life ahead of him, far longer than her own, and he needed to learn how to handle things with his own hands.

"Good job, my son."

Now she knew, the day he would not need her any longer was fast approaching. Far faster than she had ever anticipated.

It was both delightful and bittersweet news to her as a mother. Seeing her little baby become a man and leave the nest made her feel that a page of her life was being turned over.

What should she do now? She did not really know. She didn't have any goals in life after all. What she did know though was that Adam would face even more dangerous situations in the future.

Perhaps he would have to face even the true gods in all their majesty and no limitations.

In the end, she sighed and took out her phone. Scrolling down, she reached a number she never thought she would call again in all her life. But the things she could do on her lonesome were dwindling fast. Too fast for her to just sit down and wait.

The wait did not last as long as she imagined and the one she was trying to contact answered immediately.

At first, there was silence. Too much time went by for either side. A lump of emotions seemed to constrict her throat, making her feel like she was back to her years as a child.

Finally,  she spoke with difficulty but clear joy in her voice.

"Hey, old man. Still alive and kicking?"

It was time to prepare for a trip to Japan.

—————————————  END OF VOL 7 —————————————

(AN: Welp. This is official. Finished the volume. There will be two interludes but yeah. This is the end. I wanted to write two chapters today but my mind is just blank haha. I will rest a little more.

This volume was…Well. It was the first Volume of Book 2 and it definitely did not go the way I expected initially. As always when it comes to writing.

I introduced many things and brought many interesting concepts and Adam grew vastly stronger be it as a person, a criminal, and a fighter. Thanks, guys for sharing this adventure with me and hopefully you will be there until the end.

As always, this time for Q&A and I would be delighted to get your opinion on this volume.

What did you think of the volume in general?

What did you think of the final arc in particular?

What was your favorite arc? What about the one you liked the least?

Your opinion on Adam's growth and evolution.

What would you have liked to see happens and what are the part you didn't like?

Your Opinion on Dreamscape?

Would you have liked to have more smut? More combat? Or More relationships development with other characters ?

Who was your favorite character in this volume? What about the least favorite?

I have many other questions honestly so those are more of a guideline and I would be happy if you simply told me everything you felt. Answering those questions will help me become an even better author.

By don't forget to take a look at my new story. Cosmic Fairytale on Royal road.

See you tomorrow with new adventure of Adam.