MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

〒 Name: Sae Kirishima (Lilith)

Affiliation: None (???)

Alias: N/A (???)

Race: Cambion (Succubus)

Age: 21 (???) 〒

The moment Adam saw the information reflect on his retina, he immediately saw red in his eyes as his mind went blank with rage.

His aura blazed as he flew at top speed toward the source of the name, reaching that place instantly despite the distance dividing him from the source.

"Lilith! What have you done!?"

His vehement roar, filled with his wrath and agony, was followed by the stirring of a great storm of innumerable forces and a powerful hand made of pure telekinetic powers grabbed Sae, slowly bringing her toward him.

"Ohh... I didn't think that my little talk would elicit such a response from you."

Lilith showed no signs of worries on her, or rather Sae's, face despite the storm of mystical power that was brimming in the air surrounding them due to Adam's burst of emotions.

This was not her body, after all. And knowing the information about the body she was occupying she was sure that he wouldn't be willing to hurt it either.

"Though you should calm down for a bit. You are hurting her."

Silence fell between the two for a while, but she could feel that the telekinetic hand that was restraining her in the air was slowly loosening somewhat with her words, making her smile.

"Speak."

"My, my~ Where is the young and polite lad from the last time we met?"

Soon, Adam's right eye began to glow with a golden luster, which surprised Lilith and caused her to shrug her shoulders,

"Alright, alright... I will stop teasing you. You're no fun."

Once Adam's eyes went back to their normal color she directed a sly smile toward him as she spoke in a coquettish tone, "Well, firstly don't you worry about her. Unlike those poor bastards who had their souls devoured by those imbeciles, I simply possessed her for a short period of time without harming her in any way. She is my descendant, after all. I won't hurt my own blood for no reason."

Sae had the bloodline of a Lilim, one of the two Succubus races she had created with the help of Prime Adam's Bloodline.

"Her bloodline would have never awakened in a normal situation with how thin the concentration of it was. But I guess she must have received something from you, right~?"

As she spoke that line with a coquettish note, she looked down at a particular part of Adam and smiled an indecent smile, "Knowing my history... This is quite ironic actually. Don't you think so, Adam~?"

The way she pronounced his name had a certain mocking tone to it that irritated him to no end.

In a normal situation, Adam would have felt slightly embarrassed by the indication of her words. But currently, all he cared about was the situation at hand and so his irritation was justified.

He didn't know much about souls, but he doubted having the soul of a woman as old as the history of creation itself in your body would be very helpful for Sae even if Lilith mentioned that she wasn't putting her at any risk with her possession.

"What do you want? Speak."

Adam knew that he should calm down right now and act rationally. He had no knowledge of exorcism and he didn't know what Lilith could do to Sae's body if she got mad. But the whole situation wasn't really helping her much with that task.

"Heh~ What I want is pretty simple, actually. As I mentioned... Make a deal with me...."

"...Are you threatening me with her body?"

"Of course not. I have already said that I am causing no harm to her with my possession and can guarantee that I will not hurt her in any way, shape, or form, be it directly or indirectly. In fact, my presence in her body will only be beneficial to her as it will strengthen her soul and bloodline the more I stay with her."

"How can I trust you?"

"Adam... Devils don't lie. We mislead. We omit the truth. We twist facts and information in such a way that could lead us to the most profit. But...We absolutely never lie. There is nothing more sacred than a contract for us. Trust me on that."

Adam's brows furrowed into a deep frown at her words. Hearing a devil talk about the concepts of sacredness and trust was incredibly funny to him. But there was one thing that he gleamed from her words.

'She is not a devil now, is she?'

Adam did not voice those words out loud. It was only speculation on his part. But in his understanding, Devils were all fallen angels. Lilith was a human at her core no matter what she became later on.

The problem was that, even if he put this in the open, nothing would change. He wouldn't be able to magically trust Lilith but there was nothing he could do in this situation either. There was no need to tear off all masks of cordiality between them.

"Very well. I will hear you out. What do you want?"

Making a deal with the devil. Adam made sure to be careful with his words. Lilith was thousands of times more experienced than him with her age and wisdom. If he was not careful, she would and could toy endlessly with him as she desired.

"What I want is, as I mentioned, very simple."

She pointed toward the sky where the mark of Asmodeus was slowly spreading and occupying more and more area...

"I want to devour his authority."

It was time for her to get back what she was originally promised.

------

On the other side of the Park that now resembled the pits of hell,

After helplessly searching for Sae for who knows how long, tears brimmed at the corner of Natasha's eyes as the emotions of loss and pain overwhelmed her mind. This meant that her dear friend Sae... had most likely been possessed or was already dead somewhere in this space.

There were no other options.

She looked down briefly before catching Viktor with her hands and speaking to him in a shaky voice...

"Let's... go..."

Her eyes were completely dyed in red, and this time not just because of her transformation. However, she could not let herself be bogged down by useless sentimentality right now, not in this situation. She had to at least make sure that Viktor was safe.

Viktor tried to argue with her. But, looking at Natasha's body drenched in blood and the expression of sadness and pain marring her face, he closed his mouth.

He had only known Sae for less than a day. Natasha had been friends with the cheerful woman for years already.

This decision would be much more difficult and heavy for her than for him. He had no right to speak of anything else in such a situation.

It didn't take long for Natasha to find the exit. She could see a slight red membrane of Prana where the gate should be. She understood now why no humans could pass through without having Prana.

She placed her hand against the wall and had to push hard with the use of her explosive Prana to finally pass through the blockade.

The moment they stepped on the other side, Natasha and Viktor took a deep breath of the open air of the natural world. Natasha would have never imagined that the polluted air of Los Angeles would feel so sweet to her.

But her happiness was short-lived,

"Ooh~ I would have never thought someone would walk out of that hellhole. Though I guess it's a godsend that you did. Now then, you two, why don't you identify yourself?"

Right in front of Natasha, a group of armed men all wearing power armor that hid their identities was standing with weapons ready in her hand. But the blazon of the LAPPD could be seen quite clearly.

Seeing all the weapons pointed at them, they were forced to raise their hand in surrender. Natasha did not fear the armed men. What she feared, was the red-haired woman standing in front of her with her arm crossed beneath her bountiful chest.

"I am Natasha Antonovna Nikitina, a member of the Great Wolves, the man behind is my friend, Viktor. The situation is very urgent."

"It is, isn't it?"

All around, one could see people in priest's clothes kneeling on the dirt-covered ground and praying, while men and women wearing black clothes were chanting spells. It was a surreal sight of Warlocks and Witches working in unison with people from the side of the church.

This scene showed how dire the current situation had become.

"We managed to slightly restrain the propagation of the domain but this is only a temporary measure. So, can you tell me what's really happening inside?"

"Yes..."

The sooner she explained the faster she could go back to help Adam and find Sae. Deep down, she still hoped that she was wrong and that Sae was still alive somewhere in that piece carved out of hell.

As such, she relayed to her everything she knew about this situation. From the circle in the sky to the presence of the saintess and the descent of the demons in this world and the subsequent corruption that had spread inside.

The more she listened, the deeper Theresa's frown became. In the end, she swept her hair behind and nodded with a stiff face. There was only one question she had for the wolf girl, "Will you go back in?"

"I will."

Her answer was immediate. There was no hesitation in her voice and the resolve in her eyes was more than enough to explain everything to her.

"Makoto. Follow her in and help them deal with the ritual."

Makoto's grip tightened around her sword. She could feel a malicious gaze from all around this corrupted plane. Without a doubt, someone was observing them and forcibly keeping Theresa in this place.

If Theresa entered, then all the people here would most likely get killed.

This event was becoming bigger and bigger with each passing second. It was too organized. Too well planned.

In the end, though, there was only one answer she could and would give.

"Understood."

She was the Lightning Blade. She had reached the rank of an Executor [1]. Her role was very simple, all things considered.

It was to smite all evil in her sight.

[1]: All the ranks will be explained when Adam becomes an official hunter. Currently, we have Zodiac â†' Director â†' Executor, in descending order. Are there more ranks below or above or in between? We shall discover that in the near future.

(AN: Sometimes I wonder if I am suites for actions. I feel like I get slowed down by my desire for exposition and showing everything that is happening. Opinion on the current arc and the pace would be welcome. But I believe the next few chapters will be filled with fight.)