Midnight Prince: Empire of Sin

After ranting for a while, as he finally managed to calm himself down somewhat and was able to make sense of everything that just transpired, he immediately stopped caring about the event for the time being.

Clearly, this was not an instant quest but a very long lasting variant of quest that might even take years and even decades for him to complete successfully. Rather than fretting about something he could do nothing about or would be able to influence only in the far future, it was more efficient to focus on what he was able to accomplish at present or in the near future.

Coming out of the bathroom of Medusa's abode, he took the change of clothes that was offered to him by the kind yet psychotic Gorgon. It was nothing fancy but at the same time, it was rather stylish if one were to look at it from another angle.

A long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black pants. Adam was rather appealed by how snugly those clothes fitted him but he remembered that with all the tests that Medusa did on him and his body, she was most likely the one who knew his body best after himself.

.

.

.

When Adam walked up to Medusa's office, he could see some researchers looking at him with a weird gaze, some with curiosity but many with hostility clearly evident in their eyes. He didn't even need to use his power to realize that many of them were in fact fans of Medusa and they did not like how he was spending time with her or how close he was with her.

It seemed like rumors about the two of them being in a relationship had already spread inside the compound and the effects were clear to see.

'How funny.'

He found it ridiculous how, rather than trying to woo Medusa or face him honestly, they were busy licking each other's wounds while talking behind his back.

With such a mindset, the presence or absence of his existence would have changed nothing and they would have never even managed to approach her in all of their pitiful lives. Let us not even talk about the possibility of them entering into a relationship with her here. That was completely out of the equation.

When he opened the door of the office, with such thoughts in his mind, he turned toward a few of them who were staring daggers at him and gave them a lopsided smirk before waving goodbye to them.

The expression they made filled Adam with pure joy and glee— truly a sight for sore eyes.

"I guess you are the sadistic type, huh… A thing to note for the future…"

Medusa did not raise her head from her documents when Adam finally entered the office but was still able to sense his presence and respond accordingly. While she didn't have something like his Zone, she still had very keen senses that allowed her to detect his presence.

Adam shrugged as he took a seat parallel to her, "They started it first."

"I see."

Medusa nodded, not really interested in continuing this discussion further— something she deemed to be worthless and pointless. She had many things to do and non-entities like those men were not in her interests.

"Oh… Now you made me curious. Did you ever enter into any sort of relationship in your long life? Like with Freud, he seemed to be quite smitten with you."

Medusa finally looked up from the pile of documents before her and gave him a look as if asking if he was seriously asking this question to her or not. In the end, she sighed at the sight of his expectant look, "I am three thousand years old. Of course, I had a few relationships. After a while though… I just stopped. An immortal in a relationship with a mortal always ends in heartbreak for the one who remains."

She gazed at him deeply as she spoke of those words. She was not just retelling a tale of melancholy to him but also giving him advice as he was in a similar situation as her.

There was nothing much Adam could say to those words of hers but inwardly, he knew that even knowing this would not stop him from continuing his relationships with his girls. Even if his loved ones died, he would keep their souls to himself until the day he could find a way to enact a true resurrection.

Medusa smirked to herself at the sight. She could see a certain madness in Adam's eyes, well hidden and veiled behind a mask of disinterest. She knew what this light meant, and this was why she had to give a warning to him at the moment.

"I have seen many men like you, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sysyphus, Orpheus, and Asclepius to name a few like you in my time. People who tried to cheat Death and utterly failed. Though nowadays, the best example would be Gilles de Rais."

She shook her head, "In this mortal world… There is only one man who managed to tame and control Death and…"

She was about to continue speaking but in the end, she simply shook her head, "Well, do as you wish. Heroes are people who fight against impossible odds after all."

She scribbled a few things and stood up to start searching from her belongings, "Firstly, try this out."

She placed a new pack of smoke before him before speaking, "Those ones are a little more expensive than the previous one. I adapted them for your growing Soul. It should give you far more clarity when using your powers."

She then took out a pack of gum and pills.

"From now on, I want you to take one of those pills every day. Those pills are called consolidation pills. They help in condensing the power of the soul. Making it sturdier and tougher than it inherently is. Those pills have been ordered in batches by the Vatican because they need them for their exorcists. Gotta have a strong soul to not be possessed by the devils now, right?"

Adam could only smirk, clearly amused by the words that leaked out of her lips, "Seems like many people owe you."

"The wonders of being an alchemist are many, my boy. Even politicians like those pills as they help make their mind clearer and stronger despite their old age."

She shrugged her shoulders, "You don't have to worry about the side effects. I tested them all on myself in advance."

This was her policy. She didn't mind using animals or humans for tests. But she would always be the final tester just to be sure about the effects of her creations.

"Now then… before we go on about you explaining your adventure… Do you remember what you asked me last time?"

Immediately, Adam took on a more somber attitude, "Obviously…"

"Very well. I have good news for you. But this is also accompanied by a piece of bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

Adam's face palmed. The last time she asked this question this ended with her announcing the apocalypse.

Now what the hell was she about to tell him?

"Your heartbeat is rising. Am I that scary?"

"The news you give me is always scary. Well, let's go with the good one."

"Heh. Anyways. The good news is… your demand was accepted. However, there is a condition. It will only pass through after you succeed in your mission and bring back the stolen artifacts from France. It was also decided that I would not be able to join you. France seems a little squeamish about accepting a Zodiac from another nation to set foot on their land. They are already freaking out because of all the Gold rankers who are currently infiltrating their places."

She seemed quite displeased but she was ready from the start, "At the end of the day, we are allies with France, even if only in appearance, so I decided to back off."

This wasn't the only reason for her backing off. If Medusa was right with her theories, something big was going to happen in France and her presence, far from helping, might make things worse.

The Scales of Equilibrium worked for both sides. So by bringing heavy hitters, the other side would also be able to bring their heavy hitters into the mix.

"Now time for the bad news… What you asked for is… Well, you know how sensitive it is. The higher-ups accepted you because of your identity and my plea but clearly, your choices made them wary of you now."

"I was ready for that."

Medusa scrutinized Adam before grinning to herself, "Indeed you were. Then I have nothing more to say. Once you come back from your mission — You will have access to all the death row criminals incarcerated in the city of Los Angeles."

She didn't know what Adam's goal was. But she knew it was going to be bloody.

(AN: This is the end of the arc. Hope you liked the Dreamscape exploration that was the main theme of this arc. After this, the next time Adam dives into the Dreamscape, it will be less about fighting and more about exploration. You've got to see what Wonderland looks like, right? Anyway, we are reaching the last legs of Vol 7. The next few arcs will go back to Natasha and a few more little things to prepare for the climax. By the way, if anyone has an idea about a name for the race Adam created I will be happy to see it. Already have an idea but nothing has been decided.)