"Berserk Fairy!"

"Madam Carmen! Please, look here! Look here!"

Carmen was on the high, quite literally. Even with her enhanced physiology as a Hero, staying up for a few days straight with almost zero rest was not something that could be done—the only reason she was still standing now was that she had taken several shots of her secret supplement.

Her small face was covered by an oversized pair of sunglasses, not only to hide the bags under her eyes, but to protect them from all the flashes of light bombarding her right now in front of her guild.

She could just ignore them. Sleep on her bed peacefully. But alas, her guild and PR team practically forced her to make an appearance in front of the public—after all, this was her chance to completely clear her notoriety. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Carmen was known as Mexico’s number one nuisance. Everywhere she went, people knew that something bad was about to happen. Just even before all of the chaos happened, she attacked Adam in his own country, destroying several expensive cars in the process—and to top it all off, there was even an incident before that when she threatened to knife people at the immigration.

But now, that news was completely drowned by the fact that Carmen saved the lives of millions of people, flying tirelessly across the globe.

Carmen didn’t like being paraded at first, but when she started hearing people calling her Madam, Hero Princess, Mexico’s Savior, and a lot of other respectable titles, she instantly caved in.

No, she didn’t just cave in. She embraced it. She even brought a new dress, and she even had her hair curled in record time—aside from the large pair of sunglasses covering her face, she truly looked like a doll now as she stood in front of all the journalists and reporters.

They even had a podium set up for her.

Carmen sighed, gesturing for all the reporters to settle down.

"Everyone, calm down..." she said. "...It’s just me. Eyy!"

But as always, her cute frilly fashion was the complete opposite of the way she talked. The media didn’t care, however, as they were already completely used to her and her antics. They all raised their hands up, wanting to ask a hundred questions.

"You. Speak." Carmen pointed at a random journalist.

"Madam Fairy. Did you find it difficult to travel almost half the world?"

"Pft. Me? Finding something difficult?" Carmen scoffed at the question. "No. I do that every day. Next question."

"Are you going to run for president? When you wiped out half of the cartel, there was a rumor that you did that because it was a drug trade gone wrong—but now they’re saying that wasn’t true at all?"

"T-the fuck?! Who’s still spreading that..." Carmen cleared her throat, trying her best to stay calm. "I mean... of course, that’s not true. But me? As president? I don’t think that’s going to happen. Next question."

"You were with Mr. Adam the Endless the entire time—what was it like to be in the presence of such a magnificent person?"

"Such a—are we talking about the same guy here?" Carmen’s eyebrows began to furrow. "And yeah, it was alright. I think you’re forgetting I still did most of the work."

"Is it true that he was trying to prevent both sides from killing each other, while also closing the Leaks?"

"What the—why the fuck are you asking me? Ask him!"

"...Are you able to set a press conference for us with—"

"What the fuck?! I thought you were supposed to be interviewing me?! Get the fuck out! Out!"

And of course, true to her name, Carmen the Berserk Fairy... went berserk on the media. But of course, this didn’t even do anything to her reputation—the only thing people talked about was her saving lots of people.

Perhaps this was one of the perks of already being known as a serial troublemaker, that no matter what sort of trouble you do, people would just chalk it up to her being, well, her.

At the same time, while Carmen was currently in front of a lot of press, Adam was... going to sleep.

"Huh..."

The soft click of the lights and Adam’s quiet breath of surprise seemed to vanish into Katherine’s penthouse as he took his first step inside. He paused just past the entrance, taking a moment to look around, his eyes lingering on the sheer width of the hallway. It was unusually wide for an apartment—almost excessive.

Of course, the halls in Sylvie and Clementine’s place were still wider, but that was a castle. This was... something else.

He moved further in, his gaze drifting lazily as he took in the space. The living room dipped where the large sofa sat, the floor lowered a step beneath the rest of the apartment, giving it a subtle, sunken feel. It was... quite modern.

The kitchen, too, was spacious—but there was something off about it. It looked too clean. Not recently cleaned, but unused? As if no one had ever really cooked there.

"Hm?"

A letter rested on the counter.

I didn’t know when you’d return, so I just ordered some takeout. Again. I’ll be out for a while. Make yourself at home.

So, this is what it feels like, Adam. To... have someone waiting for you at home. Don’t... get used to it. But... maybe just a little?

A small breath slipped from him, though the faintest hint of a smile tugged at his lips as he looked at the takeout beside the note. He picked it up without much thought and wandered toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, his steps slow as if he had nowhere else to be.

The glass opened to a balcony—one that stretched wider than his old apartment, with a pool built into it. And beyond that, the city of Los Angeles spread out in the distance, glowing faintly in the fading light.

He stood there for a moment, taking it in.

You... could get used to this, Adam. It’s... good that Katherine got to live like this, after the Hospital.

With a small nod to himself, Adam turned back toward the living room and stepped down into the lowered section. The sofa gave way beneath him as he sat, softer than expected, the sudden sink nearly knocking the takeout from his hands. He caught himself just in time, setting the bag down on the table in front of him instead.

"Oh...?" A remote lay nearby. He picked it up, turning it over once as he glanced around, trying to figure out what it controlled. After a brief pause, he pressed the power button.

And to his surprise, an entire television began to rise slowly from the floor, emerging in a smooth, mechanical motion. It hadn’t even fully extended before Adam’s body gave in, his head dipping forward as sleep overtook him without warning.

The screen flickered to life anyway, settling on a news channel.

An aerial shot filled the display, showing a massive gathering below—thousands of figures packed tightly together.

The sect of the Church of Administrators.

"As you can see, Doris, there are already thousands—thousands—gathered in front of the largest chapel of the Church of Administrators."

The feed shifted, cutting to a reporter on the ground. Behind him, the crowd had grown so dense it almost looked like a solid wall, bodies pressed together.

"We’re expecting even more to arrive from across the country, and some members have reportedly flown in from overseas despite the recent tragedy, all to offer prayers to Adam the Endless. Governments have already discussed a worldwide ban on large gatherings, as sources warn there may be a higher chance of Survivor-mode Leaks forming in densely populated areas—wait. Ma’am—ma’am, can I ask you a question?"

The reporter turned abruptly, flagging down a woman near the front. She brightened immediately, smiling wide as she waved at the camera.

"This is live, ja?"

"Yes, we’re live, ma’am. Could you tell us where you’re from?"

"I am from Sweden. I come here with my friends."

"That’s quite a distance. What made you travel all the way here?"

"To see Adam the Endless. Hej—" she leaned slightly toward the camera, grinning, "I hope you are watching, ja. Is he watching?"

"We... we don’t know that, ma’am. But may I ask—why come here for him?"

She laughed lightly, as if the question itself was strange.

"Why wouldn’t I? If you had the chance to meet Jesus, wouldn’t you?"

And that single line tore Adam out of sleep.

His eyes snapped open, a rough, wheezing breath forcing its way out of his throat as he pushed himself upright. For a second, he just blinked, disoriented, before his gaze locked onto the screen.

"What..."

He grabbed the remote, raising the volume.

<Jesus...?> The reporter glanced briefly toward the camera. <You think Adam is... Jesus?>

<Don’t be ridiculous,> the woman said with a laugh, swatting his arm. <I am only making comparison, ja?>

Adam let out a quiet breath of relief hearing that, the tension in his shoulders loosening—

<The Endless is actually real,> the woman continued, her voice rising with excitement, <and he is here, right now, offering all of us salvation! The Endless—>

<Alright—thank you, thank you very much,> the reporter cut in quickly, stepping away before she could grab his microphone. He gave a strained chuckle, facing the camera again as he tried to recover his composure.

<That was... intense,> he said. <As you can see, Doris, many here are calling for Adam the Endless. The question now is—will he answer them? Will he make an appearance? Will he—>

Adam didn’t stay to hear the rest and was already gone.

The governments were right. Crowds like this—this was exactly where Survivor-mode Leaks were most likely to appear.

Idiots. They’re all idiots, Adam. The government already warned them not to gather!

The wind tore past him as he leapt from one building to the next, his body cutting through the air in a blur.

And you’re worse.

He gritted his teeth.

You’re about to do the exact thing these... sheep are hoping for.

Stupid as he might be, Adam wasn’t blind to it. He knew exactly what this was. He knew that the only way those people would leave...

...was if he showed up and told them to.