3) For Whom the Haunted Bell Tolls

Part 8

As the mystery club reached the top of the long staircase, they encounter a hatch that was sealed tight. Matt tries to push it hard to open but no dice. Negi ordered Matt to stand back as the boy mage did his magical punch again to break through the hatch. It worked again, and the team made it through. The team is finally at the top of the tower, where they encountered Nodoka and the rest of the captured victims.

"Nodoka!" Yue and Haruna shouted in sync.

Nodoka turned to see who shouted, and she was happy and relieved to see them and the rest of the team. "Yue! Haruna!" she cried happily.

"We're glad you're safe," Yue worried. "Now, let's get you out of here!"

"I can't! This collar is preventing me from escaping." She pointed towards the captives lying on the floor. "They also have collars like I do."

Negi, Matt, Chamo, Setsuna, Eva, and Chachamaru got close to the captives and analyzed the collars. They also discovered that the captives' faces and bodies were all wrinkled.

"Wha… What's with these guys?" Matt questioned and shouted. "They look like about to decay and turn into dust."

"Their energies are stolen," Chamo claimed. "These collars are draining the life energy from these poor people."

"We got to take them off!" Setsuna commanded.

"No good," Eva interrupted. Everyone turned to Eva. "These collars are impervious to remove. The only way is to destroy the source that's creating these."

Suddenly Setsuna jolted when she sensed something nearby. She looked at what's behind Negi and gave a quick and shocking reaction. "Negi! Behind You!"

Negi quickly turned his head. A bolt of purplish lightning tries to strike Negi, but he quickly dodges it out of the way. He got on his feet and looks up. Everyone looked up to see where that bolt came from. "What the heck!?" Matt exclaimed as he saw what's right before his eyes.

Floating in the air in front of the window, where the moon is shining from the back, is the hooded culprit. It's glowing eyes and evil grin stares at the team.

"I-Is… that… the ghost?" Chisame replied in a little bit of fright.

"So, this guy must be the one kidnapping these innocent people," Chao said.

Chamo hopped on Negi's shoulder and pointed at something. "Guys look!" he yelled. What Chamo is pointing is the white streams that are connected to him. The other end of the streams is connected to the people wearing the collars. "That thing is sucking up the life energy from these people."

Matt made a stern look. "Then there's only one thing to do," Matt explains to everyone, "We must defeat this hooded pain in the neck to save everyone."

Negi nodded. "Right Matt," Negi replied. He turned to his students, "Girls are you ready?"

His students nodded and every girl, except Eva, and Nodoka, pulled out their pactio cards. Matt looks at them with a stunning surprise. Everyone raised their card and yelled, "ADEAT!" Matt covered his eyes from the blind light as the cards glowed brightly.

After the bright light disappeared, every girl's appearance changed. Yue wore a witch's hat and a cloak, Haruna has an artist apron with an artist hat, Setsuna wore a maid outfit with cat ears on her head and has wings on her back, Konoka is dressed up as in special spiritual kimono dress, Asuna wore a maid outfit different from Setsuna's, Chisame wore a magical girl outfit, Satomi has a lab coat and has powerful robotic arms worn on her back, Chachamaru turned into a robotic cat girl with gliders on the side of her hips, Chao turned into her futuristic fighting combat and magic version of her, and Satsuki wore a chef's apron with a giant wok with her.

"WOWSERS!" surprised Matt in great amazement.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Haruna replied to Matt giving him thumbs up and a grin.

"You sure you don't want to make a pactio with Negi?" Chao asked Matt.

"I know magic is awesome, but I said I rather just be myself with my best own personalities and skills," Matt replied calmly and smiled.

"Heads up, everyone!" Chamo shouted. "Look out!"

The hooded culprit sends another purple bolt straight them. Yue quickly reacted, "Elementa ignis." Several balls of lightning appeared around Yue. "Multi Fulmen Ictu!" Bolts of white lightning came out from the balls and were aiming at the purple lightning. They collided and they exploded on impact.

Negi got his staff and performed a spell. "Vires in ventum. Canite hunc inimicum." A powerful whirlwind spun around Negi with incredible speed. "Inferna Gust!" The huge wind blew straight towards the hooded culprit pushing it back towards the window. The wind was so hard that the culprit's cape spread open, revealing a great and shocking surprise to everyone.

"What in the hell is that!?" Asuna shouted.

The culprit revealed to be a reaper; only this reaper doesn't have a scythe. It has a skeleton head with its fangs sticking out, it has ribs, two skeleton hand bones, and he was floating like a bat in the sky. It wore a dark amulet around its neck and has a purple-reddish fire in his ribs. Everyone saw this shocking sight, but Chamo and Eva's spine chilled.

"N-N-No Way!" Chamo shouted in a big fright.

"It can't be!" Eva followed. "How is this possible!?"

"What's a matter, you two?" Matt questioned. "It's almost as if you know this horrifying ghost."

"You damn right, Matt!" Chamo replied, "That's a Blood-Fang Phantasmo!"

"They are notorious to us magic people," Eva commented. "How could this one survived?"

"RRRAAAAHHHHH!" screeched the phantom. It summoned a huge purple ball over its head. When the ball is charged up, the phantom summons bolts all over the place. Everyone quickly dodged its attacks and took cover.

"This ghost is now serious," Matt explained while taking cover. "We got to destroy it before he turns all the captives into dust and takes over this city."

"I'm on it!" Chao shouted as she prepares to battle. Chao gets close to the phantom. "Come here and get me, ghost boy." she said while moving her fingers in a sign to say "bring it."

The phantom puts its left hand and purple sparks appeared on its hand. Shockwaves came out of its hand as it was shooting towards Chao. She evaded the attack and makes close fighting combat. She swings her fists and arms onto the phantom, but it dodged her attacks as well. When Chao missed her landing punch on the phantom's head, it put its hand on her stomach and sends a shockwave to her. Chao was pushed back to the wall and fell to the floor. Chao regained her stance but notices sparkling steam coming out from her body. She felt a little weak and couldn't why, until… "Guys, be careful! This phantom can suck your magic too."

"That's not good!" Chamo complained.

"Look out!" Matt pointed and shouted.

The phantom charged up his hands with black aura on it. Once charged up, it sends out a huge black stream, on each hand, sending towards the team. The streams exploded when making contact to the floor, and everyone avoided the attack. One of the streams is heading towards Negi, and he just missed the attack, but he tripped and dropped his staff a few feet away from him.

"My staff!" Negi shouted. Negi raced to retrieve his staff, but unbeknownst to him, the phantom spotted him and sends out its black streams to him.

Eva spotted the rash Negi that is about to get hit from the phantom and makes a quick move. "Boya! Look Out!" Eva was able to push Negi away, but unfortunately, Eva got hit from the stream. "AAAAHHHHH!" After the damage she got hit from the stream, she was pushed back to one of the windows on the walls and flew out the window.

"Evangeline!" Negi cried.

"Master!" Chachamaru shouted.

Matt got up and saw Eva falling from the window. "Eva, NO!" Matt screamed.

Matt raced towards the window where Eva flew out. While heading to the window, he looks around and spots a rope just a few inches close to the window. He grabs the rope and jumps out of the window to rescue Eva.

"Matthew!" Asuna shouted.

"Oda-san, No!" Satsuki followed and screamed.

Outside the tower and in the middle in the air, Matt, holding the rope in one hand, reaches the unconscious Eva with all his might and at falling speed. Matt's other hand was a little bit close to Eva's and wasn't sure he could make it. But he just made it and quickly grabbed Eva while the rope reached its last stretch holding the two in midair. Matt just saved Eva in the nick of time. They swung back to the wall of the tower while Matt stills hold onto Eva's hand. Eva quickly gains back her consciousness and looks up to Matt.

"Don't worry Eva, I got you," Matt said as he struggles to not let go. "You're safe."

Eva made a shocking expression. "You saved me?" Eva said in a surprise. "But… why?" Matt blinks in confusion to Eva. "Why did you save me? I was so mean to you. You're only a human being with no magic, and you gave up your life to save me. You're afraid of girls, and you are afraid of me. So why Matt?"

Matt paused a moment, and then he gently smiled. "Eva, a gentleman like me does not want to see a cute innocent girl fall to her death."

"Cute? Innocent? I am a–"

"Eva listen. You might be mean and mischievous. They call you 'The Undying Mage,' 'The Lord of Darkness,' 'Dark Evangel,' whatever you are. But you're just a sweet and kind girl on the inside."

"Whaa...?"

"I understand and learned you been given by a terrible curse, and your darkness and evil attitude grown over the centuries. But somewhere deep inside of you, there is a faint yet bright light shining saying you're really are a kind girl. I know this Eva. There's no reason for you to get tough and evil on others." Eva was now more surprised and feeling more sympathetic.

"You see Eva, when you met me, the first time in that afternoon and that night in your adult form, you were not teasing me cause of my phobia as an advantage. But you liked me and appreciated me. You just didn't know how to say it in a complemented and generous way. In other words, you're shy to say it.

The reason I was staring at you while you weren't looking at me was that I sensed something wrong within you. And that was that crying and innocent feeling that you cared for your friends so much, especially Negi. I was able to sense that." Eva's eyes widened a little.

"I know you changed Eva. You're a reformed vampire and great dark mage. But to have friends, you must show your true feelings to everyone. A gentleman like me is telling you the truth. You really are a good girl, Eva."

"Matthew…" Eva was moved by Matt Oda's kind and generous words. She even felt her heart pounding a bit from this warm feeling.

"Now hold on Eva, I'm going to pull ourselves up." Matt holds tightly to Eva's hand as he tries and quickly pulls himself and Eva back up to the top of the tower.