3) For Whom the Haunted Bell Tolls
Part 9
Back at the top of the tower, the team still fights the phantom. The team quickly swift and dodged all of the phantom's attacks, but they are getting tired and weak. Using Satsuki's pactio and artifact, she quickly made rice balls to feed and recharge each of the team members' energy. But her snacks were not good enough to recharge the team to their full strength.
"Fulgur Jaculum!" Yue shouted as a lightning arrow was formed and head toward the phantom. The phantom counterattack with it and absorbed the attack. Yue gritted her teeth and turns to Nodoka. "Nodoka, we need your help! Get your pactio out!" However, Yue is stunned when she sees Nodoka fainted to the floor. Yue went to her. "Nodoka, what's wrong!?"
She slowly opened her eyes to Yue. "I-I-I feel… so… weak." She responded in great pain. Yue was now more scared when she saw Nodoka's face has wrinkles.
"Oh no! Nodoka!" Haruna cried and appeared while she drew a giant shield to protect herself, Yue, and Nodoka. "Hold on! Please hold on!"
Chisame saw this too. "Nodoka, no!" She shouted. She turns towards the other captives, and in a scary surprise, their flesh has all been drained, showing the bones underneath the skin. Chisame jolted. "Negi! We don't have much time! They're going to turn into dust!"
Negi heard what Chisame said and also sees the captives going to turn into skeletons. In haste, Negi turns to Asuna. "Asuna!" he commanded. Asuna responded and made a nod. Negi turns toward the phantom and quickly conjured a spell. "Ventus terroris ego praecipio tibi, quoniam haec bellua inferni." A huge gust of wind swirled around Negi again. "Curvis Ligans Cham!" The wind was headed straight towards the phantom. The phantom tries to block it, but the huge wind split into streams causing the phantom confused. Then the multiple streaming winds surrounded the phantom and tied together to trap the phantom. The phantom stopped for a moment, and Negi called out to her best partner. "Asuna, Now!"
Asuna was in the air pulling back her huge sword as she leaps towards the phantom. The creature turned to Asuna. "Take this, you freak!" Asuna yelled as she swung her sword. But the phantom broke the free from Negi's trap spell and moved out of the way. "Ah!" Asuna said as she missed the phantom.
But when Asuna landed on the ground, her sword made contact to the roped and cut it, the rope that holds Matt and Eva. "Gah! Oh no!" Asuna screamed as she tries to grab the cut rope.
Outside at the side of the tower, Matt still holds onto Eva's hand and tries to pull themselves back up to the top. They were about a few feet from the top.
"Almost there, Eva, hold on!" Matt shouted as he was struggling to reach the window. Matt is just a few inches from the window until…
"Ah!" Asuna yelled. SNAP! "Gah! Oh no!"
"Huh?" Matt yelled and wondered. Then the rope that was cut flung out of the window, and both Matt and Eva fell.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" cried both of them.
"Matt! Eva! No!" Asuna shouted as she looked out the window and sees them falling.
As the two were falling, Matt looks at the ground remembering this same situation from his nightmare last night. "I guess…, this is it." Matt thought as he closed eyes, bracing for the crashing impact and goes unconscious.
Eva quickly gains back her consciousness. "Matthew!" Eva shouted as she looks at Matt falling to his doom. Without delaying, Eva swiftly pulled out her pactio card and looks at it in a smirk. "This'll be my first time to use a pactio card. Let's how good it is from the boya's magic." She sticks her card out to the side and yelled, "ADEAT!" The card flashed as its magic was sending into Eva's body. Her appearance changed as she wore a dark doll dress, with a dark cape around her. Then she began to chant. "Lic Lac La Lac Lilac, Spiritus!" Eva turned into a purplish-light color and stream as she zoomed to ground.
When she landed, the light disappeared, and Eva turned into her adult self. She looks up and reaches her arms out. Matt Oda is falling towards her, and she caught him to break the impact. Matt is still unconscious, thinking he was a goner. Eva looks at him with an evil smirk. "Matthew…, thanks for rescuing me," she said in her womanly voice. "You really are a gentleman." She then flies into the air, carrying Matt Oda in her arms and heading straight to the top of the clock tower.
Back at the top of the tower, Asuna got furious, and her sword increased into its ultimate form. Her eyes were burning, and she gritted her teeth together hard. "You piece of drop cloth!" She yelled at the phantom. "You made me lose two of my good friends! Now you are gonna pay!" Asuna raced toward the phantom without thinking of a plan of attack.
"Asuna! Wait!" Negi cried out. But Asuna didn't hear him and began to swing her sword everywhere to make contact on the phantom. The phantom dodged every attack from Asuna's as if it knew where Asuna would strike. The phantom charged up his right hand with purplish sparks and touches Asuna's stomach. BOOM! Asuna was pushed back to the wall and made painful contact. "Asuna, no!" Negi cried out loud.
"Asuna, stop this!" Konoka shouted as she performs her healing spell on her. "You're only getting yourself killed."
"No! I won't!" Asuna replied back angrily and cried at the same time. "Because of this freak sheet, Eva and Matt are–"
"Right here." said a British womanly voice. Everyone widen their eyes and turned to see where the voice was coming from. There they saw at the window is Evangeline in her adult form holding Matt Oda in her arms.
"Master!" Chachamaru shouted gleefully. "You're alright."
"Evangeline! Matthew!" said Negi and Asuna in unison.
Everyone smiled and are relieved to see that both the two are safe.
Matt begins to slowly regain his consciousness, opens his eyes, and looks around. "Uhh… What happened? Am I dead?" he said. He looks up to see a woman staring at his face. Matt made a short scream and jumped off of her arms. "You again!" Matt shouted as he stepped away from the vampire woman.
"Now is that any way to say to a vampire woman who just saved your life?" said the adult Eva putting her hands on her hips.
Matt blinked and looks at her again. "Eva?" she smiled and winked at him. Matt turns away and makes his face a little bit red. He scratches his head and complements her, "Uh… thanks Eva, for saving my life."
Negi was so relieved, and his heart slowly beats. "What a relief, I thought Matt and Master were–"
"NEGI! LOOK OUT!" Chamo cried.
Too late, when Negi turned around, the black stream from the phantom exploded on Negi. He was soaring and slammed on the wall really hard. His staff flew off in the other direction towards Satsuki and Satomi.
Negi struggles to get himself up, but the phantom was right close to him. Negi looked and shivered in fright. The phantom charged up his right hand using its powers to drain Negi's energy. Negi was so scared and hopeless that he couldn't move.
"Negi!" Everyone shouted, except Matthew and Eva.
"Not good!" Eva moaned, "Hold on, Boya!"
There was no time left, as Negi sees the captives slowly starting to turn into skeletons and he becomes the next energy-sucking victim. Matt looked all around in the room and sees a sledgehammer on the floor. He quickly grabbed it and made a stern look.
Negi was still frozen and frightened by the phantom. The terrifying ghost pulled back his charged energy-sucking hand and is about to make contact on Negi. "YO! Bonehead!" Matt shouted to the phantom. The phantom turned to the source of the sound. There, in a flash, Matt has the sledgehammer pulled back and makes a swing. "HII-YAA!" Matt screamed. DONG! The sledgehammer hit and made contact on the phantom's head. The phantom was pushed back to the wall and fell to the floor.
Negi is free and relieved once again, while Matt put the head of the sledgehammer on the floor. "There's one thing you need to know about me," Matt speaks to the phantom, "I do not like vile people who hurt my friends."
Everyone was amazed by Matt's incredible action, even Eva was surprised too. Eva grinned and looked at Matt. "For an ordinary human, he's braver than I thought." Eva thought.
When Matthew looked at the injured phantom again, he spotted something. The cape that's covering its back had been moved off, and there he sees a glowing yellow ball with the white energy-sucking streams clipped on it. The glowing yellow ball is attached to its back ribs.
Matt snapped and his brain hatched an idea. "Guys, look!" Matt called to everyone and pointed, "On the phantom's back!" Everyone looked and see the yellow ball. "That ball is the source to him and sucking the energy from the captives. We need to destroy that!"
"Right, Matt!" said Asuna as she got up and recovered her injury. "I'll slice it in half."
"No, Asuna wait!" Matt stopped her putting his hand in front of her. "If you're not careful, you could get hurt again, and your magic might be drained."
"But what are we suppose to do, Brainiac?" Chisame complained. "Sit here and get ourselves sucked by this damn ghost freak!?"
"Relax, everyone! By observing your impressive skills and magic, I know how we can defeat this menace once and for all." Matt sees the phantom slowly float into the air recovering from his painful injury. Matt quickly looks at everyone with a stern look. "Just follow my lead and do as I say." Everyone wasn't sure about Matt, but… "Trust Me!" Matt put his left hand on his chest as a sign that he's showing honesty. Everyone looked at each other, looked back at Matt and then nodded.
"Alright Matt," said Satomi with a stern look.
"Just don't mess us up," Chisame commanded.
Matt nodded. He looks at the phantom, which it's slowly turned to Matt. His skeleton head got a crack on its left side, and now it wants Matt for its next victim and revenge. The phantom raced towards him.
"OKAY!" Matt yelled, "Yue! Haruna! Fire the enemy!"
"Gotcha!" Yue shouted. Yue cast a flaming spell, and Haruna drew multiple electric explosives bombs. The two shoot at the phantom and it blocked the attacks.
Matt pointed towards the phantom and the girls. "Satomi, Chao, Chachamura! Help them out and distract the enemy!"
"Right," Satomi, Chao, and Chachamaru said in sync. Chao flew towards the phantom trying to distract it, and Satomi sends shockwaves from her mechanical arms to the phantom, and Chachamaru turns her hands into large swords to fight the phantom hand-to-hand combat.
"Satsuki and Chisame, get Negi's staff!" Matt commanded.
The two girls gave thumbs up and went after Negi's staff.
Matt then shouts, "Quickly! Konoka and Setsuna, help Negi."
"Got it, Matt!" Setsuna called out. The two got to Negi and, with Matt not looking, Konoka used her healing fans to cure Negi's injuries.
"Asuna and Eva, I need you!" The two girls got close to Matt. "Okay, listen closely and you gotta do this perfectly right." Asuna and Eva listened to Matt's strategic plan.
Konoka fully heals Negi, and he feels like he is ready for restart battle. "Alright Negi, your all better!" said Konoka in glee.
Negi smiled and scratches his head. "Thanks girls, I feel much better," Negi said with delight.
Chisame and Satsuki came to Negi. "Negi," Chisame called him, "you're going to need this." Chisame tosses his staff to Negi, and he feels happy to have his trusty magical staff again.
Then Matt Oda got close to Negi. "Negi, are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, I can fight again," Negi replied in great confidence.
"Good, because Negi, I know a way how to defeat that monster. Listen closely." Negi puts his ear close to Matt's mouth and begins to secretly listen to Matt's plan.
The five girls fighting the phantom were all getting sweaty and tired due to the phantom's spell of sucking their attacks and energy. "We are getting worn out here," said Haruna huffing and puffing. "We could use some help."
Matt calls to the exhausted girls, "That's enough ladies, take a break." The five girls looked at Matt and nodded. They all retreated to safety. "Alright Asuna, you're up!"
Asuna came forth to the phantom and sticks her sword out to the side. "I'm on it Matt," she replied back to Matt. Asuna charged and swings her sword towards the phantom. It was close combat as Asuna and the phantom kept fighting and dodging at the same time. While everyone was watching Asuna's fight, a few of them wondered where Negi and Eva were.
Matt watches the two fighting closely as he focuses on something in his mind. "Wait for it. It has to be just right." Matt thought.
Asuna quickly got tired, but she swung her sword again to the phantom. It missed and made its left hand charged up in purple sparks. Asuna twitched and grinned as she knew this was her chance. The phantom's hand made contact on Asuna and… BOOM! Asuna was pushed back to the wall again. Asuna laid there, and the phantom got close to her. She looked with one eye opened as the phantom pulled back its right hand. The phantom charged its hand, ready to attack Asuna. But Asuna smiled, "Gotcha!"
Matt quickly reacted and shouted, "Eva! Now!"
Eva smiled and chanted, "Nivis Tempestas Obscurans!"
The phantom reacted as ice is surrounding it. It quickly tries to escape, but due to its strange slow movement, it was trapped inside leaving its back open. The phantom tries to break free, but the ice was too strong and solid to break.
"Alright, Asuna!" Matt Oda called to her. Asuna got up, and she got her sword and jumps towards the frozen phantom. She sliced off the phantom's cape that covers the back revealing the yellow orb on its back ribs.
Matt turns out the window to see Negi coming in. "All you, Negi!" Matt shouted.
Negi comes flying in at incredible speed and begins to chant, "Ras tel Ma Scir Magister! By the power of the lightning, sends this vile creature back to hell. Raika Hoken!" Negi's fist began to glow with lightning all over it. He pulls back his fist as he braces for the impact on the phantom's orb. The phantom tries its hardest to break free, but no dice. Instead, it watches Negi coming in close as it knew this was it. Negi started to swing his fist. "HHAAAAAA!"
BAM!
Negi's fist landed on the yellow orb. Everything slowed down for Negi as he watches the orb and fist closed together. There is a moment of silence, then… Crack! Negi grinned and zoomed past the frozen phantom. BOOM! The explosion made a loud noise and startled everyone. The orb made a plethora of cracks then… CRASH! The yellow orb shattered and disintegrated.
The phantom screamed in agony as the ice that trapped around it broke apart. The white streams connected to the captives and Nodoka disappeared. The phantom floated all the way up to the ceiling as it was shaking back and forth of the pain he suffered. Suddenly streams of bright lights popped out of its body, its skeleton hands, ribs, and its mouth and eyes. Everyone watched the defeated phantom bursting more streams of light out of it. Then its whole skeleton body begins to crack everyone. "EEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" The phantom screech in terrible pain as its whole body glowed to the brightest and then…
KAAAABOOOOOOOOOOM!
Everyone covered themselves from the explosion. The phantom turned into sparkling ashes and landed on the captives including Nodoka. When it made contact, Nodoka and the captives' wrinkles were gone and their bodies were back to normal and full of flesh. Everyone did it; the phantom was gone for good.
"Alright! We did it!" Haruna screamed happily.
"Wahoo! We won!" Satsuki shouted gleefully.
Matt fell and sat on the floor, wiped his head, and exhaled in relief. Negi and Asuna came to Matt and looked at him.
"You were awesome, Matt." Asuna said gracefully.
"Yes indeed," Negi followed. "Your plan really worked."
"I agree with them, Matt," Chisame came into the scene and aided Matt. "You really know how to think of a good strategy."
"We thought you were crazy," said Satomi and appeared, "but you were one step ahead of the game."
Konoka and Setsuna pulled Matt up off the floor. "That was impressive, Oda-san." Setsuna complimented him.
"Yeah Matt," Konoka followed, "You know how to think."
"Aw, thanks, everyone," Matt replied while he scratches his head. "But I couldn't stop that phantom without your help. So we all did great together." Everyone giggled until Matt spotted something outside the window. "Well I'll be… Look!" Matt pointed out the window. Everyone looked out, and coming above the horizon is the rising morning sun. "A nice view to see the sunrise." Everyone grinned at the glorious view.
The moment broke when Yue shouted, "Nodoka! Nodoka!" Everyone looked to see if Nodoka was alright. They see Yue and Haruna near their bookworm friend. "Nodoka wake up! Please, Nodoka, wake up!" Nodoka's eyes and mouth started to move. She slowly opened her eyes, and in front of her is Yue looking at her.
"Yue…" Nodoka replied.
"Oh Nodoka," Yue smiled and cried happily, "I'm so glad you're safe." She hugged Nodoka tightly, feeling she won't lose Nodoka again.
"What happened to that ghost?" Nodoka wondered.
"It's gone!" Haruna replied. "Shazaam! Kablooey! Eternally disappeared."
"And it's all thanks to Matt Oda," said Yue as she turns towards Matt.
Matt walks closer to Nodoka and looks at her. He pulled her up on her feet.
"Hey Nodoka, how are you feeling?" Matt asked.
"Oh, um, good, thanks." She replied.
"I'm really glad everyone's alright, including you, young lady."
Nodoka smiled, but then she sees a cut on Matt's right arm. "Oh, Matt, you've got a scratch on your arm."
"Hm?" Matt looks at it, and he swings his hand and smiles. "Oh, it's just a scratch. No big problem."
Haruna blinked and realized something. "Hey, I noticed Matt, you're not afraid of Nodoka or the three of us."
"Of course not. Nodoka is a sweet girl, and you two were really helpful. So you girls couldn't scare me from your kind hearts."
Nodoka and her friends smiled. "Thank you for saving me, Oda-san," Nodoka said calmly.
"Don't thank me, Ma'am. Thank Negi and the others too." Matt pointed to his team and everyone smiled at Nodoka and the other librarians.
Matt stood up to everyone. "Alright, everyone, let's get these people back home," Matt said. They all nodded and started to pick up the unconscious captives.
"Master, are you alright?" Chachamaru asked.
Matt heard and turned to Chachamaru and sees the robot girl helping the adult Evangeline.
"Yes Chachamaru," said Evangeline wiping the dust off from herself.
Matt walks up to the two. "Eva, are you okay?" he asked.
"Yes, Matt. There's no need to worry about me."
"That's good. And… thanks again for saving my life too. I thought for sure I was a goner."
"Glad I could help," Eva smirked. Right after Matt turned his back, Eva grabbed Matt's right arm. Matt looks and back to Evangeline. Eva was looking at the other direction in a shy mood. "Matthew…" Matt listened, "I just want to say…, thank you…, for understanding my feelings." She looks at Matt, and she smiled in a gentle mood. "For a young gentleman with no magic, you were the only one who's able to truly understand my deep feelings. I told my sad story to Asuna and Setsuna during the Mahora Fighting Tournament, and they understood me too. But you…" Eva paused a moment. "You're so special to reach my heart. I feel like this… is…"
Matt smiled and makes a look like he knows what Eva is going to say next. "…Loved?"
Eva looked at Matt and sees his honest and compassionate face. She smiled again. "…you might be right."
The two stared at each other until Eva spotted Matt's scratch on his arm. She made an evil smirk and pulled Matt's arm closer causing Matt to come closer to her. "You know, I wonder a gentleman's blood tastes like?" She wondered and is about to lick the scratch, but Matt pulled back his arm swiftly.
"Eva," Matt called to her in a sarcastic look. "Just stop being mischievous and be yourself."
Eva noticed that Matt wasn't afraid of her, even in her adult form, anymore. "Wait Matthew, you're not afraid of me?"
"Of course not Eva, after all…, we're good friends. Am I right?" Eva makes a little surprised look on her face, and then she smiled. She magically poofed herself back to her normal form and crosses her arms. "And Chachamaru, you're also my good friend, for a robot with great A.I. skills and a heart." Chachamaru smiles and bows to Matt to thank his complements. "Come on you two, let's get these people home."
Eva closes her eyes and smiles. "Right with you, Matt," she replied happily. "Chachamaru."
"Yes, Master," said the robot girl helping Eva and Matt carrying the sleepy captives with everyone.