35: Bloody meeting

The Nightingales certainly lived up to the hype, no question.

Even as they deliver death to their enemies, it was met with indifference. It was as if killing for them was as natural as breathing, and if I'm being honest, I'm not sure if I can get used to this nasty sight.

I decided to give no comment about Momoka's cold way of murder and followed her silently, going to the location of where the Diabli rebel leader resided.

Thru our continued walking, we encountered more Diabli along the way, and the results were always the same. Momoka spared no expense and slaughtered them mercilessly, leaving no stone unturned. As always, she did so in the cover of shadows, weaving murder into an art that was painted in a canvass of blood.

I honestly thought that Momoka was different among her Nightingale peers. When she first started with me, Momoka possessed a strong sense of integrity and would display valor in her upbringing. This was probably why she was assigned to me since both of us share the same sentiment when it came to how justice worked.

But Momoka could not escape her true nature as a Nightingale. There were times when her lapse of judgement caused her to murder a criminal and I would even berate her for it. Of course, this happened at more peaceful times where crimes were somehow minor, and not at this cruel extent of mass murder and destruction with the rebels becoming more active and bolder as the days went by.

I truly thought that I could change her, convince her to be better than the other Nightingales.

But I was wrong.

And for once in my life, I'm glad for it. I do not wish for Momoka to share my naïve worldview any longer, and regardless of the path of justice she undertook, I'll gladly support her.

I brought myself out of my thoughts when I finally saw the department store we were looking for. I warned Momoka telepathically while I'm high on the air, and she nodded in acknowledgement.

When we arrived at the entrance, we were surprised to find that there was no one guarding the area. Regardless, this does not excuse us to be complacent and we should be even more vigilant for any danger that we may encounter inside.

"I advise caution, sensei." Momoka said with concern, "Perhaps they know of my coming and decided to fortify their defenses inside instead."

"But we were subtle back out there. How come they even know of your arrival?" I questioned her.

"Even the Diabli have eyes and ears in the shadows." Momoka responded, "It is only a matter of time for someone to caught wind of their allies' demise. Besides, you also were aware of my location, sensei. So, it's not exactly a secret that I've been giving the Diabli a middle finger here. This may also be the reason why the council did not send for reinforcements since it's a waste of resources and they have to prioritize other matters. They thought that I'm more than enough alone in solving this crisis for them."

"Surely not." I was scandalized by her train of thought, "Sure the council is not perfect by all means, but they try their best to solve all crisis to the best of their abilities."

"Hmph, I would not get past them." Momoka scoffed in annoyance, "Let's just say as a member of the Nightingales, I've learned some secrets, secrets that would change your very perception of them. But such conversation is not the right moment to divulge, and we have some more pressing matters to attend to."

I agreed with her since there is a time and place for something. As we get closer to our location, Momoka activated her invisibility, in preparation for her stealthy maneuver.

But that quickly changed when our invisibility was suddenly broken upon arrival, much to our surprise.

Momoka quickly realized what had happened and she told me, "I see, a magical ward designed to reveal the unknown. The bastard sure did his prep work."

"Then we have to be more careful." I advised her.

As we were about to enter inside, a loud animalistic growl bellowed coming from above. Looking up at the source of the sound, a horde of Diabli were witnessed on the rooftop overlooking right at us.

They numbered around twenty, sneering at both of us arrogantly and thinking that their sheer overwhelming numbers meant an ironclad victory for them.

"Ah, so you are the Magical Girl who has been killing off my men." The Diablus who spoke was their leader. At first glance, one may think that he was human since he shared most of their physical appearance. But upon closer look, it was not the case. The red haired Diablus possessed sharp fangs inside his mouth, and scarlet red eyes that resembled the color of blood. He was dressed in a white dress V-neck shirt with its sleeves rolled up presentably. The shirt exposed a good portion of his neck, showcasing his gold necklace with a cross. On his lower body fashioned a grey pants, black belt, and a pair of brown leather shoes.

Overall, the Diablus was dressed to kill, both figuratively and literally.

With the Diablus' features, we instantly discern at what race he belonged.

"Vampire." Momoka uttered the word with scorn while eyeing him with a look of pure murder, "Filthy blood sucker."

"Oh, dear me, what have I ever done to earn your ire, Nightingale?" the vampire mocked Momoka playfully, noticing the murderous expression that he was receiving from her.

"You… you don't know!?" Momoka was on the verge of unleashing her rage, especially at how nonchalant the Vampire was talking to her, "You, you killed them!! You murdered my family!!!"

"Uhm… do you have the slightest idea how little that narrows it down?" Whether it's by genuine confusion or deliberate mockery, it matters little. It definitely boiled Momoka's blood as she was ready to charge to the fray.

"YOU!!!!"

"Calm down, Nightingale!" I rebuked her in an instant, "I know how you feel, but rushing head on is complete suicide, especially now we know that what we are facing is actually a vampire."

"Tsk." With a click of her tongue, she thankfully conceded and followed my orders for the time being. But the way she gripped her katana tightly suggested how she was eager for murder, and if she chose to charge ahead, then I can do little in stopping her.

Strangely however, the vampire then turned her attention to me, masking a huge grin that emphasized his fangs.

His eyes glint with familiarity and I can't help but be disturbed by how he looked at me.

"And it's so nice to finally meet you, dear Nekowa!!"

"You know of me?" I questioned him confusedly.

"Of course!! I heard so much about you from my friend, Azareth!!"

This vampire knew Azareth?! And judging by what he said, he not only knew him, but was a confidant as well. Oh boy, this Diablus is not good news, that's for sure.

His expression turned darker, and his smile turned even more nerve wracking, giving me his total, undivided attention.

"After all, you are the Magical Cat who killed off her own Magical Girl."