[x] "I'll kill them all."

After reloading once more, I raised my rifle toward the left.

"BANG! BANG! BANG!"

I fired three more times into the darkness. And as I continued moving forward, I passed by the corpses of three more shadow creatures. I clicked my tongue in irritation. These small fry were really starting to piss me off. Ever since I walked through the door to the Master's room, these things kept trying to ambush me in twos or threes. I couldn't even remember how many of them I had already killed.

"Damn this darkness..."

This passage was very poorly lit, and only a handful lamps and torches illuminated the surroundings. I could smell the dust and mold in the air. Unlike the rest of the mansion, this place didn't show any sign that it was maintained by the staff. In fact, I had the impression that I was inside one of those areas that had been sealed away long ago and forgotten. After all, this most certainly didn't look like Remilia's room.

"And damn that bitch."

She must have did some trick with the door. Was it some sort of spell or illusion? I had no idea how it was done. But I just shrugged that away and continued onward. All I knew was that the culprit would be at the end of this dark passage, waiting for me.

"BANG! BANG!"

I turned around and fired two more times into the darkness behind me. Two more yelped in pain as they collapsed. These shadow wolves were relentless. No matter how many I killed, they just kept coming. Meiling had called them 'familiars' earlier. If that was so, then perhaps I must kill their Master to put a permanent end to them.

And just as I was thinking that, a large pair of double doors came into view from the end of the passage. I paused for a moment to catch my breath. This was the end. I could feel it in my bones. There were no more obstacles, and I was sure that the culprit was just behind these doors. Once I stepped through, there would be no more turning back. And there would be no more escape.

I put my free hand on the handle and opened the door quickly. A large, well-lit ball room came into view. At the very center stood the silhouette of a young winged girl.

"You sure took your time. I thought you might have gotten lost on the way here~"

"..."

Without a word, I raised my rifle, aimed and pulled the trigger.

"Click! Click! Click!"

But nothing happened. Was the gun out of bullets? I quickly started rummaging through my pockets for ammunition.

"D-damn it!" I mumbled.

"What's wrong with your toy? Having any trouble? Ehehehe~"

The young girl turned around and stepped into the light. She smiled mischievously as she watched. I recognized the vampire immediately. Then, I began to understand.

"So this was your plan," I said. "You intentionally lured me here, alone. Then, you used your familiars to waste all of my bullets. I should have guessed that you were behind this intricate mass murder."

"Intricate? The plan was quite simple, really. And that's why it was so elegant~"

She raised her hand and snapped her fingers playfully. With just that, the rifle in my hands broke in half. A cold sweat began to drip from my forehead. I didn't take a single step back, bu that wasn't because I was feeling brave. If this girl really was behind all of this, then there was one thing certain. My chance of escape was now at zero percent.

"I guess I'm next then. What now? Are you going to decapitate me with your bare hands? Burn me to death with magic? Or perhaps you'll tie a weight to my neck and toss me into the lake?"

"Eeeeeeeeh? Haven't you figured anything our yet? You really are a silly sweet bun head, aren't you, ehehehe~"

The vampire giggled innocently as she stepped closer. And without warning, she ran up and gave me a tight embrace. The moment I felt her soft touch, all doubts my doubts had vanished. This girl was certainly the same Flandre Scarlet that I knew.

"Just a bit more," she whispered. "And, just maybe..."

"W-what the!?"

And just as suddenly, she pulled herself away and a malicious smile returned to her face.

"And now, the main event!"

She raised her hand and snapped her fingers once more. And from the shadows, someone was dragged into view. My eyes widened in horror as I realized that it was Meiling. Strange, shadowy tendrils were wrapped all over her body, binding her movement. Her mouth was covered as well, and she couldn't speak.

"Meiling!" I cried. "What the hell is this?"

"If you solve this riddle, then the gate guard will be set free. But if you fail, then I'll proceed with the last part of the ceremony. So listen very carefully now, because I will only say this once!"

Flandre turned to me with an unusually serious expression upon her face. And when she spoke, her voice was almost a whisper.

"At this point in time, there are nine named murder victims. Four of them were listed out in the letter that you have in your pocket, with one name that couldn't be read. Another four were killed after the letter was found. With these and all the other clues presented, who was the first person killed? Whose name was meant to be written at the start of the letter?"

I closed my eyes and thought back carefully...
[ ] Remilia
[ ] Flandre
[ ] Sakuya
[ ] Patchouli
[ ] Meiling
[ ] Koakuma