"...I… master gave me power… to be his guard… There is a black-haired female inquisitor hunting down demon followers… master said that she is ruining the plans… Already killed many demon followers... even the ones master wanted to use himself..."
The young vampiric thrall revealed, as the correct words were used, making the simple-minded new demonkin speak to Melinda as if she was his ally.
"Ohhh… oh, sweetie… I'm so sorry…"
The gold-haired girl let out a gasp full of pity as she reached into her pocket, taking out a single ring.
"...what are you apologizing for…?"
The vampiric thrall asked in confusion, keenly watching the girl's every move.
"Well, it seems that despite my original intentions, we are enemies after all. Once again... I'm really, really sorry."
"...you...!"
Melinda sighed, ruffling her hair, and put on the ring that caused her eyes and hair to change from gold to black, making the vampiric thrall's eyes widen and turn blood red.
The next moment, he suddenly disappeared, with nowhere to be seen in an entire room…
"Haa…"
Melinda ended up letting out another, much shorter, sigh while throwing a quick punch into the air, right over her head, without even looking there.
*&^%$%^&*
The power of the attack blew off not just the grotesquely twisted monstrous form of the vampiric thrall who reappeared above the girl as he was about to rip her to shreds with its massive fangs and saber-like claws, but the ceiling too…
…actually, it wasn't just the ceiling but the entire two upper floors and the roof of the building getting pulverized and incinerated at the same time so not even a speck of dust remained, and even if it remained it was send into the atmosphere carried by the climbing force of the punch.
The vertical force wasn't the only one present. Melinda's punch sent out a horizontal shockwave, too, knocking down doors and thinner walls of the floor she was on and sending the splinters of the planks the windows were boarded up with out into the streets.
Needless to say, if any glass panels remained in the building's windows, they were gone—shattered into pieces just like any glass or ceramic in a half-mile radius.
"You guys back there, okay?"
The disguised girl leaned back and called out through the broken door she already passed.
She got no answer, but she could see both thugs moving around, attempting to crawl back on their feet, which meant they didn't suffer that much damage.
"Good enough. Now then."
Melinda nodded to herself and then faced the wide doorway leading to the office of a certain crime lord.
"Vicky~ I'm ba-aack~! Isn't the weather just lovely today? Did you and Molly miss me? Why are you dealing with vampires~?"
Melinda frolicked inside, humming happily, with the warmth of the sunlight on her skin, thanks to the open-roof modification she provided to the building.
Despite making it seem that she was actually talking to the black-haired man and a light-brown-haired woman who were barely clinging to their consciousness under the remains of their desks, Melinda ended up walking up to the third - well, fourth, if the knocked-out bodyguard counted - person in the office.
A certain steaming individual is desperately trying to protect every piece of his exposed skin from sunlight, which was harmful to the low-ranked members of his species.
"Yo. Sorry for shooting first. If you tell me what plan I am interfering with, I might even acknowledge that I should apologize."
"...!?"
The disguised girl nodded up at the cowering low-rank vampire, but his regeneration must not have healed his ears at the moment yet because he flinched at the sight of her without saying anything.
"Actually, it would be better if you told me what message you were delivering to Vicky first. Because you see, I do have a little suspicion that, if proven true, would confirm some outlandish fan theories I've found in my past life about demons and their mysterious accomplices."
"!!!"
Melinda chuckled and winked at the vampire, but that certainly didn't seem to warm him up to her in the slightest.
"I just want to point out that you creating a thrall with the intention of attacking me really set off a red flag in my head. Hmm? What are you looking for there, buddy? Don't tell me you are actually a double agent and have royal proof on you."
The disguised girl leaned pointed out before raising her brows and leaning down to see what the steaming - or, more accurately, smoking - vampire was struggling to take out from an eye-catching tiny-chest-like satchel at his side.
"I have a policy of not leaving people who want to harm me alive, so you know… Sorry for your thrall, but you must admit that…"
Melinda made a troubled expression, glancing over her shoulder towards the other room where she annihilated the vampiric servant.
*STAB*
"Urhg…!"
But before she turned her head back to face the vampire itself, her side erupted in burning pain as if her side was pierced with a red-hot nail.
"Wh-wha…?"
As Melinda stumbled back, feeling feeble like a newborn fawn, she looked at her side, and her eyes widened at the sight of a bloody stain growing around a hole in her shirt.
"...you bitch…! You thought I wouldn't prepare for you after all that you did!?"
"...?"
The vampire crawling back up to his feet growled, causing the disguised girl to look up at him with utter confusion - making it seem as if she never in her life expected a retaliation like that.
"Now… DIEEEEEEE!"
"!!!"
The creature said while taking a deep breath - as he did, his human features distorted as his whole head doubled in size while his face morphed into that of a giant demonic bat-like monstrosity - and unleashed an eardrum-rupturing screech.
It wasn't a power speak or even a proper magic attack; instead, it was a purely physical soundwave attack that caused concussion and confusion on top of the damage.
The damage seemed to be quite severe as upon facing the full brunt of it, blood burst out of Melinda's ears and nose, shortly followed by even more hemorrhage from her mouth and even the corners of her eyes...!