The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 74

“No… Impossible…”

Kitty coughed up a mouthful of black blood. The white shadow behind her emerged and merged with her body.

The gaping hole in her chest shimmered with white light, temporarily stopping the bleeding.

But even so, she could feel her life force draining away—her heart had been completely crushed.

The illusory heart provided by the white shadow could only delay her death; her real heart was beyond repair.

“Left half a life,” Uris turned her head towards Ciel and said.

“Thanks.” Ciel nodded slightly towards Uris, then stepped past her.

Two white shadows moved simultaneously with Ciel, placing their hands on her shoulders protectively, guarding against any dying counterattack.

Ciel’s own black shadow moved ahead of her, stopping before Kitty.

“Church of the Savior… Inquisition… Urgh!!!”

Two white shadows supported Kitty as she stood. Her black chip mask had long fallen off. As she looked past the black shadow towards the girl, a spiritual alarm screamed in her mind.

How is that possible?! That’s something only Bishops possess!

Kitty quickly looked down, a white shadow shielding her. Large beads of sweat streamed down her cheeks.

What the hell is going on!!!

How did the people from the Church of the Savior find her! Even the Inquisition was deployed!

This meant the Inquisition must have received information at least two days ago and rushed to Berren City!

In other words, her every move these past few days had been completely monitored?!

“Impossible… Impossible…” Kitty trembled, muttering.

An overwhelming sense of defeat washed over her like a tsunami, a pain far exceeding the physical agony in her chest, worse than death itself.

“Curious?” Ciel stopped less than three meters from Kitty, smiling. “Curious how I knew about Sherlon? Curious how I knew about the sealed artifact information? Or curious how I found you?”

Ciel’s words were like sharp thorns, stabbing repeatedly at Kitty’s non-existent heart.

“You… Who are you?” Kitty dared only stare at the girl’s feet. Her only impression of the girl before her was a fleeting glimpse of red hair.

No matter how hard she wracked her brain, Kitty had no memory of this person—she had never seen her before.

“Your Excellency, she’s fading,” Uris couldn’t help but remind her from behind.

If Ciel didn’t drink the potion and kill her now, and if Kitty committed suicide, all their efforts would be wasted.

Kitty might even deliberately wait until Ciel drank the potion before killing herself, trying to ensure Ciel was consumed by the potion’s power.

The “Judicator” potion formula and Reconstitution Ritual weren’t exclusive to the Church of the Savior Goddess; the Divine Advent Church, having split off, naturally possessed copies.

Once Kitty recognized the “Judicator” potion, she might very well try to drag Ciel down with her in her final moments.

Uris’s idea was simple: let Ciel kill her directly and then drink the potion. Ciel’s ability to handle Other Side items without losing her mind indicated exceptional spiritual resilience.

Even if this crude ritual failed after Ciel drank the potion, she wouldn’t be completely assimilated immediately.

Uris would have plenty of time to use this as a pretext to bring Ciel to the Holy See, have the Inquisition help complete the ritual, and personally baptize Ciel into the Church of the Savior Goddess.

Even if Ciel belonged to another organization, it didn’t matter. Many members of the Church of the Savior Goddess maintained other identities; their priority simply shifted to the church.

Following the church’s doctrines was inherently good, reducing suffering in the world. Uris saw no flaw in her thinking.

“High Priest, do you have any healing potions?” Ciel turned back and asked Uris.

“I do, but…” Uris was puzzled. She took out a vial of emerald green liquid and tossed it towards Ciel.

Ciel caught the potion. The vibrant green liquid inside was clearly the work of Uris’s sister, Adele.

Ciel tossed the potion forward. It landed on the carpet, rolled to Kitty’s feet, its surface stained with Kitty’s blood.

“Drink it,” Ciel said with a smile. “Drink it, and I’ll tell you the answers to your questions.”

“Cough, cough…” Kitty’s chest heaved violently as she stared intently at the bloodstained potion on the floor.

Even Uris, standing behind Ciel, frowned slightly upon hearing Ciel’s words.

What is Ciel thinking?

That cultist would obviously never drink the potion; her desire for death was clear.

But to Uris’s surprise, Kitty reached out, grabbed the potion, uncorked it, and drank it down in one gulp.

As the potion entered her stomach, an unnatural flush spread across Kitty’s pale face. The potion would prolong her life—and her suffering—for a little while longer.

But her death was inevitable.

“Mother Goddess above…” Kitty prayed silently.

She could have embraced the Mother Goddess immediately, but she didn’t.

Because she needed more information from the girl opposite her.

Kitty’s blood was already seeping into the floor tiles below.

Eventually, even a single drop, passed through an insider or an investigating Bishop to the higher echelons of the Divine Advent Church, would allow them to use the residual information in the blood to learn everything that happened here.

With that information, the higher-ups could identify the culprit who ruined the plan and avenge her.

The blood seeping into the stone slabs had already activated the ritual she had prepared… Soon, the other Divine Advent transcendents in Deton Manor would receive the information and evacuate quickly with the exposed intel.

All Kitty had to do now was extract more information from her opponent before she died.

Did they think a surprise attack could kill me so easily?

Impossible.

Even with unforeseen complications, she still had a deadly backup plan.

She would witness the blasphemer before her being torn limb from limb from the heavens, alongside the Mother Goddess.

When this sinner’s soul was drawn into the Mother Goddess’s heaven, she would petition the Mother Goddess to hand the soul over to her.

Then, she would properly educate this sinner with slender calves and perfectly petite feet, making her taste a fate worse than death!