The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch - Chapter 75

Behind the figure engulfed in black flames, another figure trembled slightly.

It was Uris, also a “Missionary” like Kitty.

Was this the same organized, seemingly reliable girl from before?

Uris didn’t notice her feet had subconsciously taken half a step back.

Just moments ago, she had felt a fear she hadn’t experienced in a long time…

Yes, deep within her heart, she felt a gut-wrenching terror.

The sensation left her limbs stiff, like a fawn encountering its natural predator.

Though she couldn’t see the scene before her, the emotions Uris felt were almost identical to Kitty’s.

Ciel’s calm tone, the information revealed round after round, the casual recounting of the cultist massacre… even just the description was enough to make one feel nauseated.

Could this person truly be a Saintess?

Even Kitty, the cultist “Missionary,” had nearly been driven mad by her demonic words.

Thinking back to how Ciel had instantly killed the guards at the entrance moments before, without a hint of hesitation…

Though faint, Uris had clearly sensed it – the emotion Ciel revealed while killing was relief and enjoyment…

As if she had been suppressing an urge to kill all along.

Should I… really take her back to the Holy See?

No…

Do I even have the ability to take her back to the Holy See?

Until she tossed the recovery potion to Ciel, Uris had felt she was in control.

But now, that confidence was gone.

Uris looked up, facing Ciel.

Although she couldn’t see what was happening in front of her, she could sense a powerful spiritual flame burning there. She could clearly feel the violent potion energy catalyzing an even more violent emotional entity, growing stronger bit by bit.

Did I… create a monster?

Why did Ciel’s Reconstitution Ritual feedback become so exaggerated after killing just a few people? Even killing a second-tier “Missionary” shouldn’t cause such fluctuations.

There were only two possibilities.

Ciel had completed this kind of Reconstitution Ritual more than once—meaning she had killed many more people this way.

Or, Ciel truly was the chosen Saintess, the chosen Saintess of the “Avenger” path.

Uris directed her white shadow to slowly move away from the burning spiritual flame. She clenched her fists, a drop of sweat trickling down her temple.

Which possibility was it?

Should I… disrupt this ritual?

Before it’s fully completed…

Ultimately, reason overcame fear. Uris’s clenched fists slowly relaxed.

Completing the Reconstitution Ritual multiple times beyond requirement?

Impossible.

Ciel hadn’t possessed the potion and ritual for long. She couldn’t have known the details of the “Judicator” ritual beforehand.

Back at the inn, Ciel had even asked her how to complete the ritual with a higher success rate, proving this was her first time attempting the “Judicator” ritual.

Furthermore, Uris had only witnessed such powerful ritual effects twice before.

Once was when guarding the Saintess as she drank the “Ascetic” potion. The other time was when an almost 90-year-old priest drank the “Ascetic” potion.

The Saintess, naturally, completed rituals with an ease others couldn’t hope to match—the Goddess practically spoon-fed her power.

As for the 90-year-old priest, he had spent nearly his entire life diligently repeating the “Ascetic” ritual on the frontier, constantly undergoing hardships, helping others bear their pain. Only when he was on his deathbed, persuaded by the Holy See, did he finally drink the “Ascetic” potion, creating a phenomenon akin to a miracle.

If quantified and applied to the opposing “Avenger” path, assuming Ciel wasn’t the Saintess, she would have had to kill at least tens of thousands of people in accordance with her conviction through the ritual…

How was that possible? How old was she? Even killing 3 people a day would take 10 years. Did she start killing as soon as she could walk?

Uris slowly let out a breath.

She had convinced herself.

Ciel was the Saintess.

She had to persuade her, as much as possible, to join the Church of the Savior Goddess.

Otherwise, with Ciel’s abilities left unchecked, Uris truly couldn’t fathom what kind of disaster she might cause in the future.

Unlike Uris, whose mind was racing through frantic internal debates, Ciel was currently struggling within a burning space.

Before her eyes, the corpse, brain matter, carpet, lavish decorations… everything was consumed by black flames.

Her clothes disintegrated in the fire, the bandages on her hands turning to ash along with them, revealing the unhealed burns beneath.

Her already burned arms now spontaneously ignited under the stimulation of the black flames. The black blood oozing from the reopened wounds acted like an accelerant, fueling the flames to burn even brighter.

This felt completely different from becoming an “Avenger.”

Previously, in the sea of fire, the physical pain and burning had almost drowned out the chaotic whispers and extraneous thoughts in her mind, leaving only the burning flame of vengeance within and without.

But now, she only felt a pain as if her very soul were being incinerated.

Whispers, even stronger than the pain, bombarded her mind. Black flames seemed to merge with her flesh, constantly destroying and reforging her body.

Amidst the black flames, a spray of blood erupted from her side waist. Black blood burst forth, like tormented spirits desperate to escape their prison, burning as they tore out of Ciel’s body.

Rip—

Parts of her body continuously exploded. Black shadows formed from black blood waved their arms, trying to claw their way out from within her. The intense pain brought Ciel a moment of clarity.

What… is happening…

Ciel forced herself to look down. She saw an arm made of burning black blood struggling to emerge from her lower abdomen, waving towards her chest.

The direction the arm was pointing…

System!!!

Ciel screamed inwardly with all her might. The 【Other Side Page】 pinned to her chest vanished with a flash of silver light, recalled into her inventory.

Instantly, the pressure in Ciel’s mind lessened dramatically. The black arms flailing wildly all over her body seemed to lose their target, beginning to sway erratically.

Get… back… inside…

Ciel struggled to lift her arm and pressed down on the black arm protruding from her abdomen, forcing it back inside inch by inch.

Boom—

The moment the arm was forced back, black flames erupted from her abdomen, sealing the wound, reconstructing her flesh and blood.

Go back…

Boom—

Boom—

Mechanically, Ciel pushed the arms back one by one. Each time an arm was forced back into her body, a powerful explosion of black fire erupted.

Gradually, Ciel’s strength dwindled. She no longer had the energy to lift her arms.

Thud—

Ciel collapsed directly to her knees within the black fire, her head drooping low, as her consciousness gradually began to fade.