The Speedrun Manual of Miss Witch-Chapter 73 - "What’s the Plan?" "Kill Our Way Through." (2/2)

Shlick—

Without even a cry, his head was impaled by the knife. His body convulsed briefly before falling still, utterly lifeless.

Uris, who had been about to speak, hadn’t even opened her mouth before she heard the two thuds. The two living beings before her had died instantly, without a single scream.

This ruthless efficiency in killing slightly startled Uris... how many people had Ciel killed to achieve such proficiency?

“They... were members of the Divine Advent Church?” Uris confirmed.

“Yes,” Ciel replied.

“Step two paces to your right, the ground is covered in blood.”

Compared to the first time she killed and got sprayed with blood, Ciel now knew exactly where to strike to avoid getting splattered.

No one knew the identities of the cultists here better than her, because she had killed them all one by one before.

“Follow me.” Ciel led Uris straight into the manor, pushing open the main doors.

Uris followed closely behind, white phantoms swirling within her shadow, ready to assist.

After confirming the main hall was empty, they turned right towards the reception hall.

The moment the door opened, Ciel’s shadow shot towards the chip-laden desk, dispatching the unsuspecting cultist with a single stroke. Blood spurted from his neck, spraying onto the chips and filling the room with the metallic stench of iron.

Killing three people consecutively slightly eased the burning fire in Ciel’s chest, lessening the oppressive sense of irritation.

Ciel barely paused, passing through another door and immediately opening the hidden passage on the right, revealing the stone spiral staircase leading down.

Uris followed closely. Stepping onto the stone stairs, she felt almost certain that this place was far from simple.

And Ciel, leading the way, was even less simple.

Ciel hadn’t stopped moving the entire time. The few cultists they passed died under her blade with almost no resistance. She moved through this place as casually as strolling through her own living room.

It was as if she knew exactly where every cultist would be.

“There’s a sanctuary underground. Its layout is almost identical to the Clock Tower Church,” Ciel reminded Uris as they descended.

“Alright...” Uris nodded. This wasn’t surprising, given the Divine Advent Church’s origins.

Soon, Ciel led Uris down into the sanctuary. It wasn’t empty; several people were moving around below, arranging tables and chairs, seemingly preparing for something.

“High Priest, they are all here,” Ciel stated.

“Understood.”

Some cultists wearing chip masks had noticed their arrival and looked towards Ciel and Uris with confusion.

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But the next moment, several white phantoms surged towards them.

Shlick—!

Four heads flew into the air instantly, rolling across the floor.

The sudden attack alerted the others, who cried out in alarm.

“It’s people from the Church of the Savior Goddess!”

“Quick! Inform the Administrator!”

“Heretics!!! Die!!!”

Some cultists fled up the other staircases to warn Kitty, while the remaining ones drew pistols and aimed directly at Ciel and Uris.

Bang bang bang—!

Several bullets whistled towards Uris but struck the white phantoms shielding her, stopping them completely.

Meanwhile, the cultists aiming at Ciel found their minds clouding the moment they targeted her. Their guns slipped from their grasp.

By aiming at Ciel, they had inadvertently looked directly at the Other Side Page pinned to her chest.

Uris’s white phantoms moved like white reapers, swiftly harvesting the lives of everyone in the sanctuary. Two phantoms pursued the fleeing cultists up the stairs.

Ciel watched the massacre expressionlessly, silently analyzing Uris’s abilities.

Ciel’s own experience in using abilities was minimal. Although Uris wasn’t of the “Avenger” path, she could still learn by analogy.

She recalled her first meeting with Uris, when Uris had suddenly appeared behind her as if teleporting.

“Radiance Bishop” Hugh had used this ability too—swapping places with a white phantom.

Ciel had perceived it as teleportation before because she couldn’t see the shadows.

Could this ability be obtained at the second tier? It was indeed a powerful life-saving skill.

“None escaped.” Uris suddenly spoke, interrupting Ciel’s thoughts.

“No transcendents, just some cultists.”

The fleeing cultists had all been killed by Uris; none had escaped the pursuit of the white phantoms.

Ciel surveyed the area, confirming the sanctuary was empty, then led Uris back to the main hall, facing one of the hidden passages.

That was the passage leading to Kitty’s office.

“Kitty is up this way. Be careful.” Ciel opened the passage door, looking up the ascending spiral stone steps.

“Alright.” Uris didn’t waste words, stepping forward past Ciel and taking the lead. “Fighting a second-tier ‘Missionary’ is dangerous. Stay behind me and be cautious.”

Meanwhile, on the third floor of Deton Manor, in the office at the end of the corridor, a figure wearing a black chip mask sat at the desk, leaning back against the bookshelf behind her, staring intently at the backgammon board, her brow tightly furrowed.

She picked up the two dice and tossed them onto the board. The six-sided dice spun and tumbled before both landed on “1.”

“Damn it...” Kitty couldn’t help but curse.

Her luck lately had been abysmal.

No, it was utterly disastrous.

Sherlon’s mysterious death, the rapid development of the dehydration cure, the sudden, undamaged removal of the sealed artifact buried beneath the Church of the Savior Goddess.

Her luck had hit rock bottom. If even one small part of her plan hadn’t gone wrong, she could have dealt a major blow to the Church of the Savior Goddess, destroying their base of believers in Berren City.

Then, she would have gained the attention of her superiors, and being transferred back to Ansu wouldn’t have been impossible.

Even Sherlon’s death didn’t matter that much; it just set back the progress of one missionary’s Reconstitution Ritual... The quick release of the dehydration cure wasn’t a total loss either; at least she had uncovered Sherlon’s secrets and found the real genius behind the virus...

But why was the sealed artifact discovered and removed directly? How did the Church of the Savior Goddess know it was there? Even if they knew, how did they avoid triggering it?

Just getting within 7 meters should have detonated the dehydration contagion, killing all the ordinary clergy in the church hospital and the church itself—why didn’t it happen??

Kitty couldn’t figure it out.

It felt like an invisible hand was manipulating events, unraveling even the most intricate plans inexplicably.

The Bishop could arrive at any moment. She had to resolve this before then.

“Hmph...” Kitty took a deep breath and leaned back against the bookshelf.

But there was still some good news. The Divine Advent Church’s stronghold hadn’t been discovered.

She had hidden it well and expanded quickly. Even the Bishop couldn’t find fault with that.

Plan meticulously, always leave a way out—that was Kitty’s formula for success.

Thinking this, a faint smile touched her lips...

Shlick—

Excruciating pain erupted from her chest. Kitty looked down sharply to see a hand formed of white phantom energy piercing through her chest from behind.

What... the hell?

Kitty lurched forward, knocking over the desk. Backgammon pieces scattered across the floor. She whipped her head around to see several white phantoms extending from the gap in the bookshelf she had just been leaning against.

The phantoms slowly pulled the bookshelf apart, revealing two unfamiliar figures emerging from the hidden passage behind it...

You...

Who are you?

Kitty was stunned.