"You actually brought the witch to..."
Christabella's scream was cut short as a cold gun barrel pressed against the center of her forehead.
"One more word and I'll send you to meet your God."
Sephirot looked impatient, "Now, you get one chance to rephrase that."
Christabella felt the chill on her brow; her previously raised head froze mid-air.
Her peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of several bodies on the ground that weren't even cold yet, and the fanaticism in her eyes was finally replaced by fear of death.
"Drip... drip..."
Sephirot caught a whiff of a foul, acrid smell and frowned.
He looked down at the woman's lower body; a patch of moisture was soaking through her robe in one area, droplets falling from her dangling ankles onto the floor.
This woman seemed so imposing in the movie, how come in reality, a little scare made her collapse like this?
"Mr. Sephirot, we could actually talk this through calmly, she's already injured..."
Rose's faint voice came from behind. Sephirot didn't turn his head, speaking plainly:
"Ms. Rose, if you still want to find your daughter, be quiet."
This woman hadn't seen Alessa's memories and suffering like in the original story, so her bleeding heart was overflowing. Should I tie her up too?
Sephirot thought to himself.
"You... let me down first."
Christabella spoke weakly.
That harsh face of hers no longer held the previous arrogance. Her head hung low, disheveled hair hiding her resentful and terrified eyes.
Sephirot casually snapped the rope.
Christabella slumped to the floor like mud, clutching her right arm, her body trembling.
Rose hurried forward to support her, using clothes to bind her already twisted, purplish arm.
Watching this scene, Sephirot curled the corner of his mouth: "How come I feel like I'm the villain?"
"What do you want me to do."
Christabella asked weakly.
"Simple."
Sephirot threw two photos onto her face, "Have your believers find these two people, one big, one small."
He bent down slightly, leaning close to Christabella's ear, whispering softly, "Don't even think about playing tricks, Madam. You don't want to know the consequences."
Christabella struggled to get up from the floor. She glanced at Sephirot, then at the terrified, confused believers below the platform.
She was a smart woman. She knew that if she didn't give this incident a reasonable explanation, her authority would be completely shattered, and it might even spark a riot.
She took a deep breath, subtly pulling her robe to cover the wet stain on her leg. Facing all the believers who were bowing their heads in confusion, she coughed:
"Lost lambs."
Christabella's voice, though weak, carried that familiar seductive tone, "Just now... I received a revelation."
"This is a trial. This gentleman is a divine messenger who has come bearing God's will."
"God has answered our prayers of many years. To save us, to rescue us from this cursed land, God guides us that we must find these two people."
Sephirot stood to the side, watching the old woman's shifting expressions and her self-serving presentation as a divine messenger, raising an eyebrow slightly.
Such skill... not going into politics but holing up here as a Bishop was truly a waste of talent.
Below the stage, a deathly silence fell. The believers looked at the damp stain on the Bishop's trousers, then at her clearly ruined arm, and murmurs began to rise.
"If he is a divine messenger, why would he harm the Bishop?"
"Is that really God's will? He seems more like a devil to me..."
"..."
"How dare you! Are you questioning me? Or questioning the Gods?!"
Christabella was furious. She could be humiliated by Sephirot; that was an unavoidable force, but she absolutely would not allow these ignorant fools to look down on her. Authority was her only fig leaf.
"Don't forget, who protected you when darkness fell! Who sheltered you from the witch's hunts again and again!"
Christabella's gaze swept over the crowd, carrying the weight of years of accumulated intimidation. "Now, kneel! Receive the divine will!"
Under the long-term indoctrination and fear of the outside darkness, the believers trembled and, one after another, knelt down, pressing their foreheads to the cold floor.
"Respected divine messenger, whom does God ask you to find?"
Sephirot stood on the high platform, watching this woman recover her noble, confident demeanor in just a few minutes, and curled his lip.
Her acting and these believers' ignorance truly were a perfect match.
"A girl. And a woman."
Sephirot motioned for Christabella to pass the photos down. Several believers looked at them, their expressions changing, and they passed them along.
After a moment.
"D-divine messenger… We haven't seen that woman, but this little girl…"
An older believer was pushed forward by several others, speaking cautiously. "She… she was the witch burned at the stake years ago…"
"That is not your concern."
Sephirot cut him off. "She is someone God wishes to take. Find these two, and you can escape the curse of this place."
Hearing the words "escape the curse," the fear and confusion in the believers' eyes were instantly replaced by fanaticism.
They did not doubt the truth of the matter, only feeling that their decades of prayers had finally been heard by the Gods.
Sephirot looked down at these cheering cannon fodder, pity in his gaze.
When Alessa's wrath descended, everyone would indeed escape.
He never said he'd guarantee they'd leave alive.
"Good. Then get moving."
Sephirot waved a cold hand. "I'm giving you three days."
—--
Several days later.
Inside the church, aside from a few injured individuals, large groups of believers had been dispatched in batches to search various parts of the town.
Sephirot rubbed his chin, looking at the empty hall.
Most areas of the town had been thoroughly searched over the past few days, but no trace of Sharon had been found.
"So Alessa hid her after all?"
Sephirot wasn't surprised by this.
Sharon was summoned here by Alessa for the purpose of regaining power, breaking the church's faith, and completing her revenge.
Sephirot glanced sideways at Christabella in the corner.
Maybe he should just take her along and pay Alessa an early New Year's visit at Brookhaven Hospital?
Alessa's true form had been lying dormant in Brookhaven Hospital all these years, gathering strength for revenge.
That was also why he had spared Christabella's life.
Nearby, Christabella was receiving simple first aid from Rose.
The one-armed Bishop's eyes shifted uncertainly. She didn't know Sephirot's plans, only that if she stayed here, she would eventually be tortured to death by this devil.
She needed a way to eliminate Sephirot. A direct confrontation was impossible. The only way was to use another to kill him.
With this thought, her venomous eyes fell upon Rose, who was wrapping a bandage around her arm.
From her observations these past few days, she could see that while this woman was foolish, she would do anything for her daughter.
And that man seemed exceptionally tolerant of this woman, almost granting her every request.
If she could lure her to that place... that forbidden zone where the dark power was most concentrated...
If this woman went, then that man would surely follow.
No matter how strong he was, facing that terrifying witch, he would only meet a dead end!
Thinking this, Christabella stole a glance at Sephirot. Seeing him seemingly resting with his eyes closed, she whispered lowly:
"Rose..."
(Translated by yourtl.app)