Masked man wasn't the only one who seemed to be suddenly affected by this; even the people he brought with him were suddenly unable to move for some reason. Unlike the masked man, others fell flat on the ground. One of them tried to speak but couldn't. Most of them looked like they were paralyzed.
"Is this the side effect of the pills they consumed?" Said sister Zoe while trying to gather her strength. Even though she was in a very bad condition, her body was covered in her own blood, with many cuts and bruises all over her body. It was a miracle that she was still standing; it was not just her; many people were in a similar condition to hers, some were even lying on the floor lifelessly.
"This is our chance. ATTACK!" Maria roared, even though she was lying on the ground, she mustered all of the strength she had in her body in that shout. 'As shameful as it may be, this is the only chance we might get. Oh, goddess Lumina, please look after my children after my demise.' Maria started praying as she could feel the life in her getting drained, even in heath all she wanted was the well-being of the orphanage, and safety for the people of the town.
'HUH? What is happening all of a sudden?' Maria mused, heavy winds started blowing all over the place, and everything became deadly silent all of a sudden. Everyone started feeling the Spiritual power get heavy all of a sudden.
"You people dare to attack my home? To think that even after so much time has passed, your cult still exists. Last time you people went into hiding after taking heavy losses, fighting the battle against us, do you think it will be different this time?" A powerful voice echoes across the orphanage. "UGGGHHH," The masked man grunted as he suddenly felt the pressure upon him doubled.
"Is... Is that Saint Dolores Vardane? Am I dreaming? How can this be? How can she still be alive?" A person muttered as he saw a woman floating above the orphanage. All of the spears that were headed towards the destruction of the orphanage were stopped; they slowly vanished as if they never existed. Dolores didn't even use any shield to stop the attack; just because of her mere spiritual pressure, the spears couldn't move at all.
"Oh, Saint!" said one of the sisters as she slowly got on her knees, her hands stuck together as if she were praying. Following her, all the nuns of the orphanage did the same. Even Maria, who was having difficulty moving her body, clasped her hands together with great effort as she prayed. Most of them had only seen statues and paintings of the saint; however, seeing her in person, they were still able to recognize her instantly.
The Saint who stood over the orphanage was wearing a white robe, just like the outfits worn by the warriors of the Valkyrie order. Her face is so beautiful, no one would dare look away. Her features were sharp, carved by discipline rather than vanity. Her demeanor was graceful, the kind of beauty that didn't know she was beautiful. Her crimson hair shone so bright in the night sky, it resembled raging fire as it danced to the wind.
The moonlight washed her features pale, turning her eyes into shards of silver. The eyes are so beautiful, anyone who has seen them would be hypnotized. However, those eyes carried an untold sadness and fury as she witnessed the scene in front of her.
'Oh, how the fate plays with you. If I didn't become free, or if I came just a little late, my home would have been lost. To think that my old family home would be made into an orphanage, such a fitting thing to do. I wish I were able to go visit my ungrateful disciples. Are they even still alive? Alas, I do not have much time on my hands as I won't be able to maintain this form for long. I cannot defy the heavenly mandate.' Dolores looked in a direction, longing was clearly visible through her eyes. 'My soul form wouldn't last long.'
"You shall suffer." Said Dolores as he flicked her fingers. Following the sound of her finger flickering, countless swords, made of rays of light, appeared behind her. With a flare of anger in her eyes, she pointed a finger towards the crown. The swords instantly flew towards the crowd, and they resembled a bullet fired from a gun.
"AHHHH, Spare me," screams echoed throughout the orphanage. People from the blood cult had nowhere to run, as even moving a single muscle was difficult for them. The swords pierced the blood cult members only; they disappeared afterwards as if they never existed.
The cries of the blood cult members slowly began to quiet down; one by one, they slowly started dying. Only the main culprit of the night was left alone; he wasn't attacked at all. She had deliberately left him alive, making sure he wasn't able to even move in the process. he just looked on in horror as in an instant all of his forces were dead.
"Now, let's heal all of you." Said Dolores as she started chanting a spell. As soon as she finished chanting, a wave of light shone brightly above her, while a wave of warmth spread in all directions with her as the center.
"What was that just now?" a confused old man asked as he suddenly woke up. "I thought I died. How am I still alive? Where is my wife? Is she okay? Bertha? BERTHA?" He started screaming as he couldn't find his wife. Fortunately, he found his wife not too far away from her; she, too, seemed to have woken up after being healed. "Darling, I had such a bizarre dream," said Bertha as she looked at her husband.
"It was not a dream, we almost died... snfff snfff" said the husband as he tightly hugged her wife, half of their house was destroyed, while blood covered their clothes. They were very close to dying, it seemed.
Bertha and her husband were nowhere near the orphanage, as their house was furthest away from the orphanage itself. Their home was near the area where the monsters had attacked first. They were not the only ones to be healed; many people, just like the old couple, were healed. All of them searched for their loved ones. Crying noises started coming out of most of the houses in the town as some people wept with happiness, while some in sadness, as not everyone managed to survive the destruction.
All of the nuns of the orphanage were healed as well; most of them were able to get up on their feet; however, there were still some nuns who weren't that lucky. A wave of sadness spread throughout the orphanage as the death count was revealed. Most of the nuns were unable to control their emotions; they wept over the corpses of the fallen warriors.
'I am sorry I was a little late.' The indifferent Dolores couldn't hide her sadness as she witnessed the scene. 'To lose your life at such an early age, such a pity. You can now rest easy, my kin, I shall follow after your brave footstep.' Dolores paid her respect to the fallen ones. Her eyes, which were filled with sadness, suddenly turned to fury as she turned her head towards the masked man, who was on his knees, as he had no more strength left in his body.