Just as Dekalorin was about to reach the edge, the fully activated blood-colored totem suddenly erupted with a terrifying ring-shaped shock wave!
Dark red light surged outward like a tsunami, carrying a curse that made souls tremble, and exploded in all directions!
Dekalorin was hit first.
Already at her limit, she could not withstand the blast at all.
She was flung away like a kite with its string cut, spitting a mouthful of blood in mid-air before slamming hard into the wall.
Immediately after, the totems scattered throughout the town lit up simultaneously.
Blood-red pillars of light shot into the sky and connected with the main totem at the old square, forming a massive canopy woven from pulsing veins.
It rapidly sealed shut, enveloping the entire town beneath a suffocating blood-red night!
The instant the barrier formed, sharp explosive sounds rang out across the town, followed by wave after wave of screams filled with terror and agony.
Blood mist erupted again and again.
From every totem’s location, grotesquely twisted monsters reeking of blood began crawling out, struggling into existence.
The moment they appeared, they mindlessly charged at the nearest living creatures—whether livestock, cats, dogs, or… people!
The three mages conducting the ritual at the center of the totem had smiles that had barely formed on their faces before they twisted into utter horror!
Their bodies were devoured in an instant, melting like candles set ablaze.
“Movira!”
Dekalorin forced herself up using her greatsword as support.
“I’m going to gather everyone in town to the central church. Help me.”
The town’s soldiers reacted as well.
Blades struck monsters with dull thuds, and magic flashed sporadically.
But the monsters seemed endless, and their strength only grew.
Ordinary swords and spells could no longer deliver fatal blows!
Soon, streets, houses, parks… everywhere became scenes of brutal slaughter.
Soldiers with shields torn open and chests pierced; mothers shielding their children only to be corroded by blood mist alongside them; once-lively tavern windows shattered, leaving only sprayed bloodstains and severed limbs…
With Movira’s assistance, Dekalorin issued hoarse commands.
Together with the remaining soldiers fighting desperately to cover the retreat, the surviving residents were evacuated to the final defensive line—the central church in the middle of town.
Dekalorin mustered the last of her strength and drew a final array at the church entrance.
Using the scant magic she had left, she raised a thin protective shield that temporarily held the monsters at bay!
When the terrified residents saw Dekalorin standing guard at the door—her entire body covered in fresh red blood (impossible to tell if it was hers or the monsters’), with blood still seeping from the corner of her mouth—they first let out cries of disbelief, then burst into tears of relief at having survived.
“It’s Lady Dekalorin!”
“Your wounds!”
A young priestess from inside the church hurried forward.
She tried her best to suppress her own fear, her hands trembling as she performed simple healing on Dekalorin.
Gentle light temporarily stopped the bleeding and eased some of the searing pain, but Dekalorin’s condition showed no real improvement.
She felt black spots flickering across her vision.
The sounds of terrified weeping and pained groans wove together into a despairing dirge.
The golden shield flickered under the monsters’ relentless assaults, like a feeble flame in the long night—bright one moment, dim the next.
Dekalorin’s gaze pierced through the shaking barrier, fixed on the twisted, writhing figures outside.
Roars, impacts, and the earth’s own mournful cries formed a hellish background chorus.
The arrow wound on her body could not be healed in such a short time.
The priestess’s treatment only prevented it from worsening.
The combined agony of new and old injuries felt like countless fine needles stabbing into her organs.
She could also sense that the shield tied to her own life force would not hold much longer.
She needed to do something… Doing nothing would be the same as waiting for death!
Such a massive disturbance would surely alert Saint Eustacia.
All she had to do was keep the shield up a little longer!
Her eyes swept over the survivors inside the church.
There were mages among them.
She did not expect them to kill the monsters, but at least they could harass them and reduce the frequency of impacts on the shield.
As for herself, she only needed to draw the bulk of the attacks.
Under the priestess’s horrified gaze and the near-despairing stares of everyone in the church, Dekalorin—who had already been teetering on the brink of death—stood up once more.
The instant she took a deep breath and prepared to step forward, the shadow at her feet suddenly stretched out in a bizarre manner.
It came alive and coiled around her ankle!
From within the shadow came Movira’s fury, no longer suppressed, exploding directly inside Dekalorin’s mind.
“Are you insane?! Going out there is suicide! If the shield fails… I’m still here!”
Dekalorin’s body stiffened, but she did not look down at the shadow.
Instead she shook her head.
“Reinforcements should arrive soon. I only need to hold on a little longer. Besides, Movira… these are still my people.”
“Though calling them that feels a bit inappropriate right now…”
The priestess quickly explained to herself in her heart before calling out, “Saintess! Please don’t go, alright?”
Dekalorin turned her head.
The title “Saintess” had long become unfamiliar to her, yet the duty it carried had never faded.
Behind her stood, sat, and even lay the injured—every single one of them watching the woman who had pulled them from the jaws of death.
To them, Dekalorin was their only hope. If she fell too… they would plunge into an abyss of utter despair.
“All who can release magic, use every facility in the church—including that statue—to fight back!”
After issuing her orders, Dekalorin gently removed the priestess’s hand from her arm.
“Sorry for staining your clothes. Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon.”
Then she raised her voice and called out to all the residents inside the church.
“Our reinforcements are on the way! Please, do not fall in the darkness before dawn, alright?”
Dekalorin turned away.
With a decisive step full of unyielding resolve, she broke free of the shadow’s grasp!
“Movira… you know? There has only ever been one reason a Saintess of the Holy See steps down.”
She answered in her heart, her voice strangely calm.
She reached out and gripped the hilt of the greatsword leaning nearby, its light now dim.
It seemed to respond to Dekalorin’s will, letting out one final resonant ring.
The blade dragged across the ground, leaving a clear trail.
“And that reason… is death!”
The moment the words left her, she stepped out of the faltering shield.
Its light membrane closed behind her at once, sealing away all the pleas and cries.