Meanwhile, at the Church.
In the main hall, where the believers usually came to offer their reverence and sincere prayers.
However, the place was now dark and desolate, with a frighteningly somber atmosphere, a complete contrast to the divinity and grandeur of the daytime.
Here, a middle-aged woman was lighting white candles.
As she lit the candles, tears flowed, rolling down her cheeks and falling to the ground.
In the gloomy, dark space, combined with the vastness of the main hall, the woman's figure appeared more lonely and desperate than ever.
The faint candlelight did not make the place brighter; on the contrary, it filled the space with a mournful atmosphere.
She carefully lit each candle, and even when hot wax dripped onto her hands, her face showed no emotion.
It was as if all her emotions had died.
"Anna?" Suddenly, a voice called out.
The woman slowly raised her head, looking towards the door. There, a maid was standing, her face showing a hint of surprise, mixed with a little guilt and worry.
The woman bowed her head and said, "Nana..."
Nana bit her lip, walked over to Anna's side, and said worriedly, "I... I heard about your husband. I... I'm so sorry, but... I assure you, the Church would never do such a terrible thing."
"Anna, please believe me. I... I..."
Nana stammered, not knowing what to say next, nor how to make Anna trust her.
At this, Anna gave a bitter smile, tears streaming down again, "Nana, I know the Church would never do such a terrible thing, that's why I'm still here."
She glanced at the white candles placed neatly around the statue of the god. They were all lit, their faint light illuminating a part of the statue.
The giant statue depicted a whale-like fish with bird-like wings on its back, flying up into the sky.
Seeing the statue, Anna's eyes showed a fervent passion, infinite trust, and reverence.
"I am here to light these candles to bid farewell to the dead, including my husband."
"I know... the Church saved me from the darkness, how could they be the ones who murdered my husband?"
"My faith in the Church, in the God, will never change. I believe... someone is definitely trying to frame the Church."
"Definitely... definitely..." Anna suddenly gritted her teeth, her face showing pain and hatred, "I am sure the Royal Family is the one behind this."
As she spoke, her hands clenched so tightly they turned white and trembled slightly.
Nana's face showed clear sadness as she gently took Anna's hand and said, "Anna, don't do anything reckless. You still have two lovely children, the crystallization of the love between you and your husband."
"Right now, you must try to live, for your children, for their future and yours."
"They've already lost their father—they cannot lose you too."
Remembering her two children, Anna bit her lip lightly as tears poured out like two streams.
"I know… but… but…"
Hearing Anna's words, Nana quickly interjected, "Anna, everything can still be resolved. I believe the gods and the Saintess will lead us toward the dawn's light."
"Uhm! I understand now. Thank you, Nana." Anna wiped away her tears as she spoke, her face visibly more at ease.
She suddenly remembered something and immediately asked, "Nana, the Saintess… is she…"
Nana sighed and said, "The Saintess woke up this morning—her condition has gradually stabilized. However, after hearing that so many believers were killed, and that the Church was even falsely accused… she fainted again."
"Right now, the Saintess is calmer and is trying to stabilize her emotions. I think in just a few days, she will appear once more to lead us and pray to our revered God."
Hearing this, Anna nodded softly. "The Saintess is truly pitiful, she…"
BAM!
Suddenly, the sound of a door slamming echoed through the entire main hall of the church, cutting off Anna's words.
At the entrance, a man was gasping for breath, speaking in broken sentences: "Anna, you… your house… your house…"
…
"Ha… ha… ha…" Anna panted, her face pale as if she were anemic, her exhaustion, worry, and fear all clearly visible.
"Please… oh gods… please help me." Anna sobbed as she ran, tears streaming down and blurring her vision.
"Please… I've never begged you for anything for myself, but just this once… please… protect my two children."
"Xal'veth, please… no matter the price, I'll accept it."
Anna gazed into the distance, seeing the fire blazing in the darkness, lighting up a vast area. The worry in her heart only grew stronger.
Even though she was already exhausted, her breath ragged, her legs still kept running, driven by her sheer willpower.
Moments later, her eyes widened in utter disbelief. She saw her warm, love-filled home engulfed in fierce flames, accompanied by the desperate cries of villagers.
"Hurry! Put out the fire!"
"Quick, save the people inside!"
"Damn it! The fire's spreading too fast! Get the city guards here now!"
"Are you crazy? We drove them away before—if we call them now, do you think they'll come?"
"No!!!" Anna screamed, then ran toward her house, which was swallowed by the sea of fire.
"Stop!" A man rushed over, grabbing her tightly. "It's too dangerous—get back!"
"No! My children…" Anna struggled in despair, forcing the man holding her to use all his strength just to keep her restrained.
"Let me go! My children! My two children are still inside!" Anna screamed, tears streaming down her face like a river.
"We'll save them—just don't run in!" the man pleaded desperately.
"AAA!!!" No one knew where Anna found the strength, but she managed to push the man off her.
"Agh!" He fell to the ground, his face full of shock and fear as he saw Anna rush, without hesitation, into the blazing inferno.
"Anna! Anna!!! Agh!" The man's cries were abruptly silenced as he suddenly felt a cold, sharp pain at his throat, his voice cut off entirely.
His eyes widened, his hands clutching at his neck.
There—a large gash had appeared before he even realized it.
Blood gushed out like a stream; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the flow.
The scene before his eyes faded into blur, but he could still clearly see a woman in front of him, wielding a blood-soaked sword.
Then… his consciousness fell into darkness.
Vera saw the man collapse before her, and at the same time, four dark figures moved rapidly throughout the scene.
Wherever those four shadows passed, they left behind cold corpses—many of whom never even knew why they died.
Vera looked around, her gaze razor-sharp and filled with so much killing intent that it felt ice-cold, like a lone iceberg drifting on a vast ocean.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
At that moment, a dog suddenly barked loudly at her, but—
Whoosh!
A sword flashed across its neck at terrifying speed, so fast the dog couldn't even react before its head fell to the ground.
She frowned, her face completely expressionless, and muttered, "Master said… there is nothing here… nothing at all…"
…
"Neka! Nazu!" Anna ignored the terrible burns on her body, as well as the flames spreading across her dress.
All she wanted was to find her two children—the strength of that desire so intense it made her forget pain and fear entirely.
Suddenly, she saw the two children lying on the ground, one boy and one girl.
The girl looked about seven years old, the boy not even four. Both lay motionless in a pool of blood, not breathing, their small bodies already partially burned by the fire.
Anna's mouth fell open, her face filled with utter disbelief and boundless despair.
The light of hope vanished from her eyes.
Anna slowly walked over to the two small corpses, pulled them close, and cradled them in her arms.
She wept, her tears streaming down like rain, holding her dead children tightly—their faces still frozen in terror and hopelessness, as if no one would ever come to save them, not even their mother.
Gritting her teeth, Anna whispered, "Neka… Nazu… I'm so sorry… but you won't be alone anymore."
"Mother is here now… we'll go together…"
"But…" At that moment, Anna suddenly clenched her jaw, her eyes blazing with a fire far more terrible than the raging inferno consuming the village.
"The royal family… Lathel… Catherine…" Anna bit her lip so hard it bled, but she didn't stop, sinking her teeth deep into her thin lips.
"I swear… even if I become a demon, I will never forgive you." Her voice was filled with hatred.
"I curse you all…"
"I swear… if I ever get the chance… I'll gnaw your bones, drink your blood…"
"AGHH!!!!" A heart-wrenching, despairing scream echoed through the burning house.
But there was no one left alive in the village to hear that sound.
All that remained was the sound of collapsing houses and the savage fire devouring everything.
Vera witnessed the scene, and behind her, four other female assassins were standing silently.
At that moment, she murmured, her face utterly expressionless, "There's nothing left here, nothing but ashes."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a cold wind blew by, making Vera frown, carrying with it a single white Lily petal fluttering on the breeze.
Vera followed the petal with her eyes as it floated into the sea of fire and disappeared. Then she turned away, leading the four assassins as they left.
At that moment, in the Church.
The statue of Xal'veth still stood, as if waiting for something about to come.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Cold gusts of wind carrying a strange, dark mist swept into the church.
The candles Anna had lit were snuffed out by the wind, plunging the space into darkness.
But the statue's eyes began to glow with a strange light, as if… it were alive.
A voice echoed out, overflowing with evil but also with a sacred, awe-inspiring power.
The voice seemed to be spoken by many at once, resounding from the depths of the underworld, enveloping the entire great hall of the church.
"Anomaly… Lathel…"