While playing the game, I recently found that successfully fighting the waves of cultists when the village is being raided results in you being sent back to the title screen, but not as if you died. Would this count as an ending for an any% run?

Haven't seen that yet personally. I think seeing the credits is part of seeing the ending of a game, so I'd say that feels a little different to me if it just sends you to the title screen.

To me it feels like it could be a different category, I'm not sure if you can fight the waves of cultists with what you have in the any% run? Like, I feel like I would die there, lol.

I think that could have fun potential. I found the cultist waves I accidentally tried to fight (and got fairly far into) gave me more difficulty and was a more enjoyable fight than the final areas that happen past the part of the game with the cultist hordes.

do you guys remember how many waves there were in this fight? i tried beating it on my first playthrough and got decently far in, but gave up to finish the rest of the game. now im thinking of doing a run just to complete the "impossible" battles in the game (ie first encounter with the thief, waves of cultists in the village, etc)