The group moved forward in a long, winding line.
Along the way, several people who hadn't encountered any Kami—and had no idea what was happening—joined them.
The procession grew larger and larger, forcing Raiden Mei at the front to stay completely alert.
After nearly half an hour of walking through the dim storm, with thunder rumbling endlessly overhead, they finally drew close to the entrance of the underground shelter.
Having gotten used to the constant thunder, Raiden Mei immediately noticed a new sound hidden within it.
—Gunfire!
The sound of gunshots came from the direction of the shelter.
Many people were firing.
But there were no sounds of bullets striking flesh, no screams of pain. Judging from the rhythm of the gunfire, the shooters had considerable firepower.
"There's gunfire up ahead."
Raiden Mei stopped and turned to look at Granny Zaohua, who had been helping manage the crowd behind her.
"Please lead everyone to take cover in one of the nearby buildings. I'll go ahead to check the situation."
"Gunfire up ahead… Could it be the same as what we just encountered?" Granny Zaohua asked worriedly.
In her seventy years of life, she had never experienced anything like this before—monsters, shrine maidens who could slay them. It shattered everything she had believed about the world. The unending thunder above only made her recall what Kiana had told her yesterday—about Almighty Thunder, the Kami of Lightning.
Granny Zaohua had plenty of life experience, but she wasn't sure how much of it applied when monsters were involved.
"It's very possible," Mei replied.
Unfortunately, the visibility in the storm-darkened city was terrible. She couldn't make out what was happening ahead.
To everyone who had witnessed Osaka's death at the hands of a monster, Raiden Mei had become their pillar of hope—the one person they could trust.
Granny Zaohua didn't like the idea of her going alone, but she understood the reasoning. If everyone followed, it would only increase the risk of casualties.
And if there really were Kami ahead, it was best that the shrine maiden of Narukami Shrine went ahead to deal with it first.
They couldn't afford to hold her back.
"Go, Miko-sama. I'll make sure everyone finds somewhere safe to hide."
Raiden Mei nodded, then hesitated. Her gaze flicked briefly toward the rear of the group, but after some thought, she chose not to ask Granny Zaohua to tell Kiana to stay put.
Putting herself in Kiana's place—if Kiana were the one heading into danger, Mei knew she'd feel the same way. She wouldn't want to just stand by and wait either.
With a final nod to Granny Zaohua, Raiden Mei sprinted off toward the direction of the shelter, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
"Everyone stop for now," Granny Zaohua called out. "Pass the word down to those in the back—find somewhere nearby to hide and rest. There's danger ahead, but the shrine maiden has gone to investigate. We should hear from her soon."
Her voice wasn't loud, but on Zaohua Street, Granny Zaohua's reputation carried weight. Her words, connected to both the current situation and the shrine maiden, quickly spread through the crowd.
Those at the front relayed her instructions to the people behind them.
However, someone who had seen Mei run off couldn't help but speak out discontentedly. "Granny Zaohua, how could you let the shrine maiden go off alone?"
The tone was sharp, laced with suspicion—fear disguised as anger. They were worried Raiden Mei might abandon them.
Even though it would only take five minutes of running at full speed to reach the shelter, wasn't it dangerous up there?
Without the shrine maiden leading the way, how were a group of ordinary people supposed to get there?
Granny Zaohua cast a cold glance at the speaker, then looked around at the few others who stayed silent but clearly agreed.
Her voice remained calm. "Is that what all of you think?"
"…Well, yes, Granny."
"The shrine maiden's gone—what are we supposed to do? If another monster shows up, we'll be done for!"
"Yeah, yeah! You didn't see it, Granny—the sushi vendor Osaka, the one with the bad leg—he died so horribly! That monster's claws were sharper than knives! Just one hit and he was dead!"
"It was terrifying. What if another one comes?!"
The crowd's anxiety spread like wildfire. Human nature was selfish—especially when survival was at stake. In moments like these, fear magnified that selfishness to its fullest.
"Hmph!"
Granny Zaohua struck the ground hard with her cane, her slightly clouded eyes sweeping over the crowd as she scolded, "You ungrateful fools! The shrine maiden has no obligation to save us. She went ahead to scout the way—for our sake!"
"If you're so dissatisfied, then go on—leave the group and follow her. I won't stop you. Anyone who's scared can go right ahead. Just don't drag everyone else down."
Her words silenced the crowd. Though some still grumbled inwardly, the unknown danger ahead frightened them far more than the old woman before them—and Granny Zaohua's authority was not something easily challenged.
"Please don't be angry, Granny. We're just scared, that's all. Of course we know the shrine maiden went ahead for our safety."
"Yes, yes, that's right."
Those who had complained quickly changed their tune, worried that Granny Zaohua might later tell the shrine maiden what they had said and abandon them for real.
That shrine maiden of Narukami didn't seem like the overly merciful type—and anyone who had visited Narukami Shrine knew it was different from other shrines.
Now that they had seen Raiden Mei's lightning-clad power with their own eyes, many finally had an answer to a mystery that had lingered in their hearts for years.
They believed Raiden Mei's strength came from Narukami itself—the divine blessing of the Kami who ruled over thunder.
After all, the Narukami shrine maiden's weapon was a blade infused with lightning powerful enough to drive away demons and spirits. Wasn't that proof enough?
The murmurs of dissent faded. Yet Granny Zaohua felt no relief—only deep unease.
The storm had brought with it these monsters. Could the shelter truly be safe?
And how long would the shrine maiden stay to protect them?
The shrine maiden of Narukami would likely see them safely to the shelter—but then, she surely had greater duties elsewhere.
But the gunfire coming from the shelter's direction…
Was the shelter truly safe?
"What's going on? Why aren't we moving? Where's Mei?"
Kiana's voice came from the back as she pushed her way to the front, scanning the crowd for any sign of Raiden Mei. "Where did Mei go?"
So the reason the shrine maiden had stayed behind to escort them appeared—Kiana.
Having walked all this way without spotting Mei, Kiana was getting worried. The group had stopped moving, people were sitting down, and some familiar faces had gathered together to rest.
The thunder above hadn't stopped for even a moment, which was why Kiana—walking at the rear—hadn't noticed the faint gunfire hidden beneath the storm's roar.
"Kiana," Granny Zaohua said, "the shrine maiden heard gunfire ahead. She told us to stay here and rest for a while—she went to check it out."
"Gunfire?!"
Kiana's expression changed at once. She focused and listened carefully—and sure enough, she caught faint bursts of gunfire coming from the direction of the shelter, nearly drowned out by thunder.
"There must be Kami there!" Kiana's face darkened.
Mei had gone off alone without even discussing it with her—clearly trying to stop her from following into danger.
But with a group this large, someone did need to stay behind to watch over them.
Still, knowing Mei had gone straight into danger made Kiana's heart twist with worry, even if she knew Mei probably wouldn't get hurt.
"If you want to go after her, then go, Kiana," Granny Zaohua said gently, seeing the conflict on her face. She gave her a small push forward.
"But what about here…?"
"The shelter's just ahead. This place is relatively safe. Don't worry about us—we won't encounter more monsters here. Go and do what you need to do."