Granny Zaohua knew that Kiana's heart had already followed the shrine maiden ahead.
She was a good child.
If Granny had tried to stop her, Kiana might have stayed—she had the kind of heart that would willingly look after others.
But Granny Zaohua didn't do that.
She chose instead to let things flow naturally.
"...I understand!"
Kiana had already been leaning toward chasing after Mei, and with Granny Zaohua's gentle push, her decision solidified completely.
She dashed off toward the direction of the gunfire.
"Don't worry, Granny—I'll handle this quickly and be right back!"
Neither the shrine maiden nor the mysterious Kiana were people she could hold back.
So why try to stop them at all?
Granny Zaohua had lived long enough to understand that sometimes, letting go was the best choice. The others had no objections either—after all, the one who had slain a Kami before their eyes was Raiden Mei.
Kiana hadn't shown the same kind of brilliance.
Most of them had seen her around before, but none thought she possessed the same power as the shrine maiden of Narukami.
So if she wanted to chase after Mei—so be it.
Following the sound, Kiana reached the vicinity of the shelter within two minutes. But when the scene came into view, her eyes widened in shock.
White webs—massive, thick, and horrifying—spread across the streets, linking buildings together. All around were giant white spiders, each as large as a human. And looming above them all was an enormous spider, easily tens of meters tall.
It clung to the webs stretched between two buildings—continuing to lay clusters of smaller spiders.
On the ground below, a group of armed fighters had taken positions behind cover, firing continuously at the monstrous spider with the head of a beautiful woman, as well as the smaller ones swarming toward them.
The entrance to the shelter was still barely within their defensive perimeter, but the area was a ruin of fallen trees, shattered glass, a collapsed newsstand, and torn corpses mauled by the spiders.
Where was Mei? Where—
Kiana frantically searched the battlefield until she spotted Raiden Mei, moving under the cover of the gunfire—heading straight toward the building where the monstrous spider was perched.
"Mei!"
Kiana's heart skipped a beat. She gripped her baseball bat tightly, glancing between the tower ahead and the giant arachnid.
"Damn it!"
If she had known there'd be a giant spider, she would've bought a sniper rifle instead!
Too late for regrets now.
Chhhk—chhhk…
A chilling scraping sound echoed around her. Several of the human-sized white spiders had crawled out from all directions, encircling her and cutting off any escape.
"…You're really unlucky," Kiana said, her tone sharp. "Because I hate spiders."
The giant one was too far to hit—but these small ones?
Fair game.
Kiana charged forward, bat in hand. The spiders hadn't expected their prey to rush toward them instead of running away.
From their abdomens, they spat streams of silk, which spread midair into sticky webs meant to trap her.
But Kiana barely even cared. She dodged smoothly, closed the distance, and swung her bat in a brutal arc—smashing one spider into a splatter of white fluid.
"One down!"
There were no kill notifications, no black mist—these smaller spiders were clearly extensions of the massive spider's body.
Even so—they still had to die!
Like a wolf among sheep, Kiana swung her bat wildly, crushing any spider that crossed her path as she charged toward the tower.
"Captain, someone's over there!"
The armed soldiers firing at the smaller spiders noticed Kiana—one swing, one kill—and immediately realized she was an ally.
"Cover her!"
They'd only learned about the existence of Kami an hour ago, but these men had already conquered their fear, standing bravely on the city's front lines.
Their firepower couldn't harm the giant spider, and they were close to despair—until Raiden Mei appeared.
Like a flash of lightning, she had stormed the battlefield, her blade crackling with power as she charged at the monstrous spider atop the building.
It was like hope had descended.
The soldiers shifted their aim, laying down suppressive fire to support her, hoping to ease even a fraction of her burden.
And now, another warrior had arrived.
For those who could not change the battle's tide alone, Kiana's appearance filled them with renewed vigor.
Another fighter meant another chance at survival.
Kiana planned to continue just as before—killing the smaller spiders while advancing toward the massive one. She raised her bat to strike again when a bullet suddenly whizzed past, hitting the spider before her and killing it instantly.
Kiana had already noticed when she killed the first one—these smaller spiders were numerous, but also fragile.
The only real threat was their webs.
Getting stuck in one would be a waste of precious time.
She looked toward where the bullet had come from. A soldier in a helmet gestured for her to keep moving forward.
So they're covering me?
Kiana gave a quick nod in acknowledgment and picked up her pace, no longer stopping to crush every spider along the way.
Whenever she could avoid them, she did. And when she couldn't, the supporting fire took care of the rest.
A few that slipped through were swiftly smashed to pulp by her bat.
In no time—without serious danger—Kiana reached the base of the skyscraper, where Raiden Mei's lightning was already clashing with the giant spider perched high upon its web.
Kiana glanced down at her baseball bat again and groaned inwardly.
"Next time, I'm definitely buying a ranged weapon!" she muttered furiously to herself, looking for a way up the building.
Meanwhile, Raiden Mei had leapt onto the giant spider's body, landing firmly and gripping the katana Kiana had given her. Without hesitation, she swung with all her might, her blade crackling with lightning as it sliced toward the spider's waist.
But instead of flesh, her strike met steel.
A harsh metallic clang rang out as Mei quickly leapt backward, narrowly avoiding a massive strand of spider silk as thick as her arm that had just intercepted her blow. The thread moved like a living appendage, whipping toward her again in a violent strike.
"—Intruder, die!"
The voice came from the spider's head—the head of a beautiful woman—filled with venom and malice. Hearing a Kami speak sent a chill through Raiden Mei's heart.
Counting the lizard-headed one before, this was already the third Kami she had faced—but the others had never spoken. They had been mindless beasts.
No—perhaps the lizard-headed one had died too quickly.
If this one could speak, it meant it possessed intelligence. And an intelligent foe was far more dangerous than a beast.
The katana Kiana had given her was sharp, but the spider's silk was unbelievably tough—perhaps even as strong as alloyed metal.
The spider's main body, unlike its smaller spawn, was also immensely durable.
To leave even a scratch, Mei had to go all out—but the webs surrounding her made that nearly impossible, constantly attacking and entangling her.
This wouldn't be easy.
Amid the chaotic battle, Raiden Mei quickly adapted to the creature's movements. Her eyes fixed on its human-like upper body—the so-called "beauty's head."
The spider's body was massive and grotesque, but its upper half was that of a white-haired woman—bare to the waist, her expression cold and eerily calm.
The spider's body might be as hard as steel, but surely the human-like part couldn't be the same.
Feigning weakness, Mei began to parry and dodge, slowly drawing closer to that beautiful face.
And then—
"Mei, watch out!"
The familiar voice from above made Raiden Mei's eyes widen in shock. She looked up—just in time to see a white-haired figure leaping down from the top of the building.
Gathering all her strength into her arms, Kiana gripped her baseball bat tightly, using the momentum of her fall to strike with pinpoint precision.
With a resounding crack, she slammed the bat straight into the beautiful face of the spider-headed monster.