Kiana had always had a mild case of firepower deficiency anxiety—but after what happened today, it had gotten much worse.
If only she had a ranged weapon.
None of this would've been such a hassle!
A thousand Honkai Cubes were only enough to buy a three-star weapon at most. It was probably better to save up and get ten two-star ones instead.
But now wasn't the time to spend.
Kiana had finally understood the importance of hoarding Honkai Cubes.
"Mei, Mei."
Raiden Mei, who had been preparing to speak with the armed soldiers who'd assisted them, turned in mild surprise when she saw Kiana's expression.
"Has the offering ended?"
Kiana nodded, then shook her head. "Let's talk about that later, once we're back."
There were still people nearby. The giant spider was dead, but its spawn and webs remained everywhere.
Still, the cleanup wasn't their job. The soldiers' bullets could deal with the smaller spiders easily enough.
"I just wanted to say…" Kiana rubbed the back of her neck, her voice dropping awkwardly. "Next time, could you maybe let me land the final blow?"
"Alright."
That wasn't a big deal. The finishing strike wasn't particularly dangerous anyway, so if Kiana wanted it, Mei didn't mind letting her have it in the future.
"I knew you were the best, Mei!"
Kiana beamed, throwing her arms around Raiden Mei in delight.
She hadn't triggered the system either time she assisted in the kill, so she'd begun to suspect that it only activated when she delivered the finishing hit herself.
She planned to test that theory next time.
Her strength still wasn't enough—and after noticing the traces of Honkai corruption in that Kami, her sense of urgency had grown stronger than ever.
"Kiana…" Mei froze, caught off guard by the sudden hug. Glancing awkwardly at the approaching soldiers, she whispered, "Someone's coming."
"Oh, right."
Kiana quickly released her and stepped aside obediently.
Mei didn't seem to dislike being hugged—did that mean she could hug her freely next time?
"Thanks to the two of you, we managed to take that monster down."
The squad leader approached them. Pretending not to notice the girls' brief closeness, he focused instead on the remains of the massive creature.
"There's no need for thanks," Raiden Mei replied curtly. She had no time for pleasantries or probing questions. "Raiden Mei, from Narukami Shrine."
"I'd like to know what exactly is happening. That spider—why was it here? Are there many such creatures in Nagazora City?"
Mei voiced all the questions she had been holding in, hoping to learn about the city's current situation from them.
"Mei, I'll head back and bring the others over," Kiana said. Seeing Mei start her conversation, she figured Mei would handle the important questions.
Rather than stand around listening, she might as well use the time to check on Granny Zaohua and the others back on Zaohua Street.
Once she brought them here, Mei would probably be done talking.
"Alright. Be careful on the way," Mei said.
The officer nearby asked, "Do you need our assistance?"
"It's just escorting civilians to the shelter. I can handle it myself—no need to trouble you," Kiana replied, shaking her head before waving goodbye and heading back toward the street they'd come from.
There, she saw Granny Zaohua.
Everyone was either resting or keeping watch. From the looks of things, nothing unexpected had happened while she was gone.
Granny Zaohua walked up to her with her cane. "You're not hurt, are you, Kiana? What happened over there?"
"I'm fine. A giant spider showed up, but we've taken care of it. Have everyone get ready—we're moving out."
They needed to get into the shelter as soon as possible.
Staying outside any longer was far too risky—who knew what other Kami were still lurking around?
"It's really been dealt with?" Granny Zaohua asked, concern in her voice. "We heard explosions and gunfire not long ago."
"Don't worry," Kiana reassured her. "The bombing earlier was just the armed forces taking out the spiders. The giant one's already dead, and all the smaller ones have been wiped out. The shelter's safe now."
Come to think of it, that shelter was remarkably sturdy—it hadn't shown even the slightest sign of collapse during the earlier battle.
"And everyone there is still holding their position."
"Good, good. I'll let everyone know we can move on," Granny Zaohua said, the concern fading from her face as she turned to gather the others.
The group set off again, and before long, they reached the area where Kiana and the others had fought.
The sight that greeted them was staggering—between the tall buildings and across the streets stretched layers upon layers of thick webs, littered with spider corpses.
Each spider was as tall as a grown person, and there were at least a hundred of them scattered across the area, densely packed and overwhelming to look at.
Armed soldiers were still combing through the ruins, searching for any surviving smaller spiders.
"Dear heavens…"
Some of the more timid people froze at the sight, their legs turning to jelly. If not for someone beside them offering support, they might have collapsed on the spot.
The gunfire and explosions they'd heard earlier—so that was what they were fighting?
These spiders were far more terrifying than that lizard-headed monster from before. Seeing their sheer size, the first thought that came to mind was simple—they could eat humans.
And there were so many of them…
Who could guarantee that none had escaped?
"D-Do we really have to…"
A few people began to waver, paralyzed by the fear that more spiders might be lurking unseen in the shadows.
One of the nearby soldiers, who had been helping clear the area, noticed the approaching group and the white-haired girl leading them.
She quickly hurried to the front.
"Hero, do you need assistance?"
She had been there for the entire spider battle—she had seen Kiana's courage and strength with her own eyes.
That single punch, the one that had slammed the giant spider into the ground—what kind of power was that?!
To think a human body could unleash such force—it was incredible.
"Huh? Don't call me that," Kiana said quickly, waving her hands. "Kiana. My name's Kiana. Just call me Kiana."
She didn't want to be anyone's hero.
"Kiana-san, then? If that's alright, I'll call you that," the woman replied politely. "My name's Suzuki. I'm currently serving as the security officer for Shelter No. 6."
"That's great," Kiana said, stepping aside with a smile. "Granny Zaohua, this is Officer Suzuki—she's in charge of the shelter."
She turned back to Suzuki and added, "These are the residents from Zaohua Street and nearby areas who came seeking refuge. Could I trouble you to guide them to the shelter?"
"Of course! That's my duty—I'll take care of them," Suzuki replied with a firm nod.