Several gunshots rang out.
The Kabane lunging toward the mother and child ahead had their hearts instantly pierced, collapsing to the ground lifeless.
Misono Mika followed behind leisurely. Along the way, Kabane constantly rushed forward only to throw their lives away.
Against these brainless monsters, she didn't even need to aim. A simple turn of the muzzle was enough to put them down.
That confidence.
That overwhelming strength.
And the unprecedented sense of safety she gave to others.
Because of it, the woman leading the way unconsciously straightened her back, even her pace turning bold and vigorous.
"Acting tough on the surface isn't enough," Mika said confidently. "Why not just curse them out properly? Vent the hatred in your hearts and let it all out."
She continued calmly,
"It doesn't matter how many Kabane you attract. I'll deal with them all. And let me remind you—our roles have already reversed. The Kabane are the prey now. The ones who should be running… are them."
After saying that, she turned her head and looked at the crowd following behind.
"What do you all think?"
The crowd exchanged uncertain glances.
Someone swallowed nervously before shouting tentatively,
"Lady Mika is right!"
"The Kabane took our land, destroyed our homes, and killed our families! Those Kabane deserve to die!"
"Um… Lady Mika… are we really going to do this?"
Although they hated the Kabane to the bone, their fear of them had long sunk deep into their bones.
Even with Mika's guarantee, they were still afraid of dying from a stray attack.
Crash!
The window to their right suddenly exploded.
A large, muscular Kabane burst through the window, leaping high into the air and lunging straight at Misono Mika, less than a meter away.
"It's a Kabane! Lady Mika, watch out!!!"
The people around them cried out in alarm.
As if she had already anticipated it, Mika calmly raised her gun.
Her pale fingers pulled the trigger, while her right leg kicked forward.
Bang!
A burst of blood mist exploded from the Kabane's heart.
Immediately afterward, a small but powerful foot slammed into its abdomen.
Whoosh—
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Like a cannonball, the Kabane was blasted backward, smashing through several houses in a row and kicking up clouds of dust along the way.
Gulp.
Someone swallowed loudly, breaking the eerie silence.
The woman who had first encountered Mika was the first to snap out of her shock. She hurriedly shouted,
"What are you afraid of?! This is a blessing bestowed upon us by Lady Mika! Think about the family members the Kabane stole from us!"
After saying that, she took the lead in cursing the Kabane loudly.
The others looked at each other before gradually following suit.
At first, they timidly muttered weak curses.
But as they slowly let go, some people truly lost control of their emotions—faces red with anger, shouting curses while tears streamed down their cheeks.
Luckily, the Kabane didn't have parents.
Otherwise their entire family trees would have been cursed straight into heaven.
"Now that's more like it. Why suppress yourselves?"
Mika watched the scene with clear enjoyment, continuing to lead this group of survivors—now transformed into raging Zaun warriors—toward the Koutetsujou.
★ ★ ★
Elsewhere.
A defensive line formed by a squad of samurai was on the verge of collapse under the Kabane's assault.
Behind them, a large group of survivors huddled together.
Under everyone's protection, Yomogawa Ayame waited anxiously for her father to return.
"Lady Ayame, the defensive line won't hold much longer. Please give the order to break through and head for the Koutetsujou!"
A retainer urged her anxiously.
"But my father…"
"We can meet the lord at the Koutetsujou," another retainer added. "If we keep delaying here, everyone will only become more endangered."
Facing the pressure from several retainers, Ayame—who had never experienced such a situation before—became visibly flustered.
"Enough! Are you threatening Lady Ayame?!"
Kurusu barked at them, his hand gripping the hilt of the katana at his waist.
As Ayame's personal guard, it was his duty to defend her authority in moments like this.
"Hmph. I'm only stating the facts."
"You—!"
"Kurusu…"
Ayame raised a hand to stop him.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded reluctantly.
"You're right. We can't keep waiting here forever. Prepare to break through—"
Just then, a childish voice sounded from behind.
"If that's the case, then let me help clear a path for you."
Mumei walked over while stretching lazily.
Compared to the terrified crowd around her, she looked completely relaxed, as if she had no fear of the Kabane at all.
She casually checked the two specially modified short guns in her hands.
"Mumei, don't do anything reckless—"
Before Ayame could finish speaking, waves of shouting and cursing suddenly echoed from the distance.
The noise grew louder and louder.
Clearly, a large group of people was heading this way.
"Those people… have they gone crazy?"
Even Mumei froze for a moment, looking toward the approaching crowd in the distance.
Everyone raised their heads in disbelief, confusion written all over their faces.
Who gave them the courage to behave like this?
Did they not know how the word death was written?
Such a huge commotion didn't just attract Ayame's group.
Even the Kabane that had been surrounding them suddenly shifted their targets.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of Kabane rushed toward the noisy crowd.
The pressure on Ayame's defensive line instantly decreased.
After quickly dealing with a few remaining Kabane, one of the retainers waved his hand and shouted,
"Now's our chance! Everyone move quickly toward the Koutetsujou!"
The moment the order was given, the survivors waiting behind surged forward like a flood, running desperately toward the train—afraid of being even a single step slower than others.
The frenzied human tide even knocked Yomogawa Ayame aside.
Even Mumei was forced to leap onto a nearby wall to avoid being trampled.
"These people are really crazy… whatever, it has nothing to do with me."
Mumei stopped paying attention to them and instead turned her gaze toward the other crowd in the distance.
"Making such a huge commotion and still having this many people alive—and they're not scattering in panic either. That's strange. I should go see what's going on."
Her small body leapt high into the air, landing lightly on a rooftop like a nimble cat.
"Mumei! Where are you going?"
Ayame was shocked by the agility Mumei displayed. Seeing her planning to leave alone, she called out worriedly,
"Come with us to the Koutetsujou! It's too dangerous for you to be out there by yourself!"
"I'm just going to take a look up ahead. Don't worry—I'll catch up with you soon."
Mumei waved casually.
Then she kicked off with both legs, her small figure darting rapidly across the rooftops.
Within moments, she disappeared from the sight of Yomogawa Ayame and Kurusu.
★ ★ ★
"Purify the six senses!"
Bang bang bang!
Dozens of samurai spontaneously organized a counterattack against the Kabane.
With Misono Mika acting as an unbelievably steady pillar of confidence, everyone was finally able to perform at the level they had trained for.
The surrounding Kabane were pushed back step by step under their assault.