Since ancient times, locust plagues had been natural disasters on a par with floods and droughts.
Land lay high or low, rain fell and marshes sloped; floods and droughts were disasters, yet many places could still escape them. Only locusts born of extreme drought left grass and trees withered for thousands of miles, even exhausting cattle and horses. They were especially devastating, worse than floods or droughts.
Even ordinary locusts smaller than a finger could strip everything bare once they formed a swarm, let alone these giant locusts, larger than fists and some even as big as an arm.
Buzzz-
The locusts swept in from the distant horizon like dense black clouds, blotting out the sky as they descended on Mineko Yuki and the others.
Locusts' sharp mouthparts could easily slice through leaves. Omnivorous locusts could even eat one another after devouring everything else, and these hideous locusts clearly did not eat only plants.
"It hurts!"
"Help! Don't bite me!"
"Lord Jiraiya, help!"
Hundreds of gray-black locusts swarmed over them. Everyone screamed in agony as though they had been attacked by hornets.
Terrified, despairing screams, curses, cries for help, and sobs filled the air as the scene descended into utter chaos.
"Ow, ow, ow-! It hurts like hell!"
Mineko Yuki tore a locust off her arm and slammed it onto the ground, splattering thick green fluid everywhere.
"Huh? Why isn't there any blood?"
She looked at her arm. The pain still pierced her to the bone, as though a chunk of flesh had been bitten off, bringing tears to her eyes, yet there was no wound or blood.
Before she could think any further, sharp pain stabbed through several more places on her body!
Mineko Yuki hurriedly swatted at the locusts on her body, tearing those clinging to her back