With just a single arrow, the enormous demon, as large as a mountain and comparable to the legendary monsters Daidarabotchi and the Giant Monk, was shattered to pieces.
If the shrine's roof had not been torn off and the demon's foul blood and mangled flesh had not littered the ground, the refugees would have wondered whether everything they had seen was an illusion.
"Amitabha, we're saved!"
"Lady Miko, banzai! Banzai!"
"Wah! Mommy, I'm not dead-"
After a brief, deathly silence, the dozens of refugees at Kusushi Shrine burst into cheers together. Their cries filled the air; if the shrine's roof had not already been gone, they might have blown it off.
Miracles and magic really did exist!
Some wept bitterly, tears streaming down their faces as they collapsed to their knees, unable to get up. Others clapped and cheered desperately, unaware that their hands had become red and swollen. In short, they needed to release all the fear and stress they had built up.
Someone took the lead, and the dozens of survivors in the shrine surged out in a crowd, scrambling toward Hyuga Miko.
"Banzai!"
"Banzai!"
But they did not dare get too close. Instead, they surrounded Hyuga Miko with their arms raised, clapping desperately and shouting their cheers. Some even knelt, endlessly reciting the names of gods and Buddhas in prayer.
Anyone unaware of what had happened might have thought they were crazed fans cheering wildly around their idol, or worshippers reverently bowing before a divine statue during a festival.
Their behavior was actually quite normal. After all, these people were merely ordinary citizens who had come to Mount Fuji to hike and admire the moon. Who could have known things would take such a drastic turn, with countless demons and monsters breaking free from the crater to