At the summit stood a woman, looking unbelievably exhausted.
In fact –
She was the only thing left standing.
Every other mortal present – lay crumpled on the ground. Some face down, others facing the heavens – easily over a hundred fallen bodies clothed in white.
The Sacred Guardians of Mt. Shirei.
In order to protect the Level One Disaster Area that was their mountain, these stewards lived under the harshest of conditions where not even a single tree could grow. They had no ties to the local government, much less the bakufu, yet were held in the same high regard as Izumo’s storied Three Goshin Regiments. An independent order –
But they had been annihilated to a man.

Katanagatari Omnibus 3, Page 4