The Strange Cat from Fuuto

"Hia, hia, hia, hia..."

Amidst a wild, maniacal laugh, Miku dragged his long scythe behind him. "Iggy, keep an eye on Serena. I'm going to beat this bastard to death right now!"

"Awoo!"

Iggy responded and stood guard beside Serena, while Miku's figure disappeared from the spot as soon as he finished speaking.

"Disappeared?"

The Phoenix felt a surge of fighting spirit burning within it at the sight of Miku disappearing right before its eyes.

"That's more like it, that's how it should be..."

Before he could finish speaking, Miku reappeared and stood before the phoenix, his long scythe hooking around the phoenix's neck.

"Begin, Phoenix!"

As Miku exerted force with both arms, the gauntlet on his left arm began to emit a blood-red light, which looked quite bewitching from a distance.

"Boom!"

Like a kite with a broken string, the phoenix plummeted rapidly into the scorched earth, creating a crater three meters in diameter. The charred soil spread outwards in a radial pattern.

Having landed a successful blow, Miku pressed his advantage, unleashing a roar as the phoenix, its body wreathed in flames, suddenly felt a tightening around its ankle.

The long tail, covered in three barbs, tightly wrapped around the phoenix's ankle. Miku exerted a sudden burst of strength, and the phoenix, now engulfed in flames, was flung uncontrollably upwards.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

Thick, bloody smoke had somehow appeared on the trembling scythe, and sinister eyes materialized out of nowhere, their malevolent gaze fixed intently on the phoenix.

The phoenix shuddered, feeling as if it were being watched by a ferocious beast, and fear clung to it like a shadow.

"Damn it, why am I scared!"

Enraged, the phoenix spread its wings, its feathers falling off as it hurtled towards Miku.

"Mudada!"

Miku, who spoke calmly, vanished in an instant. When he reappeared, he had actually bypassed the fire feather bombardment of the phoenix and arrived beneath him.

The phoenix, which was in mid-air, quickly turned around and flapped its wings rapidly, but Miku released the long chain in its hand and wrapped it with its tail.

He grabbed the phoenix's wings with both hands, flipped his body backward, and slammed his right leg down on the phoenix's head like a battle axe.

"Wow!!!"

The phoenix, letting out a strange cry from its throat, widened its eyes, experiencing constant pain in its back and a buzzing in its ears.

"boom!"

The phoenix, which had fallen from the sky, crashed to the ground again, while Miku now held two wings covered in dark red, viscous blood that resembled magma.

Crimson smoke rose from his hand, and the feathers torn from the phoenix were completely dissolved in the crimson smoke.

Are you ready to face your despair?

"despair?"

The phoenix, which had been lying in the deep pit, swayed as it stood up and roared, "I am the embodiment of despair!"

Miku, who fell from the sky like a feather, coldly looked at the phoenix and said, "No, you will face your despair!"

"I will become your despair, and..."

“...Your eternal nightmare!” Miku, whose right hand was folded at his waist, listened to the magic chant: “Frenzy Start!” He then took the long scythe wrapped around his tail in his hand.

In silence, Miku raised his long scythe, which was brewing a chaotic brilliance, and slammed his right foot heavily on the ground, raising dust as he vanished from his spot.

"what!!!"

The phoenix, unleashing its magic to the fullest extent, transformed its surroundings into a hellish scene, with flames burning wildly and molten soil crystallizing.

But his body suddenly stiffened, and countless rays of light enveloped him, and dozens of bloody slashes were branded on his body in the blink of an eye.

Miku, who appeared behind the phoenix, threw away his long scythe and put on the exclusive ring for Blood Hunter mode: Harvest.

"Buzz, buzz!"

After spinning the wheel and illuminating the right side of the beast claw emblem, Miku placed his right hand on it.

“Harvest Start!”

The crimson smoke started from his waist and spread towards his right leg. His leg armor, which was already woven like blood vessels, now looked as if it were soaked in blood, and at the same time, it shimmered with a bewitching luster.

"Damn it, I can't move!"

Using the corner of his eye to observe Miku's phoenix, he let out a deep roar: "Move!"

Miku, who was half-squatting, bent his left leg against his buttocks, stretched out his right leg and aimed it at the phoenix, while his hands were clasped on the ground.

"product!"

As Miku opened its mouth, thick, blood-red smoke accumulated and rose straight into the sky like a beacon.

"Rider kick!"

As soon as Miku finished speaking, his figure disappeared from the spot, and two deep ravines appeared where he had been squatting.

"boom!"

The incredibly fast sound of it cutting through the air created a deafening roar, and clusters of cone-shaped sonic boom clouds appeared in the air.

"Die!"

Under Mikusen's cold gaze, his right foot kicked the Phoenix in the back, and at the same time, the dozens of bloody slashes that Miku had left on him earlier were also detonated in that instant.

Amidst the swirling, blood-red slashes, Miku's right leg resembled the giant hand that toppled dominoes, detonating the slashes while simultaneously amplifying the explosive damage.

The phoenix, its chest bulging forward, looked pained. "I'm not reconciled!"

"puff!"

The large bulge on the phoenix's chest shattered, and Miku's body passed right through it.

Below the neck and above the waist, it had completely transformed into a huge, hollow phoenix, with only a thin layer of biological skin connecting the sides of its body.

"boom!"

The phoenix, its form severely damaged, could no longer stabilize the immense magical power within it. The magical power erupted, and a huge mushroom cloud appeared out of thin air in Serena's mansion.

Miku slowly straightened up, lifting his skirt. As the skirt fluttered, a mushroom cloud of explosion shot straight into the sky behind him!

Chapter 52: I am—your hope!

"boom!"

The smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion spread outwards along with the shockwave. Miku, whose skirt was billowing in the air, stomped heavily on the ground and jumped to the front of the dark room. She mustered her strength and hoisted the dark room onto her shoulders.

"Boom!"

Miku leaped again, jumping from the main house directly to the doorway, landing with a dull thud. The aftershock of his landing stirred up the dirt.

"It's still a little heavy!"

Miku, who had casually tossed the darkroom to the ground, came to Serena and knelt down to embrace her small body.

"Salina, Salina!"

"Can you hear me, Serena?"

With a soft call, a faint glimmer of light appeared in Serena's empty eyes: "It's gone, Miku!"

"My flower field is gone. It was a promise between my father and me, but now there's nothing left!"

Following Serena's gaze, the large house had been completely reduced to ruins, and the once ocean-like flower field had been turned into scorched earth.

"If it's gone, it's gone; we can plant more!"

Miku, unsure of what to say, could only offer soft words of comfort. Fine cracks had spread across Serena's face and body, and the dark purple light within the cracks was growing increasingly intense.

"But..."

"That was a promise between my dad and me. We agreed that he would come back when the violet flowers were in full bloom!"

“I’m waiting. I’ve been waiting for a long time. What if Dad comes back and doesn’t see the sea of ​​flowers I planted for him?”

"I don't want to fail to keep my promise!"

Hearing Serena's words, tinged with tears, Miku held her small hand: "Don't worry, there will be a sea of ​​flowers!"

"I will be there for you to rebuild it. I will stay with you while your father is gone!"

"really?"

With tears welling in Serena's eyes and a pleading look in them, Miku nodded: "Really!"

"I will be your hope!"

"No matter when or where, I will be there whenever you need me!"

"It's so good to have you by my side!"

Serena murmured softly as she raised her arm to stroke Miku's mask. Miku's eyes flickered, and Iggy obediently lay down on the ground.

"Now get a good night's sleep, and I'll completely eliminate the Phantom from your body!"

Miku gently placed Serena on the ground, letting her head rest on Iggy's stomach.

We need to hurry!

Miku tore open the wall of the hidden room and stepped inside. He merely glanced at the wall before raising his hand to remove the ring that allowed him to enter the inner world of the [Door], along with several other rings that could serve their purpose.

Miku, having emerged from the dark room, placed the contract ring, Engage, on Serena's hand without the slightest hesitation.

After turning the wheel at his waist, Miku lifted Serena's hand, which wore the Engage ring, and swept it across his own waist.

"Engage Start!"

After putting her hand down, Miku stood up and stepped back. A magic circle appeared in Serena's body, and immediately became a ring shape.

Three magic rings of different sizes were interlocked, forming a deep, dark space that seemed to connect to another unknown world.

"This is the first time I've ever entered someone else's inner world!"